The Development of a Personal Philosophy of Education - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 957 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category Education Essay Level High school Tags: Philosophy Of Education Essay Did you like this example? I started with the Foundations of Education class with no working knowledge the education system nor any teaching philosophies. I did not realize that its not just about classroom management or teaching to a curriculum. The course has given me new tools and vocabulary. In reflection, Foundations of Education has helped me develop a philosophy of education, realize that there is more than one way of teaching, and open my eyes to the issues facing students today. To be educated thoroughly, no matter the circumstances. This is the first thought that comes to mind when I think about my philosophy of education. As of now, my philosophy is fuzzy, but I do believe that, as the text used for this class suggests, my philosophy will evolve and develop as I gain more experience in the classroom. (Kauchak, 2017) My philosophy is this: I believe that education should be practical, that it should be enjoyable, and that it should be a lifelong pursuit that helps the student become the best person they can be. As I plan on becoming a paraprofessional, I realize that I need to communicate and collaborate with the teacher I will be working with to have our day run smoothly. (Fitzell, 2017) This means being open to and supporting the head teachers philosophy of education and teaching style while still maintaining my own. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Development of a Personal Philosophy of Education" essay for you Create order It is my belief that to be well-rounded in your education you need to be open to experiences, that you need Just Do It as the slogan goes. It would be naive of me to believe that all my students will have such prospects, so it is my challenge to provide opportunities for students to learn in a way that is relevant to their lives. (Kauchak, 2017) In other words, Ill most likely be using the progressivist philosophy with a hands-on approach to instruction. Ive found that my most memorable lessons have always been tied to my interests. For example, in elementary school, I learned how to do citations and look up multiple resources. This was done by making an A to Z booklet with each page featuring a topic of my choice. Although I sometimes struggled to figure out a topic to fit a letter of the alphabet, the project was engaging since I could choose what I researched, and I learned how to properly cite resources through repetition. This project also helped me form a base for information l iteracy (Baron, n.d.), which has helped me immensely in our media-laden world. But its not just the nitty-gritty of sifting through information that I feel needs to be focused on. Students need to be able to translate what they learn in school into life skills, both social and practical in nature. (Watson, 2018) Most of my ideas in this area are math based since the subject was excruciating for me to grasp as a child. As an adult, I use math concepts daily. Shopping, sewing, and cooking are just to name a few. I feel that if the concepts had been applied to everyday uses, then I would have learned them more quickly, and probably would have enjoyed my math class much more. I now know that I can be the driving force behind my students enjoyment of learning and that I do not need to feel limited to one mode or thought of teaching. It came as a surprise to me that there were so many ways of teaching. In fact, when I read about the Axiology branch of philosophy, I did not give it much thought. Why would I need to teach ethics and values? I never thought that ethics could be something that I would consider including in my instruction in a classroom. Recently, I learned that moral development starts early and is influenced by the adults and peers in a childs life. (Berk, 2013) This knowledge in conjunction with our nations current obsession with high-stakes testing leading to shallow learning and arbitrary tests (Kauchak, 2017) has led me to believe that we need to go back to learning character skills. Even if it is as subtle as imbuing lessons of character, morality, and ethics with the standard curriculum, (Barnwell, 2016) or directly teaching empathy through reading, (Rymanowicz, 2018) I want my students to be able to feel their moral compass. I recognize now though that there is so much working against our students today, not just in the way of morals. Before I only thought of what affected me as a student, and I realize now that this can be a sort of trap and being aware of that is the first step. Whether its funding, chronic absenteeism, academic pressure (Litvinov, 2018) or new drug paraphilia such as Juuls, (Ducharme, 2018) I am now more alert to keeping myself informed of what may be hindering our students. I realize that I also need to work on not being so quick to judge these issues if I am to become a more effective instructor. I feel that an effective teacher is a caring one, and by educating myself on what faces my students I can develop a positive relationship with them. (Suttie, 2016) Learning is for life. It makes living enjoyable, it helps us with the mundane things, and it makes us better people. This is what I hope to instill in my students: to be the best person and live their best life through knowledge. Foundations of Education has bolstered my understanding of the many modes and philosophies of education as well as the issues facing our students. The course has made me feel more prepared for my instructive pursuits. In the end, my life-long academic journey continues, and I look forward to using the knowledge from this course to help enrich the lives of my students.

Nationalism, Industrialization, And Colonialism On Wwi And...

Introduction World War I occurred as a result of a number of political, social, and economic changes that were taking place at a rapid pace in the region. A prominent transformation was the onset of industrial revolution that accompanied these changes. Many countries were investing significantly in industrialization while undergoing transformation that was changing the face of society. To enhance patriotism and to achieve objectives that were otherwise impossible, political forces were utilizing notions like nationalism. In this scenario, the colonies of European nations became the cause of significant rivalry and disputes, settled only after the blood of millions was shed. The war had far-reaching consequences for all nations that were involved in the conflict such that the entire boundaries of many countries were remarked. This paper will discuss the impact of nationalism, industrialization, and colonialism on WWI and its occurrence. Nationalism’s Effect on World War I The political and social conditions of Europe before the onset of the World War I were extremely unstable and undergoing a rapid transition that was driven by national interests of different nations living in the region. Nationalism was endorsed to promote patriotism among masses and to achieve political objectives that were in alignment with the national or political interests of countries. As the time passed, the growing influence of imperialism and the ideology of nationalism manifested multifaceted

