Thursday, October 31, 2019

The rise and fall of monopolies in America Research Paper

The rise and fall of monopolies in America - Research Paper Example One fact everyone seems to be able to agree upon though is that the slowdown has to do with the market forces. Capitalism, the alleged basis of the economic system of the United States and a large part of the world, invokes the theories of competition and supply and demand among others. However, when a small number of very large corporations control not only supply and demand, but competition too, then capitalism is no longer the type of economic system in practice by those corporations or anyone else for that matter. Instead the economy in that situation is operating under a monopoly, in which one company controls the entire market segment, or under the similar structure of oligopoly, where two or three companies control the portion of the market in which they do business. Think Home Depot and Lowes, Office Depot and Staples, PetCo and Pet Smart, and Perot Systems and NeuStar (aka Lockheed Martin Information Management Systems). Those last two may not be familiar, but they are the perfect example of why oligopolies are just as unfair as monopolies. Perot Systems (yes, Ross Perot) and NeuStar were awarded control over the Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC) in 1996, making the two of them essentially a telephone number oligopoly says Tim McElligott in the June 18, 2007 edition of Telephony. When this two party control of the telephone number industry took place, everyone seemed to be pleased, mainly because it was not a monopoly. No one company had majority control. Most thought the Telecom Act of 1996 would regulate the two companies and make the market fair for both them and consumers. However, that belief did not last long. Perot Systems disappeared from the picture leaving NeuStar the one administrator of NPAC. The inspiration for McEll igott’s article was that in 2007 Telcordia Technologies petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enter the market with NeuStar and end the monopoly currently enjoyed by that company.1 One would think this was a no-brainer: one company controls all of a market segment; the FCC can remedy that; it should be a done deal in no time. Think again. According to Telcordia Technologies’ website, the battle between the FCC and NeuStar—as well as others now—to end the monopoly of phone number distribution reached an important point in May of 2011. The FCC issued an order that implemented â€Å"a multi-vendor competitive procurement process for NPAC.†2 Of course, now a round of appeals will ensue. They may already be in the courts now. It will most likely take another year or two before it is decided. We may all be walking around with microchips in our heads before the FCC decides whether NPAC should be regulated by monopoly, oligopoly, or cap italism. Capitalism requires competition to regulate. Consumers want to be able to feel as if they control the way they spend their money. One way they can do that is to â€Å"vote with their wallets/pocketbooks.† If bargain pricing is their aim, then they want to be able to purchase products at low costs. Some consumers are willing to pay more for better service or higher quality products. Consumers may also want variety so that everybody’s tastes are addressed, even the most eclectic. In a capitalistic economic system, consumers have the power to make or break a corporation. In a monopoly or oligopoly, corporations have the power to

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Views of Barack obama vs. Hillary Clintons. Essay Example for Free

Views of Barack obama vs. Hillary Clintons. Essay Barack Obama and John Edwards, Mrs. Clinton’s are two main rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination. They are both running outsiders/ agents of change. Both Clinton and Obama say they would change a number of things if elected as presidents. They argue that tax, health, gun control and war in Iraq are their key issues to be looked at. Mrs. Clinton argues that change can only be a word without strength and experience to make it happen. There are various similarities and differences in the way they view change if they are to be presidents of the USA. We will view the following key issues that are more important for the people of the USA. Issue on The Economy. Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama and challenger, Hillary Clinton are both zipping on the economy as the campaign moves to big industrial states full of losses and foreclosures . Since the economy in the USA seems to be declining it’s important that this question in seriously looked at by all the democratic parties. They are both saying they want to bring a complete transformation to the US economy that almost the whole world depends on. Clinton says the economy is not serving the middle class urging that for the past four years productivity has risen and wages have declined she said I quote â€Å"America did not build greatest economy in the world because we had rich people; we built the greatest economy in the world because we built the America middle class†. Both of them want to repeal President George W. Bushs tax cuts, provide economic liberation to the middle class and increase regime spending on health care and education. Both embrace free trade to an incomplete extent, and say of helping those who