Exploring Equality and Diversity Essay

You should use this file to complete your Assessment. †¢The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a disk †¢Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly †¢When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference †¢Then, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your completed Assessment to your tutor via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number. Name: Nichola Craven 1. What is meant by diversity? Diversity is the way that everything and everybody is different. We all have various qualities that make us who we are. We all have our own individual set of qualities and we may share some of these with others we meet or have nothing in common at all. Diversity may be visible as in age or colour of skin or not immediately noticed until we have spent time with someone, this could include their religious beliefs or sexual orientation. 2. Describe the community you live in. Highlight some of the variations you may observe in terms of: †¢Interests †¢Beliefs †¢Ages †¢Lifestyles †¢Personal, social and cultural identities. I live in an inner city council estate. Many people on the estate are interested in watching the local teams play football and rugby. There is a community centre nearby and pensioners get together to do light exercise classes and children take karate or cheerleading classes. Groups of teenagers take turns to use the basketball court. It is very rare to see children or anyone over twenty using the courts. Some parents let their young children go to the local park alone but others will only let their children play in the back yard. At the back of the estate are the Wash lands where many people will walk their dogs but some people who live here have never walked that way. There are many different beliefs, in terms of religion and family values. The largest religious group are Christians, and the second largest is Muslims. Most of the Muslims in the community do not drink alcohol. Most of the houses are homes to young families on low incomes. There are very few elderly people in the council houses. Most people are White British or Asian British in terms of ethnicity, although lately there are a large number of Eastern European families on my street. I have noticed that over the last two years that their English has improved greatly and we are now able to communicate better. Many people on the estate have full time or part time jobs although there is a high number of unemployed and many single parents who stay at home to take care of very young children. 3. Explain how the variations in question 2 contribute to the diversity of the community. Where people have different interests such as playing or watching rugby, they are contributing to the entertainment in the community for those who like to watch the matches. Also, the children and men who are in the rugby teams are keeping fit and learning how to be team players. The people who watch rugby also hold fund raising events to keep up with the maintenance of the clubhouse as well has regular charity fundraisers to help local charities. Neighbours who celebrate different religious festivals will share their experiences by inviting others to parties and this helps everyone gain knowledge of how different people live. My neighbour often brings various Asian cuisines for my family to try and shares recipes. 4. Give some examples to explain how diversity: †¢Enhances your life †¢Enhances the local community †¢Enhances this country. Diversity enhances my life the most when I spend time with my brother. He is engaged to a Hungarian lady who has a large family living in my city. We often have parties in the summer where we eat from a big pot of goulash which is cooked outside in a cauldron over a fire. The drink of choice is palinka, a kind of fruit brandy although I can’t say I like the taste much. We sing and dance to modern and traditional Hungarian music and it is overall a fun time that I can’t experience with my English family. I see how diversity enriches the local community the most at the primary school where I work. The majority of the children do not have English as a first language and are all from different backgrounds and countries. Despite there being so much diversity and language barriers, there is a sense of camaraderie where the children help each other and are learning to live with and accept people who are different. The ethos of the school is that every child is valued and should be given the same opportunities as each other. The introduction of a Pride event in the city a few years ago has created a once a year festival where people celebrate their differences in sexuality and way of life. There is always a big crowd and everyone has fun. I think it helps people to learn about and accept those who lead different lifestyles to themselves when they are given the chance to integrate at a large event such as this. Diversity enhances this country because there is always something new we can learn from each other. The integration of various nationalities, interests and personalities mean we can better understand others and join in with their celebrations and appreciate different cultures. Our experiences in food and dining are enriched by the opening of different eateries and by supermarkets offering a wide range of international ingredients to cater for an increasingly diverse country. 5. Describe what it means to respect people’s differences and why it is important to respect differences. Respecting people’s differences means that we appreciate that others are different to us and just because we may not have anything in common or share their beliefs, we should accept them for who they are. When people do not accept others, it can lead to bullying, lack of communication and a general feeling of distrust. This can lead to unrest within communities. To be able to live in peace and harmony, everyone should realise that others have a right to be different. 6. For a person you know, describe the individual factors that make him / her who they are. Name: Defining factorsBrief description Physical characteristics A tall, well presented man in his early thirties. Emotions Very laid back, likes to help other people. Likes and dislikes Likes action films and playing computer games. Dislikes soaps and dancing. Values and beliefs Believes in God, doesn’t attend church on a regular basis. Family is very important to him. 7. Describe yourself in terms of: †¢Personal interests †¢Religion / culture †¢Geography. I enjoy reading, whether it is browsing the web or a book on my kindle e-reader. I enjoy socialising with my friends but my main interest lies within my family life. I love spending time with my three daughters, taking them shopping, to the park or the movies. When my husband isn’t working, we like to take the children and our dog for long walks. I am not very religious. I only go to church when occasion demands i.e. in the case of weddings, funerals or christenings. I attended a Church of England primary school and I still carry my beliefs and values from my time there and pass these beliefs on to my children. I live in Yorkshire on a medium sized social housing estate next to the city centre. The shopping centre, hospital and schools are all within walking distance from my house. 