Security Risk Management Case Study Sample

Question - Prepare a case study regarding security risk management in a Casino Table of Contents Introduction: 1.1 Assets to be protected. 1.2 Threats and probability of occurrence. 1.3 Impact and consequences of a successful attack. 1.4 Design consideration or strategies to minimise the risk. 1.5 Specific measures relevant to the security risk management 1.5.1 Adjacent areas: 1.5.2 Perimeter protection. 1.5.3 Protection of the important areas: 1.5.4 Security systems and work force: 1.5.5 Security procedures and plans. Conclusion: Reference list : Appendix: Introduction: The designing of a security system for a casino is not an easy task, since it requires a high degree of security risk management system. The security system of casino is being managed by construction of towers for the Casino Police. There will be two towers that is planned to build. Tower 1 is build for the Casino Police and the Interpol, where as the Tower 2 is for the maintenance of the security in MCI (ministry of communication and Information). There is an extreme necessity of assessing needs of the security management system, before designing a strong security system for a casino. The casino risk managers are involved in the risk management process before they begin the design for development of the casino. The various important steps involved in risk management process are the Asset, identification and characterization, identification of vulnerability of specific assets and selecting the cost effective measures in the implementation of the risk management system. 1.1 Assets to be protected The assets that are needed to be protected for the complete protection of the Casino are the two towers that are Tower 1 and Tower 2. The main task in the protection of the Casino is being done by the building of two towers, one tower (Tower 1) for the Casino police and the Interpol and the second tower (Tower 2) is meant for the MCI. The tower 1 is being built in order to provide protection through the proper channel of system. Tower v1 is being build up for the Casino Police and Interpol. The Tower 2 is being build up for MCI. The Tower 2 is being built up in such a manner that it plans to occupy the upper 10 floors. The lower floor of Tower 2 will be leased out for the commercial Tenants. The tower 1 is purposefully building up for the transmission of the signal to the Casino police and the Interpol. This tower is mainly for the security issues to be solved by the Casino police. The tower 2, is also build up in the opposite side basement for MCI. This tower is also meant for the provision of the security that work on the providing of the data to the ministry of communication and information. 1.2 Threats and probability of occurrence This part deals with the assessment with the identification of possible threats that can cause destruction if any risk prevails. The risk managers of the casino are involved in the collection of required information in the form of data analysis by the researcher in respect to the casino risk management system. The investigators of the threat assessment programme are detecting the threats, in order to determine the possible threats that can occur. The most form of the threats that can occurs inside the casino are the involvement of the criminals, barrier of business competitors, involvement of the hackers and the foreign intelligence agencies and the terrorist. Those are the threats that have been detected by the investigators of the risk management system of the casino. The threats are indirect form of the natural disasters and possess the cyber threats like the system virus attacks and the out of service. These threats can be also in the form of the political involvement terror atta cks inside the casino. These are the short-term politically motivated protests via cyber means or physical, regardless of the individual or the organisational involvement. For that matter even, the companies or the major banks under the government departments may also be targeted as part of the global attack. An effective way for the prevention of certain horrified attacks in the casino by the security specialists is to organise the threat data by using the previous data record from the past disaster events and attacks all across the globe in the casino. The data record of the past attacks by different sources will provide the researcher to enable a detailed analysis of the possible threats from the threat assessment program carried out by the investigators. Now it is the responsibility of the investigator to make effective plans and preventive measure to stop the further attack of the possible occurrence of the threats. 1.3 Impact and consequences of a successful attack There are variable consequences and impacts that can be seen due to the occurring of the possible threats in the casino. There are different categories that can be seen in terms of the negative impact of the disasters in the form of attacks and cyber crimes inside the casinos. Public health: Effect on the human life and the normal running of the human life styles getting impacted. The physical well-being is also distorted in those consequences. This may involve in the form of fatalities, injuries and illness. The health and hygiene of the public are being equally kept in account of the risk management system, accordingly run the system in order to provide the public with a healthy system of the Casino. Public safety: The safety to the public visiting the place inside the resort cum Casino. The security system of the Casino cum the resort try to manage the system of the Casino and try to maintain a healthy and safe system to the public visiting to the place inside the Casino. The safety measures are being provide by the risk management system of their sort cum Casino in order time have a quality time effort then public ego are the regular the members of the Casino. The risk management system also port emphasize on the public safety by maintain strong control on the access of the entrance of the Casino. Economic effect: The economic losses can be in either the form of indirect or the direct form, such as the cost for the remaking of the loss in the infrastructure. It may also involve the cost to respond to and recover the loss in the attacks, downstream costs resulting from the disruption of the product or the loss. This also may involve the long-term cost due to the environmental damage of the infrastructure. Psychological effect: The effect on the public morale and confidence that is hampered due to these kinds of offences. This leads to the change in the perception of the local citizen on the understanding of the government attitude. This ultimately puts a negative impact on the publics sense of safety and the well-being of the people staying in the city. Mission impact: The maintenance of the order, delivery of the public sense of the safety and the well being and the loss of the minimum essential public services in order to ensure the health and safety of the public residing in the city. This leads to the change of the public behaviour and mar questions on the public security under the guidance of the government pressure. 1.4 Design consideration or strategies to minimise the risk The security of the risk management and the design consideration for the tower is build that is based on the security enhancement of building towers in the periphery of the Casino. The towers are building for the Casino police and the Interpol, and the tower 2 is build based on the security of the Casino ministry of communication and information. The Interpol has the intelligence that International crime syndicates are attempting to build inroads into Singapore. The government has decided to build a dedicated premise and complete security for Casino police. This will enable to select the group of the Interpol Officers at the Marina Bay Area. Thereafter the ministry if the information and communication has decided to re locate are the new site for the construction of the separate tower in the new site. These will enable to enforce the following security options. In depth security: The concept of the security in depth defines the barrier in the design of an effective infrastructure of the Casino. It is one of the concepts that is mostly used in the military field. Through these concepts, the barriers are referred as the lines of the defence in the strategies in the Casino design. Property line: The property line is the first line of defence for the security management of the casino. The proper infrastructure such as maintaining street lights and fences for the infrastructure maintenance inside casino is provided by superior security management system. Apart from that the Casino are being provide with the constant monitoring system by inserting camera at the regular area covering the casino periphery. This will help in the detection of the criminal activities that may occur in the interior of the casinos. Infrastructure security building: The security managements system can be more effective with the usage of CCTV inside and outside the Casino periphery. This will help in the record maintenance with the video tape recording. To access the control of the employees is the major concern for the risk security management. Detection and response: The security system inside the casino has the different functionality such as the detection and the response. These functions are the important asset protection in the security management system. It means the discovery of the advisory action that deals with the security management. The importance of the physical security system is needed to detect the criminal acts, which will be occurring within the organisational premises. Surveillance of the staffs of the casino is done in order to influence the security system of the casino. The detection process also involves the installation of the fire extinguisher in order tom detect if there is any risk of the fire within the casino. This leads to the quick and precise security system as the safety and asset protection of the casino. 1.5 Specific measures relevant to the security risk management 1.5.1 Adjacent areas: The adjacent areas around the two towers that have been build up for the protection of the Casino in such a way that the Casino will be protected from entire of its surrounding. The tower 1 is set to occupy for the Casino police and the Interpol. The tower 2 is made in such a way in order to occupy the upper 10 floors of the tower2 by the MCI i.e. Ministry of communication and information. Those two towers will be connected by the sky bridges at the 5th, 10th and the 15th storeys. Hence at those levels of the floor, the two of the towers are being connected by the sky bridges so that a common platform can be shared. The two towers are being in such a manner that they share a common 5-level basement carpet. The common basement carpet is going to build such that it will house a lock-up capacity of up to 100 persons at the same instant of time. First 3 levels of the Casino Police tower will have a CAFETERIA and an AUDITORIUM CUM EXHIBITION space. These are meant for the public education and the awareness programmes. 1.5.2 Perimeter protection As per the schematic layout of the Tower proposed by the government, there is to be building of two towers in the premises of the Casino. The government has decided to build a Casino protection system according to the ministry of Communication and information (MCI), plans. One of the towers that are Tower 1 is build above the floor that consists of the Cafeteria, auditorium and the exhibition space. It is meant to be building for the Casino Police and the Interpol. The tower 2 is build around 10 floors consisting of the MCI and the Commercial space. There are different functionalities of easy of the accord ring to security features inside the Casino. The sky bridge storeys will connect these two Towers. The two towers are going to share the information and provide awareness programmes inside the public of the Casino (Refer to appendix). The two towers are being build in such a manner as to provide are secure information system for the Casino Police inside the Casino premises. The perimeter of the Casino is being protected by the two towers meant to be build for the Casino police, the Interpol, and the MCI particularly. The two towers are particularly share by a common 5 level basement car park that is also be a house lock-up capacity of up to 100 persons at any one time. This connectivity is attached to the basement connected to the sea level. The Interpol has the intelligence to stop the International Crime Syndicates that are able to attempt in order to make inroads into Singapore. It is followed by the sea rise place where many family people including their children, are coming to visit the casino. Hence, the casinos are becoming the point of attraction for the tourists from the far areas to have quality with their friends and relatives. This protects the operation of the Casino with the building of the two Tower s. 1.5.3 Protection of the important areas: The important areas that needs to be protected is the dedicated premise, where are the two Towers are being build up. For that purpose, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) is planning to co-locate at the new site. These crucial areas of the Casino have been protected with the help of the strong information system. It is being run with the help of the capturing of the signals through the building of the towers around the Casino for the Casino police, Interpol and the MCI. These are the tower that are the key signal indicators, since these are connected with a strong information system to catch any there is any unwanted activities inside then Casino. 1.5.4 Security systems and work force: The protective measures to be initiative of the collaborative effort of the management system are in order to provide a high sensitive system of protection inside the Casino. In view of the provision of the protection, the government has decided to build a dedicated premise for the two towers at the Marina Bay Area. The Tower 1 is built for the Casino Police and the Interpol. The 1st three levels of the Casino police Tower will have a cafeteria and an auditorium cum exhibition space. Tower 2 is being build up for the MCI. It is planning to occupy a separate Tower due to the height constraints that is imposed on the new development. The operation of the Casino has been made flexible inside the operation of the Casino. The flexibility of the Casino operation made the work system to be more sensitive towards any somewhat criminal attracts and tasks inside the area. For that reason the security risk management has build a string intelligence system to protect the data and the information system inside the Casino to fall under the possess of any unwanted people either inside the Casino or outside the Casino. The detection of the possible threat also requires a certain effort on the side of the security risk managers of the Casino cum resort. After the detection of the possible threat, the preventive measures are actually set by the security authorities of the Casino in order to provide a complete security for the normal operation of the functions of Casino. This enables to provide a higher degree of protection of the Casino from the external threat of the Casino. The authorities of the officials then set the prevent ive measures and the plan of the security are responsible for the protection of the security system of the Casino cum resort. They manage to design appropriate designs and strategies in order to fight against the externals that are mad to the purpose of the destruction of the Casino and cause harm to thousands of people and cause economic condition. There is protection system applied by the owners and the operation of the commercial office and residential buildings across the Casino place complex. The commercial place and the operators of the security system put the rigorous protective system that makes sure to provide complete security facility. This will enable the security workers of the Casino to be always alert for the upcoming threat and the necessary actions and preventive, measures taken for the protection of the Casino. The common protective measure take for the protection of the Casino are: Tower 1 for the Casino police and the Interpol Tower 2 for the information security in MCI There are various other forms of the protective measures initiated for the implementation of a tight security system. This form of training is imparted to the security personnel of the Casino management, so that the securities of the Casino are being controlled under the proper and systematic guidance of the management system. This will enhance the security risk management inside the resort-cum Casino. Hence, the people who are visiting the place with their children can enjoy freely inside the resort. The security system has now limited the access to the control and ten operation of the Casino with time regulatory system. 1.5.5 Security procedures and plans Assessing threats: The assessing of the risk in the form of assessing of the threat in the context of the terror attacks. It is the ability of the security system to recognise the target the existing security measure. For that purpose, the government has decided to build the two set of the towers at the Marina Bay Area. The two towers are being connected by sky bridges at the 5th, 10th and at the 15th floor. These two towers a share a common 5-level basement that is going to house a lock-up capacity of up to 100 people at one time. It accounts for the identification of the method required for the estimation of the threat inside the casino. The consideration of the method is to tackle the possible threat prevailing inside the casino. It considers the degree of the advisory intent in order to attract the target to avoid such attacks inside the casino. The functionality involves the methods to identify the possible threat and act accordingly. According to the security plans initiated by the ministry of communication and information, the two set Towers are going to be developed in the formation of a strong system of the Security system in the resort cum Casino. There are also many other families that often visit along with their children to spent a quality tome in the wonderful resort in the periphery of the Casino. Conclusion: The Casino industry has developed tremendously since 1930s. The security management system of this Casino hence needs to be maintained with the tight level of security within the periphery of the Casino. This initiatives led by the ministry has taken the initiative to provide a Casino Tower infrastructure for the development of the tight security system. Those towers are meant for the providing of the information to the Casino police, Interpol and the MCI. As a result the workload of the Casino Police has increased tremendously. Reference list: Books: Ames, D., Droessler, T. and Hoit, M. (2011). Structures Congress 2011. Reston, Va.: American Society of Civil Engineers Amoore, L. (2013). The politics of possibility. Durhum: Duke University Press Calder, A. and Watkins, S. (2010). Information security risk management for ISO27001/ISO27002. Cambridgeshire: IT Governance Pub Soares, S. (2011). Selling information governance to the business. Ketchum, ID: MC Press. Talbot, J. and Jakeman, M. (2009). Security risk management body of knowledge. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Journals: Ferguson, R. (2014). Retirement Income Security: Challenges and Opportunities. Risk Management and Insurance Review, 17(1), pp.1-6 Hansson, S. (2008). From the casino to the jungle. Synthese, 168(3), pp.423-432 Koh, Y. and Lee, S. (2011). Cross-listing effect of U.S. casino companies: Risk-adjusted performances. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 30(4), pp.1055-1058. Michael, K. (2012). Security Risk Management: Building an Information Security Risk Management Program from the Ground Up. Computers Security, 31(2), pp.249-250 Southern, S. (2009). Creating risk management strategies for IT security. Network Security, 2009(3), pp.13-16 Websites: Anon, (2015). [online] Available at: https://Security risk management in casino [Accessed 2 Jan. 2015] Appendix: Figure: Schematic of the security development of the Casino

