Home - Iain Crichton Smith - How to Fail - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 547 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/09/14 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? Personal Study Notes – Jason Fee – Home by Iain Crichton Smith QUESTION: What techniques does the author use to show what the word â€Å"Home† really means to the main character? Introduction A short story I have read and thoroughly enjoyed is â€Å"Home† by â€Å"Iain Crichton Smith† I chose this short story because I found the authors’ style of writing interesting and the way he showed the characters’ experiences and emotions. The short story is based around the main characters’ understanding of home and the experience he has which, I believe, changes his idea of the definition of home. In this essay I will analyse the techniques used by the author to show the true definition of the word â€Å"Home† to the main character. Very early in the short story the author makes good use of language techniques. The main character is out of place in Glasgow. â€Å"They walked into the close whose walls were brown above and a dirty blue below, pitted with scars. † The author describing the walls of the close as â€Å"pitted with scars† suggests that the walls are old and damaged, and thus have been vandalised due to local delinquents and lack of money or care or to bother to fix it. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Home Iain Crichton Smith How to Fail" essay for you Create order The word â€Å"Scars† has connotations of danger and suggests people could get hurt in this area. Although the main character stays optimistic at this point he starts to realise that the area is not the way he remembered it, because when he lived there, the low standard of the area was what he was accustomed to. An Interesting technique the author uses is atmosphere early in the story. The atmosphere of Glasgow is important to the main character as the contrast between the man and his surroundings give key insight to his personal opinion of home. The black polished car drew up outside the brown tenement Somebody had written in chalk the words YA BASS† The author describes the tenements as brown which the reader interprets as a connotation of poverty and dirt, which casts a significant contrast of the main character arriving in a â€Å"black polished car†. The word â€Å"Polished† indicates wealth and the word â€Å"black† could indicate sophisticatio n. This line is significant to his loss of his sense of belonging to the area he used to live in. This is important as it shows his indifference and leads to events which affect his overall realisation. Another technique the author uses is his creation of characters in the story. The main character is treated differently than before because of the wealth he has obtained since he was last in Glasgow. â€Å"Get out of here, daddy, before we cut you up, and take your camera and your bus with you, and your bag too, right? pat and said quietly Tourist† Because the main character is wealthy, compared to the area he is visiting, he is treated as an outsider to that area, whom the youths don’t seem to accept. They mock him with his age by calling him â€Å"daddy† and threaten him. The author’s use of creating characters is important in making the main character feel unaccepted and uncomfortable, which are the two factors he realises are what make a place his â€Å"Home† His happy memories of his friends confirm this.

I Can Not Start The Construction Of My Theology Of...

BTH 526 Apologetics Assignment #2 I cannot start the construction of my theology of Apologetics without going back to the Apostle Peter’s call for all Christians in 1 Peter 3:15 to be ready all the time to give a defense for your faith in God. So God is informing us that we need to be developing strategies for our defense. I know this sounds weird, but as a football coach you always have a game plan when you step on the field. I think this is what God is telling us through Peter. As a coach on the defensive side of the ball I always look at what I can shut down or take away from my opponent’s offense. I will attempted to construct a defense by looking at the opponent’s (unbeliever’s) major offensive weapon and developing strategies I can†¦show more content†¦What I mean by this is we cannot know what is innately bad unless we know what is innately good. Good cannot exist unless there is evil, because we would not know what bad or evil is unless we know what is good. Timothy Keller alludes to the development of human rights as an indicator of a God, because these rights are not developed within the theory of evolutionary human development.1 Human or moral rights go against the laws of nature and the central theme of evolution, which is survival of the fittest (Timothy Keller, page 153).1 With the use of Apologetics strategies I must have a willingness to allow God to work through me to open the unbeliever’s eyes and ears so that they can discover God and seek out His loving goodness for mankind. McGrath concludes that Apologetics main aim is to lead people to God, and I agree with him on this key idea in Apologetics (McGrath, page 41). To effectively lead people to Jesus one must be able to fully understand their relationship with the Lord. This would include the understanding of key doctrinal components of the Christian faith to the point that they can be explained in simple terms. These components would include the existence of God and the Trinity, the extension of grace to mankind through Jesus, and the cross of Christ is the only place one can find forgiveness for sins. McGrath’s lays out his key components as the cross and resurrection of Christ, the cross’ healing abilities in aShow MoreRelatedRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagescultu re bearers / Ennis Barrington Edmonds. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-19-513376-5 1. Rastafari movement. 2. Jamaica—Religious life and customs. I. Title. BL2532.R37 E36 2002 299†².676—dc21 2002074897 v To Donnaree, my wife, and Donnisa, my daughter, the two persons around whom my life revolves; and to the ancestors whose struggles have enabled us to survive and thrive This page intentionally left blank Foreword One of the most useful things about

Business Capstone Project Structure Decisions

Question: Discuss about the Business Capstone Project for Structure Decisions. Answer: Introduction SMEs have a tendency to service as the source for creating employment opportunities, livelihood of the poor, generating income and contributing to the economic growth of the countries (Welsch, Price and Stoica 2013). Although, the roles of the SMEs have been increasing in the financial sector, the accessibility to the credit remains a major concern. Microfinance is a form of financial development which aims at alleviating the poverty of the poor who remained aloof of the proper financial services. The paper deals in examining the role of the microfinance in promoting the small and medium enterprises in Australia. Research aims and objectives The research aims at contributing to the array of literature on the Microfinance and the development of SMEs in Australia. The research also aims at investigating the effectiveness of the implementation of the microfinance in the larger companies in the country. The research also deals in estimating the current issues that are being faced by the organizations. The research objectives related to the study are as follows: To evaluate the role of Microfinance in the business organizations To identify the issues as faced by the organizations leading them to seek micro financing To identify the various facts and figures related to the ability of micro financing in developing the SMEs to larger companies Literature review SMEs in Australia According to the reports presented by Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the small business is actively trading businesses with 0-19 employees (Salimzadeh, Courvisanos and Nayak 2013). Likewise, the medium business has 20-199 employees while the larger organizations have more than 200 employees working under their respective business environments. The small businesses make significant contribution to the Australian economy which accounts for more than half of the industry employment and contributing to over a third of the industry value. SMEs play crucial role in the creation of employment and the income generation in the developing countries including Australia. This role is critical in the efforts of the countries to eradicate the poverty. Capital structure and financing For a business to expand, the firms should be increasing their assets by involving an implicit decision for raising money capital such that to promote financial growth. According to Elsas, Flannery and Garfinkel (2014), there are three main sources of the funds composing of equity financing, use of retained earnings and debt financing. The three major theories related to the capital structure of the firms include (i) trade off model, (ii) pecking order hypothesis, (iii) and signaling model. These theories allows the firms to choose their capital structures by trading off the debt benefits with the cost of debts of the agency and bankruptcy costs as well. Key factors inflowing the development of SMEs Microfinance is a significant tool for prompting the business development. The development of the small business is subjected to receive and access lucrative market related to the finance sector. The microfinance helps in improving the business working capital. Microfinance also helps in solving the financial issues as faced by the organizations. According to a recent survey, more than 10,000 firms in over 80 countries around the world have named financial constraints as one of the most sever issue which have been hampering with their growth (Fuller 2016). Role of microfinance in the SME development According to Gorodnichenko and Schnitzer (2013), lack of access of finance is one of the major constraints that is hampering with the development of small businesses. Commercial banks have been traditionally concentrating on their lending especially on the large formal enterprises possessing the collateral and less risks. According to Vanroose and DEspallier (2013), one of the solutions dealing with the lack of financing options for the SMEs is the introduction and development of microfinance. It has the capability to strengthen the firms and encourage the best practices in the working environment of SMEs. From the demand perspective, microfinance is diversified into microcredit, micro savings, micro insurance and investment as well. Microfinance also plays a crucial role in the profits and revenue growth of the SMEs. Research gap The literature lacks the illustration of the framework and models related to the micro financing and its auctions in the SMEs. Moreover, the literature lacks the evaluation of the impact of the microfinance on the business performance of the organizations. It also lacks the illustration of the structure of microfinance as followed in the business organizations. Research questions What are the key factors influencing the small enterprises in order to transform medium enterprises into large enterprise? What is the significance of micro financing in the SMEs? What are the issues faced by the firms that determine the likelihood of receiving micro financing? Research design and methodology Research methods The research method can be diversified in the form of two dimensions including the inductive and the deductive method. The applications of the deductive approach are to establish a hypothetical evaluation of the issues underpinning in the research study. On the other hand, the inductive approach is dependent on the theories related to the subject matter related to the research. The research study requires implementing the Deductive research approach which could help in reducing the resource consumption. As the Inductive research approach requires the inclusion of new theories and models and hence, would be more time consuming. Thus, the deductive research approach would be more suitable for the research study. In the research study, the deductive method has been utilized for conducting the same involving the formation of the hypothetical evaluation related to the research topic. The formation of the research questionnaires is subjected to be interpreted according to the primary issues being recognized in the research. The questionnaires should be incorporating the qualitative ands quantitative questions which could be helpful in acquiring quality data related to the research study. Thus, the deductive approach is the most appropriate for the research study. Research strategy According to O'Leary (2013), the research strategy is the factor that enables the research process to acquire useful information related to the research topic. The research study requires the information related to the role of the Microfinance in the development of SMEs. Thus, the conduction of primary data collection would be suitable for the research study. This follows the conduction of the interviews and surveys based on the research questionnaires being formulated in the research study. This conduction of interviews and surveys would be helpful in acquiring quality data related to the research topic. Data collection methods The data collection process would be helping in collecting the required information related to the research which should be compatible with the time and budget as estimated for the research. There are two main techniques which are followed in the data collection process including the primary data collection and secondary data collection. The research study requires the formulation of the research questionnaires and hence, the conduction of primary data collection would be more appropriate. Sample size The sample should be selected by implementing the random sampling technique. 100 respondents should be selected who should be working in the commercial banks and financial organizations in Australia. Data analysis The data analysis another significant process which is helpful in analyzing the information being acquired through the data collection process. The analysis would be helpful in gaining relevant information related to the microfinance and its role in the development of the SMEs in Australia. The tools being implemented in the research process includes the various charts, figures, tables, diagrams and analytical software including SPSS and Word. These tools would be helping in analyzing the information such that to gain knowledge about the research topic being selected for the research. Contribution The various research tools, techniques, approaches and strategies related to the research study would be helpful in conducting the research process in the appropriate direction. The implementation of the primary data collection method would be helping in collecting useful information related to the research topic. Moreover, the implementation of the appropriate research strategy, design and procedure would be enabling in collecting relevant and useful information related to the research topic. The research methodology would be helpful in constructing the data analysis through the implementation of the statistical analysis. Research outcome The research study is helpful in contributing to the array of literature based on the Microfinance and the development of SMEs in Australia. The research would be able to find the relationships between the SMEs and the Microfinance institutions for transforming the firms to economy development in the country. The roles of the SMEs have been increasing in the financial sector, the accessibility to the credit remains a major concern. The research study would be helpful in evaluating the role of Microfinance in the business organizations. It also helps in identifying the issues as faced by the SMEs. The research also helps in identifying the various facts and figures related to the ability of micro financing in developing the SMEs to larger companies. The paper deals in examining the role of the microfinance in promoting the small and medium enterprises in Australia. References Elsas, R., Flannery, M.J. and Garfinkel, J.A., 2014. Financing major investments: information about capital structure decisions. Review of Finance, 18(4), pp.1341-1386. Fuller, G.W., 2016. Introduction. In The Great Debt Transformation (pp. 1-24). Palgrave Macmillan US. Gorodnichenko, Y. and Schnitzer, M., 2013. Financial constraints and innovation: Why poor countries don't catch up. Journal of the European Economic Association, 11(5), pp.1115-1152. O'Leary, Z., 2013. The essential guide to doing your research project. Sage. Salimzadeh, P., Courvisanos, J. and Nayak, R.R., 2013, July. Sustainability in small and medium sized enterprises in regional Australia: a framework of analysis. In Annual SEAANZ Conference Proceedings in Sydney, Australia. Vanroose, A. and DEspallier, B., 2013. Do microfinance institutions accomplish their mission? Evidence from the relationship between traditional financial sector development and microfinance institutions outreach and performance. Applied Economics, 45(15), pp.1965-1982. Welsch, H., Price, D.P. and Stoica, M., 2013. Innovation, Performance and Growth Intentions in SMEs. International Journal of Economics and Management Engineering, 3(5), p.176.