lose out because of globalization. Clinton presents herself as a problem-solver, stressing cooperation between business and government, calling to diminish sponsorship in especially Washington. She attacks obama claiming that she has action not words and that she has policies and experience to rebuild the manufacturing base in the US and look at mutual interests, she will crack down on unfair trade with countries like china by reviewing all existing trade liberalization bargain. She is seemed wanting to resolve issues on energy, infrastructure investment, health care and values that built the U. S. economy. She wants to bring United States challenges globally back to its fundamentals. Barack Obama says they should invest in infrastructure projects like roads, bridges and airports and also plan to create green-energy jobs he says that he wants to major focus going forward, that from Obama’s economic adviser, saying he speaks about the brake of the economy in the short run, and what investments in terms of occupations, technology and workforce dexterities needed for the future. Since Obama received major votes from the lower income voters he is really looking forward to see that the economy favors them in terms of creating better jobs for them and improving their lifestyles. They are repeatedly conflicting over the economy which is becoming the central point of debates ahead. As for the differences Clinton is offering targeted tax cuts while Obama wider middle-class tax relief. Issue on Health care. Both Obama and Clinton are looking forward for means and ways and ways that we improve the health standards for the Americans especially the low-income people. They are suggesting ways of seeing that public health care is improved. Democratic presidential candidate senator Hilary Rodham Clinton (NY) has explained he widespread monetary enclose than has a proposal to broaden health insurance to all U. S. residents she was telling insurance companies not to distinguish of any sick person. (Washington Post reports (weisman/Kornbult, Washington Post, 2/15). She was warning against drug companies and insurance. Finally she was for diminution in health costs make them more affordable and try craft more jobs for the Americans that will have a strong built-up base in America. She is recommending ways of helping workers in their late fifties and early sixties to buy Medicare and also wants to promote medical information machinery sponsored Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist(R-Tenn). With Senator Barack Obama 76% of people with health concerns about health costs and 72% have concerns about prescription drug exposure and the safety and eminence of care. He says that most of the health insurance companies are doing well so he does not encourage on more people taking insurance covers but rather improve in their services to people. There are great controversies between the two candidates on health issues. Obama criticizes Clinton’s health care plan for requiring everyone to purchase an insurance cover saying his plan. While Clinton mandates health-care coverage Obamas plan doesnt have a mandate on any of the health care issues. Issue on America at war. There are no differences when it comes to the war because of the candidates seem t o be against this war especially the Iraq war, though Obama seems to be the more outstanding candidate who is more against this form of war. According to Washington times politicians like Clinton and McCain voted for the Iraq war that should have never been authorized and remunerated. In Barack Obama’s interviews and speeches oppose the war from the start even now. He really wants peace between the two countries because it has really taken too many resources especially precious lives and billions of dollars a week than would have been used for other development projects like building collapsed schools and bridges; roads and buildings; that would have invested in child job guidance and care; or even making health care affordable. He has taken clear and unswerving antiwar position on the Iraq war He has emerged as the antiwar candidate constantly lashing home his point. Obama says the cause of the war is due to Bush’s mismanagement, poor administration and because he did not want to be disappointed. Obama’s stand is stable and definite against the war. He says the problem can be solved by dialogue with Iraq. (Bbc. co. uk) Hillary ways she was against starting the war she does not have a strong position on the war in Iraq. First she has never voted against the war nor does she give any suggestions to end the war. Issue on tax reform Both Barrack Obama and Hillary have similar thought on wounding down or reducing costs of taxes for the residents of U. S. , but Obama does not seem to have better stratagems to accompany his in realizing his goals like Hillary Clinton has. Hillary has a plan of cutting down taxes for the middle class people. Another ample plan to end the housing catastrophe with a moratorium of foreclosures and a freeze in finance rates for at-risk homeowners. She plans on redirecting millions of dollars to oil company proceeds to alternative energy research to find solutions to the energy crisis and create about 5 million jobs. Contrary Barack Obama has no plans of putting a suspension on home foreclosures, he is for the Dick Cheney’s energy bill that will give huge tax breaks to oil companies and to