Plot Twist Essay Example

Plot Twist Essay A plot twist is a change in the expected direction or outcome of the plot of a film, television series, video game, novel, comic or other fictional work. It is a common practice in narration used to keep the interest of an audience, usually surprising them with a revelation. Some twists are foreshadowed and can thus be predicted by many viewers/readers, whereas others are a complete shock. When a plot twist happens near the end of a story, especially if it changes ones view of the preceding events, it is known as a twist ending. Revealing the existence of a plot twist often spoils a movie, since the majority of the movie generally builds up to the plot twist. A device used to undermine the expectations of the audience is the false protagonist. It involves presenting a character at the start of the film as the main character, but then disposing of this character, usually killing them. It is a red herring. Example of a plot twist An early example of the murder mystery genre[1] with multiple twists[2] was the Arabian Nights tale The Three Apples. It begins with a fisherman discovering a locked chest. The first twist occurs when the chest is broken open and the dead body is found inside. The initial search for the murderer fails, and a twist occurs when two men appear, separately claiming to be the murderer. A complex chain of events finally reveal the murderer to be the investigators own slave. We will write a custom essay sample on Plot Twist specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Plot Twist specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Plot Twist specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer A flashing arrow is a metaphorical audiovisual cue used in films to bring some object or situation that will be referred later, or otherwise used in the advancement of plot, to the attention of the viewers. The device is not introduced into the plot or the dialogue, but is something peripheral; however made obvious (hence the name) by a particular camera shot or background music. An example of this device is a camera close-up in a horror movie that suggests information like danger from an unlocked door. A literal flashing arrow was used in the 1981 film Student Bodies to mock this cliched use. [1] The use of flashing arrows and that particular joke were both mentioned in Everything Bad is Good for You, where the authors says works that have little use of this and require figuring things out yourself have a more deductive viewer base. Another example of a literal flashing arrow can be seen in the Ouran High School Host Club. This device is used several times throughout the anime—for instance in the first episode, a flashing arrow and high-pitched beeping oise indicate a vase that a character breaks later on in that scene. Red herring is an idiomatic expression referring to the rhetorical or literary tactic of diverting attention away from an item of significance. [1] For example, in mystery fiction, where the identity of a criminal is being sought, an innocent party may be purposefully cast in a guilty light by the author through the employment of deceptive clues, false emphas is, loaded words or other descriptive tricks of the trade. The readers suspicions are thus misdirected, allowing the true culprit to go (temporarily at least) undetected. A false protagonist is another example of a red herring. In the  comic book  fan community, the apparent death and subsequent return of a long-running character is often called a  comic book death. While death is a serious subject, a comic book death is generally not taken seriously and is rarely permanent or meaningful. At least three comic book deaths are well known. The first two are the 1980 death of  Jean Grey  in Marvels  Dark Phoenix Saga  and that ofSuperman  in  DCs highly-publicized 1993  Death of Superman  storyline. There is one major distinction between the two, however whereas it was never intended that Supermans death be permanent, and that he would return to life at the conclusion of the story,[3]  Jeans passing (one of many temporary deaths among the  X-Men) was written as the true and permanent death of the character,[citation needed]  only to beretconned  a few years later to facilitate her return. In more recent history, the death of  Captain America  made real-world headlines in early 2007[4]  when he met his apparent end, but Steve Rogers returned in  Captain America: Reborn  in late 2009. Usually more subtle, foreshadowing works on the symbolic level. For example, if a character must break up a schoolyard fight among some boys, it might symbolically foreshadow the family squabbles that will become the central conflict of the story. Other times, it is seemingly inconsequential, with the goal of having the audience be surprised by the storys climax and yet find it justified. If a character learns that a certain man was a regular at the diner where her mother worked many years before, it helps to justify the events later in which she learns that the man is her biological father. If foreshadowing is not done carefully, the common experiences of life can make the foreshadowing too obvious and allow the audience to predict the outcome of the story. Example: a character behaves in an odd and erratic fashion and complains continuously of a  headache, then later is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Foreshadowing can also be used dishonestly in a mystery, where a series of events which points to a conclusion is later found to be composed of unlikely coincidences which have been dishonestly added to the story by the author in an artificial way, with the sole purpose of drawing the audience into an incorrect expectation. In such cases, the audience feels manipulated, and the story may be less satisfying.

