Database Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Database - Essay Example The developer should also specify the data type stored in the database. One should also specify the type of activity to be acted upon each and every screen. Workflows in any system determine the order in which tasks should be carried out and therefore in the database system we should also specify the workflows of the system. One should also specify who can enter delete or update data in the database system. The system should also meet applicable regulatory requirements in the organization. Non functional includes the ability to recover and back up data in the database to prevent loss during failure. Others include data security, privacy issues, privacy issues and minimum hardware and software requirements of the system that the database will run on. Non functional requirements also include performance and configuration requirements such as expected business volumes and system responsiveness. It should also ensure that the system is available for use for when needed. It should also ensure proper utilization on the resources of the computer i.e.; CPU cycles, disk space, memory, bandwidth. The database system should be portable across different platforms the system should also enforce. Finally it should ensure high performance. Certain tasks or features are more critical than others. The system should also be capable of maintaining its performance all through its lifetime. An electronic database provides a highly efficient way of storing data. Its advantages are considerable. It saves time; a properly designed database running on a powerful server can be searched through remarkably easily and within an extraordinarily short time. It also helps to save time lost during transfer of physical data from one office to another. Secondly, a database offers more security, file cabinets can be compromised, stolen, accidentally destroyed, or be misplaced. Databases add

Support Children and Young People’s Positive Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Support Children and Young People’s Positive Behaviour Essay †¢ AC2.1 Describe the benefits of encouraging and rewarding positive behaviour It is important that the adult influences of the classroom recognise and praise the positive behaviour of individual pupils – especially those who struggle to maintain good behaviour and tend to be told off more than others. It is also essential to praise constant good behaviour (from pupils who never misbehave) to avoid the development inappropriate behaviour. Children respond to all kinds of positive praise. In my setting, the class teacher and LSA’s often add positive words like ‘fantastic’, ‘brilliant’ or ‘well done’ when acknowledging their input towards the class. We also use house tokens to reward good behaviour. Giving the pupils a physical reward makes them feel that the efforts they make in their positive behaviour is very appreciated. The more we praise good behaviour of individuals, the more likely the pupil is to continue the good behaviour and maintain a positive attitude towards school and learning. †¢ AC1.1 Describe what each policy/procedure says, and what its purpose is The primary school in which I work has many policies and procedures in place to ensure that all school rules are adhered to, at all times, by all staff and pupils. It is the duty of the schools staff (teachers, LSA’s etc.) to ensure that the pupils follow the school rules, and that we ourselves are always knowledgeable about existing and new policies and procedures, and enforce them where necessary. A hard copy of the schools policies and procedures must be available for all staff members and visitors to the organisation to read. The school’s behaviour policy is very important and must be understood by all teachers and LSA’s, to ensure that the pupils are given fair, consistent guidelines on behaviour. Policies and procedures are enforced to ensure that the pupils understand what is expected of them and the boundaries and restrictions to help them manage their behaviour. Enforcing such policies and procedures from an early age will help the children develop and understanding of how to behave, not just at school, but throughout day-to day life. If the schools behaviour policy is understood  and practiced by adults on a daily basis, the children will follow their example by displaying good behaviour, and should carry the skills of respect and good behaviour through to adulthood. In the contents of the behaviour policy of the school I attend, it states the sanctions to be followed where the school rules are broken. On the first and second occasion the pupil is given a warning. On the third occasion the pupil is given a yellow card. On the fourth occasion the pupil has to miss part of the next available playtime (5 minutes in which to reflect on their behaviour and how they can make it better – should the pupils behaviour improve after the third warning, the yellow card is to be disregarded). If poor behaviour persists the pupil’s parents are informed, and an appropriate strategy is to be agreed between the parents and teacher – whilst keeping the head teacher informed. Should the pupil continue to show bad or inappropriate behaviour, the pupil will be sent to the head teacher, who will then discuss the agreed strategy with parents and the pupil concerned. The behaviour policy also states that praise and rewards should be regular and consistent. We must offer positive verbal praise when possible. Class rewards will be used in each class to encourage peer reinforcement of appropriate behaviour. The behaviour policy also contains details of the school rules, the ‘VIP awards’, and the ‘star of the week award’. Children with examples of excellent behaviour or exceptional work will be sent to the head teacher for praise. †¢ AC1.2 Describe the importance of all staff being consistent and fair when applying each policy/procedure. In my setting, all staff members have read the schools policies and procedures, and are kept up-to-date of any amendments or changes. Staff members are expected to practice these policies and procedures at all times whilst monitoring the behaviour of pupils in all activities. We must report any inappropriate behaviour to the class teacher and take action where appropriate. We must be fair and consistent when applying the school  procedures to ensure that the pupils are treated equally. If pupils who behave badly are treated differently, or in their eyes unfairly, they will become confused of their boundaries and unsure of what is expected of them. Treating misbehaving children differently will have a negative impact on future behaviour. Recently, I witnessed a pupil at my setting using inappropriate language during a music lesson, where the class teacher was not present. I took the pupil to one side and bent to their level. I informed the pupil that the language they had used was both inappropriate and unacceptable. I told the pupil that I would be informing the class teacher of the incident and that should it happen again, I would be sending them straight to the head teacher’s office. Another child had overheard the inappropriate language and copied it. I took the same action with the second child, and then separated them, moving one child to the other side of the classroom. After the music lesson, I informed the class teacher of both incidents, who thanked me for my input and said that the pupils would need to be closely monitored for the rest of the day. †¢ AC3.2 Describe occasions when behaviour problems have been referred to others. Describe why the behaviour was referred to someone else, and explain why it was referred to that person. In a recent maths lesson, I was sat with a SENCO pupil offering lesson support. During the lesson the pupil started stabbing a school text book with a pencil. I told the pupil to stop, and informed them that they had caused deliberate damage to school property. I told the pupil that I was giving them their first warning and told them that I hoped it was their last warning. About 5 minutes later, while the pupil thought I wasn’t looking, they began stabbing the book again. I immediately removed the book from their desk and referred the situation to the class teacher. I informed her that the pupil had already received one warning, and had continued to cause damage. The class teacher was concerned that the pupil had continued to damage the text book even after having a warning. She decided to refer the pupil to the head teacher’s office, to help them understand the consequences  of their actions and the repercussions of damaging school property. During a morning break, I noticed that a child who was normally very sociable was sat on their own. I approached the child and sat next to them. I asked them if they were ok and whether they wanted to join in with the other pupils who were playing, to which they replied no, they wanted to sit alone. I asked if they wanted to sit me with me for a while and then maybe join in with the other children if they felt like it, to which they said yes. I asked them if they were feeling ok, or needed a drink perhaps, but they said no. The pupil sat with me, very quietly, for the whole break. I was concerned as this was a sudden change in behaviour. After break I approached the class teacher and asked to talk in private. I informed the class teacher that I was concerned about the pupil as they were normally very sociable but today they were very quiet and seemed troubled. The teacher thanked me for my input and informed me that the pupil was experiencing a difficult time at home. The teacher asked me to keep a close eye on the pupil and continue to offer support. The teacher also said that she would discuss the pupil’s change in behaviour with their parents, as the home life was having an effect on their school life. I referred the above mentioned incidents to the class teacher, as the class teacher has a greater knowledge of the individual pupils and their background. I felt that as a volunteer Learning support assistant I had offered all possible contributions towards the situation. I thought that the situations need to be taken further than my jurisdiction, so referred them to the class teacher. In both cases, the class teacher made a decision to refer the situations even further, to the parents or head teacher. I did not feel that it was appropriate for myself to make such a decision, so referred the situation to my immediate supervisor.

The Important Internet Properties In Marketing Information Technology Essay

The Important Internet Properties In Marketing Information Technology Essay According to the research, 530 million users are connecting to the internet which is about 8.5% of global population. Today we see most of the company use the internet to reach their customer as additional channel to their existing traditional marketing. In the past, a way for the company to get customer feedback is thru telephone and email. But now they can get their customer feedback thru internet instantly. Thus company nowadays must change their strategies to cope with internet impact on their marketing strategies. Internet is all about bits not atoms, all the information, products, and communication in digital can be stored, sent and received instantly. For marketer, the traditional marketing to reach customer by using physical stores and catalogue while using internet advertising will be more effective. Task Automation also one of the internet properties that affect marketing. For example, self service online that makes automated transaction and payment online possible also make operational cost lower for the company. Internet also had bought with it the mediating technology. Social network, music file sharing and business partnership can be formed regardless of geographical location. Its also has eliminate the boundaries and distance in this online world. And finally, time moderation is where customer have high expectation to the company on communication aspect. Customer want their problem and issues be solved quickly and there come customer services department in the company to deal with it. What concerns about consumer privacy are raised by the increased use of wireless computing and handheld devices outside the home or workplace? The rapid used of wireless network technology outside the home and wokplace has resulted in increase concern over their privacy. Consumer now can access the wireless website and service through various device such as mobile phone, smart phone, PDA and their two way radio. The common privacy concerns are location-base collection, tracking visit to website and increased of personal data collection by unauthorized party. There are potential uses of location based information by unauthorized party in wireless space. This is because consumer specific location can be tracked whenever the consumer wireless device is on. This information is extremely sensitive and can be used and provides opportunities for abuse of the information. Another privacy concern is tracking using cookie as consumer browsing patterns on the wireless internet being monitored and traced by individual. Wireless device tend to be strongly tied to an individual more than computer as people are less likely shared their device with other so there is potential user being tracked in wireless web more than normal website. Wireless content is frequently most valuable to customer when it is personalized. Businesses may seek to collect large amount of highly personal information for used in personalization. Abuse by companies, law enforcement agency and civil litigant are potential abuser of this information. How will social media and consumer-generated content change the way marketers operate? Explain Social media and consumer-generated content such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Wikipedia etc has changed the marketing world to certain extend. They represent low-cost tools that are used to combine technology and social interaction with the use of words. Nowadays marketer need to change their method from trying to sell to connect with customer. In order to change the customer relationships from trying to sell to seeking to engage and connect with customers, marketers need to use various methods, including sites like Facebook and Twitter to socially interact with their customer. Marketers have to realise that instead of only relying on big campaigns they have to make authentic, helpful relationships and communication the new campaign. They need to utilize the social media platform as their personal broadcasting network because people will inevitably share such experiences through the social web. Its will be online mouth-to mouth advertising campaign for marketers. Social media also allows marketers to build their own exclusive online communities built around industry topics, specific interest, or organizations. Through this exclusive community ability they can manage their customer within their own sales data. In turn, allowing marketer to message their entire community as owner of the community. It is observed that the global Internet has driven styles, tastes and products to converge and create a more homogeneous, global marketplace, and creating an online monoculture. Explain the observation. From my point of view, the observation is about global village where worlds culture shrinking and expanding at the same time due to pervasive technological advances i.e. internet that allow for instantaneous sharing of culture. On the Internet, physical distance is even less to the real-time communicative activities of people, and therefore social spheres are greatly expanded by the openness of the web and the ease at which people can search for online communities and interact with others that share the same interests and concerns. Due to the enhanced speed of communication online and the ability of people to read about, spread, and react to global news very rapidly. This is because the internet bridges time and space, people will come together in a large global village. Internet is now days one of those platform where one can have any necessity of life at home while he/ she is sitting in front of the computer. Everybody will find business owners from the world who are running their business from their home having a room and a personal computer. Concept of business is now days progressing rapidly among the business communities. The products offered by business owners are not limited only to the specific regions but internet has opened the doors of global village for every business owners.