8. What is meant by having multiple identities? Give three examples in relation to people you know. Multiple identities are the way one person acts in different situations or with different people. Example 1: Sasha is a college student who likes to socialise with her friends and loves dressing in the latest fashions. When she comes home she changes into her jogging bottoms and old t-shirt and spends time with her little sisters helping them with their homework. Example 2: I take my children to visit my mum and we drink coffee and watch children’s TV and she does jigsaws with her grandchildren. When I visit my mum without my children, we drink wine and talk about adult things and listen to the music channel. Example 3: Claire is a single mum with two young children. Monday to Friday, she comes home from work, does the cleaning, cooking and looks after her children. At the weekend, the children stay with their father and Claire spends time with her friends going to the pub and having a good time in adult company. 9. What is meant by shared identity? Shared identity is where two or more people have one or more of a common characteristic. This could be that they enjoy watching football or that they come from the same town or city. They could be the same age or share the same taste in music. 10. Explain and give examples of how an individual can identify themselves as belonging to a number of different groups. An individual can belong to different groups by the fact that they have something in common with those people. An example is that of where a group of men are from the same area and they all go to watch a football match. If they were from Yorkshire and supported Leeds, they would be in that group of Yorkshire Leeds supporters. However, if they were not at the football match and were on holiday with their family, they would prioritise their identities differently. They would be from Yorkshire, and be fathers on holiday with their families. The football team they support may not even enter the equation in terms of how they perceive themselves or how others see them. 11. Describe yourself in terms of your multiple identities. I am mum to three children. Earlier this year I was a full time housewife with my youngest child in part time nursery. Now all of my children are in school and college, my role is less focused on being a housewife and I work in a school office. I find that now I work, my husband takes a more active role in the housework and care of the children, taking on some of my previous responsibilities. When the children are in bed, I take on administrative tasks for my husband’s plumbing business and become his book-keeper. At work, I am usually based in the office although I have to walk around school passing on messages and I have to look after sick children while we wait for their parents to take them home. When I get chance to see my friends, they see a different side of me as I like to make the most of my time away from work and other responsibilities and have a good time. They would say I enjoy a good time and I am a shoulder to cry on. 12. What is meant by stereotyping and labelling? When we first meet others, we can’t help judging them from our first impressions. If someone is wearing glasses, we may think wrongly or rightly that they are intelligent and studious. We may see two women together holding hands and we would think that they are gay. This is called labelling, when we pick out a characteristic and focus on it, drawing our own conclusions. Another example is when we see a woman pushing a pushchair. We label her as being a mother although she is also many other things. Stereotyping is where we make assumptions about people belonging to a certain group. An Asian friend of mine was shopping in the supermarket, and looking at cat food. A lady who was trying to be helpful tried to explain to her that cat food was not for human consumption and was shocked when my friend replied in broad Yorkshire that it was for her cat and she wasn’t thinking of eating it herself. This is an example of stereotyping – people assuming that people who are f rom ethnic minorities cannot read or speak English. 13. Explain why some people stereotype others. Stereotyping continues to be part of our society through the way families and social groups instil their beliefs on one another and the way that the media portray certain groups. When we see rioting on the news, we tend to see young people wearing hoodies to cover their faces. This leads to us thinking that all people who wear hoodies are dangerous when it is in fact not true. My daughter wears a hoodie and sometimes puts the hood up to keep her ears warm yet even though I know this, I still get scared if I see a group of teenagers in hoodies because of all the media stories. This is the case of the isolated behaviours within a small group that has lead to a stereotype. People will stereotype because they want to fit in with a particular group and will share their views on others. 14. Provide two examples of the damaging effects that stereotyping and labelling can have on people. Stereotyping can lead to fear within communities. Old people may fear young people because of they see on the news that a teenager committed a series of muggings. Travelling communities may be made unwelcome in pubs because of a few isolated incidents of trouble. People may avoid those who suffer from mental illness as many murderers claim to suffer from mental illness. This leads us to stereotype all people with mental illness as being violent which is untrue. This could have a damaging effect on them and lead them to withdraw from society. People continue to be ageist in society. They label elderly people as just being old and not as able as they once were and don’t consider other qualities that they have such as being kind and caring. Many non physical jobs do not rely on age such as being a good teacher yet sometimes; recruiters will choose a young person because they assume that youth will make them better at a job. Ageism damages society because we are taking away the diversity and personal qualities that older people can offer and also, when we treat elderly people as being useless, they start to feel useless and may become depressed. 