From the evidence you have studied how useful are the range of building in Saltaire as evidence of Titus Salt’s values and beliefs?

Here is evidence to show us ad to give us an idea of Titus salts values and beliefs. For example the church, the institute, the mill, the houses, the street names, the hospital and the almshouses. When I look the church that Titus Salt Built I can see that it is a replica of the Italian church, and that it is the main and central feature of Saltaire I can also see that it is opposite the mills, which meant that the workers could go to it everyday a think about the importance of religion. Inside I can see the beautiful dicor which included gold, marble-paste (scagliliola) pillars, decorated brickwork ring of 6 bells, glass lanterns which used to be powered by gas but now are powered but electricity due to health and safety (Source 2). The church itself cost i16 000 to build it. This shows us that Titus Salt's beliefs were that religion is valuable to him and his new town. He wanted to have a caring instinct and followed strict morals. Also if you were a regular member of the church for example went every day then you could get a promotion at the mills. The limitations of the church today portray how impressive it still is in the town. The church is still beautiful and it shine through. Also we can still see Titus Salt's vision clearly even though some parts of the building have faded or have been in need of repair. It is still possible to see the original design. For example the balcony that Titus Salt and his family used to sit in is now boarded up. Even though the balcony was there Salt chose not to sit up on the balcony but to sit with his workers which shows his true values of not being an elitist. The Institute is another example of Salt's values and beliefs. Looking at the Institute I can see that it is symmetrical and is made from very expensive stone . I didn't get a chance to look inside. Looking just at the outside I can see that there are a lot of windows, and from research I also found out that there was a swimming bath, library and a reading room. Lectures, band, horticultural society and sewing classes were also provided. The school today is sill and educational establishment. This Institute shows us that Titus Salt believed that children should have an education that's why children had to attend school half time. There is also a tower with a bell. At the top point of the Institute there are engraved alpaca's and a bird with stars and leaves around it . Also opposite the Institute is the a model of a town hall with lions outside it with Titus Salt's initials engraved in them. Here there are also activities that take part. Overall I believe that Titus Salt believed in good education. Today the Institute is a collage and is used for Saltaire's festivals and dance classes. another example of Titus Salts values and beliefs the mill. Just from looking at the outside I can see what Titus Salt believed in. The first thing that I see are a lot of Big windows which would let in a lot of light . This shows that he cared about his workers. Also the mill is very symmetrical and based on the Osborne house. The bricks that have been used again are very expensive and neo classical style. There is also a very tall chimney, but it has now been lowered due to health and safety issues. The height of the chimney meant that the pollution was released away from the town and meant that the town was not polluted . The location of the mill itself was originally in the country side away from the pollution of Bradford. This was because Salt believed that the pollution was causing the people heath problems, which showed that Titus Salt valued and believed that people should have better health. The mill is near the canal and River Aire which meant that the workers could have a fresh and clean supply of water constantly as well as being able to clean the wool before being spun. The inside of the mill doesn't give us much evidence of what Titus Salt's values and beliefs were. The mill had now been transformed into an art gallery and also has shops selling art tools such as paint . There is also a Cafi and a shop with clothes and accessories. The other part of the mill has now been converted into apartments. When I am inside the mill, the only thing I can see that meant that Titus Salt valued his workers are the big windows, as they let in a lot of light. As I look at the houses I can see that they are big and that they are made from expensive stone . Each house had its own running water, toilet and garden The houses are not back-to-back which was very unusual during this time period. The housed are built right next to the mill which meant that people didn't have very far to walk to go to work. There were also arches where people threw their rubbish. This showed that Titus Salt believed is cleanliness and valued the health and living conditions of the town and its people. Today the houses are still in very good conditions and people still live in them. When I look around I can see that the street names are after members of the Family . This shows us that Titus valued his family and believed that they should remember them and him long after he has died. When I look at the hospital I can see it is built of very expensive bricks . Although the hospital is no longer used as a hospital I can see that Titus Salt valued his workers because he built them a hospital. Today the hospital has converted into flat, so I can't see what it like then. Opposite are the almshouses. They are wall made from expensive stone and haver a beautiful garden at the front . If you or your children misbehaved you lost everything, your house, job and pension. Children could start working at the age of 10 so they were well trained. Today these houses are still lived in by pensioners.

The fundamentals behind London’s current housing crisis and potential solution?

Introduction The assignment will consider the housing market within London, paying close attention to the housing policy and macro-economic conditions that have led to the current ‘crisis’ within the city’s housing market. It could be argued that a current shortage of housing developments, mainly in the more affordable range, coupled with a surge in international real-estate investment in the city has caused a major shortage, leading ultimately to price increases and so a divergence from housing markets within the North of the UK (Dyson, 2014) [Online]. This assignment will first touch upon the policies that have led to this problem before looking into the recent macro-economic trends which have aggravated the issue, pushing into the spotlight. The UK housing market has for some time been impacted by poor housing policy, with many arguing that levels of new construction have been unable to meet the surge in population growth and so demand for new houses. While this has become a more national problem, the south of England, most notably London has witnessed the greatest affect (Myers, 2012). Property Overview While the population of London has continued its growth given its rise in status as a ‘global business hub’, housing developments have been unable to supply the market with enough new properties, as well as properties which locals deem ‘affordable’. While it can be noted that there are currently some significant developments within London such as the Battersea Power Plant regeneration, many have commented that these ?Million properties are being built with the wealthy oversea investors in mind over local buyers given that the prices asked are far out of reach of many workers (Renshaw, 2013) [Online]. While local councils have attempted to resolve this issue by pushing all developers to include a percentage of ‘affordable’ homes in their plans to win planning permission, many of these new developments are still primarily geared at the high-end of the market; with many developers advertising their properties in international markets (London First, 2014). This, along with major regeneration plans in some area’s which has prioritised commercial/ retail space over residential, has seriously restricted the potential for new housing for the local market and supported the price increases seen over the years. Furthermore, the central boroughs of London are also restricted by the availability of land to develop new homes, with new developments pushing higher for greater floor space. While this has become a popular method in London with new skyscrapers such as The Shard, these developments have usually favoured office and retail space over residential (Ball et al, 2012). What could be considered here is the desire by boroughs within London to re-generate and effectively create local centre’s to compete with the main areas of London. There has been significant discussion over the years regarding the ‘downfall’ of the UK high-streets as out of town competition and online shopping reduces the demand for typica l bricks-and-mortar stores; in London the main issue for some could be the easy accessibility into the city centre and so the main shopping and entertainment districts. With this, local boroughs have prioritised the development on new commercial and office space in a bid to attract the private investment that would be needed to support larger regeneration plans and attract more people into the area, however as mentioned previously given the short supply of available land in some central boroughs this has led to an ‘opportunity cost’ between residential and commercial development. London Crisis The main issue for the market is a simply supply and demand crisis; essentially the market is severely under supplied, with prices been pushed up by the consumers willing to pay a higher price for the property. This has created a situation where the supply of affordable housing is quite inelastic and so any notable increase in demand will only result in the price moving higher. This has also led to another affect whereby prices have also increased strongly in the wider South-East area as commuters seek property in lower price areas with strong transport connections into London. The supply crisis has also been heightened by another issue; namely strong international demand for property in London as an investment opportunity and store of wealth (Tower Hamlet Citizens, 2014). In 2008, the financial crisis hit global economics and stock-markets. With this, investors sought for new ‘safe-havens’ for their wealth as global stock markets remained volatile and the value of other havens such as gold fell. Property or investments in brick-and-mortar have always been popular, especially in economies like the UK where the market has remained buoyant over a number of years (Berry et al, 2011). London especially appealed to investors given its stock of high-value properties, increasing population, global image as a destination for the wealthy, falling corporation tax as well as a weakening currency which made investment into UK property cheaper for international investors. The economics behind this move has largely been driven by the desire to reduce risk bu t maintain returns on investments; given that London house prices were increasing at above 10%p.a (ONS, 2014), investors who had once favoured holding their cash in stock markets and commodities such as gold quickly moved their money into property as a store of wealth. This movement has recently been reversed to some extent as a strengthening ?GBP and improving global outlook have decreased demand for high-end properties in London at a time when a wave of new supply is hitting the market (Titcomb, 2014) [Online]. Potential Solutions Moving forward, a number of factors have been put forward to help deal with the issue, focusing on new regulation and opportunities (London First, 2014). In terms of opportunity, London has been working to improve transport connections with wider area in a bid to open up more areas to potential commuters, essentially increasing the stock of housing that is available to anyone working within London, (Emmett, 2014). This would then lead to an increase in supply, which should help decrease prices. Notable projects include the Crossrail development, an ?18Billion transport project that will decrease commuter times into central London for a number of local boroughs (Crossrail, 2014) [Online]. The proposed HS2-HS3 (high-speed rail) projects could also been seen as a new opportunity; giving more businesses the chance to open offices, facilities in other major UK cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds etc. while still having access to London. The main benefit on this is that it would m ove some business away from London as so reduce demand for housing from workers. Furthermore this project has also been seen as a way to reduce the heavily debated North/South divide within the UK, which in turn may help better align house prices between the two. In terms of regulation, a number of London boroughs have sought to effectively force developers to include affordable housing within their plans to be granted planning permission (Besley, 2010). Given this, new developments such as the Battersea Power Plant have included some affordable housing within their plans, however as they only account for 15% of total home some have argued the measure doesn’t go far enough to solve the supply issues (Robertson, 2014) [Online]. In economic terms, local boroughs have identified the profitability that developments in London provide; by asking developers to include some affordable housing within their plans they have affected the Net Present Value (hereafter NPV) or potential pay back of the project, however given that projects are still being announced in the city it appears that developments still remain profitable for these companies. It could be argued by some that these new demands from the local authorities could be seen as interference within the free market, effectively using the private sector to provide a good (e.g. new homes) that the public sector has failed to provide. What this essay must also consider is that if that the public sector have done little themselves to attempt to resolve this issue, most probably down to a lack of capital and experience necessary to move forward with these large-scale developments and so requiring the need for the involvement of the private sector. As mentioned beforehand, the private sector will be driven by the eventual profitability or NPV of these projects and so local authorities must ensure that they still allow these profits to be made while also attempting to resolve the housing crisis. According to data f rom the ONS, home prices in London are up 31.6% above their 2008 peak, while those in the North remain under the 2008 level, (ONS, 2014). Closing Remarks To conclude the essay has shown that housing policy in London could have been seen as failing for a number of years as demand from a rising population has outgrown the level of new supply, pushing prices up much higher than the UK average (Savills, 2014). The issue has intensified recently as the global economic crisis increased the desire for international investors to hold their money in property, with London seen as a prime market given the weaker value of the ?GBP could with continuous price rises. While the essay has noted a number of initiatives underway to help increase supply and reduce demand, the potential impacts may be small and seen in a long-term scenario. While there is new infrastructure underway to improve the competitiveness and attractiveness of a wider London and also wider UK area; the Crossrail development will not come online until 2018, while the high-speed rail links are not current expected until after 2020. Furthermore, while local boroughs have attempted t o increase regulation and push more affordable housing into development plans, these are only small percentages, with some people disagreeing on what will be deemed affordable. Moving forward the main issue for London will be developing the land that it currently has spare in the best way possible to accommodate its rising population but also its rising status as a global business hub – in this case, higher residential housing prices may be needed for developers to justify their construction over commercial or office space. References Ball, M, Lizieri, C and MacGregor, B (2012): The Economics of Commercial Property Markets, London, Routledge. Berry, J, Deddis, N and McGreal, W (2011): Urban Regeneration, Property Investment and Development, London, Taylor & Francis. Besley, T and Ghatak, M (2010): Property Rights and Economic Development. In Dani Rodrik and Mark Rosenzweig, Ed: Handbook of development economics, London, Elsevier Publications. Crossrail, (2014) [Online]: A world class railway company, Available at http://www.crossrail.co.uk/benefits/, Accessed 29/10/2014. Dyson, R (2014) [Online]: House prices: gap between London and the rest of the UK is highest in 40 years, Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/houseprices/10738540/House-prices-gap-between-London-and-the-rest-of-the-UK-widest-in-40-years.html, Accessed 29/10/2014. Emmett, S (2014): London Infrastructure: Outlook, London, Savills Research. London First (2014): 12 steps to solving London’s housing crisis, London, London First. Myers, D (2012): Economics and Property, London, Taylor & Francis. ONS (2014): Comparison of regional house price indices before and after the financial crisis, London, ONS Research. Renshaw, R (2013): Selling stampede at Battersea Power Station sets new record, Available at http://old.estateagenttoday.co.uk/news_features/Selling-stampede-at-Battersea-Power-Station-sets-new-records, Accessed 29/10/2014. Robertson, L (2014) [Online]: No affordable housing in Battersea power plant development, Available at http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/no-affordable-housing-in-gehrys-battersea-power-station-buildings/7003154.article, Accessed 29/10/2014. Savills (2014): Infrastructure and development must work together to accommodate London’s growing population, London, Savills Research. Titcomb, J (2014): London House prices tipped to fall, Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/10976395/Warning-London-house-prices-tipped-to-fall.html, Accessed 29/10/2014. Tower Hamlet Citizens (2014): A report on the housing crisis in one of London’s most expensive boroughs, London, Tower Hamlet Citizens.

