A press kit about Intensive English Program (IEP) at Western Assignment

A press kit about Intensive English Program (IEP) at Western Washington University (WWU) - Assignment Example Pitch letter Western Washington University ‘Western Front’ [Date] Karen Smith Communications Facility 255 Western Washington University (360) 650-3252 Dear Ms. Smith, On November 11, 2013 Open Doors – an Institute for International Education published a report indicating the drastic rise in the number of international students at colleges and universities across the United States with most of the growth driven by students from non-English speaking countries i.e., China and Saudi Arabia, for the 7th consecutive year. The Western Washington University currently houses 63 international students from over 15 countries including Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Russia, Germany, Italy, Venezuela, Columbia, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Kuwait, and Japan. Such influx of international students is indicative of a trend that demands a supportive framework in the form of a formal educational / training program tailored to suit the English language needs of such students. The Intensive English Program at the WWU (Western Washington University) in Bellingham is designed especially for international students offering a mix of educational and non-educational programs for students as well as professionals. This program would benefit not only the prospective students planning to enrol in graduate and post-graduate courses but also those intending on learning English purely for business and / or social communication purposes. The program aims to welcome all international applicants including those who do not meet the university's English language requirement and offer appropriate courses for preparation. The IEP promises to open a world of possibilities for all those aspiring to learn the English language from a group of well-qualified and dedicated staff with impressive professional achievements in the field of language teaching. The process of application is relatively easy and does not require the submission of IELTS or TOEFL test scores. Evan Ryan - Assistant secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs stated that "International education promotes the relationship building and knowledge exchange between people and communities in the United States and around the world that are necessary to solve global challenges". An English language program such as the IEP is a step forward in that direction. The Western Front has had an impressive history of catering to its vast student community and has consistently been a source of vital information for them for over 3 decades now. We are sure that the readers of The Western Front would want to access more information about IEP and we look forward to addressing all their queries and concerns in whatever we can. Please do feel free to contact - [include name here], principal / co-ordinator [of the program] at [insert phone number here]. For further information about the program, and other related issues we invite you to explore our website at: [insert link here] or contac t us directly at: [insert email here] for an opportunity to discuss it further. Regards, [Name] [Phone Number] [Organization] 2. Press Release The Bellingham Herald 1155 N. State St., Bellingham, WA 98225 Celebrating 30 glorious years of one of the most popular and highly successful educational programs – the Intensive English Program, offered at the country’s best learning institutions- The Western Washington University, Bellingham. The Intensive English Program offered at the Western Washington University's Bellingham campus offers a variety of programs aimed at regular and degree program students with at least 23 hours of instruction per week. WASHINGTON, Date: _ _/_ _/ _ _ _ _ There has been a steady rise in the number of international students in colleges and universities across United States. In the academic

Prevention Program Resource Guide Essay Example for Free

Prevention Program Resource Guide Essay

Judaism, Christianity and Islam: The Three Oldest Religions are Based

Religion in all aspects is based on faith and commitment. It starts with a faith that people have in something that they have not seen. I have always wondered about the faith people show for their religion. No matter what is happening they stay strong in whatever it is that they believe in. Humans have come a long way from the beginning of time when it comes to forming religions. There are so many different kinds of religions out there in this world right now. And all those religions come from some kind of faith and are based on a faith that emerged through something or someone. There are people out there in this time that are dying and killing for their faith. There are some religions that are based on the same roots but are called known as different religions because of their differences in faith. Although they have similar background and roots they are very different from each other. Judaism, Christianity and Islam for example are three religions that have similar background and a re branches of the same roots, but are very much different from each other because of the differences in their faith and belief. Faith, the word by which people base their afterlife, has become the foundation of every religion. The three religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam are one of the oldest religions of the world. They have always been known for the strong faith they hold for their religion. Although the three religions are somewhat similar to each other they have their differences and beliefs. All three started with the same creator and got split to become their own religion. All of these religions started with Abraham and they still to this date hold Abraham in high position. Even with being almost the same religion they base everything o... ... same God, that is Abraham’s God, but they differ when it comes to other things that make up their religion. The disbelief of Jews in Jesus differ them from Christians, the concept of all three religions have about the coming of Messiah also differs them from each other. Jews believe the messiah is yet to come and is coming to revive the Jews, Christians believe in the second coming of the messiah and believe that he is going to take all the believers of Christ with him, and the Muslims believe that Jesus is coming again to fight as warrior for the Muslims against the world. From doing the study on the three religions, I have learned that they all have the same concept to which it started with, but no longer are the same because their faith changed along the way. And they broke off from one to another and formed the three strongest religions in the world presently.

Importance of Value Based Education Essay

In the present era of education assisted by ultramodern technology, we are inclined more towards knowledge and ranks in the examination than application of learning in our day-to-day life. Theodore Roosevelt warns, â€Å"To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.† It is a lamentable fact that in the prevalent scenario of education, the majority of the teachers as well as the taught have turned into grades-oriented and marks-oriented individuals overlooking and undermining the superlative purpose of education i.e. refinement of ethics, purification of soul ad enlightenment of human intellect. More sadly, in the pursuit of degree-oriented education, we have, wittingly or unwittingly, failed to incorporate the learning of moral and ethical values to our studies for the positive nourishment of our character. â€Å"The degeneration in the present day life, the demoralization of public and private life and the utter disregard for values, are all t raceable to the fact that moral, religious and spiritual education has not been given due place in the educational system.† (Rena, Ravinder 2006) In a broader view, as the outcome of education, we are producing successful professionals obsessed with material pursuits, who fail as considerate, altruistic and humane people. Totally remiss of philanthropic and humanitarian element of their work, these professionals are content with the achievement of absolute luxury as well as authority as being the radical purpose of their studies. This kind of attitude is the result of the myopic and inadequate execution of the abilities of teachers and teacher-educators. Thereby, most of the existing students indulge themselves into anti-social and unethical dealings in their futures endeavours. â€Å"Unfortunately, education is becoming more or less materialistic and the value traditions are being slowly given up.† (Erwin, 1991) We, nonetheless, have time to redress our wrongs and set right our shortcomings. In this regard, the curriculum and teachers play a pivotal role. Curriculum must contain distinctive instructions for the values associated with each lesson. The teachers, on the other hand, must explain those values to the students and encourage them to put the same into practice in their daily life. In this way, we can surely bring about a positive change in the overall attitude of our students towards learning as well as society. Moreover, the students in the academic phase of their school life need to learn to be kind, compassionate and considerate towards their fellow beings. This could be communicated to them while teaching Islamiyat, Ethics, Pakistan Studies, Science, English or any other subject of their interest. In addition to teaching students the periodical and chronological record of life and achievements of the successful and influential people in the world, the teachers must highlight the brighter aspects of their character which dominated their practice and performance. The students should be inspired to identify the positive implications of their study in their everyday life. In this connection, value-based education can not only improve a person’s life but it can also advance society in the right direction. â€Å"So, value education is not simply the heart of education, but also the education of the heart. It is a necessary component of holistic citizenship education.† (Rena, Ravinder 2006) This practice can be carried out while teaching students the formation of water in Chemistry, the teacher must talk about the worth and use of water. The students can also be informed about the importance of growing plants and trees in our daily life in Botany. With reference to their lessons, the students could be enlightened to show reverence to their teachers and elders and love their younger ones. Value-based education can also be a source of appreciation and promotion of one’s own culture and history. More importantly, the students can probe into and find the eternal solace in Nature. In addition to that, they must praise the creations of Allah and love both the creatures and the Creator. Besides integrating values in the provided curricula, the value-based education can also be featured in the co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. The special assemblies and functions could be arranged to instill the vital importance of fair and descent values. This could also be combined with the regular activities in the sports ground and academic contests. Sir Frances Bacon in his essay ‘Of Studies’ says, â€Å"Histories make men wise; poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep; morals, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend.† Hence, if we want to achieve the purpose of education in life, fortify humane feelings, alleviate poverty, bring peace and prosperity to our country as an educated and civilized nation, we must develop the constructive thoughts and attributes in our children vis-à  -vis their academic and professional uplift to positively mould their character as an example for others to follow. The teachers must also inculcate the idea of ‘peaceful coexistence with people from other cultures and countries.’ (P.L Joshi 2007) Therefore, we should integrate information, knowledge, skills with values in education and help students come together to bind this world in a peaceful harmony.

Disney’s Hercules and the Heroic Code

Disney’s Hercules Disney’s Hercules, while not entirely true to the scripture he was first conceptualized in, is rife with the same heroic traits as his definitive counterpart. Throughout the course of the film, Hercules faces a series of challenges and events which test his strength and ability. Subsequently these events fulfill the majority of his heroic archetype. By Hercules’ masculine nature, divine parent, divine helper, trip to the underworld, and fulfillment of kleos (his immortal quest for glory), Hercules would have been considered a hero in Ancient Greek society despite the archetypical traits left unfulfilled in the film. Hercules’ masculinity becomes majorly evident as a physical aspect after undergoing training with Philoctetes (Phil). His muscular personage is representative of man in a direct way. While he does not dominate his relationship with his love interest, Megara (Meg), by physical means he overshadows her and asserts masculinity. Hercules is also masculine in his bravery by the way he confronts challenges head on. In one instance, Hercules literally bashes the centaur, Nessus, with his head. In Hercules’ muscular build and his courageous albeit headstrong tendency, he is personified as a masculine hero. Hercules actually has two divine parents, Zeus and Hera, in Disney’s rendition as opposed to only one in Greek myth. In this way the heroic notion of having a divine parent is fulfilled perhaps to a greater extent. Hercules’ father, Zeus, also plays a role as his divine helper, another trait of the hero archetype. Zeus fulfills this by revealing Hercules’ past to him and his relation to the gods, setting him off on his journey to heroism. In addition to Zeus, Hercules’ winged horse, also serves as a divine helper throughout the film. Pegasus assists Hercules in nearly all of his battles and takes his abilities to new heights. Hercules makes his trip to the underworld in an attempt to rescue Megara from death itself. Hercules’ immortal quest for glory or kleos is fulfilled in many instances of the film. On multiple occasions Hercules slays fantastic creatures such as the Hydra and achieves his glory through the admiration of others. While enchanting the people of Thebes and creating some lasting effect in their continual praise, Hercules’ immortal quest for glory is cemented at the conclusion of the film when Zeus creates a constellation of him in the night sky.