15. Provide at least two examples of the way stereotyping is perpetuated in society. Stereotyping is perpetuated within families, the way your parents and other relatives perceive things can be passed on to you and so a cycle begins where people carry on stereotyping. I remember growing up in a family where we stereotyped all gay men as being flamboyant and effeminate. This was also due to the way that they were stereotyped on television programmes in the seventies and eighties. The views of peer groups can also carry on stereotypes. Some people see jobless people as being lazy benefit scroungers. This may be true of some of them but a discussion with your friends where they provide an example of such lazy scrounger and shows such as The Jeremy Kyle show where people are often presented in a negative way will make sure the stereotype prevails. 16. Define prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice occurs when a characteristic of an individual or group is reacted to in a negative way. It is an incorrect and unfair assumption that is based on little or no proof. People can be prejudiced against many characteristics such as race, gender or sexuality and have negative views about or act negatively towards those groups. Discrimination occurs when prejudice means that someone is treated unfairly because they possess one or more characteristic. 17. Explain how people may develop prejudices. People can develop prejudices from a bad experience with an individual. If someone sat next to an unhygienic overweight person at school, they may think that every overweight person is unhygienic. Someone may be influenced by the views of relatives or friends who they respect enough to accept their views whether they are good or bad prejudices. If someone is around people who believe that their prejudices are just, they are likely to take them on board themselves and transfer those views to other people that they come into contact with. 18. Describe the following types of discrimination. Type of discriminationDescription Dual discrimination Dual discrimination occurs when prejudice is aimed at two characteristics of someone or a group. If someone is a single parent and is out of work, they could be negatively thought of by someone who has bad views on single parents and of unemployed people. Multiple discriminationThis is where someone is discriminated against for having several characteristics. An overweight lady in a wheelchair could obviously be discriminated against on three points, being overweight, being disabled and being a woman. Positive discriminationPositive discrimination occurs when people are favoured because they possess certain characteristics. An example is where a housing association prioritises ethnic minority families against others in the same situation. Discrimination arising out of disabilityDiscriminating against a disability can mean that disabled [people are not given the opportunities in life that more able people are such as access to employment or education opportunities. Discrimination by associationThis is where someone is discriminated against for associating with a person or group whom the prejudice is aimed at. An example is a mixed race marriage here prejudice is held against one partners race but both partners suffer harassment. 19. What is meant by the term protected characteristics? Protected characteristics are legally recognised areas where discrimination is likely to occur. They are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and beliefs, gender and sexual orientation. This are characteristics that everyone posses and the law is there to protect individuals from unfair discrimination. 20. What is the difference between direct and indirect discrimination? Give two examples to illustrate your point. Direct discrimination occurs when someone is treated differently due to a personal characteristic that they possess. This could be an older person being denied the right of promotion despite being more qualified or equally qualified than someone younger than them. It could be that a woman mentions at a job interview that she has four children and the interviewer immediately says they would be unsuitable for the job because they would require a lot of time off. These examples are direct discrimination against older people and working mothers. Indirect discrimination occurs where certain groups of people are put at a disadvantage because their needs are ignored. This could be a lack of disabled access in a public building that means wheelchair users cannot make their way around. Another example is a workplace health and safety document being printed only in English when there are many workers who speak and read English as a second language or some who cannot read English at all. 21. Describe the effects that discrimination and prejudice can have on people. A main danger that arises from prejudice and discrimination is the kind of extreme hatred that causes people to be attacked and killed and in extreme cases, wars due to race, religion or sexual preferences. If there is prejudice within certain groups, it will lead to social conflicts and a less harmonious atmosphere. People who are discriminated against typically lose their sense of worth as they become more mistreated by other people and develope a negative view of themselves. If people are treated as second class citizens, they may begin to believe that they are. They will also distrust those who discriminate against them and this will lead to hostile environments. They will have a lower quality of life as they are denied promotions and training opportunities. Innocent people will suffer unnecessary anguish due to unfair discrimination. 22. Describe what equal opportunities means in relation to: †¢Education †¢Housing †¢Healthcare †¢Employment. Equal opportunities in education mean that everyone should be given the same chance to succeed no matter what their characteristics. In relation to schools, there may be single sex schools or schools that focus on a particular religion e.g. Church of England but this is not considered discrimination since there are plenty of other schools that cater for everybody. If someone is denied access to education, they are denied a better quality of life with better job prospects. It is important that everyone is given the opportunity to learn and achieve according to their abilities. It is against the law for landlords to specify that certain ethnic groups are not eligible to live in their properties. Equal opportunities in housing means that everyone should have the chance to live in homes suited to their needs and family size. If this law isn’t met, certain groups will lead a low quality of life and may well live in overcrowded conditions. Everyone is entitled to receive healthcare. Healthcare professionals should not prioritise treatment or refuse to treat someone on grounds such as skin colour or sexual orientation. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to receive healthcare and particular groups have a right to sensitivity. Equal opportunities in employment means that people should be recruited and promoted in relation to how well they can do a job, not be discriminated against positively or negatively in relation to their race or gender for example. Everyone should be treated fairly at work; equal pay should be given to those who do exactly the same job. 23. Outline the inequality problems that persist in terms of pay for men and women. A job should pay in terms of ability and attainment regardless of gender yet men are still on higher wages than women in many organisations. This happens when a woman is doing exactly the same job as a man or of a similar skill yet the man receives a higher wage. Inequality also occurs when men tend to get the highest paid jobs within organisations. 24. Identify and briefly describe two other signs of inequality. Inequality due to sexual orientation is common. Gay and lesbian couples have long been discriminated against in their quest to adopt or foster children or to get married. There are laws to prevent such inequality and in place of marriage, civil partnerships exist. Inequality can also exist in sport, where gender or disability can often cause restrictions to be placed. Less abled people should be given the chance to partake in and enjoy their chosen sport and sports played typically by men such as football and rugby made available for women to enjoy equally. Once you have completed this Assessment, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your work to your tutor for marking.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Reason, also known as logic and sensibility, is one's ability to think something through, keeping in mind the consequences of one's actions, while paying attention to all aspects of the problem. In ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream' Reason is explored against various types of Romantic love, including- Lust, committed love, young love and one sided love. Using examples in the play, it can be both proven and contradicted, that ‘Reason and Love keep little company together'. Hermia and Lysander, the play's young and lustful lovers prove that in ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream' while love is concerned, reason isn't. At the beginning of the play, the audiences are introduced to â€Å"fair Hermia† and her lover Lysander. Hermia wishes to marry Lysander, while her Father Eugeus, wants her â€Å"to marry with Dimitrius†, another Athenian men. Eugeus' force and commitment to the task of getting Hermia to marry Dimitrius, drives Hermia to desperation † Belike for want of rain, which I could well beteem them from the tempest of my eyes. † Lysander, wanting to marry Hermia, came up with a plan. He plans to go to his â€Å"widow aunt† who lives outside of Athens, where â€Å"There gentle Hermia, May I [Lysander] marry thee†. Hermia agrees to the plan. This shows that neither Lysander nor Hermia fully comprehend the possible outcomes of their intentions, since running away and getting married without permission can bring to them losing everything- Family, connections, respect and reputation. In their time, these were few of the most important things that a man or a woman can own. Thus Both Lysander and Hermia are willing, without listening to the voice of reason, to give it all up for Love. Moreover, Reason does not keep company in Helena's lust and love full head. Helena, Hermia's best friend, is in love with Dimitrius; however, it is a one-sided love, since Dimitrius is in love with Hermia. Thus Helena is jealous of Hermia, since â€Å"Dimitrius loves your [Hermia's] fair†. In aim to gain Dimitrius' thanks Helena â€Å"will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight†, then â€Å"to the woods will he [Dimitrius]†¦ pursue her [Hermia]†. By doing so, Helena clearly ignores her reason, since she thinks only of the attention she will be given by Dimitrius. Otherwise, Helena would have saw that she was, in fact, sacrificing her friendship with Hermia and endangering Hermia's happiness, just for another chance in romance. Yet again Helena looks through her reason, by following Dimitrius into the woods. In the woods, following Lysander and Hermia, Helena is all alone with Dimitrius â€Å"who loves [Helena] not†. Dimitrius is â€Å"wood within this wood† since he cannot â€Å"meet†¦ Hermia†. His frustration is increased by Helena who follows him. Dimitrius then threatens Helena to take â€Å"the rich worth of [Helena's] virginity† something which was most valuable to a woman at the time. In addition he threatens to â€Å"do [Helena] mischief in the woods†. Helen in replay says â€Å"Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field, you do me mischief†. Thus Helena is abandoning reason, in the name of lust, and love. Additionally, the play reveals the option that even old loving couple can lose their reason. Such is the case of Titania and Oberon- King and queen of the fairies. Titania is married to Oberon, and they both share long committed love. Firstly, the audiences witness a bitter fight between them, where Oberon is â€Å"passing fell and wrath†, since Titania will not give him † a little changeling boy†. In revenge, Oberon plots to put Titania under the spell of Love in Idleness. This flower † will make or men or women madly dote upon the next live creature that it sees†. Oberon, after years of loving Titania, lets his reason drop, and with no sympathy or regards for his â€Å"Queen† and â€Å"lady†, puts her under the spell. Titania, on her part wakes up to fall in lust (under the spell of Love in idleness) with Bottom, who wears a head of an ass. Not only that Titania lost her reason by falling in love with an ass, but also, since she does not question this sudden occurrence. Later on, after the lusty spell have been reversed by Oberon, It is revealed that , while in lust and out of reason Titania â€Å"gave† Oberon the changeling child- thus turning her back on her principles to take care of the boy. This shows, that even while in a committed-love relationship, lust can make one abandon his/hers reasoning. On the other hand, it is also showed that even while in love, Theseus uses his reason. Theseus' â€Å"nuptial hour draws on peace†, He is to marry Hippolyta, queen of the amazons. It is evident that love exists between the two:† Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword and won thy love doing thee injury†¦ â€Å". As the ruler of Athens, one of Theseus' roles is to judge cases that are brought in front of him. As was discussed before, Eugeus brought in front of Theseus the case of Hermia and Lysander. According to the Athenian law, Hermia belongs to Eugeus and he â€Å"may dispose of her, which shall be either to [Dimitrius] or to her death† Instead of being over sympatric to Hermia and overruling Eugeus, or in other words, making and irrational decision, Theseus used his reason and introduced a third option for Hermia:† to abjure for ever the society of men†. It is important to remember that overruling Eugeus is irrational because it