Responsible Executive Compensation for a New Era of Accountability Essa

Remuneration and the Chief Executive Officer Official remuneration has gone under expanding investigation in ongoing writing in the wake of the developing exposure encompassing administrative disappointments and official personal circumstance. Money related specialists have for some time been looking at the issue of adjusting the presentation of administrators to their compensations and advantages. Open discontent with the obvious top-largeness of the remuneration structure has carried this issue into the spotlight all through the business world. Specialists point to the defects of conventional installment plans and offer various arrangements. Investor esteem and the achievement of the firm can be essentially influenced by official execution. Consequently, understanding the points of interest and expenses of the present patterns in official pay is critical to the remuneration council of a Fortune 500 company. The remuneration board has a troublesome assignment upon its shoulders. It must develop pay programs that pull in and hold the best ability to address the individual organization’s needs. It must structure a technique that creates predominant returns for speculators, properly measure administrative execution, and foundation a compensation practice which is reasonable for the two workers and investors and which truly drives business results (Mercer p.4). There is bounteous hypothesis and research on the techniques thought to achieve these objectives, and the developing patterns in official pay appear to be exceptionally effective. The developing open reactions of ultra-high official compensation are not unwarranted. As per Mr. Meizhu Lui, â€Å"the proportion of CEO pay as a various of normal specialist pay has developed hugely, from 41 to 1 of every 1960 to 411 to 1... ...a Resource Consulting. (Jan. 26, 2004). â€Å"Responsible Executive Compensation for a New Era of Accountability.† Perspective. Recovered October 14, 2006, from http://www.mercerHR.com/responsibleEC Mercer Human Resource Consulting. (Aug. 9, 2004.). Handling the Challenge of Aligning Pay with Performance. Point of view. Recovered October 14, 2006, from http://www.mercerHR.com/point of view. Parrino, Robert. (2002). Rewrapping the bundle: Managerial motivating forces and corporate administration. Texas Business Review, 1(5). Recovered Sept. 27, 2006, from the Business and Company Resource Center database. Traichal, Patrick A., George W. Gallinger, and Steve A. Johnson. (1999). The connection between pay-for-execution contracting and outside observing. Administrative Finance, 68(21). Recovered Sept. 27, 2006, from the Business and Company Resource Center database.

Discussion Topics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Conversation Topics - Essay Example If not, there will be an all out debacle. For example, the previous summer, I chipped in a wellbeing association. Things there were not smooth as a result of the absence of correspondence between the administrator and director. The force games in the area, as per Metoyer (2009), depend on asset and specialized aptitude. The political jobs showed by Metoyer (2009) are sub-separated into three sections; right off the bat, decisional, which depends intensely on data; besides, relational, which guarantees that data is very much passed on and; ultimately, educational, which is the foundation of every one of these jobs and administrative errands. All these should be fit in the most ideal manner conceivable to have a powerful group and guarantee no contentions happen (Johnson, 2008). In the event of a contention, it should be adequately made plans to keep away from future reoccurrences. Clashes are understood relying upon the idea of the issue (Metoyer, 2009). The supervisor assumes a significant job to blend the two gatherings in struggle. A decent director settle clashes when seen in the beginning times to stay away from the circumstance to heighten further (Johnson, 2008). The supervisor should resolve the contention, delegate a unit to address worker issues and build up an arrangement of support by offering awards to people who work superbly. This, thus, will start group working, just as make solid rivalry among the

New This Week African-American Scientists, A Social Media Account Project

New This Week African-American Scientists, A Social Media Account Project TeacherVision advisory board member, Sara, designed a new project where students will research a notable African-American scientist, and then create a social media account on them based on their findings. This creative assignment supports students to conduct research, think critically and creatively about how to synthesize their findings, and practice meeting deadlines and managing a project with multiple components.   Calling all science and social studies teachers! This week we have a new comprehensive project for your middle and high school students. TeacherVision advisory board member, Sara McCarthy, designed a project where students will research a notable African-American scientist, and then create a social media account on them based on their findings. The resource contains everything that you need to use this project in your classroom. All you need to do is download and print. Find the full resource here.   The Resource Includes the Following Elements: A brief summary of each scientist, including the most notable contribution, date of birth, and nationality Form to include which scientist is assigned to which student Student instruction handout, including checklist of items to include in their completed project Details on the information expected Rubric for assessment Teaching Tip: Provide students with a graphic organizer where they can take notes as they conduct their research. Here is one ready to print and use. Teaching Tip: If you haven't already, teach students best practices for web research so they are able to find accurate and appropriate material for their project. Here is a Student Guide to Web Research, which you can use to get students started.   Teaching Tip: Review the project checklist and the rubric with students when you introduce the assignment. This sets clear expectations for how students work will be evaluated, and helps them understanding what elements they are responsible for completing. Teaching Tip: Determine how you will assign scientists to students before you begin the project. You may want to let students pick, or you might want to assign them yourself. There is also an option to allow students to work in pairs or small groups. What are your favorite projects to teach? Share with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Author Bio: Sara McCarthy has been teaching middle and high school math and science in Nova Scotia, Canada for the past ten years. She has recently started Escape Ed, which produces educational games for math and science classes. Before becoming a teacher, Sara worked in a molecular biology lab where she honed her mad scientist skills. She spends her winter breaks on ski slopes and her summers at the beach. You can find her work on Escape Ed. You can also find her on instagram @escape.ed.games.

Adolf Hitler and His Regime Essay - 1481 Words

Adolf Hitler and His Regime Adolf Hitler and his regime had a devastating effect on the twentieth century. Hitler’s third Reich (1933-1934) was supposed to last for 1000 years but only lasted twelve. This evil man legalised the destruction of an entire race of people. He plunged â€Å"the world into one of the bloodiest and most destructive wars in history.† (Shirer, 1961) Hitler was a genius but an evil genius. He had the ability to convince millions of German’s of his ideas to extent the power of Germany over Europe, to unite all Germans in a nation and to destroy millions of Jewish people. Even with his disturbing ideas Hitler still fascinates people. How could a man be filled with so much hatred to think that people must be†¦show more content†¦As a child, Adolf lost all interest in school; he became bored in all subjects except he had a passion for history, but he soon quit school at 16. In 1903, at age 18 Hitler failed the entrance exam to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. He always believed himself to be an artist and believed he had been denied acceptance to the school because of his stupid teacher. Instead of pursuing a career in art, Hitler became a vagabond and earned money through his painting. Later in life, Hitler admitted that the years of 1909-1913 were the worst years of his life. Hitler did a lot of thinking and began to believe that Germans were the master race and thought of them as more intelligent and skilful than any other race. Hitler developed a hatred for Jews, believing that they were outsiders and did not belong in the Germanic Empire. In 1913, Hitler moved to Munich because he could not stand the mixture of races in Vienna. World War One began and Hitler enrolled himself in the army, as a messenger on the western front and rose through the ranks to become Corporal. As the war ended and Germany was defeated, Hitler announced he must save Germany! Immediately after Germany’s defeat in World War One and after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, many anti-republican groups were formed. â€Å"The treaty held Germany responsible for the war. It stripped the nation of much territory and restricted the German army toShow MoreRelatedAdolf Hitler was a Leader770 Words   |  3 PagesAdolf Hitler is the leader I am choosing to write about. I am choosing Hitler because he influenced millions of people to follow him in the attempted genocide of an entire race. Having the leadership skills that he possessed to do the things he did were unbelievable. Some of the leadership skills and traits Hitler possessed were charisma, intelligence, and confidence. These traits are the basis of power which led him to the start of World War II, and eventually his demise. After World War One, GermanyRead More A Comparison of Stalin and Hitler as Dictators Essay1267 Words   |  6 PagesA Comparison of Stalin and Hitler as Dictators Adolf Hitler This assignment will introduce you to two men, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Two men that were responsible for genocide and mass destruction, similar in many ways though on two opposing sides with completely different fundamental ideas. Adolf Hitler was born as Adolf Schicklgruber in 1889 in Braunau am Inn, in Upper Austria and committed suicide in a Berlin bunker in 1945. He was Chancellor and FuehrerRead MoreNazi Organization in World War Ii859 Words   |  4 PagesNazi Organization As the onset of World War II approached, Adolf Hitler’s secret police began to systematically arrest enemies of the regime. As the regime evolved, so did its desire to control incarcerated political enemies. The concentration camps meticulously kept records of its prisoners: Ethnicity, who they were, why they were imprisoned, and other facts and figures. As the regime turned towards mass killings as its solution to the â€Å"Jewish Question†, Nazi’s began the systematic killing ofRead MoreSimilarities Between Adolf Hitler And Benito Mussolini973 Words   |  4 PagesAdolf Hitler Vs Benito Mussolini When speaking of modern totalitarian states Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini are bound to be mentioned. While being significant leader of the nation during time of depression and devastation, in which was caused by the first world war. They both were about to gain power in similar fascist and totalitarian views on how a country should be run. Despite their many similarities, they also were very different through their initial efforts of revolt, social ideas andRead MoreWHY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SHOULD HAVE ATTACKED HITLER EARLIER1522 Words   |  7 Pagespotentially saved millions of lives. Hitler and the Nazi’s were in power for eight years before the United States decided to join the allies and fight against Hitler’s regime. Approximately six million Jews were slaughtered in addition to millions of others during World War II. The United States delay in attacking Hitler caused a negative effect throughout the entire world. The facts present the question: what could have happened if the United States attacked Hitler earlier? When discussing the controversyRead More Motives of Adolf Hitler in Audens Epitaph on a Tyrant and September 1, 1939761 Words   |  4 Pages Adolf Hitler was a very powerful man, and had a disturbing vision of how the world should be. W.H. Auden was interested in Adolf Hitler, and this interest can be seen in Auden’s poetry. September 1, 1939 and Epitaph on a Tyrant are two poems in which Auden scrutinizes Hitler’s actions. Auden uses symbolism in these two poems to illustrate the different aspects of Hitler’s life and actions. To begin with, Epitaph on a Tyrant personified Hitler’s obsession with â€Å"perfection of a kind.† The obsessionRead MoreComparing Adolf Stalin And Adolf Hitler And Hitler843 Words   |  4 PagesAdolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin are 2 notoriously known people in world history. Both Stalin and Hitler are known for the great number of deaths they have caused. Although both men have totally different reasons on why they killed so many people their ways of leadership are somewhat alike. Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin both use propaganda as a technique to get people to support them. Using propaganda shows the public what they want to hear and see, even if it’s not true they use this method to trickRead MorePropaganda Is Spreading Of Information1617 Words   |  7 Pagesuse of propaganda proved to be effective. It is for this reason that Adolf Hitler dedicated two chapters of his book, Mein Kampf, to analyze how propaganda was used in Germany. To him, propaganda was a tool that gave him political mileage in a crowded race (Welch). Moreover, he considered propaganda as being effective at relaying the message to the masses as opposed to the highly-educated members of the society. The Nazi regime diverted attention from the inhumane acts they were doing against theRead MoreEssay about Nazi Politics: A Work of Art1315 Words   |  6 PagesGermanys Third Reich under Adolf Hitler. Hitler and the Nazi Party essentially turned politics into an art by using, and indeed abusing, power to benefit themselves in any possible way. Hitler sought perfection in his regime and attempted to achieve it through organization and assimilation of the volk, dealing swiftly and affectively with opposition, thus not allowing alternatives to the regime, and by emphasizing discipline and a chain of command. Through Hitler and the Nazi Partys effortsRead MoreThe Horrors Of The Holocaust1605 Words   |  7 Pagesoutrageous but disrespectful to those who lost their lives during the gruesome time. History states that the Holocaust was a period in time where a very fascist dictator, Adolf Hitler, killed over six million European Jews who did not fit the criteria of genetically having blonde hair and blue eye or simply mentally ill. Hitler had various strategic ways of murdering a large group of civilians at a time, such as gas chambers. These gas chambers were large rooms that would deposit gases such as carbon