Link Crew Leader Essay

As a student, I try to achieve as many goals as possible. I have try to the best the student I could possibly be. I will admit this year wasn’t the best for me. My grades weren’t the greatest. But I don’t grades should be the only thing that determines a high school student. I think who the person is on the inside what makes a high school student. I am a very kind person. I hate injustice done on anyone. I always stand up for what I believe in. I feel everyone should be given a fair chance in anything they do. I love being able to help anyone. I love knowing something I do can change someone’s life. I use to do the Latin Club. I use to do the Earth Club. I use to do Build On. This year I have been more forced on the SATs and college. I want be a lawyer. Being able to someone is what love. The only thing I do outside of school is volunteer at the Norwalk Shelter. One challenge I faced in high school had to do with peer pressure. I was offered the chance to try weed. I knew that so many people at school did it, and I thought this was my chance to be popular. I didn’t do it. I realized those people didn’t want to be my friend. I realized that I didn’t need to be popular. I am happy with my life just the way it is. I know who my friends are and it isn’t those people. I realized I wanted to do it to become something I am not. I learned that day I should never lose my integrity. Someone once said, â€Å"Thoughts become words, words become actions, actions become character, character is everything. † I didn’t want to become that person I would have if I said yes. I wish I knew as a freshman to get involved more. When you are involved, it will help you in the long run, especially for college. Plus it is a great way to meet new people. In the lunch, I sit right across from the girl’s restroom in the cafeteria. I sit with a cool and supportive group of friends. I love them like family. There you have it, I little bit about myself. I really want to do Link Crew because you get to help people. I remember being a freshman and not having this help. I want to make a difference. To know that you can go to a person with anything is very important. I hope to be that person for a group of freshmen. Thanks for the opportunity.

Leadership examination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Leadership examination - Essay Example This paper critically evaluates and reflects on my strengths and weaknesses both in leadership and followership based on self analysis, perspectives from third parties and online tests, and from the key strengths and weaknesses determine how I would develop my leadership and followership both in the short run and in the long run My current strengths and weaknesses in leadership and followership The current strengths that I possess in leadership and followership are that I have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and I’m an effective listener. I also have the ability to multitask, cope with previous failure and learning from them and also assuming responsibilities that may not have a person taking of them. My current weaknesses are being disorganized without a planned schedule and analyzing an issue to the smallest details which at times take quite some time. I though sought to identify gaps I was not aware through questioning a number of friends, colleagues, paren ts and supervisor at work. From their perspectives and opinions, they found some of my strengths being that I’m a determined and does not seem to be put down easily, self motivated, a good team player, confident, and creative in finding ways to get something or solving an issue. Key weaknesses that were notable were that I tend to be a chronic debater which can be annoying, I tend to procrastinate issues, I often go out of way in doing things which may antagonize others, and I lose patience easily since often I want things done there and then. I have also been able to learn in class that leadership is not just about possessing higher intelligence quotient, or high academic capabilities, emotional intelligence that are critical in leaders (Jones, 2010:232; Bateman & Snell, 2007:135). In essence therefore, I took two E.I. online tests to get a better grip on my capabilities as a leader. In the first test with Discovery Fit and Health, my Emotional Intelligence results were 73 o ut of 100 an above average result. The interpretation showed that I’m generally able to express my feelings clearly in appropriate situations, I’m positive, optimistic and adapt quite well to altering circumstances. I’m self motivating and can be able to get the strength to complete what I need to do to complete my goals, and I’m resilient ready to bounce back when I encounter drawbacks, survive hardships without bitterness and yet still be able to empathize with others (Discovery Fit and Health, 2012). In the second test result with Institute for Health and Human Potential, the evaluation results were 44, slightly above average. The results show that where as I’m sensitive to the emotional climate around me and is aware of the effect of my behavior on others, I should also be able to honestly communicate my difficult feelings and needs. It also shows that I get engrossed in small details in life that I forget what gives me great joy and meaning. I t shows that I need to work on issues that may be stressing or causing tension in me and should be able to share my feelings and needs freely seeking to take care of myself as I do others (Institute for Health and Human Potential, 2012). I was receptive to the first results and found them to be quite motivating. They were though simple and delivered in a shallow easy to understand manner. In the second test that I took, though I performed above average, the results description went on to critically analyze my weak points in a manner though awakening, I found was also dramatic than was necessary. Combining the two results, I have been able to comprehend my strong and weak points with regard to Emotional Intelli

Use of Digital Media by disabled student for education Essay

Use of Digital Media by disabled student for education - Essay Example Another has been the application of multimedia technologies within official learning situation for academic functions, mainly â€Å"English language literacy† (Davis, p. 48, 2005). A stress on the part of multimedia within ‘special’ schooling is logical, making an allowance for the fragmentary well-politicised competition on whether to teach young deaf and dumb individuals in a bilingual setting by means of a â€Å"signed language† (Council for Exceptional Children, p. 192, 2005). On the other hand, the rising significance of communal as well as participatory media during the free time of Westerners implies that such applications of Web 2.0 are as well worth investigating. These have started to be a little educational reports of the keen implementation of â€Å"v-logging by sign language users† (Council for Exceptional Children, p. 201, 2005). Web 2.0 has been identified by its aptitude to ‘control cooperative aptitude’ by offering prospects for users to make, become accustomed, â€Å"mash up and share text, photos and video† (Friend & Bursuck, p. 93, 2011). In addition to its well-acknowledged participatory potential, its re-prominence on visual (as contrasting to written) communication is of exacting concern for dumb and deaf people. It has been recommended that disabled students are a â€Å"visual variety of the human race† (Friend & Bursuck, p. 124, 2011), and the visually affluent offers fresh prospects for visually affluent types of communication, most significantly by means of signed languages. The main significance of signed languages for disabled people individuality proposes that the visual features of interactive multimedia might put forward prospects of safeguarding, development as well as changes within those individualities. Simultaneously, the visual features of the Web 2.0 are us ually audio-visual, such that the more and more affluent resources of the â€Å"net offer† (Smith et al, p. 193, 2011) prospective obstructions in addition to ways to