would discredit Theseus' leadership since he ignores his own law. Hence, Theseus proves that even while in love, reason can be involved. A Midsummer Night's Dream' explores many types of romantic love. Lust, committed, young and tempered, these are just a few examples. Furthermore, Shakespeare demonstrates how any of these can interfere with one's reasoning, leading them to do mischief, irrational and hasty decisions and actions. In contrast, it is also evident that there are examples where Love and reason can exist in harmony together. Many would agree with Bottom that â€Å"Reason and Love keep little company together nowadays†, and many would also agree that â€Å"Love has reasons which reason cannot understand. † [1] A Midsummer Night’s Dream Reason, also known as logic and sensibility, is one's ability to think something through, keeping in mind the consequences of one's actions, while paying attention to all aspects of the problem. In ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream' Reason is explored against various types of Romantic love, including- Lust, committed love, young love and one sided love. Using examples in the play, it can be both proven and contradicted, that ‘Reason and Love keep little company together'. Hermia and Lysander, the play's young and lustful lovers prove that in ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream' while love is concerned, reason isn't. At the beginning of the play, the audiences are introduced to â€Å"fair Hermia† and her lover Lysander. Hermia wishes to marry Lysander, while her Father Eugeus, wants her â€Å"to marry with Dimitrius†, another Athenian men. Eugeus' force and commitment to the task of getting Hermia to marry Dimitrius, drives Hermia to desperation † Belike for want of rain, which I could well beteem them from the tempest of my eyes. † Lysander, wanting to marry Hermia, came up with a plan. He plans to go to his â€Å"widow aunt† who lives outside of Athens, where â€Å"There gentle Hermia, May I [Lysander] marry thee†. Hermia agrees to the plan. This shows that neither Lysander nor Hermia fully comprehend the possible outcomes of their intentions, since running away and getting married without permission can bring to them losing everything- Family, connections, respect and reputation. In their time, these were few of the most important things that a man or a woman can own. Thus Both Lysander and Hermia are willing, without listening to the voice of reason, to give it all up for Love. Moreover, Reason does not keep company in Helena's lust and love full head. Helena, Hermia's best friend, is in love with Dimitrius; however, it is a one-sided love, since Dimitrius is in love with Hermia. Thus Helena is jealous of Hermia, since â€Å"Dimitrius loves your [Hermia's] fair†. In aim to gain Dimitrius' thanks Helena â€Å"will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight†, then â€Å"to the woods will he [Dimitrius]†¦ pursue her [Hermia]†. By doing so, Helena clearly ignores her reason, since she thinks only of the attention she will be given by Dimitrius. Otherwise, Helena would have saw that she was, in fact, sacrificing her friendship with Hermia and endangering Hermia's happiness, just for another chance in romance. Yet again Helena looks through her reason, by following Dimitrius into the woods. In the woods, following Lysander and Hermia, Helena is all alone with Dimitrius â€Å"who loves [Helena] not†. Dimitrius is â€Å"wood within this wood† since he cannot â€Å"meet†¦ Hermia†. His frustration is increased by Helena who follows him. Dimitrius then threatens Helena to take â€Å"the rich worth of [Helena's] virginity† something which was most valuable to a woman at the time. In addition he threatens to â€Å"do [Helena] mischief in the woods†. Helen in replay says â€Å"Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field, you do me mischief†. Thus Helena is abandoning reason, in the name of lust, and love. Additionally, the play reveals the option that even old loving couple can lose their reason. Such is the case of Titania and Oberon- King and queen of the fairies. Titania is married to Oberon, and they both share long committed love. Firstly, the audiences witness a bitter fight between them, where Oberon is â€Å"passing fell and wrath†, since Titania will not give him † a little changeling boy†. In revenge, Oberon plots to put Titania under the spell of Love in Idleness. This flower † will make or men or women madly dote upon the next live creature that it sees†. Oberon, after years of loving Titania, lets his reason drop, and with no sympathy or regards for his â€Å"Queen† and â€Å"lady†, puts her under the spell. Titania, on her part wakes up to fall in lust (under the spell of Love in idleness) with Bottom, who wears a head of an ass. Not only that Titania lost her reason by falling in love with an ass, but also, since she does not question this sudden occurrence. Later on, after the lusty spell have been reversed by Oberon, It is revealed that , while in lust and out of reason Titania â€Å"gave† Oberon the changeling child- thus turning her back on her principles to take care of the boy. This shows, that even while in a committed-love relationship, lust can make one abandon his/hers reasoning. On the other hand, it is also showed that even while in love, Theseus uses his reason. Theseus' â€Å"nuptial hour draws on peace†, He is to marry Hippolyta, queen of the amazons. It is evident that love exists between the two:† Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword and won thy love doing thee injury†¦ â€Å". As the ruler of Athens, one of Theseus' roles is to judge cases that are brought in front of him. As was discussed before, Eugeus brought in front of Theseus the case of Hermia and Lysander. According to the Athenian law, Hermia belongs to Eugeus and he â€Å"may dispose of her, which shall be either to [Dimitrius] or to her death† Instead of being over sympatric to Hermia and overruling Eugeus, or in other words, making and irrational decision, Theseus used his reason and introduced a third option for Hermia:† to abjure for ever the society of men†. It is important to remember that overruling Eugeus is irrational because it would discredit Theseus' leadership since he ignores his own law. Hence, Theseus proves that even while in love, reason can be involved. A Midsummer Night's Dream' explores many types of romantic love. Lust, committed, young and tempered, these are just a few examples. Furthermore, Shakespeare demonstrates how any of these can interfere with one's reasoning, leading them to do mischief, irrational and hasty decisions and actions. In contrast, it is also evident that there are examples where Love and reason can exist in harmony together. Many would agree with Bottom that â€Å"Reason and Love keep little company together nowadays†, and many would also agree that â€Å"Love has reasons which reason cannot understand. † [1]