The Importance of the Earl of Kent in Shakespeares King...

The Importance of the Earl of Kent in King Lear The Earl of Kent plays a small but important part in Shakespeares play King Lear. From the beginning scenes to the end we see a minor character that is used to show the values that Shakespeare believed in. Whether Kent is an example of the dutiful servant or plays the intermediary between Lear and Cordelia he is essential to the functioning of the plot. The role of Kent is important because of the use Shakespeare has for his character in giving the reader an example of what the values are in the play. In Kent the reader sees a man who is loyal to his King but is not blind to the wrong that this King has committed Kent is also able to defend his King even though he has†¦show more content†¦Lear no longer wants the burdens of being the ruler he only wants the prestige that goes along with the job. Kent realizes that Lears older daughters, Regan and Goneril, do not deserve to rule Britain and that he has made a mistake by giving them power at the cost of his own. Kent sees what Lear cant see. Once you hand your power over to someone your own standing suffers. The loss of the Kings standing is seen in the way Oswald has lost respect for the King. After Kent has come back to Lear, in disguise, the reader sees the first challenge to the Kings power. Upon inquiring of Oswald where Goneril is. Oswald ignores the Kings request and leaves him unanswered. It is here that we see the lost respect for the King because of the loss of his power. It is in this scene that we see Kent take on the role of protector. Kent forces Oswald out of the Kings presence because of his lack of respect and duty to his King. Oswald is another minor character that Shakespeare uses to build his plot on as well as to illustrate what some of the vices of the time were. He is the negative counterpart of Kent. We see Oswald again after Lear leaves Goneril to go to Regan for assistance and the treatment he thinks he deserves. Kent is sent by the King to tell Regan of the Kin4s approach and of the lack of respect he has been shown by his other daughter. When Kent meets up with Oswald again, Kent attacks Oswald because of the dishonor he has done to the King as well as theShow MoreRelatedEssay about Lears Character Development in Shakespeares King Lear1210 Words   |  5 PagesLears Character Development in Shakespeares King Lear Though King Lear, of Shakespeares play, King Lear, wrongs both Cordelia and Kent in his harsh treatment against them, the unjust actions of Regan and Goneril against King Lear cause him to be a man more sinned against than sinning (3.2.60-61). In order to relieve himself of the problems and work associated with holding his position so he can unburdened crawl toward death, King Lear, of pre-Christ Britain, divides up his kingdomRead MoreThe Importance of Act 1 Scene 2 of William Shakespeares King Lear1323 Words   |  6 PagesThe Importance of Act 1 Scene 2 of William Shakespeares King Lear In a play of immense grandeur, Shakespeare has created within King Lear; a character so depraved that he appears to step beyond the realms of forgiveness. Act 1ii is the keystone of King Lear - its significance and influence radiates throughout the whole of the play. Interwoven with and parallel to the central story line, the subplot is used to enhance and develop the key themes of this tragic masterpieceRead MoreAnalyzing the Characteristics of Kind Lear Essay4690 Words   |  19 PagesCharacteristics of Kind Lear Lear is the protagonist, whose willingness to believe his older daughters’ empty flattery leads to the deaths of many people. In relying on the test of his daughters’ love, Lear demonstrates that he lacks common sense or the ability to detect his older daughters’ falseness. Lear cannot recognize Cordelia’s honesty amid the flattery, which he craves. The depth of Lear’s anger toward Kent, his devoted follower, suggests excessive pride—Lear refuses to beRead MoreRelevance Of Shakespeare s Tragedies Essay2428 Words   |  10 PagesRELEVANCE OF SHAKESPEARE’S TRAGEDIES IN MODERN INDIAN SOCIETY A. Phaniraja Kumar Abstract: Despite the reshifting of values that has affected every aspect of life in the 21st century, William Shakespeare still stands as the greatest writer of the English Language has ever produced. In this paper, I analyse Shakespearean great tragedies’ relevance to the complexities of modern Indian society. His plays have been revalued and reinterpreted in terms to the complexities and especially ‘milieu’ ofRead MoreNatural Law Of Shakespeare s King Lear1664 Words   |  7 PagesDr. Andreacchi ENG4U1 January 6, 2015 Natural Law in Shakespeare’s King Lear King Lear is one of the most famous tragedies, which was written by Shakespeare between 1603 and 1606. During that period, the social unrest swept across the whole England, and the rise of capitalism led to moral turpitude. With the high-speed economic development, many old ethics and moralities had been gradually forgotten and destroyed. Therefore, King Lear can be seen as a true portrayal of the social phenomenaRead MoreShakespeares Use of Madness as a Theme in King Lear2035 Words   |  9 Pages Edgar first assumes the disguise of Poor Tom as Lear and the Earl of Gloucester enter the cave in which Edgar is hiding. Since Edgar was banished, similar to Kent, who is also present later in this act, he must conjure up a disguise. Why does Edgar chose the repulsive beggar that Poor Tom is? Well, remember that Poor Tom represents the popular belief of the insane during the Elizabethan era. Therefore, he is the perfect disguise. No one would ever suspect Poor Tom of being Edgar, because Edgar is