Sophias Life essays

Sophia's Life essays A long time ago a princess named Sophia was very happy until she discovered that she was adopted. But the thing was that nobody knew that she was adopted, just the king that adopted her and Sophias real father. Cautiously walking so nobody heard Sophia peeking at the king talking to the farmer. Disappointed she was when she heard from the king Its time to tell Sophia that she is adopted. Endorsing his plan the farmer said it was fine with him, but than the king thought twice because if he told Sophia the truth the queen would know and get disappointed. Faint said the king; he was saying that the queen would probably faint. Got to believe, when she got pregnant she was so thrilled and made a comment like she would die if her baby died. How can someone handle that when a baby dies believe it or not that happened to the queen, her baby died of a problem in the birth so the queen wouldnt be sad the king just decided to adopt a farmers daughter so he could make her wife happy. Instead of keeping it a secret Sophia ran to the farmer and told him that she already knew that she was his daughter. Just than Sophia gave all her fortune to her dad. Kindly she said that he needed it more than her and hugged him. Likely she would go and live with her father and she did in their new mansion that they bought with Sophias money. Many days went by everybody knew that she was adopted even the queen knew but she was still close to her. No one treated her differently, somehow they still treated her like a princess. On a little country a prince named James that was from England that fell in love with princess Sophia from Spain. Perhaps he said, My father the king would not let me marry a girl from a whole different country. Qualities is all the matters said James father. Rather than asking his father if he could marry Sophia, he just went to Spain and proposed t...

Size, Facts, and Figures of the Alamosaurus

Size, Facts, and Figures of the Alamosaurus Although there may be other genera whose fossils have yet to be discovered, Alamosaurus (Greek for Alamo lizard and pronounced AL-ah-moe-SORE-us) is one of the few titanosaurs known to have lived in the late Cretaceous (70-65 million years ago) in North America, and possibly in vast numbers: According to one analysis, there may have been as many as 350,000 of these 60-foot-long herbivores living in Texas at any given time. Its closest relative appears to have been another titanosaur, Saltasaurus. Bigger Than We Thought A recent analysis has shown that Alamosaurus may have been a bigger dinosaur than originally estimated, possibly in the weight class of its more famous South American cousin Argentinosaurus. It turns out that some of the type fossils used to reconstruct Alamosaurus may have come from adolescents rather than full-grown adults, meaning that this titanosaur may well have attained lengths of over 60 feet from head to tail and weights in excess of 70 or 80 tons. The Origin of the Name By the way, its an odd fact that Alamosaurus wasnt named after the Alamo in Texas, but the Ojo Alamo sandstone formation in New Mexico. This herbivore already had its name when numerous (but incomplete) fossils were discovered in the Lone Star State, so you might say that everything worked out in the end!

Thesis Writing

Thesis Writing Thesis Writing Thesis Writing Prior to thesis writing, you should have clear understanding of the question to be answered. Writing a thesis, you demonstrate what you have already learned. You should present thesis material to people in understandable way. You need to make it easy for them to understand what you did and what you want to say. In short, you need to provide the answer to the question raised in introductory part, and you need to present it in a format that others can understand and appreciate. Number of pages should be reasonable and appropriate for your academic level.   Thesis ideas have to be clearly expressed and explained.   Avoid writing a large amount of text, it may prevent the reader from seeing your own research. Try to demonstrate unexpected result, solve the problem in the way that nobody has solved it before and raises some questions that nobody has thought about before. Discuss thesis topic and thesis format with your advisor early in the process. Carefully plan the outline to be sur e that you understand the process by which you will acquire and use different types of sources necessary for thesis writing. Thesis Writing Tips Select a topic and identify your audience, find material for the thesis writing, read the works which are related to your thesis topic. Read different points of view on the problem and diverse research projects. You should write an extended abstract following your outline. Writing a thesis, give some information about previous researches, name their authors. Differentiates what you are doing from prior work. Thesis writing has to follow this thesis format: introduction (background information), body paragraph (analysis and discussion) and conclusion. Thesis writing requires an detailed outline and interesting title. Thesis conclusion should be relevant to introduction. Introduction should be written once the thesis is complete, do not write from the start. The major myth of thesis writing is that you start writing at chapter one and then finish your writing at chapter five. It does not work in real life.   The most productive approach in thesis writing is to begin writing those parts of the thesis that you know or have enough information on. When you come down to work on conclusion, be sure to stress the importance of your research and remind the reader why your thesis is worth of reading.   Custom Thesis Writing Services You are welcome to order custom thesis writing services at our site.   We know how to write a good, well-researched, and coherent research thesis for you!   provides free plagiarism report, free bibliography list, and free table of contents.   If you believe in professional approach to writing and seek premium quality, you have found the right place to order custom thesis writing!

Patch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Patch - Essay Example pete their products and prices, which relatively benefit consumers in the way that they will be able to find everything online with lowest price as they mention in their mission. Excluding all other matters, the huge number of customers proves it all about Amazon’s excellent prices and products. Currently, people not only see Amazon as a platform for e-commerce, but also as a famous company for its own products. Amazon recently released many products such as Kindle Fire, TV Fire, and Fire Phones, which took the sale of e-books, e-music and e-movies to another level. It has contributed many benefits to the content creators and consumers. Content creators are happy when they are able to directly publish their products through Amazon with lower cost, while consumers are satisfied with the huge number of e-books with cheaper prices compared to physical ones. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is quite an outstanding service. Amazon claims to help third-party sellers â€Å"to pick, pack, ship and provide customer services.† Consequently, such sellers only need to provide their products. With FBA program, Amazon uses robots to reduce the need of workers, and boost the efficiency of selling. However, while focusing on new technology Amazon fail on providing safe work environment to its employees who are their important stakeholders. The current U.S Supreme Court about Amazon warehouse working condition clearly illuminates this weakness. According to Bloomberg Reports, there have been more than dozen cases filed against Amazon since 2010. Although, the company can manage to get high profit, they still have some problem in communicating with the employees. After doing some research and analyzing the business, it became apparent that Amazon is doing well by successfully putting people together in a joint performance to achieve a common goal. However, we still maintain that the company also has some downsides. Its excellent prices and services are not the only measurement to

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Business Law - Essay Example FMLA is focused at addressing five major issues. First, the Act covers the birth of the employee’s child and the care of the child. Secondly, the Act caters for the placement of an employee’s child for foster care or adoption. Thirdly, family and medical leave Act of 1993 caters for the care of the employee’s parent as well as the child either a daughter or a son with serious health problems (Family and Medical Leave Act Regulations.1990). Fourthly, the FMLA caters for the serious health condition of the workers that makes them not to perform their duties as required by their employers. Fifthly, it caters for any qualifying exigencies that may arise due to the deployment of the employee’s family member. Upon returning from their leave, FMLA requires that the employers must provide the employees with protection and benefits that they may have received if they were working. Most notably, the act covers 4 aspects that the employers must provide to the eligibl e employees who return from their leave (Galinsky et al, 2008). First, employees must be provided with the health benefits that they would receive if they were working. Secondly, upon returning from the leave, the FMLA requires that the employees must be restored to the same position. ... alth condition or that of a family member must be allowed to have a leave to attend doctor’s appointments for such cases as chemotherapy and psychological counseling among others. Family and medical leave Act of 1993 requires that an employee must provide an employer with a 30 days notice of his or her intention to take a leave (Family and Medical Leave Act Regulations.1990). In cases the leave comes due to emergency, it is the responsibility of the employees to notify the employers as soon as possible. Similarly, the Act maintains that an employer may request for a medical certification in case the employer is taking a leave due to serious health problem related to him or her or a family member. In situation A, employee A was eligible for the 11 weeks leave since he had worked in company X for 12 years. On his part, the new manager reinstated the employee to his previous job at the previous rate of pay. This indicates that even if the manager was new, he acted within the requ irements of Family and medical leave Act of 1993. As indicated earlier, the FMLA indicates that the leave must be unpaid, implying that employee A was not eligible for the salary from his 11 week leave. This indicates that by denying the employee the salary, the manager did not violate the law and as such there was no violation that occurred in this situation A. Situation B Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) gives protection to the employees who are 40 years and above from been discriminated by their employers (Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967). According to this Act, that covers both the job applicant and the existing employees, it is unlawful for any employer to discriminate a worker based on his or her old age in respect to the employment benefits that includes

BRIEFING REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ENERGY AND CLIMATE Coursework - 2