China as a super power Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

China as a super power - Term Paper Example On March 4, 2007, China announced that it was going to increase its military to a total of 45 billion dollars (Tkacik, 2007). This was the biggest annual increase in China’s military budget; however, China was quick to reassure the world that there was no need to worry by calling the increment normal. A further look into this increment indicated that China has an intention to challenge the United States’ military supremacy. This could lead to a situation where China is the United States’ single competitor with regard to influence and military supremacy. China’s air force and space activity is on the rise. The army in China has got roughly 300 Russian fourth generation flankers; it has also got several homemade Jian-11 planes and 76 Sukhoi multi-role fighter jets. Russia and Israel assisted the Chinese air force in procuring 50 Jian-10 fighter jets. These jets were based on the United States F-16 technology. China has intentions to build more of these plane s. China has increased its production and deployment of the short-range ballistic missiles which are said to be aimed at Taiwan. This production has grown from 50 per year in 1990s to 150 missiles annually today. The industries that produce such missiles in China are said to grow at the same pace. In general, China’s rocket soldiers and its air force are expanding at an unprecedented pace. According to China’s 2006 White Paper, there is evidence that China is moving to offensive. This military might of China is growing from regional to trans-regional mobility. The air to ground military capacity has also grown, including long distance maneuvers and exceptional operations. The Chinese navy has grown in strength into a force that can operate in the maritime operations and can ably handle nuclear counterattacks. The Chinese air force has continued to increase its capabilities to strike, tried to procure air and missile defense shield systems and is looking into more offen sive and defensive operations. All these are an early warning shot of the Chinese reconnaissance. According to a report by Congress, China’s policy is now global and extremely bold. China has always been underrated and many times the United States said that China has not acquired the status of a super power. Thomas Jefferson, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, observed that the United States had to trade all over the world if it had to become a global power economically. Beijing’s assessment is that it has grown to the extent that its economic growth depends on foreign markets. This also includes the natural resources from other countries around the world. China‘s economy has been growing rapidly, and China is seeking military might that can protect this growth. This is similar to Jefferson’s observation that the United Stated had to build its military strength if it was to safeguard its military strength globally. It seems that the rise of the Pe ople’s Republic of China is both legitimate and inevitable (McLean, 2007). However, according to Condoleezza Rice, the former Secretary of State of the United States, the US needs to help China operate within the international rules framework before it has fully acquires the status of a military super power. Many view the rise of China as an exceedingly dangerous happening. Why does Bleicher think the fears are overblown? According to Samuel Bleicher, the idea that China is an emerging super power is a creation of the media. He believes s that

Explain and analyze how our Founding Fathers meant for the president Essay

Explain and analyze how our Founding Fathers meant for the president to be chosen, what has changed, and your own analysis - Essay Example The constitution stipulates on the process of electing the president of the US, and the key factors necessary to establish the contestant who is eligible for the office. As outlined below, the script establishes the elections process and the various amendments to the constitution that America’s presidential elections (The Constitution 36). America is a federal state comprising of 52 states with the mandate to elect the president. However, the presidential candidate should win the party ticket of one the two parties, namely, the Democrat and the Republican, with all other state parties being affiliates to these two major parties. The first constitution implemented on stringent measures on who was to vie for the presidency (The Constitution 46). For example, stipulations were that for one to eligible to the position, citizenship would be a determining factor. The need was that he would declare his citizenship by birth and lived in the US for at least 14 years prior to bid for th e presidency. The constitution further stipulated on the age restriction of 35 years implying that no aspirant would crave for presidency whilst below the maximum age (The Constitution 55). As a tradition, the United States holds presidential elections at a four-year interval thus 2012 becoming the current presidential elections year. ... votes on the desired presidential candidate from either the democrats or the republicans with each choice of balloting dictating on the next president and vice-president of the America. However, after voting, the Electoral College casts the determinant votes which are the most critical as they tend to shelf those of the citizens (Brady 43). Initially, the constitution implied on a different protocol of appointing the president until the 19th century, when the constitutional amendments resolved the controversy over the second article of the American constitution towards the power of the voter and the electors. The constitution implemented that voters would elect their electors who would simultaneously elect the president through the majority college votes (The Constitution 45). In accordance to the constitution, the electors should be neutral, holding no significant office in the federal government as this would imply on the probability of democracy. Further, different states elect di fferent numbers of electors to coincide with the eligible number of representatives and senators outlined by the congress in relevance to the individual state population. The first constitution stipulated that the president would come from the majority count of the people; however, controversies arose on what would be the course of action whenever the voters could not elect a candidate with a majority count (The Constitution 49). Therefore, amendments presided to the current second article of the constitution that vests power over the electors to choose the president and [if they happen to fail, the constitution expressly allows the House of Representatives to cast votes. Amendments to the constitution and the presidential election process The congress dictates on the election date upon

Consider a local business whose services you frequently use. What are Essay

Consider a local business whose services you frequently use. What are the main components of this company's business model - Essay Example Through these components, the business has managed to create an effective business model giving it a competitive advantage over its competitors since the products produced are of high quality and at a considerably lower price. The business currently implements the joint-stock venture form of business organization where their main suppliers and distributors are ventures in the business thus the cost of production and consequently the price of their products is lower than the competitors’. The business gets into business ventures with its suppliers and other parties of interest in the business to decrease the cost of operation and hence deliver products at a relatively low price thus increasing its overall sales and profit. By so doing, the business ensures that it is the main shareholder and owner of the business but only splits earned profits with the other ventures. Unlike the partnership form of business organization, the business does not distribute its shares among the ventures but instead only distributes the profit earned thus the business owner retains ownership of the business even when the ventures dissolve their contracts. The form of business organization is also beneficial. When the business ventures decide to leave the agreement, the business does not need to be dissolved in order to complete the request, thus it is easier to add and remove ventures from the business contract hence more flexibility for the business to adapt to changes and customer demands to increase /retain a competitive advantage over its competitors. Compared to a sole proprietorship, the form of business organization implemented by the business is advantageous in that the operational costs of the business is shared among the ventures thus the business owner does not bare losses or the burden of meeting the business’s operational costs alone. This is important since it

Introduction to Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Introduction to Research - Essay Example The study will analyze in which manner the hotel is meeting customers’ expectations and which facilities are more important from the customers’ point of view from improvement perspective (Dolnicar & Otter, 2003). For a hotel to survive in a competitive environment, it is a must that the hotel meets customers’ needs and wants and their probable expectations. In a hotel quality means that the facilities and services are according to customer’s satisfaction. The more the visitors are satisfied with the services, the greater is the chance of hotel’s promotion in a competitive environment (Naseem, Ejaz, & Malik, 2011). According to the study conducted by Sriyam (2010), there are several types of facilities that are provided by hotels to their customers. First thing to include is the type of room like deluxe, Superior or executive classroom, Family suite or Grand suite respectively. Among dining services, a hotel should include Italian cappuccino, The M-C afe experience of Thai or Chinese food, continental food, and additional services of fruits and beverages that is a value adding option. A must-include service in a hotel is recreational activities like swimming pool, gymnasium, spa, or a sports ground for outdoor facilitation (Sriyam, 2010). Purpose of the Study Griffith University Hotel is a regional hotel, which offers services for two types of clients, business travelers and pleasure travelers. The purpose of this study is to access and evaluate the current structure of the facilities offered by the hotel. The evaluation is to be done based on the importance and performance attributes. Those facilities that are important in customers’ point of opinion and those that meet customers’ expectations are to be analyzed. This will provide a sketch of an idea which facilities are more important and which need improvement in the Griffith University Hotel service. The Research Method The method of research was based on quant itative analysis in which the hired manager designed a questionnaire following 17 facilities of the hotel. The 17 features include the express check in, checkout, valet parking, recreational activities, family restaurant or room service etc. There were two categories of respondents from whom the interviews got conducted: the categories of business travelers and pleasure travelers respectively. Summary of Findings In total 264 travelers were selected as respondents for the analysis, out of which 118 were pleasure traveler respondents and 146 were business traveler respondents. This was to evaluate and compare their responses on 18 hotel facilities in order to get an idea which facility is more important and which needs further improvement. The criterion to judge facilities was based on two things, importance and performance that were set to compare important facilities with achieved performance facilities. This was all to bring improvements in facility structure of Griffith Universit y Hotel, which needs to be improved in terms of operation and more importantly with respect to clients’ perspective. Research Questions Out of 18 facilities, which facilities are more significant from clients’

Immigration Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Immigration - Term Paper Example America is a perfect illustration of the extent of immigration as a social issue and how it influences society in a significant way (Fairchild 48-50). America is a country whose growth and development was greatly derived from immigrant communities most of which later became Americans. Immigration has equally been a source of social, cultural and political confrontations that have shaped America. Immigration is of great interest to me because of the immense role it plays in society both negatively and positively. In America, for instance, immigration has been incidental to the development of the country in several ways. Immigrants provided cheap labor during the industrial evolution and early development stages of the country. Furthermore, the assimilation of immigrant communities into the American society advanced the country’s diversity profile. Conflicts created by immigration often revolve around the perceived threat to a country’s culture by the immigrants who are t orn between two cultures. Such a concern leads to strife between resident communities and immigrants though most of the conflicts are merely based on perceptions. According to Carl (45-52) immigration is a social problem because of how it creates tensions and misunderstandings in society. Basically, immigration is a source of social strife pitting resident communities and immigrant communities most of which are based on culture and economic factors. Culturally, immigrants are perceived as a threat to a nation’s culture owing to the fact that immigrants belong to a different cultural heritage that is seen as a huge threat to the already existing culture of their new home. Also, immigrants present a threat of cultural erosion in the sense that future generations of a country will not have anything in common. Though this problem is more attributed to the failure of immigrants to assimilate and become part of the resident culture than their presence in the country. Carl (79-81) f urther suggests that immigration has immense economic implications in society. Economically, immigrants are perceived as a challenge to materials and opportunities, therefore, creating competition for resources and jobs with local communities. Other considerations include crime whereby immigration is often linked to increased levels of crime in the society or sometimes the society may resort to crime as a way of articulating the immigration problem. However, there are some researches that show the opposite. For instance, Sampson’s research indicates that areas with many immigrants are significantly safer areas. Immigration has been subject to literary dialogue since time immemorial and many thinkers and scholars share their diverse opinion on the vast subject. Numerous scholars examine immigration in detail evaluating the nature of a problem it presents to society. In essence, immigration as a social problem has attracted the attention of numerous researchers, authors and sch olars who examine the issue from different theoretical perspectives. Robert Sampson tackles the subject from a practical perspective by unearthing the recent conflicts and issues emanating from immigration in the United States through which he presents the prevailing conflicts regarding immigration (Sampson 28-33). In his article, Rethinking Crime and Immigration, Robert Sampson reveals that immigration is indeed a social problem, and it greatly influences the society. The role played by immigration in the

