Corporate Stratergy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Corporate Stratergy - Case Study Example Over the last few decades the UK grocery market has become a supermarket-dominated business (Ritz 2005, p 22-23). The dominance of the groups in terms of supply chain efficiency, ubiquitous stores and huge product range make entry of new players in the market difficult. Asda's positioning strategy is to be UK's cheapest supermarket grocer. The economic slow down has suddenly made a cheaper supermarket a more attractive proposition to the consumers. Morrison began as a butter and egg merchant, and went on to be a leading supermarket chain. It was by taking over the Safeway chain that Morrison began to make its large-scale presence. In fact, Morrison was forced to sell more than 50 stores it took over to avoid local monopolies. Some of the stores were also sold off because it did not fit in with the group's large format identity. Sainsbury group has a history of more than 150 years. Good quality at reasonable prices was the hallmark of the group from its first store. During the course of years, Sainsbury found itself sandwiched on one side by the cheap stores and on the other side by the up market stores like Waitrose. Tesco cornered the status of being termed the first superstore. The supermarkets grew when RPM (Resale Price Maintenance) was abolish ed, thereby giving the option of more discounts to the customers. Lower prices are the key strategy for the supermarket groups. All four groups own superstores, have lower prices or reasonable prices as a strategy and are perceived as one strategic unit by customers as well as in the Industry. b. Analyse the microenvironment that these companies must operate within. Strategic Analysis of the UK supermarket industry UK retail industry is a supermarket-dominated business. Smaller players exist in the periphery of the business. The supermarkets control the suppliers. Cheaper products that are provided by developing countries also threaten the suppliers. The supplier margins have consistently eroded with the power of the big four. Though food remains the main focus on the big chains, as customer spend more time in the stores, the non-food portfolio that they hold also become profitable. The supermarkets have diversified to add products like clothing, electronic goods, mobile phones and even banking products and legal assistance. The consumer movement has also ensured that the supermarkets focus on remaining green. This is true in case of a reluctance to use Genetically Modified food to carbon labeling of electronic goods. The supermarket chains are also experimenting with alternate store formats to target different type of customers. Continuous innovation and fast response to market conditions are a given in the industry. THE PESTEL Analysis: Political factors affecting the Industry: The political climate that could influence include policy decisions, EU, Euro, taxation policies etc. A couple of issues that could alter the political pressure on the supermarkets include pressure from the farming community which claim that they are getting squeezed by the bargaining power of the supermarkets and as the weakest link in the chain they

Leadership and management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership and management - Essay Example With a team made up of members that include a newly graduated nurse named Michael, seasoned staff and Certified Nurses’ Aides (CNAs), I have to work on encouraging healthy relationships among them. I have to make Michael feel welcome to the team and to lead the other members to do the same. I have to set standards and rules for the team members to follow and none of us should be exempted – not even me. This way, I can be respected and they will have no doubts about following my orders; they will know that the things I do are all for the best interest of the hospital and of our group. Needless to say, I have to act swiftly and decisively when there are problems to be solved. I have to address matters that give rise to conflicts among my members. Conflicts can have damaging effects on the organization as a whole. Not addressing the conflict would also make the team members believe that management tolerates it despite its harmful consequences. It is, thus, critical that conflicts are dealt with right and are resolved fast in ethical and professional ways. This would boost the confidence of the rest of the organization in the management or in the company. In the prevailing scenario, I can easily sense that there is conflict and it has to be settled fast. The signs of a conflict are not hard to identify – two senior CNAs have grown to dislike the Michael who used to work with them as a fellow CNA while going through his nursing course and who now as a nursing graduate stands to have better qualifications than them. While they used to have harmonious relationships, the senior CNAs have now started to make things difficult for Michael. Indeed, relationships among people in the workplace are almost always affected by changes and this case at hand is an illustration of this fact. The change in Michael’s circumstances has made him an advantaged competitor of the two CNAs when considering

Eulers Totient Theorem

Eulers Totient Theorem Summary   Ã‚   Euler Totient theorem is a generalized form of Fermats Little theory. As such, it solely depends on Fermats Little Theorem as indicated in Eulers study in 1763 and, later in 1883, the theorem was named after him by J. J. Sylvester. According to Sylvester, the theorem is basically about the alteration in similarity. The term Totient was derived from Quotient, hence, the function deals with division, but in a unique way. In this manner, The Eulers Totient function à Ã¢â‚¬   for any integer (n) can be demarcated, as the figure of positive integers is not greater than and co-prime to n. aà Ã¢â‚¬  (n) = 1 (mod n) Based on Leonhard Eulers contributions toward the development of this theorem, the theory was named after him despite the fact that it was a generalization of Fermats Little Theory in which n is identified to be prime. Based on this fact, some scholarly source refers to this theorem as the Fermats-Euler theorem of Eulers generalization. Introduction I first developed an interest in Euler when I was completing a listener crossword; the concealed message read Euler was the master of the crossword. When I first saw the inclusion of the name Euler on the list of prompt words, I had no option but to just go for it. Euler was a famous mathematician in the eighteenth century, who was acknowledged for his contribution in the mathematics discipline, as he was responsible for proving numerous problems and conjectures. Taking the number theory as an example, Euler successively played a vital role in proving the two-square theorem as well as the Fermats little theorem (Griffiths and Peter 81). His contribution also paved the way to proving the four-square theorem. Therefore, in this course project, I am going to focus on his theory, which is not known to many; it is a generalization of Fermats little theorem that is commonly known as Eulers theorem. Theorem Eulers Totient theorem holds that if a and n are coprime positive integers, then since ÃŽÂ ¦n is a Eulers Totient function. Eulers Totient Function Eulers Totient Function (ÃŽÂ ¦n) is the count of positive integers that are less that n and relatively prime to n. For instance, ÃŽÂ ¦10 is 4, since there are four integers, which are less than 10 and are relatively prime to 10: 1, 3, 7, 9. Consequently, ÃŽÂ ¦11 is 10, since there 11 prime numbers which are less than 10 and are relatively prime to 10. The same way, ÃŽÂ ¦6 is 2 as 1 and 5 are relatively prime to 6, but 2, 3, and 4 are not. The following table represents the totients of numbers up to twenty. N ÃŽÂ ¦n 2 1 3 2 4 2 5 4 6 2 7 6 8 4 9 6 10 4 11 10 12 4 13 12 14 6 15 8 16 8 17 16 18 6 19 18 20 8 Some of these examples seek to prove Eulers totient theorem. Let n = 10 and a = 3. In this case, 10 and 3 are co-prime i.e. relatively prime. Using the provided table, it is clear that ÃŽÂ ¦10 = 4. Then this relation can also be represented as follows: 34 = 81 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ 1 (mode 10). Conversely, if n = 15 and a = 2, it is clear that 28 = 256 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ 1 (mod 15). Fermats Little Theory According to Liskov (221), Eulers Totient theorem is a simplification of Fermats little theorem and works with every n that are relatively prime to a. Fermats little theorem only works for a and p that are relatively prime. a p-1 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ 1 (mod p) or a p à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ a (mod p) where p itself is prime. It is, therefore, clear that this equation fits in the Eulers Totient theorem for every prime p, as indicated in ÃŽÂ ¦p, where p is a prime and is given by p-1. Therefore, to prove Eulers theorem, it is vital to first prove Fermats little theorem. Proof to Fermats Little Theorem As earlier indicated, the Fermats little theorem can be expressed as follows: ap à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ a (mod p) taking two numbers: a and p, that are relatively prime, where p is also prime. The set of a {a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(p-1)a}à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(i) Consider another set of number {1, 2, 3, 4, 5à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.(p-1a)}à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(ii) If one decides to take the modulus for p, each element of the set (i) will be congruent to an item in the second set (ii). Therefore, there will be one on one correspondence between the two sets. This can be proven as lemma 1. Consequently, if one decides to take the product of the first set, that is {a x 2a x 3a x 4a x 5a x à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. (p-1)a } as well as the product of the second set as {1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (p-1)}. It is clear that both of these sets are congruent to one another; that is, each element in the first set matches another element in the second set (Liskov 221). Therefore, the two sets can be represented as follows: {a x 2a x 3a x 4a x 5a x à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. (p-1)a } à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ {1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (p-1)} (mode p). If one takes out the factor a p-1 from the left-hand side (L.H.S), the resultant equation will be Ap-1 {a x 2a x 3a x 4a x 5a x à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. (p-1)a } à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ {1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (p-1)} (mode p). If the same equation is divided by {1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (p-1)} when p is prime, one will obtain a p à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ a (mod p) or a p-1 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ 1 (mod p) It should be clear that each element in the first set should correspond to another element in the second set (elements of the set are congruent). Even though this is not obvious at the first step, it can still be proved through three logical steps as follows: Each element in the first set should be congruent to one element in the second set; this implies that none of the elements will be congruent to 0, as pand a are relatively prime. No two numbers in the first set can be labeled as ba or ca. If this is done, some elements in the first set can be the same as those in the second set. This would imply that two numbers are congruent to each other i.e. ba à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ ca (mod p), which would mean that b à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ c (mod p) which is not true mathematically, since both the element are divergent and less than p. An element in the first set can not be congruent to two numbers in the second set, since a number can only be congruent to numbers that differ by multiple of p. Through these three rules, one can prove Fermats Little Theorem. Proof of Eulers Totient Theorem Since the Fermats little theorem is a special form of Eulers Totient theorem, it follows that the two proofs provided earlier in this exploration are similar, but slight adjustments need to be made to Fermats little theorem to justify Eulers Totient theorem (KrÃÅ'Å’iÃÅ' zÃÅ'Å’ek 97). This can be done by using the equation a ÃŽÂ ¦n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ 1 (mod n) where the two numbers, a and n, are relatively prime, with the set of figures N, which are relatively prime to n {1, n1. n2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.n ÃŽÂ ¦n }. This set is likely to have ÃŽÂ ¦n element, which is defined by the number of the relatively prime number to n. In the same way, in the second set aN, each and every element is a product of a as well as an element of N {a, an1, an2, an3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦anÃŽÂ ¦n}. Each element of the set aN must be congruent to another element in the set N (mode n) as noted by the earlier three rules. Therefore, each element of the two sets will be congruent to each other (Giblin 111). In this scenario case, it can be said that: {a x an1 x an2 x an3 x à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. an ÃŽÂ ¦n } à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ {a x   n1 x n2 x n3 x à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.n ÃŽÂ ¦n } (mod n). By factoring out a and aÃŽÂ ¦n from the left-hand side, one can obtain the following equation a ÃŽÂ ¦n {1 x n1 x n2 x n3 x à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.n ÃŽÂ ¦n} à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ {1 x n1 x n2 x n3 x à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.n ÃŽÂ ¦n } (mod n) If this obtained equation is divided by {1 x n1 x n2 x n3 x à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.n ÃŽÂ ¦n } from both sides, all the elements in the two sets will be relatively prime. The obtained equation will be as follows: a ÃŽÂ ¦n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¡ 1 (mod n) Application of the Eulers Theorem Unlike other Eulers works in the number theory like the proof for the two-square theorem and the four-square theorem, the Eulers totient theorem has real applications across the globe. The Eulers totient theorem and Fermats little theorem are commonly used in decryption and encryption of data, especially in the RSA encryption systems, which protection resolves around big prime numbers (Wardlaw 97). Conclusion In summary, this theorem may not be Eulers most well-designed piece of mathematics; my favorite theorem is the two-square theorem by infinite descent. Despite this, the theorem seems to be a crucial and important piece of work, especially for that time. The number theory is still regarded as the most useful theory in mathematics nowadays. Through this proof, I have had the opportunity to connect some of the work I have earlier done in discrete mathematics as well as sets relation and group options. Indeed, these two options seem to be among the purest sections of mathematics that I have ever studied in mathematics. However, this exploration has enabled me to explore the relationship between Eulers totient theorem and Fermats little theorem. I have also applied knowledge from one discipline to the other which has broadened my view of mathematics. Works Cited Giblin, P J. Primes, and Programming: An Introduction to Number Theory with Computing. Cambridge UP, 1993. Print. Griffiths, H B, and Peter J. Hilton. A Comprehensive Textbook of Classical Mathematics: A Contemporary Interpretation. London: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co, 1970. Print. KrÃÅ'Å’iÃÅ' zÃÅ'Å’ek, M., et al. 17 Lectures on Fermat Numbers: From Number Theory to Geometry. Springer, 2001. Print. Liskov, Moses. Fermats Little Theorem. Encyclopedia of Cryptography and Security, pp. 221-221. Wardlaw, William P. Eulers Theorem for Polynomials. Ft. Belvoir: Defense Technical Information Center, 1990. Print.