The Effects of IT Outsourcing on Retail Companies

The Effects of IT Outsourcing on Retail Companies Introduction Information technology has changed the business processes tremendously. This technological revolution has transformed organizations and businesses such that transactions can be initiated and executed within the shortest span of time. The introduction of the Internet further contributed to the revolution with remote sites able to connect over the Internet and exchanging data, information, and currency.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on The Effects of IT Outsourcing on Retail Companies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The businesses that pioneered information technology quickly included this technology in their business processes. These developed into showcase models in information technology. The cost of implementing these technologies increased over time. As such an opportunity gave itself in which information technology service providers would offer tailored and business-oriented services to willing bu sinesses at a fee. This option was considered against the rising costs of setting up an IT department. It is this process of outsourcing that has taken the information technology age to the next level. Outsourcing has enabled businesses in need of technologically knowledgeable processes but lack the technical and human capacity to outsource such services and processes to technological experts at a stipulated cost (Pinnington and Woolcook 1999; Stakes 1995). Outsourcing has opened up frontiers in IT standardization, especially in the business world where these businesses can acquire IT services from third party organizations and as such benchmark their processes to the global standards. This study is specifically going to address the effects of information technology outsourcing among retail businesses in the United Kingdom. Background and research problem definition IT outsourcing has been around before the turn of the century. Indeed as more businesses discovered the need and advan tages of including IT in their business processing, information technology became the most expensive form of technology then. However, in this a business opportunity arose where information technology astute organizations would lend out their technology by outsourcing to those businesses and organizations that had need then.Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is during this period that businesses such as the British Steel turned to Gap Gemini to outsource their central management service (CMS) unit. British Steel has a workforce of about 50,000 with a turnover of more than 7000 million UK pounds (Brown and Wilson 2005; Linder, Cole and Jacobson, 2002). This company runs a central management services unit to provide exceptional IT support for the company’s finance, payroll, and human resources. CMS also covers some processes within the company’s ope rational system. The British Steel case study is indicative that IT has brought with it special organizational need to ensure facility management. On acquiring new systems through business re-engineering, organizations often realize that they are not able to optimize these systems and therefore have minimal benefit. This is mainly caused by resistive organizational culture that offers little room for change to take place within the organization. Such organizations or businesses turn to outsource such processes to ensure to ensure the processes are carried out professionally and at exceptional standards because IT has a global scope. Therefore, British Steel just like many retail businesses in the United Kingdom turned to Cap Gemini a world class IT Company that the steel manufacturer outsourced about one third of its processes covered within their CMS. British Steel intention to outsource was to gain competitive advantage by maintaining high quality standards with more tahn 99% for key indicators, establish perpetual improvement programs even through the British Steel business improvement program; ensuring a smooth transition of IT responsibilities with minimal disruption to the existing IT system, and safeguarding the interests of its workforce. Several years down the line, the British Steel management intimate that it is about the right IT that can help a company gain competitive advantage in the global market and to this company, outsourcing was the key. Research Questions The British Steel case is just one among the many cases that has experienced the benefits of, IT outsourcing considered a vital undertaking and has vast influence on the economies of countries over the world (Sullivan and Steven 2003).Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on The Effects of IT Outsourcing on Retail Companies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Retail businesses form an important stratum of the general business eco nomy. Retail businesses must have the capability to support evolutionary business processes as the customer needs continue to change. It is this flexibility that can enable such businesses to remain competitive. However, these technology changes come at a high cost of implementation. Faced with such a dilemma, retail businesses will undoubtedly resort to outsourcing to maintain competitive advantage. This research proposal therefore aims at studying the effects of outsourcing in IT and their effects on retail companies, especially in the UK. In so doing, the research will be guided the following main research questions: What are the factors that lead to IT outsourcing among retail companies? What are the effects of IT outsourcing among retail companies? What is the general trend among retail companies in the UK as concerns IT outsourcing? Upon answering the above research questions, a conclusion could be made on the relationship between IT outsourcing and retail companies (De Vaus 2002). Recommendations will also be made after this study on the emerging retail business trends in the UK poised to benefit from IT outsourcing to establish competitive advantage. Research Objectives Based on the research questions, the research objectives can be derived. As stated earlier, the main aim of this research is to establish what effect IT outsourcing has on retail companies in the UK (Bryman and Bell 2007). This research focuses at clearly identifying the IT outsourcing processes with reference to retail business and how the two are related. This implies that the research objectives will include:- To determine reasons IT outsourcing is gaining attention among retail companies. To determine typical effects of IT outsourcing among retail companies in the UK. To determine the general IT outsourcing trends among retail companies in the UK. Literature review IT outsourcing continues to draw much attention from many scholars, academicians, professionals, and business exper ts. This has resulted in a continuous expanding knowledge base focusing on outsourcing and its effects on business processes. However, a review of most of these articles reveals that even though writers differ in some instances, the fact still remains that IT outsourcing has had a significant impact on retail companies all over the world (Jack 2009). This impact affects countries’ economies in many ways. In the article; How Outsourcing Affects the U.S. Economy, Hasan (2008) agrees that indeed outsourcing has brought with it a mixture of effects.Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Some of the effects according to the articles have been beneficial, especially to retail business. The author notes that the dynamitic advantage that outsourcing brings with it has benefited retail industry because of cheap imports and subsequently stronger exports. It has also saved money for these companies. Gordijn (2002) concurs that the outsourcing process is currently considered as a positive contributor to any country’s economy. Research has shown that service jobs generate less income as compared to manufacturing jobs. In fact, the latter are considered as those responsible for creating the wealth in any nation. On the contrary, service jobs consume this wealth. Research findings further indicate that more businesses are currently depending on IT to gain the needed competitive edge. However, it is also true that information technology implementation, especially for a business critical process has a high price tag. As such, IT outsourcing puts the country’s econ omy on the line (Stern and El-Ansary 1992). The trend is not any different with retail companies that must adhere to the state of economy. The outsourcing practice can apply to nearly all types of business. This process is preferred by most business experts because it is considered cost effective. It has been statistically proven that outsourcing can result into reduced costs by between 50 and 60%. For instance, companies in Europe outsource up to $19 trillion spent on a daily basis on processes like sales and administration. Nevertheless, in Futurist (2011) review of literature, he states, â€Å"despite outsourcing being cost-effective, efficient, productive and strategic, it is also condemned as evil, money-grabbing, destructive, ruthless, exploiting the poor, destroying communities and nations† (Futurist 2011, p. 1). Futurist (2011) further asserts that outsourcing has compromised low-cost nations. This is evident with the increased migration from the high-earning nations to the compromised ones. This has led to labour shortages. China and India are a perfect example in this context (Outsource mag, 2011). These two nations, especially China, are experiencing close to 100% salary inflation, and India has been hit by an acute shortage of corporate leadership as a result of large-scale outsourcing. Some of the typical business processes that qualify to be outsourced to IT- oriented companies are those involving electronic data interchange (EDI). According to Fernie (1999), sending financial information is a vital undertaking for any business. However, the process is considered very sensitive. Retail companies continue to focus on electronic automation of such processes as invoicing, order processing dispatch, and other routine processes. Such processes will definitely require EDI to simplify trading cycles and accelerate transactions. However, based on the sensitive nature of the data and information handled by the EDI systems, the cost of their impleme ntation remains high and beyond the reach of many retail companies in the UK and around the world. According to Pinnington and Woolcook (1999) electronic commerce that fundamentally relies on EDI is quickly becoming standard based. Accordingly companies such as Microgen UK are seeing an opportunity to provide the EDI functions to small and medium enterprises who cannot afford to implement EDI full-scale. With companies such as Microgen UK, these retail companies have an opportunity to outsource their EDI processes and therefore compete effectively on the global market. Generally, there is much literature on the outsourcing process and the effect and benefits to the business or organization. However, little is available in this domain, especially related to the effects of IT outsourcing among retail companies within the United Kingdom (Linder, Cole and Jacobson, 2002). This research focuses on this area of study and intends to draw vital conclusions that can be used by professionals, academicians, and businesspeople. Theoretical framework Theories are usually developed to try to predict certain happenings. These happenings may include events of behaviour. A theoretical framework of the study here will include a structure capable of holding a theory during the research. The study here is about the effects of IT outsourcing among retail companies in the UK. The research problem addresses IT outsourcing among retail companies in the UK. The purpose of this research is to relate IT outsourcing to retail businesses in the UK and highlight the effects of outsourcing on retail businesses. The theoretical framework here will represent a theory that can be used as a basis for conducting the research. This research is likely to build a theory in line with the objective of this research. The researcher will use inductive reasoning to address the research problem the effects of IT outsourcing among retail companies in the UK. The research proposal will focus on all variabl e involved in the relationship between IT outsourcing and retail companies (Halvey and Melby, 2005). Based on the literature review it has been established that the two are interconnected and affect each other. The research proposal therefore aims at determining the link between them. The variables will also be vital in determining statistical relationship between IT outsourcing and the performance of retail companies (Eriksson and Kovalainen 2008). Research methods and sampling techniques to be used Collection, sampling, and analyzing of data should be done methodically and with much keenness (Veal 2005). There are a number of research approaches proposed for this study. In the article; The Research Process, Bouma (2004) states that the researcher during the inductive approach makes specific observations from the collected data and arrives at a new theory by observation and hypotheses (Stakes 1995; Yin 2008). The deductive approach starts by reviewing and gathering theory, collecti ng data, and drawing conclusions. However, these two research approaches are not mutually exclusive; hence a research study may have elements of both (Hamel 2000). This research will also take a quantitative research approach. In this approach the problem t be addressed will require an in depth explanation (Saunders 2009). Additionally, this approach will identify the variables within the problem and establish a correlation between these variables. This research is mainly literature-based where the researcher is intending â€Å"to rely on scholarly evidence to justify the research problem† (Saunders 2009, p. 58). There will be a deliberate attempt to address the inadequate knowledge that exists in this field of research. The research approach will also attempt to quantify the data collected. According to Kumar (2005), the quantitative approach examines and interprets data quantifiable, measurable, and finite. Acquiring quantitative data can be by experimentation, testing, and calculation. The results from this approach are usually displayed in a statistical format (Neuman 2006). Data analysis techniques to be used During this research the data collection strategy to be used will include transcription of the interview responses and field notes. These data will be categorized after open coding that includes an analysis of each interview question described as an item on term approach. Cross analysis as a data analysis technique is used for this research and will ensure that the process is analytically exhausted. The study must also be calibrated for credibility. The data on evaluation should be credible. Credibility involves truthfulness and value of the data. The proposed study will use triangulation where multiple data sources are considered. This enhances the data’s validity. Data validity and reliability Validity measures the extent to which an instrument used in data collection gives a true picture of what has been measured. Validity also refer s to the accuracy and meaningfulness of inferences derived from research data. Validity describes the degree to which the findings retrieved from a research are reflective of the concept under study. Structuring the interviews including the items selected for the interview schedule must be closely related to the variables under