The Monetary And Fiscal Policies, Although Controlled By Two Essays

The Monetary and Fiscal Policies, although controlled by two different organizations, are the ways that our economy is kept under control. Both policies have their strengths and weaknesses, some situations favoring use of both policies, but most of the time, only one is necessary. The monetary policy is the act of regulating the money supply by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, currently headed by Alan Greenspan. One of the main responsibilities of the Federal Reserve System is to regulate the money supply so as to keep production, prices, and employment stable. The Fed has three tools to manipulate the money supply. They are the reserve requirement, open market operations, and the discount rate. The most powerful tool available is the reserve requirement. The reserve requirement is the percentage of money that the bank is not allowed to loan out. If it is lowered, banks are required to keep less money, and so more money is put out into circulation (theoretically). If it is raised, then banks may have to collect on some loans to meet the new reserve requirement. The tool known as open market operations influences money and credit operations by buying and selling of government securities on the open market. This is used to control overall money supply. If the Fed believes there is not enough money in circulation, then they will buy the securities from member banks. If the Fed believes there is too much money in the economy, they will sell the securities back to the banks. Because it is easier to make gradual changes in the supply of money, open market operations are use more regularly than monetary policy. When member banks want to raise money, they can borrow from Federal Reserve Banks. Just like other loans, there is an interest rate, or a discount rate, the third tool of the monetary policy. If the discount rate is high, then fewer banks will be inclined to borrow, and if it is low, more banks will (theoretically) borrow from the reserve banks. The discount rate is not used as frequently as it was in the past, but it does serve as an indicator to private bankers of the intentions of the Fed to constrict or enlarge the money supply. The monetary policy is a good way to influence the money supply, but it does have its weaknesses. One weakness is that tight money policy works better that loose money policy. Tight money works on bringing money in to stop circulation, but for loose policy to really work, people have to want loans and want to spend money. Another problem is monetary velocity. The number of times per year a dollar changes hands for goods and services is completely independent of the money supply, and can sometimes contradict the efforts of the Fed. The benefits of the monetary system are that it can be enacted immediately with quick results. There are no delays from congress. Second, the Fed uses partisan politics, and so has no ties to any political party, but acts in the best interests of the U.S. Economy. The second way to influence the money supply lies in the hands of the government with the Fiscal Policy. The fiscal policy consists of two main tools. The changing of tax rates, and changing government spending. The main point of fiscal policy is to keep the surplus/deficit swings in the economy to a minimum by reducing inflation and recession. A change in tax rates is usually implemented when inflation is unusually high, and there is a recession with high unemployment. With high inflation, taxes are increased so people have less to spend, thus reducing demand and inflation. During a recession with high unemployment, taxes are lowered to give more people money to spend and thus increasing demand for goods and services, and the economy begins to revive. A change in government spending has a stronger effect on the economy than a change in tax rates. When the government decides to fight a recession it can spend a large amount of money on goods and services, all of which is released into the economy. Despite the effectiveness of the Fiscal policy, it does have drawbacks. The major problems are timing and politics. It is hard to predict inflation and recession, and it can be a long period of time before the situation is even recognized. Because a tax cut can take a year to really take effect, the economy could revive from the recession and the new unnecessary tax cut could cause inflation. Politics are another problem. Unlike the monetary policy run by the partisan Fed, the fiscal policy is

Berlitz Kids German Language Pack

Berlitz Kids German Language Pack It is an unfortunate fact that very few elementary schools teach foreign languages, despite research indicating that children age 12 and younger are much more receptive language learners than older students. The Berlitz Kids Language Pack series is aimed at parents who know this, and want to offer their son or daughter the benefits of a second language. The Berlitz Kids German Language Pack program targets children ages five and up. The Language Pack comes in a colorful cardboard briefcase package with handle that kids can carry around. The Berlitz Kids German package includes the following: The Missing Cat/Die verschwundene Katze story bookAudio CD for the story book and songsFirst 100 German Words picture dictionaryHelp Your Child with a Foreign Language guide bookBerlitz Language German Club certificate The Berlitz Kids German Language Pack materials teach the language in a natural, familiar way that is suited for young learners. In a reading and story-telling format, along with songs in German, kids are introduced to German vocabulary, grammar, and the sounds of the language (on CD). Berlitz has repackaged its 1998 Language Pack edition, dropping the former flashcards, and putting the audio on CD rather than cassettes. The story book is in German with English in smaller print. The accompanying audio CD has excellent sound and includes eight sing-along songs that go with each chapter of the story book. The story of Nicholas and Princess, his missing cat, is a typical illustrated childrens tale that manages to introduce basic German vocabulary and grammar without seeming to teach them overtly. Berlitz offers two additional German story books (The Five Crayons and A Visit to Grandma, also with audio CD) at extra cost, which is one of the few complaints I have about this $27.00 package. For that amount, it should include more than just one story book. Besides The Missing Cat, the only other printed material for the young student is a thin 26-page picture dictionary called the First 100 Words. But parents are offered some real help in guiding their young learner. Besides being able to learn and read along with their youngster, the included 210-page book Help Your Child with a Foreign Language by Opal Dunn helps parents do a better job of introducing a new language to their kids. The book is a comprehensive guide that includes pedagogical information, language activities and games, Language Time ideas, German phrases, mistakes to avoid, suggested teaching strategies, and other resources to help mom or dad enhance the childs learning experience. It encourages parents to participate in their childs language learning by offering good ideas and practical strategies for young learners that they can use. I have awarded the Berlitz Kids Language Pack German program four stars (out of five) because it offers a good introduction to German for kids, but it should include at least one more story book instead of offering it at extra cost. I found the German songs a bit irritating (all sung by the same artists), but most young kids will probably love them. Children and their parents will enjoy learning German with the Language Pack. It is also available for Italian, French, and Spanish. Berlitz Kids German Language PackStory book/audio CD, picture dictionary, parent guide, certificateBerlitz Publishing/Langenscheidt$26.95 SRP