Twilight 6. SCARY STORIES Free Essays

string(34) " see Jessica glowering at us now\." 6. SCARY STORIES As I sat in my room, trying to concentrate on the third act of Macbeth, I was really listening for my truck. I would have thought, even over the pounding rain, I could have heard the engine’s roar. We will write a custom essay sample on Twilight 6. SCARY STORIES or any similar topic only for you Order Now But when I went to peek out the curtain – again – it was suddenly there. I wasn’t looking forward to Friday, and it more than lived up to my non-expectations. Of course there were the fainting comments. Jessica especially seemed to get a kick out of that story. Luckily Mike had kept his mouth shut, and no one seemed to know about Edward’s involvement. She did have a lot of questions about lunch, though. â€Å"So what did Edward Cullen want yesterday?† Jessica asked in Trig. â€Å"I don’t know,† I answered truthfully. â€Å"He never really got to the point.† â€Å"You looked kind of mad,† she fished. â€Å"Did I?† I kept my expression blank. â€Å"You know, I’ve never seen him sit with anyone but his family before. That was weird.† â€Å"Weird,† I agreed. She seemed annoyed; she flipped her dark curls impatiently – I guessed she’d been hoping to hear something that would make a good story for her to pass on. The worst part about Friday was that, even though I knew he wasn’t going to be there, I still hoped. When I walked into the cafeteria with Jessica and Mike, I couldn’t keep from looking at his table, where Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper sat talking, heads close together. And I couldn’t stop the gloom that engulfed me as I realized I didn’t know how long I would have to wait before I saw him again. At my usual table, everyone was full of our plans for the next day. Mike was animated again, putting a great deal of trust in the local weatherman who promised sun tomorrow. I’d have to see that before I believed it. But it was warmer today – almost sixty. Maybe the outing wouldn’t be completely miserable. I intercepted a few unfriendly glances from Lauren during lunch, which I didn’t understand until we were all walking out of the room together. I was right behind her, just a foot from her slick, silver blond hair, and she was evidently unaware of that. â€Å"†¦don’t know why Bella† – she sneered my name – â€Å"doesn’t just sit with the Cullens from now on.† I heard her muttering to Mike. I’d never noticed what an unpleasant, nasal voice she had, and I was surprised by the malice in it. I really didn’t know her well at all, certainly not well enough for her to dislike me – or so I’d thought. â€Å"She’s my friend; she sits with us,† Mike whispered back loyally, but also a bit territorially. I paused to let Jess and Angela pass me. I didn’t want to hear any more. That night at dinner, Charlie seemed enthusiastic about my trip to La Push in the morning. I think he felt guilty for leaving me home alone on the weekends, but he’d spent too many years building his habits to break them now. Of course he knew the names of all the kids going, and their parents, and their great-grandparents, too, probably. He seemed to approve. I wondered if he would approve of my plan to ride to Seattle with Edward Cullen. Not that I was going to tell him. â€Å"Dad, do you know a place called Goat Rocks or something like that? I think it’s south of Mount Rainier,† I asked casually. â€Å"Yeah – why?† I shrugged. â€Å"Some kids were talking about camping there.† â€Å"It’s not a very good place for camping.† He sounded surprised. â€Å"Too many bears. Most people go there during the hunting season.† â€Å"Oh,† I murmured. â€Å"Maybe I got the name wrong.† I meant to sleep in, but an unusual brightness woke me. I opened my eyes to see a clear yellow light streaming through my window. I couldn’t believe it. I hurried to the window to check, and sure enough, there was the sun. It was in the wrong place in the sky, too low, and it didn’t seem to be as close as it should be, but it was definitely the sun. Clouds ringed the horizon, but a large patch of blue was visible in the middle. I lingered by the window as long as I could, afraid that if I left the blue would disappear again. The Newtons’ Olympic Outfitters store was just north of town. I’d seen the store, but I’d never stopped there – not having much need for any supplies required for being outdoors over an extended period of time. In the parking lot I recognized Mike’s Suburban and Tyler’s Sentra. As I pulled up next to their vehicles, I could see the group standing around in front of the Suburban. Eric was there, along with two other boys I had class with; I was fairly sure their names were Ben and Conner. Jess was there, flanked by Angela and Lauren. Three other girls stood with them, including one I remembered falling over in Gym on Friday. That one gave me a dirty look as I got out of the truck, and whispered something to Lauren. Lauren shook out her cornsilk hair and eyed me scornfully. So it was going to be one of those days. At least Mike was happy to see me. â€Å"You came!† he called, delighted. â€Å"And I said it would be sunny today, didn’t I?† â€Å"I told you I was coming,† I reminded him. â€Å"We’re just waiting for Lee and Samantha†¦ unless you invited someone,† Mike added. â€Å"Nope,† I lied lightly, hoping I wouldn’t get caught in the lie. But also wishing that a miracle would occur, and Edward would appear. Mike looked satisfied. â€Å"Will you ride in my car? It’s that or Lee’s mom’s minivan.† â€Å"Sure.† He smiled blissfully. It was so easy to make Mike happy. â€Å"You can have shotgun,† he promised. I hid my chagrin. It wasn’t as simple to make Mike and Jessica happy at the same time. I could see Jessica glowering at us now. You read "Twilight 6. SCARY STORIES" in category "Essay examples" The numbers worked out in my favor, though. Lee brought two extra people, and suddenly every seat was necessary. I managed to wedge Jess in between Mike and me in the front seat of the Suburban. Mike could have been more graceful about it, but at least Jess seemed appeased. It was only fifteen miles to La Push from Forks, with gorgeous, dense green forests edging the road most of the way and the wide Quillayute River snaking beneath it twice. I was glad I had the window seat. We’d rolled the windows down – the Suburban was a bit claustrophobic with nine people in it – and I tried to absorb as much sunlight as possible. I’d been to the beaches around La Push many times during my Forks summers with Charlie, so the mile-long crescent of First Beach was familiar to me. It was still breathtaking. The water was dark gray, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the gray, rocky shore. Islands rose out of the steel harbor waters with sheer cliff sides, reaching to uneven summits, and crowned with austere, soaring firs. The beach had only a thin border of actual sand at the water’s edge, after which it grew into millions of large, smooth stones that looked uniformly gray from a distance, but close up were every shade a stone could be: terra-cotta, sea green, lavender, blue gray, dull gold. The tide line was strewn with huge driftwood trees, bleached bone white in the salt waves, some piled together against the edge of the forest fringe, some lying solitary, just out of reach of the waves. There was a brisk wind coming off the waves, cool and briny. Pelicans floated on the swells while seagulls and a lone eagle wheeled above them. The clouds still circled the sky, threatening to invade at any moment, but for now the sun shone bravely in its halo of blue sky. We picked our way down to the beach, Mike leading the way to a ring of driftwood logs that had obviously been used for parties like ours before. There was a fire circle already in place, filled with black ashes. Eric and the boy I thought was named Ben gathered broken branches of driftwood from the drier piles against the forest edge, and soon had a teepee-shaped construction built atop the old cinders. â€Å"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?† Mike asked me. I was sitting on one of the bone-colored benches; the other girls clustered, gossiping excitedly, on either side of me. Mike kneeled by the fire, lighting one of the smaller sticks with a cigarette lighter. â€Å"No,† I said as he placed the blazing twig carefully against the teepee. â€Å"You’ll like this then – watch the colors.† He lit another small branch and laid it alongside the first. The flames started to lick quickly up the dry wood. â€Å"It’s blue,† I said in surprise. â€Å"The salt does it. Pretty, isn’t it?† He lit one more piece, placed it where the fire hadn’t yet caught, and then came to sit by me. Thankfully, Jess was on his other side. She turned to him and claimed his attention. I watched the strange blue and green flames crackle toward the sky. After a half hour of chatter, some of the boys wanted to hike to the nearby tidal pools. It was a dilemma. On the one hand, I loved the tide pools. They had fascinated me since I was a child; they were one of the only things I ever looked forward to when I had to come to Forks. On the other hand, I’d also fallen into them a lot. Not a big deal when you’re seven and with your dad. It reminded me of Edward’s request – that I not fall into the ocean. Lauren was the one who made my decision for me. She didn’t want to hike, and she was definitely wearing the wrong shoes for it. Most of the other girls besides Angela and Jessica decided to stay on the beach as well. I waited until Tyler and Eric had committed to remaining with them before I got up quietly to join the pro-hiking group. Mike gave me a huge smile when he saw that I was coming. The hike wasn’t too long, though I hated to lose the sky in the woods. The green light of the forest was strangely at odds with the adolescent laughter, too murky and ominous to be in harmony with the light banter around me. I had to watch each step I took very carefully, avoiding roots below and branches above, and I soon fell behind. Eventually I broke through the emerald confines of the forest and found the rocky shore again. It was low tide, and a tidal river flowed past us on its way to the sea. Along its pebbled banks, shallow pools that never completely drained were teeming with life. I was very cautious not to lean too far over the little ocean ponds. The others were fearless, leaping over the rocks, perching precariously on the edges. I found a very stable-looking rock on the fringe of one of the largest pools and sat there cautiously, spellbound by the natural aquarium below me. The bouquets of brilliant anemones undulated ceaselessly in the invisible current, twisted shells scurried about the edges, obscuring the crabs within them, starfish stuck motionless to the rocks and each other, while one small black eel with white racing stripes wove through the bright green weeds, waiting for the sea to return. I was completely absorbed, except for one small part of my mind that wondered what Edward was doing now, and trying to imagine what he would be saying if he were here with me. Finally the boys were hungry, and I got up stiffly to follow them back. I tried to keep up better this time through the woods, so naturally I fell a few times. I got some shallow scrapes on my palms, and the knees of my jeans were stained green, but it could have been worse. When we got back to First Beach, the group we’d left behind had multiplied. As we got closer we could see the shining, straight black hair and copper skin of the newcomers, teenagers from the reservation come to socialize. The food was already being passed around, and the boys hurried to claim a share while Eric introduced us as we each entered the driftwood circle. Angela and I were the last to arrive, and, as Eric said our names, I noticed a younger boy sitting on the stones near the fire glance up at me in interest. I sat down next to Angela, and Mike brought us sandwiches and an array of sodas to choose from, while a boy who looked to be the oldest of the visitors rattled off the names of the seven others with him. All I caught was that one of the girls was also named Jessica, and the boy who noticed me was named Jacob. It was relaxing to sit with Angela; she was a restful kind of person to be around – she didn’t feel the need to fill every silence with chatter. She left me free to think undisturbed while we ate. And I was thinking about how disjointedly time seemed to flow in Forks, passing in a blur at times, with single images standing out more clearly than others. And then, at other times, every second was significant, etched in my mind. I knew exactly what caused the difference, and it disturbed me. During lunch the clouds started to advance, slinking across the blue sky, darting in front of the sun momentarily, casting long shadows across the beach, and blackening the waves. As they finished eating, people started to drift away in twos and threes. Some walked down to the edge of the waves, trying to skip rocks across the choppy surface. Others were gathering a second expedition to the tide pools. Mike – with Jessica shadowing him – headed up to the one shop in the village. Some of the local kids went with them; others went along on the hike. By the time they all had scattered, I was sitting alone on my driftwood log, with Lauren and Tyler occupying themselves by the CD player someone had thought to bring, and three teenagers from the reservation perched around the circle, including the boy named Jacob and the oldest boy who had acted as spokesperson. A few minutes after Angela left with the hikers, Jacob sauntered over to take her place by my side. He looked fourteen, maybe fifteen, and had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck. His skin was beautiful, silky and russet-colored; his eyes were dark, set deep above the high planes of his cheekbones. He still had just a hint of childish roundness left around his chin. Altogether, a very pretty face. However, my positive opinion of his looks was damaged by the first words out of his mouth. â€Å"You’re Isabella Swan, aren’t you?