investigation for the instrument under consideration to qualify (Saunders 2009). The instruments used for this research study will be further evaluated as the study makes use of construct validity. This means that the instruments used will be constructed as suitable as possible to evaluate the theoretical concepts under study. As described earlier the effectiveness of the sampling process will work in conjunction with a sampling technique like snowball sampling at some point. The instruments used here will be constructed by the researcher with reference to the research objectives and under the supervision of a number of experts. Expected outcomes and research contributions The research will proceed on using the quantitative approach in which case the researcher will gather data using data collection instruments such as questionnaires and interviews. The researcher will also carry out document inspections and observations to identify data accurately that is pertinent to the study. The resulting data will be indicative of the fact that IT outsourcing has had various effects on retail companies in the UK. Ultimately, the outcome of this research is will determine that IT outsourcing is increasingly becoming a necessity for all retail business organizations that intend to harness the present technological advancement to their advantage. As such, target respondents will include retail business owners, scholars, government officials, and consumers. Based on the research questions practical and accountable the results are likely to be authoritative and can be used to develop a hypothesis and assist in decision making (Fink 2003). The hypothesi s of the research is based on factual literature views from previous researches. Similarly, the literature review will help give facts about the problem as it appears in different contexts and the various measures put in place and basing on the outcomes from these measures, the researcher will make recommendations (Collis and Hussy, 2009). Ethical issues and research limitations Most research studies have limitations and in this case, the following are the limitations and ethical issues expected in this research: The research will â€Å"quote some facts from secondary sources† (Saunders 2009, p. 256). There are high chances that the gathered information may be biased or outdated. Some vital information to help answer the researcher’s questions might not be made available because of limited research on the topic. Similarly, the study will heavily rely on the information collected from respondents. Therefore, selfish or biased response may affect the results of the whole project rendering it inaccurate. Due to financial constraint coupled with limited time, all effects of IT outsourcing on retail companies might not be adequately brought to light. The complexity of the whole process of theoretical study brings with it many processes that can lead to some aspects of the topics being forgotten. However, I will address this by being very careful to ensure that every aspect in the research questions and aims are adequately addressed (Neelankavil 2007). The limitation of using a descriptive survey research method is that a large descriptive survey may give superficial results. Alternatively, a small-scale descriptive survey with an emphasis on â€Å"qualitative† or â€Å"rich† detail has the limitation as poor generalization. Such small surveys are difficult to know how far the results can be applied elsewhere. The research may also suffer time constraints due to delayed approval by targeted study sample population, especially organization s. Project plan The research proposal includes a number of key activities. It is important that each of these activities is carried out comprehensively. From the methodology and research design, the project can follow the plan highlighted in the table below. Key activities for the project plan Setting up of the research questions and objectives (this includes deciding on the hypotheses of the expected results). Appropriately prepare the research instruments. This includes setting up the required mechanisms to facilitate research proposal such as recording materials and so forth. Paying a pre-visit to sights of the research. This will help in estimating various variables of the proposal like the expected budget as well as time scheduling. Reviewing the study objectives and questions based on the pre-visit findings. Carrying out the study and collecting data through the various methodologies highlighted. The collected data should be sampled and grouped for analysis and te sting the hypotheses to answer the research questions. Making conclusions and recommendations based on the research findings with reference to the literature reviews. Recording and present the research results. Reference List Bouma, G.D., 2004. The Research Process. 5th ed. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Brown, D. and Wilson, S., 2005. The black book of outsourcing: How to manage the changes, challenges, and opportunities. New York: Wiley. Bryman, A. and Bell, E., 2007. Business Research Methods. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Collis, J. and Hussy, R., 2009. Business Research: A practical Guide for Undergraduate Postgraduate Students. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. De Vaus, D., 2002. Surveys in Social Research. 5th ed. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen and Unwin. Eriksson, P. and Kovalainen, A., 2008. Qualitative Methods in Business Research. Los Angeles: Sage. Fernie, J. 1999. Outsourcing distribution in UK retailing. Journal for Business Logist ics, 21(2), pp. 83–95. Fink, A., 2003. The Survey Kit. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication. Futurist, K., 2011. The Future of Outsourcing Impact on Jobs. Journal on High Growth Economy, Web. Gordijn, J., 2002. Value-based Requirements Engineering Exploring Innovative e- Commerce Ideas. Amsterdam: Vrije Universiteit. Hamel, G., 2000. Leading the revolution. Oxford: UK Oxford University Press. Hasan, A., 2008. How Outsourcing Affects the U.S. Economy! Directory Journal,  Web. Halvey, J and Melby, M., 2005. IT Outsourcing transactions: Process, strategies,  and contracts. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley. Jack, W., 2009. The Almanac of American Employers: Market Research. New York: New York Publishers. Kumar, R., 2005. Research Methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. 2nd ed. London: SAGE. Linder, J., Cole, M, and Jacobson, A., 2002. Business transformation through outsourcing. Strategy Leadership, 30(4), pp. 23-28. Neelankavil, J.P., 2007. International Business R esearch. New York: M.E.Sharpe. Neuman, W.L., 2006. Social Research Methods - Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. 6th ed. Boston: Pearson A B. Outsource mag, 2011. Separating retail and investment banking: the impact on outsourcing arrangements. Finance and accounting Journal, Web. Pinnington, A, and Woolcook, P., 1999. How far is IS/IT outsourcing enabling new organizational structure and competences? International Journal of Information  Management, 15(5), pp. 353-365. Saunders , M., 2009. Research methods for business students. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall. Stakes, R., 1995. The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Inc. Stern, L. and El-Ansary, A., 1992. Marketing Channels. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. Sullivan, A. and Steven, M., 2003. Economics: Principles in action. New York: Pearson Prentice Hall. Veal, A.J., 2005. Business Research Methods: A Managerial Approach. 2nd ed. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Addison Wesley. Yin, R., 2008. Case stud y research: Design and methods (Applied social research methods). 4th ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Inc.

