The Invisible Coin Introduction Summary Essay - 1675 Words

The Invisible Coin Introduction summary: Since its insertion into the mainstream world, Bitcoin, a virtual decentralized currency, has fully-fledged in both its status and in its use. Despite this, there still endures a relative lack of economic exploration in academia about this innovative economic phenomenon. Bitcoin is an online currency that does not require a bank account, credit card or any personal information. Bitcoin stays clear of the roads that are â€Å"most travelled†; the catch though is you’re no longer backed by any government. Bitcoin doesn’t have a central bank or a countries leadership vouching for its authenticity. Bitcoin is unique; Bitcoin is the opposite of what we normally would think of a currency, so maybe that’s why it took some time for it to lift up in the early stages. Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman in 1999 once spoke out and said, â€Å"The one thing that’s missing, but will soon be developed, is a reliable e-cash†. So Friedman was ahead of everyone else seeing this as a development for the world market. The beginning of Bitcoin is not exactly easy to fully document because the so-called creator is known to have an alias name. That name first arose in 2008 in a paper published via online with the name of â€Å"Satoshi Nakamoto†. That paper was titled â€Å"Bitcoin, a Peer-to-Peer-Electronic-Cash-System†. November 2008 was the early stages of the great financial crisis. So pre-financial crisis, maybe the interest for Bitcoin was not noticed right away. ButShow MoreRelatedElectronic Cash and Smart Cards Essay1344 Words   |  6 PagesELECTRONIC CASH AND SMART CARDS Introduction When you go into a store to make a purchase a monetary transaction takes place between a merchant, the provider and the consumer, which is you. Typically you would either use cash, check or credit card. If you are making a purchase less than five dollars it doesn’t seem reasonable to pay with a credit card or write a check. Electronic cash is the solution to this problem regardless how big or small the transaction is electronic cash is a viable alternativeRead MoreEffects of Advertising on Positive and Negative2297 Words   |  10 PagesEXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report will cover the role of advertising in society in New Zealand. I will introduce what is advertising, what type of advertising use often in New Zealand with diagram to explain. What is process of change for advertising. There are positive and negative points of advertising, which means effects of advertising for people and organization in society. And describe detail for the positive and negative. Advertising must be two sides of the argument. It was a commercial measureRead More1998-2003: Us Financial System Reform by Debt Loan Types and Bank Profitability2847 Words   |  12 Pagesbank, financial statements. II. Table of Content I. Cover Page1 II. Table of Content2 Abstract, key works2 III. Introduction3 IV. Statement of Problem5 V. Background12 V. Results from Research amp; Summary13 VI. Works Cited 14 III. Introduction United Sates financial reform dates from the last century, in 1930s’ Great Depression. To have a brief talk about US financial reform, which is a long and arduous project. Aim to reach the goal that has to include three important acts: Glass-SteagallRead MoreInformation Technology for Knowledge Management3035 Words   |  13 Pages corporate memories, information filtering Category: A.1, H.4.m, I.2.1, K.m 1 Knowledge Management Managers, consultants, IT professionals and customers believe that they have finally discovered what makes organizations work: knowledge—that invisible force that propels the most successful companies to stock market values which far exceed the visible assets of their financial balance sheet. Where does this knowledge come from? The financial balance sheet, based on such tangible assets as capitalRead MorePest Analysis of an Educational Institution19905 Words   |  80 PagesMEMO/ Brussels, 16 May 2007 Benefits of the euro and the euro in the world The single currency was created in 1999 when the exchange rates of the currencies of the participating countries were irrevocably locked to the euro. The euro banknotes and coins were introduced in 2002 in 12 countries. The euro has brought economic benefits to the euro-area countries. These include greater macroeconomic stability and resilience as well as more efficient functioning of the single market. The Economic andRead MoreFrancis Bacon15624 Words   |  63 Pagesfeelings and emotions, yet these are undeniably true to human nature. Following are a few examples of his wisdom. â€Å"One who studieth revenge, keeps his own wounds green†. And â€Å"Men in great places are thrice servants†. So, like a very wise man he coin ideas and teaches them to make people wise in worldly terms.   Bacons brightness is best illustrated in the way in which he clothes his wisdom into brevity and lends the readers a great pleasure. The compactness of thought and conciseness of expressionRead MorePrinciples of Microeconomics Fifth Canadian Edition20085 Words   |  81 PagesLicensed to: iChapters User PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS: A G U I D E D T O U R PART ONE: INTRODUCTION Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Ten Principles of Economics Thinking Like an Economist Interdependence and the Gains from Trade The study of economics is guided by a few big ideas. Economists view the world as both scientists and policymakers. The theory of comparative advantage explains how people benefit from economic interdependence. PART TWO: SUPPLY AND DEMAND I: HOW MARKETSRead MoreTheology I - Searching for God in the World Today6745 Words   |  27 PagesCourse Title: Theology I - Searching for God in the World Today Chapter I: GOD’S Revelation in and through Everyday Experiences 1.1 The â€Å"Everyday† or the â€Å"Ordinary Introduction Topic 1.1 The â€Å"Everyday† or â€Å"Ordinary† Objective: After this lesson, the student will be able to reflect on one’s experience of everyday life, especially on a â€Å"depth experience† â€Å"SEE† LET US â€Å"SEE† A. The â€Å"Everyday† orRead MorePersonality and Ethics8599 Words   |  35 Pages1.0 Introduction By 2012, our world population stands at 7 billion and counting (Nasser, 2011). And not a single person is without a personality. Our personality is what makes who we are, what we do, who we interact with and how we live our life. It is a vital aspect that drives most of the decisions and choices an individual makes in his lifespan, and throughout this lifespan, the individual’s personality are tempered by external factors. In spite of all that, the nature of an individual’s personalityRead More7 Megatrends 203026297 Words   |  106 Pages  must   take   today The   study   also   takes   a   look   at   how   we    will   live   in   2030 OUR APPROACH We   first   screened   all   relevant   trend,    scenario   and   future   studies   worldwide USE IT! Following   the   executive   summary   and    an   introduction   in   chapters   A   and   B,    chapter   C   presents   all   trends   and    corporate   actions   in   detail,   while   chapter    D   gives   you   an   idea   of   life   in   2030    In   addition,   every   chapter   presents   the    most   important   sources

Socialization Techniques Of African American Male Within...

Abstract Socialization techniques of African Americans, in particular black males in the criminal justice system are vastly dissimilar in comparison to their white counterparts. The dominant socialization indifference is theoretically associated with Marxist Criminology schools of thought, in particular conflict theory. Qualitative, empirical, and historical data supports Marxist criminology based on capitalism, conflict, and the disparity treatment of the Afro-American male within the criminal justice system: police, courts, and corrections. This research will address how capitalism creates a caste system that perpetuates conflict. Furthermore, this research will briefly explore the correlation of American capitalism, slavery, Jim Crow, and the new â€Å"Negro† coined criminal; and the Marx school of thought as it pertains to African American males interaction within the American criminal justice system and the hidden agenda of its capitalistic government. Keywords: crime, ethnic-racial socialization, policing techniques, race, racial discrimination Introduction The socialization techniques of African American males in the American criminal justice system are vastly disproportionate in comparison to their white counter parts. Economics and power play a vital role in this epidemic. This is best associated with Karl Marx’s philosophy of Marxist Criminology. (Marx) Early Marxist criminologist, William Bonger(1905), associated misuse and separation of capitalism as theShow MoreRelatedWhat Are the Major Issues That Cause Inner City Youth to Join Gangs and Become Delinquent? Discuss Whether the New Labour Government’s Policies Have Been Effective in Solving These Issues?8138 Words   |  33 Pagesyouth groups and offending behaviour: findings from the 2004 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey’, Home Office online report the following definition of ‘delinquent youth group’ (DYG) is used: â€Å"†¢ Young people who spend time in groups of three or more (including themselves). †¢ The group spend a lot of time in public places. †¢ The group has existed for three months or more. †¢ The group has engaged in delinquent or criminal behaviour together in the last 12 months. †¢ The group has at least one structuralRead MoreTracing Theoretical Approaches to Crime and Social Control: from Functionalism to Postmodernism16559 Words   |  67 Pagesto see the many ironies that thread our lives together. I thank you for challenging me and for trusting in my academic potential. It is for your intuitive and intellectual nature that I must devote every word I have produced–not only within this thesis, but within the majority of my sociology degree–to you! Thank you, everyone! TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv AcknowledgementsRead MoreCRM 1301 Midterm uOttawa Carolyn Gordon Essay10218 Words   |  41 Pagestheir powers (Conical=knowledge, cauldron=origins of life + magical power of women). The word witchcraft has been used to dismiss cultural traditions around the world. The Society of the Alejo (Brazil): for generations, the traditions of their African ancestors were kept alive. Women who practiced rituals like the Alejo in Africa/America were called heathens and were persecuted as witches. They are called witch-doctors and charlatans. Modern doctors are beginning to re-examine the healing powerRead MoreControl Theory15246 Words   |  61 Pagesinterrelated considerations appear to nourish the appeal of his thinking. First, Hirschi’s theories are stated parsimoniously. This means that his theory’s core propositions are easily understood (e.g., the lack of social bonds or of self-control increases criminal involvement). Second, Hirschi is combative and thus controversial. He stakes out a theoretical position and then argues that alternative perspectives are wrong. Hirschi (1983) has long been antagonistic to attempts to integrate theories. Good theoriesRead MoreSoc Test9122 Words   |  37 Pages_____, who was critical of the system of slavery, was a pioneering feminist. Answer Dorothy Smith Marianne Weber Harriet Martineau Emily Durkheim Patricia Wright Mills 10 points Question 2 This early sociologist helped to found the NAACP and was himself a prominent Black sociologist. Answer W.E.B. DuBois Booker T. Washington Jesse Martin Donald Black Read MoreSociological View on Deviance and Drug Use Essay8777 Words   |  36 Pagesas lacking loyalty, among cultures that have tendency toward understatement and non verbal communication, frankness may not be appreciated. Women and young people who are outspoken may be considered aggressive or disrespectful. In most cases, socialization effectively develops conforming citizens. However, human nature and society are too complex for us to expect absolute uniformity. Deviation does occur. Understanding deviance involves, at a basic minimum, at least three dimensions. It isRead MoreTheoretical Approaches to Domestic Violence7490 Words   |  30 Pagesperspectives. For example, approaches by Gelles and Straus, who have many essays and research on violence against women, sometimes support the class analysis perspective and sometimes the liberal perspective. Thus, classification of the literature about male violence to females and the definition of the researchers are difficult for the reader. 2.1. Definition of violence Violence is a popular subject for the last few years. There are different types, causes, definitions, and forms that occur at theRead MoreThe Effects of Socio-Economic Status on Students Achievements in Biology13494 Words   |  54 Pagescaused differential academic performance of students. In the quest of finding survival feet, the nation has evolved series of socio-economic and educational measures but these have not improved the socio-economic status of families in the country. It’s within this situation that this study examine the correlates of socio-economic status and students achievement in biology in few selected public and private schools in Ifako-ijaye Local government area of Lagos A person’s education is closely link to hisRead MoreCxc Mutipe Choice Questions13016 Words   |  53 Pagesfollowing groups does not consist mainly of Third World Countries? a) ACP b) EU c) OECS d) CARICOM Which of the following institutions is responsible for coordinating health services within CARICOM? a) Caribbean Ministries Of Health b) Caribbean Community Secretariat c) The World Health Organisation d) Pan American Health Organisation CARICOM is a Caribbean organisation of a) All the Caribbean territories b) The Caribbean territories that were colonised c) The independent territories of the CaribbeanRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesand Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past Sharon Hartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform

Segregation and Integration

Questions: 1. Who is the author of the document? 2. When was this document written? How long after the event was it written? 3. What is the subject of the document? 4. Where does the action contained in this document take place? Is it important to the subject of the document? What is the relationship of the author to the action? 5. Why did the author write this document? Who is his audience? What does he hope to gain from writing this document? What is his point of view? 6. Taking the above answers into account, how accurate do you find this document? What would be the drawbacks of using this document? What would this document help a historian to explain/analyze? Answers: 1. The author of the document: Booker T. Washington was an eminent Afro-American leader and educator. He was born in the plantation of James Burroughs, in Franklin County. He was born to an unknown white man and Jane, a slave cook. He began his early life as a slave in the Burroughss plantation. In 1872, he got admission in Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Hampton, Virginia. The principle of the institute believed in the utilitarian education of the Blacks. This philosophy later found expression in the later speeches and activities of Washington[1] .He laid emphasis on the vocational and industrial skills of the Blacks which came in contrast with the ongoing agitation for the civil and political rights of the Blacks. 2. Time period of the speech: This speech was delivered on September 18, 1895 at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta. Two years ago, in the year 1893, Washington had given a speech in Atlanta during the meeting of the Christian Workers. In the meeting he spoke about developing the industrial and vocational skills of the Blacks so that they could earn a decent living by their own efforts. His speech received positive response from the audience which comprised both the Blacks and Whites. This prompted the board of the Exposition decided to begin their meeting with this speech that he gave in front of the Christian Workers[2]. 3. The subject of the speech: The speech dealt with the Negro problem, that is, the degrading economic and social condition of the Blacks. He argued that only through hard work and constant struggle can the Blacks earn respect among the Whites. He was opposed to the agitation for the civil and political rights of the Blacks. His speech called for a shared responsibility between the two races where the Whites were appealed to trust the Blacks and the Blacks were also urged upon to stand by the Whites in both their good and bad times. In short, he was in favor of integration2. 4. The subject of the speech and the relationship between the author and the speech: The speech deals with the improvement in the economic and social condition of the Blacks. This speech came at a time when the Blacks were agitating for their civil and political rights. Washington seemed to strike the right chord when he showed his opposition to such political movements. He argued that such agitations were meaningless. The Blacks should concentrate on imbibing the vocational and industrial skills so that they can earn their own living. He was troubled over the racial trouble that went on in the South[3]. However, it was later discovered that Washington was keen on being friends with influential Whites which prompted him on making such a reconciliatory speech of compromise. As a matter of fact, Washington was supporting the political movement for the civil rights. 5. The reason behind the speech and the point of view of the author: The motive of Washington in making this speech was twofold. On the one hand, the speech was supposed to make the Blacks aware of the importance of earning their own living. In doing so, he urged the Whites to have belief and trust upon the Blacks. He also asked the Blacks to earn their respect by the productions of our own hands[4]. On the other hand, he also hoped to win the favor of the influential Whites through this Atlanta compromise. His audience consisted of both White and Black people. He hoped to get the attention of the Whites and prove his allegiance. Yet his speech was also inspiring since he tried to improve the existing relationship of the two races and also better the economic condition of the Blacks. The viewpoint of Washington was that it was fruitless to agitate for civil rights when the Blacks can earn their respect through hard work and struggle. The whites should trust the Blacks and the Blacks themselves should support the Whites as well. 6. The accuracy and the drawbacks of the speech: The speech by Washington was an inspiration for the Negroes. He moved the focus of the Blacks from the political agitation to their social conditions. However, later incidents showed that he was secretly supporting the Blacks movement for the political rights. Hence, it showed that every document of history needs to be verified with the help of events that occur simultaneously at the time the speech was made. Though the speech was made in earnest, the historian needs to keep in mind that not all recommendations or assertions made by the speaker need be true. Neither does it prove that the speaker had to follow all the assertions that he made in his speech. References: "American National Biography Online: Washington, Booker T.". Anb.Org. Last modified 2016. Accessed August 29, 2016. https://www.anb.org/articles/15/15-00737.html. "Atlanta Compromise Speech". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Last modified 2016. Accessed August 29, 2016. https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/atlanta-compromise-speech. "Booker T. Washington Delivers The 1895 Atlanta Compromise Speech". Historymatters.Gmu.Edu. Last modified 2016. Accessed August 29, 2016. https://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/39/. "The Rise And Fall Of Jim Crow . Jim Crow Stories . The Atlanta Compromise Speech | PBS". Pbs.Org. Last modified 2016. Accessed August 29, 2016. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_speech.html.