raise Social Security taxes y billions and billions of dollars. Issue on guns Control On this final issue both Barrack Obama and Hillary have similar opinions on the use and control of guns. Obama proposes these principles on the issue of guns. He says there should be a ban in the sale or transfer of all varieties of semi-habitual weapons; there should be an increase in the state of curbs on the attainment and tenure of firearms; and makers are required to provide child safety locks with firearms. Hillary says there should be entirety bun of all guns in America. She further continues to say that they need to stand compact on behalf of gun control legislation, laws that will keep guns off children’s hands, scandalous and mentally unstable people. Finally she says that she has a strong believe that all Americans as a nation should fight to keep off guns off people not authorized to have guns. To conclude the Democratic candidates have similar views but different interpretations so as to be better presidents for the United States’ most powerful country. They are both challenging one another positively with their ideas and innovations that they are better than the other all for the betterment of the nation and themselves. All of them want U. S. to be the best place for the world that the rest of the world may learn by example for them.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Promoting The Health And Wellbeing Health And Social Care Essay

Promoting The Health And Wellbeing Health And Social Care Essay Go for your life strategic plan 2006-2010 aims to promote healthy lifestyles, encourage physical activity and healthy eating, and prevent chronic diseases, Physical inactivity and poor nutrition are lifestyle factors that can cause obesity which can lead to chronic diseases which lead to an increase burden on the community. Around the world, obesity has reached epidemic proportions, with more than one billion adults overweight and around 300 million of those adults clinically obese (go for your life, 2006) Go for your life is tackling the increasing rate of illness, obesity and chronic diseases by educating Victorians on the benefits of good nutrition and physical activity. This is done by creating a framework for action that includes activities for all people, from different stages of life; children, young people and their families, adults, seniors and members of high risk groups. Children in the early years aged 0 to 5 and their families need to establish healthy eating and physical activity behaviors in the early years of a childs life. As it is a very important step for preventing future nutrition and exercise related problems. As most eating and activity occurs with the family, it is crucial for parents to be able to provide for their childrens needs with an emphasis on health and wellbeing, beginning with breastfeeding. Early childhood settings offer significant potential to improve the physical activity and healthy eating of young children in their care. Maternal and child health workers can provide information to parents/carers to assist them with activities they can do with their children to promote health and wellbeing. Early childhood staff like child care workers, school and preschool teachers need to have the knowledge, confidence and skills to promote culturally and age-appropriate healthy eating and physical activity to children while in their care and, where possible, to their parents/carers to further promote a healthy lifestyle. Young people aged 5 to 18 and their families have a better understanding of physical activity and good eating habits of school-aged young people. Young Victorians aged five to 18 years spend a considerable amount of their time in education, sport and recreational and primary care settings, teachers and family need to model culturally and age appropriate healthy eating and physical activity habits to young people. Adults as parents, workers and members of Communities are urged to improve the eating and activity behavior of other adults by promoting active healthy lifestyles. Senior Victorians can protect themselves against a range of diseases, including some chronic diseases, by sustaining a healthy lifestyle that includes a range of physical activities and good nutrition. While recognising that Senior Victorians may have widely different lifestyles and experiences, older people can gain greater knowledge, confidence and skills in healthy eating and active living. Aged care workers and those that work/care for the elderly need to ensure that they have the knowledge and confidence to keep the elderly active and have a healthy diet. Certain groups in the community have a greater burden of disease and experience higher rates of poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, overweight and obesity and associated chronic diseases. These groups include people with a low socio-economic status, Indigenous Victorians, men, people who have a disability, people from different cultures who have English as their second language. People who fall in these groups need to be better educated to gain the skills to change their behavior in order to lead a healthy and active lifestyle and decrease their prevalence of developing a chronic disease in the long run. Go for your life covers many areas under two main headings Healthy Eating and Active Living. Healthy eating comprises of: dietary advice, food and