The Waste Land By T.S. Eliot Essays - Eliot Family, New Criticism

The Waste Land By T.S. Eliot SPEECH/LANGUAGE (I) In the poem, The Waste Land, T. S. Eliot gives a primarily positive connotation by using the theme of speech, language, and failure of speech. In each of the sections, Eliot shows how speech and communication are important in life. He also shows that speech cannot always accomplish what actions can. The way the characters in the poem use speech show that speech and communication are important. A Game of Chess This section may be the best example of communication in the whole poem. While many of the other themes are present, the main part of this section deal with the interaction between two people, in two different places. Although at first these conversations seem to be very fruitless and unproductive, at the end it is revealed that what was trying to be accomplished by the conversations happens anyway. The first part of A Game of Chess tells of a man and a woman having dinner. A very elaborate description of the dinner scene, the woman, and the sights and smells that fill the room. After dinner to woman tries to engage the man in conversation but to no avail. As she continues to get more frustrated with and his unwillingness to answer her questions, it would seem Eliot is showing how speech and communication do not accomplish their intended goals. The woman keeps asking the man what he wants to do after dinner, but only his thoughts are revealed to the reader, he does not respond to the woman. Eventually after the woman's tiring effort to get a response they still end up taking a carriage ride and playing a game of chess. So while the woman thought that she was getting no where with him, she actually achieved exactly what she wanted. In this sense a transformation occurs from the point in which the woman thought that she was getting no where to the point where she realized that he had been listening the whole time, and she still got to do what she wanted to do. The second part of this section tells of two women who's husbands are off to war. One is telling the other that she should try to make herself look good for her husband upon his return. She insists that she has no reason for looking good and that she does not want anymore kids anyway. The woman eventually get fed up with her ignorance and says that her husband may leave her if she does not change for him. Here it seems that communication is also pointless because no matter how much the woman tries to change the other's mind she still refuses to change. When the husbands do finally return though, they are still happy to see their wives and the section ends with good night, ladies which shows that the husbands were happy to see their wives no matter what they looked like. The same transformation occurs here as well. In the beginning the conversation seems to be going nowhere but what was trying to get accomplished still does. What the Thunder Said This final section talks about the salvation of the Waste Land. This dry arid place must have water to go on existing and to change from the state that it is in now. The thunder can be heard from beyond the mountain but it is not coming over into the valley to save the Waste Land. A story is told of a woman who plays a violin with a strand of her hair as a bow. This music brings singing from the empty cisterns and wells of the land, and eventually it is this woman's song which brings the rains to the Waste Land. Although it is not speech, this is a form of communication, and it shows the importance of it. The song is the salvation of the Waste Land. When the rains finally come, the thunder speaks with the voice of the gods. It repeats over and over the word Da, which comes from the Upanishads. It can be translated in three different ways by the gods, man, or demons. This shows that while one thing is said it can be interpreted in many ways depending upon the

Adults and children essayEssay Writing Service

Adults and children essayEssay Writing Service Adults and children essay Adults and children essayMany adults become upset when young people break with traditions of the past. Some of them become upset, others become angry, while there are adults who start to swear hard. Their reaction may be different in different situations. Undoubtedly, these adults cannot be justified in reacting this way for a number of reasons.First, adults should not think only about their own beliefs, values and experiences that affect their lifestyle. Young people should be given an opportunity to develop their own traditions, which are consistent with their lifestyles. For example, young people love new trends in music. They should not be forbidden to listen to the music they love. Adults’ preferences in music are different. If there is a tradition in the family to listen to classical music, adults have no right to insist on holding this tradition by the younger generation.Second, adults should not have a powerful influence on young people’s opinions. It is necessa ry to take into consideration that the times are changing. There is a saying: â€Å"you either break tradition, or the tradition will break you†. Adults should not allow young people to become the victims of old traditions. Adults should adjust to changes in life because life is changing constantly. In other words, adults should make concrete adjustments according to the times they live in. For example, there is a family tradition to spend Christmas Eve at home. However, young people prefer to spend this holiday together. Adults should not interfere because of the changing times.Thus, it is necessary to conclude that there is much evidence from the experiences of people regarding the inappropriateness of adults’ behavior and reaction when young people break with traditions of the past. Many young people have acquired traditions from previous generations and continue to hold these traditions, without any knowledge of their meaning. Adults should adjust to the changing t imes and allow young people to develop their own traditions.

Single Source Essay Over Short Story Essays

Single Source Essay Over Short Story Essays Single Source Essay Over Short Story Essay Single Source Essay Over Short Story Essay Shirley Jackson’s story The Lottery illustrates a village and the citizens caught up in tradition and the past. It is like a place caught in time, where progress is slow to come. While hints of progress show here and there, the core of the village and the people within it are based in a time many years before. They seem incapable of taking the steps necessary to burgeon into a truly modern town of the time, nor do they seem to want to.The setting is casual, even idyllic. It could be any vllage in the world, and the people could easily be anyone’s neighbors. It   is difficult to picture a more normal scene than is represented in the first two or three paragraphs.   It is only when you progress a little farther that seems get curious, and even then it appears to be some sort of celebration   that will result in someone gaining some great prize.Hints of the village’s anachronism come early on, in the form of the obvious division of the sexes. While the men gathered first, â€Å"speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes† (para 3), the women followed them in their â€Å"faded house dresses and sweaters† (para 3), gossiping together. The behavior of the children indicates that they know who is in charge, coming only after being called several times by their mothers, showing them far less respect than Bobby Martin does to his father, who he obeys immediately.Later in the story, this obvious patriarchal view of life becomes even more obvious as it is the men who draw the lots, or the oldest boy, if old enough, if the man is unable due to injury or death. The one woman who is allowed to draw a lot only does so because her son is not yet old enough to take that responsibility, and judging from the reactions and words of the other villagers, it seems highly to be a highly unnatural state of things.Everything about the story lends credence to the idea that these people live in the past, but nothing mo re so than their lottery. This tradition is something to which they hold on fiercely, any mention of other towns who have given up the practice being met with scorn. Mr. Warner, the oldest man in the village, expresses the sentiment of at least most of the villagers rather succinctly as he states â€Å"There’s always been a lottery† (para 32), expecting that reason to validate the practice and speaking with obvious scorn and disgust about those who have left the tradition behind.Even Tessie Hutchinson, who through her earlier actions might seem to have a reluctance to continue the practice, does not dispute its validity in the end. Instead, she can only declare how unfair it was that her family, and specifically herself, was chosen, even to the extent that she attempted to decrease her own chances of being the one to die by insisting that her oldest, married daughter draw with the family. She never goes so far as to dispute the need for the lottery, simply her own posi tion as the sacrificial lamb.Jackson further perpetuates the feeling that the villagers will not soon let go of their valued tradition, as the baton passes to yet another generation as Tessie’s son Davy was given pebbles of his own to throw so that he could contribute to the death of his own mother and thus continue the cycle in later years.Through this story, we can see the dangers of not letting go of the past and of letting progress pass us by. Such violent and barbaric traditions can only make the dark monsters within ourselves grow, even if all outward appearances belie the truth of that inhumanity.

Capital Investment Thesis Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Capital Investment - Thesis Proposal Example The capital investment project related to health that is selected for this paper is expansion and renovation of a diagnostic and imaging department. Effective imaging services in an emergency department begin by having enough space to cater for the high number of emergency cases. The imaging departments are known to offer a wide range of services and thus implying that they expect a high number of patients. Their services can be used in the treatment of different diseases, and injuries (Colchester East Hants Health Authority, 2014). The expansion diagnostic imaging department will be vital in creating enough space for emergency imaging services and providing enough room for new CT scanners. The room will be helpful in establishing modern environment in diagnostic imaging and ensure current standards in this emergency department are addressed. Creation of more space will also be helpful in ensuring that the issue of transferring inpatients to other hospitals is reduced. Third, there will be control and prevention of infections. The expansion will also lead to a new work environment, which will help recruit new emergency specialists and physicians. It will encourage a patient centred experience. Furthermore, there will be an opportunity to ensure that the emergency department for imaging responds to the community increasing needs. Last, it will help develop space for an ambulatory clinic. In funding capital expenditures, there are multiple sources that can be adopted (Sullivan & Steven, 2005. The source used will depend on the needs of the organization and the existence of other projects. In funding for this project, there can be an advance planning so that its funding can be considered in the coming fiscal year. In this regard, the hospital can decide and set some amount that will cater for the project for a given in time. In addition, the funds from this source can be used to supplement