Digital Marketing

The world as we see it today is an evolving and rapidly changing place. What was news yesterday is history today. In such a dynamic environment, change is the only thing constant. And this change is across all spheres of our lives, touching us at various touch points around us. It will reflect in our habits and the lifestyles we maintain. So it is only natural that it will also have an effect on our media consumption and interaction. As we discuss this, traditional media still continues to remain the mainstay of a large number of brands, and the basis for trying to reach a large mass of people.But consumers today are a discerning lot, and more and more brands are seeing merit in having niche audiences. This is where the internet comes in and weaves it magic. It enables marketing to the relevant person, at the right time and at the right occasion. This is where the future lies. Online marketing is not about a one size fits all approach. It is about exclusivity, and the recognition tha t people are unique. This is exactly what social marketing and mobile marketing believe in endorsing. The beauty of social marketing is that it is non-intrusive and at the same time can touch your consumer at a very vital touch point.Also, with the growth in social networks and the need for the world to maintain elaborate virtual lives; this is one space that will only grow. In 3-5 years I can imagine many more social networking sites springing up, and some catering to extremely niche audiences. This will spell a boon for marketing people, since they will be able to talk to whom they want, and cut away the clutter. Also, the kind of communication will be very experiential and feedback oriented. Brands will be able to interact with their consumers and take them into their world.Shopping today is all about the experience, and what you are going through while you go through the motions of a seemingly mundane activity. It is about being surrounded by a plethora of choices and having fun while deciding which one to pick up. The consumer today sees new sights and sounds around him, and brands and products are trying to talk to him through every possible touch point . This makes for a very experiential form of marketing, which the internet will pioneer. The mobile is another tool that will be a great media form in the coming years. This is a nascent space just waiting to boom.The best part is that there is a high degree of measurability attached to this medium, and it will be possible to measure the exact responses to communication, and then the desired response to this. What will also drive this is the need for ease and convenience that will continue to grow. So having your world on your fingertips will be even more critical, and what better than your mobile phone for that! So brands that talk to you through your mobile will automatically occupy critical places in your life. Finally, word of mouth is a potent tool that I strongly believe will become bigger and stron ger in the coming years.It is here that social marketing and other online activities will be able to make a critical difference. Online public relations will enable brands to increase their positive coverage and thus ensure that their consumers read the right things at the right place. Ultimately, brands those are able to break the shackles of their conventional media forms and ride this wave of progress will stand out and truly be able to find newer and better way to communicate their stories. This is what will differentiate the winners from the rest.

3 Activity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

3 Activity - Assignment Example tists, research performed by doctors to alleviate suffering and pain not forgetting the sacrifices made by people everywhere to make human life better. Secondly, Craig believes that if truly God is inexistent, then people have to lead a hopeless life since there is no hope of liberation from the failures of our predetermined existence (Chaffee, 2013). A good example of such a scenario is a lack of hope of redemption from evil befalling us on earth. Moreover, in case God never exists, then people should lose hope on being redeemed from diseases, aging, and even death. Atheism, therefore, constitutes a philosophy lacking hope. Finally, Craig asserts that if truly God exists, then a person comes to understand God personally in addition to His love. Such a belief makes a life changing difference in the believer. In the reasons above, Craig admits that they do not ascertain the existence of God but shows a huge difference whether God is in existence. Therefore, he advances various reasons to prove that God exists. First, Craig asserts that the existence of God creates a sense of the foundation of the universe. The question about the origin of the universe has been controversial (Chaffee, 2013). According to atheist, universe is eternal. Thus, the reasoning of the atheist is unreasonable since if truly the universe lacked a beginning, therefore, past events within the history of the universe are infinite. The infinite is not a reality since it never exists in nature and offers a legitimate reason for rational thought. However, past events are never ideas but are real, and this confirms that the past events are finite. Therefore, the cycles of past events cannot go back forever and therefore the universe at one time began to exist. The discoveries in the fields of astrophysics, science, and astronomy prove that the universe began to exist approximately 13 billion years ago through the Big Bang theory (Chaffee, 2013). The theory makes atheist believe that the universe