No Magic in William Shakespeare’s Words Essay -- Biography Biographies

No Magic in Shakespeare’s Words A good work of fiction is greater than the sum of words the author invested in it. Shakespeare is a "great" playwright because his plays bear the load of much speculation and creativity from all its interpreters, not because he thought of every possible last detail and symbol and elucidated it clearly. The collaborative flexibility of a play is especially valuable to plays that predate the emphasis on originality and copyright that became more important to writing in the 18th century as authors like Coleridge and the other Romantics began to extol the virtues of imagination and personal creativity. In Shakespeare’s time, one’s work was not one’s own. When a work was sold to a publisher, it belonged to the publisher to be edited and altered how he chose. When writing for a theatre, like Shakespeare, the play was fair game for anyone in the company to edit and "fix." An acting company bought the play just as a publisher would. Plays were also frequently written in teams for speed, since in the late 1580’s and early 1590’s when Shakespeare was starting out, the canon of English drama was less than a decade old, all plays were premiere plays, with new ones being introduced every fortnight. Alterations were made constantly, as overworked actors added or transposed lines from others of the twenty roles they were performing at the same time, scenes were added to allow time for costume changes, or the censors required line or plot changes. The author, or one of the authors who each had written an act or parceled out scenes from the outlines play, or perhaps one of the actors or another playwright was on hand during the rehearsal process to make emendations to the play. The second half of Sha... ... This way, Shakespeare can remain our cultural hero, and what doesn’t work need not be completely cut, but is understood as the detritus of the time period in which he lived remaining in the work. Thus, "it is not so much that Shakespeare appears as a part of Elizabethan culture, but rather that Elizabethan culture appears as a part of Shakespeare"(Shepherd and Womack, 92). Theatre is collaborative in the extreme, and modern attitudes about authorship and originality cannot change that fact. Thus, it is not Shakespeare that preserves Shakespeare’s works as the English language’s greatest works; it is the people that continue to produce his plays. No matter how the work is performed, cut, altered, updated, this is what keeps Shakespeare alive. There is no magic in Shakespeare’s words that his readers did not bestow on it. We create or break a work’s greatness.

Plot summary of the old man and the sea Essay

The Old Man and The Sea is the story of an epic that makes a very great effort between an old, who has a lot of experience of a particular activity and he is the epitome of a modern human life, it was happened in a small fishing village near Havana,Cuba, The waters of the Gulf of Mexico, in the 1940,s in the twentieth century. The writers of modern age focused on man as well as psyche of man rather than society, so that Ernest Hemingway wants to write the old man and the sea ,which was the old(Santiago) suffered from alienation ,that alone all the time, it was one of the features of modern age. (Miller, 2002: 3). In 1930,s and during the second world war Ernest Hemingway was lived in Cuba, and because he was loved hunting and fishing and in the age of childhood he fished and hunted with his father, so that he began to write the old man and the sea in the last years of his life and published in the 1952 as a single issue of human life in modern age. Miller, 2005:5). Note; In that small village, the villagers must work, which work it is fishing to get money so as to sustain in life, so that each members in the village go to sea with his boat or skiff in the early morning for fishing, and Santiago, old Cuban fisherman was one of them, but alone. As (Ernest Hemingway said). He had a shack which was a small building made of woods, in it a bed, a table, one chair, a picture in colour of Sacred heart of Jesus and another of Virgin of Cobre of his wife on the shelf in the corner under his shirt. He had a small boat and gone eighty-four days without took a fish. The boy named Manolin, that the old man took him when he was five years old and the boy loved him too much and loyalty for him, when the boy saw him without taking a fish in the first forty days while he took three fish in the first week. It made the boy, unlucky to see the old man each day went and came, went and came with his skiff empty and without fish, then the boy came to help him such as coiled lines or the pole, harpoon, brought coffee, sometimes with some food from Martin or Perico, and newspapers that talked about baseball, then it would been the discussion between Santiago and Manolin, that Santiago had a huge dmired for the Great DiMaggio, he was great in baseball player, and whose father was fisherman. The boy left him because his parents forced him to do, and go to another boat. The parents of the boy with the villagers called Santiago salau or unlucky and laughed at him, but Santiago said toward Manolin I knew you did not leave me because you doubted, then the boy said no it was true because my father made me left, so I must obey him, finally the boy left him and Santiago goes to sleep, in his sleep he dreamt lions that played on the white beach of Africa, this was a sense when he was a very young man. The next morning before sunrise Santiago went to Manolin’s house to wake Manolin so as to carry Santiago’s gear to his boat and drinking coffee, on the beach wished each other good luck. (Miller, 1988: 3-20). This time that started with the new day Santiago decided to go far out from others fisherman in the sea, he rowed steadily away from shore toward the deep waters of Gulf Stream. The first he heard the leaps of the flying fish then he saw flying fish pursued by dolphins a diving, circled seabird, he considered to be his friend, and he followed farther and farther out the seabird that was hunting for fish. One of the old man’s’ lines goes taut, and then the old man said out laud, would made a lovely piece of bait. Big fish pulled the boat every day farthest from shore until lost lights of his village. He can’t increase the tension on the line, because if it was too tauted it will be break and the fish will get away. It was a kind of struggle big fish (Marlin), and Santiago, that Marlin wants to get free and the old man wants to get his aim, goal, and desire that stands for life. Because he could not took big fish in to his boat and said a loud I wished I had the boy, but nothing, then he said to himself you have to work better, it was a kind of encourage himself, and he was optimistic all the time although he was alone, and can’t catch a fish, so as to helped himself he said toward Marlin I loved you and I respect you but I will killed you dead before sunset, after that a small tired bird named (Warble) came from north toward the old man’s boat, perched on the taut fishing line that linked the old man to the big fish, the old man told the bird to stayed and rested here to live and to sustain like other any man or birds, he said you were tired and loneliness as me. He didn’t mentioned the Hawks that waited for little bird, suddenly the Marlin surged, and the bird left him without any reaction, Santiago didn’t aware of the bird because his hand was bled, while marlin was quiet, the old man took the line with his back and ate the tuna that he caught day before, then turned to his imaginary mind to baseball, the great DiMaggio, and he wondered if DiMaggio would stayed with the marlin. The marlin woke and jumped out of water again and again and began to circle around the boat for hours and the line taken by Santiago’s hand that fought with the circling fish, after hat he pulled the fish on to it was side by the boat and plunged his harpoon in to it. (Miller; Asiaing. com, 10-37). Note; now he was happy, comfort and without any harm or pain because he got or completed his great aim, desire with the catching of big fish. Here the long strength struggle finished between The Old Man, and the Marlin with the fish lurched out of the water and dead, he pulled the boat toward the fish fastened the fish to the side of the boat. He thought how much money he could make from such a big fish, and he imagined that DiMaggio would be proud of him. The old man found himself wondered, luck, happy, and got his aim, goal, and he rowed toward his village with the great won in his life, but his happiness long less which an hour later amako shark arrived having smelled the marlin’s blood, the second fight and struggle began with sharks that wanted to eat the marlin’s flesh, he was able to killed a number of sharks with his knife and weapon, but he lost his knife and things in the process. He was failure after all and when he got back to the shore of his village there was nothing left but the head, the Skelton, and tail of the marlin. He beached his boat and went to his small building slept and dreamed the lions and turtles. The next morning, Manolin came to the old man’s shack with brought a coffee and despite the old man’s bad luck he decided to go fishing with him again. The entire fisherman had gathered around the Santiago’s boat and measured the Skelton at eighteen feet. Hemingway employed a number of images that link Santiago to Christ, the model of transcendence, who turned loss in to gain, defeat in to triumph, and even death in to new life, and as a representative character for everyone in the society. (Miller, 2002:26-31). Major Characters in the old man and the sea: *Just we had two major characters, 1-Santiago, (The Old Man). 2-Manolin, (The Boy). -Santiago; The old man of the novella’s title. He was a Cuban fisherman, suffered terribly throughout The Old man and The Sea, he had went eighty-four days without caught a fish, and became laughingstock of his village, but he was able to patient. (Miller, 2002: 5). -Manolin; was present only in the beginning and in the end of The Old Man and the Sea, but his presence was important, because Manolin’s love and loyalty for Santiago highlighted the Santiago’s valued as a person and as a fisherman. (Miller, 2005:6). Minor Characters in the old man and the sea: We had four minor characters in the old man and the sea. 1-Marlin, (Big fish). 2-Joe DiMaggio. 3-Martin. 4-Perico. *Marlin; It was a big fish, which was the greatest aim and goal of Santiago. The struggle more than three days between Santiago and Marlin, it was the trying by Santiago to catch Marlin, he had took marlin, but it was destroyed by sharks later. (Miller, 2002:5). *Joe DiMaggio; although he never appeared in the story. He was one of American most famous baseball players; Santiago worshiped him as a model of strengthen and young. (Miller, 1988: 55-56). Note; he always *Martin; Martin a cafe owner in Santiago’s village, didn’t appeared in the story. Manolin often went to martin for Santiago’s supper and others. (Miller, 1988:12). *Perico; perico was the owner of the bodega in the Santiago’s village. He didn’t appear in the novella the old man and the sea, but he served an important role in the fisherman’s life about the scored of the baseball’s newspaper.