Critique a research article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Critique a research article - Essay Example pecially amongst physicians and concerns about how to alleviate the situation are in order (Mauer, 2011: 34).The antipsychotics are closely associated to an apparent yet predictable increase in weight that is more proclaimed during the first period of medication of the second generation antipsychotics. After the first period however, the weight gain is considerably low though it still persists. An analysis done on a sample of 101 serious mentally ill patients was set up over a two year period to help analyze the likely changes that could be effected through medically proven procedures. These procedures include disciplined healthy eating habits, education and exercises. Significantly, the test was done to mainly establish other. The weight to be examined was mainly associated with abdominal obesity. Interventions have been initiated in an attempt to control the weight gain associated with these medications, including lifestyle, education, weight loss medications, and exercise have all been tried and evaluated. Currently, the research indicates significantly greater weight reduction in lifestyle intervention groups or standard care groups. (Sheldon, 2007: 32). The article aims to critically analyze the credibility of these procedures, analyze the findings as well as recommend for any probable interventions that could be used instead. A study research involving seriously ill mental patients is arguably one of the hardest studies one is likely to perform. It is prone to so much inaccuracy as the subjects under investigation are not likely to be relied upon to comprehensively provide satisfying information. Therefore, the mere use of the subjects is more likely to be considered full of bias as compared to stable subjects. However, the use of even numbers of both male and female subjects is more likely to provide more accurate results in a particular study unless the two are compared separately. The study in this case is not gender sensitive in terms of providing the