Tobacco Manufacturing US Market Research â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Tobacco Manufacturing US Market Research? Answer: Introduction In United States drinking and Smoking is causing serious trouble for people. The statistics of deaths from smoking is even greater than the demand that from alcohol. There is an inter relation between alcohol consumption and smoking. Beer and cigarette are considered as complement goods. People prefer to smoke while drinking beer. Therefore, any disturbance in either of the market affects the other market as well. Finally, the incidence of cigarette ban and reduction of the crime rate in Isle of Man has been evaluated. Beer, Wine and Cigarette Market In market for alcoholic beverages, Beer and Wine are counted as two important names. Wine is a drink that can be served to a large variety of occasion. United States is recorded as producing fourth largest volume of alcoholic beverages in the global market. Dominating brands in the Wine market are Bronco Wine Company, Treasury Wine Estates, the Wine Group E.J. Gallo Wine Company, and Constellation Brands. The numbers of Wine retailers are forecasted to increase by 2020 (statista.com, 2017). Average wine consumption has increased rapidly. Most buyer in the wine market are influenced by wine color. Beer is another widely consumed alcoholic beverages. The proportion of alcohol is least in beer. Breweries are categorized in two groups- micro-breweries and macro-breweries. The classification is made based on volume of production and size. The share of craft brew companies are raising continuously (cbsnews.com, 2017). Consumers buying pattern in the beer market is greatly influenced by outer packaging. In the tobacco market Cigarette is the widely consumed items. All groups of people- teenagers, young adults, and old adults consume cigarette. In the cigarette market, different brands of cigarettes are available (ibisworld.com, 2017). There are often foreign brand in increasing competition in the domestic market. There is a dependency between the consumption of beer and wine and that of cigarette. Cigarette is consumed together with wine or beer. People have a high tendency of smoking at times of drinking beer or wine. Hence, increase or decrease in prices of beer and wine affects Cigarette demand. The cross price elasticity between beer and cigarette is positive. This means a rise in price of beer leads to a reduced demand for cigarette for those who prefers cigarette at time of drinking beer. As suggested in the report smoking is more likely to be related with beer consumption than that of Wine (washingtonpost.com, 2017). Impact of health warnings on cigarette packaging on beer consumption Figure 1: effect on beer market for health warnings on cigarette packaging (Source: As created by the Author) There is a complementary relation between the consumption of beer and cigarette. People smoke more when they drink beer or other alcoholic beverages. In case of complementary goods demand of the two goods are dependent on each other. Health warnings on cigarette packaging spread awareness for injurious effect of smoking (Young?Wolff et al, 2014). As a result, demand for cigarette might decreases. DD shows the initial demand curve for beer. Those who drink beer at times of smoking demand beer less with a reduced demand for cigarette. In the beer market, the demand curve for beer will shift inward direction. The new demand curve is D1D1. Equilibrium in the beer market shifts from earlier E to e. If this happens, then price in the beer market will fall from P* to P1 and the quantity demanded will decrease from Q* to Q1. Therefore, heath warning on cigarette packaging affects beer market through its complementary consumption relation. Impact of yeast shortage on Cigarette purchase Figure 2: Impact of yeast shortage on Cigarette demand (Source: as created by the Author) Yeast is a important ingredient for making alcoholic beverages. Shortage of yeast will hamper the production of beer and lead to a shortage in the beer market. The shortage of supply in the beer market leads to a price increase in the beer market and hence a reduced demand for beer. When demand for beer reduces, the demand for its complementary goods cigarette decreases (Beard et al, 2017). Demand curve for cigarette shift from D1D1 to D2D2. The decreased demand for cigarette will lead to a decrease in both price and quantity purchase in the cigarette market. Isle of Man cigarette ban In order to reduce Crime rate in Isle of Man, a new strategy has been adapted. The strategy is to force the prisoners to give up smoking habit once they entered in the jail. Cigarette is an addictive item. The demand for addictive items is inelastic in nature. People do not want to sacrifice their addiction at any cost (van den Berg et al., 2013). The fear of being imprisoned is not enough for reducing the incidence of crime. Forcing criminals to give up smoking has made them thinking repeatedly before involving in criminal offenses like fighting, stealing or drug trading. It is the only non- smoking prison in Europe. Neither the guards nor the inmates are allowed for smoking in the premises, even not outside the building (dailymail.co.uk, 2017). With such a strict regulation, crime rate fell to 14% since opening of the jail. Prisoners coming to the jail have no other choice but to leave their addiction of cigarette. To help them to cope up with the situation counseling and nicotine patches are offered. With this, crime rates are declined largely. People caught for car stealing, number of assaults has recorded a decline. Giving up smoking is something that they really feared. It is working beyond the fear of punishment. Conclusion The paper analyzes alcohol and tobacco market in United States. Wine, beer and spirits are three important alcoholic beverages in US market. Consumption and sales of both Wine and beer is leading to an increase in death occurring from smoking and alcohol consumption. Beer and cigarette are complementary goods. While there is a health warning on cigarette consumption then demand for beer is likely to be reduced. Shortage of yeast crates supply shortage in beer market ad affects the purchase the cigarettes adversely. Strategy of smoking ban to reduce crime in Isle of Man has appeared as an effective way of reducing crime rates. References Beard, E., West, R., Michie, S., Brown, J. (2017). Association between smoking and alcohol?related behaviours: A time?series analysis of population trends in England.Addiction. Cigarette Tobacco Manufacturing in the US Market Research | IBISWorld. (2017).Ibisworld.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017, from https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-trends/market-research-reports/manufacturing/beverage-tobacco-product/cigarette-tobacco-manufacturing.html Drop in crime on Isle of Man attributed to Europe's only non-smoking prison. (2017).Mail Online. Retrieved 14 September 2017, from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1239209/Drop-crime-Isle-Man-attributed-Europes-non-smoking-prison.html Facts, U. (2017).Topic: Wine Market.www.statista.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017, from https://www.statista.com/topics/1541/wine-market/ U.S. smoking rate does something it hasn't in years. (2017).Cbsnews.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-smoking-rate-does-something-it-hasnt-in-years/ van den Berg, J. J., Bock, B., Roberts, M. B., Stein, L. A., Friedmann, P. D., Martin, S. A., Clarke, J. G. (2013). Cigarette smoking as an expression of independence and freedom among inmates in a tobacco-free prison in the United States.nicotine tobacco research,16(2), 238-242. Want people to drink less? Make their cigarettes more expensive. (2017).Washington Post. Retrieved 14 September 2017, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/10/27/want-people-to-drink-less-make-their-cigarettes-more-expensive/?utm_term=.6a90eaa33261 Young?Wolff, K. C., Kasza, K. A., Hyland, A. J., McKee, S. A. (2014). Increased cigarette tax is associated with reductions in alcohol consumption in a longitudinal US sample.Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research,38(1), 241-248.

Urban Villagers by Herbert J Gans Essay Example For Students

Urban Villagers by Herbert J Gans Essay Bostons West End is the most well documented neighborhood destroyed by urban renewal, made famous initially by Herbert Ganss book, The Urban Villagers, 1962. Although approximately 63 percent of the families displaced by urban renewal were African-American or Hispanic, this Boston community was mainly inhabited by working class Italians. It was a little piece of Italy, with narrow winding streets alive with urban social life. Too crowded and unAmerican for the middle class tastes of City planners, it fell to the bulldozer in 1959 and was replaced by high rise, expensive apartment buildings. It is difficult for me to isolate the impact of *URBAN VILLAGERS*. Inmy experience it was but one contribution to growing criticism of urbanrenewal in the early 1960s and, with that, the physical orientation ofurban planning that urban renewal represented. Shortly after it waspublished I was both a writing my dissertation in urban geography atClark University and a project director in urban renewal, so Iwitnessed the impact in both urban renewal planning circles and in themore academic arena. We will write a custom essay on Urban Villagers by Herbert J Gans specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now It was part of the drum of criticism that led tothe 1966 Model Cities Act and the redefinition of urban renewal andrethinking of the field of urban planning.I think the impact of the *URBAN VILLAGERS* might best evaluated aspart of a creeping barrage of critical writing led off by Jacobs and*Death and Life . . . * in 1961. *Urban Villagers* was published in63 and Martin Anderson weighed in from the right in 64 with *The FederalBulldozer*. At the same time planners such as Paul Davidoff (Advocacyand Pluralism in Planning JAIP, 1965) were mounting a critique withinthe field of planning. (Jay Steins *Classic Readings in UrbanPlanning* 1995 includes some writing from this period. ) In 1965,The National Council of Mayors published *With Heritage So Rich* whichdocumented the destruction of historic buildings caused by urban renewaland served as the mandate for the National Historic Preservation Act of1966. Although not concerned with urban renewal directly, Blakes*Gods Own Junkyard* (1964) was a popular and graphically arrestingtreatment of the trashing of the built environment. My own memory isthat so much was being written that we were responding to the larger At the same time the Federal urban renewal program was trying to moveaway from the great emphasis on redevelopment by demolition with theinitiation of the Community Renewal Program (CRP) in 1959, which wasmore neighborhood and socially oriented. And the final element I willthrow in this stew is the Highway Act of 1962 which started themetropolitan transportation studies, the goal of which was to bring theinterstate system to cities. Many cities such as Hartford tried tocoordinate the urban interstate system with urban renewal; elsewherethe transportation planning of the state and the local urban renewalI would say, speaking from being in the trenches at that time, that the*Urban Villagers* did not have a big direct impact on urban renewal incities but, along with others, laid the groundwork for changingprograms and practice. Urban renewal was a juggernaut, and work such asGans and others may have intensified urban renewal as its adocates andsupporters sensed they had a limited time to get their work done. Thevalue of Gans book was that it moved some of Jacobs generalizationsinto a specific neighborhood and ethnic context that could be relatedto other areas. To those of us working in Massachusetts who knew thehistory of the BRA and the North End, it was a particularly scathingI hope this helps. .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645 , .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645 .postImageUrl , .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645 , .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645:hover , .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645:visited , .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645:active { border:0!important; } .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645:active , .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645 .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u04c047f584962b9c7ab56871fec99645:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: State Competition and Higher Education: A Race to Essay I would be very interested in what you find becauseI think the *Urban Villagers* has become as important for its symbolismProfessor of Urban Affairs and GeographyBibliography:me andu

David Pham Tran Essays (371 words) - Cinema Of The United States

David Pham Tran Essays (371 words) - Cinema Of The United States David Pham Tran AP Lit Oct 5th Summer Novel Reading - The Help by Kathryn Stockett Persuasive Paragraph: If you are trying to get woke, then you should definitely read this book. This book is a bit longer than four hundred pages but it is going to be worth your time. If you don't want to read the book, then the movie carries the same message just as breathtaking as the book. I'm not saying you should watch the movie instead of the book. I'm just trying to say that you should experience The Help one way or another. The Help brings some political aspects to readers due to its main take on African-Americans in the 60s. It also is a feel-good book because it gives readers a sense of justice being served in both meaningful and humorous ways. This book is a platform for minorities, especially African-Americans, to raise awareness about privilege and racism. The author didn't use many expansive and complex vocabularies, therefore, making the book very easy to read and understand. The reading level of this book is probably for 8th grade and up. You should read this book to expand your understan ding of inequality in American. How to Read Literature Like a Professor Paragraph: The Help by Kathryn Stockett is the perfect illustration of the five quest elements. The quester here is Skeeter, a Caucasian woman, trying to give oppressed African-American maids through her book. The second quest element could be when Skeeter sneak into the home where the maids gather. Skeeter sneaking into the home so she could interview the maids about their life for her book is the third element, the reason. The fourth element, challenges and obstacles, would be Hilly Brooks or the maids' refusal to be in the book at first. Hilly Brooks could be considered the main obstacle in the book because oppressors like her inflict fear upon the maids causing the to fear punishment for speaking against Caucasians. The final element is the real reason, the moral lesson, behind the journey. Skeeter learn that all these women have been suffering all their life and they have to keep it all to themselves. These women don't have a voice for themselves.