Should Cell Phones Be Banned in the Classroom?

Should high school students work part-time? Why or Why not? In my opinion high school students should work a part-time job because it gives the student an opportunity to contribute to the community. A part-time job will teach students the value of money and give them the skills that they can use in their future. Firstly, a part-time job for students is a good idea because students are greatly needed to participate in today’s society. Getting a job in the community is a great way to participate and get them involved. A part-time job would give the student a sense of ownership and belonging within their community. Also, when the student gets a pay check he or she has to know that they need to budget their money and also create a savings account for future purchases. Having a job will also teach students the value of the dollar. When a student is about to spend his or her money they can stop and question themselves, do I really need this? Finally a part-time job gives students important skills useful for their future. For example, if a student would get a job at the local department store, he or she would learn how to handle money, how to stock shelves, order supplies that are needed and customer service skills. Having a job builds a student’s character and trust worthy values. As we all know, in society word of mouth about one’s character and how responsible they are excels fast within any community. In conclusion, part- time work for a student is a key element in future success. It allows the student to grow and learn as an individual and create strong work ethic. There is nothing more valuable to an employer than an employee that has these skills. In life there is nothing more desirable to an individual, than to have a strong sense of worth, character and the ability to handle and manage money to its fullest potential.

Getting Personal in Your Personal Statement

Getting Personal in Your Personal Statement In the essay section of many college applications, students are asked to submit a personal statement outlining their specific goals and/or beliefs. Personal statements are important to the college application process because they give admissions board members the opportunity to get to know their perspective students on an intimate level. If you are applying to college this year and are planning to compose a personal essay, I suggest that you read the following information. The key to a successful personal statement is in the details. When you are creating an outline for your personal essay, think carefully about what personal details you think will best enhance your composition overall. Creating the personal essay is your opportunity to distinguish yourself from everyone else who is applying, so dont hesitate to be creative and unique in your approach. Admission board members want to know as much as possible about their applicants so that they can make well informed decisions. Keep this in mind when writing your statement. Dont be afraid to get personal! Although your essay should be well organized and your writing grammatically correct, the overall tone of your personal composition should be intimate. Discuss your points of view passionately, address your personal goals with zeal, and give the admissions board every reason to grant you admission. Unlike technical and/or research papers, personal essays require the author to search within his or herself for the answers. That is why I believe that personal statements are some of the hardest papers to write. Rest assured, however, that with the right approach, and a good amount of time, you will have no trouble perfecting your personal statement.

Fasting during Ramadan

Fasting during Ramadan Free Online Research Papers Ramadan a important holiday for Muslims all around the world. During the month of Ramadan Muslims fast every day from dawn to sunset. Muslims have to stop eating and drinking before the call for prayer starts until the fourth prayer of the day. Muslims break their fast at sunset prayer time with a meal called Iftar. After sunset Muslims can continue to eat till the next morning after that the process starts all over. Ramadan is a time of reflecting and worshipping Allah. All Muslims are expected to put effort into following the teachings of Islam and to avoid obscene and irreligious sights and sounds. The fast is meant to be a way of exacting a act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised awareness of closeness to Allah. This act of fasting is said to redirect the mind and heart from worldly activities. This act of deep personal worship is to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm. It also allows Muslims to practice self discipline, self control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate. During Ramadan it is very common for Muslims to go to the Mosque and spend several hours praying and studying the Quran. In addition to the five daily prayers during Ramadan Muslims recite a special prayer called the Taraweeh or night prayer. The length of this prayer is 2-3 times as long as the daily prayers, some Muslims even spend the entire night in prayer. Muslims should start observing the fasting ritual upon reaching adolescence, so long as they are healthy, sane, and have no disabilities or illnesses. The elderly, the chronically ill, and mentally ill are exempted from fasting, but the first two groups must feed the poor in place of their missed fasting. During Ramadan Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in staying away from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self restraint and good deeds. The dates of Ramadan vary moving forward about ten days each year as it is a moving holiday. Ramadan is also a time when Muslims are to slow their from their worldly affairs and focus on self reformation. This is to establish a link between Allah and themselves through prayer, supplication, charity, good deeds, kindness and helping others. Since it is a festival of giving and sharing Muslims prepare special foods and buy gifts for their friends and family and for giving the poor and needy who cannot afford it. In many Muslim and non Muslim countries with large Muslim population markets close down in the evening to enable people to perform prayers and consume the Iftar meal. These markets re open and stay open for a good part of the night. Muslims can be seen eating, shopping, and spending time with their friends and family during the evening hours. After the month of Ramadan has passed Muslims are encouraged to fast for another six days When fasting is over Muslims go to mosques in nice cloths and pray to Allah and thank him for what Allah has given them. Research Papers on Fasting during RamadanThe Hockey GameNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceDefinition of Export QuotasThe Spring and AutumnThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever Product19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Project Managment Office SystemThe Masque of the Red Death Room meanings

Advertising Created the Consumption Habits of Our Society

Advertising Created the Consumption Habits of Our Society Consumption today has a totally different meaning than centuries or decades ago. There are different reasons researchers find to explain what is the reason behind of the consumption habit of our society. Many times marketing and advertisement are pointed out as the initiative power. Often happens that consumers buy a brand new telephone for example even if the old one has no problem but a new version of that model was launched. Why do people feel like this? Is it really necessary to change the phone? More and more often people decide to purchase goods, which they could not allow as they are out of there budget (Han, 2010). Do we really need that new phone? What makes us believe that yes, we do need it? Many other example could be listed here to underline the above problem area. This paper attempts to find answers for the questions mentioned above. In this analysis, the main assumption is that marketing and the marketing activities cause the desire in people to consume, and even over -consume in today’s life. First, the essay will describe briefly the relevant economic and historical background, afterwards will set out the hypothesis of the research and will provide pro and contra arguments to discuss this issue and finally will make a conclusion based on the results of the research. HISTORICAL AND ECONOMICAL BACKGROUND Comparing consumption back in history to what it is today there is a big difference (Goodwin et al. 2006). Few centuries ago the lifestyle of people varied they hardly did shopping outside their living area. Before the Industrial Revolution most of the people lived in villages and worked in agriculture. Back in that time we could not talk about fashion or trends pushing people into buying habits. Usually a winter coat lasted a lifetime. Certainly a small elite did exist but could not make any change in society in terms of changing the agrarian economy. Due to the Industrial Revolution industrialization began and changed the consumption. Fo r example textile production grew between 1760 and 1830 from 3 million pounds to 360 million pounds in Brittan. Consumerism, the word was used first in 1915 (Wikipedia, 2010). After the Industrial Revolution for the first time in history products were available to everyone at affordable prices and in enough quantity. This is how consumerism began. At the turn of the 20th century economist Thorsten Veblen writes about unnecessary and wasteful consumption (Wikipedia, 2010). By the end of the 20th century materialism raised, the reason of attending college was to earn more money and the culture changed into the direction of competition and disconnection. The range of wealthy people became the focus of marketing and the ones with less income could â€Å"purchase something new that will speak of their place in the tradition of affluence† (Wikipedia, 2010). In today’s consumerism in the 21st century, it can be observed that people try to differentiate from other. Poor people try to act and look like as they were rich and wealthy people try to act like celebrities, each one of them would like to be seen as coming from higher social class (Wikipedia, 2010).

