Conflict theory report, sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conflict theory report, sociology - Essay Example This is much like the economic divide between the two groups which forms the basis of the social equation although it is not the total equation itself. Some parts of knowledge such as basic sciences and arts could be exempt from the divide but the ideology which is present in a given society is the creation of the Bourgeoisie as a further means of controlling the Proletarians. According to Marx, alienation is a situation where individuals in society are controlled by the forces which they themselves have created and even though the individuals are the creators of those elements, the elements become confrontational to them. For example, a person could be alienated from the majority religion of the country or the community s/he belongs to. For any individual this alienation can be a cause of conflict or of dissatisfaction with their own lives. Marx suggests that society begins with the struggle against nature and man is almost always in conflict with nature. However, as time passes social groups are formed and an inequality develops between these groups, when the inequality is realized and the Proletarians rise up against the Bourgeoisie, a revolution takes place which brings with it many social changes. However, with time, new groups form into the ones who control the means of production and the ones who work for them and the social cycle continues in this way. Simmel suggested that sociology as a science should not borrow elements from other sciences to come into its own rather it has its own elements which depend on the forms of social interaction between individuals. While certain events and interactions can be seen as unique, there are often similarities in underlying causes which point back towards other cases of human interaction throughout history. From concrete events in history Simmel seeks to find abstractions rules for

Kant and Categorical Imperatives Essay Example for Free

Kant and Categorical Imperatives Essay In order to evaluate ones actions whether they are moral or not, we use many moral dilemmas. One of them is Kants categorical imperative. This essay presents Kants project of categorical imperative. Then, I will explain that rulers should appeal to Kants categorical imperative when making foreign policy decision. In order to support my point of view, I will give importance to the reasons of why rulers appeal to categorical imperative when making foreign policy, so I have two reasons for this. One of them is that states depend on each other in economically and politically. Thus, in order to provide this stability which means that continue to stay among other states, states should act through the principles of categorical imperative which are universally valid, good intention and never using people or other states as means to end. The second reason is that if rulers appeal to categorical imperative when making foreign policy decisions, the world can be more peaceful. Since, wars and conflicts which are caused by bad intention, using other people or states as means for gaining advantages which are not universally valid can be hindered by categorical imperatives. Finally, I will conclude that the Kants categorical imperatives are still valid and necessary when rulers are making foreign policy decisions. If we explain briefly Kants categorical imperative, there are basically three principles that represent it. These are universal law, ends as a means and the importance of intention in conducting of human behaviour. Firstly, according to Kant, ones action should be universally valid. Universal validity means that people should think behaviours and they need to judge their own behaviours or actions are morally acceptable or not. When you think of your behaviour, if you decide that everyone acts in the same way with me, then the action become universal and moral. The second principle of categorical imperative is that people must respect others and never use them for achieving some goals. Lastly, the third but the most important criterion of categorical imperative is maxim, which means intention. Moral value is determined by the intention of people, which is called general maxim. If your intention is good, then your action is moral. The consequences of your action are not important, the most important thing is your intention. For this reason, being moral in your actions depends on the universal validity. However, it does not matter that how your actions conclude on others whether they are good or bad. In order to explain the first reason of why rulers should appeal to categorical imperative when making foreign policy decisions, we can think about the growing trade between the states. States become more interdependent when trades among various states expand. Interdependence is not only important economically but also politically because all economic or business activity depends on political positions of the states. When states trade between each other, they become mutually dependent on each others political advantages. Also, world markets are influenced by politics and states power in the world markets depends on its foreign policy. So, states should establish good relations with other states. For this reason, when making foreign policy decisions, ruler should appeal to categorical imperative. Firstly, rulers actions must be universally valid. If states foreign decisions are internally valid, then state cannot benefit from this politically and economically. For example, if the state decide to change the price of its export goods up without approval of other states, then states could not sell its goods whose price increase, because other states want to buy the same goods from another country whose price is cheaper. Second point is that if states intention is bad and this kind of intention is understood by other states, this state is reproached by other states, which have a relation with this state. As a result of this, the state that is reproached becomes alone in the world market and world policy without any advantage both politically and economically. Because of that, states should have a good intention when they have relations with other states. The second reason is that principles of categorical imperative can provide peace and order if rulers appeal to them when making foreign policy decisions. Since, states start to think universally while acting toward other states instead of being self-interested. Moreover, acting with good intentions and not using people or other states as means provide justice and order in the world. Since, each state wants to be powerful and they try to get more power than other states. It means that in order to reach their aims, they simply can use other foreign policy actors as tools. In other words, they can use other states as a means to their ends. As a result of this kind of action, war between states is inevitable. It is because when one state can act in that way toward others then, other states also act in similar way. For this reason, their interests can be probably conflicted and chaos in world politics can arise. However, if states take into account the principles of categorical imperative, there will be probably no conflict or chaos in the world politics. In conclusion, when the principles of categorical imperative are concerned, we easily realise that they depend on each other and they help us to evaluate the actions, which are moral. These principles of categorical imperative have the same goal that is being moral. For to be moral, the actions should be universal and should not have the aim of using others in order to gain advantages. If rulers conduct through the principles of categorical imperative then, it is obvious that the world would be more peaceful and fair. However, these obligations are not put into practise in todays world politics. But, it is enough to know that categorical imperative is still valid and is necessary to apply to todays conditions of foreign policy.

Nietzsche, Kundera, and Shit Essay -- Unbearable Lightness of Being Es

Friedrich Nietzsche saw himself surrounded by a world of human constructs. Humanity had become a herd, clinging to these concepts like cattle grazing at a favorite patch of grass. Individual identity struggled to exist. The morality of the mediocre reigned supreme. Nietzsche lived in a dead world. Milan Kundera lives in the world today. His world is dead much like Nietzsche's. Denial is the focal point of society. Society assimilates difference and denies what cannot be assimilated. In his novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Kundera relies on the word kitsch to describe the force of denial. "Kitsch is a absolute denial of shit" (Kundera 248). Kitsch is an inescapable part of the human condition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Though Nietzsche was not aware of the word, much of his philosophy is a reaction to the concept of kitsch. He wanted to revitalize passion, raw sensation, in hopes that he and others could transcend kitsch and relate authentically to one another: to be masters. Yet as Nietzsche attacks kitsch he also understands its necessity. He does not seek to destroy kitsch (like Kundera); he merely wishes to place kitsch in a new context, to put it in perspective. Many years separate the worlds of Nietzsche and Kundera, but the fundamental questions of their existential struggle seems to be the same: can one oppose kitsch and succeed, or survive?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Before delving into the possibility of opposing kitsch it is necessary to derive a clear working definition of kitsch. This definition relies heavily upon Kundera's vision of kitsch, and, therefore, any argument presented to demonstrate authentic opposition to kitsch pertains solely to the following definition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kitsch claims to speak to some absolu... ...ore his readers is to accept shit as part of his philosophical answer. Works Cited Brown, Norman O. "The Excremental Vision". Life Against Death. Wesleyan University Press, 1959. p.179-201. Rpt in Swift: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ernest Tuveson, Ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Inc., 1964. p. 31-54. Kaufmann, Walter. Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Antichrist. New York: Meridian Books, 1956. Kundera, Milan. The Unbearable Lightness of Being. New York: Harper and Row Inc., 1984. Nietzsche, Friedrich. Beyond Good and Evil. Walter Kaufmann trans. New York: Random House Inc., 1989. ---. Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Rpt. in The Portable Nietzsche. Walter Kaufmann trans. New York: Viking Press, 1956. ---. The Will to Power. Walter Kaufmann trans. and ed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   New York: Random House Inc., 1967.

Human Resource control Essay

I want to first start off by saying thank you for the opportunity to handle such an important and sensitive matter such as the internal control for the LJB Company. First and foremost I want you to be aware of the requirements of your company if you do decide to go public. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) which was passed by congress requires all publicly traded U.S corporations to maintain an adequate system of internal control. Corporate executives and boards of directors like yourself must ensure that these controls are reliable and effective. In addition, independent outside auditors must attest to the adequacy of the internal control system. Companies that fail to comply are subject to fines, and company officers can be imprisoned. LJB Company is currently doing some things well that I suggest they continue. The use of pre-numbered invoices allows for missing or undocumented invoices to be caught quickly. This practice is considered a documentation procedure under internal controls. Having two managers approve new hires helps ensure a good fit. It’s good that the accountant completes bank reconciliation. While using a bank is a form of control for cash, the reconciliation enables LJB to make sure there are no errors between what the bank and what they have on the books. There are a number of practices by LJB that don’t deter fraud and would need to be changed before considering going public. Segregation of duties: The duties for handling assets need to be separated amongst multiple employees. Employees that handle cash should not be involved in the bank reconciliation or invoices. Employees responsible for purchasing should not have any payment or reconciliation duties. By segregating duties, there is more than one person involved in the sales and purchasing cycle so that one person cannot be behind a fake transaction or remove cash or purchased assets without it being noticed by another. Access to assets: All employees should not have access to petty cash. The cash should be locked and those with a key should ensure proper documentation for cash distributed to be sure it is authorized. The person responsible for reconciling the petty cash should do so randomly to deter its abuse. As far the indelible ink machine I see no problem printing your own checks as long as you use pre-numbered check stock paper to write the checks. Otherwise you will not know that you have accounted for every check written. Also, this is an area of responsibility that should be segregated. The person responsible for printing the checks should not have the authority to sign them. This will help insure they are not writing checks to themselves. LJB should consider purchasing the indelible ink printer once they have the manpower to have the duties segregated. By using indelible ink, the checks printed will be harder to change once printed, which is a good physical control of cash. Paycheck Lock-Up: Although the accountant is locking the employee’s paychecks over the weekend, he should actually be locking them at all times. Anytime the accountant steps away from their desk and these checks are not locked, sensitive employee information is vulnerable. Background checks: I recommend that LJB implement the Human Resource control of conducting background checks of all employees before officially hiring. This way they will discover if the potential employee has a past that could negatively impact the company (fraud, theft, other criminal activity) Passwords: Passwords are a key control preventing employees from accessing data outside of their duties and changing transaction data from initial amounts to cover up errors, fraud or theft. Everyone should have an individual password and not reveal it to another. Changing passwords periodically is a best practice. I hope that LJB finds this report helpful and that it prepares them for potentially going public.