Chinese Women in late 19th century and early 20th century Essay

Chinese Women in late 19th century and early 20th century - Essay Example The subsequent changes during the late 19th century and early 20th century are perfectly elaborated by Kay Ann Johnson in her book Women, the Family and Peasant Revolution, where she has enlightened the various topics like the traditional Confucian marriage culture and the family crisis of 1920. Johnson talks about the pre revolutionary stage and post revolutionary stage and goes on explaining the role of women in terms of labor.1 She elaborates about the family crisis of 20th century and the family reform in order to acquire the proper family. But in order to get this task executed and to support the family reform, more over through the inspiration offered by Chinese communist Party during revolution. Women started working in various fields so that they can earn as well as save their earnings and thus help in increasing the socio economic status of the family through their contribution. As in once the females start working they will start earning wages and, the socio economic status or power dynamics within the family would automatically elevated to the next level. During the revolutionary period as mentioned above, revolutionary forces accosted a traditional family system which was already criticized, to resolve the issues related with the family reformation. But it was not easy for all the people to cope-up with the situation as the Confucian system was signifying the disintegration and thus was under pres sure. There were many factors causing the variations in family reformation including psychological, economical, intellectual powers which always characterized the downfall of dynasties. But for poor rural women of china the early 20th century crisis bought inexplicit effects for family reform. As a result of this crisis the women were forced to lose their traditional role in society. Thus an increase in poverty and migration was recorded. Hence the women were force to join any industry. In order to fight this family crisis, Chinese came up with an idea of implementing small cooperatives at all villages. The main aim of such cooperatives was to increase the women's active participation in the production so that they can support the economy. The most common tasks were related to handicraft and textile industry which included sewing, weaving and spinning. The reason behind selecting these tasks was that these were practiced traditionally in some parts at home earlier. But some handicra ft work was hampered in recent generations due to the introduction of more efficient, modern and foreign industry. But the women who had retained those handicraft skills were encouraged to provide training to other women in small groups. Hence many women got involved in household production. Moreover women got indulged in manufacturing uniforms, blankets, shoes and socks for red army. 2 Situation Forced Women Into Production One more major reason behind the Chinese women getting involved in production was that the young boys and men were recruited for the army by revolutionaries, moreover by Chinese Communist party. Johnson raised the question against the role of Chinese communist party in fighting for the rights of Chinese women. Johnson states that the Chinese communist party has fought actively in order to accomplish the changes that were vital for its continued survival such as the party encouraged

The expansion and settlement of the U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

The expansion and settlement of the U.S - Essay Example However, this process of incorporation and inclusion of territories that had not previously been part of the United States was not something that came about on its own. Instead, it was encouraged by the government, by the press, and by individuals within the United States as something of a â€Å"manifest destiny†. As this confusing phrase implies, the destiny was that the United States was predisposed to conquer and occupy all of the territory between the Atlantic and Pacific, stretching all the way to Mexico in the South and all the way to Canada in the North. The primary rationale for this manifest destiny was that God had given the United States a unique opportunity and all of the lands that it was to occupy. Naturally, this particular rationale is reminiscent of the way in which the God of the Old Testament had given the land of Canaan to the Israelites as immutable; upon their exodus from Egypt. In terms of defense ability, this particular rationale is of course completel y and entirely indefensible. None of the individuals, whether members of the press, members of the government, where members of the individual society, has spoken with God and were able to definitively conclude that this is what you want. Furthermore, such a behavior trampled upon the rights of indigenous peoples and those that had otherwise laid claim to the regions that the United States slowly incorporated into the

Don't ask, don't tell, policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Don't ask, don't tell, policy - Essay Example One of the greatest arguments against this policy is in regard to what an individual’s sexual orientation has to do with serving in the United States military. Being gay, lesbian, or bisexual is not a physical anomaly or something mental or psychological that would prevent that person from performing their military duties to the best of their ability. It is a way of life, but not something that effects how a person lives or serves their country. As such, a person’s sexual orientation should not be considered when a person is trying to join the military to fight for the freedom of their people, a concept which is seen as almost hypocritical: people of the gay community are not free to be themselves when wanting to join the military, yet the purpose of the military is to continue to fight for the freedom of people that are still oppressed, which can be seen as the gay community in the eyes of the United States military. The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy is among one of the most discriminatory policies in existence in the United States. In a country that prides itself on openness, acceptance, and diversity, the military fails at displaying many of these concepts (Belkin & Bateman, 2003). Bluntly stated, the United States military sexually discriminates every time that an openly gay, lesbian or bisexual individual makes it know that they want to join the military, though this accusation is often denied and a nonsense excuse is made up as to why people open about their orientation should not be in the military. The most favorable of these excuses is the living arrangements, with the military being concerned about the comfort of its members should an openly gay person join their ranks and their close living quarters. It should be none of the military’s concern what the sexual beliefs of their members are, just as long as they are physically, mentally and emotionally