Snow Falling On Cedars Essay -- essays research papers

Racism is the notion that one’s own ethnic stock is superior to that of someone else’s. Most all racism is as result of ignorance. Racism can range from a simple comment to make another human being feel inferior, to complex actions that make others feel unwelcome in society because of who they are. The theme of racism can be seen throughout literature. In the murder mystery novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson, many examples of wartime racism are evident. The novel is set on San Piedro Island off the coast of Washington in the year 1954. It is a place of â€Å"five thousand damp souls† (5). Kabuo Miyamoto, a member of the island's Japanese-American community, is on trial for the murder of Carl Heine, a fellow fisherman. Heine's boat was found drifting one morning, with his body entangled in a net. While the death initially appeared accidental, bits of circumstantial evidence that seemed to implicate Kabuo Miyamoto accumulated. Etta Heine, Carl’s mother, unjustly cheated Kabuo’s family out of some land during the war while the Miyamotos were incarcerated in a "relocation camp" in California. This provided motive for the apparent murder. Also, Carl’s traumatic head wound appeared suggestive of a Japanese kendo blow. Furthermore, Carl Heine's blood type was found on a wooden gaff on Kabuo Miyamoto's boat. As the trial proceeded, the story of Carl, Kabuo, and what happened that night gradually evolved, as did the tale of Ishmael Chambers, the local newspaper reporter. Ishmael had a love affair with Kabuo's wife when they were both adolescents, just before the Japanese families were sent away in 1942. It was clear, however, that this was more than just a story of one man's guilt or innocence; it is a story of a community's fear and prejudice against the Japanese-Americans in the midst of a war. In fact, Guterson even tells the reader that Japanese people who were not American citizens were not even allowed to own property. â€Å"We gotta take this†¦ All this stuff†¦ There’s a war on and that’s the way it is†¦ Any old country stuff we have to take† (196). Many of the things that the Japanese people were subjected to during the war were as result of ignorance. Ignorance seems to be the clue to almost all of the occurrences of racism in the novel. During Kabuo’s trial, he chose to keep quiet instead of sticking up for himself because in his religion, ... ...veryone who lives in it. At the end of the book, Hatsue tells Ishmael that she does not love him, compared to her husband, whom she met and married in the course of a few short months. The reader is left wondering at this point if Hatsue is really being truthful or if she is merely saying that to honor her mother’s wishes to â€Å"marry a boy of her own kind†. Mrs. Shigemura believed that â€Å"white men carry in their hearts a secret lust for pure young Japanese girls† (84). This effectively shows the stereotype the Japanese had of white people. However, there is one key difference, and that is throughout the novel, no matter how they are treated, the Japanese people are always respectful towards everybody. In the novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson, the exotic sensuality of a Japanese woman, and the frustration of a white man in being prohibited from partaking of her by both his and her societies, are clearly illustrated. The story of a struggle against racism, and an imprisoned culture whose only crime was their face is retold. Yet in the end, one is left to contemplate, â€Å"Why do people who have lived together in a community for years suddenly turn against one another†?

People v. Sisuphan Essay

Appellant Lou Surivan Sisuphan took $22,600 in cash and $7,275.51 from (Toyota Marin [the dealership] defendant) his employer’s safe on July 3, 2007. He did this in hopes that a coworker would be held responsible for the disappearance of the money and would be terminated. Sisuphan was convicted of embezzlement on April 15, 2008. In June 2008 he appeals from the judgment of conviction, contending that the trial court made a mistake when it failed to instruct the jury that at the time he took the money, he intended to return it before criminal charges were filed. He also states that the trial court excluded evidence on that he restored the money to the company, claiming this evidence proved he never intended to keep it and therefore lacked the requisite intent for the crime. Issue â€Å"The question, before us, therefore, is whether evidence that Sisuphan returned the money reasonably tends to prove he lacked the requisite intent at the time of the taking.† Was his the Fifth Amendment right to present defense and â€Å"all pertinent evidence of significance value to that defense† violated? Rule of Law The Fifth Amendment right to present defense and â€Å"all pertinent evidence of significant value to that defense† was not violated because the â€Å"return of the property is not a defense to embezzlement. Fraudulent intent is an essential element of embezzlement. Although restoration of the property is not a defense, evidence of repayment may be relevant to the extent it shows that a defendant’s intent at the time of the taking was not fraudulent.† Analysis Since Martin Sisuphan was authorized to manage the financing contracts and obtain payments from lenders on behalf of the defendant the lawsuit was effective. It does not matter that there was no intent of stealing the money because Section 508 (of the California Penal Code) states: â€Å"Every clerk, agent, or servant of any person who fraudulently appropriates to his own  use, or secretes with a fraudulent intent to appropriate to his own use, any property of another which has come into his control or care by virtue of his employment is guilty of embezzlement.† Holding The issue is that Susuiphan intended to use the money for a purpose other than to which the dealership entrusted it to him, therefore the evidence that he returned the money before criminal charges were filed is irrelevant. The judgment is affirmed. Plaintiff was sentenced to 120 days in custody and 3 years of probation.

Creating Activities Based on Learning Theories Essay

Behavioral teaching and learning tends to focus on skills that are acquired by an individual but are likely to be applied at a later stage in life. For instance, an individual may learn computational skills only to apply them when he gets a job. Behavioral theories support a number of approaches to teaching. All of them fall under the category of direct or teacher centered instruction. Operant conditioning on the other hand involves the reinforcement of behavior and mainly it is achieved either through reward or through punishment. The occurrence of a behavior determines whether it should be rewarded or it should be punished. To add to that, the kind of treatment administered after a behavior determines whether it will recur or not The following are some of the activities that are mostly observed in the case of behaviorism, to begin with, there are the tutorials; in this case the learner is informed about new ideas mainly through the lecturer. This mostly happen in classroom settings where the teacher gives the instructions on a particular aspect to be learned and the learner is expected to follow and understand what is being passed across. The second activity is games; this is where the learner takes part in games for instance football, races or other indoor activities that are mainly recreational and at the same time entertaining. The teacher on sets the platform to allow the learner explore the skills in various outdoor or indoor activities involving the full attention and participation of the learner. The other activity involves programmed instructions, integrated learning systems or even the graphically organized activities. In this case the learner will be required to use the ability to see in order to interpret the given information before learning is achieved. CONTRIBUTION OF GORDON SHAW IN EDUCATION Dr. Gordon is credited to have found the non profit educational institute called the MIND institute. This was introduced in the year 1998 as a result of a science research that he conducted at the University of California. Dr. Shaw had one vision of teaching all kids irrespective of their backgrounds. Through his institution, a lot of revolution was realized in the mathematics and music curriculum. His research had great impact in the curriculum offered in arts related subjects. Dr. Shaw argued that music is an element of learning that greatly helps to develop the brain and other mental faculties. Dr. Shaw further insisted that all children have a capacity to excel no matter what their present status are at the moment. He always encouraged the teachers to give al student opportunities to lean and achieve their full potential in the long run. He particularly identified students from disadvantaged backgrounds and pushed for them to be given chances of learning just like the other students. CLASSROOM IMPLICATION OF HIS WORK TO PARENTS AND EDUCATORS Dr. Shaw’s work made it possible for teachers to treat all children equally irrespective of their limitations. Teachers also rose to the occasion to protect the challenged students from the rowdy colleagues. Parents who are challenged either financially of socially were therefore able to educate their children with more ease because of Dr. Shaw’s policies. Parents were also warned against denying their children a chance to pursue education. Parents and teachers had easy time to assist their students because they were made to believe that any child can actually excel. Source Tomasi, M. (2006). Psychology of Education. NY: Oxford publishers.

Rabindranath Tagore Essay Essays

Rabindranath Tagore Essay Essays Rabindranath Tagore Essay Paper Rabindranath Tagore Essay Paper Rabindranath Tagore ] ( 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941 ) . sobriquet Gurudev. was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region’s literature and music. Writer of Gitanjali and its â€Å"profoundly sensitive. fresh and beautiful verse† . he became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. In interlingual rendition his poesy was viewed as religious and erratic ; his apparently hypnotic personality. fluxing hair. and other-worldly frock earned him a prophet-like repute in the West. His â€Å"elegant prose and charming poetry† remain mostly unknown outside Bengal. Tagore introduced new prose and poetry signifiers and the usage of conversational linguistic communication into Bengali literature. thereby liberating it from traditional theoretical accounts based on classical Sanskrit. He was extremely influential in presenting the best of Indian civilization to the West and frailty versa. and he is by and large regarded as the outstanding origi native creative person of modern India. [ 5 ] A Pirali Brahmin from Calcutta. Tagore wrote poesy as an eight-year-old. [ 10 ] At age 16. he released his first significant verse forms under the anonym Bhanusi?ha ( â€Å"Sun Lion† ) . which were seized upon by literary governments as long-lost classics. He graduated to his first short narratives and dramas- and the auspices of his birth name- by 1877. As a humanist. universalist internationalist. and blatant anti-nationalist he denounced the Raj and advocated independency from Britain. As an advocate of the Bengal Renaissance. he advanced a huge canon that comprised pictures. studies and scribbles. 100s of texts. and some two thousand vocals ; his bequest endures besides in the establishment he founded. Visva-Bharati University. Tagore modernized Bengali art by rejecting stiff classical signifiers and defying lingual stenosiss. His novels. narratives. vocals. dance-dramas. and essays spoke to topics political and personal. Gitanjali ( Song Offerings ) . Gora ( Fair-Faced ) . and Ghare-Baire ( The Home and the World ) are his best-known plants. and his poetry. short narratives. and novels were acclaimed- or panned- for their lyricality. colloquialism. naturalism. and unnatural contemplation. His composings were chosen by two states as national anthems: the Republic of India’s Jana Gana Mana and Bangladesh’s Amar Shonar Bangla. The composer of Sri Lanka’s national anthem: Sri Lanka Matha was a pupil of Tagore. and the vocal is inspired by Tagore’s manner.