Problems and Aspirations of Youth Essay Example for Free

Problems and Aspirations of Youth Essay INTRODUCTION: Trying hands on contemporary writing and then reigning over hearts of millions is not that easy as has been proved by one of the prominent writers of the day – Chetan Bhagat. Very few authors have managed to reach out to such a wide audience as Chetan Bhagat. There is originality of content in his writings and when he writes people feel as if it is their story. He is a phenomenon that has affected everybody, touched everybody’s life. Indian Publishing shall now be divided into pre and post Chetan Bhagat. He has created those kinds of landmarks. Chetan Bhagat projects his readers’ viewpoint in his writings. According to him,† A writer’s first job is to strike a chord, and not to please elitist circles,† He does it by caring for his readers and listening to them,† It can’t be just the language, as it is simply the common language of the people. It is more about what is being said and communicated that strikes a chord.† Chetan strongly believes that the language should be colloquial- a popular fiction has to be a dialogue with the people on the streets. CHETAN BHAGAT:- A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Chetan Bhagat (born on 22 April,1974) is a contemporary Indian author who has written four novels namely :- â€Å" Five Point Someone- What not to do at IIT†, â€Å" One Night @ The Call Center†, â€Å"The 3 Mistakes of My Life† and â€Å"2 States: The Story of My Marriage†, respectively. He grew up in Delhi in a Punjabi family in an uncertain home environment where his parents used to fight a lot. His father, an army officer, was very strict and he wasn’t allowed to watch television or films. So, Chetan and his brother used to make up movie stories and perhaps that’s where this tact of writing all sprang up. Bhagat attended Army Public School (1978-1991), Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi. He studied Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi (1991-1995), and then studied at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmadabad (1995-1997), where he was named â€Å"The Best Outgoing Student† He fell in love with his IIM Ahmadabad classmate Anusha and they eventually got married. His novel â€Å"2 States: The Story of My Marriage†, is a fictional version of his love story. After graduating from IIT and IIM, he joined Peregrine, a financial service company in Hong-Kong. It shut down in six months but Chetan stayed on in Hong-Kong for eleven years, moving to Goldman Sachs. It was to spite his boss that he started writing his first novel. No doubt it was a great moment for Bhagat but he was in a bank and dissatisfied. His boss was very bad. So to take revenge on him. He started writing in office. CHETAN BHAGAT’S WRITING STYLE AND CHARACTERS The secret to Chetan Bhagat’s success is he writes in ordinary English and it is reassuring for young people to know someone knows what they are going through. In other words, Bhagat’s writing style tends to be simple with linear narratives and vivid storytelling. His protagonists tend to be named after avatars of Hindu deity Vishnu, like Hari, Shyam, Govind or Krishna. All his books have a number in the title (e.g. ‘five’ in the first, ‘one’ in the second, ‘three in the third and ‘two’ in the fourth book.) When asked about this, Bhagat replied that he is a banker and he can’t get numbers out of his head. Bhagat, 35, is the first to admit that he is no Arundhati Roy, the Indian Booker Prize winning author and says he knows critics feel his books are shallow. But Bhagat, who enjoys a rock-star like popularity among his readers, aged mainly 13 to 30, said he has the ultimate riposte—â€Å"My books sell.† Bhagat says that he writes for ‘ordinary young people’ who feel suffocated by their parents’ desire for them to become doctors, lawyers, or engineers. According to Bhagat- Indian youngsters live under pressure-cooker conditions to succeed. There is cut-throat competition to win places in India’s elite universities with youngsters compelled to score highly from primary to high school. Entrance to top universities often requires ninety percent- plus averages and most children have afterschool tutoring to attain such marks. A paragon of this philosophy can be seen in his novel â€Å" One Night @ The Call Center†, where the hero, who answers the phone calls from clueless Americans about their cooking appliances, remarks,† Every cousin of mine is becoming a doctor or engineer,†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.You can say I am the black sheep of my family.† Bhagat believes that India tends to have an academic and social revolution to prevent young people simply regurgitating what they learn without thinking. He wants to convey this message across to the Indian youth- even if they don’t get stratospheric marks, they are still entitled to a happy life; and it’s not the end of the world if they fail. He generally talks about youngsters’ worries, their anxieties and all those things which preoccupy them, by means of his writings. His writing subjects include parental academic pressure along with pre-marital sex, drinking and other topics taboo in socially conservative India. CHETAN BHAGAT’S NOVELS 1. FIVE POINT SOMEONE- WHAT NOT TO DO AT IIT! â€Å"Five Point Someone†¦.† was his first book which adopted a breezy, ironic tone to explore the lives of exam-oppressed students who cram to get into the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and then rebel against the stultifying atmosphere of academic competition. It features soft-drugs, binge- drinking, and an affair between a student and his professor’s daughter. To be clear, the story of â€Å"Five Point Someone†¦Ã¢â‚¬  revolves around three studentsHari, Ryan and Alok who come from three different backgrounds. The book is about their years in IIT Delhi and how they cope with the pressure of studies, family and relationships. The book was well received by the public, especially among the younger generation, and brought Bhagat a large following. It was adapted into a play by the theatre group ‘Madras Players’ and also by ‘Evam’. This book was adapted into a movie called ‘3 Idiots’, though Bhagat has stated that he was not involved in the scriptwriting in anyway, and was involved in a controversy with the director and the producer of the movie over crediting his contribution to the script. Directed by Raj Kumar Hirani, and starring Aamir Khan, R. Madhvan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, and Boman Irani in pivotal roles, it was released on 25 December, 2009. About a week after the release of the movie, ‘3 Idiots’, Chetan Bhagat claimed for the credit for the story and this credit row became a national issue. On January 1, 2010, Star News channel got Chetan Bhagat, Aamir khan and Abhijat Joshi- the so-called script writer, switched to each other at their respective places through Star News correspondents. During this programme, Chetan Bhagat claimed that before the release of the movie ‘3 Idiots’, neither he had been shown the preview of the movie nor given any participation in the script writing. At that time he was told that the adaptation of ‘Five Point Someone†¦.’ to ‘3 Idiots’, was just two to three percent or at the most just five percent and rest of the plot was different, but when the movie released and hit the Box Office as the biggest hit of the time, Chetan felt bad, because the story was not just five percent from his book rather it was seventy to eighty percent of his book. He kept mum for a week but when his fans and readers kept on asking him why he didn’t take any action or show any reaction against the makers, at that point of time Bhagat sought the shelter of the media and came into the lime-light with his credit claim. On the other hand Aamir khan in one of his interviews made it clear that there was no similarity between the movie and ‘Five Point Someone†¦.’ and also as Aamir had not read Bhagat’s novel, Bhagat prohibited him to go through ‘Five Point Someone’, saying that both the movie and the novel were quite different from each other in story as well as plot. And now after the release of the movie, seeing it to be a big hit Chetan Bhagat is claiming for credit? It is quite wrong on his part because he wants to snatch the credit of Abhijat Joshi- the actual script writer of ‘3 Idiots’, who worked on the story along with Raj Kumar Hirani – the director. Aamir also interrogated Chetan Bhagat saying that Raju Hirani had directed ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ and its sequel ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’, so Chetan Bhagat would claim that these two movies were also his creations! Aamir labeled Chetan Bhagat as publicity hungry writer. Chetan Bhagat defended himself by saying that the producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra had told him that there was hardly any similarity between the movie and the novel apart from the five percent of loose inspiration. He added that he relied upon Vidhu and said so to Aamir prohibiting him going through ‘Five Point Someone’. It was only after the release of ‘3 Idiots’ that Chetan Bhagat realized that he had been duped as Vidhu kept him in dark by lying and that was why he claimed for credit. He said that as per contract signed between him and Vidhu, he had been promised full justice by displaying his name among the main star-cast, but his name was given towards the end among assistants’ names in the rolling cast. This really pinched him. At one occasion during the promotion of the movie ‘3 Idiots’, interacting with the media persons in a press conference when a press reporter asked Raju Hirani, Aamir and Vidhu Vinod about the authenticity of the story whether it was an original one or taken from Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Five Point Someone†¦.’, Vidhu Vinod lost his temper. He raised his finger at that press reporter and asked him to shut up. This act of Vidhu further added oil to fire and the matter turned from bad to worst. All the news channels repeatedly telecasted Vidhu raising finger and saying ‘SHUT UP’. No doubt, the next day, somehow, Vidhu realized his mistake and openly apologized labeling himself a ‘BEAST’ and his action of raising finger and saying ‘shut up’- an insane or uncivilized act. When asked about Vidhu’s ill-mannerism from Chetan Bhagat, the later showed his gratitude to the media for bringing forth Vidhu’s real per sonality, as it would have been quite difficult for him to do so at his own level. A few days after this incident another interview with Chetan Bhagat was telecasted on news channel where he disclosed that Abhijat Joshi had threatened him to send a legal notice in his name if he ever claimed for the credit for the story again. Chetan Bhagat subsided for some time. It was a great shock to the fan-readers of Bhagat when a video clip of Bhagat’s interview on 24-12-2009 was telecasted on another news channel. It showed Bhagat in very high spirits saying that he had given his book ‘Five Point Someone†¦.’ to the makers of ‘3 Idiots’ just like a daughter and after watching the premier of the movie ‘3 Idiots’, it seemed to him that his simple daughter turned into a bridal-look, so he would definitely give five out of five points to the movie. Chetan Bhagat also appreciated the adaptation of ‘Five Point Someone†¦.’ to ‘3 Idiots’ and confessed that he couldn’t have done this if asked for as Raju and Vidhu have done and added that his family is quite happy over this. Bollywood News channel Lehren depicted this incident of credit claim row and Vidhu’s misbehavior mere a pre-planned drama to benefit both the movie as well as the book. 2. ONE NIGHT @ THE CALL CENTER It was released in India in October 2005 also to popular demand. This book was about six people who work at a call center and about a night when they receive a call from God. Noted Bollywood film director Rohan Sippy bought the rights from Bhagat, but later Sippy let the rights pass on to director Atul Agnihotri, brother-in-law of Arbaaz Khan. The movie version of the novel is titled as ‘HELLO’ starring Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Amrita Arora, Esha Koppikar, Gul Panag, and Sharman Joshi. Bhagat worked directly on the script of the movie, moulding it to fit the silver screen. However, the film did not succeeed commercially. ‘One Night @ The Call Center’ is a romantic comedy set in an office where bored young Indians try to resolve the mindless inquiries of Midwestern American Technophobes. The story is a comedy of romance and crossed lines. There are three main themes: ex-girlfriend, bad-boss, and God. The story revolves around six friends who are selling home appliances to the US from a call center in India. Each one has an issue with love. Call agent Sam works right beside the girl who has just duped him. He is dating someone he can’t stand just to get over her. Esha is just short of becoming a model. Two inches, to be precise. Vroom wants to change the world. Radhika is trying to manage her mother-in-law, and hold down her job. Tonight is Thanksgiving in America, and customers are queuing up to complain about white goods going wrong. On this night of a thousand phone calls, when life couldn’t look more dismal, one unique caller got on the line- God: and that call is going to change everything†¦.A romantic comedy of six friends kicking against the system, against their boss, and against each other. The fact that ‘One Night @ The Call Center’, was an enormous success in India is very strange or unusual and troubling. Although it may seem a feel-good story about Indian empowerment in a globalized world, but Bhagat finds no other way to reach a happy end but through a ridiculous and an unexpected event saving a seemingly hopeless situation and a series of morally reprehensible acts. One might be able to forgive him invoking God- the ultimate fall-back guy when nothing else works: but the mean-spirited and outrageous means he chooses for his characters to find happiness and satisfaction is beyond contempt. In the opening page, we are asked to do a task- think about something you fear, that makes you angry and one thing you don’t like about yourself. After a deep pondering, one may come up with an idea and plod on with the reading. When you reach the end of the novel you find yourself thinking about what you said in the beginning and viewing it in a different way- clever stuff, actually Bhagat’s writing style is so easy that you are soon swept along with the narrative. The novel has a prologue, in which author- Chetan Bhagat encounters a beautiful woman on a train-trip. She offers to tell him a story- but will do so only on one condition that he uses it for his next book. It is set at a call center, describing the events of a single night shift†¦..and she warns him (as well as the readers) to expect at least one unusual occurrence: â€Å"it was the night†¦.it was the night there was a phone call from God.