The Marketing Role in a CSR Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Marketing Role in a CSR Company - Essay Example The marketing angles are also in line with what the different publics require from the aegis of Shell and how Shell as a global company has brought about these deliverables in a quantifiable capacity. Â  Shell has concerned itself with health, safety, and other significant issues on a worldwide basis. This has meant that quite a heavy spending has been focused towards the CSR ranks, which indeed is a very positive aspect that is brought forward by the top management at Shell. Shell believes in empowering small and medium business entrepreneurs through its different programs (Ralston 2002). It has also endeavored to provide the poor and needy the much-needed food and shelter through a series of programs, all of which are geared to uplift the image of Shell in the long run. What is more understandable is the fact that Shell has been able to give in its best for quite a while now and the same will continue to be the case in the times to come, since its measures and initiatives are very coherent and strong. Â  The role of marketing within the CSR domains is also very important for Shell since the global player within the oil company understands that if it does not involve its own self in a very reasonable way within the minds and hearts of the customers, then it would be very difficult for it to claim its place within the relevant industrial settings as well (Sims 2003). Hence Shell’s role is to come out as an honest player which it is trying its best to project in different walks of life (Bennett 2002). However, there are times when controversies do arise and more so within the aegis of whistleblowing patterns making the rounds of the top organizations in the present times. Shell’s responsibility does not end here at all. It has to keep moving forward and satisfy its publics in such a way that they feel privileged and has a very positive view of the oil company that has changed the CSR definition. Â  

Images Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Images - Essay Example e image and clarity of the image have been presented very well as the viewer does not take much time to visualize on the content and the composition of the image. In fact, the artist in his painting techniques had designed the image to create a sense of humor to any viewer that could be viewing the image for his work or any study purposes o any other purpose. Most of the images made by using different kind of color as this artist has used are mostly appealing to the viewers as they are simple to understand and interpret. There is less time involving in visualizing their composition. Contents and the forms of such particular images also present a cool temperature nature of the conditions they were taken. 2. The image below is that of altostratus clouds. These clouds are usually characterized by dense, gray layer cloud that is often evenly and opaquely to enable any form of a little sunshine to penetrate. In this image, the background is very dim and thereby portraying that the atmospheric perspective point from where the photograph was captured. It could have been at the very far distance or from an aerial point of view. Observers can articulate from the image that that the art of calligraphy was of low representation as it its hue is much dim. The photo seems to be from an area that had very bright light hence interfering with the color strength of the background of the product. From the look of the image, observer can represent its temperature to be that of a cool scenario due to its dimness. The artist, therefore, could have used any of the complimentary colors; that is either red and yellow or yellow and blue or yellow and violates to give the image the strongest contrast it could have. People can also see the use of pointillism when viewed from a very close range since there are some small dots that could be seen at the background of the image. The small dots that the artist used during his painting work could also create an impression on the image as of

Images of Organizations at Four Seasons Hotels Assignment

Images of Organizations at Four Seasons Hotels - Assignment Example This section describes how the Four Seasons Hotel can be viewed from the perspective of the eight metaphors developed by Morgan (1989). These include organizations as instruments of domination, flux, organisms, brains, machines, cultures, psychic prisons and political systems and transformation.The machine metaphor can be seen at work in the Four Seasons Hotel. The machine metaphor implies concepts such as efficiency of the operations and reduction of waste. Taylor’s principles of scientific management reflect the metaphor of organizations as machines. At the Four Seasons Hotel, the scheduling of various activities such as housekeeping and maintenance of inventory levels can be interpreted through the image of machines. Schedules of housekeeping, preparation of different meals throughout the day and maintenance of standardized service are all examples of the machine metaphor at work. The Four Seasons Hotel can also be viewed as an organism. This image is based on the perceptio n of the hotel as undergoing a process of evolution to ensure its survival. The responses of the management to the environmental changes can be interpreted as the response of a living organism to its natural environment. An example of the metaphor at work would be the changes in room rates throughout the year depending on the busy or slow season. Karmin (2013) explains that high earnings by competitors may motivate the owners of the Four Seasons Hotel to become a public limited company by issuing shares.  

Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Auditing - Essay Example The alternative adopted by the audit assistant is the information related to the Club casino has been carefully removed as far as its referencing is concerned. On the other hand, provision for safeguarding the information of the organization may be created against the leakage of information either by the professional or any employee associated with the company.1 ii) The duties of the company secretary cannot be performed by the engagement partner of Ace Limited audit because the engagement partner is not well versed with the work performed by the company secretary of the company. Moreover, the engagement partner is already assigned the tedious task of audit reporting, maintaining relation with the client. However, an engagement partner can be linked to other companies, so the laws that the company abides by should not be disclosed to an external individual as this may violate the law of confidentiality. As an alternative course of action to this violation the company should safeguard itself by appointing any close member from the company itself, like the internal auditor of the company. This way less chances will be there for the internal information of the company to leak out.2 i) Slipway Limited is in a situation where the company is facing constant decline for the past two years and the scope of cost cutting also seems difficult due to the purchase of imported machineries. These machineries were purchased so as to increase falling operations by carrying out the operations of the company more effectively. The bank providing loans to the company may be at whelm of an audit risk, whereby the documents of the company have every possibility of being overstated than the actual financial statements of the company. The audit risk particularly affects the transaction in the financial statement of accounts which portrays wrong information about the current financial position of the organization. However, the three

Management of Information systems Unit 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management of Information systems Unit 5 - Essay Example Pure play companies are able to focus their investments on their on-line storefronts than brick-and-mortar companies, and positive shopping experience is a come-on for the generation of repeat business. These online retailers enjoy reduced unit operating costs, and lower levels of customer acquisition costs. A transactional database is a transaction-based, relational database with a normalised table. It is highly volatile and designed to maintain transactions of the business with immediate updates. Transactional databases also allow for online transaction processing, and thus maintains functional data. In the case of Overstock, the overload on their systems has forced them to suspend internal applications and use their capacity to accommodate the main sales transaction function. For this reason, managers could not make real-time inquiries. This is not advisable because in an online sales business such as Overstock, management must be informed at all times about the volume and nature of transactions in real time, so that they may make informed decisions as soon as possible. Transactions occurring over the internet are still legally binding contracts, and Overstock might commit itself in sales transactions that it might not be able to fulfil. In pure play businesses, close monitoring in r eal time is essential. With the increased investment in hardware, software and database technology, and with the additional complement in skilled labor, management is able to do faster real-time analysis of sales transactions, monitor volume movement of products, and check current inventory levels. Managers can thus make spot decisions concerning critical issues that require immediate resolution. Furthermore, the inclusion of warehoused data capability could provide invaluable collated data over a period of time, for the purpose of managerial decision making. According to the facts of

Leadership Styles and Traits Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leadership Styles and Traits - Term Paper Example This term paper discusses the various leadership qualities and styles of leaders that not only enhance the organizational performance but also create a motivated workforce. The four major styles of leadership were discussed in the term paper: situational leadership; transformational leadership; participative leadership; and charismatic leadership. The researcher states that these leadership styles not only judiciously exploit the competencies of the followers but also ensure that they are equipped with necessary knowledge to meet the challenges of time. Kouzes and Posner have asserted that four major traits of leaders vis-Ã  -vis honesty; forward looking; inspiring; and competency are critical paradigms of leaders that cut across gender, race, culture and nationality. These qualities hugely help the leaders to gain the trust of the followers who willingly follow them. The researcher concludes that effective leadership is highly stimulating and encourages an ongoing learning process within and outside the precincts of organization goals and objectives. Good leaders use self example to promote trust and mutual respect which has become a crucial issue today. The leaders promote cross cultural understanding and are able to exploit their competencies for the welfare of the organization. The leadership that learns through experience becomes the enabling factor of organization and provides it with competitive advantage. Hence, leadership initiatives have become extremely relevant part of organizational success.

Management of Information systems Unit 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management of Information systems Unit 5 - Essay Example Pure play companies are able to focus their investments on their on-line storefronts than brick-and-mortar companies, and positive shopping experience is a come-on for the generation of repeat business. These online retailers enjoy reduced unit operating costs, and lower levels of customer acquisition costs. A transactional database is a transaction-based, relational database with a normalised table. It is highly volatile and designed to maintain transactions of the business with immediate updates. Transactional databases also allow for online transaction processing, and thus maintains functional data. In the case of Overstock, the overload on their systems has forced them to suspend internal applications and use their capacity to accommodate the main sales transaction function. For this reason, managers could not make real-time inquiries. This is not advisable because in an online sales business such as Overstock, management must be informed at all times about the volume and nature of transactions in real time, so that they may make informed decisions as soon as possible. Transactions occurring over the internet are still legally binding contracts, and Overstock might commit itself in sales transactions that it might not be able to fulfil. In pure play businesses, close monitoring in r eal time is essential. With the increased investment in hardware, software and database technology, and with the additional complement in skilled labor, management is able to do faster real-time analysis of sales transactions, monitor volume movement of products, and check current inventory levels. Managers can thus make spot decisions concerning critical issues that require immediate resolution. Furthermore, the inclusion of warehoused data capability could provide invaluable collated data over a period of time, for the purpose of managerial decision making. According to the facts of