Virtual Teams Virtual There

Virtual Teams Virtual There Virtual teams The article, Virtual there, was written by Alison Overholt on February 28, 2002. The article focuses on Virtual teams and how they can be used to offer businesses solutions. The writer uses an example of breast-cancer diagnosis to illustrate the benefits that can be accrued from virtual teams (Overholt, 2002) This paper evaluates the article.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Virtual Teams: Virtual There specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Why the writer chose breast-cancer diagnosis as an example Breast cancer has of late become a global concern as men and women suffer. There are numerous cases of breast cancer each with its own characteristics and diagnosed differently. Specialists in the field have also increased. The writer notes that in most cases doctors are willing to offer medication that they are aware of, but since breast cancer takes different forms, then a doctor may offer medication that is not the most effective for a certain condition. When there is web interaction with other physicians and a review of past successful cases, through virtual teams, doctors will be in a position to offer better medication. Secondly the patient will understand the medication he gets its side effects and probably communicate with another medicated patient on the same. The example was used to explain the benefits that can be accrued from using virtual teams. The choice of breast-cancer diagnosis was triggered by the effects that it has on modern life (Overholt, 2002). Advantages of virtual teams The writer brings out a number of advantages in the article. The most dominant advantage is information and knowledge sharing. Virtual reality works across time, space and geographical area, thus information or experience in a certain area can be shared to improve services in another organization currently facing a similar issue. Information is power, thus when the systems are adopted, a company gets access to quality information it can use for informed decisions. Other than getting information, the information is real-time information. Updated information is crucial for decision making in the fast-changing business environments (Grenny, 2010). Virtual teams can be adopted as a cost saving strategy. This is because experts or employees will not have to travel across nations searching for information-making. Information can be gotten by a click of a button. Operational costs are saved in teams of time, travelling and accommodation costs and reduced cost of research and development.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When a company have information about an issue it’s facing, it is able to develop alternatives and knowledge for decision-making. This results to improved quality, service delivery, and customer satisfaction (Driskell, Radtke Salas, 003). Suggestio ns for managing this virtual team The virtual team discussed in the article is likely to suffer from lack of motivation. Physicians need to be self motivated to deliver results. One way of motivating team members is by offering a token pay every time certain work or experience of a member has been used successively. This will motivate them work harder. Before a certain team member is absorbed, he or she should be vetted for excellence and professionalism. This can be done through verifying his qualification and experience. This will assist in building trust and confidence among members. Virtual teams should not be used to undermine the benefits of research. They should be conducted alongside research to offer rich information and improvements on different areas (Ebrahim, Ahmed Taha, 2009). Conclusion Businesses are using virtual teams to share information across time, space, and geographical area. This has resulted to better decision making and improvements of services. The method however faces a challenge in that its members lack motivation and trust among themselves. References Driskell, J., Radtke, P., Salas, E. (2003). Virtual Teams: Effects of Technological Mediation on Team Performance. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 7(4), 297-323. doi:10.1037/1089-2699.7.4.297. Ebrahim, N., Ahmed, S., Taha, Z. (2009). Virtual Teams: a Literature Review. Australian Journal of Basic Applied Sciences, 3(3), 2653-2669. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Virtual Teams: Virtual There specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Grenny, J. (2010). Virtual Teams. Leadership Excellence, 27(5), 20. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier database. Overholt, A. (2002 February 28). Virtual There? Fast Company, 56, 1-5. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/44596/virtually-there?page=0,4

Advertising and Marketing Research

[2] Market Research is the key factor to get advantage over competitors. Market research provides important information to identify and analyze the market need, market size and competition. Market research,as defined by the ICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market and Social Research, includes social and opinion research, [and] is the systematic gathering and interpretation of information about individuals or organizations using statistical and analytical methods and techniques of the applied social sciences to gain insight or support decision making. [3] Market Research is a systematic, objective collection and analysis of data about a particular target market, competition, and/or environment. It always incorporates some form of data collection whether it be secondary research (often referred to as desk research) or primary research which is collected direct from a respondent. The purpose of any market research project is to achieve an increased understanding of the subject matter. With markets throughout the world becoming increasingly more competitive, market research is now on the agenda of many organisations, whether they be large or small. The Market Research Process To conduct market research, organisations may decide to undertake the project themselves (some through a marketing research department) or they might choose to commission it via a market research agency or consultancy. Whichever, before undertaking any research project, it is crucial to define the research objectives i. e. what are you trying to achieve from the research? and what do you need to know? After considering the objectives, Market Researchers can utilise many types of research techniques and methodologies to capture the data that they require. All of the available methodologies either collect quantitative or qualitative information. The use of each very much depends on the research objectives but many believe that results are most useful when the two methods are combined. Quantitative Research Quantitative research is numerically oriented, requires significant attention to the measurement of market phenomena and often involves statistical analysis. For example, a bank might ask its customers to rate its overall service as either excellent, good, poor or very poor. This will provide quantitative information that can be analysed statistically. The main rule with quantitative research is that every respondent is asked the same series of questions. The approach is very structured and normally involves large numbers of interviews/questionnaires. Perhaps the most common quantitative technique is the ‘market research survey’. These are basically projects that involve the collection of data from multiple cases – such as consumers or a set of products. Quantitative surveys can be conducted by using post (self-completion), face-to-face (in-street or in-home), telephone, email or web techniques. The questionnaire is one of the more common tools for collecting data from a survey, but it is only one of a wide ranging set of data collection aids. Qualitative Research Qualitative research provides an understanding of how or why things are as they are. For example, a Market Researcher may stop a consumer who has purchased a particular type of bread and ask him or her why that type of bread was chosen. Unlike quantitative research there are no fixed set of questions but, instead, a topic guide (or discussion guide) is used to explore various issues in-depth. The discussion between the interviewer (or moderator) and the respondent is largely determined by the respondents’ own thoughts and feelings. As with quantitative techniques, there are also various types of qualitative methodologies. Research of this sort is mostly done face-to-face. One of the best-known techniques is market research group discussions (or focus groups). These are usually made up of 6 to 8 targeted respondents, a research moderator whose role is to ask the required questions, draw out answers, and encourage discussion, and an observation area usually behind one way mirrors, and video and/or audio taping facilities. In addition, qualitative research can also be conducted on a ‘one on one’ basis i. e. an in-depth interview with a trained executive interviewer and one respondent, a paired depth (two respondents), a triad (three respondents) and a mini group discussion (4-5 respondents). Advertising and Marketing Research [2] Market Research is the key factor to get advantage over competitors. Market research provides important information to identify and analyze the market need, market size and competition. Market research,as defined by the ICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market and Social Research, includes social and opinion research, [and] is the systematic gathering and interpretation of information about individuals or organizations using statistical and analytical methods and techniques of the applied social sciences to gain insight or support decision making. [3] Market Research is a systematic, objective collection and analysis of data about a particular target market, competition, and/or environment. It always incorporates some form of data collection whether it be secondary research (often referred to as desk research) or primary research which is collected direct from a respondent. The purpose of any market research project is to achieve an increased understanding of the subject matter. With markets throughout the world becoming increasingly more competitive, market research is now on the agenda of many organisations, whether they be large or small. The Market Research Process To conduct market research, organisations may decide to undertake the project themselves (some through a marketing research department) or they might choose to commission it via a market research agency or consultancy. Whichever, before undertaking any research project, it is crucial to define the research objectives i. e. what are you trying to achieve from the research? and what do you need to know? After considering the objectives, Market Researchers can utilise many types of research techniques and methodologies to capture the data that they require. All of the available methodologies either collect quantitative or qualitative information. The use of each very much depends on the research objectives but many believe that results are most useful when the two methods are combined. Quantitative Research Quantitative research is numerically oriented, requires significant attention to the measurement of market phenomena and often involves statistical analysis. For example, a bank might ask its customers to rate its overall service as either excellent, good, poor or very poor. This will provide quantitative information that can be analysed statistically. The main rule with quantitative research is that every respondent is asked the same series of questions. The approach is very structured and normally involves large numbers of interviews/questionnaires. Perhaps the most common quantitative technique is the ‘market research survey’. These are basically projects that involve the collection of data from multiple cases – such as consumers or a set of products. Quantitative surveys can be conducted by using post (self-completion), face-to-face (in-street or in-home), telephone, email or web techniques. The questionnaire is one of the more common tools for collecting data from a survey, but it is only one of a wide ranging set of data collection aids. Qualitative Research Qualitative research provides an understanding of how or why things are as they are. For example, a Market Researcher may stop a consumer who has purchased a particular type of bread and ask him or her why that type of bread was chosen. Unlike quantitative research there are no fixed set of questions but, instead, a topic guide (or discussion guide) is used to explore various issues in-depth. The discussion between the interviewer (or moderator) and the respondent is largely determined by the respondents’ own thoughts and feelings. As with quantitative techniques, there are also various types of qualitative methodologies. Research of this sort is mostly done face-to-face. One of the best-known techniques is market research group discussions (or focus groups). These are usually made up of 6 to 8 targeted respondents, a research moderator whose role is to ask the required questions, draw out answers, and encourage discussion, and an observation area usually behind one way mirrors, and video and/or audio taping facilities. In addition, qualitative research can also be conducted on a ‘one on one’ basis i. e. an in-depth interview with a trained executive interviewer and one respondent, a paired depth (two respondents), a triad (three respondents) and a mini group discussion (4-5 respondents).

American Music History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

American Music History - Assignment Example Hence, Jazz music was established by African American slaves who were prohibited from maintaining their indigenous musical traditions, and this made them feel the need to substitute some home-made form of musical expression. In relation to that, we can depict that the white were not ready to be associated with jazz music since they perceive jazz music as an African American art and not of the white. However, some conservative white and black Americans did not approve of jazz music. For instances, some conservative white did not approve of jazz music since they perceive jazz as a black American music. Jazz music features the black American experience over conservative white insensibilities that made them exploit the black American. This made Lois to say that some conservative white like did not approve of jazz music since â€Å"Jazz music created a sense of identity, originality, and social cohesion among black musicians† (Lois L.pg .9). I prefer this quotation it has helped me to illustrate how the Whites failed to acknowledge black-Americans music since they repudiated to equate anything valuable with black Americans. Subsequently, some conservative black-Americans did not approve of jazz music due to the social stigma associated with the music. For instance, â€Å"Jazz Must Go,† was the heading of a critique published in 1921 by one journal in America (Scaruffi, P. pg. 103). I prefer this quotation as it has helped me portray how stigma formed an environment for black mistreatment since jazz was considered black folk music. The University of Chicago Library. "Chicago, Jazz, and the Great Migration." The University of Chicago Library. N.p.,  2012. Web. 27  May  2015. Retrieved from

Reflective letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflective letter - Assignment Example As such, I will seek to build on my formatting strengths by referring and practicing the Harvard, Chicago, and MLA writing styles as seen in the Purdue Online Writing Lab. On the other hand, I will seek to overcome my writing weaknesses by proof reading my work before submission. I will also do more research on the best writing skills and sentence construction. Using Microsoft PowerPoint by creating effective slides, APA formatting, critical analysis, and timely completion of assignments are items that represent my best work. This is because these items enabled me to address the writing subject in a detailed, effective, and timely manner in different writing platforms using the required writing style. Notably, the first assignment and the PowerPoint assignment were the most challenging assignments. Indeed, summarizing the most relevant information on the slides and achieving the correct sentence combination were very challenging. Nevertheless, I have begun to solve the problem in achieving correct sentence combination by writing more works, researching the best writing skills, and seeking guidance from my tutor. However, I am proud of my writing skills in assignment 2 because they depict my strength in formatting, great sentence combination, few grammatical errors, and objectivity. Ideally, I adopted efficient revision strategies that included class discussions, detailed research at the library, creating a revision timetable, and seeking professional advice from my tutors. I also addressed my peers, tutor review comments, and sought to perfect my writing skills by doing additional writing assignments. My writing, reading, and critical analysis assignments helped me in my writing since they prepared me to read, analyze the derived information, and present such information in writing using the correct writing style. Notably, the PowerPoint essay was the most informative since it taught me how to summarize, use visual

Andrew Johnsons Impeachment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Andrew Johnsons Impeachment - Essay Example His war against the Negro doesn't end there. In an act of pure bigotry, he has allowed a Southern radical group, named the Ku Klux Klan, to rape, beat, and lynch Negro men and women. Also, he has vetoed every single bill regarding civil rights for these disadvantaged people, whose only crime is he wear dark skin. For the white rebels, they are treated like kings! The President has pardoned many of the top Confederate officers and generals, allow former Confederate soldiers to vote without fully pledging allegiance to the Union, and other senseless acts. Now to top it off, the President blatantly and willfully broke the Tenure of Office Law, which requires all the President's cabinet members to be approved by a majority vote of Congress before they serve. My fellow Congressman, this is the straw that breaks the camel's back! I urge you to stand with me to impeach President Johnson, before he hand over the keys to the Union to those unremorseful, troublemaking rebels!