A Study On The Role Play Development Teaching Essay

A Study On The Role Play Development Teaching Essay Play is almost universally recognized as an integral factor in childrens learning and development. For example, Macintyre (2001, 4) quotes Isaacs 1933 description of play: Play is the crucial component in childrens development, and adds that everyone concerned with young children should recognise and value the different kinds of understanding developed through play (Macintyre 2001, 3-4). Although different play activities promote childrens in different ways, Keenan (2002) identifies a number of areas of development that are impacted or enhanced by play, including cognition, language and communication, social, and emotional. The recent Curriculum guidance for children from three through the reception year (Foundation Stage) ephasizes learning opportunities and experiences ; for example, the area of language and literacy was broadened to include communication and emphasized the importance of developing literacy through play and advocates play and exploration as a basis for literacy learning in the early years (Miller and Smith 2004, 122). Within the Early Years curriculum, role play is an excellent example of a play activity that promotes many areas of development. Before examining the ways role play promotes development in children, it is helpful to define both play and role play. Macintyre (2001, 3) defines play as activity that is enjoyable, gives pleasure, and undertaken by the player freely, that is, it can be abandoned at any time without blame. Play further has no preconceived outcome; the agenda can develop as play goes on (Macintyre 2001, 3). Additionally, play allows the player to develop skills which are important in non-play situations, such as development of social skills (Macintyre 2001, 3). Children around age three and four begin to enjoy imaginative role play in twos or small groups (OHagan and Smith 2004, 36). As a particular play activity, role play is a type of imaginative play, where children assume roles outside their real world place. Role play allows children to construct proximities between themselves and others in their lives. Piagets theory of development contends infants first engage in pretend play around eighteen months, acting out imaginary activities and using real objects to represent imagined objects, such as pretending a television remote is a telephone (Keenan 2002, 123). Children may participate in limited role play at this point if directed by an older person. However, cooperative role play, where children instigate their own roles and story line, are rarely undertaken by children before three years of age (Keenan 2002, 200). According to Vygotsky, children engage in pretend play roles beyond their current stage in life, such as taking on adult roles, such as a parent, teacher or doctor, or roles as adolescents or older children(Keenan 2002, 135). Through pretend play, children place themselves in a zone of proximal development, where they play at a level which is in advance of their real capabilities (Keenan 2002, 135) Cognitively, role play promotes development in several ways. First, it allows children practice in ordering their thoughts and develop understanding. Piaget believed that children were active agents of their own learning and that the major task for them was to develop an ability to organize experiences and learn from them in a way which enables them to make sense of the world (OHagan and Smith 2004, 10). Role play activities are the highest form of symbolic play, encompassing two types of cognitive operation which are necessary for conservation, namely reversibility and decentration (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). Children are able to freely leave the roles they take on, as indicated in the free participation concept introduced in the definition of play above. This reversibility indicates cognitively children are awareness that they can abandon their assumed role and return to reality at any time (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). The cognitive ability of decentration involves childrens understanding that the person in the role play scenario is really them, yet is also simultaneously the role undertaken (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). Cognitively, this means children must preserve the imaginary identity of toys or play materials despite the fact that they are perceptually and/or functionally inadequate (the issue being the conservation of identity) (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). In such pretend play, children learn that the objects they use can be separated from their normal referents, and that they can stand for other things (Keenan 2002, 135). This object will typically be similar in some way, such as size or shape, to the pretend object in the role play, causing the children to practice analogous thinking skills where they related an item not available to them to another available object (Keenan 2002, 135). The development of language and communication skills are recognized as closely linked to childrens thinking and conceptual development (OHagan and Smith 2004, 18). In addition to cognitive development, role play offers important development opportunities in the areas of language and communication. This can be intentional, such as when parents or other older players in the role play intentionally support vocabulary development by introducing names of things during the context of play (Keenan 2002, 154). However, the opportunity to talk and verbally interact with others in the role play further presents a powerful way of learning even when no intentional instruction occurs (OHagan and Smith 2004, 18). In role play, children learn to use language as a form of symbolic representation, and also communicate symbolically through dramatic play (OHagan and Smith 2004, 25). Such symbolic play encourages the development of language comprehension (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). Fantasy role play encourages explicit and expressive speech due to its symbolic nature. Role enactment and the use of various objects have different functions in play and in real life, therefore the child-player-must define these symbolic transformations verbally, so that they have a clear (recognisable) meaning and are comprehensible to his or her playmates (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). In this way role play promotes the communicative skills of its players. The symbolic elements of fantasy play, like role and object transformations, enable the child to use lexicographic meanings and explicit speech (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). Socially, role play typically involves several other children and/or adults. Keenan (2002) discusses Partens theory that such cooperative play is the most complex form of play, as it includes behaviours such as social pretend play where children take on pretend roles (Keenan 2002, 200). The children involved in the role play talk to one another as part of the play, developing their imaginative situations in a co-operative manner. Umek and Musek (2001, 56) report Smilanskys (1968) contention that role play activities promote the childs social development. When children use role enactment, they have to reach a consensus about the play theme, the course of events and the transformation of roles and play materials. This can only be achieved when individuals transcend their egocentrism and develop the ability to empathise (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). Children further build relationships with the other children or adults with whom they play. Although such relationships are often temporary, such play causes children to express a preference for certain friends and play regularly with them; during the Early Years period there is usually, but always, some preference for play with children of the same sex, but there is still a good deal of mixed play (OHagan and Smith 2004, 36). Role players share symbolic meanings with each other and assign imaginary roles in their pretend play, both providing opportunities for social development (Keenan 2002, 203). Co-operative pretend play also is usually based on the childrens understanding of the social rules of their culture (Keenan 2002, 135). Therefore, a child behaving badly in the role play will be punished by the child in the parent role. Vygotsky held that as such role play was an important context in which children learned about the social world (Keenan 2002, 135). Childrens play is constrained by the rules which guide behaviour in these roles, and, because of this, they learn about the social norms that are expected of people (Keenan 2002, 135). Role play can be an important component in childrens emotional development. Around eighteen months, the increase in language and symbolic thought allows some feelings to be expressed through imaginative play (OHagan and Smith 2004, 27). Prior to this childrens options were limited to physical displays such as crying, hitting, or facial expressions. This can promote childrens emotional development, as it allows them to learn to express their wants and needs, and become emotionally aware of the wants and needs of others. For example, role play can allow children to act out their fears, such as going to the doctor or being punished (OHagan and Smith 2004, 36). These fears might develop from an experience the child has had, such as having a painful injection at the doctors office, or a perceived fear, such as concern over anticipated punishment. Role play can also help chilren develop self-efficacy. Even young children have a strong desire to be right or successful, and will avoid areas where they expect to fail (Macintyre 2001, 4). However, if children can try things with no fear of failure they are more likely to stretch out and tackle things they might otherwise avoid (Macintyre 2001, 4). Since there is no defined end product, there is no fear or experience of failure. Children are empowered through the communication skills developed in role play, as they can express their feelings freely, can negotiate their wishes and needs and develop self-confidence and self-esteem (OHagan and Smith 2004, 18) This self-efficacy can both be encouraged in actions and in emotional expression; role play teaches children healthy and appropriate expressions of emotion. OHagan and Smith (2004, 38) studied groups of young children who viewed adults handling a situation, with each group seeing a different emotional response. One group viewed the adults as dealing with the issue by becoming angry and physically aggressive, and were later observed to emotionally deal with a similar situation in a similar manner, i.e. with anger and physical aggression. OHagan and Smith (2004, 36) contend this reinforces Banduras claim that children learn from models in their lives, particularly those they view as similar to themselves, who have a nurturing relationship with them, or who they perceive as powerful and competent (OHagan and Smith 2004, 39). Symbolic play, such as role play, should certainly form an important part of the preschool curriculum but preschool teachers should bear in mind that the quality of a childs play will be determined by general characteristics of development as well as by the play context (Umek and Musek 2001, 63). In the classroom, role play can be encouraged through the use of story and related play objects. For example, reading stories that include a kitchen and having a play kitchen available encourages children to first repeat the story through role play, then diverge and develop their own story lines. OHagan and Smith (2004, 58) present a typical classroom element, a home corner complete with dressing-up clothes and various objects for domestic play. Role play can be used for many learning purposes, such as to reinforce desired behaviour or assess childrens understanding of material. A teacher is trying to encourage sharing amongst her pupils. In this scenario, the teacher could role play with the children, demonstrating and reinforcing that sharing is a desireable activity. The activity could then be extended, with children being allowed to continue the play without teacher involvement, by later drawing pictures, and/or talking about the role play in a circle time or similar sharing opportunity. Back to: Example Essays Finally, role play can also enhance a teachers evaluation of childrens attainments, as the children will demonstrate their abilities in a number of areas during a typical role play activity. In practice, children can achieve higher levels of individual cognitive functions (conservation, one-to-one correspondence, decentration) in their symbolic play than they demonstrate when the same mental operations are tested and measured in formal, non-play, situations (Umek and Musek 2001, 64). As such, observations and assessment based on role play can be highly valuable in the classroom environment. REFERENCES Keenan, T. 2002. An Introduction to Child Development. London: Sage. Macintyre, C. Enhancing Learning Through Play. London: David Fulton. Miller, L. 2001. Shaping Early Childhood through the Literacy Curriculum. Early Years, 21(1): 107-116. Miller, L. and Smith, A.P. 2004. Practitioners beliefs and childrens experiences of literacy in four early years settings. Early Years, 24(2): 121-133. OHagan, M. and Smith, M. 2004. Early Years Child Care and Education: Key Issues. Edinburgh: Bailliere Tindall.

Online Travel Industry :: essays research papers

Online Travel Industry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Internet travel bookings have been very prosperous these past couple of years. During the first three months of 2005, Internet travel bookings grew about 20 percent in the United States from the year earlier. Companies like Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz are putting more emphasis on selling to corporations and expanding in foreign markets. Travel has become one of the Web’s most developed categories. According to comScore, â€Å"online leisure travel bookings reached about $51 billion last year, or 44 percent of all online sales. Roughly 30 percent of all travel bookings occur online, which is a far greater share than retailing stores.† Between 2001 and 2003, leisure travel bookings more than tripled,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  to $43 billion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the September 2001 attacks, the travel supplier industry had to take action in order to stay profitable. The industries tried desperately to reach consumers by offering discounted airfares and hotel prices, but the industry did not have enough money to support the advertising and marketing of these bargains and deals that they offered after the September attacks. The industry then turned to companies like Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Priceline in order to advertise their bargains. These companies became great allies to the suppliers by selling hotel and airline bookings at hefty prices.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to save even more money, the travel industry began to reduce the number of cut-rate rooms and airline seats they offered through travel agencies, while increasing efforts to attract customers directly to their Web sites, where they could sell their products commission-free.