nutrients, nutrition and illness, what is a healthy weight? body image, weight management, food safety and healthy recipes. Active Living includes: activity general information, walking, active recreation, sports and activities, active transport, activity and illness, active living tips, places to go/things to do. These sub headings provide advice on how people can be active and lead a healthy lifestyle. Some initiatives developed as part of Go for your life include: Go for your life Canteens Advisory Service The Go for your life Canteens Advisory Service aims to support schools with primary school-age children to provide and promote healthy food choices. Increase the awareness and skills of canteen staff regarding the provision of healthy food services. Improve the participation from school councils and parents and friends associations to endorse and support healthy food choices in their schools and communities. Increase the accessibility of healthy foods offered in school food services. Link with and complement the Kids Go for your life service and other relevant components of the Healthy Active Victoria Strategy. Get Active Challenge The Get Active Challenge was a 10-week program targeting mens health and physical activity levels, based in Victorian workplaces. The program challenged men to boost their physical activity levels; whether on their own, in a group, with friends or with their family. Why should men get active? Men are drastically more likely than women to be overweight or obese. Men are more likely than women to be diagnosed with diabetes. Men have an increased estimated incidence of coronary heart disease twice that of females. Men are less likely than women to self-report their health status as very good or excellent. Regular physical activity is associated with the decline in the incidence of many serious illnesses such as cardiovascular and coronary heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers. Active Connections The Active Connections Program aims to address barriers to participation in physical activity in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Three pilot projects are being undertaken over 2 years. Netball Victoria are working with local sport and recreation clubs, associations and facilities in Dandenong and Warrnambool to provide cultural awareness training, run the Net Set Go! junior netball program and a series of come and try days. The target groups for the project are young African refugees and their families and the project has seen the establishment of Sudanese netball teams participating in local competitions. Royal Victorian Bowls Association an 8-10 week introductory program to lawn bowls with 20-40 English language students of various nationalities attending each program from Adult Migrant Education Services (AMES) campuses in Footscray, Werribee, Noble Park and Dandenong. The program will provide an introduction to Australian sport and culture (including the role of clubs in delivering sport) through both practical and theoretical education. This model will be demonstrated to the 500+ lawn bowls clubs in Victoria and supported by the development of educational and promotional materials to attract CALD people to engage in lawn bowls. Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMY) based in Ballarat, the CHAMP project intend to address barriers and increase participation rates and social inclusion for newly arrived communities in the Central Highlands Region, with a special focus on refugee youth and their families. CMY are working with local sport and recreation clubs, associations and facilities providing cultural awareness training and assistance with strategies and policies. CMY will also facilitate activities to bring sports organisations and newly arrived refugee and migrant communities together. Active Places The Active Places program aims to promote the benefits of leading a healthy and active lifestyle. The Go for your life Active Places program seeks to offer increased opportunities, awareness and capability for physical activity among marginalised and socially disadvantaged communities. The program will maintain community and organisational capacity building through community-based projects within Community Renewal, Neighbourhood Renewal or Community Building Initiative sites. Go for your life Ride2School Program The Go for your life Ride2School Program aims to increase the number of children riding to and from school and targets primary and secondary schools across the State. In 2006 the proportion of students who walked or rode was closer to only 20 per cent. As a result, the Government is funding a plan to get children and teenagers riding and walking more often under the Go for your life initiative. A key part of the plan is to expand Bicycle Victorias Ride2School Program to more primary and secondary schools across the state. Ride2School works with schools to help them extend their own Ride2School activities and support to encourage more students to ride and walk more often. Ride2School also coordinates activity challenges across the state to encourage students to cycle and walk more often Go for your life Walk Together Grants The Go for your life Walk Together Grants was a one-off funding program that was developed to establish and uphold sustainable walking groups in Victoria. Partnerships for projects aiming disadvantaged communities and other groups with