Case Study of P1

1. 0 Introduction 1. 1 Company Background Packet One Networks (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (P1) was launched on August 18, 2008 as a subsidiary of Green Packet Bhd, which is a leading global developer of Next Generation Mobile Broadband Networking Solutions. P1 is Malaysia’s first and leading WiMAX telecommunications company with the country widest WiMAX network and it represents the first large-scale commercial deployment of Mobile WiMAX in Southeast Asia, as well as the first large-scale deployment of an 802. 16e WiMAX network outside Korea. P1 was one of four companies awarded 2. GHz spectrum licenses by the Malaysian Government to deploy WiMax services throughout Malaysia (www. p1. com. my, 2009). 1. 2 Company’s vision P1 objective is to become the market leader in wireless broadband industry. To achieve that, P1 are now putting their effort on broadening wireless broadband connectivity across the region in order to capture more market. (www. p1. com. my, 2009). 1. 3 WiMAX WiMAX is an abbreviation of Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. It is a standard-based technology enabling delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL. WiMAX enables deliverables of bandwidth between two points or between a point to multipoint to customer. The usage of WiMAX requires certain bandwidth of spectrum to be allocated to the service provider, in accordance to the channeling plan approved and published by Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission(MCMC) (www. greenpacket. com, 2008). 2. 0 Michael Porter 5 Forces 2. 1 Threat of new entry Telecom industry is one of the industries which have the biggest barrier to enter. Firstly, to enter this industry requires a lot of cash to cover high ixed equipment and innovation cost (Gupta. A, 2008). Secondly, the ownership a telecom license can be one of the biggest barriers to entry, because government may refuse to give license to operator to operate their business (WiMAXian. com, 2009). Thirdly, advertisements to create awareness to public are very costly; it is very hard to draw public attention if there is no enough advertisement since there are so many players in Malaysi a. Moreover, skilled human capitals are required to operate the business (Gupta. A, 2008). Lastly, high exit barriers scared off investors in get into this business, concluding that the threat of new entry is very low. 2. 2 Competitive rivalry As Internet plays a very important role in human’s daily life, most of the people have to in touch with internet every day. So, to attract more subscribers, competitors have to lower down their price and provide more benefits in order to survive since they have invest an enormous capital in this business that with high exit barrier due to its specialize equipment. There are more than 10 internet service providers (ISP) in Malaysia. Normally, new carriers are used to take low price strategy to attract customers, which lead to a price war (wwwen. zte. com. cn, 2010). Besides that, these ISP do their promotion and advertising frequently as everyone in major city can see it every day and everywhere. The fierceness of frequent advertisement had leaded to an advertising war between P1 and Streamyx in 2009 (Risen. J, 2009). Moreover, High customer churn rate shows that any unsatisfaction in term of speed, stability and price will cause customer to switch to other service provider (Gupta. A, 2008). It may conclude that the competitive rivalry in internet industry is highly intensive. 2. 3 Bargaining power of buyer With the increased choices of broadband service in Malaysia, the bargaining power of buyer is rising; this leads into customers seeking low prices but have better services. On the other hand, the switching cost from one to another Internet service provider is relatively low, customers can switch to other service provider easily, and this enhanced the bargaining power of buyer. 2. 4 Bargaining power of supplier P1 need to have sets of specialize hardware and software equipment to run their business. From hardware (Base station, CPE, Antenna, Cooling system and etc) to software (Billing software, Network Monitoring, Test Software), there are enough number of suppliers weaken bargaining power. As a conclusion for the bargaining power of supplier, it is average as P1 have many other options (www. wimax-industry. com, 2009). 2. 5 Threat of substitution High substitution threats from non-traditional telecom industries’ product and services, for example: Cable television verses Satellite television, Internet telephony verses traditional voice calls (Gupta. A, 2008). 3. 0 Segmentation Targeting and Positioning 3. 1 Target Market P1’s target markets are metropolitans who seek for convenience lifestyle. 3. 2 Positioning P1 had positioned WiMAX as a 4G technology that is superior to High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and 3G technologies, which are the fastest, conveniences, stable wireless broadband network in Malaysia. Thus, P1 had done a â€Å"Potong (Cut) Now† campaign to encourage public to free themselves from hassles, frustration and any other unsatisfying broadband services. (www. p1. com. y, 2009) 4. 0 Marketing Mix 4. 1 Product The core product that P1 provided is internet connection service. There are two supporting products for people to connect to internet provided by P1 which are Wifi-enabled Desktop Modem and Portable Modem WIGGY; it can be diversify into many plans. 4. 1. 1 Wifi-enabled Desktop Modem Wifi-enabled Desktop Modem allows several users to connect to internet at the same time by WLAN technology. There a re 5 standard plans which are categorized into two major plans: Home and Office. (www. p1. com. my, 2010) For Home, it can be divided into 3 plans which are LITE, PLUS and PRO. The â€Å"LITE† plan connection speed is 400kbps and usage threshold are setting at 5GB. The â€Å"Plus† plan provided 1. 2 Mbps connection speed with 20GB usage threshold. The â€Å"PRO† plan provided 2. 4 Mbps connection speed and usage threshold are setting at 40 GB. (www. p1. com. my, 2010) Whereas for Office, are divided into Standard and Premium. The â€Å"Standard† plan provided 1. 2Mbps Internet connection speed and enjoying unlimited usage threshold. The â€Å"Premium† plan provide 2. Mbps internet connection speed and enjoying unlimited usage threshold by unlimited as well. (www. p1. com. my, 2010) 4. 1. 2 Portable Modem WIGGY Unlike Wifi-enabled Desktop Modem, there are only two major plans for Wiggy which is Wiggy 69 and WIGGY*. Wiggy 69 provide 800kps connection speed, allowing 5GB of usage threshold. Whereas for WIGGY*, provided speed up to 10mbps with usage thresho ld 10GB (www. p1. com. my, 2010). 4. 2 Price P1 had offered a â€Å"stimulus package† which is RM 49 per month to attract the new broadband users and students. Another competitive package includes WIGGY with RM69 and RM149 per month. In the below, the table shows that the competitive prices between P1 and Streamyx. [pic] Table 1 – P1 W1max [pic] Table 2 – Streamyx Table 1 and table 2 shows the prices of P1 WiMAX and Streamyx according to the prices. From here, it shows that P1 keeping the price to be balance with others competitors, which Streamyx are provide â€Å"Streamyx 2. 0Mbps† package with price RM 188, and P1 are provide the plan â€Å"PRO 2. 4Mbps† with price RM 199. (www. p1. com. my, 2010 and www. Streamy. com, 2010). The prices of all plan set by P1 almost the same with others competitors because P1 believes in an â€Å"honesty policy† in which the subscriber knows upfront which speed and price is worth for them. Thereby, P1 not only keeps the price balance but also increases market share and influences the local market. (www. p1. com. my, 2010) 4. 3 Place States and places had covered by P1 are Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Kuantan, Selangor, Perak, Pulau Pinang, and Perlis. P1 are planning to roll out its Wimax Services in the state which still haven’t covered by P1 that include Kuala Terengganu, Melaka, Sabah and Sarawak. www. p1. com. my, 2010) P1 recruit resellers to provide registration service in different state and areas that including Perak Ipoh, Pulau Pinang Butterworth, Johor Batu Pahat, Kuala Lumpur Putra Jaya and many other places which covered by P1 WiMAX coverage. (www. p1. com. my, 2010) On the other hand, P1 Green Packet’s headquarter located beside the Federal Highway in KL, it also houses their customer service center to provide reception service for customers come to registration with P1 Modem, require information, make payment, and others. (www. hot-screensaver. om) Lastly, internet also plays as an important part for P1 as play strategy, customers can make registration and bill payments are P1 official website. (www. p1. com. my, 2010) 4. 4 Promotion P1 has paid more attention to brand image promotion, and there are variety of promotions provided by P1 to attract more customers that involved P1 likes to attend different kinds of industrial exhibitions, seminars and summits, and make speeches to promote P1’s brand (wwwen. zte. com. cn, 2010). Besides that, P1 had also promoted their services through advertisement. It features with three conventional forms of media which are television, newspaper, and radio. 4. 5 People Externally, P1 recruit resellers to promote and persuade customer to subscribe P1 Wimax internet connection services. Customer can find P1 WiMAX reseller easily as long as they are under P1 services coverage (www. p1. com. my, 2010). Internally, P1 hire formal receptionist to serve customers at their headquarter-PacketHub reception. Moreover, P1 also hires operators for customer care line to serve call in when customer encounter problems or need advance information. The operation hours of P1 Customer Care Line starting from 8a. m to 11p. m, it also available on public holidays. (www. p1. com. my, 2010) 4. 6 Process P1 payment can make by online bill payment, auto debit, cheque payment and phone-in payment. Online bill payment allows customers to pay online by using Visa/MasterCard, Banks Savings and Current Account. Customer also can use Auto Debit/Auto pay system to do payment, it is an automatically system that will deduct customer bank savings or current account on a fixed schedule. It is for sure that customers can use cheque payment method to pay for their bill; this is the very common way to make payment. Moreover, there is an option for customer to pay by phone-in payment, but only for MBF credit card holder and Visa/Master card holder (www. p1. com. my, 2010). 4. 7 Physical Evidence 4. 7. 1 Official Website P1’s official website is well design; it is eye catching, multifunctional and easy to use. It contains of information, announcement, online speed meter check, online payment, coverage check, online feedback and so on (www. p1. com. my, 2010). 4. 7. 2 Packaging Packaging boxes of P1 W1WAX are made by high quality carton; this is to ensure that it can physically protect the product inside, preventing any damages from unexpected event. Moreover, the packaging itself are well design and nicely labeled, this is to attract and to relay information to customers. A well made design of packaging can be a tool to influence customer’s perception in term of quality of the product, indirectly persuade customer to choose P1 WiMAX internet connection service from other competitors. [pic] Picture 1 Packaging of P1 WiMAX Modem 5. 0 S. W. O. T of P1 wimax Strengths: |Weakness: | |First mover and market leader |Low Coverage | |Strong brand image |Erratic connection, weak connection signal | |Ease of use, affordable 4G technology | | |Partnering with government | | |Support from parent company | | |Opportunity: |Threats: | |Consumer preferences for internet access service |Threaten from Redtone | |Technological advancement |Preference for wired broa dband and free wireless services | |States going wireless |Intense competition | 1. Strengths: 5. 1. First mover and Market leader P1 is Malaysia’s first and leading Wimax telecommunications company with the country’s widest Wimax network. The company gains the first mover advantages. It obtains control of resources that followers may not be able to match. P1 also formed a partnership with Sunway Group and completed deployment of the first phase of the [email  protected] project, providing wireless broadband Internet access to more than 80 percent of home and business users and over 2 million visitors to the group’s flagship township, making Bandar Sunway the first integrated Wi-Fi/WiMAX wireless township in Malaysia. (www. p1. com. my, 2009) 2. Partnering with Government Moreover, P1 was chosen by the local government, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), and regulator, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), to set up the Wi-Fi/WiMAX (Wi-Fi mesh) Kuala Lumpur Wireless Metropolitan Project ([email  protected]), deploying over 1,500 hotspots and currently serving more than 130,000 users with free wireless broadband Internet access in Kuala Lumpur. (www. p1. com. my, 2009) It helps to create a strong brand image to P1 Wimax. P1 has established relationships with various local governments and communities to attract more new customers. 3. Ease of use, affordable 4G Technology Besides that, the ease-of-use offered by current modems, with true plug-and-play compatibility for typical users and greater flexibility for more advanced users (such as online gamers and heavy downloaders) to get the connection configuration freedom that they need truly satisfy the customer. P1 Wimax requires no configuration, no software installation (for desktop modems), no additional lines—just plug-and-play operation (www. p1. com. my, 2010). The price of the plan and packages for customer are also affordable. 4. Support from parent company P1 is a subsidiary company of Green Packet, a technology company from Silicon Valley, and gets its technology and designs from Green Packet. With the help of Green Packet, it brings the future to present by offering one? stop cost effective data, voice, video and other value added services for all communication needs. The technology can transfer or sharing between each other. 1. Weakness: 5. 2. 1 Low Coverage P1 W1MAX Wiggy signal coverage still not wide enough, there is only 35% population coverage by the end of 2009. 9As P1 Wimax service is still relatively new and in the process of being fully implemented, coverage is still not optimal especially in East Malaysia. However, P1 has a new marketing strategy out. Instead of planning where to â€Å"P1 W1MAX† enable, they are asking their users to vote for the next â€Å"P1 W1MAX† coverage areas. P1 hoping to reach 45% population coverage by the end of 2010, and 65% population coverage by the end of 2012 in Malaysia. (www. p1. com. my) 5. 2. 2 Erratic connection, weak connection signal The signal of the connection show a little erratic when the user wasn’t exactly in the coverage area. Beside that, depending on the location of the P1 tower, the connection also varied from various parts of the house and performed best when the modem was placed close to the windows. On the other hand, the P1 modem may not work if you are using a work laptop where you do not have permission to install applications. This is because the P1 modem will actually install a little application in your laptop or computer to enable it to connect so you will have to ensure that your computer allows installation of applications. Based on these weaknesses, the P1 Company has created an opportunity to their competition to move in; they still need to do a lot of improvement to increase its performance and quality. 2. Opportunity: 5. 