Good-paying Jobs

Good-paying Jobs Good-paying Jobs Good-paying Jobs By Maeve Maddox A reader questions the expression â€Å"good-paying jobs†: I’ve just come across ‘good-paying jobs’ in a report I’m editing by a highly regarded organization. (It has also been used by some politicians lately.) I was wondering if you could address the use of this phrase instead of what I would expect – â€Å"well-paying jobs.† I believe it’s not correct. The OED tells us that good is â€Å"the most general and most frequently used adjective of commendation in English, and one of the most common non-possessive adjectives in all periods from Old English to the present day.† Consider only a few of the uses of good: good food (wholesome) good books (well-written with worthwhile content0 good money (not counterfeit) good soil (fertile) good English (grammatically correct, well enunciated, and pronounced according to current national conventions) A good question is thought-provoking, a good friend is loyal and dependable. Captain Ahab hopes for a good wind and Yenta looks for a good match for a client. Someone, if not Chief Crazy Horse, may have said â€Å"It’s a good day to die,† and some scriptwriter came up with an episode of Desperate Housewives called â€Å"What’s the Good of Being Good?† The OED entry for good identifies the word as adjective, noun, adverb, and interjection. The good page of the online edition I use scrolls seemingly into infinity. My Compact Edition of the OED shows fifteen columns for plain good and another fifteen columns for words that have good as the root. We speak of good-tasting food (food that tastes good), good-looking people (people who look good), and good-meaning do-gooders (people who mean well). Note: American speakers are more likely to say â€Å"a well-meaning person,† but the OED includes â€Å"good-meaning.† Why shouldn’t we speak of â€Å"good-paying jobs† to mean â€Å"jobs that pay well†? The OED includes good-paying in its list of hyphenated â€Å"good words† for special uses, although the earliest citation (1834) doesn’t use the hyphen: Sandy, this has surely been a good paying job; for, when you were in the Calton, your little ones could not come out for dirt and rags. A Google search indicates that the two phrases are in about equal use. The Ngram Viewer shows both forms, with â€Å"good paying† higher on the graph than â€Å"well paying.† â€Å"This job pays good† is undeniably nonstandard usage. On the other hand, the following usage in an obituary written by Steven Greenhouse and published in The New York Times does not ignite my grammar nerve: From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Herman headed the A.F.L.-C.I.O.’s Working for America Institute, which promoted labor-management partnerships to create profitable businesses and good-paying jobs. I think that speakers who prefer â€Å"well-paying jobs† to â€Å"good-paying jobs† should use it, but unless house style demands one or the other, a writer’s choice should probably stand. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Avoid Beginning a Sentence with â€Å"With†15 Words for Household Rooms, and Their SynonymsTestimony vs. Testimonial

Estimate critical analysis of the companys recent history with Essay

Estimate critical analysis of the companys recent history with Financial Analysis of Heartland Express company - Essay Example (Rm-Rf) is the risk premium rate and beta can be defined as a measure of how much the stock and market move together. The following values have been traced through relevant financial sources WACC or the weighted average cost of capital is the weighted average cost of the company’s equity and long term debt. WACC is calculated by multiplying the cost of equity with the market value of the equity and cost of debt with the market value of the debt. Cost of debt is usually the interest rate that the company’s pay on its long term and short term financial borrowings. However, an analysis of the company’s financial statements will show that the company does have any long term or short term interest bearing financial debts. All of its debts comprise of trading nature and the company does have to pay any interest on such securities. Does the cost of debt for the heartland express is nil. Keeping all the above factors into consideration, the WACC of heartland express is equal to its cost of equity i.e. 6.11% The estimated value of the company’s equity is calculated by discounting the free cash flow of the company for the foreseeable future using the weighted average cost of capital of the company (WACC). Free cash flow method is basically a measure of financial performance of the company which is calculated as free cash flows minus the capital expenditure. From pure financial management’s perspective, free cash flow can be defined as the cash which the company is able to generate setting aside the money required to maintain or expand its current asset base. The following table presents the free cash flow calculation and the equity value of the company as at financial year end December 31, 2010. Note 2: In the free cash flow method, the depreciation and amortization expense are added to the profit after taxes since these are the non-cash items. For the

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 171

Summary - Essay Example There are many examples given here about people that were found in such situations and then forced to pay more than the regular charge. Jacob tells his story about what happened when his wife was about to deliver their second daughter, Baby Olivia. It occurred in summer on a Friday evening when his wife called him. His wife was working until she went to labor pains. She worked next to his office, and she was coming to meet him so they could go to the hospital. They went to the road to flag down a vehicle. It was hot, and the cabs were moving fast without stopping but, fortunately, one stopped, and they were heading to the hospital. Jacob was surprised when the driver told him that he was to pay four times the normal charge. He was very furious, but the condition of the wife left him no other option but to pay what the driver wanted (Planet Money 2014). Another example is where a young couple were forced to pay seven times the normal charge. It was December in the New York City. It was raining, snowing and sleeting, a cold weather and cabs were sliding on the road. The young couple aged around 25 years had waited for one and a half hours without finding a car. They even tried to call service vehicles in vain. The lady was wearing a short skirt in the chilly weather. Then came a driver from Uber Company and they ended up paying seven times the usual charge. Liza Chow was also caught in the snow and paid $192 instead of $65 for a 5-mile car ride by Uber Company. Lisa chow and Zoe make an argument that surge pricing may benefit everyone. They define the argument by saying if Uber Company does not charge more than the standard cost drivers will not be motivated. They will not go out struggling in the snow. Surge pricing will help the people out in the snow or when it is sleeting as the drivers will be available knowing the pay is more. Hence surge price will benefit the drivers and the people caught in the snow and the