Asking Questions in English

Asking Questions in English Learning how to ask questions is essential in any language. In English, the most common questions  are known as wh words because they begin with those two letters: where, when, why, what, and who. They can function as adverbs, adjectives, pronouns, or other parts of speech, and are used  ask for specific information.   Who Use this word  to ask questions about people. In this example, who serves as a direct object. Who do you like? Who has he decided to hire for the job? In other instances, who serves as the subject. In this case, the sentence structure is similar to that of positive sentences. Who studies Russian? Who would like to take a vacation? In formal  English,   the word whom will replace who as the direct object of a preposition. To whom should I address this letter? For whom is this present? What Use  this word to ask about things or actions in object questions. What does he do  at  weekends? What do you like to eat for dessert? By adding the word like to the sentence, you can ask for physical descriptions about people, things, and places. What type of car do you like? What is Mary like? When Use this word to ask questions about time-related events, specific or general. When do you like going out? When does the bus leave? Where This word is used to ask about location. Where do you live? Where did you go on vacation? How This word can be combined with  adjectives to ask questions about specific characteristics, qualities  and  quantities.   How tall are you? How much does it cost? How many friends do you have? Which When paired with a noun, this word is used when choosing between a number of items. Which book did you buy? Which kind of apple do you prefer? Which type of computer takes this plug? Using Prepositions A number of wh questions can combine with prepositions, typically at the end of the question. Some of the most common combinations are: who ... forwho ... withwhere ... towhere ... fromwhat ... for ( why)what ... in Note how these word pairings are used in the following example. Who are you working for? Where are they going to? What did he buy that for? You can also use these pairings to ask follow-up questions as part of a larger conversation. Jennifer is writing a new article. Who for? Shes writing it for Jane magazine. Tips When more general  verbs  such as do and go are used, its common to use a more specific verb in the reply. Why did he do it? He wanted to get a raise. Questions with  why are often replied to using because as in the following example. Why are you working so hard? Because I need to finish this project soon. These questions are often replied to using the imperative (to do). In this case, the clause with because is understood to be included in the answer. Why are they coming next week? To make a presentation. (Because they are going to make a presentation.) Test Your Knowledge Now that youve had a chance to review, its time to challenge yourself with a quiz. Provide the missing question words. The answers follow this test. ____ is the weather like in July?____ much is the chocolate?____ boy won the race last week?____ did you get up this morning?____ team won the World Cup in 2002?____ does Janet live?____  long does the concert last?____ food do you like?____ does it take to get to New York from Albany?____ does the movie begin this evening?To  ____  do you report at work?____ is your favorite actor?____ house does he live in?____ is Jack like?____  does the building look like?____ does she study English with?____ do the people in your country go for vacation?____ do you play tennis?____ sports do you play?____ is your doctors appointment next week? Answers WhatHowWhichWhat time / WhenWhichWhereHowWhat kind of / What type ofHow longWhat time / whenWhom - formal English WhoWhichWhatWhatWhoWhereHow often / WhenWhich / How manyWhat time / When

Buying house is better than renting an apartment Term Paper

Buying house is better than renting an apartment - Term Paper Example Moreover, the residents do not have to worry about moving from one rented apartment to another, if the landlord decides to sell it or rent it out to someone else. Buying a house is also a favourable option due to the current economic situation. The dip in the property price has enabled many people to invest in a house, which is a far better option than renting an apartment. Keywords: buying, house, renting, apartment, property, investment, mortgage. Buying a House is the Winning Choice Did you know that you can purchase a house for $100k and have a mortgage of $900.00 dollars, which is less than average rent? According to World Time News Report, the national average two-bedroom fair market rent is â€Å"$928 a month† (2009). During the same year, the median sales price for those homes was $223,800; while the average sales price was $257,500, which is roughly about $800 per month. (Wyndham Capital Mortgage, Inc., 2009) This comparison of the average monthly rent and the average monthly instalment, in case of buying a house explains why buying a house is the winning choice. Buying a house is a long term investment; it gives financial security and a sense of ownership. Home ownership is not an easy task though; yet it is extremely beneficial in the long run in a number of ways. The current situation in real estate market gives one an optimum chance to invest in a house as, â€Å"home prices have fallen approximately 10% year-over-year in most markets...† (Lynn, 2009, p.5) Home ownership provides an investing advantage. Every payment one makes towards the mortgage, guarantees ownership. Any major updates or changes that one desires to make to the property will increase the value of the house. Under normal circumstances, home resale values tend to increase over the years. According to statistics provided by U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, homes that were sold for $90k in 1990 are now worth about $150k; despite the fact that in 2005, th ose homes where at about $250k. (2011) It is a relatively easier way to buy a house by paying only 5% or as less as 3% down-payment of the total price. If a person has an FHA loan, which are secured and protected by the government, then buying a house becomes an easy process. This way, a person can get a slow-start and gain ownership. On the contrary, renting an apartment requires at least $3000 upfront- which is a lot of money! In other words, a house that is worth $100k can be purchased with $5000 down-payment and a monthly mortgage of about $950. However, the same house shall be rented for approximately $1200, exclusive of the initial deposit. Thus, buying a house is a viable option, particularly in the current economic situation and the state of the real estate market. Buying a house is considered as an opportunity to make profit out of the oscillating prices of the real estate market. A person can even get a chance to sell out the house if a potential buyer offers a higher pric e than the actual price at which it was bought. Thus, it proves to be a sound financial investment as contrasted with renting an apartment. Buying a house also gives a sense of financial security as one is aware of the fact that he/she shall have to pay the same amount of monthly mortgage for the nest thirty years. This is of high significance, as it allows the home owner to plan his savings and expenses, accordingly. On the

Using Nursing Informatics in Clinical Area Research Paper

Using Nursing Informatics in Clinical Area - Research Paper Example This essay approves that the clinical decision support system is a computerized application that offers immediate benefits for nurses. This represents the role informatics can play in ensuring higher levels of patient safety. Patient safety can further be improved in hospital settings where nurses do not use technological tools to aid them in their work. This can be done by introducing and encouraging the usage of technology and training nurses in using it effectively so that they can improve their performance and directly improve the level of patient safety that they provide. This report makes a conclusion that , NI has started to gain significance in field of heath care. The greater use of technology closes the loop between evidence and practice, and helps in generating an effective cycle of evidence-based learning in nurses. It can play an effective role is streamlining documentation. Organized records and easy access to them can save up time and allow nurses to communicate about them better. Informatics facilitates the decision-making process by nurses, and enables them to access medical literature easily and in less time. Documentation in computerized form can also reduce the occurrence of errors, and promote to patient safety. However, one of the main obstructions to the effective usage of technology in health care is problem of ease due to insufficient use of devices. This can be managed by increasing computer literacy in the nurses so that they can seek collective wisdom of inter-disciplinary and inter-organizational collaboration to transform clin ical education, practice and rese.