3. Consumer preferences for internet access service Information technology (IT) and advanced communications are playing an increasing role in national productivity growth, the creation of new network-based activities, and improving education and living standards. Frequen cy of Internet activity – â€Å"many times a week† Activity All Dial-up High-speed Email & instant messaging 71. 4 68. 5 79. 7 Search engines & purchase products 37. 8 29. 5 60. 8 Play games & gamble 21. 0 17. 7 30. 8 Share music file or photos 10. 1 6. 19. 5 Banking, trading stocks, or bill payment 9. 8 7. 4 16. 5 Download movies to view on PC 1. 0 0. 9 1. 3 Note. Cells are percent of respondents using the activity â€Å"many times a week. †(Table taken from Telecommunications Research Group, University of Colorado) The table above shows Internet activity for the most extremes responses. The boom of e-business and m-commerce, doing things such as paying bills online and being on the go creates an opportunity for P1 as the trend is to utilize and makes the best of all the time you have. This is due to the increasing preference for full mobility, doing things on the go and online connectivity. [pic] The table above shows that the internet users and broadband internet users had been increase. By the end of June 2008, there were 1. 718mn broadband subscribers in the market, and our estimate of seeing just over 2mn by the end of the year is expected to be achieved, led by demand for wireless broadband. (Malaysia Telecommunications Report, 2009) This trend is expected to continue, particularly given that the country reported the deployment of its first WiMAX services in the third quarter of this year. We are forecasting around 7mn broadband subscribers by 2013, representative of a penetration rate of 24%. The increase of broadband users is also a sign that the market would be ready for P1 Wimax if the service and promotion are implemented successfully. 2. States going wireless [email  protected], is a state government initiative engaging the WiMAX-based P1 wireless Internet service. P1’s part of the project is actually named [email  protected], a subset of the larger initiative, to deliver broadband Internet connectivity to areas with high numbers of tourists, as well as densely-populated locations, making Penang one of the first cities in the world offering full WiMAX connectivity. (www. p1. com. my, 2009) This provides an opportunities as P1 may take advantages of this need and be the most widely used, known or eve sole provider in the state. This will put them ahead of their competition as well as help to establish credibility and reputation. 3. Technological advancement MIMOS, the premier applied research centre in frontier technologies, today announced that its WiWi Technology Platform – the world’s first hybrid WiFi and WiMAX solution which operates on 2. 3 GHz frequency designed as an alternative for last mile broadband connectivity to accelerate Malaysia’s broadband ecosystem – is ready for nationwide commercialisation. (www. mimos. my, 2009) The new MIMOS WiWi allows for better penetration into the broadband market such as being able to reach rural areas where pulling cables are more costly, time consuming and inefficient option. If P1 is able to build a strong brand image, excellent reputation and services, it will be able to capture the lion’s share of the market. 3. Threats: 5. 4. 1 Threaten from Redtone Redtone, using base stations and CPE equipment from Motorola, has launched the first commercial WiMAX service in East Malaysia. (www. telecoms. com, 2010)The first phase of the WiMAX network covers the Kota Kinabalu business district. With Redtone heavily investing and focusing in East Malaysia, Redtone has managed to establish themselves and build credibility there. This creates an obstacle for P1 whose objectives is to be the leader in the wireless broadband industry. P1 will find it much harder to penetrate that market without heavy investment in promotions and improving their services or Redtone’s service deteriorates. 2. Preference for wired broadband and free wireless services As wireless broadband is still not very advanced, it tends to be either more unstable or does not have extensive coverage. As such, people may not want to pay for wireless broadband when options such as wired internet in the office or home are available. Free Wi-Fi services are also available to cater for the increasing preference for full mobility in many places such as F&B outlets such as Starbucks, McDonalds, Secret Recipe, Old Town cafes, Papa Rich and so on. 3. Intense competition P1 Wimax operates in the highly competitive and rapidly evolving technology industry. Rapid changes in the technology have resulted in the frequent introduction of new products with competitive prices, features, and performance characteristics. Some of the competitors of the company include fixed line (TMNet Streamyx), and cellular providers through their HSDPA/HSUPA (Celcom, Digi, Maxis). With telecoms lying new technologies from time to time (towards LTE) and TMNet starting High-speed (using fiber) broadband next year in metro areas of Klang Valley. Moreover, P1 only offers 2 portable Wimax packages, the Wiggy and the Wiggy 69. Each package is placed on two extreme ends, one with a very low speed and the other with a significantly higher but also higher price tag. (www. p1. com. my, 2009) There is currently no package catering to the in between market—those who do not mind paying a bit more and getting a slightly higher speed than that offered by Wiggy69. Aside from that, the competitor offers a much wider range of packages and some even cater to the â€Å"in between† market. This creates a threat to the P1 also. 6. Marketing Objectives and Strategies: 6. 1 Marketing Objectives a) To increase to 20% P1 WiMAX subscriber in one year. b) To increase 30% of P1 WiMAX awareness among the targeted audience in one year. 7. Marketing Strategies: Ansoft Matrix Market Penetration: price, promotion |Product Development: product | |- special price packages |-R&D in service stability | |- inducing trial use |-packaging of the product | |Market Development-promotion, place |Diversification-distribution: pro duct | |- Increase service availability in F&B outlet |-come out with mobile telecommunication service. |- Increase coverage | | |- Mailing campaign | | 7. 1 Market Penetration: Price †¢ Special price packages-student packages Communicating the benefits to the end-consumer of a product often needs a â€Å"sweetener† to entice the consumer to change their provider or sign up for the first time with a new provider. Adding value and an incentive to purchase to the end-consumer is the main point. The student market for broadband is significant and forms the key demographic of the target market. According to the research that done by P1, the customer â€Å"Top Five Wish List† are: 1. Coverage 2. Embedded devices with attractive bundling and add-on options 3. Higher data cap 4. More affordable portable offerings 5. Direct subscription sign-up online (already addressed by P1 Direct) With student sometimes paying up RM 26. 000 per year on higher tertiary education fees, a mobile internet service that is fast, reliable, portable and most of all, affordable is most attractive. As an incentive for students to sign up to P1 Wimax, an exclusive package deal for â€Å"student only† would include 12-month short-term contract, an improved download speed of up to 10mps, the last month of the 12 month contract would be free-of-charge, premium on offers which include pendrives, mouse pad all bearing the P1 Wimax logo and so on. The design of shorter term contract would be more appealing to students as many students live in a dynamic environment and value their freedom of choice. By making the 12-month contract more attractive the student’s interest will be garnered. Besides that, P1 also can conduct an on campus advertising. On campus advertising is a marketing and media services company specializing in targeting college students on campuses. The concept of advertise in campus is less expensive and can attract more student in the package which are only deal with student. Additionally, the campus media such like campus radio station and website can get the ads get played in order to increase its brand awareness. †¢ Inducing trial use The consumers could be influential in inducing trial use of a new product or service. Companies now allow clients and potential customers to try products and services on a trial basis before purchasing or signing up. By offering a trial offers, it acts as an incentive for prospective consumers, potentially influencing their decision to sign a contract with the company and encourage users of another brand to switch. This method is used in order to demonstrate and promote the stability and speed of P1Wimax. Once the users get a feel of the Wimax technology P1 provides, they will be more easily convinced to make a purchase if they are able to experience a product or service first hand as they will make the judgement on their own. 7. 2 Market Development: promotion, place †¢ Increase Services availability in F&B outlets F&B outlets such as Starbucks and Old Town are selected as it is not only a hang out place but a place where those who wish to surf the net can do so in comfort as food and beverages are served there. It is more convenient than using the cyber cafe and it is also provides a change of atmosphere from surfing the net at home the office or in an educational institution. The F&B franchises are chosen as many people patronize the outlets not only for the food and drinks served but also for the ambience, WiFi services and price. Furthermore, the distribution of these outlets is wide and easily to find. Thus the name and device will always be easily seen, building awareness, reminding the public and creating interest in the Wiggy portable USB modem service. †¢ Increase Coverage In order to increase distribution and availability, P1 could establish relationships with various state governments and communities. Because of the successful partnering with Penang government, the company now can engage the WIMAX-based P1 wireless internet service with other state government. This partnership project not only can increase the brand awareness, but also boost economic capabilities and social education opportunities so that the state can leapfrog the development and growth of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a whole. †¢ Mailing Campaign It’s important to promote the brand awareness and reputation. This is especially true when economic times are challenging, you’ve got news to announce, or you’re simply hungry for growth. Many forms of promotion are available to the modern designer – with banner ads and Google AdWords among the most popular. In this digital age, it’s easy for web and graphic designers to overlook one of the most effective and fun forms of promotion: the mail campaign. Direct marketing provides with a way to conduct a test of this market relatively quickly, at a reasonable cost, and with convincing certitude. Direct mail can happen fast. With a modest campaign to a known target audience, P1 can acquire a mailing list; develop mailing materials (including direct-mail letter, flier, reply card and so on), launch a mailing and start to receive results in just a few months. This is faster than the typical advertising campaign–and a lot faster than waiting for the phone to ring. Additionally, P1 can test different appeals, called â€Å"offers† in the trade, to reveal the most potent message through direct mail. By making a different offer to randomly different portions of mailing list, P1 can see which offer pulls best. Go with the best puller until find a better draw. As P1 try different offers and different letters, they will find one does better than another. Use the better one, and then try to beat that in the next mailing. Eventually, P1 could get better and better response rates. The mailing campaigns are potent to generate immediate response for advertisers and are also easy to track performance of campaigns. Moreover, P1 can take entrepreneurial achievements far beyond their competitors if they use this campaign correctly. 7. 3 Product Development: product †¢ R&D in service stability Stability is one of the stimuli that create customer retention in telecommunication industry, and it can be one of the most attractive unique selling point attracts more potential customer to subscribe P1 WiMAX internet services. So, R&D on current P1 WiMAX and come out with a more stable service rather than just emphasizing on speed improvement can draw numerous of potential customer from other competitors. More stability, in customer’s mind, means more reliability. †¢ Packaging of the product The modem of P1 is a little big compare to other competitors, it maybe not convenience for whom which are bring along and travel around. In order to attract more customers, the design and the package of the modem should be more stylish and portable. For example, with the environment now furnished with modern, a broadband also can be designed as a necklace which is easy to take and keep. Moreover, it also can be a decoration for girls. 7. 4 Diversification-distribution: product †¢ Come out with mobile telecommunication service P1 can diversify their service into mobile telecommunication service. This is a new, challenging and profitability market for P1 to diversify into it. Although P1 have to bear a high risk for press ahead towards mobile telecommunication service industry since there are already three major players which is Celcom, Maxis and Digi had dominated most of the market shares. However, as every person has to had one mobile phone in this 21th century, mobile telecommunication service is an enormous, long lasting and highly profitability industry to target. In order to penetrate this new market segment, P1 could establish a partnership with Sony Ericsson. Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications is chosen because it’s a global provider of mobile multimedia devices. It is famous and well known. A good relationship with right company can become an essential pull factor for P1 development. 8. 0 Target market and Positioning 8. 1 Target market These new implementation plans targets people who live in urban areas. Whereas Mobile telecommunication service are targeting students who are currently using P1 services 8. 2 Positioning As to coordinate with the new implementation plans P1 should position themselves as an affordable, reliable, and fastest wireless broadband network. For mobile telecommunication service, P1 should position themselves as affordable, reliable and emphasis on joyfulness to communicate with friends and families. ———————– Threat of New Entry: 1. Require enormous capital to enter 2. Telecom License 3. High advertising cost 4. ([email  protected] · A – > ? L M T V W l 2 K L cI µÃ‚ ­Ã‚ ¦Y ¦?  ¦Y ¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¦S‚~‚u‚Sn‚~‚e‚n ¦Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ]‘V‚ hCk9hoâ€Å"hCk9ho|w5? hCk9hy^A0J hCk9hy^AhCk9hyWe0Jh? sjh? sU[pic] hCk9hyWe hCk9huo% hCk9h? a hCk9h? hCk9hshCk9hy^A5? 0hCk9hOyk5? B*[pic]CJOJQJaJmHphsH0Skill human resources capital 5. High exit barrier Competitive rivalry: 1. More than 10 ISP 2. New carriers lead to price war 3. Advertising war 4. High customer churn rate Supplier Power: 1. Moderate number of suppliers 2. Able to change Buyer Power: 1. Many Suppliers 2. Seeking for lowest prices but have better services 3. Low switching cost Threat of substitution: 1. High substitution threats from non-traditional telecom industries’ product and services.