British Gas Business Essay

A review of the British Gas Businesses current approach to collating, storing and using HR data within the organisation. Findings Below you will find an overview of some of the data that the HR function within British Gas Business collects. Within this report I will identify two reasons why British Gas Business needs to collect HR data, and the current methods in which we store the data. I will also briefly touch upon some key legislation which if compliant, will reduce any financial or legal risks to the organisation. Absence Performance – appraisals, Learning and Development (L&D) activity Employee Engagement results Equality/Diversity – To meet legal requirements Recruitment – Contractual information Employee Information â€Å"Accurate personnel records will help the organisation in many ways – increasing the efficiency of recruitment, training and development, and promotion. They can also provide the raw data to monitor equal opportunities issues and the legal requirements placed on all organisations† [ACAS: Online 30th November 2014]. One of the areas where there is need for collation of data is we are able to track volumes of employees currently being performance managed within the organisation to then further identify whether this is a behavioral or skill issue where further training is required. This then helps us to define our learning programmes moving forward and tailor the content around any shortfalls which may have been identified through Training Needs Analysis (TNA) within performance management. Another area that the HR function collates data for is for Absence. â€Å"This is one of the longest-running causes of serious concern to managers. Unapproved absence from work causes a multitude of problems to managers and involves the organisation in significant extra costs†. (Currie et al, 2010, p.293). All absence data within each business unit (and then business wide across British Gas) is centralised using the data base Absence Manager. This helps us to track against our performance and resourcing for people and establish  whether recruitment or redundancy plans would benefit the long term strategy of the organisation. The Human Resource function currently use an Information System (HRIS) which runs alongside our main billing system called SAP. Within SAP all Line managers have access to view employee information (direct reports only), process secondments or job role changes, and change manage details. The benefit of this is that the data is easily accessible and is consistent in line with any people movements within the business. Alongside this system there is also a requirement for some documentation to be stored manually. This is then kept for 6 years, regardless of whether that individual is still in employment with British Gas Business. This is beneficial for any documentation which requires employee signatures or verification. This could be disciplinary documentation to any learning that has taken place. Using the internal HRIS British Gas Business complies with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, which covers the security and confidentiality of the retention of data. We do this by ensuring that access to the HR online system is done only registered through authorised access and then a further password security check. British Gas Business also ensures that it keeps written documentation for no longer than 6 years in line with the Principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). Once documentation reaches this age we contract to a disposal company to safely dispose of all confidential waste. The HR function also complies with all Subject Access Requests (SAR’s) which is governed by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act). Customers are able to place requests in writing to access all information held about them or their business on the organisations systems. The customer pays a one of fee of ten pounds and they are then issued with the information within 40 days of their request. Key Findings British Gas Business is fully compliant with all key legislation in collecting and storing data within the organisation. I see no risk, financially or strategically from the methods we are currently using. Bibliography Web ACAS. (2014). Personnel Data. Available: http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=717. Last accessed 30th November 2014. Books Currie, D (2010). Introduction to Human Resource Management. 2nd ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel Development. 293 Introduction – Activity 2 Analysis of absence data for the Customer Care function of British Gas Business from high level reported case volumes, to understanding the gender split of the absence recorded. Summary By analysing the data collated from our absence records, we can establish trends to enable the organisation to look to implement preventative measures to reduce overall long term absence levels. key findings Absence from the British Gas Business – Customer Care function is currently at its highest levels since 2010. The average number of days taken as absence within the short term sickness (STS) criteria (under 20 consecutive days), has increased from 4.6 to 5.5 days per employee per rolling 52 weeks. The increase in long term sickness (LTS) registered within the organisation has increased by 0.8% over the past 4 years. LTS cases for 2014 are split into the following reasons for absence and then subsequently by gender for all Stress (Work related) / Mental Illness reported absences. Of the 45 LTS stress (Work) related cases registered in 2014, 23 were for male employees. This shows us a change in trend from previous years. For the first time in over 4 years we can see the greater proportion of stress (Work) /mental illness related absences is now reported by the male employee population. conclusions In 2011 British Gas Business began its journey in implementing a new billing system. We can see a noticeable trend in the years following on from the  start of this journey, with the volume of work induced stress related absences reported within the function. Throughout the function we have also seen a high natural attrition in the leadership team in 2014. This means that we now have less experienced leadership population who are progressing our people through their long term sickness absences. Recommendations Identify potential learning gaps through Training Needs Analysis (TNS) – â€Å"Test and Play† drop in sessions for all employees – Full review of the learning documentation and the online learning environment Wellbeing events throughout the system change timeline to be ran throughout the function i.e. exercise programmes, healthy eating, fitness checks, stop smoking programmes. Engagement temperature checks amongst the employee population Team leader workshops in identifying stress and supporting employees Review the benefits package for the leadership population to reduce churn Validation of the process within the leadership teams from day 1 of absence registered, through the fruition of policy outcomes Wellbeing days across function for all levels to understand support tools references – Data British Gas Business – Absence Manager Data sample from 2010 – 2014. Accessed on the 17th November 2014. British Gas Business – HR Function – Team Leader Exit data – 2014. Accessed on the 19th November 2014.

Abudhabi essays

Abudhabi essays Largest of the seven component parts of the United Arab, Abu Dhabi has a history that stretches back many thousands of years. The first trace of Abu Dhabi dates back to the 16th century AD, when a book published by a traveling court jeweler from Venice mentioned a list of islands in the southern Arabian Gulf. To one of them he gave the name Sirbeniast or Bani Yas, evidence that the Bani Yas confederation of tribes, led for the last 250 years by the family of President his highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and must already have achieved a degree of prominence in the region. The Bani Yas themselves first appeared in history first appeared in history in the early 17th century, when they are reported to have been involved in around 1633 in a major battle between the coast and Liwa with an advancing army from Oman. Historical records trace the origins of what was to become the emirate back at least as far as the late 17th or early 18th century to the reign of somewhat misty figure named Nahyan. He was succeeded by a son, Isa, and by the middle of the century, his son, Dhiyab bin Isa, and become the Sheikh of the Bani Yas, with his main base in the liwa oasis, deep in the desert. To Sheikh Dhiyab goes the credit of establishing the present-day Abu Dhabi, said to have been founded in 1761. A tribal legend tells the tale of a party once hunters from Liwa who visisted the coast, and saw the tracks of a gazelle leading out across the sabkha, salt flats. Following the trail, they found it had come to a narrow inlet of the sea, which it had then crossed, to an island just offshore. Their pursuit continued, and, following the tracks through a thick sea mist, they came upon a gazelle, the discovery of water on an offshore island was of more importance. Returning to Liwa, the hunters reported their find to sheikh Dhiyab. Recognizing its significance, he ordered that a settlement be established on the island, which nam...

Orbitals essays

Orbitals essays Moving Object has wave like characteristics Particles really do have wave-like properties, it just took a while for us to notice them. It wasn't discovered until 1925 that electrons do have wave characteristics. An American physicist, Clinton Davisson, was working with Lester Germer at Bell Labs reflecting electrons. An apparatus containing a nickel target was damaged, breaking the vacuum and ruining the prepared sample of nickel. Davisson and Germer heated the nickel to use it again, unintentionally fusing it into large crystals. When electrons were scattered off these crystals, diffraction patterns were observed, demonstrating that electrons have wave characteristics. We treat a light wave as a ray of light if the wavelength of the light is smaller than the size of objects that it encounters. If the wavelength is about the same size or larger than objects it encounters, we must acknowledge the wave properties of the light. An electron of course is a particle. We know its mass, charge, and some real-world effects that demonstrate the particular nature of an electron. Diffraction is fundamentally a wave property. Even if we could explain diffraction in terms of particles, the explanation in terms of waves is the simplest one- that's what it means to say that the electrons behave as waves. Quantum Number The quantum number indicates how far the orbital is from the nucleus. Electrons are farther away for higher values of n. By Coulombs law we know that electrons, which are closer to the positively charged nucleus, are more powerfully attracted and thus have lower potential energies. Electrons of orbitals with higher values of n, being farther away from the nucleus, have greater potential energies. In a given atom, all the atomic orbitals with the same n are known as a shell. n can take on integer values of 1 or higher (ex. 1, 2, 3, etc.).The Quantum numb...

Energy Conservation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Energy Conservation - Research Paper Example The need for finding alternative resources of energy has become key driver of change for promoting sustainable development within and outside the business paradigms. The alternative resources of energy and energy conservation have become need of the hour that needs to be addressed within the lifestyle pattern of contemporary society at large. Resources for energy The various resources of energy are primarily electricity, solar, hydro energy processes, oil and gases, wood etc. The myriad forms of energy resources have been indiscriminately used by the people at large, including household and business units. Shove (2003) explicitly says that energy consumption is intangibly driven by convenience, habit and social norms. The usage only becomes visible when one is forced to pay for it through regular bills like, electricity bills, water bills, oil etc. Energy produced by various means is using natural resources like water, air and forest resources as their key inputs. The oil and gases u sed within transportation, industrial production of energy etc have become important ingredients that need to be considered within the wider scope of long term usage. Energy consumption and impact on environment sustainability The limited natural resources like water, fresh air and land are being used with scarce regard to it as future legacy for our children. The essential paradigm of consumption must become major concern for the users who must develop action plan for sustainable strategy for efficient use of energy in various formats like electricity, solar, oil and gas etc. Deforestation and migration of population has dramatically changed the dynamics of growth. It has not only adversely impacted the environment but scholars have also asserted that that extreme weather conditions and natural calamities are much greater when they occur in regions having poor infrastructure, huge populations etc. (Pielke et al., 2003). Factors that promote energy conservation and preservation It h as become important that one is able to constructively contribute towards environmental conservations and social issues which have considerable impact on the sustainable development. The consumption pattern plays significant part in the energy conservation process not only within household but also in industrial contexts. The following are few strategies that promote energy conservation: Behavioral strategy based on information and motivation Dissemination of relevant information greatly empowers the society and helps inculcate habit of energy conservation within the daily routine of the people. Many scholars also believe that increasing prices of energy like electricity, oil and gases etc may become major motivators for efficient use of the same (Jackson, 2005; Geller, Winett, and Everett, 1982; Cook and Berrenberg, 1981). Social norms and constraints The socially constructed norms and institutional designs of social interaction models are mostly defined by the lifestyle, convenien ce and historical contexts of consumption pattern (Shove, 2003; Sanne, 2002). The various appliances and gizmos that technology has developed for improving and facilitating the living standard of the masses are key linkages that dictate the energy consumption in the contemporary times. Waste management Effective waste management is one of the most crucial paradigms of energy conserv