low physical activity. Healthy and Active Choices The Healthy and Active Choices pilot project aims to emphasize the messages of healthy eating, physical activity and healthy lifestyle by making possible the provision and uptake of healthy food choices at regional sports facilities. Integration of walking and cycling Sport and Recreation Victoria are collaborating with government departments and agencies as well as non-government organisation and peak bodies to expand an integrated approach to walking and cycling across Victoria. The project has identified the need for a longer term vision for investment in walking and cycling and a strategy is currently being developed. Its Your Move The project promotes teenagers to take ownership, control and suggest the best ways forward to address healthy eating, healthy bodies and physical activity. The teenagers are working in collaboration with a variety of levels with government and the local community to look at and create new view to make healthier choices easier choices. The teenagers will keep a record of their eating and physical activity habits around the clock for the project, part of the Victorian Governments Go for your life strategy. (go for your life 2010) The whole-of-community project aims to: Decrease intake of sugary drinks and promote water consumption. Increase the proportion of young people eating breakfast. Increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Increase the healthiness of school food. Increase active transport to and from school. Increase partaking in organised sports and other active recreation. Create an acceptance of different healthy body sizes/shapes. The Government recognises that the entire community needs to be engaged in addressing this issue. Thats why Go for your life is working mutually with community groups, industry, organisations, schools, business and research institutions. Raising awareness about the significance of healthy eating, physical activity and healthy weight is a key element of Go for your life. The Go for your life communications activities provide Victorians with knowledge about the significance of healthy eating and physical activity, to support people to make positive lifestyle changes. Through Go for your life, the Government has made a significant investment in encouraging healthy eating and physical activity and endorsing healthy weight. From kitchen gardens in schools to supporting a healthy body image in teenagers, from diabetes prevention programs to programs designed to keep seniors healthy and active, Go for your life is engaging people and communities across Victoria in the challenge of taking on healthier lifestyles and avert chronic diseases.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown - The Puritans and Love Essay -- Young

Young Goodman Brown:   The Puritans and Love  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hawthorne’s   â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, exposes the puritan view of love and relationships. In theory, these two visions are diametrically opposed. One exalts love as a physical manifestation between two individuals (although it also claims to represent higher ideals), the other sees it as a spiritual need, one best manifested by attachment to God. In fact, the puritans did not see love as a good thing, but rather as an evil, a grim necessity, that is, they saw physical love (between a man and a woman, or sexuality and all it carries with it) as such. The emotional turmoil affecting Goodman Brown clearly expresses this.   Ã‚  Ã‚  The problem we find in this story, and in puritanism, is that it presents contrasting views of love. Attachment to earthly possessions, to other people in fact, is discouraged, because everything physical leads to temptation and damnation, and ultimately hell, while the road to salvation of the individual wanders through a spiritual discipline, rigour, austerity. A man should not love his wife more than he loves God; in fact, it is recommended that he not derive pleasure from his wife, but rather seek suffering, in order to redeem himself from his earthly condition, his impure state.   Ã‚  Ã‚  This conception of love can be traced back to the first chapters of the Bible, Genesis. Adam and Eve, in the garden of Eden, eat the forbidden fruit and are forever outcast from paradise, forced to suffer. The puritans argued that, if God wishes us to suffer, who are we to go against his wishes. We are sinners, because of the Original Sin, and it was Eve who gav... ...ne, it kept the women in a box, it basically prevented uprising by instilling divine fear. Eventually, these ideas evolved, but we still witness many of the after effects of puritanism in today's world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Again, however, we are faced with a story, this time written after the fact, that sheds a negative light on an ideology. It seems Nathaniel Hawthorne did not want to endorse puritanism, but denounce it, denounce the abuse and contradiction it implied. Once more, we find a work that denigrates an established understanding of love. First, there was opposition to the courtly love tradition, now, we find opposition to the puritan love ideology. So far, we have only been willing to define love by what it wasn't, what we felt was a wrong way of doing things.   Ã‚  Ã‚  If a more definitive answer is to be found, it must be found elsewhere.   