Physicians Assisted Suicide Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Physicians Assisted Suicide - Research Paper Example Therefore, it transpires that in the case of physician-assisted suicide, the elements of alleviation of pain and suffering or infeasibility of further treatment are not deemed mandatory. Though ancient Greek culture has recognized this practice on the grounds of rationality, it finally appears to have assumed a religious morality angle under the patronage of the Christian church, which ascribes a â€Å"sinful nature to suicide† (Lachman 121). In the modern day, a controversy exists on the topic because while some people argue that an individual reserves the right to end his or her life, others contend that aiding or assisting a person to commit suicide amounts to abetting murder. A. Purpose of the Paper: This paper attempts to explore the topic in detail, with specific reference to it legal, moral and social responsibility contexts and to analyze whether an extreme measure of physician assisted suicide can be accepted as a standard norm in a civilized society. In doing so, the paper will examine the practical implication of the issue both on the society as well as an individual, who seeks to end his or her life due to some reason and rationale. B. ... C. Background Information on the Topic: The claim to individual’s rights or autonomy is a tenable proposition and a patient’s right to choose between life and death, especially when he or she suffers from some incurable health condition, needs to be honored. However, religious notions and moral values imbibed in a civilized society forbid the voluntary termination of a life. Thus, the question of the validity and legality of sanctioning physician-assisted suicide as a standard practice has become a matter of high controversy. Generally, patients with terminal health conditions such as AIDS, cancer etc are the ones who request to â€Å"hasten death† and it becomes an emotional and moral dilemma for the healthcare professionals (121). Research evidence from Oregon suggests that nearly â€Å"1 of 1,000† patients â€Å"obtain and use† medication to terminate their lives while â€Å"17%† of them have considered it as a viable option (123). Thus, i t appears that despite the reservation about ending of life by terminally ill patients, on the grounds of religious beliefs and morality, many choose it as a favorable option in states that legalize physician-assisted suicide. Therefore, there is scope for an in depth analysis and exploration of various legal aspects of the issue. In addition, I also have personal experience from within my community, wherein I have seen one neighbor suffering from breast cancer. Her condition remained so painful that she kept asking her husband and children to have her life terminated through PAS. It was also difficult for her family to keep up with her, without compromising their daily commitments. Her husband was a sales executive in a big

Economic Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Economic Theories - Essay Example Keynes was the one who completely refuted Say's Law, so much so that he said that the opposite of the law was actually the truth. In this paper we will analyze the criticisms of all these three major economists in comparison with each other. J.B.Say believed that production causes consumption, that is, production is the main source of consumption. What, and how much a person demands depended on the income produced by their own acts of production. Say says that a person pays for goods and services through goods and services. This means that the demand for a commodity is a function of the supply of other commodities. Say's Law of Markets explains the process through which supplies in general are converted into demands in general. Say found that supply will be equal to the demand for other goods. For him, since demand results from the production of products, so there can never be excess supply over demand. Thus, Say believes that there cannot be general overproduction in an economy. He did say that it was possible to have a surplus or shortage of a particular commodity, but these gluts of production were not a result of general overproduction, but instead they were a result of overproduction of a certain good in comparison with other goods which were under produced. So he accepted that there could be short term gluts in an economy, but that it will right itself automatically through the mechanism of prices. He wrote in his "Treatise on Political Economy": "Garnier, in the notes he joins to his excellent translation of Adam Smith, says that in the old nations of Europe, where capital has accumulated for centuries, a superabundance of annual product would be an obstruction to circulation were it not absorbed by a proportionate consumption. I can see that circulation can be obstructed by superabundance of certain products, but that can only be a passing evil, for people will soon cease to engage in a line of production whose products exceed the need for them and lose their value, and they will turn to the production of goods more in demand. But I do not see how the products of a nation in general can ever be too abundant, for each such product provides the means for purchasing another." (Translated by Palmer 1997, p.76, Cottrell 1997, p.2) Thus, Say implies that an adjustment in production, prices or marketing strategies would lead to the removal of disequilibrium - arising from overproduction in a particular type of product - in a free market economy. This is the basic proposition of Say's Law of Markets. Say also believed that savings are beneficial for the economy and are a means of future growth. So they are even better than consumption. He said that savings are led immediately into investments in pursuit of profits, so there would be no deficiency of income, production or consumption. This means that income is always spent either on satisfying current wants through consumption or satisfying future wants through savings accumulation. Hence the market would automatically return to equilibrium even if some income is not devoted to consumption but rather goes to investment. So, general under consumption, just like general over production of a product was not possible, ever. He made an implicit assumption that prices and wages should be flexible. (Anderson) For him money was only a medium of exchange and not a store of wealth. As an inference, Say denounced government interference with the pricing

Promoting The Health And Wellbeing Health And Social Care Essay

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

Impact of Law Changes on Tourism Industry Essay -- Business Policy

This essay will discuss how recent changes in the law may impact the tourism industry, as it is extremely vulnerable when it comes to these emendations in regulations and that is why politics contributes to these impacts. Governments introduce different laws and regulations which every individual and business must follow or adapt to, organisations often have to change the way they operate due new policies, and these alterations cost a lot of capital and if they fail to follow the rules, organisations can face court for example if customers feel that the facilities doesn’t meet their needs e.g. wheelchair user in a shop with not lift to access the upstairs section. There are plenty of acts that that are opposed such as the equality act 2010, the taxation act 2010, and the environmental protection act 2006 that I will mainly focus on. The purpose of laws in the society is to protect the public and organisations as it allows to distinction in what is right and wrong, it also gives the authority to take actions against wrongness. According to Soanes and Stevenson (2006) law is a rule or system recognised by a country or community as regulating the actions of its member and enforced by the imposing of penalties. Howlettt (2010) stated that there are two types of laws: Criminal law which is concerned with offences against society at large crimes persecuted by the states, and these cases, if of non serious nature, are heard in magistrate court but if of serious nature, they will be heard in the crown courts and tried by jury. Civil law in the other hand is concerned with disputes between private parties, for example consumers and supplies, injured party, issue damage or injunction, and these cases are heard in county court. Laws ha... ...st-body-is-slated-for-role-in-sacking-1.1024158 [accessed: 11 November 2010] Wallop, H. (2010) Tax rise will end benefits brought by air travel, warns BA. The telegraph [Online]. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/air-passenger-duty/8095665/Tax-rise-will-end-benefits-brought-by-air-travel-warns-BA.html [Accessed: 09 November 2010] Poulter, S. (2010) passenger hits with 55% rise in air passenger duty form Monday. Mail online [Online]. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1324858/Air-Passenger-Duty-rise-Tax-increase-slammed-travel-companies.html [Accessed: 09 November 2010] Soanes, C and Stevenson, A. (2006) concise oxford English dictionary 11th edition, revised. United estates: Oxford University Clements, P and Spinks, T. (2009) The equal Opportunity hand book, 4th edition, rev, London: Kogan Page 2009