BRIEFING REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE ON FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN THE PREPARATION OF A NEW ENERGY BILL FOR THE UK - Coursework Example The only problem is that, this perspective of price reduction fails to reach the extreme end that is expected by most people [1]. After the substantial falling of the wholesale gas prices in the course of the year 2014 as well as the oil prices in the time frame of just 6 months, they logically desired for a bigger drop with regards to their energy prices. When various suppliers however announced of the subsequent price cuts, all of them were almost at the single digit reductions. The bill prices often take time to fall to more appropriate prices due to various outstanding reasons. First and for most, the natural gas’s cost does not essentially have any link to the oil prices. The other factor is that, the gas’s wholesale price is part and parcel of the bill’s segment. For instance, the gas that most individuals are using up-to-date was probably not bought at the current wholesale prices. This is to mean that constant variations tend to occur when it comes to this matter of energy bills.   The secretary of state should also bear in mind that there are various undertakings or make ups when it comes to the aspect of energy bills (either electricity or gas bills). According to the British Gas, Around 42% of an individual’s bill is determined by the energy’s wholesale prices [3]. This is the entire gas and electricity cost that is mutually bought by the British Gas on wholesale unit.   It is also worth to bear that while gas prices falls by almost a third of the total value, electricity has rarely fallen. The next chunk of the gas bill that is approximated to be at around 27% encompasses the total network costs. They are the wires and pipes that bring the electricity and gas home. They are usually owned by a number of distribution companies including the National Grid, which often charge people a substantial amount for their usage. The charged fee is usually overseen by a body known as Ofgem, which is taken as the ultimate regulatory unit, and has

Discussion Board 6-1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Discussion Board 6-1 - Assignment Example the trend of masturbation and orgasm in children and adolescent, and puberty in adolescents is important to counselors as they are able to understand certain sexual anomalies that may appear in children and adolescents as they grow. According to Rathus, Nevid and Fitchner-Rathus (2014), human beings tend to begin masturbating at early stage of development. The practice tends to continue through adolescence to adulthood. Depending on the response of the immediate society to a masturbating child, adolescents or adults may exhibit sexual passiveness or activeness. If parents of a masturbating child punished, scolded or warned the given child against masturbating, the child may grow knowing that the practice is bad and may end up not exploiting their sexual abilities. This may lead to sexually inactive adolescents with retarded sexual interest or desire. Having such knowledge may help a counselor track the beginning of particular sexual abnormalities. Rathus, Nevid and Fitchner-Rathus (2014) report that human begins begin to experience orgasm as early as during infancy to childhood, adolescence and to adulthood. Having this background knowledge is important to help a counselor dealing with clients experiencing abnormal orgasmic response trace, identify possible historical causes, and find appropriate solutions. Understanding puberty and related processes as happens among adolescents is a special issue that a counselor needs to know about human sexual development. As mentioned by Rathus, Nevid and Fitchner-Rathus (2014), puberty defines the basic onset of adolescence. Adolescence prepares individuals for adulthood encounters. Puberty and adolescence usually trigger impulsive sexual feelings that may lead to inappropriate sexual behaviors. Counselors need to understand the process of puberty during adolescence to be able to help troubled adolescents face and overcome problems and embarrassments that usually characterize the

(((p))) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

(((p))) - Essay Example In my belief, DAP enables teachers to be free in making decisions about what children require developmentally to make the most out of their educational experiences. Hence, I really feel that DAP offers trained teachers with enough autonomy to teach young children in the best way possible not only to individual development but also to the general curriculum development as well. According to Copple (2006), teachers who utilize DAP to teach young children meet the young learners where they are and not necessarily where learners want to be hence promoting curriculum development. This makes the teachers consider all the curriculum development areas of child in the learning process which are physical, social cognitive and emotional. DAP makes teachers provide young children with learning opportunities that challenge the children and yet the challenges are achievable when working with Zone of Proximal Development (Arce, 2012). In terms of pedagogy, I feel the strength of DAP as a method and practice of teaching makes teachers identify learners as children who have individual differences, stores of experience and different backgrounds. More specifically, I believe that DAP as a method and practice of teaching makes it possible to teach children while making teaching decisions that adapt to experience, age, interest and the abilities of children of a certain age bracket. Hence, DAP makes it possible for teachers to focus on how young ones learn best. This implies that policy makers in the education sector need to be aware of DAP since if they ignore DAP; it will be counterproductive for them because it will be akin to ignoring the way children are wired to develop naturally (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2009). Children will learn the best through following when using DAP as a method and practice of teaching. In my view, when using DAP,

Real Estate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Real Estate - Essay Example will explore these variables and in the process outline the basics and the background necessary to develop sound decision-making in real-estate transactions. Several million real estate transactions take place in the United States every year, representing billions of dollars in economic activity. Statistics concerning real estate are among the data economists use to evaluate the health of the economy. (p. 2) The sector includes not only real estate brokers and agents, but also property managers, relocation specialists, real estate investment counselors, real estate appraisers, home inspectors, title company employees, escrow agents, and real estate developers. This industry is closely linked to the construction and financing industries. Although real estate activity has a national economic impact, the real estate business is essentially a local business, dealing with property in a particular area or neighborhood. According to Wade Gaddy and Robert Hart (2003), â€Å"each geographic area has different types of real estate and different conditions that drive prices. This relates back to the old adage of ‘location’ being important; a parcel of real estate cannot be moved, is never exactly like another parcel, and its value is impacted by surrounding land uses.† (p. 5) Two main branches make up the real estate industry – residential and commercial real estates. In most places, residential sales account for a large share of real estate activity that is why there are real estate agents who work exclusively in these types of transactions. Someone who owns a home and wants to sell it (a seller) transfers ownership of the property to someone who wants to buy it (a buyer) at an agreed price. Ownership is transferred by means of a deed, a legal document that the seller gives to the buyer. The real estate market almost always requires some form of financing in the real estate transaction. This is because few people have the cash in hand in order to buy a house or

(((p))) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

(((p))) - Essay Example In my belief, DAP enables teachers to be free in making decisions about what children require developmentally to make the most out of their educational experiences. Hence, I really feel that DAP offers trained teachers with enough autonomy to teach young children in the best way possible not only to individual development but also to the general curriculum development as well. According to Copple (2006), teachers who utilize DAP to teach young children meet the young learners where they are and not necessarily where learners want to be hence promoting curriculum development. This makes the teachers consider all the curriculum development areas of child in the learning process which are physical, social cognitive and emotional. DAP makes teachers provide young children with learning opportunities that challenge the children and yet the challenges are achievable when working with Zone of Proximal Development (Arce, 2012). In terms of pedagogy, I feel the strength of DAP as a method and practice of teaching makes teachers identify learners as children who have individual differences, stores of experience and different backgrounds. More specifically, I believe that DAP as a method and practice of teaching makes it possible to teach children while making teaching decisions that adapt to experience, age, interest and the abilities of children of a certain age bracket. Hence, DAP makes it possible for teachers to focus on how young ones learn best. This implies that policy makers in the education sector need to be aware of DAP since if they ignore DAP; it will be counterproductive for them because it will be akin to ignoring the way children are wired to develop naturally (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2009). Children will learn the best through following when using DAP as a method and practice of teaching. In my view, when using DAP,

Unit 5 DB - Regression Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 5 DB - Regression Analysis - Essay Example Linear regression is the type of regression which identifies the relationship of two significant variables (dependent and independent) (Seber & Lee, 2012). For example the analyst would try to relate the haziness of aircraft’s glass (dependent variable) with ice deposits (independent variable). Linear regression signifies the direct relationship between two such variables (Weisberg, 2005). The following equation represents the regression equation, where Y is the dependent variable which is dependent on X independent variables, a is the intercept while b denotes slope of the line X (Hoffmann, 2005). In the section of criminal justice, the analysts often use multiple analytical tools to make better judgments and decisions on the field. Regression is one tool which criminologists often apply to identify relationships between two adjacent variables like crime conviction or criminal’s behaviors. Analysts use regression coefficients to identify which strategy is more effective than the other on crime control section. According to one report of Federal government, a number of researchers came out from University of Nebraska in the year 1990, who utilized regression analysis tool to assess the influence of investment on crime rates. The analysis identified the relationship between two variables by identification of correlations and linear equation, which are fundamentally deterministic by linear regression analysis tool. This came out to be a sufficient tool of correlation analysis which later on got applied in the criminal justice section. Still today several criminologists us e linear regression model to identify the relationship of two significant variables (Weisburd & Britt, 2007, p.