First Amendment and Music Censorship

First Amendment and Music Censorship The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights exists because the Founders of our country understood the importance of free expression. The First Amendment states "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . ." (Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution 17). One of the ways the American people use this freedom of speech and expression is through the creation of the art form known as music. Music's verbal expression bonds our society through our emotions and experiences. This fundamental right of freedom of expression is being threatened by public and governmental groups who believe they have authority to monitor and decide what others should experience. The censorship of music lyrics is a violation of our First Amendment right, and public groups should not be allowed to bypass this right to censor obscene lyrics produced in the music industry.English: The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendme...Through the decades, artists s uch as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones have raised controversy over their seemingly explicit acts that are now viewed as legendary. Parents banned their children from watching Elvis Presley and his outrageous hip movements though today these moves are copied by Britney Spears, pop groups, and dancers all over the world. In 1956, Ed Sullivan deemed Elvis "unfit for a family audience." However, in 1970 Elvis met the President in the Oval Office, and now his face appears on a postage stamp (RIAA; History 2 of 4). On June 15, 1966, The Beatles released their album Yesterday...and Today featuring a shocking cover with the foursome surrounded by raw meat and butchered baby dolls. Immediately the album was withdrawn from music shelves everywhere and returned only with a new approved cover, now the original copy is worth thousands of dollars. Today Beatlemania...