The Golden Lily Chapter 2

I DIDN'T SLEEP THAT NIGHT. Part of it was simply the time change. My flight back to Palm Springs was scheduled for six in the morning – which was three in the morning in the time zone my body still thought it was in. Sleeping seemed pointless. And, of course, there was the teeny-tiny fact that it was kind of hard to relax after everything I'd witnessed over at the Alchemist bunker. If I wasn't envisioning Liam's freaky eyes, then I was replaying the constant warnings I'd heard about those who got too close to vampires. It didn't help the situation that I had an inbox full of messages from the gang in Palm Springs. Normally, I checked my e-mail automatically on my phone when I was out and about. Now, in my hotel room, staring at the various messages, I found myself filled with doubt. Were these truly professional? Were they too friendly? Did they blur the lines of Alchemist protocol? After seeing what had happened to Keith, it was more obvious than ever that it didn't take much to get in trouble with my organization. One message was from Jill, with a subject line reading: Angeline†¦ sigh. This wasn't a surprise to me, and I didn't bother reading it yet. Angeline Dawes, a dhampir recruited to be Jill's roommate and provide an extra layer of security, had had a little trouble fitting into Amberwood. She was always in trouble for something, and I knew whatever it was this time, there was nothing I could do about it right now. Another message was from Angeline herself. I also didn't read it. The subject was: READ THIS! SO FUNNY! Angeline had only recently discovered e-mail. She had not, so it seemed, discovered how to turn off the caps-lock key. She also had no discrimination when it came to forwarding jokes, financial scams, or virus warnings. And speaking of that last one†¦ we'd had to finally install child protection software on her laptop, in order to block her from certain websites and ads. That had come after she'd accidentally downloaded four viruses. It was the last e-mail in my inbox that gave me pause. It was from Adrian Ivashkov, the only person in our group who wasn't posing as a student at Amberwood Preparatory School. Adrian was a twenty-one-year-old Moroi, so it would have been kind of a stretch passing him off in high school. Adrian was along because he and Jill had a psychic bond that had been inadvertently created when he'd used his magic to save her life. All Moroi wielded some type of elemental magic, and his was spirit – a mysterious element tied to the mind and healing. The bond allowed Jill to see Adrian's thoughts and emotions, which was troubling to both of them. His staying near her helped them work out some of the bond's kinks. Also, Adrian had nothing better to do. His message's subject was: SEND HELP IMMEDIATELY. Unlike Angeline, Adrian knew the rules of capitalization and was simply going for dramatic effect. I also knew that if I had any doubts about which of my messages related to my job, this was hands-down the most nonprofessional one in the set. Adrian wasn't my responsibility. Yet, I clicked the message anyway. Day 24. Situation is growing worse. My captors continue to find new and horrific ways to torture me. When not working, Agent Scarlet spends her days examining fabric swatches for bridesmaid dresses and going on about how in love she is. This usually causes Agent Boring Borscht to regale us with stories of Russian weddings that are even more boring than his usual ones. My attempts at escape have been thwarted thus far. Also, I am out of cigarettes. Any assistance or tobacco products you can send will be greatly appreciated. – Prisoner 24601 I began smiling in spite of myself. Adrian sent me some kind of message like this nearly every day. This summer, we had learned that those who were forcibly turned Strigoi could be turned back with the use of spirit. It was still a tricky, complicated process†¦ made more so by the fact that there were so few spirit users. Even more recent events had suggested that those restored from being Strigoi could never be turned again. That had electrified Alchemists and Moroi alike. If there was some magical way to prevent Strigoi conversion, freaks like Liam would no longer be a problem. That was where Sonya Karp and Dimitri Belikov came in – or, as Adrian called them in his angst-filled letters, â€Å"Agent Scarlet† and â€Å"Agent Boring Borscht.† Sonya was a Moroi; Dimitri was a dhampir. Both had once been Strigoi and had been saved by spirit magic. The two of them had come to Palm Springs last month to work with Adrian in a sort of think tank to figure out what might protect against Strigoi turning. It was an extremely important task, one that could have huge ramifications if successful. Sonya and Dimitri were some of the hardest working people I knew – which didn't always mesh with Adrian's style. A lot of their work involved slow, painstaking experiments – many involving Eddie Castile, a dhampir who was also undercover at Amberwood. He was serving as the control subject since, unlike Dimitri, Eddie was a dhampir untouched by spirit or a Strigoi history. There wasn't much I could do to help Adrian with his frustration over his research group – and he knew it. He just liked playing up the drama and venting to me. Mindful of what was essential and nonessential in the Alchemist world, I was on the verge of deleting the message, but†¦ One thing made me hesitate. Adrian had signed his e-mail with a reference to Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. It was a book about the French Revolution that was so thick, it could easily double as a weapon. I had read it in both French and English. Considering Adrian had once gotten bored while reading a particularly long menu, I had a hard time imagining he'd read the Hugo book in any language. So how did he know the reference? It doesn't matter, Sydney, a stern Alchemist voice said inside my head. Delete it. It's irrelevant. Adrian's literary knowledge (or lack thereof) is no concern of yours. But I couldn't do it. I had to know. This was the kind of detail that would drive me crazy. I wrote back with a quick message: How do you know about 24601? I refuse to believe you read the book. You saw the musical, right? I hit send and received a response back from him almost immediately: SparkNotes. Typical. I laughed out loud and immediately felt guilty. I shouldn't have responded. This was my personal e-mail account, but if the Alchemists ever felt the need to investigate me, they'd have no qualms about accessing it. This kind of thing was damning, and I deleted the e-mail exchange – not that it mattered. No data was ever truly lost. By the time I landed in Palm Springs at seven the next morning, it was painfully obvious that I had surpassed my body's limits to subsist on caffeine. I was too exhausted. No amount of coffee would help anymore. I nearly fell asleep at the airport's curb, waiting for my ride. When it arrived, I didn't notice until I heard my name called. Dimitri Belikov jumped out of a blue rental car and strode toward me, grabbing hold of my suitcase before I could utter a word. A few nearby women stopped talking to stare at him admiringly. I got to my feet. â€Å"You don't have to do that,† I said, even though he was already loading my suitcase into the trunk. â€Å"Of course I do,† he said, his words lightly touched with a Russian accent. He gave me a small smile. â€Å"You looked like you were asleep.† â€Å"I should be so lucky,† I said, getting into the passenger side. Even if I'd been wide awake, I knew Dimitri would've taken my suitcase anyway. That's how he was, a lost remnant of chivalry in the modern world, ever-ready to help others. That was only one of the many striking things about Dimitri. His looks alone were certainly enough to make many halt in their tracks. He had dark brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail, with matching brown eyes that seemed mysterious and alluring. He was tall, too – about 67 – rivaling some Moroi. Dhampirs were indistinguishable from humans to me, so even I could admit that he scored pretty high on the attractiveness scale. There was also an energy around him that you couldn't help but be affected by. He was always on alert, always ready for the unexpected. I'd never seen his guard down. He was constantly ready to strike. He was dangerous, no question, and I was comforted that he was on our side. I always felt safe around him – and a little wary. â€Å"Thanks for the ride,† I added. â€Å"I could've called a taxi.† Even as I spoke, I knew my words were as useless as when I'd told him he didn't need to help me with my bag. â€Å"It's no problem,† he assured me, driving toward suburban Palm Springs. He wiped sweat off his brow and somehow made that look attractive. Even this early in the morning, the heat was beginning to build. â€Å"Sonya insisted. Besides, no experiments today.† I frowned at that. Those experiments and the amazing potential they represented to prevent the creation of more Strigoi were vastly important. Dimitri and Sonya knew that and were dedicated to the cause – especially on weekends, when Adrian and Eddie didn't have classes – which made this news so puzzling. My own work ethic had a hard time understanding why there'd be no research happening on a Sunday. â€Å"Adrian?† I guessed. Maybe he wasn't â€Å"in the mood† for research today. â€Å"Partially,† said Dimitri. â€Å"We're also missing our control subject. Eddie said he had some conflict and couldn't make it.† My frown deepened. â€Å"What conflict could Eddie have?† Eddie was intensely dedicated too. Adrian sometimes called him mini-Dimitri. Although Eddie was going to high school and completing assignments just like me, I knew he'd drop any homework in an instant to help out with the greater good. I could think of only one thing that would take precedence over helping find a â€Å"cure† for being Strigoi. My heart suddenly raced. â€Å"Is Jill okay?† She had to be. Someone would have told me, right? Eddie's main purpose in Palm Springs – and mine – was to keep her safe. If she was in danger, it would trump everything else. â€Å"She's fine,† said Dimitri. â€Å"I talked to her this morning. I'm not sure what's going on, but Eddie wouldn't be away without good reason.