Case Study on McDonalds Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

On McDonalds - Case Study Example The business model implemented has enabled the firm to consistently offer restaurant experiences that are relevant to the local customers and become part of the local communities. A swot analysis of McDonald’s is as below. McDonald has developed a very strong global grand and is highly ranked by Fortune Magazine in its category. It has also successfully portrayed itself as community oriented and socially responsible company that caters for the different cultures it serves. Strong global market presence is another key strength that is barked with the franchise business model that has made it easy to expand and manage the vast locations without much ease. The company’s location strategy also works for its business i.e. most stores are excellently located in parks, airports and Wal-Mart stores as well as other prime places. Its adherence to guidelines on safety of food and provision of nutritional information to its customers also helps in growing customer intimacy. A major weakness of McDonald’s has to do costs of doing business; it has to expend lots of money on training as a result of high staff turnover. It has also concentrated a lot on the fast foods such as burgers instead of the more healthier and organic food types. Its franchise model of operation also faces concerns to with quality as the different franchise owners may not offer the same level of quality. A concern to investors arises from the large variations in the company’s profits while its limited variation of seasonal foods impacts on customer confidence. McDonald’s therefore needs to address these weak points in order to maintain its brand recognition. Due its global position and the franchise business model the company has unique opportunity to further expand to every part of the globe. It can also grow its image by responding fast social changes and customer demands in terms of health. Its Wifi service

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 70

English - Essay Example ual living under the rule of Allah should behave, it can most certainly be understood that religion plays extraordinarily powerful role in defining the person I am and how I interact with others within society. Another powerful mechanism through which my own personal culture is defined has to do with the way in which I was raised. My father and my mother have always placed great deal of emphasis upon personal responsibility and the way in which I have made my own choices. Whereas many parents insist upon making each and every choice for their son/daughter, my parents instead focused upon an approach that the decision-making power mainly in my own hands. As a result of this, my own personal culture is one that is defined by a great deal of independence. Instead of looking to others and seeking out the way in which a particular situation can be resolved for a particular question can be answered, my own personal culture is one that places a great deal of trust and expectation in the belief that my instilled the virtues and problem-solving abilities will be able to tackle even the most difficult questions. It should not be understood that personal culture is something that is without change. Instead, there are many aspects of my personal culture that I am currently at work on as a means of improving them. For instance, I have recently become aware of the fact that I tend not to listen to individuals as much as I should. As a result of this inability or lack of concern, many people think that by merely dismiss the information that they might be providing me and choose to promote my own point of view first and foremost. This particular shortcoming is most likely the result of the fact that I grew up in a relatively large family and had to actively compete for attention and understanding with older siblings and/or my parents. However, in recognizing this shortcoming of personal culture, and seeking to address it, I hope to improve upon it in the very near

Andrew Johnsons Impeachment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Andrew Johnsons Impeachment - Essay Example His war against the Negro doesn't end there. In an act of pure bigotry, he has allowed a Southern radical group, named the Ku Klux Klan, to rape, beat, and lynch Negro men and women. Also, he has vetoed every single bill regarding civil rights for these disadvantaged people, whose only crime is he wear dark skin. For the white rebels, they are treated like kings! The President has pardoned many of the top Confederate officers and generals, allow former Confederate soldiers to vote without fully pledging allegiance to the Union, and other senseless acts. Now to top it off, the President blatantly and willfully broke the Tenure of Office Law, which requires all the President's cabinet members to be approved by a majority vote of Congress before they serve. My fellow Congressman, this is the straw that breaks the camel's back! I urge you to stand with me to impeach President Johnson, before he hand over the keys to the Union to those unremorseful, troublemaking rebels!

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 70

English - Essay Example ual living under the rule of Allah should behave, it can most certainly be understood that religion plays extraordinarily powerful role in defining the person I am and how I interact with others within society. Another powerful mechanism through which my own personal culture is defined has to do with the way in which I was raised. My father and my mother have always placed great deal of emphasis upon personal responsibility and the way in which I have made my own choices. Whereas many parents insist upon making each and every choice for their son/daughter, my parents instead focused upon an approach that the decision-making power mainly in my own hands. As a result of this, my own personal culture is one that is defined by a great deal of independence. Instead of looking to others and seeking out the way in which a particular situation can be resolved for a particular question can be answered, my own personal culture is one that places a great deal of trust and expectation in the belief that my instilled the virtues and problem-solving abilities will be able to tackle even the most difficult questions. It should not be understood that personal culture is something that is without change. Instead, there are many aspects of my personal culture that I am currently at work on as a means of improving them. For instance, I have recently become aware of the fact that I tend not to listen to individuals as much as I should. As a result of this inability or lack of concern, many people think that by merely dismiss the information that they might be providing me and choose to promote my own point of view first and foremost. This particular shortcoming is most likely the result of the fact that I grew up in a relatively large family and had to actively compete for attention and understanding with older siblings and/or my parents. However, in recognizing this shortcoming of personal culture, and seeking to address it, I hope to improve upon it in the very near

The important issue of war is Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen Essay Example for Free

The important issue of war is Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen Essay Choose a poem which deals with an important issue such as war poverty or racism. Explain how the poet deepens out understanding of the issue by the choice of content and the skilful use of poetic techniques. A poem which deals with the important issue of war is â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† by Wilfred Owen. The poet first went to the war on 30th of December 1916. He had already completed his military training and sailed for France. Nothing had fully prepared Owen for the shock and suffering of his front line experience. I have said that he went to the war, because if we know this, we would understand better why this poem seems so real as it reflects the brutal reality and the atmosphere of wars. In the first stanza, Owen gives a vicious and desperate image of war. He conveys this by describing the dreadful conditions of soldiers at war and sets a weary tone: â€Å"Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge† This horrendous description of the soldiers makes us feel almost pitiful towards the. The word â€Å"beggars† has connotations of desperation and lack of dignity suggesting that the soldiers are stark contrast to the brave valiant image of soldiers that we have. These soldiers are forgotten and are almost like outcasts of society and this is described here. The poet uses similes such as â€Å"coughing like hags† to emphasise their pitiful and unwell state. The use of â€Å"cursed† as a verb here suggests that they are worn down from the constant battle and they are regretting being there. This helps us to understand the issue of war by highlighting the appalling conditions of soldiers at war. The reader is given a very fatigued and desperate image of the soldiers. Owen uses enjambment to emphasise the weariness of the soldiers: â€Å"All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind† Owen shows how these mens senses had been numbed by the ghastly occurrences in the trenches and how these numbed senses cause the men to not realise they are under attack until it is almost too late. He uses metaphors to emphasise how tired they are and they cannot even hear the shells which is surprising as we would expect the bombs to be fairly loud. He uses the transferred epithet of â€Å"tired, outstripped Five-Nines† to show how the war is so draining and everyone is tired of the war. The images in this sentence help us to understand the feeling of being at war and show the arduous environment of the soldiers. In the next stanza there is as rapid change from the tired tone of the first stanza to one of panic. Owen uses minor sentences to change the pace: â€Å"Gas! Gas! Quick, boys – An ecstasy of fumbling Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time† Suddenly every one springs to life and the scene is chaotic. Owen emphasises this by using the minor sentences in succession giving a dramatic change of atmosphere. A sense of immediacy and urgency is evident here and the transferred epithet of â€Å"clumsy helmets† shows that in the sudden rush even the helmets seem clumsy. Furthermore, there is a change in rhythm from the iambic pentameter of the first stanza into one of chaos almost symbolising the atmosphere of the trench. Our understanding of the urgency of war is deepened here and the reader is given insight into how risky the soldiers lives are. The poet uses imagery to illustrate his memories. The man being choked to death by the gas is almost in slow motion as the event happen: â€Å"But someone still was yelling out and stumbling As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.† This whole sequence of events is described by Owen in great detail showing that the images of the man’s pain seem fresh in Owen’s mind showing and that they have emotionally scarred him and he will never be able to forget seeing this soldier dying. The word â€Å"someone† shows the anonymity of the soldiers and emphasises how many soldiers are simply forgotten. â€Å"But† shows that not everyone was able to fit their helmet in time and the soldier was too late and is seen only through the green sea of mustard gas, yelling stumblingdrowninggutteringchoking. The word order of â€Å"someone still was† is changed to highlight the chaos of the situation. The reader is shown how horrendous deaths in the war can be and how scarring the effect of seeing someone’s slow death can be on a person. The third stanza is written in present tense to show the effect that the soldiers death has had on Owen. The stanza almost has a nightmarish quality: â€Å"In all my dreams before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.† From â€Å"all† it is clear that Owen has a recurring nightmare of the man’s death and his seeing his last moments has traumatized him. The poet shows that he was â€Å"helpless† despite the soldier’s pleas for help. The transferred epithet of â€Å"helpless sight† shows that Owen could merely witness the man’s death and was powerless in stopping the gas. The listed verbs are associated with a lack of air and death and the hard consonants almost embody the man’s dying moments. The final stanza is addressed to the advocates of war. Owen describes the horrific image of the man’s body and addresses the reader directly: â€Å"Behind the wagon that we flung him in. And watch the white eyes writhing in his face† The poet is almost asking the reader to be empathetic towards the soldiers in this sentence. The word â€Å"flung† shows a lack of care and respect and emphasises the anonymity of the soldier. The language used in the sections depicting the gas attack is strong, representing both the suffering of the victims of the gas attack as well as the effect on those haunted by what they have seen. The repetition of the word face makes it clear which part disturbs the poet most. The use of alliteration on the w sound reflects the agonised twisting of the gas victim. The poet also makes it clear how it is unfair on these young boys and how they are â€Å"innocent†. Owen highlights the severity and lasting effect of war and violence on the soldiers and this helps the reader to understand what happens at war and the effect of war. Owen ends the poem with a Latin expression taken from the odes of the roman poet Horace: â€Å"To children ardent for some desperate glory The old lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.† The fact that the war recruits are only â€Å"children† makes the reader question the justification of sending people to war. The poet is saying that the men only go into war to be war heroes, yet, they are forgotten and forced through horrendous conditions. Throughout the poem there has been around ten syllables per line and the last line has only six and I think that the missed beats give the reader time to think about the poem as a whole. The Latin used at the end of the poem means It is sweet and honourable to die for your country, a concept Owen is strongly denying throughout the poem. â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† is a poem which gives a very insightful and realistic view of war. I think that Wilfred Owen did not use the full phrase â€Å"Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori† in order to allow the reader to decide for oneself whether they agreed or disagreed with him in the end.