Talking about Vacations In English Activity

Talking about Vacations In English Activity Talking about vacations in English is of the most common topics in a classroom, and why not? Who doesnt like to take vacations? Discussing vacations provides students with the opportunity to use travel-related vocabulary, as well as a theme that all students enjoy. This conversation lesson provides a survey that students use to choose a dream vacation for their fellow students and is  sure to encourage lots of conversation. Aim Encouraging conversation about vacations to practice travel-related vocabulary. Activity Student survey followed by a choice of dream vacation based on student input. Level Intermediate to advanced Outline Introduce the topic of vacations by telling about one of your favorite vacations.Ask students to come up with different types of vacation activities and write these on the board.If necessary or helpful, review vocabulary about travel.Give each student a vacation survey and have them pair up to interview each other.Once theyve interviewed each other, have students choose a dream vacation for their partner. This exercise can be repeated numerous times with different partners.As a class, ask each student which vacation they chose for their partner and why.  As a follow-up exercise, students can write a short essay by choosing a dream vacation and explaining the choice. Vacation Survey Which sentence best describes your feelings towards vacations? Why? My idea of a good vacation is staying at home.My idea of a good vacation is to visit a number of important cities and explore the culture.My idea of a good vacation is to travel to an exotic beach in a foreign country and then relax for two weeks.My idea of a good vacation is to put on my backpack and disappear into the hills for a few weeks. Which type of travel do you think you would like the best? Why? A long road trip in the car.A twelve-hour flight to a foreign country.A train ride across the country.A luxury cruise through the Mediterranean.   How often do you take short trips (two or three days)? I take a short trip at least once a month.I take short trips a few times a year.I take a short trip once a year.I never take short trips. If you had the chance, would you ... ... take a week trip to an exciting city.... spend a week at a meditation retreat.... visit family that you havent seen for a long time.... go white water rafting for a week. Who do you prefer to take vacations with? Why?   I prefer taking vacations with my close family.I prefer taking vacations with my extended family.I prefer taking vacations by myself.I prefer taking vacations with a good friend. What type of vacation activity sounds like the most fun? Why? Lying on the beachHanging out at a nightclubVisiting a museumSkiing down a mountain   How important is eating well to you when you are on vacation? Its the most important thing!Its important, but not for every meal.A good meal is nice, but not that important.Just give me food, so I can keep going! What type of accommodations do you prefer on vacation?   Id like a luxury suite, please.  Id prefer something close to the beach.I need a clean room, but it should be economical.Id prefer a tent and my sleeping bag.   Dream Vacations Dream Vacation I: Touring the Capitals of Europe: On this two-week vacation, youll visit the capitals of Europe including Vienna, Paris, Milan, Berlin, and London. This inclusive vacation includes tickets to a concert, play or opera in each capital, as well as tours of  castles, national monuments  as well as the most important museums such as The Louvre.​Dream Vacation II: Hanging on the Beach in Hawaii: Two weeks of sun and fun on the beach on Hawaiis dream island of Maui. Youll have a deluxe room at one of Mauis finest hotels directly on the beach. This vacation includes fine dining at some of Mauis best restaurants. During your stay, you can take scuba diving lessons, go snorkeling with thousands of tropical fish, or go whale watching in the bay. Its a dream come true!Dream Vacation III: Hiking the Peruvian Andes: Do you need to get away from it all? If so, this is the vacation for you. Youll be flown into Lima, Peru and taken into the Andes for a two-week backpacking adventure of a lifetime. Weve arranged experienced local guides to accompany you on your journey into the magnificent and mystical landscape.   Dream Vacation IV: New York Party Time!: The Big Apple! Need I say more?! Youll enjoy two weeks stay in a luxury suite in Central Park. Youll need to relax because youll be out enjoying the New York nightlife until early in the morning. This all expenses paid vacation includes dinner at some of the most exclusive restaurants in New York, and on-call car service at any time. Experience New York at its finest and most exciting.

To Go Haywire

To Go Haywire To Go Haywire To Go Haywire By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, What does the expression â€Å"to go haywire† mean? Applied to a system or contraption of any kind, â€Å"to go haywire† means â€Å"to go wrong.† Applied to a person, â€Å"to go haywire† means â€Å"to become mentally distracted.† Here are some examples of idiomatic usage: My new companys server went haywire right after I moved everything. After a couple of years of sewing on  my new Singer, something went haywire. [They got along] except for that time when  she went haywire  and tried to kill  him. I loved Harlan and treated him right, but somewhere  he went haywire. Haywire, also called â€Å"baling wire,† is thin wire used to bind bales of hay or straw. At least it used to be. The last bale of hay I bought from Lowe’s was bound with plastic strips. However, I once bought some chicken wire that was held together with short lengths of thin wire. When I managed to untwist the bits of wire holding the roll together, it sprang apart, jabbing me with a hundred pointy ends. The experience was similar to that described by H. L. Mencken in regard to haywire: No one who has ever opened a bale of hay with a hatchet and had the leaping wire whirl about him and its sharp ends poniard him, will ever have any doubt how â€Å"to go haywire† originated.- The American Language, Supplement 1 (1946). According to a writer at WorldwideWords, haywire was â€Å"the duct tape of its era.† It was used to repair hinges, mend fence holes, and replace lost or worn-out machine connections. Haywire was used in contexts other than farming. A footnote in a history of the Bohemian Lumber Company (1985) explains that â€Å"some loggers and millmen would sometimes wire their machinery in place with baling wire to keep it running, sans parts.† In the 1900s, the expression â€Å"hay-wire operation† referred to a shoddy, poorly equipped logging business. A line called a haywire plays an important (and dangerous) part in retrieving felled logs. In 2012 an inexperienced logger in Washington State was killed by a haywire during cable logging operations in Lewis County. A glossary of hobo terms defines â€Å"a haywire outfit† as â€Å"something that is all tied and patched together,† a term similar to â€Å"jerry-rigged.† The most common uses of â€Å"to go haywire† are those that refer to something that has stopped working properly or to someone who has become emotionally distraught. Related post: Jury-rigged vs Jerry-rigged 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 Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Probable vs. Possible

Research Project Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Project - Research Paper Example It was in line with this that the Obama government attempted a health care policy that will absolutely overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system. The product of this was the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) (Husky, 2011). Indeed, the intended impact of the PPACA is clearly spelt out in its name. First, it is expected that health care delivery will take a patient centered approach whereby the interest of the patient comes first in the delivery of health care. Meanwhile, patients visit the health care facility with an intention of receiving quality health care. Secondly, it is part of the idea that the quality of health care that is received will come at a much reduced cost. This means that the exchange for quality must not necessarily be high cost. No-cost preventive services as a mainstay feature of the PPACA One major challenge that had for long prevented the health care system from achieving the goal of quality health care delivery is the pressure that the system has in handing the needs of too many people at a go. Most often, the pressure on the system results in situation where health providers are too few for the health users or health facilities are inadequate to cater for the health needs of the people (Cuellar, 2012). Through an intensive study therefore, there was an aspect of the PPACA that focused mainly on how to reduce the burden on health care system so that delivery could be improved. What was born out of this was the need for there to be enough preventive care services that ensures that health conditions are prevented rather than cured. It was for this reason that no-cost preventive services were made part of the mainstream PPACA. Currently, preventive care takes care of aspects of health care delivery such as immunizations, shots, screening, yearly check-ups and tests (Morrisey, 2007). These preventive services have been made free because the cost benefit effect of leaving them to be optional and at a cost to patients would be wo rse off. For example if people are made to pay to receive health services that could easily be prevented, they may feel reluctant to do so, only for their health conditions to get deteriorating to a level that will demand more cost from service providers to treat. As far as statistics is concerned, the no-cost preventive service can be said to have three major categorizations of beneficiaries. These are adult services, Women's Preventive Services ObamaCare, and Children's Preventive Services ObamaCare. The table below gives a detailed presentation of the health conditions that are covered under each of the no-cost preventive services. Adult Services Women's Preventive Services Children's Preventive Services 1 Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm one-time screening 2 Alcohol Misuse screening and counseling 3 Aspirin use 4 Blood Pressure screening for all adults 5 Cholesterol screening 6 Colorectal Cancer screening for adults over 50 7 Depression screening 8 Diabetes (Type 2) screening 9 Diet co unseling 10 HIV screening 11 Immunization vaccines 12 Obesity screening 13 Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) prevention counseling 14 Syphilis screening 15 Tobacco Use screening 1. Anemia screening 2. Breast Cancer Genetic Test Counseling (BRCA) 3. Breast Cancer Mammography screenings 4. Breast Cancer Chemoprevention counseling 5. Breastfeeding comprehensive support and counseling 6. Cervical Cancer screening 7. Chlamydia Infection screening 8. Contraception 9. Domestic and interpersonal violence

CLA W1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CLA W1 - Assignment Example Cartoons such as Hercules and Aladdin use creative ideas from Greek stories to create episodes of their programs. Children literature such as comics and novels are another area that has been influenced by this culture. Many creative pieces of children literature contain ideas and notions borrowed from ancient Greek mythology. The Ancient Greek mythology also influenced many national governments in the area of finance and economy. Many of the local governments have incorporated the use of Greek mythological artwork and design in the creation of their national currencies. A close look at many notes and coins used as local currency prove of this. The design and shape of the money will indicate that many ideas borrowed from the ancient Greek artwork. Ancient Greek mythology has greatly influenced modern architecture and design. Many famous national buildings and facilities have borrowed artistic themes from the ancient Greeks. They have skillfully adapted the design and creativity that they have gathered from studying ancient mythological architectural drawings and managed to incorporate them into modern ideas (Tessowen, 2012). The entertainment industry has also greatly benefited from classic mythology. Many movies have themes based on classic mythology, with the entertainment industry adopting their versions of movies such as "The Legend of Hercules", "Spartacus†, â€Å"Troy" and others. These films have gone on to be mostly familiar and rake in massive amounts of revenue. The music industry has also adapted themes from classical mythology. Musicians sing songs relating to ancient Greek mythology, and many bands have names and themes related to the ancient Greek culture. Ancient Greek mythology inspires marketing in man y ways. Many corporations consistently use these ideologies in marketing and branding their products. It is common to see advertisements with people dressed in ancient

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example The person wanted to know if the problem seen from the perspective of the employee and their particular obligation to the larger organizational community. I was asked to explain the many issues linked to CSR. A second question raised was related to the commitment to CSR, and whether CSR is designed to help an organization to make a profit, whether it is truly concerned with the company’s degree of social commitment. Organizations are set up and designed in order to be profitable. In order to focus upon this they must of necessity publicize themselves in markets both local and worldwide. They can do this by undertaking various organizations undertake various procedures. Another reason why companies need to promote themselves is the competitive element. There will always be other companies who are trying to get the edge over them. CSR is a positive response to such pressures and will be accepted in a positive way. A number of research studies have revealed the positive propertie s of CSR and its good effects upon employees (Ali and Ali, 2011; Gross and Holland, 2011; Brammer, Millington and Rayton, 2007) and upon the wider community (Tang and Tang, 2007; Mohr, Webb and Harris, 2001; Moir, 2001).