Legal Environment Essay Example for Free

Legal Environment Essay Sexual harassment is always a legal topic in the work environment because the ramifications are so severe, but at the same time very abstract to describe what can constitute sexual harassment. This paper will take into consideration different elements of the law including Employment Law and cases tried before the U. S. Supreme Court. It will also offer suggestions for corrective action pertaining to the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace. In corporate America, sexual harassment is a huge concern amongst many organizations. The matter of sexual harassment is an issue that needs to be immediately attended to in order for companies to avoid large costs associated with lawsuits stemming from allegations of being sexually harassed in the workplace. Sexual harassment is usually an immediate damage. According to Crucet et al. (2010), â€Å"sexual harassment can cause damage to a company’s representation, status, customers, as well as their proceeds†. Sexual harassment can be identified as any unwelcome sexual jesters or advances, request for sex, and/or any physical or verbal conduct that may be considered in a sexual nature. The legalities circling sexual harassment can be broken down into two particular categories. According to Crucet et al. (2010), â€Å"the first category is quid pro quo and the second one consists of a hostile environment†. The first category of quid pro quo (this for that) sexual harassment usually involves an employee and a supervisor because in most situations only supervisors have the power of hiring and firing an employee. It also â€Å"involves some express or implied linkage between an employee’s submission to sexually oriented behavior and tangible job consequences† (Mallor et al. 2010, p. 1328). An example of quid pro quo could be related to a supervisor telling his female employee that â€Å"if you do this sexual favor for me, then you will be promoted†. According to Tyner Clinton (2010), â€Å"other examples include managers requesting sexual favors, and the receipt or non-receipt of those favors as a condition for making hiring, termination, promotion, and other placement decisions. † Quid pro quo is easier to identify than hostile environment harassment. The second category of sexual harassment is called hostile environment harassment. According to Mallor et al. 2010), â€Å"hostile environment harassment, occurs when an employee is subjected to unwelcome, sex-related behavior that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to change the conditions of the victim’s employment and create an abusive working environment† (p. 1328). The key element of any type of harassment is unwelcomed sexual advances but in hostile environment harassment it is definitely a bit tricky and at times hard to define (Tyner Clinton, 2010). Both categories of sexual harassment violate Title VII of Employment Law that is in place to protect equal opportunity in the workplace. In order to avoid or limit their liability for sexual harassment allegations, an employer must act immediately when issues of sexual harassment are brought to their attention in addition to providing adequate training on sexual harassment along with having an effective policy in place that identifies the definition of sexual harassment. A current ethical situation that I have encountered in the workplace involves hostile environment harassment. I have an employee by the name of Bob Doe that has been accused of sexual harassment in the workplace. Bob has been working as an Admissions Counselor under my supervision since January of 2011. Bob is married with three young children between the ages of ten to sixteen. Bob is a great worker but people still feel uncomfortable around him and comes off much different that the other male employee or co worker. He carries around an aura or vibe that makes the female employees feel uncomfortable. For instance, when Bob has a conversation with other female employees he tends to get too close and invade personal space. He is often caught saying vulgar and raunchy remarks that are HR inappropriate and has a habit of speaking under his breath a lot. Many of the female employees have claimed that he stares at them for periods of time without saying anything. He is medium to tall height, with a muscular build and tends to wear tight articles of clothing to reveal his muscles. Bob is middle aged and is about 5-10 years older than the average of other Admissions Counselors. In August of 2011, one day another male employee approached me and said that Bob had made some remarks to him regarding another female employee. Bob told this male employee â€Å"that he would love to catch her drunk† about that female employee. As a supervisor, this remark made me feel very angry that one of my employees would make comments like that about another employee and I immediately reported this action to my Director, Steve. Steve said that he really couldn’t do anything about that comment because I could not confirm whether or not he said it based off of the word of another employee and that the comment was not heard by the female employee. The director then told me to stay away from the gossip in the workplace and not to get involved in drama, He reminded me that I am suppose to be above that sort of office slander and that I was put in this position to make others people at their job and not be a whistle blower. I acknowledged what he told me and agreed that I would do a better job moving forward, but I still asked him to please report this incident to Human Resources. Steve said that he would handle the situation and would report the incident to Human Resources. Steve likes to handle all HR issues as he calls, â€Å"in house†. Steve wants the managers to run an incident by him before going to HR because he feels that he can handle the issues and that only if the cause was serious enough and if he was not present then we could go to Human Resources, otherwise we were to seek his approval or direction first. The second incident that involved Bob was in November 2011, when he approached another female employee on the team and grabbed her from behind and hugged her. Although he was not being overly aggressive and had a smile on his face, the female employee named Helen was caught off guard and felt violated and asked Bob not to touch her again because it made her feel uncomfortable. Bob laughed it off and said â€Å"Gezz girl relax! You know it’s not like that† and pointed at his wedding ring and walk away. Helen approached me and told me what happened. I immediately pulled Bob into a conference room and told him very sternly that it was inappropriate to hug and/or touch another employee in the workplace especially if it is unwelcomed because it could be viewed as sexual harassment. He said he understood and apologized for his behavior. At this time, I felt that this particular incident did not need to be reported to Human Resources since I felt I had a pretty good handle of the situation. I, however did document the incident in his employee activity log and mentioned it to my director who also said I handled the situation appropriately The third incident that happened regarding Bob was in January 2012. Bob was flirting with a female employee named Lisa who was not an employee on my team but still in the same division. Bob then began to grab Lisa’s hand and hold it with his hand. As Lisa pulled away, she asked Bob â€Å"why are you trying to hold my hand? † Bob’s response was â€Å" you’re so hot you’re making my hands clammy. † This was another sexual harassment issue that could have blown up. Once Lisa’s manager brought this situation to my attention, I once again called Bob into the conference room and explained to him that this was his second warning not to touch another employee, especially a female employee because it is inappropriate and unwarranted and if it were to happen again, then I would have no choice but to personally report him to Human Resources. Once again, I turned to my Director, Steve to seek his advice. Steve again told me that as long as you feel that you handled the situation appropriately and documented it then Bob should be fine. At this point I started getting the feeling that Steve didn’t care about the safety of my female employees and that he just wanted to avoid HR to avoid a situation. I felt as if Steve was allowing this to happen to prevent himself from looking bad. I then decide that I had to take the situation into my own hands and be more cognizant of Bob’s behavior with other employees. There have been a number of other times that Bob continued to make inappropriate comments to other female employees. He would compliment girls on their dress and say how nice their legs looked or that a certain color really brings out their figure. However, there were no mo complaints from Bob in regards to touching another employee inappropriately. He eventually decided to move onto another role with a different company and that was that. Sexual harassment is subjective because everyone identifies and perceives sexual harassment differently. Bob did come from the food and beverage industry where he was a bartender and a lot of his employees were cocktail waitresses in a night club in downtown. He did mention that in his previous job that he was very friendly with his staff because the culture would be more tolerable, especially with alcohol being involved. So, he may not have viewed his actions as being sexual harassment to his female employees, but obviously the employees felt otherwise. Author Tyner and Clinton write that â€Å"According to the law, the victim must be a â€Å"reasonable person† (Tyner Clinton, 2010). The â€Å"reasonable person† standard initiated in the landmark case of Rabidue v. Osceola Refining back in 1986. According to Tyner Clinton (2010), â€Å"in this case the majority ruled that vulgar language and the sexually oriented posters did not result in a working environment that could be considered intimidating, hostile, or offensive under the guidelines. † Essentially Judge Keith felt that â€Å"sexual harassment should not be judged by a reasonable person but rather by a reasonable victim† (Tyner Clinton, 2010). It is the victim that feels uncomfortable and is claiming the allegations of sexual harassment. They are the one that feel that the acts of another are unwelcomed and violating their legal rights. Unfortunately, as a manager of fourteen Admissions Counselors, at times I don’t have the presence to be everywhere at all times. I have frequently not been present at urgent moments because I was helping or assisting another employee. I always made it a conscience effort to praise in public and coach or criticize in private. This was the course of action I took with Bob whenever I witnessed an inappropriate behavior from him. I took him into the conference room and let me know that what he just did is not acceptable. I did not want him to feel that he was being discriminated against because he was an older male. I know that it was my ethical duty to make sure that all of my employees have the right to feel safe in the workplace. This topic really sticks out to me because as a manager of a big company we are constantly having sexual harassment trainings and seminars on how to identify and prevent instances from occurring. A manager at the training shared with the rest of the managers a horrific case of sexual harassment from one of her employees. The employees name was Tim and he was a very skilled and tenure Admissions Counselor and often looked at as a great example of a successful hard working Admissions Counselor. When a female new hire Kristy was added onto the same team as Tim the manager advised that the new hire learn from Tim and create best practices and habits that Tim has. Kristy was near Tim a lot because she was given orders to learn from Tim. Tim would use this opportunity to flirt with Kristy constantly and asking her very intruding questions about her personal life such as, if she is dating anyone or if she is interested in a relationship or just â€Å"hooking up. † Kristy became very ucomfortable when Tim started to text message her at night saying that he is bored now that he is divorced and that he wants to meet her early in the morning to go over performance strategies. When Kristy finally confided in another employee the manager was brought to attention. The manager immediately told Kristy to go to HR right away and the manager went to her supervisor and they both took immediate actions. Because of Tim’s behavior Kristy was about to quit her job and she would attempt to be sick in order to stay away from Tim’s desk. Tim’s behavior created a hostile environment because Kristy was in fear of encountering Tim. This incident not only saddens me for Kristy, but also made me sad because of what Bob had done in the past to my fellow employees and I had not taken immediate actions like I should have. Legal Viewpoints: The U. S.  Supreme Court According to Crucet et al. (2010), â€Å"in 1980 the Supreme Court said that sexual harassment was a breach of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. † Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 â€Å"prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin in hiring, firing, job assignments, pay, access to training, and apprenticeship programs, and most other employment decisions† (Mallor et al. , 2010, p. 1323). An important case that first appeared the â€Å"reasonable person† argument was in the Rabidue v. Osceola Refining in 1986 mentioned earlier in this paper. This case is often cited as the predecessor to the landmark Supreme Court case of Ellison v. Brady in 1991. In Ellison v. Brady (1991) the Supreme Court rules that â€Å"it is unreasonable to use a â€Å"reasonable person† standard since the rules were established by men† (Tyner Clinton, 2010). This is where the â€Å"reasonable victim† came into existence. The court went on to say that â€Å"we note that the reasonable woman victim standard we adopt today classified conduct as unlawful sexual harassment even when harassers do not realize that their conduct creates a hostile working environment† (Tyner Clinton, 2010). This Supreme Court ruling is of great importance. Many of times, harassers don’t even realize what they are doing is wrong because their perception of reality is off. Two important Supreme Court cases in 1998 created the framework for deciding whether or not employers were held liable for sexual harassment committed by its employees. The first was Burlington Industries v. Ellerth (1998) and the second was Farragher v. Boca Raton (1998). According to Cabassa (2011), â€Å"employers in jurisdictions where courts have allowed indemnity claims against employees for actions giving rise to harassment cases† are on the rise. There are many cases linking to sexual harassment in the workplace that they have launched a litigation committee that covers employment law to covering all legal issues related to the employment relationship (Cabassa, 2010). The question still stands on whether or not a company is liable for sexual harassment committed by one of its employees. The answer to that question lies on â€Å"whether the harasser was a coemployee or a supervisor of the victim, whether the victim suffered tangible job detriment and whether the company had sexual harassment policies, training, and grievance procedures† (Mallor et al. , 2010, p. 1328). Therefore, in order for a company to release themselves from association and allegations of sexual harassment a number of things need to be considered. Suggestions for Corrective Action According to Das (2007), â€Å"sexualization itself, as a precursor to signaling, could arguably stem both from a targets developmental trajectory and from later-life experiences that get layered onto this basic personality substrate. † Therefore, although Bob had these precursor straits of sexualization prior to him going through divorce, the later-life experiences of divorce layered into his life may have caused him to be more relentless. Regardless of his personal life experiences, Bob needs to be in line with the Employee Handbook and follow its policies. It is imperative each company have a Human Resource or Employees Relations Representative that can handle any allegations of sexual harassment. It is first and foremost important for a company no matter of size small or large, to have an Employee Handbook in place to identify what is considered acceptable and what can be recognized as sexual harassment. Then adequate training needs to be in place to help identify what may be considered as sexual and/or ostile environment harassment. After the training, each employee should be required to sign off on an acknowledgment form acknowledging that they know and understand the sexual harassment policy. Once those guidelines are set then it is important for managers and supervisors to take the allegations of sexual harassment very seriously and prevent any further occurrences to take place. If allegations of sexual harassment are made, it is important for Human Resources to open an investigation immediately to determine the facts of the case and to get each sides of the story.  Once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, then the next step is to take appropriate disciplinary action up to and including termination of the harasser. This measure will hopefully prevent sexual and hostile environment harassment. Conclusion In conclusion, the Employment Law has been established by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 allowing every person the right to pursue a career and economic gain with the absence of sexual harassment in the workplace. The U. S.  Supreme Court has been a huge help in identifying the law surrounding and interpreting the U. S. Constitution as it pertains to sexual harassment. According to Tyner Clinton (2010), â€Å"the Society for Human Resource Managers reported in 2002 that 97 percent of employers have written sexual harassment policies and that 62 percent of those employers provide training on sexual harassment. † Therefore, as a society we are on the right track to preventing harassment of any type in the workplace especially unwelcomed and unwarranted sexual advances.