Houghton Mifflin Company Essay Example for Free

Houghton Mifflin Company Essay World War 1 is the first war in history that I may say, involved the use of technology and advances in science. The ever famous â€Å"mustard gas† was developed by the Germans, and used against the allied forces. Mustard gas is an oily liquid that readily evaporates into a very noxious and toxic gas, and are used in chemical warfare, where it burns the skin and causes very fatal respiratory and lung damages. It was used effectively against bunkers and trenches, where escape was not easy, so the efficiency of the gas is very high. The Allied forces counteract and produced the first ever effective gas mask, made from very fine activated carbon; it absorbs the poisonous gas, preventing severe damage and effect to the allied soldiers. The drawback of this mask was it reduced visibility and made the soldier vulnerable to sniper attacks. World War 1 was also the setting for the first aerial warfare. Airplanes in the form of biplanes (the first type of airplane, it was very light and it resembled the first airplanes developed by the Wright brothers). They converted simple courier and transport planes into aerial and bomber planes, mass produced the most efficient design and further improved its applications. The Germans have early aerial advantage against the allied forces because of its high amount of available fighter planes and the ever famous Zeppelin, a large dirigible or flying balloon used in bombarding and raiding Britain. But the German advantage declined starting the mid-1916 because the British forces gained aerial superiority in the Western front. Aside trench warfare; tanks were also first widely used in World War 1. Light tanks were first manufactured on 1910 and used for small wars and revolts on the British Empire. The Germans also manufactured tanks to cope up with the allied forces. Armored tanks were used later to inflict damage to enemy trenches. Besides tanks, long range artillery was also developed. High powered howitzers and cannons were fired towards enemy trenches and were proven effective against concentrated enemy troops and tanks. On sea, naval warfare was also developed. Large sea vessels carried high powered bombs and can lay siege even to distant enemy camps. The Germans was the first to use submarines on a full scale war on the sea. They can damage enemy ships without being detected or even seen. The submarine was proven to be effective as patrol on enemy sea territory and can be used as a warning if enemy naval ships were mobilized. The famous German submarine was the U-boat. It was used on unrestricted submarine warfare, in which enemy ships were targeted and sunk, even civilian ships. This unrestricted submarine warfare leads the United States to join the war on 1917. The reason was because the German U-boat was a risk to the United States trade policies with European countries. The U-boat has sunk the Lusitania on 1915, a British liner en route to the United States. It carried American citizens, and reports were published that Americans were killed during the attack. These angered the United States, thus declaring war on Germany and the Central Powers. World War 1 was not fought only on Europe. The colonies of European nations involved also joined the war. Japan for instance, joined the Allied forces to obtain German colonies on the pacific. The British expeditionary forces battled the Ottoman Empire on the desert. The expeditionary force led by T. E. Lawrence pushed the Ottoman Empire troops back into Lebanon until its defeat by the Allied forces on September 1918. The Treaty of Versailles ended the war. When the Central powers were defeated, this treaty promised peace all throughout Europe and it was the one who outlined the land and territorial distribution of lands acquired from the Central powers. I was affected by the topic because World War 1 was a very devastating war. Over 20 million casualties were reported on both sides. May were killed and wounded. I know war was against morality. But sometimes, countries and governments were blinded by their ambitions, mostly to obtain power and territories. As stated earlier, war is inevitable. Although the United Nation exists now, war is still happening. Even now, as I write this article, a war is happening, somewhere out there. War can still be prevented up to a certain extent. Peace talks must be initiated to prevent further conflicts, even if war has already broke up. Living in peace is a very good thing. I can help to achieve that, in my own little way, by respecting others’ opinion and properties. If every nation on earth can learn that, I am sure war are sure to be found on History books only. No war will happen once again. Respect is the word. References Andrea, A. J, and Overfield J. H. (1990). The Human record: Sources of Global History. Vol. 2. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company. Heilbroner, R. H. (1974). An Inquiry into the Human Prospect. New York. Norton and Company. Keilor W. R. (2007). â€Å"World War 1†. Microsoft ® Student 2008 [DVD]. Redmond. Microsoft Corporation

A Comparison of Healthcare in Canada and the United States Essay

Canada’s healthcare system started in 1946 and is made up of a group of socialized health insurance plans that provides coverage to all Canadian citizens. It is publicly funded and administered on a provincial or territorial basis with in the rules set by their federal government. Since the late 1960’s Canada essential has had a universal health insurance system covering all services provided by physicians and hospitals. In 1966 Lester B Pearson’s government subsequently expanded a policy of the universal healthcare with the medical care act. Canada’s healthcare system is the subject of political controversy and debate in the country. While healthcare in America began in the late 1800’s but was truly born in 1929 when Justin Kimball introduced low cost healthcare to teachers in Dallas. Healthcare in the US is mostly privately funded but we do have a few publicly funded entities, such as Medicare and Medicaid. By 1971, all Canadians were guaranteed access important medical services regardless of income, employment, or health. Canada has one of the highest life expectancies and he lowest infant mortality rates of industrialized countries, which many attribute to Canada’s health care system. In 1984, the Canada Health Act was passed. This act added provisions that prohibited extra billing and user fees for covered services. To support the ten year plan, the federal government increased health care to the Canada Health Transfer from 2006-2007 until 2013-2014 to provide growth in federal funding. On the other end the United states private for profit insurers based our premiums on age, gender, health status, and pre-existing conditions only covering the healthiest people and avoiding the sickest individuals which in turn e... ... a lot of criticism about the wait times; some have been known to wait in the emergency room for four hours. Although on the other hand, there is an upside to having to wait. By prioritizing the high risk patients verses the lower risk patients, help to eliminate patient mortality rates. The government has since stepped in to help alleviate the long wait times. Unfortunately, the wait times on average are just as bad, if not worse here in the states, with one important difference. In Canada no one gets turned away, while in the states, if you do not have the proper documentation according to your plan, you may end up waiting double the amount of time. Works Cited †¢ G.G. Frasier, â€Å"An Audit of Surgical Waiting List,† New Zealand Medical Journal (1991) †¢ www.snopes.com †¢ www.canadianhealthcare.org †¢ www.hc-sc.ca †¢ www.huffingtonpost.com

Romantic Poets and Their Response to Nature Essay -- Romantic Poets Po

Romantic Poets and Their Response to Nature Consider how the romantic poets have responded to the subject of nature with close references to at least three poems studied. Consider how the romantic poets have responded to the subject of nature with close references to at least three poems studied, comment in detail on: 1. Imagery (e.g. simile, metaphor, personification.) 2. Subject matter/theme 3. Characteristics of the romantic movement Romanticism was a poetic movement of the 19th century, during The French Revolution. The poetry reflected on feelings of everyday events. It was written in a simplistic language so that everyone could understand and appreciate poetry because earlier poetry was written formally with a complex language, which only the well educated could understand fully. Romantic poems had strong characteristics, which stand out, these are: pantheism, the importance of childhood and memories, a simplistic style, an informal and everyday language, emotional and political. From studying Keats, Coleridge and Wordsworth Nature has been the most influential characteristic, and has inspired them to write personal poems reflecting on God, permanence, education, childhood and memory. The poem 'To Autumn' written by Keats (1795-1821) is a typical romantic poem and in the first sentence 'Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness,' we already have a sense of calmness because the words 'mist' and 'mellow' are very soft and gentle sounding words. Keats has used 'm' and 's' words like these because he wants to get across the calmness of autumn and how relaxed it is, he does this by using words which are almost impossible to be said in a harsh and vicious way. Keats strongly worships na... ... to visualise a supreme, perfect scene of exactly what Westminster looks like in the morning. 'All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. Never did sun more beautiful steep In his first splendor,' is building up a feeling of warmth because it is a very colourful passage. The word 'steep' increases the reader's sense of touch. To add nature into the poem Wordsworth has commented on 'open unto the fields, and the sky,' this has set a very peaceful tone to the poem and has demonstrated that nature can live together in harmony with man. This image really takes hold of Wordsworth and in a state of passion because of the perfection he cries out to God 'Dear God.' This has added vigour to the poem and to get back to the peacefulness and silent perfection he has added about how still London is in the morning, which means his 'almighty heart is lying still.

Plight of African Americans Essay

African Americans plight throughout U. S. history begin as early in the 1400-s and ending in the 1700-s. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln freed slaves in the southern states through the Emancipation Proclamation. African Americans endured many hardships such as not having rights to vote, social inequalities of African Americans were violated, equal social status, social classes, and social circles. Examples of these violation are freedom of speech, property rights, access to health care, education, and transportation. Cultural concerns of African Americans currently include not being acknowledged in most educational settings and lack of our cultural experiences in classroom settings denying African American children the right to know the history of where our ancestry evolved. All of these experiences are and some continue to be the journey of African Americans today Groups and organizations promoting racial equality are the National Association of Advancement for Colored People{NAACP}, Southern Christian Leadership Conference{SCLC}, The National Urban League, Rainbow/Push Coalition each helped paved the way for equality of races and continue to do so. Objectives of these groups was to eliminate discrimination along with racial discrimination among citizens of the United States, eliminatin barriers of discrimination through democratic processes, seek enactment and enforcement of federal, state and local laws securing civil rights to inform the public of the changes of racial discrimination and educate persons of their constitutional rights and to take lawful action to secure the exercise thereof and to take any other action in furtherance of these objectives. Experiences of the NAACP help to dismantle Jim Crow Laws, the NAACP had it’s first victory in Guinn and Beale vs. US Supreme Court this case declared it unconstitutional the â€Å"grandfather clause† in the Oklahoma Constituition which stopped voting qualifications if the individual grandfather had voted, this was an attempt by Whites to stop African Americans whose grandfathers that had been slaves. Laws and amendments were designed to constrain the racial inequalities within prejudicial boundaries such as the 13th, 14th , and 15th amendments. These amendments address unfair treatment of African Americans, amendment 13th abolished slavery, amendment 14th secured rights of slaves and equal protection under the law to all persons and helped to dismantle segregation{Brown vs. Board of Education}. Various groups, organization and people played a tremendous role in fighting for racial equality leaders like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Thurgood Marshall and organizations such as NAACP, SCLC, and The Urban League. These groups of people and organizations help to fight legislation through landmark court cases, peaceful and nonviolent demonstrations, protests and sit ins and with the amendments listed above. The 14th amendment contains the equal protection clause and this clause was included to protect slaves from unfair treatment, In Brown versus the Board of Education this case helped declared separate public schools for Blacks and Whites was unconstitutional as a result of dejure segregation, this is ruled a violation of the 14th amendment. Infamous boycotts and sit-ins, contributed to this fight, like The Montgomery Boycott and The Greensboro Sit In. Peaceful demonstrations in a nonviolent manner was the objectives of these organizations and leaders. Protesting for racial dignity, economic and political self sufficiency and freedom from oppression of White Americans was the goals of these leaders and organizations to help fight legislation. Several laws have been enacted to help eliminate prejudicial boundaries, these laws are often called antidiscrimination acts which addressed racial, political and social inequalities of African Americans, The Civil Right Acts of 1968,1964 and 1948, helped to outlaw major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities and women. These acts ended unequal voter requirements, racial segregation in school, workplaces and by facilties that served the general public. These are a few of the struggles of African Americans and their journey throughout U. S. history there have been enormous strides in gaining equality for races, politically and socially, although political challenges currently face African Americans now we continue to fight for this right our ancestors have marched, died , were abused physically and verbally, remains the plight before us.