What Is The Level Of Agricultural Protectionism In The Developed World Essay

What Is The Level Of Agricultural Protectionism In The Developed World And Why Does It Occur - Essay Example Avoiding too much importing will protect the countries, especially developed, to lose the balance of trade as well as local businesses in their country. It protects its countries local industries to decline. According to Hussein Haeri, 'Agricultural protectionism' in the European Union takes many guises, such as "domestic support policies, import barriers, and export subsidies,3" to name a few measures. In fact, the European Common Agricultural Policy accounts for almost half of the European Union's budget. This results in significant distortions in both European and international agricultural markets. (Haeri, 2001) In the event of educating the poorer countries with regards to the benefits of 'free trade' the EU adopts and formulated policies, which restrain the trading of agricultural products freely or at a lower tariff. While the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer, some rich countries are hiding in disguises. Agricultural protectionism occurs because when tariff levels are low, the productivity of the farms of the developed countries will be low. It is not difficult to see why price supports for dairy, sugar, peanuts, tobacco, and other U.S. farm products have led to protectionist policies. In recent years, for example, domestic prices of U.S. dairy products frequently have been two to three times world prices. The case of sugar, for which domestic price in mid-1986 was about four times world price, is even more dramatic. Without rigid import controls, consumers would undermine domestic price support programs by substituting lower priced imports for price-supported products including sugar, butter, cheese, and peanuts. (Pasour, n.d) 2.b) What form does it take and effect does it have. Agricultural protectionism comes in discreet forms. They over ride in domestic support policies, import barriers, and export subsidies. The effects of agricultural protectionism are: Farmers and other workers are not permitted to do their activities such as farming, etc. It is their field and because of agricultural protectionism, they are not allowed to do their job of which they are most productive. If farmers and other workers can't do their forte, they cannot gain enough income and benefits, thus they became poor. Billions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies are paid to U.S, European and Japanese farmers which depress world prices and make it tougher for our farmers to earn a decent return for their hard work," Mr Vaile said. (Vaile, 2005) The high global cost of goods deprives the poor ones to buy enough for their living. Commercialize agricultural goods that are not usually good for the health. Flooding of their (developing countries) domestic market (import surges) with products sold on the world market at less than their cost of production. (n.d) Displacement of local trading capacity which was intended to, and in some circumstances initially did, fill the void left following the deregulation of local markets and associated dismantling of parastatals. (n.d) Worsen the global poverty by imposing high import tariffs for small or developing countries, so instead of pulling up those developing countries, many of which have dived down to poverty due to these factors. Increased tradeproblems, tensions and job losses. For sugar, the deterioration of economic conditions which initially curtailed imports into major Asian markets has also led to a substantial drop in imports into the Russian. (FAO, n.d) Tight supplies in the vegetable oil market, particularly emanating from a drought-induced contraction in palm oil availability from major Asian producing countries, boosted prices, while oilmeal prices suffered from a decline in the demand for animal feeds in crisis-affected regions, accentuated by abundant supplies of

Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Report - Coursework Example The objective of this investigation is to solve and look at some of the mathematical questions asked in the report. The main research topic of this mathematical investigation is maximization and minimization of variables (Berry & Ken 1995 pp24). The report aims to use differentiation in determining the maximum as well as the minimum variables in the question asked. In this section of the report, the report focuses on finding solutions to numerous questions asked in the report. The questions have different approaches but under the same topic. All the questions are based on maximum and minimum variables. The solutions to the mathematical issues are given below as; In conclusion, the research purpose was to compare between the giant and feel the fear. The aim was to determine which is bigger, the first question and the second question are the determinants for the research question. In order to determine the maximum and the minimum variables in each question, calculations were used following the processes that are used to approach mathematical issues such as the modelling of mathematics. Mathematical modelling is essential and relevant in solving certain mathematical problems. Each question asked in the report is answered accordingly through the use mathematical modelling and other important tips involved in approaching such mathematical

Germination experiment Essay Example for Free

Germination experiment Essay Method: 1. Put some soil in every beaker and make sure it is almost the same amount 2. Place 5 beans inside each beaker at the same level beneath the soil 3. Pour 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 ml of water in each beaker respectively and keep watering them every 2 days 4. Leave the beakers close to a good light source 5. After a week record the length of the stem of the plants in each beaker Variables: 1. Dependant: Height and growth of the plants 2. Independent: Amount of water 3. Controlled: Where the beakers are placed, amount of soil, amount of seeds, type of seeds, how often the plats are watered (Initially it was decided that the amount of water we would use would be 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 ml but we decided to lower the amount of water so that the plants wouldn’t drown) Results: amount of water (ml) Length of plants (cm) average length (cm) Â   Conclusion: The first thing we can see from the results is a boundary in the amount of water in relation with the beaker size and the amount of soil. In the table we can see that after the 20ml of water the seeds drowned and so they didn’t grew at all. But if we take in comparison the length of the plants in the beaker with 20ml with the one with 10ml we can see that with more water the germination takes place faster. For example in the results table we have the average growth of the plant of about 10. 5 cm and in the 20ml an average growth of 17. 8, so evidently we can say that the hight the amount of water, the faster the seeds will germinate and the higher they will grow. Evaluation: I think that in general this experiment was carried out fairly in terms of the type of seed, thay were kept in a well lit place, all the beakers had the same soil and the same amount of it, etc. The problem was that the plants were drowned so we couldn’t get a good set of results, so if he experiment had to be carried out again I would set a limit of water to allow the plants to actualy germinate.

ministers black veil :: essays research papers

â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. Hooper is the minister of the town of Milford. One Sunday, Mr. Hooper decides to come to church wearing a black veil. He delivers his sermon while wearing the black veil even though his parishioners shy away from him and the veil adds an ominous touch to the service. After church he goes to mingle with the congregation outside, while continuing to wear the veil, and people act like they don’t know him, don’t walk beside him, and forget to invite him out to lunches that are a traditional part of Sundays there. That afternoon Mr. Hooper oversees a funeral. He still hasn’t taken off the veil, though it is a bit more appropriate in this setting to be wearing it. Then that evening he conducts a wedding with the veil still on, making it the gloomiest wedding of that time. The village people think he is losing his mind and want to talk to him and find out why his wearing the veil, but can’t seem to get the courage to do it. His wife also l eaves him because he refuses to take off the veil. Mr. Hooper doesn’t take off the veil as long as his lives, and even on his death bed refuses to take it off his earthly form   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. Hooper teaches a very good lesson with this veil. Everybody has a â€Å"black veil† that they hide something behind. It is not until that things are put in the open for everybody to see that they start shunning you. If you keep your secrets hidden inside you, people still associate with you because they don’t try to look past what is on the surface, in case they might find something that they don’t like or is out of the ordinary. I don’t like that people are superficial enough to let something as small as a veil get in the way of how they feel about the minister, because the veil doesn’t change who the minister is as a person.

Writing an Essay :: Writing an Essay

Here, I will reveal the methods and tactics to writing an effective analytical essay or evaluative article. Even if you already know how to write a well-structured essay, you may wish to refresh your knowledge and reaffirm what you already know. There are three key parts to an essay: the introduction, body and conclusion. The Introduction Deal with the introduction first of all. The introduction has to have these elements: the question, the answer, the preview of the essay and some scope or parameters. What is the question? This is called your Knowledge Based Problem, or simply the question that you need to find an answer to. What is the answer to your Knowledge Based Problem or question? This is called your thesis. Sometimes called merely an answer, your thesis is the key answer that sums up your entire case in one simple strong sentence. What am I going to talk about in the essay? Here is where you advertise what you want to speak and write about in the course of your essay. What are the definitions and parameters of the terms in your essay? There are two important elements here. One: â€Å"definitions† meaning that you define the words such that you can write your essay. Two: â€Å"parameters† meaning the things that you are not going to talk about or the restrictions of your essay. The Body The body of the essay comes next and many people actually don't know how to do this properly. They actually write whatever they want and whatever comes to their mind. This is incorrect. Here's how you actually do write the essay body to make your writing good and clear. A topic sentence is a sentence that sums up your paragraph and makes a key argument or key idea. You need a topic sentence because this is what you promised to write about. Explain what you mean by the topic sentence and give more details and more information. Sometimes you need to define words - so just do it here in the body as well. Give an example or examples. Tell the reader what the example means or what the examples mean. Summarise your paragraph or argument after doing that. Answer the question using your topic sentence once again at the end. You do this systematic and methodical approach for each and every paragraph. The Conclusion There are only three things you do at the conclusion of your excellent essay and nothing more, if you want a structured and clear essay.