Developing and Overcoming Antisocial Personality Disorder Essay

Developing and Overcoming Antisocial Personality Disorder Personality disorders are among the most difficult disorders to be diagnosed and treated in psychology. The highly ingrained behaviors of the disorders, the difficulty in differentiating between normalcy and illness, and the patients lack of understanding and excepting their symptoms as abnormal, are all contributing obstacles of the disorder. Personality is shaped by experiences during childhood and adolescence as well as genetics. Therefore, children that develop mental disorders are more likely to develop personality disorders as adults. Conduct disorder in children has been highly linked to the development of antisocial personality disorder in adults. The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) suggests, but does not require, a history of conduct disorder when making an antisocial personality diagnosis (1). Not only is there a high correlation between people having the disorders, but conduct disorder seems to be a preliminary childhood manifestation of the same underlying malfunctions that are characteristic of the adult disorder, antisocial personality disorder. When looking at the development and causes of antisocial personality disorder it is important to note the symptoms, characteristics, and circumstance of conduct disorder as well. Conduct disorder, a childhood behavior disorder described by the DSM, is characterized by chronic misbehavior. The children and adolescence often participate in serious physical fighting, alcohol and drug abuse, violation of parental and school rules, vandalizing and setting fires, and many other antisocial behaviors. These children, unless adequately treated, have a 50% rate of becoming involved with drugs an... ...y disorder 5)"The Neurobiology of Stress and Emotions.", hormone contributors to antisocial personality http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/stress.html 6)"CSF 5-HIAA and Family History of Antisocial Personality Disorder in Newborns", article concerning the connection between serotonin and antisocial disorders 7)"Family Functioning and Peer Affiliation in Children of Fathers With Antisocial Personality Disorder and Substance Dependence: Associations With Problem Behaviors.", environmental factors related to the development of antipersonality disorders http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/159/4/607 8)" Aggression and Transference in Severe Personality Disorders.", characteristics of antisocial personality disorder http://www.mhsource.com/pt/p950216.jhtml?_requestid=524313 9)Serendip Website, I-function http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/

Philosophy of Truth Essay

There are many theories on the meaning of truth, and with those theories come beliefs and questions as to why one is more adequate than the others. The theory that I will discuss as the most adequate is the correspondence theory. Honestly, I don’t possess the capabilities to fully determine the most sufficient theory of truth. I do, however, have empirical evidence and solid reasoning to support the correspondence theory. There are many valid arguments and questions of this theory that I am not qualified to completely refute. For the sake of this essay I am only able to continue this age old discussion, not to conclude with an exact theory of truth to follow. First I will introduce the basic ideas of the correspondence theory and then I will show why I support these ideas. Then I will present what some other philosophers have said in regards to the correspondence theory and how I interpret these statements. To end, I will discuss the basic arguments against the correspondence theory, and show reasons as to why these arguments are applicable to any theory. The concept of the correspondence theory says that a statement is true only if the facts given match up with reality. (Solomon p. 268) This can be a very simple approach to determining the truth. The basic idea is that if, based on my understanding of reality, the statement given matches that reality then the statement is true. If the statement does not correspond to reality then it is false. A statement is a sentence that can be determined to be true or false but not both at the same time. So ultimately I use past experiences and beliefs to determine my concept of reality. Then, based on my idea of reality, I determine if a statement is either true or false. â€Å"To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, or of what is not that it is not, is true† (Solomon p 268) This was Aristotle’s belief in Metaphysics and seems to be a very clear-cut statement on how to determine truth. Either a statement is true or false. The law of contradiction says that a statement and its denial cannot both be true. (Solomon p. 266) This reinforces the belief that a statement cannot be true and false at the same time. As Aristotle also said in Metaphysics â€Å"It is impossible for the same man to suppose at the same time that the same thing is and is not. † (Solomon p 266) This however, as some still argue, does not solve the problem that what may true to one, may be false to another. If reality is based on my experiences, then having different experiences can cause different perceptions of reality. The argument of whom or what would determine the final truth is well beyond my qualifications. This can cause a contradiction of truth. This contradiction, based on an individual’s idea of reality, is another concept that I am able to only understand and take a position. I do not have the final answers to these arguments but I do have a perspective. An individual’s concept of reality is unique to that individual. Based on ones’ experiences comes that person’s concept of reality. Just because someone’s experiences cause them to believe one truth, doesn’t mean they are wrong if I believe another truth. This idea of reality is what causes philosophers to discuss different theories of truth and their credibility’s on many different levels. These extreme cases and abstract ideas is where the correspondence theory draws in the critics. I feel that some of these arguments, though valid, are applicable to any theory. The first argument of this theory roots from the name itself. This argument of the correspondence theory states that â€Å"there is no such thing as a statement or belief that by itself is capable of corresponding to anything. † (Solomon p268) This means that mainly because our words have different meanings in different languages there is not one single statement that can â€Å"correspond† to anything. I feel that this is a weak argument in that it would mean that nothing can be true. There are many different languages and there is no single word I know of that is universal. This argument could be applied to any theory of truth. If what I say is not true to everyone, then it is false. That seems to be the basis of this argument and because of this belief nothing could be true. To me that is an outrageous and un-realistic argument. The next point critics of the correspondence theory make is that there in some cases may be physical implications with verifying correspondence. One example of this for me may be my diabetes. If I say â€Å"my blood sugar is low† the only way to verify if that is true is through the use of my glucose meter. Without the correct equipment there is no way to tell if that statement is true. (At least until I’m in a coma! ). To me this still seems to have a simple solution; the truth isn’t known until it can be verified. I truly do not know if my blood sugar is low until I have tested it. This may cause me to have to rely on another person’s statement but then I can only form an opinion. If I cannot verify the truth physically then I do not know if it is true. This brings up the next argument. The final point I will talk about is that of abstract ideas. Some people will argue that the correspondence theory does not â€Å"work† for abstract ideas, such as love and feelings. These are difficult to verify since they are mostly feelings. There is no concrete source to â€Å"match† them up with. To find the truth in these areas is very difficult with any theory of truth. The best answer I have to counter this objection is that the truth to these abstract ideas is unique to every individual and is really more of an opinion. If someone says â€Å"I am hungry† that is really more of an opinion than a statement. Therefore these claims cannot be either true or false, they are a feeling and that is not for me to judge as truth or not. This leads me to conclude that the correspondence theory is the most adequate theory for determining truth. As long as a belief or statement corresponds with my perception of reality then it is the truth. Though there are valid arguments against this theory I feel that they are a stretch and can be argued against any theory of truth. Bibliography Solomon, Robert, Introducing Philosophy, 8th edition, (Oxford University Press, NY 2005) pp266-279.

Literacy in America Essay

America, the most technologically advanced and affluent of all nations on the earth, seems to have an increasingly larger illiteracy rate every year. This has become and continues to be a critical problem throughout our society as we know it. According to the National Adult Literacy survey, 42 million adult Americans can’t read; 50 million are limited to a 4th or 5th grade reading level; one in every four teenagers drops out of high school, and of the students who graduate, one in every four has around an 8th grade education. Why? You ask. This problem will never fix itself and will take quite a bit of time to overcome. We need to make sure that everyone is aware of the social problems, poverty and lack of family interaction that occurs everyday in many, if not all, communities throughout America. â€Å"Nearly a billion people, two-thirds of them women, will enter this world unable to read a book or write their names,† warns UNICEF in a new report, â€Å"The State of the World’s Children 1999. † UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, points out that the illiterate â€Å"live in more desperate poverty and poorer health† than those who can read and write. (Boaz). The most important factor that contributes to the outrageous statistics of illiteracy is that of poverty. Poverty is an issue that more and more of our nation’s children are coming face to face with and the price they must pay is unbelievably high. Poverty is considered a major at-risk factor (Leroy 2001). The term at-risk refers to children who are likely to fail whether it 2 be at school or life in general because of their life’s social circumstances. Some of the factors that may place these children at-risk are: dangerous neighborhoods; young, uneducated parents; unemployment; and inadequate educational experiences. Teachers need to be aware of the circumstances that their students face and be able and ready to help these children find a balance between the cultural values that they may have and values emphasized in school. By providing emotional support, modeling, and other forms of scaffolding, teachers can help students use their strengths, skills, and knowledge to develop and learn ( Marlowe and Page,9). The United States prides itself on being a free, democratic state. Jonathan Kozol’s essay â€Å"The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society† states that the United States is not the democracy it claims to be. For democracy to work at its best, a true representation of the common interests and how the majority feels about those interests must be in place. According to Kozol, about â€Å"60 million people in the United States are illiterate. † For the United States to be the self-functioning democratic state it proclaims to be, it has to be a literate society. The people of the United States are not part of a democracy without the full capacity to make informed choices, and furthermore cannot reap the benefits that a democratic society has to offer if the best interests of the majority are not represented. Direct quote #2 (Madison)with signal phrase. Hypo-thetical example James Madison wrote that a â€Å"people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy, or perhaps both† (Surowiecki, page 4). Voting is by far the most important aspect of a democratic society, and the percentage of people who do vote is a topic of much discussion here in the United States. If the number of people not voting is such a significant concern then the reasons they are not voting is 3 as well. An uneducated vote is not any better than a vote not cast at all. Imagine going to a voting booth and voting for a person or a ballot measure based on the ads you see on the TV only. In this circumstance, decisions are often made based on the negative ideas offered by both major political parties. If 60 million people in the United States cannot read, then they cannot cast a vote truly representative of their opinions. As Kozol claims, the United States has in fact become a government â€Å"of those two thirds whose wealth, skin color, or parental privilege allows them opportunity to profit from the provocation and instruction of the written word† (Kozol). The percentage of the population that is illiterate cannot choose which candidates make it onto the ballots, they cannot sign petitions, and they cannot choose which measures will pass or those that will fail. Direct quote #3 (Kozal), with signal phrase e. Of equal importance to a democratic society are the benefits that literacy provides to the public. When one is illiterate they are not able to reap the benefits of a free society. The freedom to choose enhances one’s chances of experiencing the best of anything. Illiteracy makes for a life of settling. An illiterate person has to settle for another’s interpretations of the world. According to the article ‘Democracy 101,† the ability to read opens a world that many people do not consider. The choice of where to live, what to eat, and where to work may all seem commonplace to the average literate person. Kozol uses the warning on a can of Drano in the opening of this essay to educate. It may take a moment for it to sink in but the reader will soon realize how much power reading and writing holds. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are supposed to be guaranteed to all citizens of this country. Those that cannot read or write do not have the capability to choose who are the best people suited for ensuring those rights. Perhaps more importantly the 60 million illiterate people in this country cannot make the choices necessary to make use of those rights (Kozol). References Boaz, David. â€Å"Illiteracy — The Bad News and the Good. † Cato Institute. 20 Jan. 1999. Kim, J. K. â€Å"NRRF – Illiteracy: An Incurable Disease or Education Malpractice? † Kozol, Jonathan, Illiteracy: The Enduring Problem. â€Å". Leroy. â€Å"The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning. † 2001 Surowiecki, James. â€Å"The Dangers of Financial Illiteracy in America. † The New Yorker.