† That’s a lot of pressure to put on a book- and since the phone call comes on page241, that’s also an awful lot of suspense to leave the reader in for a very long time. The story is narrated by Shyam Mehra, who works at the Connections Call Center. Here Indians man the phones all night, fielding calls from American consumers who are having troubles with their electronic goods. The company is kept afloat by its account with Western Computers and Appliances, but isn’t doing spectacularly well (â€Å"call volumes are at an all time low†¦.Connections is doomed†) and there is talk of â€Å"rightsizing† i.e. downsizing. Shyam works in the WASG bay which stands for the Western Appliances Strategic Group, handling home appliance issues i.e. people having trouble with their refrigerators, ovens, and vacuum cleaners. The novel focuses on Shyam and handful of his colleagues- a motley crew of Indians who, for a variety of reasons, have wound up in the same job. For quite a while ‘One Night @ The Call Center’ is fairly predictable; the characters and their personal stories are introduced, the bad boss is shown being bad, the American callers are unlucky. Bhagat does not do any of this particularly well, but it’s modestly engaging and there seem to be some possibilities. Priyanka’s sudden engagement to a Microsoft-man she has never seen, stirs the things up, and each of the characters has his or her own story which Bhagat at least offers a glimpse of. He is at his best in describing the workplace- silliness, dealing with customers and bosses, though not particularly creative or imaginative. Bhagat has a self-righteous and important streak that undermines much of his possibly valid social criticism. Claims of intellectual superiority hardly mask the pathetic inferiority complex they all seem to suffer from. At Connections they are taught: â€Å"the brain and IQ of a thirty-five-year-old American is the same as the brain of a ten-year-old Indian. This will help you understand your clients. You need to be as patient with them as you are when dealing with a child. Americans are stupid, just accept it.† It was quite surprising that the novel ‘One Night @ The Call Center’ was getting an American release, as Americans aren’t exactly shown in a flattering light here. The thirty five is equal to ten rule just makes one stunned. The Indian call center teaches all the agents that a thirty five year old American is as intelligent as a ten year old Indian child!! One would wonder how Americans will take this saying. Perhaps one sort of has to insult the people who call all night long to complain about idiotic problems now and then to stay sane and not end up screaming at them after one stupid question too many. The author does acknowledge that in spite of the vast intelligence Indians have, the country is plagued by corruption and thus very behind America. In a nutshell, it can be said that Bhagat raises valid issues and concerns- but does not take them in the least seriously, offering neither reasonable descriptions of the issues, nor any sensible way of dealing with them. The characters one finds working in these places like call-centers, the cross-cultural issues (some of which he even manages to begin to convey), the different faces of modernizing India, the family pressures especially on women; Bhagat even lays a decent foundation. But in going completely overboard like God! Operation Yankee fears! ; He undoes all of the promise of the book, and with his morally defective happy end, sends such a wrong message that one has to condemn the whole exercise. 3. THE THREE MISTAKES OF MY LIFE It is Bhagat’s third book, about cricket, religious politics and rebellious love. About how three friends get caught in a tangle to earn some money and fame, and how they sort it out. The book was published in May 2008 and had an initial print –run of 200,000 copies. The novel follows the story of three friends and is based in the city of Ahmadabad in western India where the author had begun his independent life and so this city is quite close to his heart. Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment has bought the rights for making a movie based on this, and it will be directed by Abhishek Kapoor of ‘ROCK ON!’ fame. The book has fiction: sentiment, romance, social message, business, life, relations, religion and of course cricket. It’s the story about three friends Omi, Govind and Ish who are struggling to decide their goal. The story is presented through Govind’s eye; he is a brilliant student of mathematics. He has an aptitude and penchant for business and it’s his three mistakes of life that are presented along. Govind is a true Gujarati, interested in coming up on his own in life through business. Ishaan or Ish- a failure in studies but a great cricketer (obviously great in the local school team), has a passion in playing, teaching and watching cricket. Omi comes from a family of priests with no inclination of becoming a priest and just moves along with his two friends. The journey of these simple people in life, how their lives get affected by the worst disasters in Gujarat’s history is portrayed in a simple yet efficient way by Chetan Bhagat. This book also teaches you how your dreams crash into pieces by unexpected events but how with the support from people around, you get back on track, focus and rebuild your dreams. Vidya, Ishaan’s sister, a teenager with her eyes on Govind, represents typically homely Indian girls trying to lose their virginity and so-called boys feeling shy and guilty after having sex with them†¦. as Neha in ‘Five Point Someone’ and here Vidya in this novel. Ali, a gifted batsman and son of a local Muslim politician, plays a prominent role in the story. It’s the story of how Govind, Ishaan and Omi come up with a sports store in their area and how they achieve success in it by clubbing it with Math’s tuitions and cricket coaching classes. The writer has thrown in the angle of Ali a gifted batsman who is in need of coaching and as Ishaan is an avid cricket player whose passion lies in playing, teaching and watching cricket, comes in as Ali’s savior because he does not want a brilliant talent to be wasted. Then there is a love angle of Vidya and Govind thrown in. And to top it all Chetan Bhagat has placed the novel in the era when Ahmadabad suffered with a nightmare of an earthquake and riots. The book traces the lives of these characters and their trials and tribulations. This novel especially comes at a time when people only want to come up with excuses to show or feel how different they are rather than see the common aspects and bring oneness which can keep us together and achieve our common goal of growth, peace and prosperity. The language is simple, it connects well with the youth of India and the narration has improved as compared to the earlier novels. Chetan Bhagat has again proved that to be best novelist you don’t need fabulous vocabulary or you don’t need awesome critics review, all you need is a thread to connect to the plain minds of people. Truly this novel teaches you- life will have many setbacks. People close to you will hurt you, but you don’t break it off, you don’t hurt them more. You try to heal it. It is a lesson not only you, but our country needs to learn. The story involves some of the major headlines of early 2000 like the Gujarat earthquake, India-Australia test series, the 9/11 WTC attack and not to forget the Godhra train mishap. Apart from cricket, business and religion it also has the mesmerizing love story between Govind and Vidya the story is good, since the events are from recent past and it’s easy to connect with it. It can be completed in one sitting. But there are not many surprises as it has not gone away from Bhagat’s typical style of writing. It is less on humor content as well. Chetan has been very clever by stating ‘3 mistakes’ and you keep flipping the pages for knowing the other two mistakes as the first mistake you will come to know quite soon. It is a book with nice ingredients of real events and fiction perfectly cooked for a delicious dish. No mistake in giving it a read. 4. 2 STATES: THE STORY OF MY MARRIAGE This book is about how love marriages work in India and is again typical of him in the first person. It is like his first book ‘Five Point Someone’, expected to be inspired by his own life. The book is funny and completely different from his previous novels; perhaps this time Bhagat did not want to write about friends any more. ‘2 States.’ is about Krish and Ananya, who are from two different states of India. They are deeply in love and want to get married. But their parents do not agree. To convert a love story into a wedding, the couple has a tough fight ahead of them. Perhaps it is no secret that Chetan, a Punjabi and Anusha, a Tamilian, had to work hard to have both sets of parents agree to their relationship and subsequently their marriage. To provide a further glimpse into their personal story, Chetan decided to take up penning this book after leaving his banking job and having decided to become a full-time writer. While Anusha emphasizes that when Chetan announced to her for the first time this book would heavily lean on their life story, she indeed was a little wary. In fact Anusha also stresses that before writing the book, both Chetan and she spoke to their parents assuring them that it was not about them. While Chetan accepts that a lot of portions of the book have been dramatized at the insistence of his wife, he credits his fans for conceptualizing this book. When Anusha read the book, she loved the female lead, who is modern, liberated and educated. India is opening up and parents are learning to accept love marriages despite prejudices about caste. Bhagat has dedicated this book to his in-laws and it would be for the first time any Indian writer has dedicated a book to his in-laws. In fact Chetan Bhagat admits that one of the biggest challenges would be to make sure that his in-laws still want to talk to him after reading this book. He surprises us by saying that he hopes that his wife’s parents will still be his in-laws. But, interestingly, Anusha’s parents had actually flown down from kolkata to attend the launch of the book ‘2 States†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ There is no second opinion about this that Indian love marriages are not easy. It’s just the boy and the girl who fall in love, but everyone- i.e. both their clans, have to fall in love too. In the end, the boy and the girl start questioning whether there’s anything more left to it and even fight. But it’s important to know what parents think of your marriage. Parents still have the remote control when it comes to emotions. According to Bhagat- however independent you are, getting married without parents’ approval is not good for the relationship. No doubt parents’ protesting against children marrying outside caste or religion is archaic today, still there are some honour-killing incidents in the recent times. Bhagat inspires by saying that if all else fails, the parents should do it for the sake of country. ‘2 States†¦.’ we all know well, is the story of Bhagat’s own love marriage to a Tamil Brahmin. Bhagat found that his own marriage had scope for humor because this Punjabi-Tamil is a continuous thing and a lot of Indians can relate to it. The story is fictionalized but the feelings that Bhagat had gone through, are the same as what the characters experience. And of course it was difficult for him to convince his own parents to accept his Tamilian wife – Anusha, who was also a banker. So, there are jokes about Punjabis and Tamilians in this book. More importantly, Bhagat used it to address to his strained relationship with his father. Speaking about ‘2 States†¦.’, Bhagat says that the story is not a memoir, it was nice, the feeling of suspension of disbelief, but as it involves his own family, so he wants to make it clear that it is a work of fiction. That is why there are character changes and the dramatization is higher. Calling it a fluffy novel, Bhagat says that it is personal and treats the complex issue of inter-community marriages, the fun way. And sends home a bigger message of homogeneous society. According to Bhagat, homogeneity is important for a country to move forward. Today’s youth are traveling to different cities for studies and work, and they will meet someone; but parents are still rooted in prejudices that have to be addressed. To take his stand point firmly, Bhagat cites the success stories of Korea, Taiwan and China that have seen progress from a developing country by adopting homogeneity. Chetan Bhagat believes to do what your heart says. Knowing what you want and sticking to your decision is most important. And he himself did just that. He fell in love, knew what he was doing and followed his heart. And so, a book happened. Bhagat feels that his best stories are those drawn from his own life and experiences. The more personal the book, the more unusual and funny it becomes for him. People relate to it better because they know him, his wife and his twin sons. He strongly believes that the function of literature is to reflect society and by means of his novels he is causing some change in a large part of India, which is far more satisfying. AS A COLUMNIST Bhagat has an open-ended column in Dainik Bhaskar, a large Hindi newspaper and another at The Times of India, English daily. He says,†the main purpose of the books and films is to entertain, but the columns allow me to give my views on how the nation should be run.† His articles are written in simple English to achieve mass appeal. He also visits Educational Institutions in India to give motivational talks. ON TELEVISION Bhagat was a judge on a reality show by Star News called ‘Star Anchor Hunt’ AWARDS Chetan Bhagat has been honoured with ‘Society Young Achiever’s Award’ in 2004 and ‘Publisher’s Recognition Award’ in 2005.