Watergate scandal Essay Example for Free

Watergate scandal Essay In 1972, five burglars tried to break into the Watergate office building but were arrested at the crime scene by the police. The burglars were planning to enter and bug the Democratic National committee offices which were the Democrats headquarters. After investigations it was later revealed that the burglars were employed by the campaign committee for re-election of President Nixon. Furthermore, it came to be known that the Watergate incident was one of the spying and sabotage political campaigns conducted by President Nixon and his campaign staff (Lewis, 1972). The President and his campaign team were spying on the activities of the Democrats who happened to be their major political opponent. By spying on them they might be able learn the tactics or the methods they were using in campaigning and this will enable them to adopt new and better ways than those of the Democrats. Similarly, if the Democrats campaigning methods were better of than theirs they could use them earlier before the Democrats had a chance to implement them. Later, in 1973, after investigations were done two former officials of President Nixons campaign team, Liddy and McCord, were arrested and arraigned in court and convicted of bugging, burglary and conspiracy. More than 60 witnesses testified and about 100 evidence pieces were collected and used in the court hearing. In accordance to the testimony from the one of the witnesses, Liddy was given more than $332,000 by the deputy campaign director to carry out a spying operation. Liddy was found guilty of burglary and conspiracy and was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment and fined $40,000. McCord was found guilty of burglary, conspiracy and attempted bugging and was therefore sentenced to 45 years imprisonment and fined about $60,000 (Meyer, 1973). The scandal led to the resignation of two White House aides and the attorney general. The President accepted their resignations and proceeded to fire the counsel of the White House. By accepting their resignations the President was attempting to conceal his involvement in the scandal and was trying to avoid the occurrence of another scandal by firing the Counsel of the White House. The president goes forward and creates a committee to investigate the Watergate scandal and prosecute the suspects (Stern Johnson, 1973). In a televised interview, President Nixon declared himself to be clean of any involvement in the Watergate scandal. He goes on to say that he never profited from the Watergate issue and did not obstruct justice in any way while performing his national duties. At the White House, the President recorded all his conversations in tapes and hence any information about Watergate scandal discussed in the White House must have been recorded and saved in the tapes. This therefore made him refuse to reveal the tape recordings since they might contain some information which could destroy his presidential career. However, in spite of him refusing to provide the tape recordings, to ensure his innocence, he promised to provide more evidence through documents and tapes and even give more details about his financial accounts. The President went forward to accuse the Democrats for conspiring to remove him from office because he had refused to boost their high support prices. Consequently, he admitted for not supervising his campaign staff adequately thereby leading to the Watergate scandal. During the televised speech, the President was noted to be nervous and was even misspelling some of his words but he still managed to control himself and plead his innocence (Kilpatrick, 1973). In spite of President Nixons plead for innocence, all activities done by his campaign team needed his consent, and hence they is no way his campaign team would get involved in an illegal activity without him knowing. In addition, his Chief Campaign Director must have been notifying him daily on the progress of the campaign and hence there is no way he was innocent. Students protest in the 1960s The needs and problems experienced by students are usually common in peer groups and communities. In campuses, the students of the same peer group are brought together to learn and hence gain knowledge. The campus environment provides a good place for the development and formation of organized groups since the students are given relatively much freedom and have enough time. In campuses, students use to participate in social activities depending on their culture or race. Groups were therefore formed according to race or culture. Students of the same culture will usually experience similar problems and thus have similar ways of solving the problems. By organizing themselves in cultural groups the students were therefore able to mobilize a large number of people for protest. During the years of 1960s there was racism, poverty and the war in Vietnam and this led to much student activism. Even though racism was not something new in America, the learning institutions perpetuated it thereby leading to protest by the black students since they could not tolerate it any longer. In colleges, the students are supposed to interact well with the learning environment for them to learn but with much racism they cannot interact well and this become a barrier to learning. For instance, in some cafeterias black students were not allowed to eat and in some colleges they were not allowed to vote (Churney, 1979). Furthermore, the war in Vietnam made students to form anti-war movements in order to stop the government from participating in the war. Because of the war many soldiers lost their lives and the newspapers were keen in reporting the number and even the names of the soldiers who had lost their lives. In addition, there was much poverty experienced by the community and the government was reluctant in solving the problem. Poverty was affecting the students adversely thereby becoming a barrier to learning. With education, the students acquired knowledge and were therefore able to find protest as a way of solving their problems. Reference List Churney L. (1979). Student protest in the1960s. Retrieved May 27, 2009 from http://www. yale. edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1979/2/79. 02. 03. x. html Kilpatrick C. (1973, November 18). Nixon Tells Editors, Im Not a Crook. Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved May 27, 2009 from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/articles/111873-1. htm Lewis A. E. (1972, June 18). 5 Held in Plot to Bug Democrats Office Here. Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved May 27, 2009 from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2002/05/31/AR2005111001227. html Meyer L. (1973, January 31). Last Two Guilty in Watergate Plot. Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved May 27, 2009 from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2002/05/31/AR2005111001234. html Stern L. and Johnson H. (1973, May 1). 3 Top Nixon Aides, Kleindienst Out; President Accepts Full Responsibility; Richardson Will Conduct New Probe. Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved May 27, 2009 from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2002/05/31/AR2005111001235. html