American Revolution- Revolution or Civil War? Essay

There is a lot of debate and disagreement on whether the American Revolution was an actual revolution, but rather a civil war. A revolution implies that there was a total change in government and rule of a country, and a civil war is a war that occurs in a country between groups of people from the country. There may have been a vast amount of tension between the colonies and the British, but the occurrences during the American Revolution had little to do with the changing of the government. There were many things that the colonies were expected to do and pay for. These were called colonial grievances. The colonies were expected to pay a lot of money for tea, sugar and stamps. The money would go to the British. The area they were allowed to live and stay in was also very restricted as they were not allowed or able to move westwards. This is because the British wanted to control the colonies and this is easier to do if the people are restrained to a smaller area. The colonies also had no one voicing their opinions and needs in the British Parliament, so all the decisions concerning the colonies were made by the British. The soldiers had power over, and controlled the colonies. The colonies began to feel anger towards the British because of their lack of rights, freedom and say in the way they were governed. Resentment grew and these made the colonies more aware and open to the idea for fighting against the British. The colonies wanted to be able to govern and rule themselves. The tension in the colonies was not enough to cause a revolution, but rather a civil war. The Boston Tea Party was when the Americans dressed up as Mohawk Indians and threw all the English tea into the harbour. They dressed up as Indians to symbolise how they were more American than British, and as a disguise. The throwing of the tea into the sea symbolised how they were not willing to pay taxes and were not willing to be ruled and overpowered by the British. The Americans were fighting against the British because of the tension that the colonial grievances had caused. The tension would affect any group of people and therefore, it makes it a civil war rather than revolution. As the tension grew, the colonies got tired of trying to fight the government without any change occurring. The colonies the thought that by using armed conflict, they would be able to get their point across better. They used Lexington to secretly store weapons until they would have enough to stand against the British. The British found out about the storehouse at Lexington and began to march to Lexington so that they could end the gathering of weapons because the British didn’t want the Americans to rise up against them. The colonies were not aware of the British moving towards Lexington, so Paul Revere rode through the night on horseback to warn the colonies. The face-off between the colonies and the British increased the already intense tension, and made the Americans want to govern themselves even more than before. The Boston Massacre was a real depiction of how much tension had been building up amongst the colonies and the British. A guard was standing outside the Customs House and the colonies began throwing snowballs at him. The colonies then started throwing rocks at the guard, rather than snowballs. The British guard then called for backup and more British soldier’s arrived at the customs house. The guards then opened fire on the colonists and killed 5 people. After all the events had occurred, people from the colonies joined up and drafted the Declaration of Independence. This document stated how they wanted to be a free country and be able to govern themselves. The declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal, but all women were not given the right to vote, and neither could slaves. Only men who owned land had the right to vote. This shows that they war the Americas were governed did not totally change, hence it is not a revolution, but rather a civil war. So even though there is a lot of debate and disagreement on whether the American Revolution was a revolution or a civil war, there are many points that show that it is not a revolution, but a civil war.

Realtionship Between the Media, Public Perceptions of Crime and Police Essay

Does the media and the amount of exposure to specific news media affect fear of crime? This question is examined in a survey with data collected from three universities in the United States and one in Canada; The Impact of Media on Fear of Crime among University Students: A Cross-National Comparison, goes over the results. It’s believed that fear in itself can be debilitating leading to harmful social outcomes. Vincent Sacco believes there are three dimensions to fear of crime: cognitive, emotional and behavioral. Cognitive looks at a how a person assesses their likelihood of being victimized. Emotional is how someone feels about crime, and behavioral is a person’s response to fear of their perceived likelihood of being victimized. However, in 2011, it was argued â€Å"that fear of crime ought to be conceptualized by distinguishing between generalized anxieties and more concrete episodes of fear, as well as by differentiating effects of everyday worries and anxieties† (Kohm, Waid-Lindberg, Weinrath & Shelley, 2012). This theory â€Å"is thought allow for better understanding of how people are motivated to protect themselves† (Kohm, Waid-Lindberg, Weinrath & Shelley, 2012). Despite a decrease in crime rates, citizens of both the United States and Canada still have a high fear of being victimized. One theory suggests that increased fear is a direct result of an individual’s perception of the risk to being a victim. This can occur because of one’s past victimizations or through media exposure of crime also known as indirect victimization. Individuals learn of local crime, national crime and even world-wide crime events through media sources: TV, newspapers, and internet. In 2007, the United Nations Crime Victims Survey (ICVS) showed that the United States reported the second lowest level (16%) of fear of being victims of a burglary compared to Canada who reported higher levels (25%) of fear, even though crimes rates had declined since 1989. Secondhand information (news sources) raises fear and beliefs that victimization is likely, in turn individuals become indirect victims through their fear. The cultivation theory suggests that when violent crimes stories increase so does the fear of crime. Similar to the cultivation theory, the substitution perspective states that individuals with no history of victimization will have increased fear of crime with crime related stories. The resonance perspective is just the opposite. It states that the media increases fear when the content is similar to one’s experiences. These three theories are derived from the indirect victimization model. Most individuals receive crime information from television news reports, where stories on crime are reported twice as often as political news stories. Stories involving multiple victims, use of firearms, as well as certain other crime characteristics is more newsworthy than others. The survey done on Canadian and United States university students showed that local news affected individual’s fears more than world news. Also television news reports affected fear more than other news sources such as newspapers or the internet where people can select which stories they want to read. The nature of a criminal offence and the community context in which the crime occurs determines how a story is reported. An example being, â€Å"smaller suburban and rural areas are more likely to report all homicides while large urban areas may be more selective† (Kohm, Waid-Lindberg, Weinrath & Shelley, 2012). The article states that fear if crime is directly related to demographics factors which include: gender, age, race/ethnicity, and situational factors including any previous victimization, one’s perception of their risk of being victimized, and concerns about local crime. Even though males experience higher levels of being victimized, women tend to fear crime more because they feel they are able to defend themselves against a physical attack. One study reported that Elderly are more fearful where as another study shows younger individuals are more fearful. Therefore, age as a predictor for fear of crime is inconsistent. The following universities were given a self-administered survey as part of the current study this article was based on: Colorado State University (CSU), University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), and Florida State University (FSU) and one Canadian, University of Winnipeg (UW). The campuses of UTA, FSU and UW are located in higher crime urban areas. In Florida and Texas, violent and property crime rates are higher than the national average. Winnipeg’s violent and property crimes rates are also higher than the rest of Canada’s crimes levels. Criminal Justice or Criminology majors reported a lower fear of crime compared to other majors or students who were yet undecided. The survey also showed that there was a similar rate of concern between both nations; reporting on a scale of 1-10 the average was seven, clearly showing a somewhat high concern for crime. In summary, the findings for the survey are as follows: women, whites, non-criminal justice/criminology majors reported aving more fear of crime. A general concern about crime was relatively the same between the American and Canadian students though Canadians had higher rate of fear for risk of violent victimization and Americans had a higher rate for property victimization. The media plays a substantial role in determining the amount of fear of crime that people hold. This comes from the fact that the media extensively and disproportionately cover crime stories. But how does this affect the public’s perception of law enforcement? The answer to this question is simple. The media leads people to believe that there is more crime than there actually is. Therefore, the media also plays a role in forming expectations of police. When people think that crime has increased, they more than likely will believe that the police are not doing their jobs. The problem is, is that the media has created a false image of law enforcement. According to Ronald D. Hunter and Thomas Barker (2011), â€Å"the police officers of Hollywood lore are fictional images of stereotypes that have been exaggerated to provide entertainment to a bored public† (p. 41). A few examples of entertainment media that depict these false pictures of police are: CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, Criminal Minds, and NYPD Blue. Each and every one of these portray the characters as super-cops that can perform more than just the standard jobs of real life police officers. For example, in CSI the multitude of character can perform investigative tasks as well as tasks involving forensic science. The characters of these shows solve challenging cases using their superior intelligence and expertise. Almost always, the characters solve their case in single day maybe two days. People tend to believe that these fictional images and stereotypes are true and base their perceptions of real life police off these. Aside from entertainment media, the public is also greatly influenced by news media, as previously seen above. According to Hunter and Barker (2011), Depicting the police negatively as misusing deadly force, police prejudice, or police corruption is also newsworthy. The amount of emphasis given to police actions and the media’s interpretation of these actions as either proper or improper have a tremendous effect on the public’s perception of the police. p. 41) Police agencies across the United States; deal with accusations of misuse of force on a daily basis. Justified or not, images of police using force continue to outrage the American public. However, police use of force incidents are often misinterpreted by the community due to the media frenzy twisting facts. The media undermines the authority of the police and reduces the trust that the public has in its police. What is observed in the media is largely carried out to represent police as a whole. In other words, the media magnifies situations and creates an exaggerated perspective that viewers assume is a standard of all police and police organizations as well as crime. Among the different types of stories in the media, negative stories attract a larger audience. What a person reads, hears, and observes in the media largely defines the person’s perception of the police. Whether we recognize the effects of the media or not, our perceptions of this world are heavily influenced by the information we receive from the media. The media constantly surrounds us, frequently informs us, and just as frequently misinforms us. The influence of the media is significant since media could be identified as a primary source in influencing people’s perceptions of crime and their perceptions of police. Besides the significant effect on fear of crime, the media has influenced the public’s attitudes toward police at the same time. News media may be the primary source for the public viewing the police as ineffective and incompetent. Studies have highlighted the powerful influence of media’s news coverage, there are solid justifications for us to examine the links between fear of crime and how crime news coverage influences the public’s attitudes toward police efficiency.