Christology in the Black Perspective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Christology in the Black Perspective - Essay Example According to Wilmore (93), Christology in the Black perspective borrows much from the Bible on the Israelites deliverance from Egypt by God. Advocates of Black theology effectively compare the US to Egypt. They predict that the blacks who are the oppressed people will be led to a promised land soon. They emphasize that God is concerned with the people who lack economic, social and political justice and also for those who are unwanted and poor in the society. They believe that the same God, who liberated the Israelites, is the same God who is a blessing and working for the blacks who are oppressed in the 20th century. They believe that God is helping the oppressed blacks and has, therefore, identified Himself with them. They speak of God as Black.Jesus Christ is seen from the aspect of liberation and oppression. Other texts that are borrowed from the Bible by Christology in the Black perspective include the Gospel of Luke. The book of Luke states that the lame will walk, the blind wil l see, the deaf will hear, the lepers will be cleaned, the dead will rise up and the poor will have the good news preached to them. Therefore it is evident that in Christ, God truly enters human affairs and notably takes sides and supports the oppressed (Wilmore 112).This means that the oppressed become His and the numerous challenges of the 20th century cannot be solved by looking at the past of what Christ did. The main reason for this is that the choices of the past are not similar to the current situation.

Hemophilia Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hemophilia Disease - Essay Example The oral condition of the human being is characterized by episodes of tooth loss and damage of the gums which leads to bleeding. Keeping the gums and the teeth healthy usually requires procedures that are invasive ( prone to injury). One can just imagine the gravity of the situation to people with hemophilia. That is why one can find numerous studies and researches about the People with hemophilia or congenital bleeding tendencies are a priority group for dental and oral health care, since bleeding after dental treatment may cause severe or even fatal complications. Maintenance of a healthy mouth and prevention of dental problems is of great importance, not only to quality of life and nutrition but also to avoid the dangers of surgery. . Plaque accumulation causes inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) due to the action of bacteria. This may progress to the damage of the attachment of the teeth to the jawbone (periodontal membrane) resulting to inflammation and damage to this membrane (chronic periodontitis). Ultimately, this leads to the loosening of a tooth and then tooth loss. With the plaque allowed to calcify, tartar develops above and/or below the gum-line making further accretion of plaque result to Fig 2. The Parts of A Tooth Gingivitis is painless but leads to the ... Thru the process of prophylaxis or cleaning of the teeth and gums by the doctor, gingivitis can be prevented thereby limiting bleeding of the gums and eliminating the need for surgery. This can be seen as a pro-active step rather than waiting for the gums to bleed and make use of factor concentrates to stop the bleeding. The treatment of hemophilia has been undergoing significant innovations since the development of factor VIII concentrates. The current trend of thinking is that prophylaxis is a beneficial therapy for patients with hemophilia A as compared to on-demand treatment. The observed benefits include reduced number of bleeding episodes, improved joint function and a relatively healthier patient. Hoots et al reviewed the literature about the topic and weighed the value of these benefits against the increased expense due to increased factor use. (Hoots et al, 2006) How Is Dental Surgery Performed To A Hemophiliac Performing dental surgery on a hemophiliac patient, even for a simple dental extraction, must be thoroughly planned such that the risk of bleeding, hematoma formation or excessive bruising is minimized. To prevent any problems or complications, the two following points must be realized: Rarely will emergency dental surgical intervention be required as control of pain can be registered without resorting to an unplanned treatment. Discussions with Hemophilia patients requiring prophylactic cover concerning the treatment plans must be done For those suffering from severe hemophilia, factor replacement is a necessary pre-surgery procedure along with regional block injections or scaling. Those suffering from hemophilia A usually require a dose of 50 iu/kg of factor VIII and a dose of 100 iu/kg of factor IX in hemophilia

Christology in the Black Perspective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Christology in the Black Perspective - Essay Example According to Wilmore (93), Christology in the Black perspective borrows much from the Bible on the Israelites deliverance from Egypt by God. Advocates of Black theology effectively compare the US to Egypt. They predict that the blacks who are the oppressed people will be led to a promised land soon. They emphasize that God is concerned with the people who lack economic, social and political justice and also for those who are unwanted and poor in the society. They believe that the same God, who liberated the Israelites, is the same God who is a blessing and working for the blacks who are oppressed in the 20th century. They believe that God is helping the oppressed blacks and has, therefore, identified Himself with them. They speak of God as Black.Jesus Christ is seen from the aspect of liberation and oppression. Other texts that are borrowed from the Bible by Christology in the Black perspective include the Gospel of Luke. The book of Luke states that the lame will walk, the blind wil l see, the deaf will hear, the lepers will be cleaned, the dead will rise up and the poor will have the good news preached to them. Therefore it is evident that in Christ, God truly enters human affairs and notably takes sides and supports the oppressed (Wilmore 112).This means that the oppressed become His and the numerous challenges of the 20th century cannot be solved by looking at the past of what Christ did. The main reason for this is that the choices of the past are not similar to the current situation.

Regulating Soldiers Body Temperature, Uniform Technology Summary Essay

Regulating Soldiers Body Temperature, Uniform Technology Summary - Essay Example A soldier may end up experiencing different health issues as a result of changes in climate in the areas they train and operate. These health issues can be divided into heat and cold based health issues. Heat related issues include heat cramps, syncope, fatigue and stroke and cold related health issues include hypothermia as well as frostbite. There are various technologies that can help monitor and change the body temperature of the soldiers with the changes in the climate. These technologies including phase change, hybrid, and evaporative as well as circulatory cooling technologies. Phase change material is a technology that can help in managing soldier’s body temperature if this technology is used to design the uniforms of the soldiers. This technology has several benefits including reduction of sweat, feeling of cold and decrease body temperature if the soldier is experiencing excessive warmth. While managing the temperature of a soldier’s body, this technology even provides soldiers with comfort. The technology is useful for soldier’s clothing because it does not causes issues when it comes in contract with the gears used by the soldiers. The technology lacks toxins; it is not flammable, is quite long lasting and can be reused. In order to use this technology along with uniforms the technology needs wires to function. This can restrict the acceptability of this technology, but if soldier’s uniforms have the ability to create electricity then this technology can easily be used. Another issue associated with this technology is fabric tearing but this problem may be experienced in the long run. Outlast is an existing clothing brand that has already developed uniforms for army professionals with the help of phase change material (PCM) (Armedforces-int.com 1). The company operates throughout the globe and is developing products that are made with PCM and these materials have been tested and approved by

Reservoirs of Infection Essay Example for Free

Reservoirs of Infection Essay Nasal carriage is the principal reservoir, and nasal colonization of the individual patient is the harbinger of subsequent infection. Healthcare workers are propounded to be potential reservoirs. Hand carriage and nasal carriage both are responsible, and they can be transient or persistent. For healthcare workers, the environment of care may function as a reservoir of colonization and infection. The body sites of the patients in the care units may specifically colonize bacteria. These include respiratory tract, any site on the skin such as surgical sites, burns, pressure sores, tracheotomy sites, sites of other foreign bodies, and normal skin, and the perineum and the rectum. In these settings, nasal swabs are inadequate, and culture of the wounds, tracheostomy sites, and sputum may be useful. Environmental contamination in a hospital has been known reservoirs, and virtually any surface, appliance, and instruments in the care setting may be suspected, but they seem to play insignificant roles in transmission of infection (Graffunder, E.M. and Venezia, R. A. , 2002). Modes of Transmission: The principal mode of transmission within an institution is from one colonized or infected patient to another via the hands of the healthcare workers, even though he or she is transiently colonized. Hospital acquired pneumonia that happens with MRSA is thought to be transmitted through air-borne infection (Graffunder, E. M. and Venezia, R. A. , 2002). Control: Handwashing is a time-honoured principle of routine infection prevention and control and is considered to be effective in eliminating transient hand contamination with MRSA and other pathogens acquired from patients or the environment. A simple 10-second hand wash with soap and water can ascertain absence of the bacteria from the contaminated hands in most of the cases. However, povidone iodine or alcohol is better washing agent (Graffunder, E. M. and Venezia, R. A. , 2002). Prescription: Decreasing broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy can reduce the risk of MRSA. Nursing workloads need to be maintained as reasonable level so as to maintain standard hygiene that reduces chances of infection. Drugs, such as, vancomycin is indicated in uncomplicated cases of MRSA. The other antibiotics that are recommended are tetracyclines or cotrimoxazole. Minocycline is also active against MRSA. Linezolid is recommended in skin and soft tissue infections caused by MRSA. Clindamycin is also an effective antibiotic, and a combination of rifampicin and fusidic acid and daptomycin have been found to be effective in such cases (Gemmell, C. G. et al. , 2006), (French, G. L. , (2006). Conclusion: MRSA is a threat, and this threat has been caused by the genetic make up of the bacteria and iatrogenic reasons. Strict hygienic measures in the healthcare facilities, awareness of this threat by the healthcare professionals, and appropriate management of MRSA infection along with surveillance still can reduce the spread and epidemic nature of these infections. References Brown, D. B. J. et al. , (2005).Guidelines for the laboratory diagnosis and susceptibility testing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on behalf of the Joint Working Party of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Hospital Infection Society and Infection Control Nurses Association. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. ; 56: 1000 1018. Enright, M. C. et al. , (2002). The evolutionary history of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). PNAS,; 99: 7687 7692. French, G. L. , (2006). Bactericidal agents in the treatment of MRSA infections—the potential role of daptomycin. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. ; 58: 1107 1117. Gemmell, C. G. et al. , (2006). Guidelines for the prophylaxis and treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in the UK on behalf of the Joint Working Party of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Hospital Infection Society and Infection Control Nurses Association. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. ; 57: 589 608. Graffunder, E. M. and Venezia, R. A. , (2002). Risk factors associated with nosocomial methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection including previous use of antimicrobials. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. ; 49: 999 1005. Huang, H. et al. , (2006). Comparisons of Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Hospital-Associated MSRA Infections in Sacramento, California. J. Clin. Microbiol. ; 44: 2423 2427. Johnson, A. P. , Pearson, A. , and Duckworth, G. , (2005). Surveillance and epidemiology of MRSA bacteraemia in the UK. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. ; 56: 455 462. Millar, B. C. , Prendergast, B. D. , and Moore, J. E. , (2008). Community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA): an emerging pathogen in infective endocarditis. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. ; 61: 1 7.