† It was like the first day of school all over again. â€Å"Bella,† I sighed. â€Å"I’m Jacob Black.† He held his hand out in a friendly gesture. â€Å"You bought my dad’s truck.† â€Å"Oh,† I said, relieved, shaking his sleek hand. â€Å"You’re Billy’s son. I probably should remember you.† â€Å"No, I’m the youngest of the family – you would remember my older sisters.† â€Å"Rachel and Rebecca,† I suddenly recalled. Charlie and Billy had thrown us together a lot during my visits, to keep us busy while they fished. We were all too shy to make much progress as friends. Of course, I’d kicked up enough tantrums to end the fishing trips by the time I was eleven. â€Å"Are they here?† I examined the girls at the ocean’s edge, wondering if I would recognize them now. â€Å"No.† Jacob shook his head. â€Å"Rachel got a scholarship to Washington State, and Rebecca married a Samoan surfer – she lives in Hawaii now.† â€Å"Married. Wow.† I was stunned. The twins were only a little over a year older than I was. â€Å"So how do you like the truck?† he asked. â€Å"I love it. It runs great.† â€Å"Yeah, but it’s really slow,† he laughed. â€Å"I was so relived when Charlie bought it. My dad wouldn’t let me work on building another car when we had a perfectly good vehicle right there.† â€Å"It’s not that slow,† I objected. â€Å"Have you tried to go over sixty?† â€Å"No,† I admitted. â€Å"Good. Don’t.† He grinned. I couldn’t help grinning back. â€Å"It does great in a collision,† I offered in my truck’s defense. â€Å"I don’t think a tank could take out that old monster,† he agreed with another laugh. â€Å"So you build cars?† I asked, impressed. â€Å"When I have free time, and parts. You wouldn’t happen to know where I could get my hands on a master cylinder for a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit?† he added jokingly. He had a pleasant, husky voice. â€Å"Sorry,† I laughed, â€Å"I haven’t seen any lately, but I’ll keep my eyes open for you.† As if I knew what that was. He was very easy to talk with. He flashed a brilliant smile, looking at me appreciatively in a way I was learning to recognize. I wasn’t the only one who noticed. â€Å"You know Bella, Jacob?† Lauren asked – in what I imagined was an insolent tone – from across the fire. â€Å"We’ve sort of known each other since I was born,† he laughed, smiling at me again. â€Å"How nice.† She didn’t sound like she thought it was nice at all, and her pale, fishy eyes narrowed. â€Å"Bella,† she called again, watching my face carefully, â€Å"I was just saying to Tyler that it was too bad none of the Cullens could come out today. Didn’t anyone think to invite them?† Her expression of concern was unconvincing. â€Å"You mean Dr. Carlisle Cullen’s family?† the tall, older boy asked before I could respond, much to Lauren’s irritation. He was really closer to a man than a boy, and his voice was very deep. â€Å"Yes, do you know them?† she asked condescendingly, turning halfway toward him. â€Å"The Cullens don’t come here,† he said in a tone that closed the subject, ignoring her question. Tyler, trying to win back her attention, asked Lauren’s opinion on a CD he held. She was distracted. I stared at the deep-voiced boy, taken aback, but he was looking away toward the dark forest behind us. He’d said that the Cullens didn’t come here, but his tone had implied something more – that they weren’t allowed; they were prohibited. His manner left a strange impression on me, and I tried to ignore it without success. Jacob interrupted my meditation. â€Å"So is Forks driving you insane yet?† â€Å"Oh, I’d say that’s an understatement.† I grimaced. He grinned understandingly. I was still turning over the brief comment on the Cullens, and I had a sudden inspiration. It was a stupid plan, but I didn’t have any better ideas. I hoped that young Jacob was as yet inexperienced around girls, so that he wouldn’t see through my sure-to-be-pitiful attempts at flirting. â€Å"Do you want to walk down the beach with me?† I asked, trying to imitate that way Edward had of looking up from underneath his eyelashes. It couldn’t have nearly the same effect, I was sure, but Jacob jumped up willingly enough. As we walked north across the multihued stones toward the driftwood seawall, the clouds finally closed ranks across the sky, causing the sea to darken and the temperature to drop. I shoved my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket. â€Å"So you’re, what, sixteen?† I asked, trying not to look like an idiot as I fluttered my eyelids the way I’d seen girls do on TV. â€Å"I just turned fifteen,† he confessed, flattered. â€Å"Really?† My face was full of false surprise. â€Å"I would have thought you were older.† â€Å"I’m tall for my age,† he explained. â€Å"Do you come up to Forks much?† I asked archly, as if I was hoping for a yes. I sounded idiotic to myself. I was afraid he would turn on me with disgust and accuse me of my fraud, but he still seemed flattered. â€Å"Not too much,† he admitted with a frown. â€Å"But when I get my car finished I can go up as much as I want – after I get my license,† he amended. â€Å"Who was that other boy Lauren was talking to? He seemed a little old to be hanging out with us.† I purposefully lumped myself in with the youngsters, trying to make it clear that I preferred Jacob. â€Å"That’s Sam – he’s nineteen,† he informed me. â€Å"What was that he was saying about the doctor’s family?† I asked innocently. â€Å"The Cullens? Oh, they’re not supposed to come onto the reservation.† He looked away, out toward James Island, as he confirmed what I’d thought I’d heard in Sam’s voice. â€Å"Why not?† He glanced back at me, biting his lip. â€Å"Oops. I’m not supposed to say anything about that.† â€Å"Oh, I won’t tell anyone, I’m just curious.† I tried to make my smile alluring, wondering if I was laying it on too thick. He smiled back, though, looking allured. Then he lifted one eyebrow and his voice was even huskier than before. â€Å"Do you like scary stories?† he asked ominously. â€Å"I love them,† I enthused, making an effort to smolder at him. Jacob strolled to a nearby driftwood tree that had its roots sticking out like the attenuated legs of a huge, pale spider. He perched lightly on one of the twisted roots while I sat beneath him on the body of the tree. He stared down at the rocks, a smile hovering around the edges of his broad lips. I could see he was going to try to make this good. I focused on keeping the vital interest I felt out of my eyes. â€Å"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from – the Quileutes, I mean?† he began. â€Å"Not really,† I admitted. â€Å"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood – supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the ark.† He smiled, to show me how little stock he put in the histories. â€Å"Another legend claims that we descended from wolves – and that the wolves are our brothers still. It’s against tribal law to kill them. â€Å"Then there are the stories about the cold ones.† His voice dropped a little lower. â€Å"The cold ones?† I asked, not faking my intrigue now. â€Å"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Your great-grandfather?† I encouraged. â€Å"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf-well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves.† â€Å"Werewolves have enemies?† â€Å"Only one.† I stared at him earnestly, hoping to disguise my impatience as admiration. â€Å"So you see,† Jacob continued, â€Å"the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfather’s time was different. They didn’t hunt the way others of their kind did – they weren’t supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn’t expose them to the pale-faces.† He winked at me. â€Å"If they weren’t dangerous, then why†¦ ?† I tried to understand, struggling not to let him see how seriously I was considering his ghost story. â€Å"There’s always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they’re civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist.† He deliberately worked a thick edge of menace into his tone. â€Å"What do you mean, ‘civilized’?† â€Å"They claimed that they didn’t hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead.† I tried to keep my voice casual. â€Å"So how does it fit in with the Cullens? Are they like the cold ones your greatgrandfather met?† â€Å"No.† He paused dramatically. â€Å"They are the same ones.† He must have thought the expression on my face was fear inspired by his story. He smiled, pleased, and continued. â€Å"There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather’s time they already knew of the leader, Carlisle. He’d been here and gone before your people had even arrived.† He was fighting a smile. â€Å"And what are they?† I finally asked. â€Å"What are the cold ones?† He smiled darkly. â€Å"Blood drinkers,† he replied in a chilling voice. â€Å"Your people call them vampires.† I stared out at the rough surf after he answered, not sure what my face was exposing. â€Å"You have goose bumps,† he laughed delightedly. â€Å"You’re a good storyteller,† I complimented him, still staring into the waves. â€Å"Pretty crazy stuff, though, isn’t it? No wonder my dad doesn’t want us to talk about it to anyone.† I couldn’t control my expression enough to look at him yet. â€Å"Don’t worry, I won’t give you away.† â€Å"I guess I just violated the treaty,† he laughed. â€Å"I’ll take it to the grave,† I promised, and then I shivered. â€Å"Seriously, though, don’t say anything to Charlie. He was pretty mad at my dad when he heard that some of us weren’t going to the hospital since Dr. Cullen started working there.† â€Å"I won’t, of course not.† â€Å"So do you think we’re a bunch of superstitious natives or what?† he asked in a playful tone, but with a hint of worry. I still hadn’t looked away from the ocean. I turned and smiled at him as normally as I could. â€Å"No. I think you’re very good at telling scary stories, though. I still have goose bumps, see?† I held up my arm. â€Å"Cool.† He smiled. And then the sound of the beach rocks clattering against each other warned us that someone was approaching. Our heads snapped up at the same time to see Mike and Jessica about fifty yards away, walking toward us. â€Å"There you are, Bella,† Mike called in relief, waving his arm over his head. â€Å"Is that your boyfriend?† Jacob asked, alerted by the jealous edge in Mike’s voice. I was surprised it was so obvious. â€Å"No, definitely not,† I whispered. I was tremendously grateful to Jacob, and eager to make him as happy as possible. I winked at him, carefully turning away from Mike to do so. He smiled, elated by my inept flirting. â€Å"So when I get my license†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he began. â€Å"You should come see me in Forks. We could hang out sometime.† I felt guilty as I said this, knowing that I’d used him. But I really did like Jacob. He was someone I could easily be friends with. Mike had reached us now, with Jessica still a few paces back. I could see his eyes appraising Jacob, and looking satisfied at his obvious youth. â€Å"Where have you been?† he asked, though the answer was right in front of him. â€Å"Jacob was just telling me some local stories,† I volunteered. â€Å"It was really interesting.† I smiled at Jacob warmly, and he grinned back. â€Å"Well,† Mike paused, carefully reassessing the situation as he watched our camaraderie. â€Å"We’re packing up – it looks like it’s going to rain soon.† We all looked up at the glowering sky. It certainly did look like rain. â€Å"Okay.† I jumped up. â€Å"I’m coming.† â€Å"It was nice to see you again,† Jacob said, and I could tell he was taunting Mike just a bit. â€Å"It really was. Next time Charlie comes down to see Billy, I’ll come, too,† I promised. His grin stretched across his face. â€Å"That would be cool.† â€Å"And thanks,† I added earnestly. I pulled up my hood as we tramped across the rocks toward the parking lot. A few drops were beginning to fall, making black spots on the stones where they landed. When we got to the Suburban the others were already loading everything back in. I crawled into the backseat by Angela and Tyler, announcing that I’d already had my turn in the shotgun position. Angela just stared out the window at the escalating storm, and Lauren twisted around in the middle seat to occupy Tyler’s attention, so I could simply lay my head back on the seat and close my eyes and try very hard not to think. How to cite Twilight 6. SCARY STORIES, Essay examples