Scientific perspectives on positivism and hermeneutics

Scientific perspectives on positivism and hermeneutics The purpose of this chapter is to describe the method that how the work will be carried out and what approach we have chosen. The aim of this research design is to answer the main questions. We would also present the overview of the choice of methods used for data collection, analysis and the results of the data. Research perspective There are two main scientific perspectives, positivism and hermeneutics. (Ann Lind, 2005), since we want to create comprehension knowledge, a hermeneutic perspective is best for our research. The aim of the hermeneutic analysis is trying to make sense of the whole, and the relationship between people, the organization, and information technology (Michael D. Myers, 1997). Hermeneutics has been defined as the theory of the operation of understanding in relation to the interpretation of text (David L. Rennie, 2006). The text could be any sacred and legal document. Hermeneutics dealt with two aspects of interpretation which will be encountered again: first, the problems of analyzing texts in a way that looked beyond the surface features (e.g. of a parable), and second, the problems of verifying the analysis so produced (Wallace, Ross, Davie, 2003). We can say that the hermeneutics deals with the interpretation of any aspect of the technology. Hermeneutics opens the path of protecting the social sciences from the violation of the methodology of the natural sciences, but the main concerns are always the similar as those acknowledged previously: i.e. to what degree are readings to be ordered and to what level are they objectively accurate or subjectively factual to the reader? (Wallace, Ross, Davie, 2003) The hermeneutics deals with the difficulties of the text interpretation, analysis of the text and the verification of that analysis. The qualitative study produces some kind of text from the interviews or observation, the produced text needs to be interpretive because Texts are not just more or less meaningful, they are also more or less useful. (Wallace, Ross, Davie, 2003). It will show the objectivity of the text, we think that the hermeneutic approach with qualitative research is better approach to choose. The qualitative research gives chance to the interviewee or respondents to answer in their own opinion and not forcing them to select or answer from preset answers Every research design has some positive aspects in it beside with some negative sides. It is not possible to say that any research design a perfect design. There are mainly two research designs which are the source of the todays research, one is qualitative research and other is quantitative research. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior.(Wikipedia, 2010) and The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to phenomena.(Wikipedia, 2010) The qualitative research contains the study that consists of: to find the answers of questions by predefined set of measures produces answer that might not be resolute in advance and gathering of the proofs. The Qualitative research shares the characteristics which are described and it helps to recognize any given research problem or subject. Qualitative research is especially efficient in obtaining culturally specific information about the values, opinions, behaviors, and social contexts of particular populations. The qualitative research provides textual metaphors of, how the researcher experience a given research problem. There are three qualitative research methods which are: participant observation, in-depth interviews, and focus groups. The participant observation depends on the observation of the participant to be observed, in-depth interviews depend on the collection of data from the individual personally, and focus groups depend on collection of data from the group of partic ulars. (Mack, Namey, 2005) The quantitative approach, on the other hand, has more benefit of generating data that is open to the statistical analysis, and something that is predominantly imperative in a safety context. The quantitative research approach is most of the time is in simpler form, the representation of the data in quantitative structure (e.g. graphs or charts) then the disordered layout of the text in qualitative data. (Wallace, Ross, Davie, 2003) In this research we have use qualitative research methods with hermeneutic approach, our research design will show how this work will be applied, and why we have chosen the approach that we are going to work with. The research design will be helpful to answer the research question, we will use the procedure of the observations and the interviews in this regard. We will try to explore that what are the requirements of a user (visually impaired people) and how the ticketing machine could be provided by the interface that could be usable for the user. This approach will be relying on the conclusion and results that we gather from the interviews and the observation. We will try to broaden our perspective at the start of the work, because it could be very helpful at the point, when we will be collecting data. We will analyze that how a ticket machine system interfaces have an effect on a user who is in need of it. Comparison of quantitative and qualitative research approaches Quantitative Qualitative General framework Seek to confirm hypotheses about phenomena Instruments use more rigid style of eliciting and categorizing responses to questions Use highly structured methods such as questionnaires, surveys, and structured observation Seek to explore phenomena Instruments use more flexible, iterative style of eliciting and categorizing responses to questions Use semi-structured methods such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, and participant observation Analytical objectives To quantify variation To predict causal relationships To describe characteristics of a population To describe variation To describe and explain relationships To describe individual experiences To describe group norms Question format Closed-ended Open-ended Data format Numerical (obtained by assigning numerical values to responses) Textual (obtained from audiotapes, videotapes, and field notes) Flexibility in study design Study design is stable from beginning to end Participant responses do not influence or determine how and which questions researchers ask next Study design is subject to statistical assumptions and conditions Some aspects of the study are flexible (for example, the addition, exclusion, or wording of particular interview questions) Participant responses affect how and which questions researchers ask next Study design is iterative, that is, data collection and research questions are adjusted according to what is learned Research strategy We need to look at the existing method and practices, perhaps to develop and improve them. Once a particular project is underway, we may need to collect information to monitor the program and review its effectiveness. Is it meeting its target? Is it satisfying its customers? (Paul Nichols, 2006). The research strategy we will follow during the research is consisting of the collection of the information through the interviews and the observations then we will review the effectiveness of the data and try to answer the questions that Nichols asked. There are two types of research strategy approaches. Exploratory research Descriptive research Exploratory research An explorative study is conducted when the researcher would like to follow a new interest or when the subject area in itself is relatively new and unexplored. The aim for such a study may be to create a better understanding, to test the feasibility of further research or to develop a method for further research.(Ann Lind, 2005) Explorative studies are most important when moving into new territories where they almost always can create new knowledge of the research area. (Babbie, 1995) Descriptive Research Descriptive research is also called Statistical Research. The main goal of this type of research is to describe the data and characteristics about what is being studied. The idea behind this type of research is to study frequencies, averages, and other statistical calculations. Although this research is highly accurate, it does not gather the causes behind a situation. (Anto, 2007) We have chosen the exploratory approach as our research strategy, because we want to follow a new knowledge. This area has been unexplored and is a new one, this area need to be of better understanding for the further exploration in the area. The interviews and the observations are also fits well with exploratory approach, because they will create better understanding of the problem and towards the solution of the problem. By the application of the exploratory method, will help us to get better understanding and make the interface of the ticket machine system better and usable. By descriptive, we will be able to easily get our principles from theories now days for a design principle of a ticket machine system and the features of visually impaired people. Once the phase of interviews and the observations will be finished, we will try to build a prototype that will help to book tickets for the visually impaired people for the experimental purpose. Our effort would be to get a better understanding of how users perceive the interface of the ticket machine system and how we can make more improvement in the interface to be useable for the visually impaired people. To come up with better design of the machine to investigate further on to make it more reliable for users. If we noticed and observed that today the system called as self-service systems, always need to be improved and need some kind of updating and upgrading in it to make the performances better, improved and more users friendly. The role of theoretical study The role of the theoretical study is to explore the literature related to the material which is relevant about the research topic. According to Oates (2006, page 72) the aim is to gather and present evidence to support your claim that you have created some new knowledge. The theoretical study is used to identify the theorys key points and suggest theories that they might explain the data that, the researcher has collected from the field of study. The theoretical study provides the base for any kind of research. The theoretical study is based on the literature resources like books, journals articles, conference papers and catalogues. In theoretical part we will make a base for the empirical survey, which will later on be implemented. We have inquired the different ways for the conducting of interviews. We have to keep in mind that what is considerable to think about and what we should do to attain, validity and consistency when we carry out the theoretical study. We have read various theories about the usability, ticket machine system, human-computer interaction, and user interface and design principles. The role of Empirical study According to Oates, (2006, page 2-3) the research within information system has a long tradition of carrying out field research (often called empirical research) in order to find out what happen, when information system are requested, developed and used by the people. The empirical researchs outcome can be utilized as the verification to sustain the valuable development and usage of any information system. When the product is actually implemented in the real world the empirical study can be helpful to find out what happen actually, and if we want to develop the system in a desire efficient way, there should be evidence of empirical study to support the research, the theoretical study will also be enhanced with the help of empirical study. (Oates, 2006) Our intention is to acquire an enhanced understanding of how the user recognize interface in the ticket machine system and what measurements we can take to make the interface of a ticket machine system better for the handicapped (visually impaired). This can be done with the help of the empirical study because the role of the empirical study is to verify the results of the theoretical study. Data collection procedures For the solution of the problem of design issues of the ticketing machine system for the visual impaired people, we will use the interviews and the observations. During the interviews, we will ask the questions from different visually impaired people about their thinking of such kind of system. The interviews from the normal human beings, who travel regularly, will help us to sort out the availabilities and problems of the current ticketing machine, and to get the idea how they think about the current system to improve to make usable for the visually impaired people. During the observations, we will analyze and argue the different responses given by the interviewer and will try to reach some results. Theoretical study Our theoretical groundwork is based on articles, books and literature review as well as material which is relevant to our study in our problem area. The literature review is done by searching for these keywords, usability, interface, human computer interface, information service and user interfaces etc. Theoretical sources The theoretical source is a tool of qualitative research, for the theoretical source of the empirical studies, we have selected to go through the comprehensive study of literature that is related to our research, which is compose of the journals, books and articles in the research area. We will make analysis of the problem by making predictions, understanding and explaining the matter. Our theoretical groundwork is comprised of articles, books, internet and literature review as well as material that is relevant to our study in our problem area. The literature review is done by searching for these keywords: usability, interface, human computer interface, information service, user interfaces etc. For these keywords we will definitely consider that the authors are more trustworthy than others. In our theoretical study, this thing will be posed with the web sites, books, articles and journals because this will provide quality in our data. Empiric Survey The empirical study is related to balance with what the theory says, here the theory is initial point and the preparation of questions related to interviews is based on it. The empirical study will have observations and interviews will be conducted at different places. We will also try to collect the data by the interviews from the blind or visually impaired people would be the source of direct quotations from them and also yields their pervious experiences, pervious knowledge, feelings and opinion about the ticketing machine or booking system (Michael Quinn). The observation will provide the handicap peoples behaviour, activities actions and their interpersonal interaction with other assistive technologies they have used. The analysis of data from written documents consists of the analysis of articles, journals and books related to the blind people or people with visual impairment and booking systems. Empirical sources The empirical source will be composed of a number of interviews and observations, which will be conducted randomly from normal user on the spot after or before buying ticket form ticket reservation machine, and from the blind or visually impaired people, from Eye center Boras. According to Briony J Oates (2006, page-202, 203), to observe mean to watch and to pay attention to. Observing is something most of us do a lot most of the time: seeing, hearing, noting, analyzing, formal theories, making inferences, imposing meaning. He further says that, for data generation methods the researchers use observations to find out what people actually do, rather than what they say they do when questioned. Most of the time the observation contains looking and watching, but it can involve the senses other than sight: hearing, smelling, touching and tasting. Briony J Oates presents many different kind of observations that could be for the observations, out of which we will use three kind of observations that includes, short duration observation, record keeping by using simple notes and may be camera as well(if required) and third one is that no feedback is given to the observed people. The people observed would be only the people with the visually impairment disabilities. (Oates, 2006) Highly systematic observations of pre-defined types of events Observations of anything and everything Narrow concentration on particular type of event Broad focus Observation takes no part in the proceedings Observer participates fully in the proceedings Facts of Observations taking place is known to all Fact of observation taking place is known to none except the researcher No explanation, or false explanation, given for presence of observer-researcher Full explanation given for the presence of the observer-researcher Short duration-could be as little as 5 minutes Long duration-possibly years Record-Keeping uses only note taking Record-keeping uses technology (e. g audio tape, camera, stop watch, two way mirror, computer program) No feedback given afterwards to the observed Full feedback given afterwards to the observed FIGURE 2.1: Different Kind of Observation (Briony j Oates, 2006) We will try to observe and describe the interaction between the handicap people and the ticketing machine or the booking system, and the data and the information which obtained by the means of observations and experiences. We start with a theory as starting point then we will formulate interviews which will base on that theory. Interviews are defined as a particular type of conversation between people. Usually one person has the purpose of undertaking the interview: they want to gain information from the other(s) ( Briony j Oates, 2006). The purpose of interviews would be to produce useful information for the research. In interviews we will try to do the things that Oates suggested (page-187) like gain detailed information, explore emotions, experiences or feeling that cannot easily be observed and investigate sensitive issues or privileged information, that respondent might not willing to write about on paper for a researcher that they have not met. We will use unstructured interviews; we will start by introducing topic to the interviewee and allow them to develop their own ideas about the topic let the interviewees to speak their mind. The criteria for the selection of the sources of the interviewer or the person to be observed will be the amount and type of the information required for the empirical study. For example if we want the user requirement we will interview from the users (visually impaired people) and if we need to know that how the ticket machine works normally or for the normal people we will interview general public for that. For the study of a group of individuals, (visually impaired people) we will be visiting various people with visual impairment disabilities at the handicaps care center in Boras for interviews and observations. The selection criteria for the interview and the observation will depend on the information and data required for the empirical study i.e. the user (visually impaired people) and the regular traveler. Most part of our observation will be undergo when we will be conducting interviews, because the visually impairment people might not be able to give us a long time for observation. There are very less chances that we found these people personally interacting with ticketing machine as we can find normal people interacting. Data analysis procedures At this stage of inspection, we will analyze the data we received from our observations and interviews, and then revise them and compare them between real findings and experience. The evaluation method means to produce a high-quality with the help of evaluation, so we can authenticate all the gathered data in order to get new information. It should be done sooner than we begin with our conclusions. Interviews will be arranged for the users, who are using the ticket machine systems in association with the observations and unexpectedly different question would be asked from them. We can give the idea of the problem in the users mind. In this way we will easily reach to our goal of what we need and what are problems in the interface, which might create more problems for the user (visually impaired). Then make a comparison of interviews with various users viewpoints, what hurdles they could face during interaction with such interface. At the end we will review of all data that we have collected through the interviews and compare them with our theory. Strategies for validating findings According to Collin Robson (2004) evaluation refer to as assessing the value (or worth or merit) of something. The something focused on here is some kind of innovation, or intervention, project, or service. It involves people in one or more ways, perhaps as the provider of the service, or in setting up and running the intervention, almost inevitably as participants in the innovation or project and as client of the service (Collin Robson, 2004). The evaluation method is used to produce a good grade of the research, which should be of great importance that we evaluated for the quality of the research, So we will able to validate all the material that we collected. There are many methods for the qualitative research as: (Kaplan, Maxwell, 2005) -Validity -data quality -feedback We will also use these evaluation methods in our research, according to Bonnie Kaplan and Joseph A. Maxwell (page-14) validity in qualitative research addresses the necessarily subjective nature of data collection and analysis. Because the researcher is the instrument for collection and analyzing data, the study is subjective in the sense of being different for different researchers. Different researchers may approach the same research question by collecting different data or by interpreting the same data different ways. We will compare the results of interviews and observations taken from different people. (Kaplan, Maxwell, 2005) Data quality will reveals us that the data we collected is in detailed and varied enough that it will provide a comprehensive and showing a complete picture of, what is going on and what processes are involved. Data quality will help us to deeply see the whole process and developing some results. This is the single most important way of ruling out the possibility of misinterpreting the meaning of what participants say and do, or what the researcher have observed (Kaplan, Maxwell, 2005). The feedback will imply the gathering the response about the conclusions from participants. We will try to check that our interpretation makes sense to the visually impaired people; this thing will help us in collecting additional important data if required. We want to keep the structure of the research flexible and feasible, which would provide easiness and comfort to the reader. We will have empirical aid because of interviews and observations that we would conduct from handicap people and the machine ticket purchasers. The aim is to create consistency in the research so that it becomes easy to see that how the different parts to the research fit together. On the basis of these two different observations and interview types, we will try to join the results from both scenarios and evaluate the results and try to provide a clear picture of the problem area, that we are studying, from which the future readers can identify and relate their study. Result presentation method After analyzing all the observations, interviews and the literature, the research results of our thesis would be presented in the form of mainly prototype to certain extent, along with the small amount of data, model and diagrams as well. We will illustrate our results in form of prototype for the use of handicaps with visually impaired people.