Urban Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Urban Tourism - Essay Example The discussion shows that urban tourism does not always directly benefit the neighbourhood. The consequences of tourism growth, much to the opposite is dependent on the kind of tourism development that exists, the community’s intrinsic characteristics and resources, the extra-local circumstance in which they find themselves entrenched, as well as in the way tourism development is organised and operated (Hunning and Novy, 2006). Tourism activity as a matter of fact has stigmatized the neighbourhood in recent years, due to the increased interest of tourists (Sharma, 2004). Within a shortest range of time, Glasgow has evolved into an internationally recognized tourist’s destination. It has attracted people from different social and cultural backgrounds with its historical sites and its neighbourhood slums. Initially, Glasgow had limited and underwhelming number of visitors (Heeley, 2011). This is especially due to the fact that it has all the elements necessary to support successful tourism. It has risen from being a part city to a ‘must visit’ city (Gretzel, Christou and Sigala, 2012). The image of Glasgow can be compared to that of Harlem. Harlem’s improved image is associated with a greater appreciation and valorisation of the neighbourhood’s culture and history. Hunning and Novy suggest that: Harlem’s history as the â€Å"Black Mecca† of the United states as well as its cultural richness ranging from the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance to the community’s role as an epicenter of contemporary black culture, are not only sources of local pride and confidence, but are also increasingly recognized as marketable assets to build upon- by actors within and beyond the boundaries (2006, p. 6). A part from the revenue and publicity to the community, tourism has shaped Glasgow’s reputation and shaped awareness of the public and other influential actors within the town. Tourism is

Answer Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Answer Questions - Essay Example There is hope in her revelation, but she says it as explained to her by Jesus. Both revelations and experiences preach the love of God, and the need to have a strong belief in him. Perpertua’s revelation shows God’s love and power, she saw a sign of victory over the devil. Julian’s revelations are also explanations of God’s love. She explains that irrespective of suffering caused by sin, God has a reason for it, and that reason is love. In one of her revelations, she explains how God loves us, and HE knows it is not our fault to sin, but he knows that sin brings pain, and so warns his people against sinning, but all is well for people will rejoice when they will understand the purpose of sin. They both understand human nature as having the body different from the soul and the spirituality of human beings. The body is considered the weak feature which leads humans to sin. St. Augustine for example, indicates that the sins committed by humans are of the flesh, but they corrupt the soul. Paul also indicates that flesh is the weak and powerless feature, therefore vulnerable to sin. Transformation in the human heart and soul comes from interaction between the features of human nature. Pauls believes that living by the Spirit is living a life free of sin. Augustine considers himself, a fully grown person spiritually, for he was no longer driven by ambition which was accompanied by â€Å"heavy servitude in the hope of wealth and reputation† They include; the excessive adoration of saints, corruption within the church, the justification that one must be saved through the church and faith, and the low intellectual and moral standards of the ordained priests, and that the scripture and tradition are of the same inspiration in Christianity. The prologue describes Jesus the person, and his ministry. In his interaction with Nicodemus, Jesus is shown as the son of God, and the teacher. The son of God is through

Paper Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Paper Assignment - Essay Example (e) Presidential vote closely reflects voters’ party loyalties and is not influenced by whether an incumbent is running in a district or how much money the local candidates spend. (+) Districts that voted at least 10 percentage points more Democratic than the nation were classified as safe Democratic; districts that voted at least 10 percentage points more Republican than the nation were classified as safe Republican; districts that were within 5 percentage points of the nation were classified as competitive. (a) House district have become less competitive, but not because of redistricting. Most of the change has occurred between redistricting cycles. For the same reasons that states and counties have become less competitive- Americans are increasingly voting for candidates who reflect those values. (e) on the county level-number of counties dominated by one party and the proportion of voters living in such counties have increased dramatically over the several past decades. Also, growing ideological polarization at the elite level has made it easier for voters to choose a party identification on the basis of their ideological preferences. (+) Polarization=sorting, as voters bring their policy and partisan preferences into alignment (a)Growing financial advantage enjoyed by incumbents also contributes to the low level of competition in recent congressional elections. (e) It now costs over a million dollars to wage a competitive campaign for a U.S. House seat. (+) Most incumbents can raise that kind of money easily, but very few challengers can (they lack the financial resources needed to wage competitive campaigns). The most vulnerable- those in districts that were more supportive of the opposing party’s presidential candidate than the nation. Claims that redistricting does have an effect on the number of competitive congressional districts and, as a case study of redistricting institutions in Arizona illustrates, the choice of redistricting