Personality Attributes free essay sample

Locus of control  is a theory in  personality psychology  referring to the extent to which individuals believe that they can control events that affect them. Understanding of the concept was developed by  Julian B. Rotter  in 1954, and has since become an aspect of personality studies. A persons locus (Latin for place or location) is conceptualised as either internal (the person believes they can control their life) or external (meaning they believe that their decisions and life are controlled by environmental factors which they cannot influence). Individuals with a high internal locus of control believe that events in their life derive primarily from their own actions; for example, if a person with an internal locus of control does not perform as well as they wanted to on a test, they would blame it on lack of preparedness on their part. If they performed well on a test, they would attribute this to ability to study. We will write a custom essay sample on Personality Attributes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page [1]. In the test-performance example, if a person with a high external locus of control does poorly on a test, they might attribute this to the difficulty of the test questions. If they performed well on a test, they might think the teacher was lenient or that they were lucky. [1] Those with a high internal locus of control exhibit better control of their behavior[citation needed], tend to be more politically involved[citation needed]  and are more likely to attempt to influence others than are those with an external locus of control. [citation needed]  They also assign greater likelihood to their efforts being successful, and more actively seek information concerning their situation. [citation needed] Locus of control has generated much research in a variety of areas in psychology. The construct is applicable to fields such as educational psychology, health psychology or clinical psychology. There will probably continue to be debate about whether specific or more global measures of locus of control will prove to be more useful. Careful distinctions should also be made between locus of control (a concept linked with expectancies about the future) and attributional style (a concept linked with explanations for past outcomes), or between locus of control and concepts such as self-efficacy. The importance of locus of control as a topic in psychology is likely to remain quite central for many years. Locus of control has also been included as one of four dimensions of  core self-evaluations  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ ones fundamental appraisal of oneself – along with  neuroticism,  self-efficacy, and  self-esteem. [2]  The concept of core self-evaluations was first examined by Judge, Locke, and Durham (1997), and since has proven to have the ability to predict several work outcomes, specifically, job satisfaction and job performance 2. Machiavelllianism: Machiavellianism is also a term that some social and personality  psychologists  use to describe a persons tendency to be emotionally cool and detached, and thus more able to detach from conventional morality and to  deceive  and  manipulate  others. In the 1960s, Richard Christie and Florence L. Geis developed a test for measuring a persons level of Machiavellianism. Measured on the Mach-IV scale, males are on average slightly more Machiavellian than females  [6]  [8]. Motivation: A 1992 review described Machiavellian motivation as related to cold selfishness and pure instrumentality, and those high on the trait were assumed to pursue their motives (e. g. sex, achievement, sociality) in duplicitous ways. More recent research on the motivations of high Machs compared to low Machs found that they gave high priority to money, power, and competition and relatively low priority to community building, self-love, and family concerns. High Machs admitted to focusing on unmitigated achievement and winning at any cost. Due to their skill at interpersonal manipulation, there has often been an assumption that high Machs possess superior intelligence, or ability to understand other people in social situations. However, research has firmly established that Machiavellianism is unrelated to  IQ. Furthermore, studies on  emotional intelligence  have found that high Machiavellianism actually tends to be associated with low emotional intelligence as assessed by both performance and questionnaire measures. Both empathy and emotion recognition have been shown to have negative correlations with Machiavellianism. Additionally, research has shown that Machiavellianism is unrelated to a more advanced theory of mind, that is, the ability to anticipate what others are thinking in social situations. If high Machs actually are skilled at manipulating others this appears to be unrelated to any special cognitive abilities as such Self esteem: Self-esteem  is a term in  psychology  to reflect a  persons overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Conversely, low self-monitors do not participate, to the same degree, in expressive control and do not share similar concern for situational appropriateness. Low self-monitors tend to exhibit expressive controls congruent with their own internal states; i. e. beliefs,  attitudes, and  dispositions  regardless of social circumstance. Low self-monitors are often less observant of social context and consider expressing a self-presentation dissimilar from their internal states as a falsehood and undesirable.

buy custom Research Design in the Dissertation Process essay

buy custom Research Design in the Dissertation Process essay 1 Introduction Research methodology is a composite of research methods. Research methods analyze the procedures and principles of inquiry being applied during the evaluation of a certain discipline. This implies that the important concepts of research methodology in effect apply to research methods. The steps followed in a research method commences with a general question which is later narrowed down to a certain aspect. The aspect is designed for an exhaustive examination. Lastly, the research is concluded where the results are generalized before being disseminated to the public (Neuman, 2003). This paper examines the concepts that are applied in research methods as well as their design when undertaking a dissertation process. 2 Research Research work is organized through the formulation as well as the definition of a research problem. Problem definition involves the art of reasoning aimed at using detailed facts to define a general principle. During a research process, this principle is referred to as a hypothesis. A hypothesis is defined as the suggested account to a physical process. Problem definition helps in focusing the research process in a way that facilitates drawing of conclusions which in effect reflect the real world as much as possible. 2.1 Hypothesis Research is a process of evaluating a hypothesis with the aim of disproving it. The hypothesis under evaluation is referred to as the null hypothesis. The null hypothesis is the proposal that represents the present explanation of an aspect in the real world which the researcher wishes to challenge. Research methodology requires the researcher to provide a research hypothesis, commonly called the alternative hypothesis, as a substitute way of explaining the phenomenon (Bruce, 2007). The alternative hypothesis is formulated following the observation that the null hypothesis does not always give a precise explanation for a phenomenon. The researcher then proceeds with testing the hypothesis in an attempt to disprove the null hypothesis. His objective in testing of the hypothesis is to draw near the answer to the problem that is being evaluated. 2.2 Variables A variable is an agent or amount that is liable to change depending on certain factors. While some variables appear almost constant, for example, names of persons; others are seem to be constantly changing, for instance, the values in a stock-exchange (Bruce, 2007). Frequently, researchers have to measure and assess these variables; a scenario that necessitated their sober consideration in this paper. As pointed out earlier, a variable is a place-holder for anything that is liable to change. A researcher normally defines variables depending on what he/she is measuring. Apart from their rate of change, variables are classified into two broad categories: independent and dependent variables. While independent variables are the causes tha a researcher seeks to measure, dependent variables are the effects or assumed effects that come as a result of interaction between the independent variables and several other factors. The two categories of variables are commonly stated in hypotheses used during experimental researches. In some instances, the variables are not identifiable beforehand. In such a case, the researchers idea of what is going on is usually inadequate during the early stages of the inquiry. Variables are defined into measurable elements that facilitate accurate replication in research processes using fuzzy concepts (Bruce, 2007). These fuzzy concepts are vague ideas that us ually require clarification, and this clarification is done through the application of a procedure called operationalization. 3 Analysis A careful choice of a research method eases the analysis of a phenomenon thereby facilitating the procedure of drawing conclusions. The research method that is chosen has a bearing on what is stated as the causes, as well as the influencing factors in the phenomenon. Therefore, a researcher should choose a method that he is proficient in, also weigh the constraints which may affect his work. These constraints include time, ethical considerations, feasibility, money, and the measuring tools available. Selecting the right method can be challenging at times. Nevertheless, there are concepts which make the selection procedure appeal to researchers. A researcher needs to be realistic also try to minimize generalization and compromises (Bruce, 2007). With pure sciences like astrophysics and chemistry, experimentation and research methods are easily defined. Usually, the experimental methods are strictly quantitative. Fields such as social science, biology, and psychology have a broad selection of methods. In this case, a researcher is required to justify his/her choice. Although the selection process is arbitrary, it is recommended that the choice be based on strengths of the method. Strength means the effectiveness to draw a near perfect conclusion of an inquiry. In this paper, three basic categories of research methods are elaborated. They include experimental methods, opinion based methods, and observational methods. 3.1 Experimental Research Methods This is a straightforward method that involves experimenting with independent and quantitative variables with the aim of generating analyzable statistical data. It is ratio based, and researchers either accept or refute null hypotheses (Neuman, 2003). It is, however, expensive and requires rigorous designing, particularly when the experiment is large. Additionally, it is undesirable when using living organisms. This is because removing them from their natural environment affects their behavior. It is also inapplicable with some fields due to ethical considerations. Therefore, for the fields that luck quantifiable and definable variables, a researcher may find it challenging to use the experimental research method. This is because research works in such fields are required to be falsifiable and repeatable. 3.2 Opinion Based Research Methods This method usually requires a researcher to collect quantitative data for use in experimental design. In this method, measurements are arbitrary, and they follow the interval or ordinal pattern. When a researcher wishes to test preferences and emotions as he quantifies data collected from a sample, the use of questionnaires proves sufficient. Opinion based methods are cheaper than experimental ones. Moreover, they provide room for emotions and opinions of the participants, which allow for a directional approach; also aid in measuring intensity (Neuman, 2003). This research can also be performed through the quantification of behavior, where researchers apply a numerical scale that measures the intensity of behavior. Since a way of defining variables is lacking in this method, it is applicable for behaviors or emotions are measured. Although this method lacks the strength of the experimental research, it presents the advantage of being replicable. Additionally, its results can be fals ified. 3.3 Observational Research Methods This is a composition of varying research methods, requiring investigators to observe phenomena with minimal interference, e.g., case studies (William, 1997). The method tends to apply ordinal or nominal scales during measurement. It is usually applied when the research problem lacks clear definition, and in situations where questions are expected to arise during the study. It is mainly utilized in behavioral studies, anthropology, and social sciences. Although its experiments are not easily falsified and replicated, it offers useful insights that promote human knowledge. 4 Recommendations Opinion Based Research Methods is recommended as the good compromise which conducting research. This is because of their cost effectiveness and ease of their applicability. Furthermore, it does not involve the transfer of the sample, and; therefore, there is no behavioral change. Their strongest point is that their experiments are replicable and easily useful to other researchers. 5 Conclusion Some of the factors that affect the establishment of a conclusion are reliability and validity of measurement. Observations represent the empirical evidence, while conclusions are the results of logical thinking. For the research to be of benefit to everyone, they should provide a way of examining their observation, as well as their logic. This examination is meant to establish if similar conclusions are attained. Observatory errors may be as a result of misinterpretation, measurement problems, or unlikely random cases (William, 1997). Finally, it is important to note that the effectiveness of a method depends on research type, and no one method is beneficial to all kinds of research. Buy custom Research Design in the Dissertation Process essay