Anatomy and Pathophysiology of Gout and Lupus

Anatomy and Pathophysiology of Gout and Lupus Introduction Gout is an acute inflammatory arthritis with the potency to fully destroy the integrity of the joint leading to severe disability. It is termed as a true crystal deposition disease caused by formation of monosodium urate crystals in joints and other tissues. It is the common cause of inflammatory arthritis that has increased in prevalence in recent decades (Roddy and Doherty 2010). Gout normally results from the interaction of genetic, constitutional and environmental risk factors. It is more common in men and strongly age related. Both acute arthritis and chronic arthropathy (tophaceous gout) are considered under the rubric of gout (Mikuls and Saag 2006; Roddy et al. 2007). In a broader term, it can be defined as combination of events involving an increase in the serum urate concentration, acute arthritic attacks with monosodium urate monohydrate crystals demonstrable in synovial fluid leukocytes, and tophi which usually occurs in and around joints of the extremities. These physio-c hemical changes either occur separately or in combination (Terkeltaub 2003; Shai et al. 2010). Gouty arthritis accounts for millions of outpatient visits annually and the prevalence is rising. It affects 1-2% of adults in developed countries, where it is the most common inflammatory arthritis in men. Epidemiological data are consistent with a rise in prevalence of gout. Rates of gout have approximately doubled between 1990 and 2010. A number of factors have been found to influence rates of gout, including age, race, and the season of the year. In men over the age of 30 and women over the age of 50, prevalence is 2% (Eggebeen 2007). Anatomy and Pathophysiology Gouty arthritis is one of the most painful rheumatic diseases and its incidence increases promptly with advancing age. In 75% of the patients, gouty arthritis initially strikes a single joint which is most commonly the big toe. In women gout develop in increasing numbers after menopause eventually at an incidence rate equal to that of men (Hootman and Helmick 2006). In elderly patients, an occurrence of gout is usually less spectacular than in middle age and often implies an upper extremity poly or mono articular presentation rather than the classic mono articular lower extremity picture commonly displayed by middle-aged men. In older patients, gout can be more likely the clinical picture of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis (Cassetta and Gorevic 2004). Gouty arthritis can be classified into four stages depending upon level of severity namely; (i) Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia: In this stage, a person has elevated blood uric acid levels but no other symptoms and therefore requires no treatment. (ii) Acute Gouty Arthritis: In this stage, hyperuricemia leads to deposition of uric acid crystals in joint spaces, leading to gouty attacks (iii) Interval / Intercritical: This is the stage between acute gouty attacks with no symptoms and (iv) Chronic Tophaceous Gout: where the disease leads to permanent damage (Bhansing et al. 2010). Pathogenesis of gouty arthritis is critically influenced by sodium urate crystals and inflammatory processes they induce (Wise and Agudelo 1996). An inefficient renal urate excretion which leads to the elevated levels of uric acid above the saturation point for urate crystal formation is a major determinant of the disease. Purine catabolism leads to the formation of metabolic by-product, uric acid. In most mammals like higher primates, many birds and some reptiles, the urate oxidase (uricase) enzyme converts uric acid (relatively insoluble) to allantoin (highly soluble), leading to very low serum uric acid levels. A series of parallel mutations in the genes of uricase in the Miocene period results in the production of the dysfunctional form of uricase that leads to accumulation of relatively higher level of insoluble uric acid and subsequently the development of gouty arthritis (Liote and Ea 2006; Eggebeen 2007). Degradation of purines results in the endogenous production of uric aci d that usually contributes about two-thirds of the body urate pool, the remainder being originated by dietry intake. Of the uric acid formed daily, about 70% is excreted through the kidney while the rest is eliminated into the biliary tract and then converted to allantoin by colonic bacterial uricase. Therefore, in the vast majority gouty patients, hyperuricaemia occurs from reduced efficiency of renal urate clearance (Laubscher et al. 2009; Terkeltaub 2010). Development of the acute and chronic inflammatory gout is facilitated with the deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in joints. while MSU crystals were first identified as the aetiological agent of gout in the eighteenth century and more recently as a danger signal released from dying cells, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying MSU-induced inflammation (Martinon et al. 2006). For crystal formation n occurrence of gout, the ionic product of sodium and uric acid must be at or above the saturation level at which MSU crystals can form. Uric acid is a weak acid of pKa 5.75 and, it exists mainly in the ionized form as urate at physiological pH of 7.40. MSU has limited solubility under physiological conditions and the saturation level in plasma at a pH of 7.40 is 6.8 mg/dl (408 ÂÂ µmol/l) and when the plasma concentration exceeds this level, crystals may form in the joints and tissues (Terkeltaub 2010). MSU crystals preferentially form within cartilage and fibrous tissues, where they are relatively safer from contact with inflammatory mediators and may dwell for years without causing any defects. However, if shed from these sites of origin into the joint space or bursa, they are highly phlogistic particles that are immediately phagocytosed by monocytes and macrophages, stimulating the NALP3 inflammasome, triggering the release of IL-1 and other cytokines and a subsequent infiltration of neutrophils. Here the white cells release a package of inflammatory mediator substances which, in addition to destroying the crystals, also damage the surrounding tissues (Martinon et al. 2006). This acute inflammation defines the symptoms of an acute flare such as pain, swelling and redness and is typically self-limiting. Continual deposition of large numbers of MSU crystals may also heading out the joint damage through mechanical effects on cartilage and bone (pressure erosion), and probably low-gr ade inflammation. However, these more chronic crystal-tissue interactions still remain elusive and in need of further investigations (VanItallie 2010). Systematic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Introduction Lupus is an autoimmune disease which leads to both acute and chronic inflammation of various tissues of the human body. Lupus can be classified into different form depending upon the target tissues and organ system. Defined as Type III hypersensitivity reaction, people with lupus produce abnormal antibodies in their blood that target tissues within their own body rather than foreign infectious agents. Because the antibodies and accompanying cells of inflammation can affect tissues anywhere in the body, lupus has the potential to affect a variety of areas such as heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys, and nervous system. When internal organs are involved, the condition is referred to as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The disease may be mild or severe and life-threatening (Wallace 2010). The prevalence of lupus ranges from approximately 40 cases per 100,000 persons among Northern Europeans to more than 200 per 100,000 persons among blacks (Johnson et al. 1995). In the United States, the number of patients with lupus exceeds 250,000. The life expectancy of such patients has improved from an approximate 4-year survival rate of 50% in the 1950s to a 15-year survival rate of 80% today (Merrell and Shulman 1955; Abu-Shakra et al. 1995). Even so, a patient in whom lupus is diagnosed at 20 years of age still has a 1 in 6 chance of dying by 35 years of age, most often from lupus or infection. Later, myocardial infarction and stroke become important causes of death (Cervera et al. 2003). Anatomy and Pathophysiology SLE is an inflammatory and multi-systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by an uncontrolled auto-reactivity of B and T lymphocytes. This results in the production of auto antibodies (auto-Abs) against self-directed antigens and causes tissue destruction (Cuchacovich and Gedalia 2009). Pathogenesis of SLE is a multi-factorial event and the exact mechanism of disease development and progression is still unclear. Multiple factors are known to be associated with the development of the disease such as genetic, racial, hormonal, and environmental factors. Defects in apoptosis are one of the proposed mechanisms involved in patho-physiological events of SLE. Imbalance in apoptotic machinery leads to the production of auto-antibodies. These antibodies lack the ability to differentiate between pathogenic and normal host cells and cause increase cell death and abnormalities in immune tolerance (Andrade et al. 2000; Rahman and Isenberg 2008). It is believed that all the major components of immune system are involved in SLE progression at various levels. Mostly proteins present in cell nucleus are targeted by the immune system. The likely environmental triggers for SLE include ultraviolet light, drugs, and viruses. These stimuli cause the destruction of cells and expose their DNA, histones, and other proteins, particularly parts of the cell nucleus. It is observed that in patients suffering from SLE, there is increased cell death in monocytes and keratinocytes and hyper expression of Fas protein by B and T cells of the immune system. Tingibl e body macrophages (TBMs) are large phagocytic cells present in the germinal centers of secondary lymph nodes. They express CD68 protein. These cells normally engulf B cells which have undergone apoptosis after somatic hypermutation. In some patients with SLE, significantly fewer TBMs can be found, and these cells rarely contain material from apoptotic B cells. Also, uningested apoptotic nuclei can be found outside of TBMs. This material may present a threat to the tolerization of B cells and T cells (Gaipl et al. 2006). Monocytes isolated from whole blood of SLE sufferers show reduced expression of CD44 surface molecules involved in the uptake of apoptotic cells. Most of the monocytes and tingible body macrophages (TBM), which are found in the germinal centres of lymph nodes, even show a definitely different morphology; they are smaller or scarce and die earlier. Serum components like complement factors, CRP, and some glycoproteins are, furthermore, decisively important for an efficiently operating phagocytosis. With SLE, these components are often missing, diminished, or inefficient. References Abu-Shakra M, Urowitz MB, Gladman DD, Gough J (1995) Mortality studies in systemic lupus erythematosus. Results from a single center. II. Predictor variables for mortality. J Rheumatol 22:1265-1270 Andrade F, Casciola-Rosen L, Rosen A (2000) Apoptosis in systemic lupus erythematosus. Clinical implications. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 26:215-227, v Bhansing KJ, van Bon L, Janssen M, Radstake TR (2010) Gout: a clinical syndrome illustrated and discussed. Neth J Med 68:352-359 Cassetta M, Gorevic PD (2004) Crystal arthritis. Gout and pseudogout in the geriatric patient. Geriatrics 59:25-30; quiz 31 Cervera R et al. (2003) Morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus during a 10-year period: a comparison of early and late manifestations in a cohort of 1,000 patients. Medicine (Baltimore) 82:299-308 doi: 10.1097/01.md.0000091181.93122.55 Cuchacovich R, Gedalia A (2009) Pathophysiology and clinical spectrum of infections in systemic lupus erythematosus. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 35:75-93 doi: S0889-857X(09)00004-0 [pii] 10.1016/j.rdc.2009.03.003 Eggebeen AT (2007) Gout: an update. Am Fam Physician 76:801-808 Gaipl US et al. (2006) Clearance of apoptotic cells in human SLE. Curr Dir Autoimmun 9:173-187 doi: 10.1159/000090781 [pii]Â   10.1159/000090781 Hootman JM, Helmick CG (2006) Projections of US prevalence of arthritis and associated activity limitations. Arthritis Rheum 54:226-229 doi: 10.1002/art.21562 Johnson AE, Gordon C, Palmer RG, Bacon PA (1995) The prevalence and incidence of systemic lupus erythematosus in Birmingham, England. Relationship to ethnicity and country of birth. Arthritis Rheum 38:551-558 Laubscher T, Dumont Z, Regier L, Jensen B (2009) Taking the stress out of managing gout. Can Fam Physician 55:1209-1212 doi: 55/12/1209 [pii] Liote F, Ea HK (2006) Gout: update on some pathogenic and clinical aspects. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 32:295-311, vi doi: S0889-857X(06)00024-X [pii] 10.1016/j.rdc.2006.03.001 Martinon F, Petrilli V, Mayor A, Tardivel A, Tschopp J (2006) Gout-associated uric acid crystals activate the NALP3 inflammasome. Nature 440:237-241 doi: nature04516 [pii] 10.1038/nature04516 Merrell M, Shulman LE (1955) Determination of prognosis in chronic disease, illustrated by systemic lupus erythematosus. J Chronic Dis 1:12-32 Mikuls TR, Saag KG (2006) New insights into gout epidemiology. Curr Opin Rheumatol 18:199-203 doi: 10.1097/01.bor.0000209435.89720.7c 00002281-200603000-00014 [pii] Rahman A, Isenberg DA (2008) Systemic lupus erythematosus. N Engl J Med 358:929-939 doi: 358/9/929 [pii] 10.1056/NEJMra071297 Roddy E, Doherty M (2010) Gout. Epidemiology of gout. Arthritis Res Ther 12:223 doi: ar3199 [pii] 10.1186/ar3199 Roddy E, Zhang W, Doherty M (2007) The changing epidemiology of gout. Nat Clin Pract Rheumatol 3:443-449 doi: ncprheum0556 [pii] 10.1038/ncprheum0556 Shai A, Rimar D, Rozenbaum M, Wolfovitz E, Rosner I (2010) Gout in young migrant Filipino women in Israel: a changing epidemiology. Case reports and review of the literature. Rheumatol Int 30:1685-1687 doi: 10.1007/s00296-009-1198-7 Terkeltaub R (2010) Update on gout: new therapeutic strategies and options. Nat Rev Rheumatol 6:30-38 doi: nrrheum.2009.236 [pii] 10.1038/nrrheum.2009.236 Terkeltaub RA (2003) Gout. New England Journal of Medicine 349:1647-1655 doi: doi:10.1056/NEJMcp030733 VanItallie TB (2010) Gout: epitome of painful arthritis. Metabolism 59 Suppl 1:S32-36 doi: S0026-0495(10)00229-5 [pii] 10.1016/j.metabol.2010.07.009 Wallace DJ (2010) Advances in drug therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus. BMC Med 8:77 doi: 1741-7015-8-77 [pii] 10.1186/1741-7015-8-77 Wise CM, Agudelo CA (1996) Gouty arthritis and uric acid metabolism. Curr Opin Rheumatol 8:248-254

We Must Not Treat Muslims as We Treated the Japanese Essay example --

We Must Not Treat Muslims as We Treated the Japanese The terrorist attacks on 9-11 have frequently been analogized to Pearl Harbor. In many ways, the analogy is apt. Just as that attack launched us into World War II, the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have launched us into a new kind of war, against terrorism. But waging this sort of borderless war poses great risks, not only to the soldiers commanded to fight but also to core American values. In this way, Pearl Harbor raises other disturbing memories, those of the internment. Like the recent explosions on the East Coast, the bombing of Pearl Harbor on 12-7, shattered our feeling of national security. How could this have happened? Ordinary individuals, prominent journalists, and government officials soon started pointing the finger at the Japanese in America. Viewing these "Orientals" as incurably foreign, speaking foreign languages, perpetuating foreign cultures, practicing foreign religions (Shinto, Buddhism), American society could not distinguish between the Empire of Japan and Americans of Japanese descent. As General DeWitt, in charge of the Western Defense Command, put it, "A Jap's a Jap." In testimony, he elaborated: "[R]racial affinities are not severed by migration. The Japanese race is an enemy race and while many second and third generation Japanese born on United States soil, possessed of United States citizenship have become 'Americanized' the racial strains are undiluted." As government reports rushed to the conclusion that Japanese American s aided and abetted the attack, the wheels of the internment machinery began turning. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which a... ...l happen if we make such mistakes today? Consider another analogy with the internment. In Hirabayashi, the Court noted that because American society had discriminated against the Japanese legally, politically, and economically, they had been kept from assimilating and integrating into mainstream society. Exactly right. But then, the Court went on the explain-in an entirely rational but still disturbing way-that therefore the Japanese posed a greater national security risk. This presents a horrible Catch-22: Because America has treated you badly, you have reason to be disloyal; therefore, America has reason to treat you still more badly, by restricting your civil rights. In our public and private response to the horrors of 9-11, will we force another group of Americans into the same impossible situation? I hope that by learning the lessons of 12-7 we will not.