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Discourse Analysis Essay

Discourse analysis (DA), or discourse studies, is a general term for a number of approaches to analyzing written, vocal, or sign language use or any significant semiotic event. The objects of discourse analysis — discourse, writing, conversation, communicative event, etc. — are variously defined in terms of coherent sequences of sentences, propositions, speech acts or turns-at-talk. Contrary to much of traditional linguistics, discourse analysts not only study language use ‘beyond the sentence boundary’, but also prefer to analyze ‘naturally occurring’ language use, and not invented examples. Text linguistics is related. The essential difference between discourse analysis and text linguistics is that it aims at revealing socio-psychological characteristics of a person/persons rather than text structure.[1] Discourse analysis has been taken up in a variety of social science disciplines, including linguistics, sociology, anthropology, social work, cognitive psychology, social psychology, international relations, human geography, communication studies, and translation studies, each of which is subject to its own assumptions, dimensions of analysis, and methodologies. Topics of interest Topics of discourse analysis include: * The various levels or dimensions of discourse, such as sounds (intonation, etc.), gestures, syntax, the lexicon, style, rhetoric, meanings, speech acts, moves, strategies, turnsand other aspects of interaction * Genres of discourse (various types of discourse in politics, the media, education, science, business, etc.) * The relations between discourse and the emergence of syntactic structure * The relations between text (discourse) and context * The relations between discourse and power * The relations between discourse and interaction * The relations between discourse and cognition and memory Discourse Analysis Deborah Tannen Discourse analysis is sometimes defined as the analysis of language ‘beyond the sentence’. This contrasts with types of analysis more typical of modern linguistics, which are chiefly concerned with the study of grammar: the study of smaller bits of language, such as sounds (phonetics and phonology), parts of words (morphology), meaning (semantics), and the order of words in sentences (syntax). Discourse analysts study larger chunks of language as they flow together. Some discourse analysts consider the larger discourse context in order to understand how it affects the meaning of the sentence. For example, Charles Fillmore points out that two sentences taken together as a single discourse can have meanings different from each one taken separately. To illustrate, he asks you to imagine two independent signs at a swimming pool: â€Å"Please use the toilet, not the pool,† says one. The other announces, â€Å"Pool for members only.† If you regard each sign independently, they seem quite reasonable. But taking them together as a single discourse makes you go back and revise your interpretation of the first sentence after you’ve read the second. Discourse and Frames ‘Reframing’ is a way to talk about going back and re-interpreting the meaning of the first sentence. Frame analysis is a type of discourse analysis that asks, What activity are speakers engaged in when they say this? What do they think they are doing by talking in this way at this time? Consider how hard it is to make sense of what you are hearing or reading if you don’t know who’s talking or what the general topic is. When you read a newspaper, you need to know whether you are reading a news story, an editorial, or an advertisement in order to properly interpret the text you are reading. Years ago, when Orson Welles’ radio play â€Å"The War of the Worlds† was broadcast, some listeners who tuned in late panicked, thinking they were hearing the actual end of the world. They mistook the frame for news instead of drama. Turn-taking Conversation is an enterprise in which one person speaks, and another listens. Discourse analysts who study conversation note that speakers have systems for determining when one person’s turn is over and the next person’s turn begins. This exchange of turns or ‘floors’ is signaled by such linguistic means as intonation, pausing, and phrasing. Some people await a clear pause before beginning to speak, but others assume that ‘winding down’ is an invitation to someone else to take the floor. When speakers have different assumptions about how turn exchanges are signaled, they may inadvertently interrupt or feel interrupted. On the other hand, speakers also frequently take the floor even though they know the other speaker has not invited them to do so. Listenership too may be signaled in different ways. Some people expect frequent nodding as well as listener feedback such as ‘mhm’, ‘uhuh’, and ‘yeah’. Less of this than you expect can create the impression that someone is not listening; more than you expect can give the impression that you are being rushed along. For some, eye contact is expected nearly continually; for others, it should only be intermittent. The type of listener response you get can change how you speak: If someone seems uninterested or uncomprehending (whether or not they truly are), you may slow down, repeat, or overexplain, giving the impression you are ‘talking down.’ Frederick Erickson has shown that this can occur in conversations between black and white speakers, because of different habits with regard to showing listenership. Discourse Markers ‘Discourse markers’ is the term linguists give to the little words like ‘well’, ‘oh’, ‘but’, and ‘and’ that break our speech up into parts and show the relation between parts. ‘Oh’ prepares the hearer for a surprising or just-remembered item, and ‘but’ indicates that sentence to follow is in opposition to the one before. However, these markers don’t necessarily mean what the dictionary says they mean. Some people use ‘and’ just to start a new thought, and some people put ‘but’ at the end of their sentences, as a way of trailing off gently. Realizing that these words can function as discourse markers is important to prevent the frustration that can be experienced if you expect every word to have its dictionary meaning every time it’s used. Speech Acts Speech act analysis asks not what form the utterance takes but what it does. Saying â€Å"I now pronounce you man and wife† enacts a marriage. Studying speech acts such as complimenting allows discourse analysts to ask what counts as a compliment, who gives compliments to whom, and what other function they can serve. For example, linguists have observed that women are more likely both to give compliments and to get them. There are also cultural differences; in India, politeness requires that if someone compliments one of your possessions, you should offer to give the item as a gift, so complimenting can be a way of asking for things. An Indian woman who had just met her son’s American wife was shocked to hear her new daughter-in-law praise her beautiful saris. She commented, â€Å"What kind of girl did he marry? She wants everything!