† â€Å"I suppose not,† I murmured, still concerned. â€Å"You worry as much as me,† teased Dimitri. â€Å"I didn't think that was possible.† â€Å"It's my job to worry. I always have to make sure everyone's okay.† â€Å"Sometimes it's not a bad thing to make sure you're okay too. You might find it actually helps others.† I scoffed. â€Å"Rose always joked about your ‘Zen Master Wisdom.' Am I getting a taste of it? If so, I can see why she was helpless against your charms.† This earned me one of Dimitri's rare, genuine laughs. â€Å"I think so. If you ask her, she'll claim it was the staking and decapitation. But I'm sure it was the Zen wisdom that won her in the end.† My answering smile immediately melted into a yawn. It was amazing that I could joke with a dhampir. I used to have panic attacks being in the same room with them or Moroi. Slowly, over the last six months, my anxiety had begun to ease up. I'd never shake the feeling of â€Å"otherness† I got from all of them, but I'd come a long way. Part of me knew it was a good thing that I still drew that line between them and humans, but it was also good to be flexible in order to make my job smoother. Not too flexible, that inner Alchemist voice warned. â€Å"Here we are,† said Dimitri, pulling up in front of my dorm at Amberwood Prep. If he'd noticed my shift in mood, he didn't say so. â€Å"You should get some rest.† â€Å"I'll try,† I said. â€Å"But I need to find out what's going on with Eddie first.† Dimitri's face turned all-business. â€Å"If you can find him, you should bring him over tonight, and we can see about getting a little work done. Sonya would love it. She has some new ideas.† I nodded, reminding myself that that was the kind of standard we needed to adhere to. Work, work, work. We had to remember our higher goals. â€Å"I'll see what I can do.† I thanked him again and then headed inside, filled with resolve to carry out my mission. So, it was a bit disappointing when my lofty goals were shattered so quickly. â€Å"Miss Melrose?† I turned immediately at the sound of the last name I'd assumed here at Amberwood. Mrs. Weathers, our plump, elderly dorm matron, was hurrying over to me. Her face was lined with worry, which couldn't bode well. â€Å"I'm so glad you're back,† she said. â€Å"I trust you had a good family visit?† â€Å"Yes, ma'am.† If by â€Å"good,† she meant â€Å"terrifying and unsettling.† Mrs. Weathers beckoned me over to her desk. â€Å"I need to talk to you about your cousin.† I held back a grimace as I recalled Jill's e-mail. Cousin Angeline. All of us attending Amberwood were doing so under fake family connections. Jill and Eddie were my siblings. Angeline was our cousin. It helped explain why we were always together and getting involved with each other's business. I sat down with Mrs. Weathers and thought longingly of my bed. â€Å"What's happened?† I asked. Mrs. Weathers sighed. â€Å"Your cousin is having trouble with our dress code.† That was a surprise. â€Å"But we have uniforms, ma'am.† â€Å"Of course,† she said. â€Å"But not outside of classes.† That was true. I was in khaki dress pants and a green short-sleeved blouse, along with a small gold cross I always wore. I did a mental rundown of Angeline's wardrobe, trying to recall if I'd ever seen anything concerning about it. Probably the most appalling part was its quality. Angeline had come from the Keepers, a mixed community of humans, Moroi, and dhampirs who lived in the Appalachian Mountains. Along with a lack of electricity and plumbing, the Keepers chose to make a lot of their clothing or at least wear it into threads. â€Å"Friday night, I saw her wearing the most appallingly short jean shorts,† continued Mrs. Weathers with a shudder. â€Å"I immediately chastised her, and she told me they were the only way she could be comfortable in the heat outside. I gave her a warning and advised she find more appropriate attire. Saturday, she appeared in the same shorts and a tank top that was totally indecent. That was when I suspended her to the dorm for the rest of the weekend.† â€Å"I'm sorry, ma'am,† I said. Really, I had no idea what else to say. I'd spent the weekend caught up in the epic battle to save humanity, and now†¦ jean shorts? Mrs. Weathers grew hesitant. â€Å"I know†¦ well, I know this isn't really anything you should be involved in. It's a parental matter. But, seeing as how you're so responsible and look out for the rest of your family†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I sighed. â€Å"Yes, ma'am. I'll take care of it. Thank you for not taking more severe action against her.† I went upstairs, my small suitcase growing heavier with each step. When I reached the second floor, I stopped, unsure what to do. One more floor would take me to my room. This floor would take me to â€Å"Cousin Angeline.† Reluctantly, I turned into the second floor hall, knowing the sooner this was dealt with, the better. â€Å"Sydney!† Jill Mastrano opened the dorm room's door, her light green eyes shining with joy. â€Å"You're back.† â€Å"So it seems,† I said, following her inside. Angeline was there as well, lounging on her bed with a textbook. I was pretty sure that was the first time I'd ever seen her study, but the house arrest probably limited her recreational options. â€Å"What did the Alchemists want?† asked Jill. She sat cross-legged on her own bed and began absentmindedly playing with the strands of her curly, light brown hair. I shrugged. â€Å"Paperwork. Boring stuff. Sounds like things were a little more exciting here.† That was delivered with a pointed look at Angeline. The dhampir girl jumped off her bed, face furious and blue eyes flashing. â€Å"It wasn't my fault! That Weathers woman was completely out of line!† she exclaimed, a slight southern drawl in her words. A quick scan of Angeline showed nothing too concerning. Her jeans were threadbare but decent, as was her T-shirt. Even her mop of strawberry blonde hair was tame for a change, tied back in a ponytail. â€Å"What on earth did you wear that got her so upset then?† I asked. Scowling, Angeline went to her dresser and produced a pair of jean shorts with the most ragged hem I'd ever seen. I thought they'd unravel before my eyes. They were also so short that I wouldn't have been surprised if they showed underwear when she wore them. â€Å"Where did you get those?† Angeline almost looked proud. â€Å"I made them.† â€Å"With what, a hacksaw?† â€Å"I had two pairs of jeans,† she said pragmatically. â€Å"It was so hot out, I figured I might as well turn one into shorts.† â€Å"She used a knife from the cafeteria,† said Jill helpfully. â€Å"Couldn't find the scissors,† explained Angeline. My bed. Where was my bed? â€Å"Mrs. Weathers mentioned something about an indecent shirt too,† I said. â€Å"Oh,† said Jill. â€Å"That was mine.† I felt my eyebrows rise. â€Å"What? I know you don't own anything ‘indecent.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Before Angeline had come along a month ago, Jill and I had been roommates. â€Å"It's not,† agreed Jill. â€Å"Except, it's not really Angeline's size.† I glanced between the two girls and understood. Jill was tall and slim, like most Moroi, with a figure much coveted among human fashion designers, a figure I would've killed to have. Jill had even done some modeling. With that figure came a modest chest. Angeline's chest†¦ was not so modest. If she wore a tank top in Jill's size, I imagined the shirt's structural integrity would indeed be stretched to indecent limits. â€Å"Jill wears that tank top all the time and doesn't get in trouble,† said Angeline defensively. â€Å"I figured there wouldn't be a problem if I borrowed it.† My head was starting to hurt. Still, I supposed this was better than the time Angeline had been caught making out with a guy in the boys' bathroom. â€Å"Well. This is easily fixed. We can go – well, I can go since you're stuck here – and get you some clothes in your size tonight.† â€Å"Oh,† Angeline said, suddenly turning more upbeat, â€Å"you don't have to. Eddie's handling it.† If not for Jill nodding along, I would've thought it was a joke. â€Å"Eddie? Eddie's buying you clothes?† Angeline sighed happily. â€Å"Isn't that nice of him?† Nice? No, but I understood why Eddie would do it. Getting decent clothes for Angeline was the last thing he probably wanted to do, but he would do it. Like me, he understood duty. And now I could guess why Eddie had canceled the experiments – and been vague about his reasons for doing so. I immediately took out my cell phone and called him. He answered right away, like always. I was certain he was never more than three feet from his phone at all times. â€Å"Hello, Sydney. Glad you're back.† He paused. â€Å"You are back, right?† â€Å"Yeah, I'm with Jill and Angeline. I understand you've been doing some shopping.† He groaned. â€Å"Don't get me started. I just walked into my room.† â€Å"You want to swing by with your purchases? I need the car back anyway.† There was a moment's hesitation. â€Å"Would you mind coming over here? As long as Jill's okay. She is okay, right? She doesn't need me? Because if she does – â€Å" â€Å"She's fine.† His dorm wasn't far, but I'd been hoping for a quick nap. Nonetheless, I found myself agreeing, just like I always did. â€Å"Okay. I'll meet you in the lobby in about fifteen minutes?† â€Å"Sounds good. Thanks, Sydney.† As soon as I disconnected, Angeline asked excitedly, â€Å"Is Eddie coming over?† â€Å"I'm going to him,† I said. Her face fell. â€Å"Oh. Well, I guess it doesn't matter since I have to stay here anyway. I can't wait until I'm free to train again. I'd like to get some more one-on-one time with him.† I hadn't realized how focused Angeline was on her training. In fact, she seemed really excited about the prospect of it. I left their room and was surprised to find Jill right behind me once the door shut. Her eyes were wide and anxious. â€Å"Sydney†¦ I'm sorry.† I regarded her curiously, wondering now if she'd done something. â€Å"For what?† She gestured toward the door. â€Å"For Angeline. I should have done better at keeping her out of trouble.† I almost smiled. â€Å"That's not your job.† â€Å"Yeah, I know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She glanced down, letting some of her long hair fall forward. â€Å"But still. I know I should be more like you. Instead, I've just been†¦ you know. Having fun.