Why Conservatives Oppose Raising the Minimum Wage

Why Conservatives Oppose Raising the Minimum Wage A new Raise the Wage wave has been sweeping the country recently. In California, lawmakers passed a deal to increase the wage to $15/hour by 2022. Seattle passed a similar bill in 2015, and the evidence points to a possible negative impact of such a large increase. So, why do conservatives oppose artificially high minimum wages anyway? First, Who Gets Paid a Minimum Wage? The first assumption of those who want to raise the minimum wage is that these people need their minimum wages raised. But who are these jobs meant for? The week I turned sixteen I started my first job. It was a glorious job that involved walking outside of the largest retailer in the world, collecting buggies, and pushing them back inside. Occasionally, I would help people load items into their cars, too. In full disclosure, this retailer actually paid me 40 cents above minimum wage to start. I met a lot of other people my age here, too. Together, we all went to school during the day and worked at night or on the weekends. Oh, and my mother also had a part-time job at the same place just to make a little extra cash. At sixteen, I had no bills. Although times are changing if I believe MTV’s Teen Mom, I also had no family to support. That minimum wage job was meant for me. It was also meant for my mom who already worked one stressful job and wanted to make a little money on the side doing less-stressful cashier work a few hours a week. Minimum wage jobs are intended to be entry level. You start at the bottom, and then through hard work, start making more money. Minimum wage jobs are not intended to be lifetime careers. They most certainly are not intended to be able to support a full family. Yes, all situations are different. And in the current economy, even these jobs are hard to come by sometimes. Higher Minimum Wage, Fewer Minimum Wage Jobs The process-based and emotional plea of raising the minimum wage is easy to do. Oh, so you don’t think American workers deserve to be able to live comfortably if they are working full time?. Thats what they will say. But economics isn’t that easy. It isn’t as though the minimum wage is increased by 25% and nothing else changes. In fact, everything changes. For starters, jobs become fewer. Make something more costly and you get less of it. Welcome to Economics 101. Most minimum wage jobs are not essential jobs (say, pushing buggies from a parking lot) and making them more costly also makes them more expendable. Add to that the recent job-killer was known as Obamacare and pretty soon you won’t have to worry about minimum wage jobs because there will be very few left. Employers would rather pay one excellent employee $16/hr with benefits rather than pay two inexperienced entry-level workers $9 with benefits. The net result is fewer jobs as duties are consolidated into fewer and fewer positions. The anti-business policies that started in 2009 have proven this point as by 2013 there were 2 million fewer people working than four years earlier, with the highest unemployment rates being in the young adult/entry level age brackets. A federal minimum wage increase is also highly uneven as the cost of living in Mississippi is very different than that of New York City. A federal minimum wage increase would disproportionately hurt business in states where everything costs less, but now the cost of labor costs much more. This is why conservatives would prefer a state-based approach as one size does not fit all. Higher Costs Wipe Out Gains in Income Not only would raising the minimum wage to reduce the number of available jobs, but it probably would fail to make life â€Å"cheaper† for these workers in the long run anyway. Imagine that every retailer, small business, gas station, and fast food and pizza joint were forced to increase the pay of their heavily teen, college-aged, part-time, and second-job workforce by 25%. Do they just go â€Å"oh okay† and do nothing to make up for that? Of course, they don’t. They either reduce employee head count (likely not making their situations â€Å"better†) or increase the cost of their product or service. So while you boost the minimum wage of these workers (even assuming they are the working poor) it doesn’t matter much because the price of every product they plan to purchase from other retailers, fast food joints, and small business just skyrocketed to pay for the pay increases. At the end of the day, the value of the dollar is merely weakened and the ability to purchase more goods becomes more  expensive anyway. Middle-Class Hit Hardest The dominoes keep falling, and now they head toward the middle class. If the minimum wage is flat-out increased – even for teens and second jobbers and retirees who don’t need an increase- it does not mean that employers would raise the wages of their middle-class workers who are more likely to be in a career. But just as the purchasing power of the dollar is diminished by higher prices for minimum wage workers, it is also increased for the middle class who are purchasing the same goods and services. But unlike the lower wage workers, the middle class does not automatically get a 25% increase in pay in order to absorb the cost of higher prices. In the end, a feel-good policy could cause even further havoc on the middle class and small businesses, while doing almost nothing to help those who the law was intended to help.

Corporate welfare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Corporate welfare - Essay Example Corporate Welfare takes a variety of forms from indirect to direct subsidizing, grants, loans, reduced tax-rates, and bailouts. The crisis that created the Corporate Welfare program in the 1930s was the Great Depression. This led to the government subsidizing the agricultural as well as other industries. Agriculture has traditionally been the most widely subsidized by the U.S. government (2). The effectiveness of Corporate Welfare is widely debated. Proponents view it as an investment that helps businesses and therefore the economy grow. The welfareinfo.org website states that â€Å"American companies remain competitive leaders in the global business industry and many owe at least a portion of their success to the funding support provided by Corporate Welfare† (3). However, many counter this argument by saying that only big companies and basically those who are â€Å"already rich† are subsidized at the expense of middle-class and poor people (4). They point to the recen t example of General Motors, which was a failing company until the government stepped in simply because they were â€Å"too big to fail.† It is clear from these historical examples and the opinions of experts that big businesses are given preferential treatment to smaller companies when it comes to Corporate Welfare.

Financial Statement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial Statement - Research Paper Example 2. Damaged Goods: if the organization has damaged goods, these goods will be evaluated and scrap should be sold to recover some amount and contacted to the insurance company for insurance recovery and write off the loss from the damages. 3. Stolen Inventory: if the organization faces loss from stolen inventory it should be reported for recovery but if after a period unable to found stolen goods it should be treated as loss. Explanation Losses may be normal or abnormal faced by the organization and there is different accounting treatment for each type of loss. If a company is having normal cost then it will have no special treatment it will only increase the production cost and normal loss is unavoidable and inherent which is valued with the closing stock. If the inventory is decreased by sales it will be treated as an expense in the form of a reduction in inventory (Smith and Butters, 1949). But if abnormal loss is faced by the company it will be valued and Debit to the abnormal loss account and credit to process account. These kinds of losses may arise from accidents and carelessness. For recording of this loss another account will be created in the chart of accounts and it will be debited and after that it will be write-off as an expense in the income statement.

Catch 22 and a few good men :: essays papers

Catch 22 and a few good men Catch-22 is a novel about the Second World War. It is set on the island of Pianosa, which is off the coast of Italy. It is set in the end of the war while the Germans are on the run and being pushed out of Italy. The book focuses on a bomb group, more specifically a squadron in which a bombardier named Yossarian is assigned to. Yossarian is very upset because all these people he doesn’t even know (the Germans) are trying to kill him. The novel is very hard to understand because of the way it is written. It is helpful in books about the military to have a time-date group so you know what is going on. This book doesn’t have that and is so full of flash backs and flash-forwards that it made my head spin. It wasn’t poorly written but it was hard follow. It has many technical errors such as having helicopters for search and rescue while helicopters weren’t used in military service until the Korean War. The story is a good one but paints a picture of military life as a joke almost. Most of the servicemen in this book had no discipline and did pretty much as they pleased. Yossarian goes through the whole story trying to get out of his squadron and go home. His problem is the commander of the group keeps raising the number of missions required to fly before the rotate home. Every time he gets close the raise the number on him again. Through it all he tries all these schemes to get sent home he acts sick and tries to act crazy. When he tries to acts crazy he thinks that he has a perfect plan to get sent home since there was a rule that anyone who was crazy was unfit to serve in the rigors of combat, but the rule said they had to ask to be grounded. When he goes to get himself grounded he discovers there is a catch. Catch-22 says that anyone who asks to be grounded is not crazy because recognizing danger is the process of a rational mind and anyone with a rational mind is not crazy. That is the main story line of the book.