Overt or covert observations

Overt or covert observations Question 1 The researcher says that [i]ntense observations in the classroom and playground area were completed [and] detailed observations were conducted in lessons(p.184). What can you infer about the things she observed and the methods she used to record her observations? Qualitative research is an effort to understand situations in their uniqueness as part of a particular context and the interactions there. (Merriam, 2009:14) An ethnographer participates, overtly or covertly, in peoples daily lives for an extended period of time, watching what happens, listening to what is said, asking questions; in fact collecting whatever data are available to throw light on the issues with which he or she is concerned. (Flick 2005:146) The author, Lisa Russell is a young female ethnographer entering the research field for the first time. This paper is a description of The implications of investigating student resistance and the importance of how the researchers; personal dispositions influence the research process are discussed. (Russell, 2005:181) The research was conducted in three culturally diverse schools of Birmingham and Sydney and the information was gathered through observations and interviews. Students in the age bracket of 14-16 years were identified for observation, especially the ones finding the experience difficult either academically or emotionally (Watts, 2001; Russell, 2005:184) According to Esterberg, ethnography is intensively studying a specific social group by observing the group in its natural setting (Esterberg, 2002:8). Sometimes ethnography and participant observation are used interchangeably. But to its contrary, ethnography requires a participation observation style of fieldwork. Participant observation thus can most usefully be seen as a means of producing ethnographies rather than as synonymously with ethnography. (Thorpe Holt, 2008:100) Russell being new to the field entered her research ground with no ideal, logical step-by-step approach (Russell, 2005:182). She used her relative inexperience to her advantage. She started her research by observing students in various classes and free time. She observed them in their favorite and least favorite modules, covering one of the most popular aspects of student resistance. Once the trust between them grew, she advanced to spending time with them in their own comfort zones, which gave her more of an insight to their personal lives. This way she managed to get valuable information concerning their behavior and problems. There were instances when she witnessed highly disruptive behavior of students, like that of a male student kick and bash a school vendor machine during break-time (Russell, 2005:193) but blinded herself to the situation. At the same time, there were occasions when she found herself caught in uncomfortable circumstances like the time she landed up in the deputys office as she was with students who got late for class. Names like the follower and leech suggest that during the initial stages Russell was not accepted by the students as she shadowed them all around. But gradually she managed to gain one of the most vital aspects of the study trust. Ethnographers are viewed differently as a relationship is built up and trust developed. (Cassell Symon 2004:316). I feel her main tool for recording data was a daily logbook, but filling the same in front of her research subjects could make them very suspicious and inquisitive. Although as her relationship with the students strengthened, she allowed the researched the chance to see what was being written about them (Russell, 2005:187).This she did to gain feedback and more importantly trust. To conclude, I feel the main aspect she focused throughout was to develop a trustworthy relationship with the students. This she did over a gradual period as she observed and learned from them. Question 2 The author is a young ethnographer researching teenagers (p.193). What difference does our knowledge of her age and personal details make to the account? Qualitative research is a form of interpretative inquiry in which researchers make an interpretation of what they see, hear and understand. Their interpretation cannot be separated from their own backgrounds, history, contexts, and prior understandings. (Creswell, 2009:176) The author, Lisa Russell is a young, novice, female, white, northern English ethnographer (Russell, 2005:181). Her smallness in height and build influenced how students and teachers interacted with [her]. (Russell, 2005:182) Russell used a very reflexive approach towards her research and took into consideration how different aspects of her personal disposition affected her entire study. Researchers reflections on their actions and observations in the field, their impressions, irritations, feelings and so on, become data in their own right, forming part of the interpretation, (Flick, 2005:6) I feel her age -23-24 at the time of field work (Russell, 2005:182) and youthful nature helped her immensely in developing a trustworthy bond with the students. The students opened up to her about their grievances which they might not have done with someone older and more experienced. The researchers ability to build relationships and develop rapport with subjects is crucial. (Thorpe Holt, 2008:151) Her repetitive emphasis on her age and naivety throughout the paper shows that these facets of her personal disposition helped her to engage in discussions and activities with the teenaged students, which if she was older wouldnt have been able to do. Her closeness to their age made it simpler for both herself and the students to be able to relate to each other. Although, at the same time it was difficult for her to develop a similar bond with the teachers and she felt exceptionally uncomfortable in staffroom discussions. In my opinion, she put in a lot of effort and time into understanding the point of view of the students and didnt do the same with the teachers. But as she graduated to the third school her heightened confidence and greater experience (Russell, 2005:188) made it easier for her to relate to and interact with the teachers. This paper also brings into account the being there quality. Good ethnography is about communicating the impression of having truly been there, of having had close-in contact with far-out lives while at the same time making the reader feel he or she has been there too. (Bate, 1997:1163) In the context of Russells paper the way she elucidates her experience and subsequently her problems, make it very easy for us to believe and understand her observations. I as a student believed that the intense description about her personal characteristics played a significant role in helping me comprehend her entire research. I also inferred that as an amateur, she mentioned her young and novice personality keeping in mind that even if her study was not up to the mark it would have been excusable. I held a degree of emotional attachment towards some students given the significant time I had spent with them and the nature and detail of their lives they had shared with me. (Russell, 2005:196) This confession of hers illustrates that she let herself get emotionally involved with the students. Students also, at times would seek for support and guidance (from her or consider Russell as a shoulder to cry on (Russell, 2005:196). Since this was her first ever ethnography leaving the field and detaching herself from her research subjects, became difficult. Russells reflexive approach and personal disposition especially her age influenced and widened her scope for the study. This nature of the report helped her retain authenticity throughout the paper. Question 3 Russell claims that her ethnographic research investigates the complex and sometimes contradictory culture(s) of student resistance to schooling (Wills, 1977) (p. 181). How is this claim supported in the paper? According to Russell This study examines the significance and relationship between class, gender and ethnicity in the construction of resistance. It aims to understand how the wider societal and cultural environment influences the working of a school and the behaviour of the actors within it. (Russell, 2005:182) Student resistance is often perceived as explicit rejection of formal education. It is a deliberate yet hesitant activity of students arising due to social, cultural, emotional and academic concerns. According John Deweys comment that teaching and learning are much like selling and buying: One might as well say he has sold when no one has bought, as to say that he has taught when no one has learned'(Dewey, 1910,p.29) (Provenzo, ed. 2006) The students selected for the research ranged from truancy issues and students negative attitude towards school and learning to low self-esteem concerns.(Russell, 2005:184). Taking the instance of a student who had an alcoholic mother and [was struggling] to cope with her domestic responsibilities (Russell, 2005:185) shows that how a family related problem can hamper a persons education and make her unenthusiastic about school. In my opinion this supplement is a conflicting account. As mentioned clearly in the paper it aims at providing an insight to student resistance to schooling, where as there is not much mentioned about the same. According to my inference, it explores the experience and problems faced by the researcher, Lisa Russell during the course of her research. She at the same time concentrates on describing the methodologies used for observations and to gather information. On the other hand, she made the study interesting for readers to read by providing examples to support her content. Ethnography is art, science and craft rolled into one. As artists we seek to capture experiences in images and representations which symbolize reality; in this regard, expression is more important than precision. (Bate, 1997:1153) This repository statement, expression is more important than precision holds true in this study. I as a student found the report very engrossing because of the way she articulated her encounters with her research subjects. Some which put her into awkward situations while trying to gain trust from disruptive students made the account appealing. A few others were when she witnessed students truant, thieve, damage school property, take illegal substances and even [asked her] to participate. (Russell, 2005:193) Russell subconsciously seemed to be bias towards the students. Bias may be viewed as unavoidable as researchers often hold sympathy for some groups over the others. (Russell, 2005:190) Since this study was centered around students she preferred to take their side predominantly, intending to gain further insight into student resistance. I personally would have preferred to know more about the teachers since they played an equally important role in the research. She could have discussed the teachers reaction to some of the above instances in detail. In conclusion I believe this paper constitutes more about Russells experiential data and personal disposition than on its primary topic of student resistance. Reconsidering Work-Life Balance Debates: Challenging Limited Understandings of the Life Component in the Context of Ethnic Minority Womens Experiences Nicolina Kamenou Question 1 The author appears to have had difficulties recruiting interviewees (see especially p.s102). Why, for example, might an organization withdraw from the study claiming restructuring was in progress? (p.102) Work-life balance means that individuals have successfully segmented or integrated life and work so as to achieve a satisfying quality of life, overall satisfaction and less strain or stress around juggling conflicting role demands. (Blyton et al., 2006:2) The work-life balance equation (Kamenou, 2008:S99) is a vast concept covering a number of aspects ranging from career, ambition, family, pleasure and culture. Suitable prioritising between the same helps to accomplish ones goal in life. This article is centred on ethnic minority womens experiences of managing their work and personal lives. (Kamenou, 2008:S99). The author, Nicolina