Night by Elie Wiesel | Book Analysis

Night by Elie Wiesel | Book Analysis 1. In the book, the narrators mentioning of the Exile of Providence and the destruction of the Temple at the beginning of the story foreshadows the events in this section of Night by showing the strong religious ties of the story to God and indicates the removing of the Jews from their homeland. The author was leaving small subtle hints that Jews were beginning to be deported to concentration camps. But the Exile of Providence and the destruction of the Temple both have very religious meanings, foreshadowing the themes and importance of God and religion faith that take place in the story. The Exile of Providence is a condition in some Jewish belief systems that humans will be delivered from evil and returned to Gods care. In the beginning of the book, Elie says that at night, he goes to weep over the destruction of the temple, which is a part of mourning in the Judaism belief. The Exile of Providence and the destruction of the Temple foreshadowed that Elie Wiesel had a very strong be lief in God and had a great interest in Judaism. But it also showed that God would play a very important role in Elies life. As Elies experiences of the holocaust progressed, Elie begins to question God, show signs of doubt, and lose faith in God. God and religion would also be the hope for prisoners in the concentration camps, helping them endure the suffering. 2. Using eyes to describe a person, at the beginning of the book, Elie describes how he likes Moishe the Beadles wide, dreamy eyes that gaze off into the distance. These eyes show that Moishe the Beadle has great wisdom, hope, and is a very great being. He seems to be a very humble and modest man. His eyes might also suggest his strong belief in God and hope to get past the holocaust, pain, death, and suffering. But in contrast, when Moishe De Beadle returns from his horrible experience and his witnessing of death and the killing of infants, his eyes are empty and hollow. His eyes no longer show joy, dreaminess, and the hope. Moishe De Beadle no longer even mentions God. His eyes show that he is overwhelmed by fear and horror and that he might have lost all hope. 3. The reason I think Elie Wiesel decided to wait a decade before attempting to express his experience in words was because that he was too afraid to speak out at the time. But I believe that even if Elie Wiesel tried to speak out, his voice would have been silenced along with millions of others. To this day, voices such as Elie Wiesel and Anne Frank are some of the not-so-many and preserved voices we can hear. Even if Elie tried to speak out, there would be no one to listen to him. He could have been killed, beaten, and hurt in the concentration camps just for expressing his thoughts. But I still believe that what he did was wrong. The silence and the victimà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s lack of resistance of what was happening was what allowed the holocaust to continue. Even it meant being killed or beaten, Elie should have tried loudly and boldly to speak of the horrors of the holocaust. It would be a very hard thing to do but it was the right thing to do. Elie had been controlled by fear and kept silent until the incident was all over. Unable to go back, Elie now speaks out. After his experience in the holocaust, Elie Wiesel lived on and spoke about it so that people could learn from the past to prevent history to repeat itself. He speaks of his memories and experiences so that the world can learn from its past mistakes. 4. Two examples of the theme, emotional death in the story is the way Mrs. Schachter behaves when her husband and two older sons were deported and when Moishe De Beadle escapes from the Galician forest, witnessing the deaths of many. Emotional death can easily allow the reader to understand how terrible the holocaust was and its horrors. Mrs. Schachter had lost her mind, crying and screaming hysterically. Moishe De Beadles eyes had become hollow and he had lost the will to live. Both were not dead yet but something inside them had died and they have lost hope of themselves. Two examples of the theme, self preservation vs. family commitment are Part 2 1. The prisoners recitation of the Kaddish prayer as they walk through Auschwitz conveys the theme of struggle to maintain faith by showing that the prisoners are beginning to realize the cruelty and evil of the holocaust. Recitation of the prayer may bring comfort for those who still believe in God. But the prisoners begin to doubt their faith. They wonder if God notices their pain or even cares. Reciting the prayer allows the prisoners to realize that the pain, suffering, and death has yet to be prevented by God. 2. The motif of night is used to explain Eliezers experiences in the camp because Elie Wiesels life could be easily compared to nighttime. At night, it is dark and frightening, just like Wiesels experiences in the camp. At night, there is no sunshine, no light. There is only darkness, just like the way life passed on for Elie Wiesel in those concentration camps. Elie Wiesel explained how he had lost track of time. Nighttime would come every day and the Jews would be afraid if they would live to go through the night and what would happen to them in the next hour. 3. A work of literature that I know that conveys a theme found in Night is a book I read called, The Hunger Games. It is a book about a teenage girl who is thrown into a game where she has to fight to the death against dozens of other teenagers, a show for the whole nation to watch. They both have themes of survival, self preservation, humanity, and hope. In Night, Elie Wiesel witnessed people fighting and beating one another over crumbs of bread and Jews beating and fighting each other for food. In the Hunger Games, contestants have to fight and kill each other until only one remains standing. Both books show the characters struggle against if they should go against humanity in order to save their own lives. Both books show how humans can be some cruel. Part 3 1. The statement, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Man raises himself towards God by the questions he asks Him.