Sinornithosaurus - Facts and Figures

Sinornithosaurus - Facts and Figures Name: Sinornithosaurus (Greek for Chinese bird-lizard); pronounced sine-OR-nith-oh-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of Asia Historical Period: Early Cretaceous (130-125 million years ago) Size and Weight: About three feet long and 5-10 pounds Diet: Probably omnivorous Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; bipedal posture;  long tail; feathers About Sinornithosaurus   Of all the dino-bird fossils discovered in the Liaoning Quarry in China, Sinornithosaurus may be the most famous, because its the most complete:  the perfectly preserved skeleton of this early Cretaceous dinosaur shows evidence not only of feathers, but of different kinds of feathers on different parts of its body. The feathers on this small theropods head were short and hairlike, but the feathers on its arms and tail were long and distinctively birdlike, with tufts of intermediate length along its back. Technically, Sinornithosaurus is classified as a raptor, on the basis of the single, oversized, sickle-shaped single claws on each of its hind feet, which it used to  tear  at and disembowel prey; on the whole, though, it bears a greater resemblance to the other dino-birds of the Mesozoic Era (like Archaeopteryx and Incisivosaurus) than it does to famous raptors like Deinonychus​ and Velociraptor. At the end of 2009, a team of paleontologists generated headlines by claiming Sinornithosaurus  to be  the first identified venomous dinosaur (never mind that poison-spitting Dilophosaurus you saw in Jurassic Park, which was based on fantasy rather than fact). The supposed evidence in favor of this behavior: fossilized pouches connected by ducts to this dinosaurs snake-like fangs. At the time, reasoning by analogy with modern animals, it would have been surprising if these sacs werent exactly what they appeared to berepositories of venom that Sinornithosaurus used to immobilize (or kill) its prey.  However, a more recent, and more convincing, study has concluded that the supposed  pouches of Sinornithosaurus were created when this individuals incisors loosened from their sockets, and arent evidence of a venomous lifestyle after all!

What Is the Common Core A Straightforward Guide

What Is the Common Core A Straightforward Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Have you heard about the Common Core? Are you asking, "what is the Common Core, exactly?" Don't worry. This post will explain what the Common Core is, why it was adopted, and how it could affect you as a student. Why should you care? The Common Core has driven some pretty major changes to big-name standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, as well as curriculum changes within schools. So read on to discover what you’re being tested on and why! Common Core 101 In this section, I'll explain what the Common Core is, why it was implemented, and what some common opinions about it are. Later, I'll discuss how the Common Core could affect your high school classes and standardized testing. Why Does Common Core Exist? Who Uses It? The Common Core is a set of educational standards for American schools, from kindergarten through 12th grade. It was designed so that education is consistent between each state and district. The first official adoptions of the Common Core were back in 2010, which means it has only been implemented during the 2013-14 school year and beyond. Since it has only been used the past two years, it’s hard to say how effective it’s been so far. It will take a few more years of Common Core before we have a decent sense of how useful it's been. It’s currently been adopted or partially adopted by 40 states. Four states never adopted the standards, and six initially adopted them but later repealed the standards. Or to put it another way, every state except Alaska, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia has adopted the standards. (Minnesota has adopted the English standards but not the Math ones). In the 44 states that have adopted the standards, school districts still design their own curriculums, and teachers create their own methods for instruction. In other words, the Common Core is not a day-by-day curriculum teachers have to follow – instead, it’s easiest to think of it as a series of basic benchmarks for each grade. So what exactly are these benchmarks? What do the Common Core Standards Do, Exactly? The Common Core sets specific learning goals for students in each grade from Kindergarten through 12th grade in two subjects: Math and English. Broadly speaking, the standards emphasize critical thinking and real-world problem-solving skills as opposed to rote memorization, reading obscure texts, and packing in tons of math concepts each year. The English standards rely on a mix of literary, historical, and informational texts – everything from Huck Finn to the Declaration of Independence to scientific articles. The Math standards focus on problem-solving and modeling as opposed to just moving through dozens of math concepts. You can expect to see more complex problems, including story problems, in math classes that are following the Common Core. We'll dig into the high school Common Core standards in depth later in this post. The Pros and Cons of Common Core There has been a lot of debate over the Common Core since it was first adopted by many states in 2010. We’ll leave it up to you to decide if the Common Core is a good thing or not, but these are the basic arguments for and against the standards. Supporters of the Common Core say the standards will better prepare students for college and their careers. By focusing on having students explain their thinking and come up with new ways to solve problems, they hope to help students be better college students and moreeffective workers. One high-profile supporter is current US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who said Common Core may be "the single greatest thing to happen to public education in America since Brown versus Board of Education." Current US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is a big fan of the Common Core. Critics say the standards are vague and might not be easy for many schools to adopt. Some believethey won’t lead to a marked improvement in school performance, especially since they come with harder state testing. Others are worried that the standards weren’t tested before they were adopted, so there is no way to know how’ll useful they’ll be. If you want to read more, one of the most thorough arguments against Common Core comes from Diane Ravitch, an education historian and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education. How Common Core Could Affect Your High School Classes Common Core was designed specifically for Math and English, so those are the classes where you can expect to see the biggest changes as a high school student. While your social studies, history, and science classes may incorporate some Common Core-like elements (more open-ended questions, problem solving, and real-world applications), it’s likely that your Math and English teachers will be responsible for the biggest curriculum changes. This article focuses on the high school Common Core standards, so if you want to see a guide to the Common Core at all grade levels, K-8, check out this guide put out by the national PTA. Common Core Math Experts have mostly agreed that in the past, American math classes have tried to cover too much ground each year. This means students know a little bit about many topics,but don’t have a solid understanding of the main ideas that would help them in more advanced math classes. In response to this issue, the Common Core math standards tackle fewer topics in more depth. The goal is for students' math fluency (their ability to perform basic math functions and work through problems) to be strengthened. You'll still spend time memorizing and practicing formulas and working through math problems, like you're probably used to doing in math class. But you’ll also do a lot of modeling to understand concepts you're learning about. For example, instead of just learning that y = mx + b is a linear equation and drawing it on a graph, you might model a linear equation with a real world situation, like in this example problem from Khan Academy: The problem still requires students to know the basic y = mx + b formula and what it means. But it goes a step further by requiring students to apply that formula to a real-world situation. You can see another example of how Common Core standards aim to promote more critical thinking below, courtesy of Foundation for Excellence in Education: For the problem on the left, you could just tackle it by manipulating the equation until y is alone. As the analysis notes, if you can follow a series of mechanical steps, you can get the right answer. For the problem on the right, not only do you need to find out what y is, but you also need to make your own equations, which requires you to have a stronger conceptual understanding of what equations are and how to write them. Basically, Common Core is trying to create a balance between math fluency (working through problems, memorizing formulas) and the ability to solve tougher problems using critical thinking skills. The Common Core High School Math Standards This is a basic summary of what the Common Core math standards will look in high school. Notice that these aren’t incredibly detailed, and focus on developing key skills in each area. They're less focused on moving through the traditional math sequence and getting through a bunch of concepts (Beginning Algebra, Geometry, Intermediate Algebra, Trigonometry, etc). Also notice these standards only go up through Statistics, so if you’re an advanced student aiming for calculus, these standards might not apply to you in your upper-level courses. Concept Description Example Number and Quantity Work with rational and irrational numbers, including exponents, solve problems with a wide range of units and solve problems by thinking about units. The Trans Alaska Pipeline System is 800 miles long and cost $8 billion to build. Divide one of these numbers by the other. What is the meaning of the answer? Algebra Solve real-world and mathematical problems by writing and solving nonlinear equations, such as quadratic equations, interpret and manipulate algebraic expressions to solve problems. Solve a problem about a loan with interest rate r and principal P by seeing the expression P(1+r)n as a product of P with a factor not depending on P. Functions Analyze functions algebraically and graphically, and work with functions presented in different forms. Given a graph of one quadratic function and an algebraic expression for another, say which has the larger maximum, working with function families and understanding their behavior (such as linear, quadratic, and exponential functions). Modeling Analyze real-world situations using mathematics to understand the situation better and optimize, troubleshoot, or make an informed decision about a problem or issue. Use volume formulas and graphs to find an optimal size for an industrial package. Geometry Prove theorems about triangles and other figures; use coordinates and equations to describe geometric properties algebraically. Prove that the angles in a triangle add to 180 degrees; write the equation for a circle in the coordinate plane with a specified center and radius. Statistics and Probability Make inferences and justify conclusions from sample surveys, experiments, and observational studies. Work with probability and use ideas from probability in everyday situations. Compare the chance that a person who smokes will develop lung cancer as compared to the chance that a person who develops lung cancer smokes. Via Parents' Guide to Student Success, from the National PTA. Common Core English (Language Arts) The old English (or Language Arts) standards, especially at the high school level, tended to focus mostly on reading and analyzing literature. The new Common Core English standards include a shift to more nonfiction and informational texts, as well as a push for more class discussions and writing that are focused on evidence from the readings (as opposed to the prior experiences or ideas of the students or teacher). Specifically, in elementary school, according to the Common Core, students should be reading a mix of 50 percent literature and 50 percent informational texts. By high school, students’ reading will shift to be 30 percent literary and 70 percent informational. The Common Core also pushes for students to study important foundational documents of the United States, including the Declaration of Independence. The new standards also push students to read harder texts that are matched to their grade level, even if their reading ability is below grade level. In the past, teachers were encouraged to match readings to the students’ current level of skill. To help them keep up, teachers should use techniques like close reading, and not be afraid to spend more than one class period on just one text. Also, instead of asking more general questions about a text, the Common Core encourages teachers to ask more specific questions about details in the text and what you can infer from them. All of this is to help students read and understand complex texts from a variety of subjects, and to prepare them to write strong essays, reports, and presentations. This table has a basic summary of the Common Core English standards for high school students. Just like the math standards, they're mostly skills-based (e.g., be able to "evaluate arguments and specific claims") as opposed to content-based (e.g., "read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet"). Concept Goal Reading Understand more from and make fuller use of written materials, use a wider range of evidence to support an analysis, make more connections about how complex ideas interact and develop within a book, essay, or article. Reading Evaluate arguments and specific claims, assess whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is sufficient, and as appropriate, detect inconsistencies and ambiguities. Reading Analyze the meaning of foundational U.S. documents (like the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution). Writing Make an argument that is logical, well-reasoned, and supported by evidence. Writing Write a literary analysis, report, or summary that develops a central idea and a coherent focus and is well supported with relevant examples, facts, and details. Writing Conduct several research projects that address different aspects of the same topic, using more complex books, articles, and other sources. Speaking and Listening Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; and resolve contradictions when possible. Speaking and Listening Share research, findings, and evidence clearly and concisely. Speaking and Listening Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., animations, video, websites, podcasts) to enhance understanding of findings and to add interest. Language Determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases, choose flexibly from multiple strategies, such as using context, Greek and Latin roots, patterns of words (conceive, conception, conceivable), and consult specialized reference materials. Language Analyze figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the written materials. Via Parents' Guide to Student Success, from the National PTA. How Common Core Affects Standardized Testing The Common Core will have a pretty sizeable effect on standardized testing – from college admissions tests to in-school exams – in the next few years. This may be the area you see the most noticeable changes in your high school experience, so read closely! First off, it’s important to know that the SAT and ACT were both involved with the creation of the Common Core standards. And in fact, the current head of College Board (the company that makes the SAT) helped write the Common Core. He was on the Language Arts committee. As Diane Ravitch notes in the Washington Post, â€Å"With David Coleman in charge of the College Board, the SAT will be aligned with the Common Core; so will the ACT. Both testing organizations were well represented in the writing of the standards; representatives of these two organizations comprised 12 of the 27 members of the original writing committee.† So it’s not a surprise that the SAT’s 2016 redesign is in large part to fit in with the Common Core Standards. To take just one example, let’s look at how the SAT essay is changing. This is an example of an old SAT essay topic: And hereis an example of a new one: (The prompt also includes an essay, which we won't make you read!) Via Test Specifications for the New SAT, pages 131-3. Notice the old essay question allowed students to draw from personal experience and examples. The new essay is all about working with evidence to make an argument – just like the English standards specify above. (We'll be outlining even more changes in an upcoming post just about SAT and the Common Core.) The ACT’s new features, like the new essay and more complex science questions, also speak to the Common Core standards, even though the ACT changes are less dramatic. In addition, ACT Inc.’s new Aspire testing aligns to Common Core goals. But the changes don’t stop with the SAT and ACT. Recent AP redesigns of Physics and US History have the goal of making the classes more skills-based and involving more critical thinking. Plus, Smarter Balanced, PARCC, and other new state-wide tests have been created to assess students with the new standards in mind. "To get at what's really fundamental in the Common Core, the higher-order thinking skills, we need performance-based tasks," said Derek Briggs, who advised both Smarter Balanced and PARCC (as quoted in US News). Thus,new tests had to be designed. These new tests could make standardized testing take even longer since the performance-based tasks take up much more time than your typical scantron-and-pencil multiple choice test. What Should You Do if Your State is Using Common Core? Even though the Common Core changes might seem intense, the good news is that, as a student, there isn't a lot you have to do to prepare for the new curriculum. Read on for advice on handling Common Core both in the classroom and on college admissions tests. Common Core in School If you’re a student, you don’t need to stress about the changes at the classroom level – your teachers will be the ones integrating the Common Core into their curriculums based on how your school district is adopting the standards. It would be worth talking to your teachers about how Common Core has affected their curriculums, if at all. Math and English teachers are likely to see the biggest changes. If your school is using Common Core, you can keep the standards in mind and work to use more evidence in English class and use real-world examples in math. But again, your teachers are responsible for implementing the changes to their curriculums and you should follow their lead. There is one important point to check up on: check in with your guidance counselor to make sure the sequence of math classes at your high school isn’t changing. If you want to take Calculus by the end of high school, you should aim to have completed Algebra before freshman year. Since the Common Core standards don’t explicitly list Algebra until ninth grade (even though Algebra concepts are included in the middle school standards), some worry that Algebra classes will be bumped to ninth grade, putting students behind. Common Core on Standardized Tests We will have more detailed posts coming up on Common Core specifically on the SAT and ACT. But if you're worried about how the Common Core will change the ACT and SAT and affect how you study for either test, keep the following advice in mind. For the SAT, instead of worrying about how Common Core is changing the test, learn as much as you can about the new SAT and also check out our complete guide to studying for it. On the ACT, the changes are subtler, so you’ll mainly have to worry about being ready for the new essay, as well as theharder reading and science questions. As always, we recommend taking plenty of full-length practice tests to prepare for the test. If your school is implementing Smarter Balanced, PARCC, or ACT Aspire, don’t stress over them, since your performance on those tests doesn’t affect your grades or college prospects. It will be your teacher’s job to prepare you for in-school assessments. What’s Next? If you’re part of the graduating class of 2017, you could take either the â€Å"old† or â€Å"new† SAT. Learn how to decide between the old and new SAT – and whether you should consider just taking the ACT instead! Have you already decided to take the ACT? Learn if the ACT is getting harder, and get a complete guide to ACT Science. Chosen the SAT instead? Get a complete guide to SAT Reading if you're taking the "old" SAT, orread more in-depth about the new SAT if you'll be taking it. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