Academic Writing Skills Guide Essay

Introduction Preface to the first edition (2002) We have written this guide for you to help you on the way to becoming proficient in your chosen field of economics or business administration. As you advance in your studies, you will demonstrate your proficiency through the essays, papers, case reports, and other texts that you write. Your writing is thus a marker of your relative expertise in your discipline. Yet, it is also a means in itself. Writing helps you organize your own ideas, discover the strengths and weaknesses in your thinking, and internalize the knowledge you construct. We hope this guide will help you on your way. But like all guides, it does not contain everything. As Voltaire said, â€Å" the best way to be boring is to leave nothing out† This guide acts as a starter – it is up to you to . go deeper. Just as you will find with your writing assignments, we too have gone through the writing process in the construction of this guide. We constructed a plan, consulted numerous sources and people, wrote the text, revised it, and edited it, all the time trying to keep it clear and simple. See more:  The 3 Types of Satire Essay In putting together this guide, we have aimed to follow Ernest Hemingway who said, â€Å" My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way. †We hope we have succeeded. Henri Mennens, MSc Robert Wilkinson, MSc Second edition (2010) The second edition of this guide to academic writing is a thorough revision of the first edition (2002). Apart from changes to chapter 2, we have significantly changed chapters 3 and 5. In addition, we have completely rewritten chapter 4 on citing and referencing in line with the current (2010) citation and reference norms of the American Psychological Association. Major changes also entail the introduction of many more examples. In addition, the format requirements for submitting papers has changed. 2 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction We have not included information on grammar and punctuation, since we expect students at the School of Business and Economics to have a good command of these aspects on entry. However, we are aware that many users of this guide will wish to seek reassurance in this respect. We recommend users to consult a good grammar book or one of the many good writing sites on the Internet. Robert Wilkinson, MSc Jeannette Hommes, MA NOTE: the Guide is not presented in the format that you have to present your papers (see section 5). However, where extracts of student essays are given, these are in the required format. Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge the many people and sources we have consulted during the construction of this guide. In particular, we would like to express thanks to Henri Mennens for his work on the first edition, and Keith Campbell of the Language Centre who adapted the first edition of this guide in 2006. We also thank the Academic Writing tutors of the Language Centre for their inputs and the many students who have made use of the first edition. Furthermore, we are indebted to Mike Hannay and Lachlan Mackenzie, whose book Effective writing in English: A resource guide (both the 1996 and 2002 editions) has been a major source of information for chapters 2 and 3. We acknowledge the American Psychological Association whose â€Å" Publication manual† (American Psychological Association, 6th ed. , 2010) has been an excellent support in the construction of chapter 4 in this guide. Finally, we are grateful to the Director of the School of Business and Economics for supporting the production of this second edition. 3 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction 1. Introduction Academic writing covers the wide range of specific writing tasks that you are required to write during the course of your academic studies: papers, reports, literature reviews, projects, case studies, dissertations, theses, research papers, and articles. Some of these text types are quite rare outside the academic environment (papers, literature reviews, dissertations, theses); others (reports, projects, etc.) may well be aiming at a much broader public. However, what they all have in common is a similar type of reader: a person educated in the specialist field (here economics or business studies), and usually acting as a professional in that field. These target readers represent the professional community of which you aim to become a member. To be accepted as member requires you to meet the norms and standards that the professional community expects. Thus with regard to writing, you are expected to adhere to the norms expected by the (international) academic community. Compare this to a relay race in athletics. In the relay race, you run with three other runners. If you are one of the two middle runners, you have to collect the baton smoothly from the previous runner and pass it on to the next runner. In the relay race your team runs against other teams (your local community). All of you have to run according to the set of rules agreed by the sports governing body (the professional community). If you do not, your team may be disqualified. The rules set the framework for a potentially great race, and within the rules there is vast scope for individual flair and talent. So with academic writing: you have to write according to the ‘ rules’ but to write well demands your own indi, vidual talent and enterprise. Just as a highly skilled athlete knows how to use the rules to his advantage, so an expert writer uses the norms and standards of professional academic writing to persuade readers of the power of his argument. We should not extend this athletics analogy too far: sports have clear sets of rules that everyone can read and study; academic writing does not. What a professional academic field has is a set of overt norms, such as a style guide. This guide is based on the editorial style requirements described in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010). Alongside these is a set of covert norms that are just as powerful. Examples of the covert norms will be the nature of argumentation that is considered acceptable in the field. Covert norms are hidden and therefore take a long time to acquire. Most novice writers acquire them through extensive reading in the field, and by paying active attention to the way other writers use 4 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction language. This process of acquisition demands close observation of how expert writers use words and expressions differently in different types of text, e. g. literature reviews or case studies in a single field (e. g. marketing). Academic papers (and most other forms of academic writing) are typically expository or argumentative. An expository or informative paper describes or explains a particular set of phenomena, and provides an account of why these phenomena are found in one or more specific situations or contexts. The goal of the expository paper is also to acquaint the reader with a body of knowledge. An argumentative or persuasive paper must choose a side, make a case for it, consider and refute alternative arguments, and prove to the undecided reader that the opinion it presents is the best one. You must be aware of other sides and be fair to them; dismissing them completely will weaken your own argument. It is always best to take a side that you believe in, preferably with the most supporting evidence. To develop a good academic paper you should go through a number of stages, called the writing process. The following seven stages can be distinguished: The writing process 1. Thinking stage 2. Research stage 3. Outline stage 4. Drafting stage 5. Revising stage 6. Editing stage 7. Final version stage } } Planning process Transfer in a first draft output Revising & editing Final output Figure 1. Stages of the writing process 1. Thinking stage In this stage you determine your topic area (which may of course already be given), brainstorm about ideas on the topic, select, reject and focus those ideas, before arriving at your final choice. 5 Guide to Academic Writing Skills. Introduction 2. Research stage Here you search for and study background literature and other materials, analyse the results, draw your own conclusions and interpretations, etc. 3. Outline stage In this stage you draft an outline of the paper you intend to write, setting out your main aim or purpose in the paper (the purpose statement or thesis statement), sketch how you will develop the points that follow from the purpose, and indicate how you will conclude the paper. 4. Drafting stage Here you put down on screen successively improved versions of your paper. 5. Revising stage In this stage you scan your work on a macro level for logical coherence, checking whether you need to add or delete information, whether sections need rephrasing for clarification. 6. Editing stage Here you edit your text on a micro level, checking the grammar, spelling, punctuation, in-text citations, references and the layout. 7. Final version stage In this stage you set out the final paper neatly and clearly. Writing a paper is recursive: you do not start at the beginning, and work through straight to the end, and that is that. At all times you will be ‘ backtracking’ ‘ or looping’so that as you are , writing your first draft, you may discover you need to add more information and have to return to the research stage. During the revising stage, you may discover that your original plan was too broad, and so decide to cut out a whole section. You may produce several revised versions of the paper before your final version. Do not forget to allow yourself plenty of time between writing your first draft and your final version. Figure 2 illustrates the three groups of actions in writing a paper, the planning process, the transfer, and revision and editing. The figure emphasizes the recursive nature of writing a paper in that each action not only feeds into the next but feeds back into the previous actions, entailing revision of those actions. 6 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction â€Å" You may start with a plan, conduct some research (reading, library and/or Internet search), analyse and then synthesize the information you have acquired, construct a question or a statement that you will examine, draft an outline, write a rough draft of the introduction, start writing the body, then stop. You go back, conduct some more research, adjust your outline, rewrite the body, write a bit more, adjust the introduction, perhaps adjust the statement of your purpose, then stop again. You conduct more research, rewrite the body again, draft a conclusion, go back to the introduction, adjust the purpose, rewrite the introduction, then stop. You let the paper ‘ simmer’for a while, then reread it, adjusting here and there for content accuracy, perhaps search or check for a contrary argument, throw out less relevant parts of the paper, check the logical development of your ideas and arguments, and wrap up the conclusion. Then you check again for spelling (using the spellchecker, but also reading carefully word by word), check for grammar (using the grammar checkers wisely), check all punctuation, check the layout, check the citations and the references. You check too for sentence length (eliminate very long, rambling sentences), check paragraph structure (particularly if the topic of the paragraph changes in the paragraph – check the subjects of the main verbs), check the logical links between paragraphs and sections. And so on. † Figure 2: The writing process and its recursive nature (Bruer, 1993). This guide is organized as follows. Chapter 2 focuses on the planning process, describing the planning activities and the construction of an outline. Chapter 3 elaborates on the structuring of the paper, through a detailed discussion of the three parts of a paper, introduction, body, and conclusion. Moreover, structuring a paper effectively requires that you write wellconstructed paragraphs: this chapter also provides brief guidelines on paragraph organization. Chapter 4 explains the importance of citing sources and giving references, and provides guidelines how to put them in the paper in a correct way. Chapter 5 concentrates on finalizing the paper. This chapter discusses the format requirements, text revision and the evaluation of the paper. To conclude, this guide helps you to master the process of academic writing, which you can apply to the specific writing assignments during the course of your academic studies. It specifies the elements necessary to a successful academic paper. But keep in mind two things. First, each assignment will be different and require a different organization. Second, writing is a skill; 7 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction  you only get better at a skill through regular practice. Regular practice leads to routine and expertise. The application of the principles of this guide can be of use until your last writing examination: the final thesis. However, this guide just contains a brief summary of the different topics discussed. For more information you should consult literature, especially the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010, 6th ed. , in the University Library), and the Internet. Besides, keep in mind that the writing process is not just simply following a set of rules. Try to develop your own style, expertise and talent, in order to distinguish yourself. Good luck with your writing career! 8 Guide to Academic Writing Skills The planning process 2. The planning process In order to get a good start to writing your paper, it is important that you go successfully through the planning process. This chapter describes the different activities of the planning process. Then, section 2. 2 discusses the most important stage of the planning process: the construction of an outline. 2. 1. The planning activities. During the planning process, according to Hannay and Mackenzie (2002), you are concerned with six major activities: 1 Generating ideas for the content. Ideas for content can come from several sources: from your own knowledge, from discussions with other people, and from various media sources (written texts, audio-visual media and electronic media). Brainstorming techniques help you to generate ideas in the first two categories. 2 Selecting and classifying points. Here you are concerned with ordering your ideas. Analyse them to determine the extent to which they are connected with each other. Ideas and concepts that are highly connected are likely to form key points in your texts. Those which are less closely connected may form essential supporting topics, or may need to be abandoned. Some may require more development. Always be prepared to get rid of ideas that prove not to be relevant to your argument. 3 Establishing your perspective. In this activity you need to decide what angle you are going to take with your material. Are you taking a historical perspective, or only discussing the present situation? Are you taking an objective position, or are you bringing in your own personal standpoint? Are you taking a general viewpoint, or only a specific case? Are you looking at the matter from your home country’ perspective? Are you discussing a general issue or only a nas tional situation? 9 Guide to Academic Writing Skills The planning process 4 Determining your intention. Now you need to consider what you want to do with the text. Do you want to present both sides of an argument equally, or do you want to present only one side? Do you need to give examples, or will your argumentation be sufficient on its own? Do you want to persuade the reader of your opinion, or are you only wishing to describe the matter? Do you want just to present a problem, or do you want to offer solutions as well? What you are going to do with your text must become very clear to the reader in the thesis statement: this statement directs the readers to the purpose of the text. 5 Formulating a draft title, structuring the introduction and conclusion. Here you should set down a working title and devise a draft structure for the introduction and the conclusion. At this stage your drafting should only be provisional: you should write the actual version only after you have written the body of the  paper. This is because you do need to know what your introduction is indeed introducing, and you need to know what your conclusion is concluding. A useful rule of thumb is: Plan your introduction, then your conclusion, and then your body, but write your body, then your conclusion and then your introduction. 