Interpersonal Relationships: Advantages and Disadvantages

Interpersonal Relationships: Advantages and Disadvantages Tiffany Steeples Interpersonal Relationships Interpersonal relationships are one of the most important things we have, and our ability to form meaningful relationships, rest largely on your interpersonal communication competencies (DeVito, pg. 196). The advantages of relationships often outweigh the disadvantages but to form more meaningful relationships, to keep them, or even to dissolve them and maintain emotional health at the end of a relationship; one must be able to evaluate the stages of relationships and their importance (Hamlett). A good way to understand the study of interpersonal relationships is to take a look at your own relationships, whether past, present or even the type of relationship you want in your future. Focusing on your own relationships such as friendships, romantic relationships, your family, or your work relationships can explain a lot about whether your relationships fail or succeed. Major advantages of having interpersonal relationships are: You lessen your loneliness (DeVito pg. 196). When you feel like someone cares or loves you and is there to protect you, you feel less lonely. Gaining a self-knowledge and having the self esteem you need through contact with others helps you to see things through different perspectives. Placing yourself in different roles can strengthen the availability of so many relationships will help you to focus on viewing  yourself and your relationship. Healthy interpersonal relationships also help enhance self-esteem and self-worth (DeVito pg. 196). Having that one friend or that one romantic partner will make you feel more worthy and more desirable. DeVito states that research shows that without interpersonal relationships, you are more likely to become depressed and by becoming depressed, interpersonal relationships can contribute to physical illness (DeVito pg, 197). Not only can you become depressed, but relationships can also contribute to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, smoking, or lack of physical exercise (DeVito pg. 197). With having those â€Å"good friends†, you’re able to maximize your pleasure and they help to minimize your pain. For example, when losing a job, your friends are supposed to make you feel less hurt when unexpected confrontations arrive. Friends are there to help and will make you feel better whether it be good news or bad news. The last advantage of interpersonal relationships, human contact is one of the best ways to secure the intellectual, physical and emotional stimulation that we all go through (DeVito pg. 197). DeVito also states that even having an imaginary friend is better than not having a friend at all. The advantages all seem to have a good effect on a person who is involved with interpersonal relationships and understanding all of these things will help us to determine how far our relationships will go. The disadvantages of Interpersonal relationships are expressed through what most people would consider to be â€Å"disadvantages†. People conclude that close relationships puts pressure on you to reveal yourself and to expose your vulnerabilities (DeVito pg. 197). I find this to be true, especially with friendships because you can know and find out so much about a person and  then as soon as the relationship deteriorates, the relationship may backfire and all of your personal information becomes a weakness that is used against you. Close relationships may increase your obligations towards others. This means that your time becomes their time as well. Not only your time is felt obligated but even possibly your financial obligations become shared and you may not be too excited about sharing your time or your finances. While building close relationships, other relationships you may have may start to feel abandon. I believe this to be true, especially if your building a romantic relationship that may require a lot more of your time and your friends are not as supportive or understanding. Your friendships can become abandoned. Relationships take a lot of both, time and energy, and you have to be willing to sacrifice which relationships are more important or even better, learn to balance the two different relationships to make sure everyone is happy. The closer your relationships, the more emotionally difficult they are to dissolve (DeVito pg. 197). It is whole lot harder to rid a relationship that you have put forth time, emotional strength, and even financial stability. This can cause depression or distress that some people dislike to face. The last disadvantage of having interpersonal relationships is that Your partner may break your heart (DeVito pg. 197). After all of the time and different things that you could possible put forth to make a relationship work, it could all backfire and against all pleas and promises your whole life could change. If you care a great deal, you’re likely to experience a great hurt; if you care less, the hurt will be less (DeVito pg. 197). To better understand interpersonal relationships, you must also understand the relationship stages. The six stages are the significant stages you may go through as you try to achieve your relationship goals (DeVito pg. 198). The six stages which are Contact, Involvement, Intimacy, Repair, Deterioration and Dissolution are use for all types of relationships including friendships, love relationships and even online relationships. Contact is the first stage that includes perceptual contact. Perceptual contact allows you to see what the person looks like, what they sound like and even what they smell like (DeVito pg. 199). After perceptual contact there is interactional contact in which you are interacting with the person. This type of contact can be nonverbal by exchanging winks and smiles and also allows the person to learn information about the other person. DeVito states, that it is during this stage, that your may initiate interaction and engage in invitational communication (DeVito pg. 199). The involvement stage is the second stage in which a sense of mutuality, of being connected, develops (DeVito pg. 199). During this stage your empathizing more with each other and you are committing to getting to know the person at an even better level than the contact stage. It is during this intimacy stage that you begin to express your feelings and thoughts by being honest. Your communication with each other becomes more personal. Within this stage you have the interpersonal commitment phase which allows you to commit yourselves to each other in a more â€Å"private† way and then there is the social bonding phase that allows commitment that is made more publically. It is also during the intimacy stage the two becomes a unit, a couple or a pair. The deterioration stage is the stage where the bonds begin to become weakened. When the reasons for coming together are no longer present or things may take a drastic change, then the relationships deteriorates (DeVito pg . 202). The repair stages has different phases that it  considers; the first phase is the intrapersonal repair. This is when you analyze what exactly went wrong and you may consider ways of solving your differences. During the interpersonal repair, you may discuss the problems of your relationship and what can be done to fix whatever the problems. DeVito states that you can look at the strategies for repairing a relationship in terms of the word REPAIR (DeVito pg. 203). To break down the word REPAIR, it means to Recognize the problem, Engage in productive conflict resolution, Pose possible solutions, Affirm each other, Integrate solutions into your life and Risk. The last stage in the dissolution stage, the stage is the cutting off of the bonds that tie you together, whether in a friendship or romantic relationship. DeVito gives some suggestions for dealing with dissolution. He suggest that you should break the loneliness-depression cycle, take time out, bolster self-esteem, seek the support or others and to avoid repeating negative patterns (DeVito pg. 204). Interpersonal relationships are something that we all as people have to and will experience. Professor Ralph Hamlett states that we must remember that all relationships are dynamic, meaning that they change (Hamlett). In order to accommodate these changes, we must all be aware of the change and how we are going to adapt. Works Cited DeVito, Joseph A., Interpersonal Messages: Communication and Relationship Skills,3rd ed. (Boston:Pearson, 2014). RalphHamlett. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2014. Why is Hamlett Timeless? Why is Hamlett Timeless? Shakespeares Hamlet is exemplary of the universal nature, which, despite the passage of time still holds its textual integrity. As Hamlet  is not limited by contextual barriers multiple interpretations are plausible through the texts ability to be re-contextualised. The thematic representations of love, power and the central theme of life and death continue to hold significance to audiences and propose an understanding of the mental instability of the human condition. The themes will be highlighted in this response in order to expose Hamlets transcendent nature. Political instability and Power through matters of Corruption are timeless and can be expressed during the Elizabethan Era of Hamlet. Corruption is epitomised in Hamlet through the character of Claudius who used the ambiguous method of murdering King Hamlet to satisfy his obsession for power. Claudiuss immoral and corrupt rise to power is illustrated in Act 1 scene 5 as King Hamlet states, The serpent that did sting thy fathers life now wears his crown. The metaphoric language present exemplifies Claudiuss unjust rise to power. Claudius has used corruption at the detriment of justice and virtue to proclaim power within Denmark. Furthermore, Claudius corrupt rise to power is further cemented into the kingdom of Denmark through Hippocratic characters such as Polonius and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. This can be reinforced as Hamlet states, there are many confines, wards and dungeons; Denmark being one oth worst. The extended metaphor of imprisonment not only encapsulates his view of C laudiuss corrupt kingdom but represents his feelings of being entrapped in an unstable political monarch. Therefore political instability and power occur through matters of corruption. Central to Hamlets development is the themes of intricacies of the human condition thus being life and death. Shakespeares usage of soliloquies depicts Hamlet thoughts and feelings strengthing Hamlets as a truth teller. This dramatic technique is used to reveals admiration of his father in contrast to Claudius. A hostile Hamlet illustrates the difference between the two kings, his deceased father and Claudius through the anthropomorphic allusion of his father to Claudius in being as Hyperion as the satyr. Thus suggesting Claudius who appears regal to be in reality like that of a lustfulness beast while his father to be that of a loyal God. The iambic pentameter present in the most part of the soliloquy is heavily disregarded as this line extends to fifteen syllables as to implore Hamlets distress. His turbulent response is furthermore illustrated by the enjambment which closely follows in the soliloquy indicating struggle to control his emotions. Imagery displays greater meaning in t he death of his Hamlets father. tis an unweeded garden, that grows to seed symbolises that the thrown has been overtook by weeds, that is Claudius, after what was before has died. Shakespeare imagery used allows the audience to view Hamlets thoughts graphically of the truth of the fratricide and incest in Elsinore. Shakespeares use of soliloquies reveals Hamlets thoughts into life and death and reveals the weight of the contemplation in this stream of consciousness. The speech is written in a fractured, fragmented manner which is symbolic of Hamlets internal struggle. Emphasis is placed upon the second last syllable rather than the last syllable, which draws upon the tradition of feminine rhyme further elucidating Hamlets inner turmoil. Anadiplosis is evident in the metonymic chain in this soliloquy between the association of sleeping with death. The use of metonymy stresses the introspection of Hamlet, as it is a technique often used to convey thought processes, as thinking is an associative practice. Shakespeare suggests through the characterisation of Hamlet that the fear of what will come after death makes individuals suffer the corrupt world as suicide would mean eternal damnation. This is again reflected in his statement, Thus consciousness does make cowards of all. Poignantly highlightin g Hamlets inability to execute his reprisal and his struggle to turn his desire for revenge into action, accentuating his restraint due to the fear of what his future will hold after death. Alas poor Yorick! Iknew him / Horatio a transcendent quotation and is a famous reflection on the fragility of life. It is in this soliloquy where Shakespeare reveals Hamlets intelligence, emotional complexity into the fate of us all as the themes of life and death follow on into his stream of consciousness. Hamlet is a play which both, reflects its own context and resonates with modern audiences. Through exploring themes such as the love, power and most highly life and death. Hamlet educates the modern responder about the Shakespearean context and allows them to relate to universal these themes. This combination will ensure that the text continues to be valued as significant through numerous contexts.