A Report about the Rainbow Lighting Ltd focusing on the use of Essay

A Report about the Rainbow Lighting Ltd focusing on the use of Balanced Scorecard - Essay Example Many researchers have researched about the various purposes of the balanced scorecards along with their role in enhancing the organisation’s performance. The company has to manage the strategies for its survival and growth and it can respond to the environmental changes only by operations management. It is vital for every organisation to ensure that the strategy is supported by effective business operations and systems; hence, it is important that the organisation has to ensure that proper mechanisms are in place so that everything is appropriately placed. The company needs to ensure that four of its key problems are rectified regarding the production, marketing activities, internal processes and employee satisfaction. Hence, the management of the company must strive to apply the Balanced Scorecard as identified in the report and try to implement it in the organisation. The management needs to set the short-term goals as well for the purpose of performance improvement by the i mplementation of the new system in the organisation; it should ensure that appropriate mechanisms are in place that supports the organisation in improving its performance. Introduction to Balanced Scorecard In today’s dynamic environment, it is crucial for every organisation to ensure that their performance level is measured from time to time and one of the most effective ways is to use Balanced Scorecard (Figgie et al., 2002 and McGillicuddy, 2009). The scorecard is found to have strategic importance as the card is developed in linkage with the vision and goals of the organisation and adequate awareness is created within the organisation so that every stakeholder is well-aware of the importance of its implementation in the business activities. Many researchers have researched about the various purposes of the balanced scorecards along with their role in enhancing the organisation’s performance (Lawson et al., 2003 and Mintrop and Trujilo,2005). Considering the situati on being faced by Rainbow Lighting Ltd., it has been found that the existing management of the company has been unable to increase the production and performance of the company. The sales of the company have not been increasing at an accelerating rate and the product range has been accelerating simultaneously; the product ranges of the company are classified as Alpha and Beta ranges. In the industrial sector, the company introduced bulbs by the name Everlasting Halogen Spotlight (EHS) bulb and the problems highlighted by its users created bad publicity in the market; it was reported that there was a fault in the manufacturing sector and the annual sales revenue decreased by 5%. Another problem faced by the company is that the sales order processing time is longer i.e. 21 days and the distributors are not satisfied with such longer time duration. The price of the bulbs was increased but the sales did not increase as compared to the total increase in the market. The rejection rate of the bulbs has increased from 3.6% to 5.4% and the production efficiency has decreased significantly. The