Marketing Research assignment 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marketing Research 2 - Assignment Example The benefit of this test is that it is cheaper to implement compared to other standard market tests. The effectiveness of the test will be measured by the number of additional customers that are attracted by the free buffet offer. These can be considered as the dependent variables DV), and their number will indicate the success rate of the market test. It will also indicate the number of return clients, who can be associated with the offer of the free breakfast snack. 2. Design a test of a new pricing strategy for orange juice concentrate. The brand is an established brand, and we are only interested in testing the effect of a 5 percent price increase and a 5 percent price decrease. All other elements of the marketing mix will remain the same. This can be achieved through a standard market test. It is good to select specific outlets within the company’s distribution channels. The best way is to implement 5 per cent price increase in at least 10 major outlets, and implement a 5 per cent price decrease in a similar number of outlets. The selected outlets should be scattered adequately to represent the national market outlook. The selected outlets represent the Independent Variables. The best timeline that can give a clear response should be about 20 days. The performances of the selected outlets should be used to determine market response. Therefore, any increase or decrease in the number of customers represents the dependent variables (DV). This should then be compared to the performance of the other outlets that were not involved in the study within the same time

Significance of effective leadership within the 21st century business Assignment

Significance of effective leadership within the 21st century business context - Assignment Example Significance of effective leadership within the 21st century business context It is in this context that various challenges and shortcomings are witnessed in relation to the strategies developed for effective organizational management which further requires greater degree of rationality among the leaders. An illustration of a practical scenario shall be quite helpful to describe the significance and criticality of effective leadership within the 21st century business context. With this concern, this discussion will intend to describe, analyze and subsequently understand the effectiveness of leadership in Ford Motor Company. Notably, the company had to witness serious obstacles recently before the occurrence of 2008 economic crisis when the strategies implemented by the Corporate Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Alan Mulally proved to be quite helpful in redirecting the organization towards a healthier growth. However, the current situation is also not without any challenges for the company which indicates towards the necessity to reconsider the business strategies practiced by the company. Ford is renowned as one of the leading brands in the international automotive industry which is engaged with manufacturing and distributing a wide range of automobiles and accessories. Ford is universally well-known having its manufacturing and distributing branches located all over the world. There are currently altogether nearly 90 manufacturing and distributing plants located in globally. ... Ford also relates with the financial services industry being associated with rendering loan and vehicle insurance facilities to its customers worldwide. Working in such versatile environment, Ford was able to successfully secure a leadership position within the global automotive industry obtaining sustainable profits over the years. However, it had to witness severe crisis situation during the early decade of the 21st century, incurring a record debt in its history depicting a position of financial instability and limited sustainability. Contextually, to rule the market once again and to regain its sustainability, Ford had to overcome number of challenges over the recent decades. In order to overcome such a crisis situation, Ford had to consider drastic changes in its operations being largely focused on its consumer needs and wants. It was during this period, that the organization witnessed a leadership change, where the then newly recruited Corporate Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Alan Mulally implemented drastic financial and managerial strategies which ultimately assisted the organization to recover from the situation. This particular scenario can be regarded as quite illustrative too reflect upon the significance of organizational leadership to secure competitiveness, sustainability and growth of the company in today’s 21st century context (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson, 2009). Being a global and hugely diversified organization, Ford has a large number of primary stakeholders which include customers, suppliers, dealers, employees’ communities and investors or shareholders. Ford has been significantly focused on its brand recognition and reputation amid its stakeholders. For instance, the

Argument Against Wearing Uniforms in School Research Paper

Argument Against Wearing Uniforms in School - Research Paper Example These students, whose creative voices are stifled by the school by not allowing them to express themselves artistically in their mode of dress more often than not end up being the problem students who are under constant observation and meetings with guidance counselors and the school principal for being â€Å"problem students†. Courtney Williams (â€Å"Why Student's Shouldn't Have to Wear Uniforms†) who runs a petition site against her school's move to impose uniforms explained it best in the following statement:   Teenagers, these days, have such a great sense of their own unique style and they should be   able to show this but, schools are making us wear uniforms. How are we, as students, going to   express our style?   This is an argument supported by Alistair Endersby who explained in his argumentative paper (â€Å"Should School Uniforms Be Got Rid Of?†) that uniforms are a violation of a student's right to Freedom of Expression. He explains:   We a ll have a right to individuality, to make personal choices and to express our personality. This   right of   free expression includes the way we choose to dress. Making everyone wear the same   school uniform   infringes on (goes against) our rights and is a misuse of authority.

Practical report and essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Practical report and - Essay Example This prevents interference of the proteins during analysis. In addition to this, metaphosphoric acid offers stability to ascorbic acid by preventing its decomposition in acidic solution. DCP solution being unstable is stored in dark bottle at 4Â ºC. DCP titrant has to be standardised using known concentration of vitamin C. This helps in accurate determination of the concentration of vitamin C in an unknown solution. Reagents and samples: 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCP), 2- metaphosphoric acid, glacial acetic acid, standard ascorbic acid, freshly squeezed orange juice, Tropicana pure premium and Growers direct organic Accurately weighed 800 mg of DCP is dissolved in 500ml of previously boiled and cooled distilled water in a 1000 ml volumetric flask. Then the volume is made up to 1000 ml with distilled water. (The solution can last 7 days in fridge, in a dark bottle). Accurately weighed 15 g of Metaphosphoric acid (HPO) was dissolved in 40 ml of glacial acetic acid and 200 ml water. Then the volume was made to 500ml. The resultant solution was filtered. (MPA lasts 7 days in fridge). Accurately weighed 200 mg of L-ascorbic acid was dissolved in 10 ml MPA solution, and then volume was made to 100 ml with distilled water (made up in MPA/glacial acetic solution). 10 ml of resultant solution was diluted to 100 ml with distilled water. (20 mg of ascorbic acid per 100 ml i.e. 0.2mg/ml). 3. Then the solution in the flask was titrated with DCP solution from burette slowly with constant stirring until faint pink colour appeared and persisted. Then burette reading was noted. 3. Then the solution in the flask was titrated with DCP solution from burette slowly with constant stirring until faint pink colour appeared and persisted. Then, burette reading was recorded. Discussion: Most analytical methods exploit ascorbic acid’s ease of oxidation for its estimation. It was seen that the ascorbic acid content of freshly squeezed

Video Reaction paper 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Video Reaction paper 3 - Essay Example It made me think about how far behind our society is in terms of true acceptance and inclusiveness of the people who are born as one gender but have the ability to perform the duties and responsibilities of both genders. Provided they are given the freedom to choose who they truly know their selves to be. The death of Fred Martinez left me with a feeling of shame as I viewed the documentary. While Fred was somebody who was admired in his native American tribe for the uniqueness of his spirit, he was condemned by our society for being gay. But in reality, was his sexual orientation or gender identity really something to kill a person about? The violence that he experienced through bullying is something that our society would never stand for if it were done to a White Man. No, if Fred Martinez had been white, he would have been protected by our bullying laws. He would have had access to a restraining order. He would have been able to stand up for himself because our society protects by law and respects the White gays and lesbians. Instead Martinez was killed because our society refused to understand the uniqueness of his person and lacked respect for Fred's own Native American traditions. The puzzlement for me while watching the documentary was how our own LGBT community can fight for and most the time, gain the rights and respect that they demand for their gender identities but when the native Americans, the original settlers in this country show that they too deserve to be accorded the same respect, they are not only denied the opportunity to live under the same cloak of protection as their U.S, counterparts, but are murdered because of it. We are often told to keep an open mind and broaden our thinking and understanding of the LGBT sector of society. But when push comes to shove, we always seem to fall short of this commitment to understand those who are different from us in terms of national heritage. However, as Fred showed those around him, native Americans have always been more than accepting, loving, caring, and respectful of those who are like Fred. As long as we refuse to accept and respect the culture of those whom we consider to have a different society from us, we will never live in a truly equal world. Fred's death serves to remind us of that disrespect. While our own LGBT community continues to struggle and win their right to fair treatment, our native American brothers and sisters who are also a member of the LGBT sector of society have been shown to live a life full of fear and uncertainty because the rules of the White Man does not apply to them and their cause. It saddens me to learn that we have a long way to go, centuries after Columbus â€Å"discovered† America and massacring the original settlers, long after we segregated them to tribal camps in the outskirts, that we as a society, have still failed to offer them the chance to be assimilated into our society based upon equality and fair treatment regardless of sexual preference or orientation. As a society, we are centuries behind our Native American counterparts who learned early on the value of the uniqueness in a person. We have a lot to learn from them in terms of the ways and means through which a thorough understanding of the two spirits that exist in the LGBT's can actually help our society evolve into a highly intricate and accepting society.