6 Drafting paragraph themes. At this stage, go back to the ideas (themes) you have selected and classified. Now you have to decide which will be suitable for your text. Each theme usually is the basis for a single paragraph. Each theme too will require sufficient development; so do not try to include too many. As a rough guide, you probably cannot treat adequately more than about 4 themes in a 1000-word paper (roughly 3 pages), while a 2500-word paper (roughly 6 pages) will seem overwhelming if it includes more than 9 or 10 themes. Once you have selected your themes, list the points that you need to make to support the theme in the paragraph. 2. 2. The planning outline The goal of the planning outline is to help you organize your ideas, and present them in a logical order. It serves to identify the relationships between the ideas: it allows you to see how related ideas can be grouped together, and which ideas you can cut out, and which ideas need more support. A good outline helps you to maintain the direction in your paper, and prevents you from getting distracted into irrelevant information. 10 Guide to Academic Writing Skills The planning process Figure 3 lists six steps that may be considered in the development of a planning outline. 1 Decide the purpose of your paper and the audience you are writing for. 2. Develop a statement in which you define the goal or purpose of your paper (commonly called thesis statement). This clarifies what you are going to present or argue in the paper. At this stage you may not have a definitive version of this statement. 3 List all the important points you want to handle in the paper. These points have to be split in three main parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. The points in the introduction include the items that lead to the purpose or thesis statement (so-called background information), and a statement of the purpose or goal that should now be defined precisely. When you are planning your paper, you will group all your ideas around one central theme. This theme forms the core of your purpose or thesis statement or research question. The points in the body have to be logically organized so that they follow from your purpose and lead towards the conclusion. In a larger paper (for example a Master’ thesis), you usually develop a set of subquestions, covering the s points that lead to an answer to the research question. By answering step by step the different subquestions in the body, you can draw a structured and well-founded conclusion at the end. The points in the conclusion include the summary of the facts that lead to an answer to the statement or question you started with and the answer itself. 4 Categorize the points in the body under general headings so that you can identify which points need more development (e. g. you have to do more reading) and which points are not useful or relevant (delete these). Choose precise, concrete words for the headings: avoid vague terms. Relate the headings to the purpose of your paper. If your paper is describing a situation, you are more likely to choose noun structures for headings (for example: Failure of Bretton Woods). If your paper is oriented to action, you may choose verbal structures; typically -ing forms in English (for example: Reforming the auditor’ duties). s 5 Work out how one idea follows logically from the previous one. Note down how you will make the transitions from point to point. This is a key step, but one that is often underrated. Failure to think out the transitions in the planning stage can cost you more time in the revising stage. 6 Finally, look back at the whole outline, and check that you are satisfied that it all hangs together logically and conceptually. Now you are ready to start writing. Figure 3. Six steps in the planning process. Outlines are generative. They are most useful if you modify them as you write in line with new thoughts or information. Some of you may find that a simple, less detailed written outline is sufficient – you may be very competent in holding the full structure in your mind – but you may add more detailed points to the outline as you progress. Most of you, however, find that a relatively detailed outline on paper is an effective reminder of what the goal of your paper is and of what you have selected from the literature, and an efficient guide to how far you have come. 11 Guide to Academic Writing Skills The planning process An outline as a simple list of points (see Figure 4, box a) may not help you organize and structure your paper. A more organized outline (see Figure 4, box b) will help you see how the different parts hang together and may facilitate the writing. Many American writing textbooks and websites provide detailed guidance on writing outlines. Under the American convention, outlines are structured using the following symbols (Roman numerals, capital letters, Arabic numerals). This is only a convention used in the writing process: it is not part of APA style, and under no circumstances should it be used in the final paper (see for example Purdue University’ Online Writing Lab: http://owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/resource/544/03/). Box c (Figs ure 4) illustrates the framework using the American conventions. a Unhelpful outline Topic: The Struggle for the Mobile Phone Market 1. Description of the European mobile phone market. 2. Major players: Nokia, Ericsson, Siemens. 3. Focus of youth market. b Structured outline 4. Future trends in the market European Commission case on choline chloride cartel 1. Introduction 1. 1. Background to case: choline chloride cartel 1. 2. Aim of paper (thesis): European Commission took the right decision to fine the firms, because they had formed a cartel, but the fines are not sufficient to discourage cartel forming in the future. Key economic issues 2. 1. Market description 2. 1. 1. Producers 2. 1. 2. Consumers 2. 2. Agreements 2. 2. 1. Price fixing 2. 2. 2. Market sharing Economic impact on competition 3. 1. Fixed prices raised income for producers 3. 2. Market sharing reduced competition 3. 3. Economic impact of cartel (Perloff) 3. 3. 1. Oligopoly 3. 3. 2. Welfare analysis European Commission decision 4. 1. That the market is an oligopoly 4. 2. That the market is not competitive 4. 3. Punishment for firms 4. 3. 1. Fines 4. 3. 2. Leniency ruling Conclusions 5. 1. Summary 5. 2. Price setting agreements have a big impact on the market 5. 3. Fines based on gravity and duration of infringement 5. 4. Leniency: fines not high enough to discourage cartel formation in future. 2. 3. 4. 5. 12 Guide to Academic Writing Skills c Classic formal outline (American style) I. II. First item Second item A. sub-item B. sub-item 1. sub-sub-item 2. sub-sub-item Third item. The planning process III. Figure 4. Examples of outlines. 13 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Structuring 3. Structuring On the basis of the outline, described in the previous chapter, it is now possible to continue with the structure of your paper. You started the structuring process already in steps three and four of the construction of an outline, described in section 2. 2. The structuring process continues by implementing these steps in the paper, starting with the introduction. Section 3. 1 discusses the structuring process of the introduction, section 3. 2. covers the middle part (or body), and section 3. 3. the discussion and conclusion. Structuring a paper effectively also requires that you write well-constructed paragraphs. This is discussed briefly in section 3. 4. 3. 1. The introduction The introduction has three functions, all of which must be present. First, it sets the context by introducing the topic of your paper. This is called the background information. This information leads to the second function: it specifies the purpose of the paper. Finally, the introduction contains a short outline of how you are going to handle the aspects of your topic in the rest of the paper. Any introduction in which one of these functions is missing is necessarily incomplete. The length of the introduction varies from one paragraph to several pages, depending on the total length of the paper. Three other factors influence the length. First, how familiar are your readers with the context? If, for example, you are writing about small and medium-sized businesses in Nepal, you may have to explain much more of the Nepalese background for readers who are less familiar with that country, since the readers may wish to compare Nepalese SMEs with those in other developing countries. Second, what the type of paper (or genre) are you writing? If, for example, you are writing a review of the academic literature on internet auction markets, your introduction might be quite short, since you will include the information from your review in the middle of your paper. Similarly, if you are examining a competition case from, say, the European Commission or the US Department of Justice, then you may not need much background information, for you can refer almost straightaway to the case. On the other hand, in a paper in which you argue a point of view (e.g. the abolition of export subsidies), then you may need to present adequate background information before introducing your pur- 14 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Structuring pose. Third, what economics or business discipline are you addressing? The length of introductions may differ between econometrics, labour economics, marketing, strategic management, and so on. It is wise to check by reading relevant previous papers in the target discipline and the target genre, as well as taking the readers’ familiarity into account. Nevertheless, as a useful rule of thumb, it is valuable to think of your introduction as being about one-eighth of the length of the text you are writing. Thus, the introduction to a 1000word paper would be about 125 words; the introduction to a 10,000-word dissertation would contain about 1250 words, and may well appear as a short chapter in its own right. So treat the one-eighth concept as a guideline, not as a straightjacket. Writing the introduction depends heavily on personal preference. Some writers like to know exactly how they will begin before they start to elaborate the text they are aiming to write; other writers prefer to know what they have written first, and then write the introduction to fit it, so that it leads to the purpose statement. Yet, a good rule of thumb is to write a draft introduction that leads to your purpose statement, then write the whole text, right to the conclusion, progressively editing as you go along. Only then do you return to your introduction and adjust or rewrite it so that it does indeed fit your paper neatly and satisfyingly. 3. 1. 1. The background information The introduction prepares the readers for what follows. Thus, the introduction has an orientation function. Thus, it should therefore present enough background information so that the readers will recognize that the middle of your paper follows logically and coherently from the introduction – you need to pay attention to what the reader can be expected to know already and what will be new. Your introduction is more effective when it progresses from the known to the unknown (Figure 5). 15 Guide to Academic Writing Skills. Structuring Prediction markets and their applicability for organizational decision making 1. Introduction Whether firms are successful or not depends to a great extent on their decisions about new products. Therefore, top management has large Background information (known less known) incentives to have as accurate information as possible on future demand and success of new products. Usual methods of gathering this information include customer surveys and expert opinions. Often, however, these approaches are very inaccurate and misleading. In order to avoid problems linked to the two methods mentioned above, firms came to think about whether or not to make use of prediction markets as information gathering tools (Ho & Chen, 2007). New information (topic) Prediction markets, also known as information markets or future events (Wolfers & Zitzewitz, 2004), are markets in which price is used as an indicator of the probability that a certain event will occur in the future (Manski, 2006). Market participants buy and sell contracts of the particular event they think will be likely to take place and they receive money when they betted correctly (Wolfers & Zitzewitz, 2004). This Purpose of paper paper investigates the question whether or not firms should engage in prediction markets to make informed decisions. Outline Firstly, it explains some general aspects of prediction markets. Secondly, it describes examples of this forecasting tool, focusing for illustration on the Iowa Electronic Market and finally it compares benefits and disadvantages of implementing prediction markets in businesses. Figure 5. Example of an introduction from a first-year business paper. 16 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Structuring 3. 1. 2. The purpose statement The purpose statement is a vital component in academic papers. It marks the high point of the introduction. This statement is a clear expression of the purpose that your paper is expected to assert, explain, support, or defend (Fulwiler & Hayakawa, 2000). It summarizes the main idea of a paper and makes that idea explicit to the readers. The statement answers the questions the critical reader has: â€Å" what? Why does this paper exist? What’ it all about? † So s In the literature on academic writing, you will meet the term ‘ thesis statement’ This term cov.ers the statement that the writer is going to argue in his or her paper. Strictly speaking, it is relevant to argumentative papers where you are advancing a claim (the thesis), and then in the paper you present the arguments (evidence) that demonstrates whether the claim holds. An example of an argumentative paper is a position paper in which you set out a particular theoretical position (opinion) based on arguments (evidence). Many papers that you write will not be essentially argumentative papers. You may often simply be explaining a phenomenon or showing and analysing data. Sometimes, you may simply be answering an exploratory question. However, all papers do require a statement or question that neatly summarizes what you are going to do in your paper (see Table 1). Table 1. Types of papers and associated purpose statements*. Type of paper Argumentative paper Purpose as: expressed Explanation You argue a proposition (claim). You present the arguments (evidence) for and against the claim, and decide whether the claim is supported or not. You start with a question about a phenomenon, and devise one or more hypotheses that you will test in your research. Your experimental paper reports the results. Example Government action to restrict the bonuses paid to investment bankers is unwise because it is harmful to the economy as a whole. Are poor people more generous than rich people? Poor people will give a larger percentage of a monetary gift to poor people than rich people will. Thesis statement Experimental per pa- Research question; hypothesis 17 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Structuring Exploratory analysis data Research question You conduct a survey or a series of interviews, for example, but do not have an explicit hypothesis before you start. You have a research question, but do not know in advance what the answers may be. How much do students know about financing small and medium-sized businesses? Or: This paper explores the knowledge students have about the financing of †¦ This paper reviews recent experimental research into the principal-agent relationship. This paper examines whether the economic grounds for approving the merger were sound. OR: Were the economic grounds for approving the merger sound? The European Commission was justified in fining the lift manufacturers as their cartel had distorted competition and reduced consumer welfare.