† By comparing how people in different cultures use language, discourse analysts hope to make a contribution to improving cross-cult ural understanding. How to do a discourse analysis The first point to note is that in order to do a discourse analysis you need to have read a handful yourself first. By reading published articles that use the method, you will have a better understanding of (1) how to do an analysis and (2) some of the theoretical orientations that you will need to know to do your own analysis. Having identified a theory and a chosen item (text or recorded conversation) to analyse, you need to transcribe it in one of the accepted/published ways. The transcript must always appear in the appendices. There are many different forms of discourse analysis, so here we will focus on thematic analysis as an example. What is thematic analysis? Thematic analysis is about trying to identify meaningful categories or themes in a body of data. By looking at the text, the researcher asks whether a number of recurring themes can be abstracted about what is being said. For example, on one level you might find an inconsistency, an attempt to assign blame, an attempt to cite others to support one’s views, a regular interruption of other people, an attempt to make one’s account of some event sound more authentic, and so on. On another level, you might idenitify a regulalry occurring attribution of blame or the repeated reference to some specific cause of an event. The reference might take slightly different forms but refers to the same cause. An example might be football fans blaming various aspects of a player’s motivation for the failure of their team (e.g., â€Å"he gets so much money, doesn’t need to try†, â€Å"he looked as though he wasn’t bothered†, â€Å"he didn’t want the ball†, and so on). In the results section of the report, the themes abstracted are collated and reported on. In doing so, it is usual to cite from the transcription examples of the points you are trying to make. A summary of the findings can be offered but also a critique of the author’s own interpretations – this refers to the concept of ‘reflexivity’, that the author’s is only one interpretation of the text.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Nursing Personal Statement How to Craft a Masterpiece

Nursing Personal Statement How to Craft a Masterpiece Nursing Personal Statement: How to Craft a Masterpiece If you are thinking about the next step in your academic career, you will appreciate that there is a lot of competition for the high-quality courses. As more and more candidates are seeking tertiary qualifications, it is getting harder and harder to stand out and secure the course place that you aspire to. High marks are no longer enough, and many educational institutions are looking for other ways to better understand which candidates will perform best if admitted into the course. One of these assessment elements is the personal statement. In this article, we will take a look at the type of personal statement that you need to prepare if you are considering applying for a nursing qualification. We’ll give you some examples of how to structure your nursing personal statement, and the kind of things that you should include. What Is a Nursing Personal Statement? This is a short written description about yourself and your experience, explaining to the assessor why you want to study nursing, and why you wish to be accepted by the particular course that you are applying to. This is not a thesis that is pages and pages long. You are probably looking to write somewhere between 500 and 800 words it needs to be succinct, but it also needs to contain enough detail and insights so that it is authentic, engaging, and impactful. What to Include in Your Nursing Personal Statement There are four key areas that you should generally try and include in your nursing personal statement. Explain what attracts you to study nursing. You need to be able to convey why nursing is your passion. For example, you may something like â€Å"The volunteer work in my local care home showed me the positive impact that nurses can have on the lives of patients†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"The changing care models in our health system make it a dynamic and evolving career option†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Explain why you have applied to this specific course. You need to demonstrate that you have put some thought and research into the course that you have applied for. For example, you may something like â€Å"My passion is in the mental health sector, and I noted that this course has a very strong reputation in this field.† Explain how your skills and experience have prepared you for this course. You need to show the assessors that you will hit the ground running, that you know what to expect from this course. You may say something like: â€Å"As a diabetic, I have spent a lot of time being cared for highly trained and professional nurses, and it has given me enormous insight into the passion and dedication required for this career.† Test Your Nursing Personal Statement Once you have written your nursing personal statement, make sure that you get someone to proofread it for you to pick up any grammar or typographical errors. You then can ask your friends, family, and professional network to critically read your nursing personal statement. Actively seek their feedback to ensure that your nursing personal statement not only accurately reflects who you are but also that it is authentic, engaging, and has a real impact on someone who is reading it for the first time. If nursing is your passion and your career aspiration, then make sure that you take the time to create a nursing personal statement that will help you secure the course place that you need to achieve your goals.