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Demonstrates the narratorà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s struggle with faith of Rosh Hashanah by showing that Eliezer doubts Godà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s justice and power, seeing that God does nothing to relieve the suffering in the Holocaust. On Rosh Hashanah, Elie refuses to pray, for he feels that God either does not care or cannot do anything about the horrors of the holocaust. Elie also begins to think that man is very strong, even greater than god. This behavior is entirely in contrast to Elieà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s past interest in his Judaism faith. Elie has witnessed so much torture and death that he beings to question God. 2. An example of the theme, self preservation vs. family commitment, is when Mier, a boy killed his father on a train for a small piece of bread. He then found out that his father had saved a piece for him. Mier had lost sight of what was important of him and only cared about saving himself, killing his own father for food. He had become a person without a sense of humanity. An example of the theme, emotional death, is how Elie feels after his fatherà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s death. Nothing matters to him anymore since his fatherà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s death. Elie no longer thinks of anything but the desire to eat. He lives on, but really, he is no longer himself. His fatherà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s death gives him great guilt and depression. He had ignored his fatherà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s call when he was dying and thirsty, guilty how he had felt his father as a burden. He realized that he had lost what he had loved most. An example of the theme, struggling to maintain faith, is the day of Rosh Hashanah where Elie Wiesel is full of anger towards God, refusing to pray for he blames that God has been cruel and uncaring, allowing the suffering and pain to continue. An example of the theme, dignity in the face of inhuman cruelty, is when Juliek was surrounded by hundreds of dead and dying bodies, yet he still played his violin, something he loved. An SS officer had not allowed Juliek to play what he had wanted, Beethoven. The day of his death, although not allowed, he played Beethoven, showing his dignity. 3. Elie Wiesel struggles to live, but also having to care for his father where survival is unbearably difficult. Elie did love his father but to continuously help and care for his father made it harder for him to ensure his own survival. He tried his best not to lose sight of what was important to him, family. But in the end, Elies self preservation behavior took over his commitment to his father. Elie was afraid to get another blow to the head by the officer and ignored his father who was desperately calling out his name, thirsty and dying. With the death of his father, Elie felt that he was finally free at last, seeing his father as nothing but a burden. He feels that his father is better off dead than having to suffer. 4. Based on what I know about history and what Wiesel writes in à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Nightà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ about human nature is that we are all scared and frightened beings. We can be so selfish, greedy, and we desire so many things because we are human. Humans are so imperfect by nature. Humans have also done the most evil things possible, to such an extent that humans would kill one another. But I think by nature, humans are individual social beings. All humans have lied, been greedy, and have been frightened but humans are able to learn from their past mistakes. Compared to the times of the holocaust, human behavior has gradually improved. 4. I think it was an effective way how Wiesel devoted only a few lines to the events after his liberation. After his liberation, Elie wrote little but what he wrote had very great meanings. He wrote how when he looked into the mirror, a corpse was looking back at him. Elie Wiesel could never forget the look in his eyes as they gazed back at him. This short phrase made me, the reader, have to analyze and comprehend what I had just read. The words spoke for themselves, showing Elieà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s great pain and sadness. I thought the ending was just enough to describe Elie Wieselà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s feelings. Something else that Wiesel might have done was explain how

History of Modern Philosophy Essay

1- How, and with what success, does Hume deal with the apparent anomaly of the missing shade of blue? In A Treatise of Human Nature, Hume attempt to rid 18th century moral philosophy of what he considered to be meaningless and vacuous concepts underlying our theory of knowledge – be it metaphysical arguments or hypotheses seemingly formulated from the mere imagination of many philosophers. Influenced by the emerging trend of empiricism and naturalistic science – like Newton and Locke, which Hume owed much of his basic principles from – Hume presented the Treatise as an attempt to introduce experimental methods of reasoning into the area of moral philosophy. In the first book of the Treatise, entitled Of the Understanding, Hume devoted the first part – Of the Origin of our Ideas – for explaining the basis of his philosophical system that appeals on the similar empiricist approach as that of Locke’s. However, curiously, Hume had cited an explicit counter-argument – the problem of missing shade of blue – that could invalidate his whole philosophical system that is based on this central principle. Even more puzzling is Hume’s complacency with this problem, and although he considers the problem as singular and exceptional, he fully admitted to this counter example and did not try to resolve it. Yet, this case merits a deeper investigation, and it is this essay’s attempt to see whether his apparent complacency with the missing shade of blue would have any effect on the strength of his philosophical system, and other attempts to render this problem irrelevant. The problem of the missing shade of blue by Hume is as follows: suppose a man who is well acquainted with colours for thirty years and has seen all the colours in the set of possible colour spectrum, except for one particular shade of blue. Then, he is presented with a full spectrum of the shades of blue, from the darkest shade to the darkest, all except the one particular shade in which he has not yet encountered. It is then conceivable that this man would be able to produce this single missing shade of blue. The problem of this lies in the basis of the empiricist doctrine at which Hume is following, namely, that all ideas must be preceded by experience, yet, in this example, it is demonstrated that it is possible for an idea to precede sensation experience, as the man is able to produce the idea of the missing shade of blue without having first encountered it through his senses. At this point, I would like to elaborate more on Hume’s theory of mind and the origin of ideas as that would clarify why this example is so damaging to Hume’s system. As stated before, Hume’s project can be put into a general label of empiricism, which is a belief that all knowledge comes from experience. Much of his line of argument resembles that of Locke’s, another prominent empiricist. Hume even borrowed Locke’s key terminology to a certain extent, with terms like ideas and impressions. Locke believes that ideas are whatever the mind perceives in itself, or is in the immediate object of perception, thought, or understanding, as when one perceives, thinks, or understands, the ideas are before the mind. This limits all ideas to be originated from experience (perception), and also shows the connection between thought and perception and their interchangeable nature. The ideas can be divided into ideas of sensation (touch, smell, sight, etc.) and ideas of reflection (fear, happiness, sadness, etc.), which can then be separated further into simple and complex ideas, where complex ideas are derived from simple ones. Hume follows this line of argument with some modifications. He claims he ‘restores’ the term ideas to its original sense by classifying the objects the mind is perceiving as perceptions, not directly as ideas as Locke have used, and from perceptions he then distinguished them into impressions and ideas, where they differ in degree, as impressions are more vivid and forceful before the mind, such when sees a colour, and the ideas are more faint, such when one thinks of a colour after having the impressions of it. Hume then makes the distinction of simple and complex ideas, and by introspection, Hume demonstrates that one can think of any simple ideas and then find corresponding simple impressions that are exact copies of each other, and one can do this with any conceivable simple ideas. Complex ideas are different in that they are composites of simple ideas. And with this experiment in introspection, Hume then postulates his first thesis, â€Å"†¦ That all our simple ideas in their first appearance are deriv’d from simple impressions, which are correspondent to them, and which they exactly represent.