† â€Å"You're entitled to it,† I said, trying to ignore the subtle commentary on me. â€Å"I should still be more responsible,† she argued. â€Å"You are responsible,† I assured her. â€Å"Especially compared to Angeline.† My family had a cat back in Utah that I was pretty sure was more responsible than Angeline. Jill's face brightened, and I left her so that I could return the suitcase to my room. Angeline's arrival and my work in busting Keith had earned me my own private room in the dorm, something I treasured. Inside it, everything was quiet and orderly. My perfect world. The one place that the chaos of my life couldn't touch. The neatly made bed was asking to be slept in. Begging, really. Soon, I promised it. I hope. Amberwood Prep was divided into three campuses, East (where the girls were housed), West (where the boys were), and Central (containing all the academic buildings). A shuttle bus ran between them on a regular schedule, or brave souls could walk between them in the heat. I usually didn't mind the temperatures, but walking seemed like a lot of work today. So, I took the shuttle to West Campus and tried to stay awake. The lobby of the boys' dorm was a lot like my own, people coming and going to either catch up on academic work or simply enjoy the Sunday off. I glanced around, but Eddie wasn't here yet. â€Å"Hey, Melbourne.† I turned and found Trey Juarez approaching, a grin on his tanned face. He was a senior like me and had picked up the Melbourne nickname after one of our teachers proved incapable of remembering Melrose. Honestly, with all these names, it was a wonder I knew who I was anymore. â€Å"Hey, Trey,† I said. Trey was a bona fide high school football star – but also pretty brainy, no matter how much he tried to hide it. We got along well as a result, and my help in restoring his athletic status last month had gone a long way to raise my stock in his eyes. A backpack hung on one of his shoulders. â€Å"Are you finally going to finish that chem lab write-up?† â€Å"Yup,† he said. â€Å"Me and half the cheerleading squad. You want to join us?† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Somehow I doubt there'll be much work going on. Besides, I'm meeting Eddie.† Trey gave an easy shrug and brushed some unruly black hair out of his eyes. â€Å"Your loss. See you tomorrow.† He took a couple of steps and then glanced back at me. â€Å"Hey, are you dating anyone?† I immediately started to say no, and then a panicked thought occurred to me. I had a tendency to take things very literally. Friends of mine here, Kristin and Julia, had been trying to train me up in the subtleties of high school social life. One of their chief lessons was that what people said wasn't always what they meant – particularly in romantic matters. â€Å"Are you†¦ are you asking me out?† I asked, taken aback. This was the last thing I needed right now. How should I respond? Should I say yes? Should I say no? I'd had no idea helping him with chemistry homework would be so alluring. I should've made him do it on his own. Trey looked as startled by the thought as I was. â€Å"What? No. Of course not.† â€Å"Thank God,† I said. I liked Trey, but I had no interest in dating him – or figuring out what the appropriate way to say â€Å"no† would be. He shot me a wry look. â€Å"You don't have to look that relieved.† â€Å"Sorry,† I said, trying to mask my embarrassment. â€Å"Why'd you ask?† â€Å"Because I know the perfect guy for you. I'm pretty sure he's your soul mate.† We were back in familiar territory now: logic vs. lack of logic. â€Å"I don't believe in soul mates,† I said. â€Å"It's statistically unreasonable that there's only one ideal person for everyone in the world.† And yet, for half a moment, I wished it was kind of possible. It'd be nice to have someone who understood some of the things that went on in my head. Trey rolled his eyes. â€Å"Okay. Not a soul mate. How about just someone you could maybe go out with once in a while and have a nice time with?† I shook my head. â€Å"I don't have time for anything like that.† And I didn't. Keeping everything in order with the group, and pretending to be a student, was a full time job as it was. â€Å"I'm telling you, you'd like him. He goes to a public school and just started at Spencer's.† Spencer's was a coffee shop Trey worked at, an arrangement that yielded me discounts. â€Å"The other day, he was going off on unaerobic vs. aerobic respiration, and I was thinking, ‘You know who this sounds like? Melbourne.'† â€Å"It's anaerobic respiration,† I corrected. â€Å"And it still doesn't mean I have the time. Sorry.† I had to admit, I was immensely curious about how that topic would have come up between baristas, but figured it was best not to encourage Trey. â€Å"Okay,† he said. â€Å"Don't say I never tried to help you.† â€Å"Wouldn't dream of it,† I assured him. â€Å"Hey, there's Eddie.† â€Å"My cue to go then. See you guys.† Trey gave a mock salute to Eddie and me. â€Å"Don't forget my offer if you want a hot date, Melbourne.† Trey left, and Eddie shot me an astonished look. â€Å"Did Trey just ask you out?† â€Å"No. He's just got some co-worker he wants to set me up with.† â€Å"Maybe that's not a bad idea.† â€Å"It's a terrible idea. Let's go outside.† The desert heat didn't seem to care that it was October, and I led us to a bench right by the dorm's stucco walls. Partial shade from some nearby palm trees offered mild relief. People swore the temperature would taper soon, but I'd seen no sign of change. Eddie handed me my car keys and a shopping bag from a local superstore. â€Å"I had to guess at size,† he told me. â€Å"When in doubt, I went big. Figured it was safer that way.† â€Å"Probably.† I sat down on a bench and rifled through his purchases. Jeans, khakis, a few solid colored T-shirts. They were very practical, very much something a no-nonsense guy like Eddie would pick out. I approved. â€Å"The size actually looks right. Good eye. We'll have to send you out shopping more often.† â€Å"If that's what I have to do,† he said, face serious. I couldn't help but laugh in surprise. â€Å"I was joking.† I put the shirts back in the bag. â€Å"I know that couldn't have been fun.† Eddie's face gave nothing away. â€Å"Oh, come on. It's okay. You don't have to play stoic with me. I know you didn't enjoy it.† â€Å"I'm here to do a job. Doesn't matter if I enjoy it or not.† I started to protest but then thought better of it. After all, wasn't that my philosophy too? Sacrificing my own wants for higher goals? Eddie was intensely dedicated to this mission. He never backed down. I expected nothing less from him than single-minded focus. â€Å"So, does that mean you're up for some experiments tonight?† I asked. â€Å"Of cours – † He stopped and reconsidered. â€Å"Are Jill and Angeline coming?† â€Å"No. Angeline's still under house arrest.† â€Å"Thank God,† he said with visible relief. His reaction was probably the most surprising thing to happen today. I couldn't imagine why Eddie would look so relieved. Aside from his guardian loyalty to Jill, he was also crazy about her. He would've done anything for her, even if it wasn't his job, but refused to share his feelings with her. He thought he was unworthy of a princess. An uneasy thought occurred to me. â€Å"Are you†¦ are you avoiding Jill because of her and Micah?† Micah was Eddie's roommate, a nice guy who caused Eddie all sorts of therapy-worthy trauma because he bore so much similarity to Eddie's dead best friend, Mason. Micah also had a weird pseudo-dating relationship with Jill. None of us were happy about it, since (aside from the Keepers) humans dating Moroi or dhampirs was strictly taboo. We'd finally decided it would be impossible to keep Jill from a social life, and she swore nothing serious or physical was going on between her and Micah. They just spent a lot of time together. And flirted incessantly. He didn't know the truth about her, but I wondered at what point he'd want more from their relationship. Eddie kept insisting it was better for Jill to have a casual relationship with a human than one with an â€Å"unworthy† dhampir like him, but I knew it had to be torturous. â€Å"Of course not,† said Eddie sharply. â€Å"It's not Jill I want to avoid. It's Angeline.† â€Å"Angeline? What's she done now?† Eddie ran a hand through his hair in frustration. His was a sandy blond, not far from my own, which was a dark gold. The similarity made it easy to pass ourselves off as twins. â€Å"She won't leave me alone! She's always dropping these suggestive comments when I'm around†¦ and she won't stop staring at me. Like, you wouldn't think that'd be creepy, but it is. She's always watching. And I can't avoid her because she's with Jill a lot of the time, and I have to keep Jill safe.† I thought back on recent interactions. â€Å"Are you sure you're reading this right? I've never noticed anything.† â€Å"That's because you don't notice that kind of thing,† he said. â€Å"You cannot imagine how many excuses she finds to rub up against me.† After seeing her homemade jean shorts, I actually could imagine it. â€Å"Huh. Well, maybe I can talk to her.† Like that, Eddie snapped back to all-business. â€Å"No. It's my problem, my personal life. I'll deal with it.† â€Å"Are you sure? Because I can – â€Å" â€Å"Sydney,† he said gently. â€Å"You're the most responsible person I know, but this isn't what you're here to do. You don't have to take care of everything and everyone.† â€Å"I don't mind,† I said automatically. â€Å"It is what I'm here for.† But even as I said it, I wondered if that was true. A bit of the anxiety from the bunker returned, making me question if what I did was truly Alchemist responsibility or the desire to help those who – against protocol – had become my friends. â€Å"See? Now you sound just like I did earlier.† He stood up and flashed me a grin. â€Å"You want to come with me to Adrian's? Be responsible together?† His words were meant as a compliment, but they echoed too close to what the Alchemists had told me. And Mrs. Weathers. And Jill. Everyone thought I was so amazing, so responsible and controlled. But if I was so amazing, then why was I always so unsure if I was doing the right thing?