Argument for Capital Punishment :: Capital Punishment Death Essays

Argument for Capital Punishment Since the 1970's, almost all capital sentences in the United States have been imposed for homicide. There has been intense debate among Americans regarding the constitutionality of capital punishment. Critics charge that executions are violations of the â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment† provision of the Eighth Amendment; while supporters of the death penalty counter that this clause was not intended to prohibit legal executions. In the 1972 court case of Furman vs. Georgia , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment was no longer legal. However, in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), the court allowed capital punishments to resume in certain states, and shortly thereafter, Gary Gilmore was executed by a firing squad in Utah. Since the reinstatement of capital punishment in the United States,a separate penalty trial has been required for some capital cases, at which time the jury reviews circumstances that suggest the need for capital punishment. In 1982, Texas became t he first state to execute a prisoner using lethal injection; other common methods of execution used in the United States include lethal gas and electrocution. In recent years, the Supreme Court has made it more difficult for death row prisoners to file appeals. Nearly 3 of 4 americans support the death sentence as a form of punishment. The other third has condemned it and their list of claims against it is long. Opponents challenge proponents on issues of deterrence, economics, fallibility, and rehabilitation. Their indifference to capital punishment is founded on constitutional and moral grounds. In societies best interest and for the safety of individuals, capital punishment is a respectable form of retribution for a crime being committed. More information on recent U.S. Supreme Court Death Penalty Cases Since 1990. History: The theory "a life for a life" is as old as civilization itself. Capital punishment, the execution of a criminal convicted of a crime, or the legal taking of a life has been in existence for many centuries. The death sentence has been applied since ancient times as punishment for crimes ranging from petty theft to murder. The earliest known recordings on the subject dates as far back as 2000 B.C., but it is clear that capital punishment more or less has existed since the birth of humanity1. A perfect example of this can be found in the Code of Hammurabi. The modern movement for the abolition of capital punishment began in the 18th century with the writings of Montesquieu and Voltaire, as well as Cesare Beccaria's Essay on Crimes and Punishments(1764).

Revenge :: essays research papers

Taking revenge is a bitter sweet thing. I have always thought that people should always get what they desire, whether it be a grade, a smile and hug or in some cases, revenge. When I was in high school there seemed to be someone always trying to get me in trouble, they would say things that wouldn’t be true or do things to make me look bad. The fact that I never seemed to do anything to them would make me mad and wonder what I could do to get them back. Revenge would usually come in some sort of verbal put down or I would try to physically hurt them. It always seemed when I would get the revenge right away I would feel really good but as I thought about what I did, and what they did to me I would always feel guilty or wish I would have never done anything to them in return. In the bible it is said that we should treat others as we would like to be treated, and when I would hurt someone physically or mentally I would be disobeying what the bible said. If I am to get revenge on others, what happens when they get revenge on me, will it ever stop or would it have been easier to just walk away and no say anything or let it bothered me. Now that I’m in college I feel that revenge comes in different forms. Now instead of hurting others I am in for taking revenge on the basketball floor. If I get beat, it means my team and I didn’t play up to our potential or that they worked harder than us on a given night. Its not a life or death matter but when the next game comes I want to beat the life out of them. When the game is over and I feel that the revenge has been taken I don’t feel like I shouldn’t have done it or that I feel bad that they lost and I won, I have feelings of happiness and joy.

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 16. Too-Much-Information Alert