Resulting in the Relocation of Japanese Americans Essay

Resulting in the Relocation of Japanese Americans - Essay Example The United States President made the above Executive Order to protect American interests. The Enduring Visions’ Chapter 25 states that the president during 1942 was Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Boyer 765). The order instructed all military units to imprison all Japanese Americans in preselected military prison camps (http://www.ourdocuments.gov/). The order was made in order to restrict the movement of resident who are of Japanese ancestries. The United States war enemies of 1942 included Japan, Italy, and Germany. The order was meant to restrict the movements of the Japanese Americans, two months after Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japanese military pilots (Laurier 35). Further, the order instructed the military to give food, shelter and other comforts to the incarcerated civilians. The order does mention the nationalities of the persons to be rounded up and imprisoned. However, the letter clearly states that the military will include the Japanese residents among those to be picked up and locked up in military camps within the United States (http://www.ourdocuments.gov/). Furthermore, the United States instructed the Secretary of War and the military commander to spearhead seeking the help of the federal troops and the federal agencies to implement the order. Consequently, the United States President ordered all United States departments to collaborate with the military authorities’ implementation of order 9066 (http://www.ourdocuments.gov/). Moreover, the intentions of the order did not limit the current investigations of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. The bureau was investigating and weeding out possible saboteurs and spies from within the American communities having race relationships with the current United States war enemies. The bureau picked up and filed cases against proven Japanese spies and saboteurs (http://www.ourdocuments.gov/). Further, Executive order 9066 was issued during February of 1942. The document was made after Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese airplanes during December 7, 1941. The Japanese bomb ing during was two hours (Lassier 89). Even though the order did not mention whether the targeted civilians were Japanese, German, or Italian residents, the general interpretation of the order was to only focus on the Japanese people. This is understandable because of the recent bombing of Pearl Harbor (http://www.ourdocuments.gov/). As proof, the military started to forcibly rounding up and transfer the Japanese Americans within the designation military zones. Secretary of State ordered the Military Commander, Lt. General Dewitt, as the military commander of the Western Defense Command overseeing the implementation of Executive Order 9066 on February 20, 1942. The military prison zones were located in the western halves of California, Oregon, and Washington. Likewise, the Southern half of Arizona was set as another military prison zone. As proof that the military zones are prison camps, the Japanese were restricted to only moving within the military zones

SCADA Worm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SCADA Worm - Essay Example n facilities ranging from power plants to petroleum refineries, SCADA Worms can rapidly affect large scale industrial computer networks and IT operations. Moreover, SCADA Worms are highly sophisticated and capable of braking through different firewalls. These computer viruses infect Windows based operating systems and server environments, which are one of the most commonly used IT infrastructure equipment in USA. Next, SCADA Worms generally attack the Siemens based IT applications, which are again highly common in most of the US industrial automation and information environments. (Cherry and Langner, 2010; Kline and Krachenfels, 2010) According to most IT experts (e.g. Kim and Solomon, 2010) information security involves seven major domains. These are user domain, workstation domain, LAN domain, LAN-to-WAN domain, remote access domain, WAN domain, and system/application domain. General arrangement of these domains is shown in Figure – 1: Presently, industrial control systems are physically guarded at the workstation domain. User authentication systems and password policies are implemented at user domain. Anti-virus and Firewall software are used at the interface between the workstation domain (e.g. client side computers) and the remote access, LAN, or LAN-to-WAN domains (e.g. server side routers). But reports from Iran, India, and Indonesia show that these arrangements are essential but not enough to stop SCADA Worm (Kline and Krachenfels, 2010). Scientists like Coppolino et al (2012) suggest that Markov model based intrusion detection systems deployed at the system/application domain can be a useful deterrent against the SCADA Worm. The detection system at the industrial control engine must be both undetectable and modifiable. On the other hand, security providers like GarretCom put forward the idea of assimilating security tools from â€Å"a lot of disciplines working together to create industrial environments in a world that is increasingly connected† (Kline

Critique of a research paper Essay Example for Free

Critique of a research paper Essay Issues that are to be studied during a research are usually expressed in a statement referred to as a research problem or research question (Lawn et al 2010). The researcher needs to have enough knowledge concerning the field in which he or she wants to contact a research in order for him or her to be able to come up with a research problem which is strong enough to be studied (Manzoni et al 2009; Partridge Dickey, 2009). The researcher is supposed to come up with ideas which have not yet been researched on or which needs further development for him or her to be able to come up with a researchable topic. In most cases the research question or problem helps the public to have better insights in the studied field and even fills some knowledge gaps that may be existing in that field. Thus researchers are supposed to do thorough research to know what has already been researched on for them to be in a better position to make some improvement on the knowledge that exists. The problem to be studied should be significant to the general public and the professionals in the field of study. According to this study the research problem was: the impact of poor essential newborn care practices on neonatal mortality in rural Karnataka. This research problem is relevant in any medical profession since it addresses an important issue, which affects many healthcare systems in the world (Lawn et al 2010). As outlined in the paper many neonatal deaths occurs yearly resulting from careless or lack of knowledge on how to take care of these neonatal. Even though the authors point out that some research has been performed on this research topic, they point out the need to understand the local settings of concerned regions for better interventions to be undertaken since child birth is often tightly linked to traditions of concerned communities especially in the developing countries like India. Thus their research problem is still relevant given that no research has been done in such settings. Research design The case study research has employed both qualitative and quantitative research design. In qualitative research designs, answers are given to experiences related to humans (Kain, Gardner Yates, 2009). Concepts like grounded theory, ethnography, case studies and phenomenology are covered in qualitative research designs (Manzoni et al 2009). This study used interviews to collect data. The interviews were recorded in text form which is a characteristic of qualitative research. Thus the research qualifies to be described as qualitative. The concepts covered in the study were ethnography and grounded theory. This is because in the paper, the researchers consider different ethnic groups found in rural Karnataka. Furthermore, the participants were interviewed on various cares they offer to neonatal after birth hence this cover the grounded theory concept since giving care is a social responsibility. Therefore the researchers were trying to answer the question on how different birth attendants carry out their services to newborns in rural Karnataka. Quantitative research involves collection of data in numerical form. The authors claim to have used this design to obtain preliminary data for carrying out qualitative research. Even though the authors state that they used quantitative research design it is not clearly stated the data collected since the paper only talks of administration of questionnaires of which we are not told the kind of information that was to be collected. Justification of use of both qualitative and quantitative research designs From the authors’ point of view, the use of quantitative design was aimed at providing evidence for need to carry out the qualitative research (Lawn et al 2010). It is also pointed out that the quantitative research confirmed earlier research on the same issue on neonatal mortality. Thus it seems the quantitative research was done to also confirm earlier studies on mortality related to newborn. On the other hand, the use of qualitative design is justified. This is because; obtaining data such as on breastfeeding, place of delivery, delivery hygiene, cord cutting, cord care, asphyxia and thermal care can only be done using qualitative methodology. Recruitment of study participants Recruitment of participants was based on pregnancy. All those who were pregnant and those who became pregnant during study period were allowed to voluntarily participate in the study. The study employed proactive research design for sampling purposes. This was used to prevent recall biases, which are common in retrospective research designs. Data collection Interviews, focused group discussions and questionnaires were used to collect data from eleven villages within rural Karnataka (Kain, Gardner Yates, 2009). The method used to choose these villages is not stated in the paper and thus we do not know whether it was done using statistical methods or not. Interviews which were done were semi structured (Partridge Dickey, 2009). They were thirty nine in total with thirteen targeting mothers who had delivered recently, ten targeting grandmothers, nine targeting birth attendants and seven targeting informants. The interviews to mothers lacked specificity in time frame especially to mothers who had delivered and therefore could have been prone to errors. In addition the authors do not outline on how they come with the different numbers that they administered the interviews to. Thus, the numbers may not be statistically significant. The five different questionnaires were administered to pregnant mothers at different times. Three of the questionnaires were administered prior to parturition, one was administered within five days after delivery and the last questionnaire was administered during postnatal period. It is not clear on how those involved in the delivery of the questionnaires knew when the mothers had given birth to administer them on time. In addition, the significance of the number of questionnaires administered is not justified statistically. Eight focused group discussions were undertaken in the study. Of these, three were among groups of mothers, two were among elders and one was carried out among birth attendants. The group discussions may have been exaggerated by some participants and therefore some of this data may be unreliable to some extent. Furthermore the choice of the number of discussion and the number of participants in the group discussion is not explained hence may be statistically insignificant (Jatana et al 2010). Data analysis From the paper, the authors state that they carried out framework in the analysis of their data. This is a type of data analysis is majorly used in the analysis of qualitative data. The versatility of the method allows it to be used in different qualitative data analysis. This method allows organization of data into structured transcripts. Credibility, auditability and fittingness The truths about the findings as judged by participants constitute the credibility of the study (Lawn et al 2010). This study is credible to some extent given that the source of data used to make the conclusion is not one, that is, pregnant mothers, birth attendants and grandmothers are utilized to get credible data (Kain, Gardner Yates, 2009). However, the choice of the numbers of those involved in interviews, group discussions and the number of questionnaires administered raises credibility issues on the research. Thus, clarity is required pertaining these issues in related studies. If the information presented in the report is accountable then the research is auditable. The coherent of the report determines the auditability of the research paper. The authors of this paper tried their best to remain focused on the problem issue. Thus the paper is auditable. If the participants are faithful then the paper is fitting. From the excerpts from the interviews presented in the paper, the participants seem to be real in relation to daily realities. Thus, the paper is fitting. References Lawn, J. , Mwansa-Kambafwile, J. , Horta, B. , Barros F. Cousens, S. (2010). ‘Kangaroo mother care’ to prevent neonatal deaths due to preterm birth complications. International Journal of Epidemiology, 39(Suppl_1): i144-i154. Kain, V. , Gardner, G. Yates, P. (2009). Neonatal palliative care attitude scale: Development of an instrument to measure the barriers to and facilitators of palliative care in neonatal nursing. Pediatrics, 123(2): e207-e213 Jatana, K. , Oplatek, A. , Stein, M. , Philips, G. , Kang, R. Elmaraghy, C. (2010). Effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure and cannula use in the neonatal intensive care unit setting. Archives of Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery, 136(3): 287-291.