Social networks as an advertising-based model The WritePass Journal

Social networks as an advertising-based model 1.0 Introduction. Social networks as an advertising-based model 1.0 Introduction.1.1 Background.2.0 Preliminary Literature Review.2.1 Word of Mouth (WOM).2.2 Online Social Networks.2.3 The Development of Online Social Networks 2.4 Marketing on Social Networks versus Word of Mouth.3.0 Aims and Objectives.4.0 Research methodology4.1 Research Design4.2 Implementation4.3 Data Collection5.0 Difficulties and Limitations6.0 Timescale7.0 Cost8.0 Outline Structure of the Proposed Research projectChapter 1:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   IntroductionChapter 2:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Literature ReviewChapter 3:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   MethodologyChapter 4:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   FindingsChapter 5:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ConclusionsReferencesRelated 1.0 Introduction. 1.1 Background. â€Å"Social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace have witnessed a rapid growth in their membership. Some of these businesses have tried an advertising-based model with very limited success. However, these businesses have not fully explored the power of their members to influence each other’s behaviour. This potential viral or social effect can have significant impact on the success of these companies as well as provide a unique new marketing opportunity for traditional companies†. (Iyengar et al 2009) This research is focused on the impact of online social networks versus word of mouth in product referencing. It is an attempt to investigate the impact of the rapid growth of online social networks on the consumer and to investigate the possibility of it becoming a useful alternative to traditional word of mouth.  Ã‚   According to Pedro Domingo (2005) traditionally, social network models have been descriptive, rather than predictive: they are developed at a very common level, normally with only a few global parameters, and are not practical for making concrete predictions of the future behaviour of the network. Until recent times, this was mainly due to lack of data: the networks available for tentative study were small and not many, and contained only nominal information about each node. Fortunately, the growth of the Internet has assisted its development. Substantial quantities of data are now available on very large social networks via blogs, social networking sites, knowledge -sharing sites, online gaming, newsgroups, chat rooms, etc. 2.0 Preliminary Literature Review. 2.1 Word of Mouth (WOM). Word of mouth (WOM) has been recognized over the years as a significant influence on how people think, feel and react. Writings on interpersonal persuasion has ancient origins. Aristotle produced what has been called ‘the most important single work in the history of speech in the fourth century BC (Thonssen and Beard, 1948, p. 63). The book Rhetoric (Aristotle, trans. Roberts, 1924) highlights the influential impact of three artistic proofs inhibited in a speaker these are: ethos, pathos and logos. Ethos, the ethical and personal appeals of a speaker, consists of how the speaker projects personal characteristics so as to induce belief on the part of the listener. Pathos entails the emotional features of the speaker. Logos or logical appeals in the form of examples and enthymemes were regarded by Aristotle as the basis of reasoned discourse. Some 23 centuries later there now exists an immense literature on interpersonal communication (Littlejohn, 1990). In a Marketing communication context, word of mouth (WOM) is a consumer-dominated channel, the sender is usually independent of the market. It is therefore perceived to be more reliable, credible, and trustworthy by consumers compared to firm-initiated communications (Schiffman Kanuk, 1995; Arndt, 1967). Traditional communications theory considers WOM as having a powerful influence on behaviour, especially on consumers’ information search, evaluation, and subsequent decision making (Cox 1963) It provides information relating to product performance and the social and psychological cost of the purchase decision (Cox, 1963).Research generally supports the claim that WOM is more influential on behaviour than other marketer-controlled sources. Indeed, it has been observed that WOM can be more influential than neutral print sources such as Which and Consumer Reports (Herr et al., 1991). 2.2 Online Social Networks. The term â€Å"Social network† can certainly not be described a new term, as individuals we are all involved in at least one form of social network and most of us especially the youth, are likely actively involved in several simultaneously, both â€Å"real† and online. The term social network can be defined as any web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site. (Boyd, et.al 2007). What makes social network sites unique is not that they allow individuals to meet strangers, but rather that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks. This can result in connections between individuals that would not otherwise be made, but that is often not the goal, and these meetings are frequently between â€Å"latent ties† who share some offline connection. (Haythornthwaite, 2005) 2.3 The Development of Online Social Networks The first recognizable social network site was launched in 1997 this was known as SixDegrees.com, this website provided its members with the opportunity to create profiles list their friends and by 1998 provided the option of surfing their friends list ultimately leading to the interactive nature of our social networks today. However before 1997 other website and internet tools had already implored some one or more of this features (Boyd, et.al 2007), profiles where already being used by dating sites, ICQ buddy lists; the pioneer of the current crop of Internet instant messenger clients supported the listing of Friends, however this list was not visible to others. Classmates.com, allowed its members to connect with their old school mates and surf the network for others who were also connected, but members could not develop profiles or list Friends. SixDegree.com became the first site to combine these three main features of social networks as we know them today. SixDegress.com was able to attract millions of users worldwide however its progress was halted and eventually shut down services in 2000. Reasons for its failure were attributed to its inability to become a sustainable business; the fact that its users did not have an extensive network of friends online and their non responsive nature to meeting strangers online also its users complained that the website offered little to do other than adding new friends, its founder believes that SixDegrees.com was simply ahead of its time (A. Weinreich, personal communication, July 11, 2007) cited from Boyd et al (2007). In 2001 Ryze.com was launched to assist its member by leveraging on each other’s business networks. The founder reports that he first introduced the site to his friends- primarily members of the San Francisco business and technology community, including the entrepreneurs and investors behind many future SNSs (Boyd, et.al 2007).To complement the features of their business website in 2002 the management of Ryze.com Launched   Friendster. It was created to compete with Match.com, a profitable online dating site (Cohen, 2003). Friendster gained footing amongst three groups of early adopters who ultimately defined the image of the site these where; bloggers, attendees of the Burning Man arts festival, and gay men. The website through these early adopters was able to grow to over 300,000 users through word of mouth before traditional press coverage began in May 2003 (O’Shea, 2003). As Friendster became more popular the site developed technical and social difficulties, this lead to a massive reduction in its users. However as its popularity faded in the United States and Europe its popularity increased in countries like the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia (Goldberg, 2007). Between 2003 and date several social network sites have been created the most influential of these is most likely Facebook. Facebook was started off in early 2004 as a Harvard-only SNS (Cassidy, 2006). To become a member, a user had to have a harvard.edu email address this trend continued when it spread to other institutions as users were required to login using their school email addresses this made Facebook appear as an intimate social networking site that still offered all the exposure (Boyd, et.al 2007). In more recent years, Twitter has also become a leader in social networking. 2.4 Marketing on Social Networks versus Word of Mouth. According to a report carried entitled, The European Social Media and Email Marketing Study on the Digital Dialogue between Facebook, Twitter and Email conducted by Volker Wiewer and Rolf Anweiler (2010), the usage of social networks is on a steady increase, in the UK out of 1045 respondents, 91% agreed to receiving at least one form of commercial communication through an online tool including email and newsletters. Facebook was the most popular amongst respondents and a further 94% acknowledged to either having an account or at least having knowledge of facebook and amongst these users the average number of friends was 77 users. However only 34% of the respondents agreed to engaging the typical forms of product or brand awareness on these social networks. These typical tools are however limited to; being a fan of/friend of a company/brand profile on a social network or a follower of a company/brand on twitter Word of mouth on the other hand has been shown to influence a variety of conditions: awareness, expectations, perceptions, attitudes, behavioural intentions and behaviour, (Buttle 1998). It has been described by scholars as one of the oldest and most powerful marketing tools however, it can also be negative. According to Arndt (1971), it can be said that negative word of mouth is more powerful than positive word of mouth.   White House Office of Consumer Affairs suggested that about ‘90%or more people who are disappointed with the service they receive will not patronize the service again. Furthermore, each of those unhappy clients will narrate his or her story to a minimum of 9 other people, and 13%of those unhappy former clients will tell their stories to more than 20 people’. It is not reported to how many these WOM recipients retell the story. (Buttle 1998) 3.0 Aims and Objectives. This study will attempt to obtain an understanding of marketing on online social networks. Evaluate the impact if any, of marketing on online social networks. Attempt to Identify the range of online social networks. It would explore the possibility of substituting traditional word of mouth with marketing on online social networks. Explore the levels of acceptance of online social networks versus word of mouth through product recommendation. Consider the implication of negative online social networks marketing versus word of mouth. 4.0 Research methodology The complexity of the topic area combined with the nature of the research to be undertaken makes it preferable and possibly necessary to employ qualitative research methods in the gathering and interpretation of the research evidence. According to Leedy and Ormrod (2005) qualitative research usually requires adequate planning and preparation, thus it is decisive in researches involving description, interpretation, verification and evaluation. This section will be divided into two parts namely research design and data collection. 4.1 Research Design According to research design is categorised in three forms which are the exploratory, descriptive and casual, Chisnall (2005) according to the specific nature of the research in question. Semi-structured interviews will be organised as it will serve as an effective means of collecting people’s views/perceptions on the research area as well as providing a means of observing their body language and expressions while giving feedback to the posed questions. A questionnaire will also be designed and distributed to gather some general information. Focus groups may also be engaged depending on the possibility of getting a number of quality respondents together at the same time. A qualitative analysis and interpretation of their perceptions and feedback will be carried out subsequently. This form of research design was chosen because, previous studies in this area have used qualitative research to arrive at analysis, thus utilising the same type of research methods provides the opportunity to agree with or challenge previous research confidently and logically. In addition, due to the nature of the topic being studied and the nature of information or evidence that is required, the interview seems to be most ideal for getting the needed information. This is by virtue of the fact that it helps to get a more detailed insight into people’s individual perceptions and opinions as opposed to the other methods of gathering information. The questionnaire will also be most useful in getting a more general opinion on the subject matter. 4.2 Implementation 100 Questionnaires with a maximum of 15-20 questions will be distributed amongst individuals at random. Due to the nature of the study respondents can be chosen at random as the quality of information required is not specific to a gender or speciality. Interviews will be conducted at random amongst users of online social networks to develop a detailed idea of how often products are marketed via their social network. If required a focus group will be created to gain information on a more specific aspect on this study. Additionally previous literature and published research relative to the area of the study will be reviewed 4.3 Data Collection Qualitative information on word of mouth and Online social network would be sourced through individual face to face in-depth interviews. This aims to achieve individual perceptions on the subject matter with comparisons made at the final stage. The in-depth interview is preferred since this is an exploratory research and it would give the respondent the opportunity to talk freely about situations and events which this research aims to cover. This approach will also provide me an opportunity to query answers whenever I need the respondent to further explain their responses (Saunders et al, 2007). This will however be done with extreme caution, in order to avoid making the respondent uncomfortable or unable to provide pragmatic answers To attain a complete perspective, both primary and secondary methods of data collection are being proposed to undertake this study. Chisnall (2005) defines primary data collection as the collation of any data or information that has been collected for the first time through any of the following means, experimentation, observation or questionnaires. The primary data for this research will be sourced from information gathered through questionnaire, interviews and if required focus groups. Questionnaires will be developed using both open ended and closed ended questions with respondents assured of the security of the information disclosed and the protection of their civil rights. To maintain a consistence in the information collected, the same questions used in the questionnaires will be administered during the interviews and if changes are made they will be properly documented. Secondary data on the other hand, is information that has already been gathered by previous scholars who have researched this topic or other relevant subject areas surrounding this topic. This information will be sourced from the public domains which are relevant to the course of research. According to Saunders et al (2009) the study of secondary data will consist of a comprehensive examination and critical review of academic literature to gain insight into areas set out within the aforementioned objectives, and also a review of key journals, academic books, financial research reports, press, databases and websites. The use of this research will give the researcher a better insight to previous research works, Saunders et al (2009). 5.0 Difficulties and Limitations The only foresee able difficulty or limitation is access. This is one of the major considerations, and prospectively one of the biggest hurdles that might be encountered with regards to the feasibility of this research study. The access refers to respondents and necessary information for conducting the research. Also due to the nature of the research, the quality of the information gather might be exaggerated as a band wagon effect is normal in topics related to this and amongst the core respondents which will mostly be youths as they are the largest users of online social networks. 6.0 Timescale Due to the nature of the academic calendar, adequate timing will be allocated to each process and the final report will be submitted in accordance with the university approved time for submission of dissertation for the acquisition of an Msc. Degree in Marketing. 7.0 Cost The nature of this research to be carried out is limited, the only item to be produced are questionnaires for distribution so costing will be very minimal. 8.0 Outline Structure of the Proposed Research project Chapter 1:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction The research topic will be introduced and the reasons, aims and objectives of the research will be clearly stated and identified. The background of the topic will be stated justifying the need to identify and possibly understand the influence of culture. The introduction will also clearly outline the research design. Chapter 2:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Literature Review At this stage of literature search, it is envisaged that previous work in these broad domains will form the foundations of the critical review of literature: Chapter 3:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Methodology Primary and Secondary research will be used to analyse the research topic and this will be based on interviews and questionnaires. This approaches have been adopted as they are the most tried and tested form of research method used by academic writers on this subject matter. Chapter 4:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Findings This chapter will be concerned with analysing and interpreting the information and data gathered for the research work with the aim of producing the findings of the research. 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