Kamenou, collected the data via semi structured, in depth interviews primarily with ethnic minority females. The perception of ethnic minority men, white women and white men was also taken for comparison. The broader study aimed to investigate best practice on the equality issues but also to examine whether the reality matched the rhetoric of equality of opportunity within organizations by exploring employees perceptions and experiences. (Kamenou, 2008:S102). The author evidently faced difficulties in recruiting interviewees, since only three out of the twenty organisations approached responded positively to the invitation (Kamenou, 2008:S102). Further to this, one of them withdrew claiming restructuring was in progress. The basic strategy for in depth interviews should be in three stages prepare, contact, and follow up (MacDougall Fudge, 2001). These stages include preparing for the research by describing and constructing a sample, negotiating with the key people or organisations personally, and providing feedback and maintaining relationship with the participants. Initially I feel a loop hole in the recruitment procedure could have led to rejection from many of the organisations contacted. Besides this there could be many reasons for it. This study is mostly based on topics such as ethnicity, culture, religion, racism and sexism which are very sensitive in nature. One of the main reasons for companies to withdraw from the research could have been to avoid any controversy. They would not want to risk their reputation and find themselves involved in any problematic situation as a consequence of the research. The firm which withdrew claiming restructuring was in progress was a financial organisation. This shows that the management could have been worried about the companys inside information since such a research could have revealed confidential data to the market and its competitors and thus affected its integrity. The company possibly had something to hide. On the other hand if a company is confident, a research is a good way of gaining credibility and even one of the cheaper ways of getting feedback from its employees. I also feel, stating the real names of the participating organisations could have been avoided. Kamenou should have used pseudonyms instead as confidentiality is a significant factor of researches. Confidentiality must be assured as the primary safeguard against unwanted exposure. All personal data ought to be secured or concealed and made public only behind a shield of anonymity. (Denzin Lincoln, 2000:139). Kamenou could have most definitely got a better response from the companies initially contacted, had she offered to keep the names anonymous. In my opinion, the sensitive character of the study and the matter of confidentiality, were the main reasons which lead to the difficulties faced by the researcher while recruiting interviewees. I also believe, that a better response could have been achieved had the interviewees been assured about the authenticity of the information being published. Regarding the financial company no conclusion can be drawn as we have no proof against them. Question 2 Would you expect differences between the people in organizations where formal access had been been granted and the independent group identified through personal networking? (p. s102) If so, what might these differences be? In this article, Kamenou focuses on the specificities in the experiences of ethnic minority women, incorporating other groups experiences where necessary, with regard to balancing their work and personal life (Kamenou 2008:S107). For this purpose both males and females from different cultural backgrounds were selected to be interviewed. The researcher recruited these interviewees formally from organizations. An independent group of participants was also identified through personal networking across a range of various public, private and voluntary organizations. All the participants varied in their occupations. The researcher derived information from a number of job profiles, to name a few there were nurses, managers, lawyers and psychologists. The researcher conducted semi structured, in-depth interviews. The main goal of these interviews was to explore a topic more openly and to allow interviewees to express their opinions and ideas in their own words. (Esterberg, 2002:86). The researcher must have certainly got different responses from the formally approached people and the independent group. Since the exact procedure of recruiting the interviewees has not been mentioned, I feel that the participants of the organizations where formal access was granted may not have been given a choice. Thus, they may not have voluntarily agreed and would have been least interested in the research. They would have restrained from giving out information concerning their organization with the fear of it reaching higher authorities and thus loosing their jobs. At the same time their response could have been manipulated by the employers to gain publicity. On the other hand, the independent group were people selected through personal networking and thus their cooperation was completely voluntary. We can refer to it as snowball sampling. This basically means when existing research subjects refer future subjects from among their acquaintances to help widen the information base. Such participants would have been interested and involved in the interview. They would have been more forthcoming with their response. Since these participants were being interviewed without any pressure form an organization, they would have been more willing and open about discussing their personal experiences. The only problem in such sampling is that of bias. The researcher could have recruited these participants according to her own convenience. She might have selected them with the point of view of extracting maximum information. In my opinion, the independent group would have been more fascinating and appropriate to interview since they would have provided with more intense and authentic information than the formal access participants. A key reason for including the independent group was to add richness to the data by looking at minority womens work and career experiences in a variety of sectors and occupations. (Kamenou, 2008:S103) On the whole, the author managed to acquire a wide range of experiences and data from both types of participants. Thus, this gave us a deep understanding of the problems faced by ethnic minority women while balancing work with other responsibilities in life. Question 3 From reading the paper, what do we know about the author? How might the identity of the author have made a difference to the research? This paper is an example of feminist research approach. In such a study the goals are to establish collaborative and nonexploitative relationships, to place the researcher within the study so as to avoid objectification, and to conduct research that is transformative. It is a complex area of inquiry with numerous frameworks (e.g., male oriented, white feminist oriented, able-bodied female oriented) and difficult issues (e.g., the absence and invisibility of women, who can be knowers) (Creswell, 2007:26) Of the various forms of qualitative research, ethnography is the most common one used by females. A researchers personal disposition plays a very significant role in a research, especially when done by a female. Reflexivity also has a big impact on such studies and makes the output of the same extremely relatable. In this paper, Nicolina Kamenou, explores minority womens perceptions of the reciprocal relationship of career demands and other aspects of their lives, such as family and community expectations and responsibilities (Kamenou, 2008:S99). The authors method in this research is not reflexive at all. At no point in the study does she reveal any personal information regarding herself. There is no mention of the influence her personality has on the study nor of the interpretations she derived from the same. In my opinion, if the author had made revelations about her personal details, the research would have been more engaging. Even though this article gives a rich insight into the work life equation, it does not elaborate on the authors experience and relationship with her research subjects. It would have been appealing to know her age and cultural background because these seem to be the two most important factors which could have influenced the research. She has left the readers guessing her identity. If the author was associated with the ethnic minority group, she could have given an account of her experiences and hence added some personal touch to the research. But at the same time, if she had adopted a reflexive approach, she would have left the readers questioning her objectivity towards the research. We as readers would have assumed that she was bias towards her subjects and thus she would need to justify herself to us. In my view, Nicolina Kamenous approach towards her research was very different as compared to Lisa Russells. Russells adopted a very reflexive approach and described in detail the impact her personal disposition had on her subjects, interpretation and conclusion of the research. She does not keep the readers guessing her identity and gives away a considerable amount of personal information which helps us as learners relate to her. On the other hand, Kamenous approach is far from being reflexive in nature. The readers gain no knowledge about her personal characteristics and the impact of the same on her research. In conclusion, Lisa Russells study gave an excellent account of the authors personal impact on the entire research, where as it didnt focus much on the information she derived from it. On the other hand, Nicolina Kamenous research offered a rich insight to her topic of discussion, while it didnt enlighten us with her thoughts towards the study. Overall, the papers gave me a good understanding of two contradicting accounts in the vast field of qualitative research methods. References: Bate, S.P. (1997) Whatever happened to organisational anthropology? A review of the field of organisational ethnography and anthropological studies, Human Relations, 50 (9): 1147-1175 Blyton, P., Blundson, B., Reed, K., Dastmalchian, A. (2006) Work-Life Integration: International Perspectives on the Balancing of Multiple Roles, 1st ed. New York: PALGRAVE MACMILLIAN Cassell, C. Symon, G. (2004) Essential Guide to Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research, Thousand Oaks: SAGE Creswell, J.W., (2007) Qualitative Inquiry Research Design : Choosing Among Five Approaches,2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Creswell, J.W. (2009) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches,3rd ed. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Denzin, N.K. Lincoln, Y.S. (2000) Handbook of Qualitative Research 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: SAGE MacDougall, C. Fudge, E. (2001) Qualitative Health Research: Planning and Recruiting the Sample for the Focus Groups and In-Depth Interviews [Online], 11(117) Available at: [Accessed 16 November 2009] Esterberg, K. G. (2002), Qualitative Methods In Social Research, New York : The McGraw-Hill Companies Flick, U., (2005) An Introduction to Qualitative Research, 2nd ed. London : SAGE Kamenou, N. (2008) Reconsidering Work-Life Balance Debates: Challenging Limited Understandings of the Life Component in the Context of Ethnic Minority Womens Experiences. British Journal Of Management, Vol. 19 s99-s109 Merriam, S. B., (2009) Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation 2nd ed. San Francisco: Joosey Bass Provenzo Jr, E.F., ed., 2006. Forthcoming in the Encyclopedia of the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education [online] Available at : http://danbutin.org/Resistance%20-%20Encyclopedia%20entry.pdf [Accessed 18 November 2009] Russell, L. (2005) Its a question of trust: balancing the relationship between students and teachers in ethnographic fieldwork. Qualitative Research Vol. 5 (2) 181-199 Thorpe, R. Holt, R. (2008) The Sage Dictionary of Qualitative Management Research. London: Sage