16. Too-Much-Information Alert I took off early, long before sunrise was due. I'd gotten just a little bit of uneasy sleep leaning against the side of the sofa. Edward woke me when Bella's face was flushed, and he took my spot to cool her back down. I stretched and decided I was rested enough to get some work done. â€Å"Thank you,† Edward said quietly, seeing my plans. â€Å"If the route is clear, they'll go today.† Tillet you know.† It felt good to get back to my animal self. I was stiff from sitting still for so long. I extended my stride, working out the kinks. Morning, Jacob,Leah greeted me. Good, you're up. How long's Seth been out? Not out yet,Seth thought sleepily. Almost there. What do you need? You think you got another hour in you? Sure thing. No problem.Seth got to his feet right away, shaking out his fur. Let's make the deep run,Itold Leah. Seth, take the perimeter. Gotcha.Seth broke into an easy jog. Off on another vampire errand,Leah grumbled. You got a problem with that? Of course not. I just love to coddle those darling leeches. Good. Let's see how fast we can run. Okay, I'm definitely up forthat Leah was on the far western rim of the perimeter. Rather than cut close to the Cullens' house, she stuck to the circle as she raced around to meet me. I sprinted off straight east, knowing that even with the head start, she'd be passing me soon if I took it easy for even a second. Nose to the ground, Leah. This isn't a race, it's a reconnaissance mission. I can do both and still kick your butt I gave her that one. know. She laughed. We took a winding path through the eastern mountains. It wasa familiar route. We'd run these mountains when the vampires had left a year ago, making it part of our patrol route to better protect the people here. Then we'd pulled back the lines when the Cullens returned. This was their treaty land. But that fact would probably mean nothing to Sam now. The treaty was dead. The question today was how thin he was willing to spread his force. Was he looking for stray Cullens to poach on their land or not? Had Jared spoken the truth or taken advantage of the silence between us? We got deeper and deeper into the mountains without finding any trace of the pack. Fading vampire trails were everywhere, but the scents were familiar now. I was breathing them in all day long. I founda heavy, somewhat recent concentration on one particular trail – all of them coming and going here except for Edward. Some reason for gathering that must have been forgotten when Edward brought his dying pregnant wife home. I gritted my teeth. Whatever it was, it had nothing to do with me. Leah didn't push herself past me, though she could have now. I was paying more attention to each new scent than I was to the speed contest. She kept to my right side, running with me rather than racing against me. Were getting pretty far out here,she commented. Yeah. If Sam was hunting strays, we should have crossed his trail by now. Makes more sense right now for him to bunker down in La Push,Leah thought. He knows we're giving the bloodsuckers three extra sets of eyes and legs. He's not going to be able to surprise them. This was just a precaution, really. Wouldn't want our precious parasites taking unnecessary chances. Nope,I agreed, ignoring the sarcasm. You've changed so much, Jacob. Talk about one-eighties. You're not exactly the same Leah I've always known and loved, either. True. Am I less annoying than Paul now? Amazingly†¦ yes. Ah, sweet success. Congrats. We ran in silence again then. It was probably time to turn around, but neither of us wanted to. It felt nice to run like this. We'd been staring at the same small circle of atrail for too long. It felt good to stretch our muscles and take the rugged terrain. We weren't in a huge hurry, so I thought maybe we should hunt on the way back. Leah was pretty hungry. Yum, yum,she thought sourly. It's all in your head,I told her. That's the way wolves eat. It's natural. It tastes fine. If you didn't think about it from a human perspective – Forget the pep talk, Jacob. I'll hunt I don't have to like it Sure, sure,I agreed easily. It wasn't my business if she wanted to make things harder for herself. She didn't add anything for a few minutes; I started thinking about turning back. Thank you,Leah suddenly told me in a much different tone. For? For letting me be. For letting me stay. You've been nicer than I had any right to expect, Jacob. Er, no problem. Actually, I mean that. I don't mind having you here like I thought I would. She snorted, but it was a playful sound. What a glowing commendation! Don't let it go to your head. Okay – if you don't let this go to yours.She paused for a second. think you make a good Alpha. Not in the same way Sam does, but in your own way. You're worth following, Jacob. My mind went blank with surprise. It took me a second to recover enough to respond. Er, thanks. Not totally sure I'll be able to stop that one from going to my head, though. Where did that come from? She didn't answer right away, and I followed the wordless direction of her thoughts. She was thinking about the future – about what I'd said to Jared the other morning. About how the time would be up soon, and then I'd go back to the forest. About how I'd promised that she and Seth would return to the pack when the Cullens were gone___ want to stay with you, she told me. The shock shot through my legs, locking my joints. She blew past me and then put on the brakes. Slowly, she walked back to where I was frozen in place. won't be a pain, I swear. I won't follow you around. You can go wherever you want, and I'll go where I want. You'll only have to put up with me when we're both wolves. She paced back and forth in front of me, swishing her long gray tail nervously. And, as I'm planning on quitting as soon as I can manage it†¦ maybe that won't be so often. I didn't know what to say. I'm happier now, as a part of your pack, than I have been in years. I want to stay, too,Seth thought quietly. I hadn't realized he'd been paying much attention to us as he ran the perimeter. like this pack. Hey, now! Seth, this isn't going to be a pack much longer.I tried to put my thoughts together so they would convince him. We've got a purpose now, but when†¦ after that's over, I'm just going to go wolf. Seth, you need a purpose. You're a good kid. You're the kind of person who always has a crusade. And there's no way you're leaving La Push now. You're going to graduate from high school and do something with your life. You're going to take care of Sue. My issues are not going to mess up your future. But – Jacob is rightLeah seconded. You're agreeing with me? Of course. But none of that applies tome. was on my way out anyway. I'll get a job somewhere away from La Push. Maybe take some courses at a community college. Get into yoga and meditation to work on my temper issues†¦. And stay a part of this pack for the sake of my mental well-being. Jacob – you can see how that makes sense, right? I won't bother you, you won't bother me, everyone is happy. I turned back and started loping slowly toward the west. This is a bit much to deal with, Leah. Let me think about it, ‘kay? Sure. Take your time. It took us longer to make the run back. I wasn't trying for speed. I was just trying to concentrate enough that I wouldn't plow headfirst into a tree. Seth was grumbling a little bit in the back of my head, but I was able to ignore him. He knew I was right. He wasn't going to abandon his mom. He would go back to La Push and protect the tribe like he should. But I couldn't see Leah doing that. And that was just plain scary. A pack of the two of us? No matter the physical distance, I couldn't imagine the†¦ the intimacy of that situation. I wondered if she'd really thought it through, or if she was just desperate to stay free. Leah didn't say anything as I chewed it over. It was like she was trying to prove how easy it would be if it was just us. We ran into a herd of black-tailed deer just as the sun was coming up, brightening the clouds a little bit behind us. Leah sighed internally but didn't hesitate. Her lunge was clean and efficient – graceful, even. She took down the largest one, the buck, before the startled animal fully understood the danger. Not to be outdone, I swooped down on the next largest deer, snapping her neck between my jaws quickly, so she wouldn't feel unnecessary pain. I could feel Leah's disgust warring with her hunger, and I tried to make it easier for her by letting the wolf in me have my head. I'd lived all-wolf for long enough that I knew how to be the animal completely, to see his way and think his way. I let the practical instincts take over, letting her feel that, too. She hesitated for a second, but then, tentatively, she seemed to reach out with her mind and try to see my way. It felt very strange – our minds were more closely linked than they had ever been before, because we both were trying to think together. Strange, but it helped her. Her teeth cut through the fur and skin of her kill's shoulder, tearing away a thick slab of streaming flesh. Rather than wince away as her human thoughts wanted to, she let her wolf-self react instinctively. It was kind of a numbing thing, a thoughtless thing. It let her eat in peace. It was easy for me to do the same. And I was glad I hadn't forgotten this. This would be my life again soon. Was Leah going to be a part of that life? A week ago, I wouldve found that idea beyond horrifying. I wouldn't've been able to stand it. But I knew her better now. And, relieved from the constant pain, she wasn't the same wolf. Not the same girl. We ate together until we both were full. Thanks,she told me later as she was cleaning her muzzle and paws against the wet grass. I didn't bother; it had just started to drizzle and we had to swim the river again on our way back. I'd get clean enough. That wasn't so bad, thinking your way. You're welcome. Seth was dragging when we hit the perimeter. I told him to get some sleep; Leah and I would take over the patrol. Seth's mind faded into unconsciousness just seconds later. You headed back to the bloodsuckers?Leah asked. Maybe. It's hard for you to be there, but hard to stay away, too. I know how that feels. You know, Leah, you might want to think a little bit about the future, about what you really want to do. My head is not going to be the happiest place on earth. And you'll have to suffer right along with me. She thought about how to answer me. Wow, this is going to sound bad. But, honestly, it will be easier to deal with your pain than face mine. Fair enough. I know it's going to be bad for you, Jacob. I understand that – maybe better than you think. I don't like her, but†¦ she's your Sam. She's everything you want and everything you can't have. I couldn't answer. know it's worse for you. At least Sam is happy. At least he's alive and well. I love him enough that I want that. I want him to have what's best for him. She sighed. I just don't want to stick around to watch. Do we need to talk about this? I think we do. Because I want you to know that I won't make it worse for you. Hell, maybe I'll even help. I wasn'tborn a compassionless shrew. I used to be sort of nice, you know. My memory doesn't go that far back. We both laughed once. I'm sorry about this, Jacob. I'm sorry you're in pain. I'm sorry it's getting worse and not better Thanks, Leah. She thought about the things that were worse, the black pictures in my head, while I tried to tune her out without much success. She was able to look at them with some distance, some perspective, and I had to admit that this was helpful. I could imagine that maybe I would be able to see it that way, too, in a few years. She saw the funny side of the daily irritations that came from hanging out around vampires. She liked my ragging on Rosalie, chuckling internally and even running through a few blonde jokes in her mind that I might be able to work in. But then her thoughts turned serious, lingering on Rosalie's face in a way that confused me. You know what's crazy?she asked. Well, almost everything is crazy right now. But what do you mean? That blond vampire you hate so much – totally get her perspective. For a second I thought she was making a joke that was in very poor taste. And then, when I realized she was serious, the fury that ripped through me was hard to control. It was a good thing we'd spread out to run our watch. If she'd been within biting distance†¦ Hold up! Let me explain! Don't want to hear it I'm outta here. Wait! Wait!she pleaded as I tried to calm myself enough to phase back. C'mon, Jake! Leah, this isn't really the best way to convince me that I want to spend more time with you in the future. Yeesh! What an overreaction. You don't even know what I'm talking about So whatare you talking about? And then she was suddenly the pain-hardened Leah from before. I'm talking about being a genetic dead end, Jacob. The vicious edge to her words left me floundering. I hadn't expected to have my anger trumped. I don't understand. Youwould, if you weren't just like the rest of them. If my â€Å"female sfu/T – she thought the words with a hard, sarcastic tone – didn't send you running for cover just like any stupid male, so you could actually pay attention to what it all means. Oh. Yeah, so none of us like to think about that stuff with her. Who would? Of course I remembered Leah's panic that first month after she joined the pack – and I remembered cringing away from it just like everyone else. Because she couldn't be pregnant – not unless there was some really freaky religious immaculate crap going on. She hadn't been with anyone since Sam. And then, when the weeks dragged on and nothing turned into more nothing, she'd realized that her body wasn't following the normal patterns anymore. The horror – what was she now? Had her body changed because she'd become a werewolf? Or had she become a werewolf because her body was wrong? The only female werewolf in the history of forever. Was that because she wasn't as female as she should be? None of us had wanted to deal with that breakdown. Obviously, it wasn't like we could empathize. You know why Sam thinks we imprint,she thought, calmer now. Sure. To carry on the line. Right. To make a bunch of new little werewolves. Survival of the species, genetic override. You're drawn to the person who gives you the best chance to pass on the wolf gene. I waited for her to tell me where she was qoinq with this. If I was any good for that, Sam would have been drawn tome. Her pain was enough that I broke stride under it. But I'm not There's something wrong with me. I don't have the ability to pass on the gene, apparently, despite my stellar bloodlines. So I become a freak – the girlie-wolf – good for nothing else. I'm a