Gothic literature Essay Example for Free

Gothic literature Essay In response to the question â€Å"is gothic literature purely escapist? † considering Austen’s Northanger Abbey and Walpole’s novel The Castle of Ontranto, which is recognized as pretty much establishing the genre, the answer is yes. Castle of Ontranto Brief Plot summary The plot of Castle begins full tilt as Conrad, son of Manfred of house Otranto, is crushed by a giant helmet on his wedding day, also his birthday. Because of the marriages political connections, Manfred decides to divorce his wife, Hippolita, and marry Conrads betrothed, Isabella. Amid speculations about an ancient prophecy claiming That the castle and lordship of Otranto should pass from the present family, whenever the real owner should be grown too large to inhabit it, Manfreds second union is disrupted by a series of supernatural events involving many oversized limbs, ghosts, mysterious blood, and a true prince (Wikipedia). Castle of Ontranto represents the quintessential Gothic story. It created the genre. Key examples of this can be seen as follows: 1 Note: that Gothic literature is escapist through the use of contrasting specific elements to create conflict and draw the attention of the reader. (the main themes most common in these two novels are: horror vs romance, good vs evil, and the element of mystery basically the known vs the unknown. ) The Castle of Ontranto opens with the line â€Å"Manfred, Prince of Otranto, had one son and one daughter: the latter, a most beautiful virgin, aged eighteen, was called Matilda (chp1). † This is a very fantastic scenario from the main character being a Prince to the daughter being a beautiful eighteen year old virgin in an era when many women in prestigious families were married off by the age of 14. The author goes on to point out how the son Conrad three years younger than Matilda is ugly sickly frail and pale. The act of immediately contrasting Conrad’s ugly sickliness with Matilda’s beauty and pure virginity, significantly defines the gothic genre, which is literally defined as â€Å"an important genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. † -Another important contrast other than horror and romance is good and evil. This can be seen in Walpole’s novel through the differences in the characters. The Castle of Otranto revolves around a curse that has been placed upon the family of Manfred, ruler of the principality of Otranto. The curse is slightly ill defined, but apparently threatens the end of Manfreds rule and destruction of his family. Manfred is a greedy man who plots and schemes to outwit this curse. He is clearly the villain of the novel and contrasts strongly with the three leading women, Hippolita his wife, Matilda his daughter and Isabella the intended wife of his son. These women represent the forces of good throughout the novel. NOTE: Heroines in gothic books as well as in contemporary horror is a common theme a major example of this being emphasized in Northanger abbey can be seen when Austen says, â€Å"Chapter 1 But from fifteen to seventeen she was in training for a heroine; she read all such works as heroines must read to supply their memories with those quotations which are so serviceable and so soothing in the vicissitudes of their eventfuly lives. † (page 9) NOTE: examples of Romance as a theme in Northanger Abbey â€Å"Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love. † Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey â€Å"In every power, of which taste is the foundation, excellence is pretty fairly divided between the sexes. â€Å" Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, 1818