Disease and Native American Demise During the European Conquest of the

Disease and Native American Demise During the European Conquest of the New World The European conquest of the new world was most commonly attributed to the superiority of the Europeans in all the facets of their confrontation. They had the superior weaponry, and were thought to have a superior intellect. After all, they were just bringing "civilization" to the new world, right? It sounds nice when you are learning about Columbus in grade school, but the traditional story is pretty far from the truth. The truth is that the Europeans, when they discovered this was a brand new world and not the spice islands, sought to rape the land for its gold and natural resources and enslave the Amerindians (native Americans), who were regarded to be less than human. One has to wonder why it was so easy for the Europeans to impose their will on the Amerindians. Was it solely because the Europeans were superior technologically and intellectually? Unfortunately the answer is not that simple. The Europeans were superior in those areas, but the bulk of the disaster they imposed was not what they knew, but what they brought with them, disease. Disease, on the epidemic level, is thought to be the major factor in the decline of the Amerindians during the age of discovery. Before I go any further, I feel that I should clarify the difference between the terms epidemic and endemic disease. An epidemic disease is a disease that enters into a population and completely ravages it. Epidemics are particularly destructive because they are usually diseases that have never been introduced into that specific population. A good example of an epidemic is the bubonic plague, or smallpox. Smallpox uncontrollably ravaged Europe for more than two hundred years.... ... the disease that accompanied an average race of people that made the difference in the conquest of the Americas Bibliography Crosby, Alfred W. Ecological Imperialism The Biological Expansion of Europe 900-1900. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1986. ---. The Columbian Exchange. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Company, 1972. McNeil, William H. Plagues and People. Garden City: Anchor Press, 1976. Verano, John, and Douglas Ubelaker. Disease and Demography in the Americas. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992. Cowley, Geoffery. "The Great Disease Migration." Newsweek Fall/Winter 1991: 54-56. Snow, Dean, and Kim Lanphear. "European Contact and Depopulation in the Northeast: The Timing of the First Epidemics." Ethnohistory Winter 1988: 15-33. Diamond, Jared. "The Arrow of Disease." Discover October 1992: 64-73.