Barriers to Healthcare for Diabetic Ethnic Minorities

Barriers to Healthcare for Diabetic Ethnic Minorities Comparing Barriers to Healthcare in Diabetic Ethnic Minorities in Urban Versus Rural Settings Noreen Choudhary   Issue/Problem There has been abundant research done in the study of ethnic minorities and their access to healthcare. Attention has been paid to common barriers such as language, knowledge and communication, which are all culturally influenced. Most of this research has focused on general access to healthcare and not specific diseases. There is very little reserach on comparing barriers that exist depending on location. The issue I would be exploring in my study is determining the differences in potential barriers that exist in access to healthcare among ethnic minority diabetic individuals in urban versus rural settings. The potential barriers in access should differ depending on the location since the type and amount of resources present varies in both settings. This study hopes to contribute to the literature by focusing on diabetes and determining the differences in barriers that exist for ethnic minorities in the urban versus rural settings. Background The regions with the greatest incidence of diabetes are Africa and Asia, where the rates are expected to rise two or three times (Oldroyd, Banerjee, Heald Cruickshank, 2005). The three countries with the highest prevalence of diabetes are USA, China and India (Oldroyd et al., 2005). The largest increases are expected in Brazil, Indonesia, Bangladesh , Pakistan and Japan (Oldroyd et al., 2005). Type 2 diabetes is most common among ethnic minority groups residing in developed countries (Oldroyd et al., 2005). Diabetes is a chronic illness that requires continuing medical attention as well as self-management education (American Diabetes Association, 2002). Renfrew et al. (2013) reported on barriers to care present in a Cambodian population near Boston. The study highlighted the importance of a culturally sensitive healthcare system for Cambodians (Renfrew et al., 2013). The researchers found the following barriers in access to healthcare: patients’ views of chronic disease, diabetes management, communication, psycho-social factors, diabetes etiology and explanatory models and fears of interacting with the healthcare system (Renfrew et al., 2013). The researchers were advocating for a culturally sensitive approach to healthcare for this population because most of the barriers identified were culturally influenced. Some of these culturally influenced barriers were patients’ mistrust in the western model of health, replacement by alternative medicine, belief that western medicine is an ‘instant’ cure, and desire to please the practitioners (Renfrew et al., 2013). Researchers found these barriers among other whic h were influenced by cultural beliefs of the patients (Renfrew et al., 2013). Smith, Garie, and Schmitz (2014) illustrated self-reported use of diabetes healthcare services in a Quebec community-based sample. The study found that people with major depression were more likely to be high users or non-users of diabetes healthcare services (Smith, Garie, Schmitz, 2014). People with major depression reported more problems with accessing diabetes healthcare services (Smith, Garie, Schmitz, 2014). People with major depression perceived more problems with the healthcare they received (Smith, Garie, Schmitz, 2014). The results also showed that people with major depression perceived problems with the length of time they had to wait to see a doctor, that there is a lack of specialist care in their area and are more likely to report having problems getting to the doctor due to transportation and health problems (Smith, Garie, Schmitz, 2014). The low service users represent a particularly vulnerable group who may need to be targeted by interventions in order to encoura ge them to visit a doctor (Smith, Garie, Schmitz, 2014). The finding in this study was important because it showed that perceived problems with accessing healthcare services could impact utilization of healthcare. Wagner et al. (2013) reports on the effects of trauma on the risk for disease development and access to healthcare. Mental health problems among Southeast Asian refugees are well known but the long term affects of mass violence as re-settled refugees age are less well described (Wagner et al., 2013). This study investigated any potential relationship that may exist between trauma symptoms, self-reported health outcomes, and barriers to healthcare among Cambodian and Vietnamese persons in Connecticut (Wagner et al., 2013). Healthcare access and occurrence were measured regarding patient-provider understanding, cost and access, and interpretive services (Wagner et al., 2013). Individuals with greater levels of trauma symptoms were associated with greater lack of understanding, cost and access problems, and the need for an interpreter (Wagner et al., 2013). Although these Southeast Asian immigrants arrived to United States as refugees more than 20 years ago, there continues to be high l evels of trauma symptoms among this population which are associated with increased risk for disease and decreased access to healthcare services (Wagner et al., 2013). This article was interesting because it didn’t mention the usual barriers we talk about when it comes to access to healthcare (such as language). The last article I found was titled, ‘Diabetes care quality is a question of location’ by The Press Association. The article talks about the standard of diabetes healthcare in England depending on a postcode lottery (The Press Association, 2013). The quality of care patients receive depends whether it’s provided by a GP or a hospital, it depends on the location (The Press Association, 2013). The report found big regional differences in patients’ access to quality, integrated care (The Press Association, 2013). Some areas were four times more likely to get annual checks needed to manage their conditions (The Press Association, 2013). This article is similar to my research project however instead of rural and urban settings, it focused on location in terms of where healthcare was sought, a clinic, hospital, or GP (The Press Association, 2013). Purpose/Aim of your Project The aim of my research proposal is to identify any potential barriers that may exist in access to healthcare among ethnic minority diabetics in rural versus urban settings. My original research proposal was investigating potential barriers in access to healthcare among ethnic minority diabetics without the location factor. When I started looking up literature, I found there was already enough information in this area and my research wouldn’t add anything distinctive to this field. I started reading more articles and doing a literature review, I didn’t find any studies comparing potential barriers in urban and rural settings. After reviewing the comments I received from the professor after the first assignment, I was actively looking for gaps in research when reading articles. Therefore, I decided to alter my original question after I found this gap. If there are differences in the types of barriers present in these two distinct settings, then hopefully my research would bring this to the forefront of healthcare providers and policymakers and would result in equitable care in urban and rural settings. Rationale/justification Canada is known for its multiculturalism with Ontario being the most ethnically diverse province [3]. Almost 13.4% of Canadians identified themselves as being a visible minority in the 2001 census [3]. Since diabetes is most prevalent in ethnic minorities and Canada is one of the most ethnically diverse countries, it’s understandable why there is an abundance of research in this field. There is a currently a gap in research that my research would potentially fulfill. While reading articles present in my field of interest, I couldn’t find any that compared barriers in access to healthcare present in urban versus rural settings. This sort of information is necessary for policymakers to reduce or even eliminate these barriers to achieve high quality of care for diabetic individuals in the future. If the results conclude that the barriers present in the urban settings differ from the ones present in the rural setting, then there is work to be done. We must ensure health equity when it comes to access to healthcare and eliminate any geographical factors that come into play. We must ensure healthy places for all individuals but especially diabetics who require a lot of social and medical support. Also, the need for culturally appropriate health care to accommodate the unique needs of ethnic minorities. The other research gap I found was studies didn’t talk about information loss during translations, either during patient and practitioner interactions or researcher and patient interactions. I think it’s an important factor to consider in studies consisting of subjects who speak another language. For instance, in one study the researchers found that patients didn’t understand the concept of chronic disease and I believe that this was due to information loss during translation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide healthcare professionals with information on the different barriers that exist among urban and rural settings in order to achieve health equity. Researchable research question The research question for my study is: What are potential barriers in access to health care among ethnic minorities with diabetes in the urban versus the rural settings? Intellectual guideposts Ontology is the theory of being or what reality fundamentally is, in social sciences it is closely linked with ethical implications (David Sutton, 2011). The basic premise of phenomenological ontology is that for humans reality is not something separate from its appearance (David Sutton, 2011). The way we think about ourselves is fundamental to what we are (David Sutton, 2011). For me, I think that health is a fundamental aspect of being human, it’s a basic right and an underlying factor in our existence. All individuals should have access to healthcare and this access should be equitable, regardless of one’s location. The particular ‘epistemological’ (theory of knowledge) stance (positivist, critical theoretical or interpretivist) will be grounded in assumptions about the basic character of being human (David Sutton, 2011). My research project is rooted in the interpretivist paradigm because I believe that access to healthcare is an important aspect of being human. Health is an important part of being human and to achieve this health, we need a culturally sensitive and acceptable healthcare system for ethnic minorities. Axiology is about the values each individual has and its influence on their research [print]. There are no value-free sociologies, values are foundational for knowledge-producing systems [print]. The topic of this study began with a personal experience I have with diabetes but eventually filtered out to form a researchable question that could add value to the field. Coming from a background in biology, we are taught that there is something wrong with the body and it needs to be fixed, that health is solely a biological factor. This was purely based in a positivist paradigm which is aligned with quantitative research. I believe that healthcare access regardless of ethnicity, location, age, sex, or gender is crucial for all humans. Coming from a country with a poor healthcare system also influences my view in terms of healthcare access. I believe that health has a strong social component which cannot be measured quantitatively and thus I adopted an interpretivist and qualitative approa ch for my study. The best way to undergo my study would be by utilizing a qualitative approach, more specifically, open-ended interviews. I want to gain insight into the barriers that are present for each individual from these ethnically diverse backgrounds. I want to understand their perspective and beliefs, and how these influence their use of the healthcare system. After I understand these barriers, I will compare the difference in the types of barriers that are present among those living in the urban and rural settings. Since I am using open ended interviews, I believe the best rhetorical choice would be passive. I believe the participants in the study should have the freedom to talk in depth about the issue at hand. I don’t want to influence their answers in any way but at the same time they should have the opportunity to freely express themselves. Especially in my study which includes ethnic minorities, there may be language barriers present so this freedom to answer freely would be a pl us for the participants. Interpretive/theoretical frame My research project will be embedded in the interpretive paradigm. More specifically, I will be adopting the constructionism theory. â€Å"Constructionists focus on how people create meaningful social reality for themselves through their interactions and thereby create a sense of order through shared beliefs (David Sutton, 2011).† Constructionists adopt qualitative approaches such as interviews and unstructured observation (David Sutton, 2011). I believe that culture is important in defining health, it influences our behaviour in terms of how we access and utilize our healthcare system. For example, Renfrew et al. (2013) talked about how people’s perceptions on chronic illness affected their use of the healthcare system. One’s culture, beliefs, views and attitudes affects their behaviour in terms of healthcare use. This is relevant to my research project because I want to understand the barriers that exist for ethnic minorities with diabetes but with the added element of comparing these barriers in two settings: urban and rural. References: American Diabetes Association. (2002). Standards of medical care for patients with diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care, 25, 533-549. David, M., Sutton, C. (2011). Social research: An introduction. London : Sage Publications. Oldroyd, J., Banerjee, M., Heald, A., Cruickshank, K. (2005). Diabetes and ethnic minorities. Postgrad Medical Journal, 81, 486-490. Renfrew, M. R., Taing, E., Cohen, M. J., Betancourt, J. R., Pasinski, R., Green, A. R. (2013). Barriers to care for Cambodian patients with diabetes: Results from a qualitative study. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Undeserved, 24(1), 633-655. Smith, Garie, Schmitz (2014). Self-reported use of diabetes healthcare services in a Quebec community-based sample: impact of depression status. Public Health, 128, 63-69. The Press Association. (2013, December 10). Diabetes care quality is question of location. Nursing Times. Retrieved from http://www.nursingtimes.net/home/clinical-zones/diabetes/diabetes-care-quality-is-question-of-location/5066307.article Wagner et al. (2012). Trauma, healthcare access, and health outcomes among Southeast Asian refugees in Connecticut. Journal Immigrant Minority Health, 15, 1065–1072. Peer Feedback Form Is it clear what issue or problem the author will investigate through this study? Explain. Yes, the author is studying healthcare access by immigrants from two different backgrounds: those from developed countries and those from underdeveloped countries. It is evident in the assignment what the researcher will be trying to determine and why they have chosen to do so. There is a gap in understanding barriers in access to healthcare that exist between immigrants from developing countries and those from developed countries. Is the approach chosen, qualitative or quantitative a suitable choice, and will it bring insight into the research question? Explain. The approach is qualitative and this is a suitable choice. Since the researcher wants to understand why people over or under use the healthcare system and wants their opinion/views, it’s best to use a qualitative approach. By using interviews, for example, they can gain insight into the factors that influence people to use or not use the healthcare system in their country. Has the author explained connections to the literature, including what gaps exist in our knowledge about the topic? Explain. Yes, the author has clearly explained why they want to do this research and what gap it will fill. They have mentioned that previous research has been done on immigrants and access to healthcare, however, none have focused on the differences in this access based on country of origin (developed/developing). Are the aims of this project clear and well written? Explain. Yes, the aims are quite clear. The author wants to understand the factors that prevent immigrants from using the healthcare system based on their country of origin, the Western or Eastern countries. They want to compare these factors and understand if any differences exist. Is the research question clearly stated? Is it researchable? Does it fit well within approach the author has selected? Explain. The question is clearly stated and is researchable. It will fit with the qualitative approach that the researcher has chosen because it will allow them to understand from the immigrants’ views why they chose or didn’t choose to utilize the healthcare system. They want to understand the barriers that exist for them individually and thus, the best approach is to use qualitative methods. Has the author properly and convincingly used the intellectual guideposts for research, explaining her or his project and position relative to these? Explain. Yes, the author used the intellectual guideposts to explain her position on each one. The use of the constructionism theory in this research proposal makes sense. They want to understand the barriers that exist for each individual and this is influenced by how people create and perceive their realities, the basis of constructionism. Is it clear which paradigm and theoretical frame will be used in this study? Explain. It is quite evident that this research is based on the interpretive paradigm. As she stated in this assignment, â€Å"The largest factor guarding our interpretations of the social world is culture.† This perfectly fits with this research study because I’m sure that most of the barriers that exist in access to healthcare are influenced by culture. This is especially true for most immigrants who come from countries that are different culturally. What suggestions can you make or ideas can you bring to enhance the overall clarity of the proposal? Explain. Overall the assignment was very well done, however, I’m just wondering if you are concentrating on new or long term immigrants. I think this would potentially affect the types of barriers that are present. For example, language or knowledge would be more of a barrier for newer immigrants. Maybe you could control for this aspect, as it could be a potential confounder. Good luck! 1