6 steps decision making Essay

In addition to time pressures that we encounter when searching for evidence to support care decisions for individual patients, it may be difficult for clinicians to apply the evidence that we find. The rate limiting step may not be doing the search, but the steps needed in â€Å"setting evidence-based medicine (EBM) in motion.† We present an example of a search for evidence by a Physician Assistant (PA) student that highlights this challenge. PAs receive accelerated training in the medical model and work in teams  under physician supervision. Approximately 40 000 PAs currently work in the  US in a wide range of settings and specialties.  Practising EBM has become an important component of training for PAs.  During an internal medicine rotation, a PA student encountered a common clinical practice unsupported by current  evidence—administration of nebulised albuterol in patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP). While this practice may  be justified in patients with underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who also present with CAP, this student  questioned the grounds for its use in patients with CAP who do not have COPD. Clinical scenario A 68 year old man presented to the emergency department with fever, chills, and a non-productive cough of 1 week’s duration. He had fatigue, headache, rhinorrhoea, and mild nausea, but  denied dyspnoea. He had no history of smoking or COPD. He  had atrial fibrillation and was taking warfarin for stroke prevention. On admission, his temperature was 38.4  °C, heart rate was  108 beats/minute, respiratory rate was 24 breaths/minute,  blood pressure was 156/88 mm Hg, and oxygen saturation was  86% by pulse oximetry on room air. Rales were heard in both  lung bases and in the right middle lobe. Chest radiography  showed a diffuse infiltrate in the right middle and lower lobes. Complete blood count showed a white blood cell count of  22 000 cells/ml with a left shift, and arterial blood gases showed mild respiratory acidosis.  One dose of ceftriaxone was administered parenterally, and a course of azithromycin was started. Albuterol, 5% solution,  delivered by n ebuliser 3 times daily was also ordered, in addition to a combination of inhaled ipratropium and albuterol,  delivered by metered dose inhaler every 4 hours as needed.  During the hospital stay, his pneumonia resolved, but his heart rate increased to 150 beats/minute and his blood pressure rose from 156/88 to 200/110 mm Hg. Clinical question Although there was no institutional protocol for use of  nebulised albuterol for treatment of CAP, the house staff often ordered it.  The PA student queried: In a 68 year old man with CAP and no underlying COPD, does use of nebulised
2 agonists improve symptoms? What is the risk of harm in this  patient? Search strategy Firstly, a treatment guideline was sought to clarify recommendations regarding use of nebulised albuterol for treatment of CAP.  The American Thoracic Society guidelines for management of  CAP1 were rapidly retrieved through PubMed, UpToDate, and  MD Consult. The British Thoracic Society (BTS) guidelines for the management of CAP in adults2 were also found in PubMed.  Both sets of guidelines were relevant to our patient, but neither guideline discussed the use of nebulised albuterol in the  treatment of CAP. The BTS guidelines had a section on general management, which discussed the use of adjunctive therapies  for CAP, but nebulised albuterol was not mentioned. Evidence from controlled clinical trials was mentioned in the guideline for â€Å"bottle blowing,†3 but not for physiotherapy.  Having not fully answered our question with a review of  relevant guidelines (and having not attracted the attention of anyone who could change the patient’s treatment p lan), we  searched PubMed again, this time specifically for studies on the use of albuterol in patients with CAP. No relevant trials were found on the use of nebulisers for CAP.  To identify evidence about harm with the use of albuterol,  PubMed was searched using the terms nebulised albuterol, cardiac arrhythmias, and randomised or controlled clinical trials.  No trials were found. When just the content terms were  searched, 9 articles, not directly relevant to our patient, were found. One prospective, open label study on the effect of  nebulised albuterol (for treatment of asthma) on cardiac rhythm was found.4 10 patients were studied, and although no adverse effect on cardiac rhythm or blood pressure was found, the study did not convince the team that no potential for harm existed in this, or other patients, especially when there  was no clear indication for use of albuterol. Recognising that searching and appraising the literature are not the only important aspects of practicing EBM, we consulted an experienced pulmonologist, who practises and teaches using the EBM model. In addition to reviewing treatment plans for  multiple cases of CAP requiring hospital admission with the  Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant service, he recommended review of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine  website at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada  (www.cebm.utoronto.ca/), which suggested bubble blowing as a method for helping clear secretions.2–3 This served as an  excellent, rapid approach to finding good information on treatment of CAP, and confirmed the evidence previously found in  the literature search.  Application of the evidence to this, and future  patients  The treatment plan for this patient was not altered by the  student’s rapid search for evidence. Changes in usual care for a common illness required a compr ehensive search and discussion among all clinicians in our institution caring for patients  with CAP. The clinical team reviewed the results of the search and because no evidence was found to support use of albuterol in patients like ours, changes were made to future practice. As a result of this process, which took a few hours and evolved over several weeks, orders for bronchodilators for patients with CAP are now made on an individual basis, depending on the  presence of patient comorbid illnesses, such as COPD. 164 Volume 8 November/December 2003 EBM www.evidence-basedmedicine.com EBM notebook Downloaded from ebm.bmj.com on 10 August 2009 Conclusion The need for a rapid search for evidence is sometimes, but not always, important to the care of an individual patient. In this case, the speed of the search did not affect the ability of the PA student to apply the  evidence to the patient. Setting the evidence in motion may require communication of search results to other members of the clinical team and may affect the care of future patients. Although the catalyst for setting EBM in motion was a student, the evidence, including the results of further research, along with the judgment of the experienced pulmonologist,  convinced the clinical team to make changes to usual care and to base future treatment of this common condition on the best available evidence. The basic concept of evidence-based medicine proposes to  make health related decisions based on a synthesis of internal and external evidence. Internal evidence is composed of knowledge acquired through formal education and training, general  experience accumulated from daily practice, and specific  experience gained from an individual clinician-patient relationship. External evidence is accessible information from research.  It is the explicit use of valid external evidence (eg, randomised controlled trials) combined with the prevailing internal evidence that defines a clinical decision as â€Å"evidence-based.† To realise this concept in day to day clinical practice, the Evidence- Based Medicine Working Group proposed a 5 step strategy,  corresponding to step 1 and steps 3 to 6 shown in the left hand column of the table. In teaching this 5 step approach, we encountered several difficulties. We noticed a growing hesitance to accept this strategy  as students advanced in their medical training. In the presence of well established methods of treatment or diagnosis, this  resistance rises even more, regardless of the level of training.We assume that this barrier is associated with the process of socialisation into the health professions. Throughout medical  education students are virtually â€Å"trained† to make decisions under the condition of uncertainty. Advanced students and to a greater extent clinicians lose some of their ability to differentiate between scientific evidence and what seems to be evident. If we intend to implement evidence-based medicine more efficiently, we need to modify the way students and clinicians learn to make decisions. Therefore, an additional step was introduced in our evidencebased medicine teaching programme (step 2 in the table).  Students were to provide answers to their clinical questions based on their current knowledge (internal evidence) before  continuing with the remaining steps of the evidence-based  process.2 Our collective experience concerning this additional step was extremely positive. The students using this new step were satisfied that their pre-existing knowledge had been  integrated into the evidence-based approach. By explicitly  documenting their internal evidence, students used the remaining steps of the process to evaluate not only the best evidence in making a clinical decision but also to assess the accuracy of their internal evidence, the grounds upon which their preconcep- The 6 steps of evidence-based decision making Step Action Explanation  1 Transformation of the clinical problem into 3 or 4 part question (a) relevant patient characteristics and problem(s), (b) leading intervention, (c) alternative intervention, (d) clinical outcomes or goals. 2 Additional step: answer to the question based on â€Å"internal evidence† only Internal evidence: acquired knowledge through professional training and experience (in general and applied to the patient). Should be documented before proceeding to step 3. 3 Finding â€Å"external evidence† to answer the question External evidence: obtained from textbooks, journals, databases, experts. The value of the external evidence will be highly variable, see step 4. 4 Critical appraisal of the external evidence Should answer 3 questions: (1) Are the results valid? (2) Are the results clinically important? (3) Do the results apply to my patient? (or is my patient so different from those in the study that the results do not apply?) 5 Integrating external and internal evidence The 2 sources of information (external and internal) may be supportive, non-supportive, or conflicting. How the decision is made when non-supportive or conflicting will depend on multiple factors. 6 Evaluation of decision making process Once the decision has been made, the process and the outcome are considered and opportunities for improvement are identified. The health authority of Alto Adige in northern Italy initiated and supported a project, the â€Å"Bressanone Model,† in which the effects of implementing evidence-based medicine on the quality of health care were to be shown. In this model we used the six step approach, which proved to be successful in the student  project to teach experienced clinicians.3 The participants were asked to name problems of their day to day practice that lacked either an effective or an efficient solution. The evidence-based medicine support group helped participants to phrase the 3 or 4 part questions. Subsequently, the physicians were asked to submit their individual answers to the questions before continuing with steps 3 to 6. Agreement between internal and external evidence varies. Completing the full process could result in finding evidence that confirms the internal evidence, validating and strengthening the clinician’s or student’s confidence in the decision. The process could also reveal that little evidence exists to support the decision or that the available evidence is equivocal. In such cases, other factors such as cost or inconvenience to the patient may need to be given greater consideration. Possibly, the best external evidence found is not in agreement with the internal evidence. This represents a particularly valuable experience for the clinician or student because it may avoid an ill advised decision. It also shows the fallibility of making decisions on  uncertain ground based on internal evidence alone. This in turn will hopefully promote the routine assimilation of external evidence in clinical decision making. The documentation and  comparison of steps 2 and 5, used as a research tool or quality assurance outcome measure, coul d provide valid information  on the effects of evidence-based medicine on clinical decision making. In case of conflicting internal and external evidence, clinicians have several options. They may change their mind and align it with the external evidence. They may determine that the external evidence is not sufficiently convincing and remain with the  original decision. Or, they may choose to discuss with the  patient the conflict between the internal and external evidence in a manner that enables the patient to take part in the decision making process. This last approach is recommended because  patient preference is considered an essential part of the  evidence-based decision making process1 and decisions often  need to be made in the absence of clear research findings.