New Zealand Families Today

RESEARCH PROJECT Women in later life who have chosen to remain voluntarily childfree what are the implications if any? 1. AIM The aim of the research is to explore the implications of remaining voluntarily childfree for women in later life within the New Plymouth district of New Zealand. 1. a. INTRODUCTION Within many Western industrialised societies there are notions that children provide fulfillment, give purpose and offset loneliness in later life. There are tales like the ‘Three Spinsters’ from the writers The Brothers Grimm which have contributed to the stereotypes of childless women as lonely, bitter and unfulfilled for decades. If children are necessary at preventing loneliness in older age there is concern in regards to the New Zealand population trend. The 2006 New Zealand census released reports that by 2016 one in four women will remain childless. The implications of the assumption that children are necessary for elderly wellbeing could mean that our ageing generations may be prone to loneliness. The changing demographics of our society combined with the findings that there is no research to date on voluntary childfree women in later life within New Zealand has amplified my interest in this research topic. My interest in this research proposal stems from my own position in life. I am a 35 year old Pakeha woman who has chosen to remain childfree. I have had many assumptions put forward to me in regards to my personal choice to remain voluntarily childfree. These are mainly aimed around the notion that I am destined for loneliness in later life and that I will be unfulfilled. Therefore I have made my position within this research proposal transparent as I acknowledge it is influential to my perspective when I undertake the research. Delwyn Field Page 2 The research proposal will outline the research methodology to be carried out. The research will be qualitative based on a feminist’s perspective, to provide knowledge of women issues, for women from women. The research will be guided by feminist ideology and explore the socially constructed norms of womanhood without motherhood. The data collection will be the use of storytelling which is fitting with qualitative research. The story telling process will enlighten the researcher on how the participants came to their chosen life path. This will be informative as the participants came from the eras of where motherhood and childbirth was predominately something that happened to women not chosen by women (Held, 1989, as cited in Riley, 2008). The participants for the research will be women who have chosen to remain childfree and they will be over the age of 65. The age range of 65 plus is described as late adulthood in human development lifespan theories (Berk, 2007). I have chosen this age criteria because critical social, emotional and developmental stages occur in this period of life which are broadly universal to most elderly (Berk, 2007). The research proposal will also be based on the New Plymouth district of New Zealand. The New Plymouth district consists of â€Å"New Plymouth and the towns of Waitara, Inglewood, Urenui, Okato, Bell Block, Oakura and many other smaller rural communities† (New Plymouth District Council, n. d. ). Within New Zealand there is no empirical research done on New Zealand voluntary childless women in smaller urban areas in later life, hence why the research will be conducted here. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW This literature review has minimal reference to New Zealand literature as there is a limited study on voluntary childfree persons within New Zealand. Therefore the majority of the literature relied on is sourced from Western industrialised countries. In 1997, Cameron investigated voluntary childless within New Zealand in her book Without Issue; New Zealanders who choose not to have children. The participants within Delwyn Field Page 3 the research were numerous and involved mostly the qualitative approach of telling their story (Cameron, 1997). One of the themes that was highlighted in Cameron’s (1997) study was the social perceptions of voluntary childfree persons; the assumption that they were unhappy, selfish, emotionally unstable, immature and LONELY. This assumption of lonely old women has fueled the myth that those who choose not to have children are going to be miserable in their later years (Cameron, 1997). This was a common theme uncovered in further literature. This stereotyped image of voluntary childfree as lonely and unfulfilled is still predominating in our society in the twenty first century. Riley in her 2008 Masters of Social Science in Psychology researched stereotyping of voluntary childfree couples within New Zealand. This qualitative study interviewed and held focus groups of ten couples, to delve into stereotypes, pressures and harassments of their chosen life path. One of the stereotypes that were identified was that they were â€Å"destined for loneliness in later life† (Riley, 2008, p. ii). Throughout Riley’s 2008 thesis the belief by those who have/want children is that for individuals in society, and especially women children were fundamental in providing fulfillment and companionship. Jamison, Franzini and Kaplan (1979, cited in Riley, 2008) investigation of American university students supported Riley (2008) view that there are negative implications for women in later life who were remaining childfree. The students perceived these women to be â€Å"less likely to be happy and satisfied in old age† (Jamison, Franzini & Kaplan, 1979 cited in Riley, 2008, p. 21). The participants in Riley’s (2008) research noted that there was harassment and pressure in regards to the implications and risks they were taking in remaining childfree. These were messages that in later life they would be alone, they would not have children to support or give them fulfillment this would be internalised and their wellbeing would be effected (Riley, 2008). Delwyn Field Page 4 Regret is a message that childfree persons seem to hear continually in regards to their decision (Cameron, 1997). But there is to date research that has actually provided the opposite outcome. In Jeffries and Konnett (2002) research found that 22 out of 23 participants of the Canadian voluntary childfree women did not regret their decision nor felt that their wellbeing was affected by their decision. When analyzing Zhang and Hayward’s (2001) quantitative research of Americans in the 1993 Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) to conclude the Psychological wellbeing of childless older persons stereotypes are actually unfounded. The result of their research concluded that childlessness when voluntary did not support the hypothesis that â€Å"childlessness increases loneliness and depression for divorced, widowed and never married elderly persons† (Zhang & Hayward, 2001, p. 311). Therefore children make little difference in how women fare in later life in regards to loneliness. This was again confirmed by Rempel’s (1985) research article into the childless elderly. Rempel used the 1979 Social Change in Canada’s data base to compare childless and parent elderly. The results from the research showed that statistically there were minimal disparities of what they were missing in life. The article stated there were benefits to both choices in life. When reviewing the article Rempel (1985) highlighted the ability of those who were childfree to have a parallel quality of life of those who were parents in later life. This refutes the concern that childfree elderly are isolated and lonely. What points to the parallel quality of life is that thou adult children provide support networks to elderly parents. The childfree elderly also have an established network of friends and family e. g. siblings who contribute to their support networks (Rempel, 1985). Rempel (1985) suggest this is due to childfree persons knowing that in later life children are not going to be available. So in turn they produce a life that ensures they are â€Å"capable self reliant elderly† with an established support network they nurture (Rempel, 1985, p. 347). Delwyn Field Page 5 Zhang and Hayward (2001) confirmed that the social support network was crucial in childfree elderly maintaining wellbeing. Their research linked older childless persons being integrated into close friend networks instead of the close family networks older parents had established this was on par or to a greater level at providing support (Zhang and Hayward, 2001). The research also underpinned the role of siblings, nieces and nephews played in elderly childfree lives as being important compared to that of elderly parents lives (Zhang and Hayward, 2001). Connidis and Davis (1990) qualitative survey of over 400 older person to conclude the place of family and friends in later life also states the use of differing support networks of elderly people is beneficial. In depth individual one hour interviews in America discovered that among elderly persons a diversified social network provides the best support in later life (Connidis and Davis, 1990). This is most favorable to childfree women as they tend to develop the strongest ties with friends and siblings as both companions and confidents (Connidis & Davis, 1990). This may be again due to ensuring their self reliance in later life due to no children to depend upon. One of the key findings in loneliness, social isolation and living alone in later life was the size of the individual’s social network in offsetting negative effects of loneliness (Victor, Bowling, Bond & Scambler, n. d). Though a large amount of this literature review has shown loneliness is not the destiny of elderly childfree persons, it unfortunately has not included New Zealand childfree women. Therefore when analyzing Riley’s (2008) childfree participants in her New Zealand study was there any key theme that was established in regards to social networks and loneliness pertaining to the participants? All participants raised the concern of their status ‘childfree’ as making them more socially excluded. The difficulty of remaining friends with people when they became parents was expressed due to the â€Å"nature of the relationship† would change (Riley, 2008, p. 57). Maintaining friendships with parents was an issue and affected social networks. Cameron (1997) also discovered this in her Delwyn Field Page 6 study that childfree people believe that if they were parents they would have access to larger social networks (Cameron, 1997). This is because parents have more in common with other parent’s children provide a connection that is not available to childfree (Riley, 2008). Although to date no data could be found within the literature research to confirm that parenting is a guarantee to social inclusion. Unfortunately no participants were elderly to conclude loneliness in later life. More research needs to be conducted in regards to New Zealand Childfree persons to conclude social network supports and loneliness in elderly here. An article released by New Zealand Statistics in 2008 concluded that if trends continue one in four elderly women in New Zealand will be childless. New Zealand statistics also stated that childless is more common among women living in main urban areas (Boddington & Didham, 2008). Boddington and Didham (2008) who collated this information from the 2006 census state this is due to the larger social networks available in main urban areas. So will women who remain voluntary childfree and reside in smaller urban areas, be subjected to more negative impacts from their decision due to more smaller social networks? 3. METHOD The research proposed is from a qualitative approach using storytelling as a means of data collection. This method is applied because of the argument presented in favor of qualitative research that it â€Å"†¦views the social world as a complex, dynamic reality†¦ of multiple layers of meaning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Connolly, 2002, p. 27). Therefore qualitative data enables a more comprehensive insight into the complexity of people. Qualitative research also supports feminist principles of where women are collaborative and equal in the research (Smith & Noble-Spreull, 1986). Where-as if a quantitative method was applied in this research, it would focus on controlled data where the researcher has a hierarchical relationship with the researched, thus not equal and consistent with feminist values. Also through telling their stories women are given a voice to speak out within the public arena Delwyn Field Page 7 on pronatalism attitudes (promoting childbearing) which have been linked with patriarchal values and subordination of women (Riley, 2008). In turn this research will empower women to explore the complexity of childfree women which is important for feminism. Hence the qualitative approach when researching women who choose to remain voluntary childfree embraces the feminist perspective and enables us to seek understanding and information from the participant’s point of view (Bryman, 2001). 3. 1 DATA COLLECTION The data collection for the research is through one on one interview through storytelling. Davidson & Tolich state â€Å"storytelling aims to explore an individual’s identity†¦through personal accounts† (Alice, 2003, p. 6). It is a method that reveals rich data because when individuals talk of their understanding of events they may retell it giving greater insight to the complexity of their experiences and themselves (Webster & Mertova, 2007). This would be favorable in this research because the participants may have quite unique and complex accounts of their chosen life path where their po int of view is vital for data collection. Feminists also believe that storytelling is unique at capturing the â€Å"diversity of experiences between women† (Alice, 2003, p. 67). The interviews will be conducted within the participants home, at times which are most convenient for them. There is no structured time set due to the nature of the data collection method, but the research is based on one or two in depth interviews. The life stories will provide the interview format, my role as the researcher will be to provide prompts to encourage the flow of the interview process. Being an insider within the research proposal, and having my position transparent through contributing and sharing in the interview, will enhance the process of sharing stories. Through the storytelling collection method the research will seek to cover several aspects of the participant’s life story. These will be consistent with revealing data that will help to conclude what it is like to be voluntary childfree in later life. See appendix one for subject matter the interviews will be seeking to cover from each participant. If a more formal structured Delwyn Field Page 8 interview was to take place assumptions about the participant may taint their viewpoint and limit the data collected (Bryman 2001). The interviews will be recorded by audiotape, once consent is gained from the participants (Appendix two). This will enable me, the interviewer, to remain focused on the participants and enable the flow of the interview. Note taking will not be included as it may distort respondent’s answers and may be interruptive in the flow of the interview (Bryman 2001). The audiotapes will be transcribed by the interviewer and transferred to a hard copy. The participants will be invited to be supplied with a full copy of the audio interview and hard copy. This will in turn encourage reciprocity i. e. equal bi directional relationships within the research process, which is in line with feminism ideology (Smith & Noble-Spreull, 1986). It will also allow for the participants to confirm and have the opportunity to comment and make changes to their stories. This empowers the participant and encourages an egalitarian relationship which is congruent with qualitative research (Smith & Noble Spreull, 1986). The data through out the research project will be kept in a locked filing cabinet within my home in Taranaki. All information that is stored on computer will be contained in a secure file. At the end of the research project all data will be destroyed that is held on the computer, and within the filing cabinet. The participant’s audio tapes and hard copy transcripts will be returned to them or destroyed at the end of the research depending on their personal preference. The qualitative research will be analysed using coding where data retrieved from the story telling is broken down to key findings using the themes from the interview guide and other categories (appendix one). The other categories may be quite broad due to the in-depth nature of the data collection, thus sub categories may evolve through the data analysis (Bryman, 2001). The use of coding within the research enables the researcher to review transcripts and decipher significant common themes of the participants interviews Delwyn Field Page 9 (Bryman, 2001). The coding process will categorize the participant’s life stories showing common patterns in the social world of those who remain voluntary childfree and allow for analysis of the data (Bryman, 2001). Within the data collection coding should be done as soon as possible to â€Å"†¦sharpen your understanding of the data†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and help with providing other emerging patterns (Bryman, 2001, p. 398). These patterns above the interview themes will contribute to the findings and the development of a theory to conclude the implications of remaining voluntarily childfree in later life. Once the coding is complete the data can be statistically analysed. 3. 2 SAMPLE GROUP/ PARTICIPANTS The sample group will consist of seven voluntary participants. The criteria for the sample group will be female, aged 65 years plus, voluntary childfree, living independent within the New Plymouth district community and have no cognitive impairment e. g. Alzheimer’s and dementia. The participants will be recruited through volunteer means. An advertisement will be placed within the local New Plymouth Midweek paper, over a period of two months recruiting volunteer participants (appendix four). The advertisement will also target local agency Age Concern to advertise in their newsletter magazine (Appendix four). Recruitment will also depend on invitations been extended through snowballing where the researcher depends on the social network groups of childfree women to enable invitation. Bryman (2001) describes snowballing as the opportunity to use a small group to recruit other participants who are relevant for the research. This method of recruitment is chosen because there is no data base to seek women who have chosen to remain voluntary childfree available in New Zealand. The researcher will select the first seven participants who meet the chosen criteria. The number of participants allows the researcher to acquire a large enough sample base for data to be consequential in providing an analysis of voluntary childfree women. The Delwyn Field Page 10 group number is also conducive in enabling the type of data collection method to be effectively conducted. This is due the in depth nature of story telling collection methods in conjunction with the time restraints of the research proposal. The selected seven participants will be sent a letter introducing the researcher stating what is required as participants (appendix three), and a consent form (appendix two). The consent form will tell the participants of their rights, where the information will be used and ensure them that they can withdraw from the research at any time (appendix two). 4. ETHICAL ISSUES Through my study as a social work student I will be guided by the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) Code of Ethics (2008) ethical responsibilities in research. The research carried out will be in line with social work practice and be sensitive to the â€Å"†¦wellbeing and dignity of participants† by integrating the following into the research proposed (ANZASW, 2008, p. 4). Before undertaking any recruitment the research proposed will be taken to the Western Institute of Technology (WITT) Ethics Committee to seek guidance and advice in regards to what research ethics committee I may need to gain approval from. This will ensure that the research meets the appropriate standards of being ethically sound. Within the voluntary recruitment process no partici pants will be â€Å"†¦obtained by coercion nor by force†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and at all times through out the research the participants have the right to withdraw without explanation to the researcher (Wilkinson, 2001, p. 6). The introduction letter (Appendix three) will be to ensure that participants are fully informed of all relevant information in regards to the nature, purpose and process of the research that is to be carried out. This information will be fully disclosed whether the participant has asked for it or not and will ensure that the participant gains full knowledge of what they are getting into (Wilkinson, 2001). This will all be disclosed before obtaining written consent (Appendix two) from the participants so that no deception occurs. Delwyn Field Page 11 All data collection methods will be conducted in a manner that upholds the principles of Te Tiriti O Waitangi; partnership, participation and protection. The research will be conducted so that self determination is sustained. This will be through participants obtaining a full copy of the audio interview and written copy of the transcript for clarification. This will also provide the opportunity for them to change and omit any information that they do not wish to be disclosed. Confidentiality will be upheld, names of participants will be deleted. Participants will be informed though that some information given may enable them to be identified due to the size of the demographic area; so complete confidentiality can not be fully guaranteed. All information obtained will be destroyed on completion of the research project, with the option that participants may have information returned to them if they wish. The concern for harm within the research would be that the research topic may generate negative memories and emotions for the participants. Under the clause 8. 1 of the ANZASW Code of Ethics (2008) the researcher must â€Å"†¦take all possible steps to protect participants†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , if distress does occur a referral to a counselor will be provided (ANZASW, 2008, p. 14). This service will be available during and up to the completion of the research. Potential problems that may occur in trying to carry out the research may be the perception that I the researcher are too young, thus discrediting my ability causing the participants to not talk to me. Also the ability to gain participants who wish to share their stories of their chosen life path of voluntarily remaining childfree may be considered too personal to share. If not enough participants are found the sample may not be large enough to give a significant and fair analysis of the implications of remaining childfree in later life within the New Plymouth district. Delwyn Field Page 12 At all times I will seek supervision due to my own personal position within the research topic. This will be to ensure information obtained from the research will not spark off any negative mental discomfort in my own personal life. . CONCLUSION This research proposal is an opportunity for women to tell their stories and enlighten society that womanhood in later life is not just valued on motherhood, thus disputing pronaltist ideology (Riley, 2008). These stories will hopefully support existing literature and remove assumptions, allowing voluntarily childfree women to be more valued in our socie ty and not stereotyped for later life implications. One of the greatest benefits of this research is that undertaking research on women in later life who are voluntary childfree may assist future elderly generations. This is through providing rich data from their life stories which may conclude coping techniques to ensure well being an offset loneliness in later life. With using a feminist perspective in the qualitative research methodology the research will work for women and give a voice to empower them in their choices. The weakness of the research is that there is no quantitative data for triangulation which may have provided the research with more validity and reliability. Future studies within New Zealand will be beneficial due to the limitations of this proposed research. Delwyn Field Page 13 6. Bibliography Alice, L. (2003). Power, experience, and process in femininst research. In C. Davidson & M. Tolich (Eds. ). Social Science Research In New Zealand: Many Paths to Understanding. (2nd ed. ). (pp 62- 68), Auckland: Pearson Education New Zealand Ltd. Alzheimer’s Society (2007, February). The relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and loneliness. Alzheimer’s Research News. Retrieved May 8, 2009 from http://alzheimers. org. uk/site/script/news_article Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (Inc). (2008). Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers: Code of Ethics. (2nd revision). New Zealand: Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (Inc). Ashcroft, C. 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