genetic dead end and we both know it. We do not,I argued with her. That's just Sam's theory. Imprinting happens, but we don't know why. Billy thinks it's something else. I know, I know. He thinks you're imprinting to makestronger wolves. Because you and Sam are such humongous monsters – bigger than our fathers. But either way, I'm still not a candidate. I'm†¦ I'm menopausal. I'm twenty years old and I'm menopausal. Ugh. I so didn't want to have this conversation. You don't know that, Leah. It's probably just the whole frozen-in-time thing. When you quit your wolf and start getting older again, I'm sure things will†¦ er†¦ pick right back up. might think that – except that no one's imprinting onme, notwithstanding my impressive pedigree. You know, she added thoughtfully, if you weren't around, Seth would probably have the best claim to being Alpha – through his blood, at least. Of course, no one would ever consider me†¦. You reallywant to imprint, or be imprinted on, or whichever? I demanded. What's wrong with going out and falling in love like a normal person, Leah? Imprinting is just another way of getting your choices taken away from you. Sam, Jared, Paul, Quit†¦ they don't seem to mind. None of themhave a mind of their own. You don't want to imprint? Hell, no! That's just because you're already in love withher. That would go away, you know, if you imprinted. You wouldn't have to hurt over her anymore. Do you want to forget the way you feel about Sam? She deliberated for a moment. think I do. I sighed. She was in a healthier place than I was. But back to my original point, Jacob. I understand why your blond vampire is so cold – in the figurative sense. She's focused. She's got her eyes on the prize, right? Because you always want the very most what you can never, ever have. You would act like Rosalie? You would murder someone – because that's what she's doing, making sure no one interferes with Bella's death – you would do that to have a baby? Since when are you a breeder? I just want the options I don't have, Jacob. Maybe, if there was nothing wrong with me, I would never give it a thought. You would kill for that?I demanded, not letting her escape my question. That's not what she's doing. I think it's more like she's living vicariously. And†¦ if Bella askedme to help her with this†¦She paused, considering. Even though I don't think too much of her, I'd probably do the same as the bloodsucker. A loud snarl ripped through my teeth. Because, if it was turned around, I'd want Bella to do that for me. And so would Rosalie. We'd both do it her way. Ugh! You're as bad as they are! That's the funny thing about knowing you can't have something. It makes you desperate. And.. . that's my limit Right there. This conversation is over. Fine. It wasn't enough that she'd agreed to stop. I wanted a stronger termination than that. I was only about a mile from where I'd left my clothes, so I phased back to human and walked. I didn't think about our conversation. Not because there wasn't anything to think about, but because I couldn't stand it. I would not see it that way – but it was harder to keep from doing that when Leah had put the thoughts and emotions straight into my head. Yeah, I wasn't running with her when this was finished. She could go be miserable in La Push. One little Alpha command before I left for good wasn't going to kill anybody. It was real early when I got to the house. Bella was probably still asleep. I figured I'd poke my head in, see what was going on, give 'em the green light to go hunting, and then find a patch of grass soft enough to sleep on while human. I wasn't phasing back until Leah was asleep. But there was a lot of low mumbling going on inside the house, so maybe Bella wasn't sleeping. And then I heard the machinery sound from upstairs again – the X-ray? Great. It looked like day four on the countdown was starting off with a bang. Alice opened the door for me before I could walk in. She nodded. â€Å"Hey, wolf.† â€Å"Hey, shortie. What's going on upstairs?† The big room was empty – all the murmurs were on the second floor. She shrugged her pointy little shoulders. â€Å"Maybe another break.† She tried to say the words casually, but I could see the flames in the very back of her eyes. Edward and I weren't the only ones who were burning over this. Alice loved Bella, too. â€Å"Another rib?† I asked hoarsely. â€Å"No. Pelvis this time.† Funny how it kept hitting me, like each new thing was a surprise. When was I going to stop being surprised? Each new disaster seemed kinda obvious in hindsight. Alice was staring at my hands, watching them tremble. Then we were listening to Rosalie's voice upstairs. â€Å"See, I told you I didn't hear a crack. You need your ears checked, Edward.† There was no answer. Alice made a face. â€Å"Edward's going to end up ripping Rose into small pieces, I think. I'm surprised she doesn't see that. Or maybe she thinks Emmett will be able to stop him.† â€Å"I'll take Emmett,† I offered. â€Å"You can help Edward with the ripping part.† Alice half-smiled. The procession came down the stairs then – Edward had Bella this time. She was gripping her cup of blood in both hands, and her face was white. I could see that, though he compensated for every tiny movement of his body to keep from jostling her, she was hurting. â€Å"Jake,† she whispered, and she smiled through the pain. I stared at her, saying nothing. Edward placed Bella carefully on her couch and sat on the floor by her head. I wondered briefly why they didn't leave her upstairs, and then decided at once that it must be Bella's idea. She'd want to act like things were normal, avoid the hospital setup. And he was humoring her. Naturally. Carlisle came down slowly, the last one, his face creased with worry. It made him look old enough to be a doctor for once. â€Å"Carlisle,† I said. â€Å"We went halfway to Seattle. There's no sign of the pack. You're good to go.† â€Å"Thank you, Jacob. This is good timing. There's much that we need.† His black eyes flickered to the cup that Bella was holding so tight. â€Å"Honestly, I think you're safe to take more than three. I'm pretty positive that Sam is concentrating on La Push.† Carlisle nodded in agreement. It surprised me how willingly he took my advice. â€Å"If you think so. Alice, Esme, Jasper, and I will go. Then Alice can take Emmett and Rosa – â€Å" â€Å"Not a chance,† Rosalie hissed. â€Å"Emmett can go with you now.† â€Å"You should hunt,† Carlisle said in a gentle voice. His tone didn't soften hers. â€Å"I'll hunt when he does,† she growled, jerking her head toward Edward and then flipping her hair back. Carlisle sighed. Jasper and Emmett were down the stairs in a flash, and Alice joined them by the glass back door in the same second. Esme flitted to Alice's side. Carlisle put his hand on my arm. The icy touch did not feel good, but I didn't jerk away. I held still, half in surprise, and half because I didn't want to hurt his feelings. â€Å"Thank you,† he said again, and then he darted out the door with the other four. My eyes followed them as they flew across the lawn and then disappeared before I took another breath. Their needs must have been more urgent than I'd imagined. There was no sound for a minute. I could feel someone glaring at me, and I knew who it would be. I'd been planning to take off and get some Z's, but the chance to ruin Rosalie's morning seemed too good to pass up. So I sauntered over to the armchair next to the one Rosalie had and settled in, sprawling out so that my head was tilted toward Bella and my left foot was near Rosalie's face. â€Å"Ew. Someone put the dog out,† she murmured, wrinkling her nose. â€Å"Have you heard this one, Psycho? How do a blonde's brain cells die?† She didn't say anything. â€Å"Well?† I asked. â€Å"Do you know the punch line or not?† She looked pointedly at the TV and ignored me. â€Å"Has she heard it?† I asked Edward. There was no humor on his tense face – he didn't move his eyes from Bella. But he said, â€Å"No.† â€Å"Awesome. So you'll enjoy this, bloodsucker – a blonde's brain cells die alone.† Rosalie still didn't look at me. â€Å"I have killed a hundred times more often than you have, you disgusting beast. Don't forget that.† â€Å"Someday, Beauty Queen, you're going to get tired of just threatening me. I'm really looking forward to that.† â€Å"Enough, Jacob,† Bella said. I looked down, and she was scowling at me. It looked like yesterday's good mood was long gone. Well, I didn't want to bug her. â€Å"You want me to take off?† I offered. Before I could hope – or fear – that she'd finally gotten tired of me, she blinked, and her frown disappeared. She seemed totally shocked that I would come to that conclusion. â€Å"No! Of course not.† I sighed, and I heard Edward sigh very quietly, too. I knew he wished she'd get over me, too. Too bad he'd never ask her to do anything that might make her unhappy. â€Å"You look tired,† Bella commented. â€Å"Dead beat,† I admitted. I'dlike to beat you dead,† Rosalie muttered, too low for Bella to hear. I just slumped deeper into the chair, getting comfortable. My bare foot dangled closer to Rosalie, and she stiffened. After a few minutes Bella asked Rosalie for a refill. I felt the wind as Rosalie blew upstairs to get her some more blood. It was really quiet. Might as well take a nap, I figured. And then Edward said, â€Å"Did you say something?† in a puzzled tone. Strange. Because no one had said anything, and because Edward's hearing was as good as mine, and he should have known that. He was staring at Bella, and she was staring back. They both looked confused. â€Å"Me?† she asked after a second. â€Å"I didn't say anything.† He moved onto his knees, leaning forward over her, his expression suddenly intense in a whole different way. His black eyes focused on her face. â€Å"What are you thinking about right now?† She stared at him blankly. â€Å"Nothing. What's going on?† â€Å"What were you thinking about a minute ago?† he asked. â€Å"Just†¦ Esme's island. And feathers.† Sounded like total gibberish to me, but then she blushed, and I figured I was better off not knowing. â€Å"Say something else,† he whispered. Tike what? Edward, what's going on?† His face changed again, and he did something that made my mouth fall open with a pop. I heard a gasp behind me, and I knew that Rosalie was back, and just as flabbergasted as I was. Edward, very lightly, put both of his hands against her huge, round stomach. ‘The f – † He swallowed. â€Å"It†¦ the baby likes the sound of your voice.† There was one short beat of total silence. I could not move a muscle, even to blink. Then – â€Å"Holy crow, you can hear him!†Bella shouted. In the next second, she winced. Edward's hand moved to the top peak of her belly and gently rubbed the spot where it must have kicked her. â€Å"Shh,† he murmured. â€Å"You startled it†¦ him.† Her eyes got all wide and full of wonder. She patted the side of her stomach. â€Å"Sorry, baby.† Edward was listening hard, his head tilted toward the bulge. â€Å"What's he thinking now?† she demanded eagerly. â€Å"It†¦ he or she, is †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused and looked up into her eyes. His eyes were filled with a similar awe – only his were more careful and grudging. â€Å"He's happy† Edward said in an incredulous voice. Her breath caught, and it was impossible not to see the fanatical gleam in her eyes. The adoration and the devotion. Big, fat tears overflowed her eyes and ran silently down her face and over her smiling lips. As he stared at her, his face was not frightened or angry or burning or any of the other expressions he'd worn since their return. He was marveling with her. â€Å"Of course you're happy, pretty baby, of course you are,† she crooned, rubbing her stomach while the tears washed her cheeks. â€Å"How could you not be, all safe and warm and loved? I love you so much, little EJ, of course you're happy.† â€Å"What did you call him?† Edward asked curiously. She blushed again. â€Å"I sort of named him. I didn't think you would want†¦ well, you know.† â€Å"EJ?† â€Å"Your father's name was Edward, too.† â€Å"Yes, it was. What – ?† He paused and then said, â€Å"Hmm.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"He likes my voice, too.† â€Å"Of course he does.† Her tone was almost gloating now. â€Å"You have the most beautiful voice in the universe. Who wouldn't love it?† â€Å"Do you have a backup plan?† Rosalie asked then, leaning over the back of the sofa with the same wondering, gloating look on her face that was on Bella's. â€Å"What if he's a she?† Bella wiped the back of her hand under her wet eyes. â€Å"I kicked a few things around. Playing with Renee and Esme. I was thinking†¦ Ruh-nez-may.† â€Å"Ruhnezmay?† â€Å"R-e-n-e-s-m-e-e. Too weird?† â€Å"No, I like it,† Rosalie assured her. Their heads were close together, gold and mahogany. â€Å"It's beautiful. And one of a kind, so that fits† â€Å"I still think he's an Edward.† Edward was staring off into space, his face blank as he listened. â€Å"What?† Bella asked, her face just glowing away. â€Å"What's he thinking now?† At first he didn't answer, and then – shocking all the rest of us again, three distinct and separate gasps – he laid his ear tenderly against her belly. â€Å"He loves you,† Edward whispered, sounding dazed. â€Å"He absolutely adores you.† In that moment, I knew that I was alone. All alone. I wanted to kick myself when I realized how much I'd been counting on that loathsome vampire. How stupid – as if you could ever trust a leech! Of course he would betray me in the end. I'd counted on him to be on my side. I'd counted on him to suffer more than I suffered. And, most of all, I'd counted on him to hate that revolting thing killing Bella more than I hated it. I'd trusted him with that. Yet now they were together, the two of them bent over the budding, invisible monster with their eyes lit up like a happy family. And I was all alone with my hatred and the pain that was so bad it was like being tortured. Like being dragged slowly across a bed of razor blades. Pain so bad you'd take death with a smile just to get away from it. The heat unlocked my frozen muscles, and I was on my feet. All three of their heads snapped up, and I watched my pain ripple across Edward's face as he trespassed in my head again. â€Å"Ahh,† he choked. I didn't know what I was doing; I stood there, trembling, ready to bolt for the very first escape that I could think of. Moving like the strike of a snake, Edward darted to a small end table and ripped something from the drawer there. He tossed it at me, and I caught the object reflexively. â€Å"Go, Jacob. Get away from here.† He didn't say it harshly – he threw the words at me like they were a life preserver. He was helping me find the escape I was dying for. The object in my hand was a set of car keys.