† We may call this the Copy Principle, as it simply states that every simple idea is a copy of a corresponding impression. One of the most important components of this thesis is the fact that it’s a genetic one in that it shows the origin of ideas as following from impressions – as impressions to be the cause of ideas. Again, this is proved by the constant conjunction of simple impressions preceding simple ideas, which one can do to every simple idea one may have. Another support Hume gives is that of a man born defective of certain perceptive organs, hence, missing certain impressions (e.g. sight or sound), one would not have any ideas of those corresponded with the impressions, for it is evident that deaf people also have great trouble speaking. The genetic component is important in that they validate the empiricism doctrine on the reliance of experience. Anyhow, now we can see how the problem seems to defeat the purpose of this thesis. Moreover, a counter example, from a logical standpoint, one counter example is sufficient to turn an argument invalid. So why did Hume not deal with this problem? We may try to take it as Hume claimed the problem to be – a singular case where it is not worth investing time on. Being a singular case, one may have to take the argument in closer inspection. Hume states explicitly that the man in question may have enjoyed the sights for thirty years and perfectly well acquainted with all the possible colours except one, and that may be the attempt by him to restrict this to some specific scenario. It is implicitly embedded in the counter example that the subject of this example must be well acquainted with all the colours, such that one can make up colours in one’s mind, much like how only musicians of a certain skill level can sight read music. Thus, it appeals to some amount of ‘experience’ such that one may be bound to experience, habits, or personal background. Yet, when given further consideration, this seems to be invalid as well, as these restrictions do not seem to hold. As far as experience go, a child who does not know what ‘turquoise’ mean does not necessarily have an idea of the colour ‘turquoise’. So this case is certainly not an exceptional case and Hume had not dealt with it satisfactorily. Yet, Humean scholars have tried to find solutions for this problem and some even disregard it as a problem altogether. Firstly, the first objection to this counter argument is that there is no way to test whether the person in question does in fact have an idea of the missing shade of blue before seeing the missing shade or not. There is a great difference between being able to spot a missing spot in a complete spectrum of blue, and being able to produce an idea of the shade of blue without first encountering the impression of it. If ones sees a constant change in shade from, let’s say blue-0 where it is darkest to blue-255 where it is the lightest shade, then if there is one shade of blue missing, it would be quite noticeable as the mind notices the jump in gradual and constant change, but it does not follow that one could create an idea of that missing shade. To test this is also impossible, as if one is to reproduce colour, it still does not follow that he produces the idea since he would only be mixing the existing colours to brighter shades, and thus, after finishing mixing the colour, one then has the idea of the colour following the impression. All other ways of testing is equally futile because they all involve exposing the subject to the missing impression one way or another. Alternatively, if we look at the thesis again, and instead of taking it as a genetic form of the argument that Hume meant it to be, and instead, modifies it slightly to a more analytical empiricism form. Hume’s thesis on the theory of mind, upon closer inspection, can be taken as a form of meaning empiricism, in the sense that ideas to him are the same as different thoughts, which are different kinds of concepts, which is linked to when one understands something in a linguistic sense one is linking the word with the meaning, or the concepts associated to the word. Hence, if we think of the initial genetic content of the thesis, that impressions strictly precedes ideas, we may relax it slightly in favour of the analogy to meaning empiricism and forget its genetic form and instead formulate the following thesis: that all simple ideas must have corresponding conceivable and encounterable impressions. By doing this, we are no longer faced with the problem of the missing shade, since it is perfectly possible that the subject would be able to encounter this particular shade. Lastly, from a personal view, I see the problem of the missing shade of blue as not a problem at all, but Hume’s mistake lies in classifying colours as simple ideas. It is true that the impressions of light blue might very well be different than dark blue, so to speak, but to use Hume’s method, it is possible to separate using our imagination the components ‘light’ and ‘dark’ from ‘blue’. Thus, it is the impression of ‘blueness’ which is a simple impression, combined with the impression of ‘light’ and ‘absent of light’ that combine to give this multitude of shades of colours. Take this example, suppose some neutral shade of blue, let’s number it blue 124, were put somewhere with light, you will be able to see blue 124. However, let’s say for some reason, the room becomes lighter, certainly, the shade of blue 124 would have changed to some lighter shade of perhaps blue 200. If we vary the light in the room from darkest to lightest, it is then possible to observe from the darkest to the lightest shade of blue likewise. One may argue that the colour can be calibrated to some objective criteria, perhaps the ratio of pigments of colour blue of some sort, yet, that does not matter since all that matters to Hume is indeed only impression. Furthermore, using this example, we can also say that perhaps the subject of the experiment may have in fact encountered the particular shade of blue sometime before without acknowledging it. Conclusively, although Hume’s treatment of the missing shade of blue is very limited and very complacent, it is perhaps Hume’s own mistake for considering such example a ‘problem’, rather than the problem itself being a threat to his theory of origins of ideas.