Describe How Communication Skills Were Used In Practice Nursing Essay

Describe How Communication Skills Were Used In Practice Nursing Essay Introduction. Communication involves the exchange of messages and is a process which all individuals participate in. Whether it is through spoken word, written word, non-verbal means or even silence, messages are constantly being exchanged between individuals or groups of people (Bach Grant 2009). All behaviour has a message and communication is a process which individuals cannot avoid being involved with (Ellis et al 1995). In nursing practice, communication is essential, and good communication skills are paramount in the development of a therapeutic nurse/patient relationship. This aim of this essay is to discuss the importance of communication in nursing, demonstrating how effective communication facilitates a therapeutic nurse/patient relationship. This will be achieved by providing a definition of communication, making reference to models of communication and explaining how different types of communication skills can be used in practise. In order to engage in meaningful communication and develop effective communication skills, nurses must engage in the process of reflecting on how communication skills are utilised in practise. Reflection allows the nurse opportunity to gain a deeper insight into personal strengths and weaknesses and to address any areas of concern in order to improve future practise (Taylor 2001). A further aim will be to reflect on how communication skills have been utilised within nursing practise. Various models of reflection will be examined, and a reflective account of a personal experience which occurred during placement will be provided using a model. This reflective account will involve a description the incident, an analysis of thoughts and feelings and an evaluation of what has occurred. Finally, the reflective account will include an action plan for a similar situation, which may arise, in the future. Communication involves information being sent, received and decoded between two or more people (Balzer-Riley 2008) and involves the use of a number of communication skills; which in a nursing context generally focuses on listening and giving information to patients (Weller 2002). This process of sending and receiving messages has been described as both simple and complex (Rosengren 2000 in McCabe 2006, p.4). It is a process which is continually utilised by nurses to convey and receive information from the patient, co-workers, others they come into contact with and the patients family. Models of Communication. The Linear Model is the simplest form of communication and involves messages being sent and received by two or more people (McCabe 2006). Whilst this model demonstrates how communication occurs in its simplest form, it fails to consider other factors impacting on the process. Communication in nursing practice can be complicated, involving the conveyance of large amounts of information, for example, when providing patients with information relating to their care and treatment or when offering health promotion advice. In contrast, the Circular Transactional Model is a two way approach, acknowledging other factors, which influence communication such as feedback and validation (McCabe 2006). Elements of this model are also contained in Hargie and Dickinsons (2004) A Skill Model of Interpersonal Communication which suggests that successful communication is focused, purposeful and identifies the following skills; person centred context, goal, mediating process, response, feedback and perception. It also considers other aspects of the individual and the influence these may have on their approach to the process of communication (McCabe 2006). For communication to be effective it is important for the nurse to recognise key components, and intrinsic and extrinsic factors, which may affect the process (McCabe 2006). They must consider factors such as past personal experiences, personal perceptions, timing and the setting in which communication occurs. Physical, physiological, psychological and semantic noise may also influence the message, resulting in misinterpreted by the receiver (McCabe 2006). Communication skills. Communication consists of verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication relates to the spoken word and can be conducted face-to-face or over the telephone (Docherty McCallum 2009). Nurses continually communicate with patients; verbal communication allows the nurse opportunity to give information to the patient about their care or treatment, to reassure the patient and to listen and respond to any concerns the patient may have (NMC 2008). Effective communication is beneficial to the patient in terms of their satisfaction and understanding, of care and treatment they have been given (Arnold Boggs 2007), while at the same time optimising the outcomes or care and/or treatment for the patient (Kennedy- Sheldon 2009). Questioning allows the nurse to gather further information and open or closed questions can be used. Closed questions usually require a yes or no response and are used to gather the necessary information, whereas open questions allow the patient, opportunity to play an active role and to discuss and agree options relating to their care as set out in the Healthcare Standards for Wales document (2005). Probing questions can be used to explore the patients problems further thus allowing the nurse to treat the patient as an individual and develop a care plan specific to their individual needs (NMC 2008). It is vital that the nurse communicates effectively, sharing information with the patient about their health in an understandable way to ensure the patient is fully informed about their care and treatment and that consent is gained prior to this occurring (NMC 2008). The nurse should also listen to the patient and respond to their concerns and preferences about their care and well-being (NMC 2008). In nursing, listening is an essential skill and incorporates attending and listening (Burnard Gill 2007). Attending; fully focusing on the other person and being aware of what they are trying to communicate and listening; the process of hearing what is being said by another person are the most important aspects of being a nurse (Burnard 1997). Non-verbal communication is a major factor in communication, involving exchange of messages without words. It relates to emotional states and attitudes and the conveyance of messages through body language; body language has seven elements; gesture, facial expressions, gaze, posture, body space and proximity, touch and dress (Ellis et al 1995). Each of these elements can reinforce the spoken word and add meaning to the message; it isnt about what you say or how you say it but it also relates to what your body is doing while you are speaking (Oberg 2003). Patients often read cues from the nurses non-verbal behaviour, which can indicate interest or disinterest. Attentiveness and attention to the patient can be achieved through SOLER: S sit squarely, O Open posture, L learn towards the patient, E eye contact, R relax (Egan 2002). There must be congruency between verbal and non verbal messages for effective communication to be achieved. Non-verbal communication can contradict the spoken word and the ability to recognise these non-verbal cues is vitally important in nursing practice (McCabe 2006), for example, a patient may verbally communicate that they are not in pain, but their non-verbal communication such as facial expression may indicate otherwise. It is also important for the nurse to be aware of the congruency of their verbal and non-verbal communication. Any discrepancies between the two will have a direct influence on the message they are giving to patients, and may jeopardise the nurse/patient relationship. Other factors may affect communication in a negative way, endangering the process, and nurses must be aware of internal and external barriers (Schubert 2003). Lack of interest, poor listening skills, culture and the personal attitude are internal factors, which may affect the process. External barriers such as the physical environment, temperature, the use of jargon and/or technical words can also negatively influence the process (Schubert 2003). Reflection. To fully assess the development of communication skills the nurse can make use of reflection to gain a better insight and understanding of their skills (Siviter 2008). Reflection can also be used to apply theoretical knowledge to practice, thus bridging the gap between theory and practice (Burns Bulman 2000) and allows us opportunity, to develop a better insight and awareness of our actions both conscious and unconscious in the situation. Reflecting on events that take place in practice, allows opportunity not only to think about what we do, but also to consider why we do things. This helps us to learn from the experience and improve our future nursing practice (Siviter 2008). Reflection can be described as either reflection in action; occurring during the event, or reflection on action; which happens after the event has occurred (Taylor 2001) and is guided by a model, which serves as a framework within, which the nurse is able to work. It is usually a written process, and the use o f a reflective model uses questions to provide a structure and guide for the process (Siviter 2008). Reflective Models. There are numerous reflective models that may be utilised by the nursing professional, for example, Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988), Johns Model of Structured Reflection (1994) and Driscolls Model of Reflection (2002). Gibbs model (Appendix I) has a cyclical approach, consisting of six stages per cycle that guide the user through a series of questions, providing a structure for reflection on an experience. The first stage of the process is a descriptive account of the situation; what happened? Followed by an analysis of thoughts and feelings in the second stage; what were your thoughts and feelings? The third and fourth stages involve an evaluation of the situation, what was good and/or bad about the experience and an analysis allowing us to make sense of the situation. The last two stages are the conclusion of the situation, what else could have been done and finally an action plan to prepare for similar situations, which may arise in the future (Gibbs 1988). Similarly to Gibbs Reflective Cycle, Johns Model of Structured Reflection (Appendix II) and Driscolls (Appendix III) model of reflection promote learning through reflection. They have similar structures, which guide the user through the reflective process. Johns Model incorporates four stages; description, reflection, alternative actions and learning (Johns 1994) and Discolls model has three stages: a return to the situation, understanding the context and modifying future outcome (Discoll 2002). The three models described all have similarities in that the user is guided through the reflective process by describing the event, analysing their thoughts, feelings and actions and making plans for future practice. Considering the models of reflection described, the next component of this essay will make use of the Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1998) to provide a reflective account of a situation which I experienced during clinical placement in a community setting. Reflective Account. As part of this placement, I assisted my mentor, a health visitor, in the provision of a baby club for parents with babies and pre-school children, which takes place on a weekly basis and involves routine checks, such as baby-weighing, in addition to opportunity, for parents to socialise and opportunity for health visitors to provide information relating to the care and health of babies and children. During the second week of this placement, I was asked to assist in the delivery of a forthcoming health promotion session relating to dental health. I have chosen this event as a basis for my reflective account as I feel that health promotion is an important area to consider. It enables individuals to play a pivotal role in their own health (Webster and Finch 2002 in Scriven 2005) and is a means by which positive health can be promoted and enhanced alongside the prevention of illness (Downie et al 2000). It gives clients the knowledge to make informed decisions about their health and prevention of illness and is an area in which the nurse or healthcare professional plays a key role (WHO 1989). Description of the event. The event occurred during a weekly session at baby club that takes place in a community centre. My mentor (Health Visitor) and I were present along with a group of ten mothers and their babies. As this event took place during a group session, I will maintain confidentiality (NMC 2008) by not referring to any one individual. Consent was gained from all clients prior to the session commencing, in line with the NMC Code of Conduct (2008) and the environment was checked to ensure it was appropriate and safe for the session to take place. The aim of the session was to promote good dental health and oral hygiene amongst children and babies. Standard 1 of the Standards of Care for Health Visitors (RCN 1989) is to promote health, and the session aimed to provide clients with relevant, up-to-date information, thus allowing them to make informed choices about the future care of their childrens teeth. Chairs were set out in a semi-circle with a number of play mats and various baby toys placed in the centre. This allowed parents opportunity to interact in the session, to listen to the information and ask questions while at the same time being in close enough proximity to their children to respond to their needs. The Health Visitor and I sat at the front of the semi circle facing the group. I reintroduced myself to the group and gave a brief explanation of my role and the part I would play in the session. This was important; some of the clients were meeting me for the first time, and it is during this initial contact that jud gements are made about future interactions, and the service being provided. Positive initial interaction can provide a good foundation for a future beneficial relationship (Scriven 2005). The session was broken down into two parts: information giving, focusing on the promotion of dental health and prevention of illness in the form of tooth decay (Robotham and Frost 2005). Secondly, information relating to tooth brushing was given along with a demonstration undertaken by myself that showed the clients good oral hygiene could be achieved through effective tooth brushing. A question and answer session followed which allowed us to clarify any issues raised. Feelings and thoughts. In the week, preceding the session it was important for me to consider a systematic approach to the planning of the session. The first stage was to gather relevant, up-to-date information relating to the subject and plan how it could be incorporated in the session. The NMC Standards of Proficiency (2004a) states that nurses must engage in a continual process of learning and that evidence-based practice should be used (Bach and Grant 2009). The plan was discussed with my mentor and advice was sought about any adjustments which may be necessary. Prior to the session, I was apprehensive about delivering a health promotion session to clients (patients). I as I felt out of my depth as a first year student and my anxiety was exacerbated further as this was my first placement. However, support and encouragement from my mentor and other health visitors in the team helped me to relax. I was given the opportunity to discuss the topic with my mentor and was relieved when I was able to respond to any questions asked in an appropriate manner and that my knowledge had been increased through the research I had undertaken, thus boosting my confidence. Evaluation. Despite my initial reservation about my knowledge of the subject and apprehension at delivering a health promotion session, I feel that my mentors decision to include me in the delivery of the session benefitted me greatly in the development of my knowledge and self confidence. During the session, I feel that I communicated well verbally with clients and that my non-verbal communication was appropriate and corresponded to what I was saying. The clients were focused on the session and seemed genuinely interested, nodding when they understood and showed attentiveness by making regular eye contact. Feedback from clients after the session also allowed me to reflect on my communication; one of the clients stated afterwards that she had gained a lot from the session particularly the demonstration relating to tooth brushing and was now more aware of the importance of early oral hygiene to prevent problems later in the childs life. Analysis. Dental Health is a key Health Promotion target in Wales and is the most prevalent form of disease amongst children in Wales. Many of the participants were unaware of when and how childrens teeth should be cared for and the importance of ensuring good oral hygiene from an early age. The aim of the session was to provide information to parents as a means of promoting good oral hygiene and prevention of tooth decay in babies and young children. In order for the aim to be achieved, communication was a key element. Effective communication in a group can only be achieved if there is trust, participation, co-operation and collaboration among its members and the belief that they as a group are able to perform effectively as a group (Balzer-Riley 2008). The information was provided in a way that was easily understandable, a demonstration of how teeth should be brushed was given, and time was allowed for the clients time to ask questions. Communication and listening skills allowed us to discov er what knowledge the clients already had, and enabled us to adjust the information to meet the needs of the clients. Throughout the session, I was aware of my non-verbal communication and attempted to show attentiveness to individuals in the group, using the principles of SOLER I made the necessary adjustments. At times, this proved difficult as trying to lean towards the clients and maintain eye contact with each individual was not possible in a group situation. My anxiety about delivering the session was also an area which I had some concerns with. Nervousness can have an influence on how a message is delivered, and I was constantly aware of my verbal communication, particularly my paralanguage. I have a tendency to speak at an accelerated rate when I am nervous, and was aware that this may influence the way in which the message was being received. It is important to be aware of paralanguage in which the meaning of a word or phrase can change depending on tone, pitch or the rate at which the word(s) is spoken. Paralanguage may also include vocal sounds which may accompany speech and which can add meaning to the words being spoken (Hartley 1999). Throughout the session, I was aware of my verbal and non-verbal communication, and I tried to ensure that it corresponded to the information being given; I was also aware of non-verbal communication of the participants and made appropriate adjustments to my delivery when needed Conclusion. After the session had finished, I was given an opportunity to discuss it with my mentor. I was able to articulate what I felt had gone well, what hadnt gone quite as well and what could be improved. I noted that I was very nervous about delivering the session despite having the knowledge and understanding of the subject and felt that this may have been noticed by the participants. However, feedback from my mentor allowed me to realise that my nervousness was not apparent in my delivery. By undertaking this reflection, I have been able to question the experience and analyse my actions and behaviour, as a means of developing my knowledge for future practice Action plan. This session has helped with my learning and personal development and I now feel more confident in my ability to deliver health promotion activities in a group setting. I am, however, aware that speaking in a group setting is not an area I am very comfortable with but further practice will help alleviate this. I am confident that I will be able to use the knowledge gained on the subject of dental health in my future placements. In the future, I will repeat the process of thorough research, as it is best practice to keep knowledge up-to-date in order to provide care based on evidence (NMC 2008). Summary. In summary, communication is a complex process and an essential skill which the nurse must be aware of in every aspect, of care and treatment they give to patients. A full awareness of not only the spoken word, but also the influence non-verbal communication has on the messages being communicated, is essential in the development of a therapeutic relationship between nurse and patient. The process of reflecting upon practice is also an essential element of knowledge development. After consideration of a number of reflective frameworks, the use of Gibbs Reflective Cycle as a structure for creating a reflective account has proven to be beneficial in the exploration of personal thoughts and feelings in relation to a specified event and I recognise the importance of reflection as a learning tool that can enhance knowledge and practice.