Group Project Final Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Group Project Final Report - Essay Example After a certain time period, the evaluation can be carried out to find out if the investment is turning out as planned. The assumptions that can be applied the fact that the bond’s rate of return will remain constant and will be paid in time. The other assumption is that there will be no external factors that will adversely affect the running of a company. The reevaluation of assumptions can be done based on factors that affect the rate of return of bonds. The assumptions cannot be accurate because there are many external factors that largely affect rate of return. The things that did not work to our favor include the inflation rates. The inflation rates are dependent on a number of factors that cannot be controlled by a single individual. In reallocating, the investor can consider taking up investments that are in independent industries to ensure that profits are reaped even in the case of economic

Porters Five Forces to Analyze the Competitive Environment in which Essay

Porters Five Forces to Analyze the Competitive Environment in which Ryanair operates Bargaining Power of Suppliers - Essay Example The customers of Ryanair are putting on them a lot of collective pressure so that they can lower the travel expenses and improve the quality of their airline services. The customers associated with Ryanair are enjoying a higher bargaining power since switching to other airlines with better services is very easy with little or no costs. In the case of Ryanair, the substitutes for their transport systems include railways, sea transport, and road transport and any strategy by them poses a threat to Ryanair profitability. However, Ryanair is still able to operate at a lower cost, leading to lower cost of services that attract more customers. The threat of new entrants in this industry is relatively low due to high costs involved in the initial stages of the business set up that many cannot afford. Economics of scale can only be enjoyed by big players like Ryanair and this makes other possible investors be scared away (O’Cuilleannain, Falle, Sobokta, Kleinert, Chassart, Farrell, 2004). There is also difficulty in gaining access to distribution channels that poses a barrier to new entrants. Since the airline industry is highly fragmented, competition is very high leading to low returns. In order to survive, Ryanair is constantly coming up with unique business models in order to outweigh their competitors and make reasonable profits. Ryanair is luck since it is based in Europe whereby European Union is a complete stable political region that provides a good environment for business to thrive. The integration of the European Union has provided an opportunity for this airline industry to expand its operations very swiftly without hurdles (Muller, 2011). The operations of Ryanair are also affected by the OPEC since its an organization that determines the fuel prices that Ryanair operates on.

Disipline in Schools Essay Example for Free

Disipline in Schools Essay The definitions of ‘violence’, ‘bullying’ and ‘indiscipline clearly incorporate a wide range of behaviors which can alter depending on both the context within which the behaviors are enacted, and, indeed, with whom they are directed towards. Discipline in schools is now passing through an extended eclipse. The problem of indiscipline permeates all facets of our life. It has, in fact brought us down to the knees Each day there are thousands of kids who go to school and get picked on in some way or another. Those same kids will probably come home and tell nobody about the pain that they are going through inside. There are numerous causes and solutions for this problem that we are facing in our schools. One main cause is that those doing the discipline problems suffer from bad parenting. I believe that parents need to be responsible for their children. They’re the ones who raised the child and filled them with their beliefs of what’s right and wrong. When a principle calls home about a child misbehaving and the parents do nothing , that just lets the child know that it’s alright for him or her to do it again. The parents will cause the child to form the mindset that he or she can do it again because they know that they won’t get reprimanded for their actions. Even if their child doesn’t get punished at home, that will lead the child to start acting out of control at school. Therefore, parents must take responsibility for their children’s behavior. The child needs to be teached that there will be consequences not only at school but homes as well for any discipline problems to be solved.

E-Learning and E-Services

E-Learning and E-Services Social Impart: E-learning is a structured, purposeful use of computer or electronic system which covers a wide set of processes and application such as web-based learning, computer-based learning, distance and flexible learning via a web browser, through the internet or an intranet, interactive TV, satellite broadcast, audio and videotape and CD-ROM. Based on the survey questionnaire, it noted that 98.2 percent of people are prefer searching the information for working or studies purpose via internet and this proved that more of the worlds people become connected to the network. Connectivity to this network and the ability to master it once on has become an essential part in the new century, and also a key to success, opportunity and fulfillment for the people around the world. E-learning is deployed to reach geographically dispersed groups, to provide consistency, to provide â€Å"anyway-anytime† learning, to ensure compliance with regulation. E- learning is also deployed with the objective of enhancing student knowledge and cost saving. It is used for broadening the academic scope and provided much more references and learning scopes than the ones provided in the usual text books. Effective e-learning can also improve the performance on core subjects and foster development of new century skills, whether in mature or emerging countries. It can help in increasing student motivation, engagement and attendance. E-learning could have potentially major effects on the way higher education is designed, implemented and delivered .For students, e-learning can provide an educationally-superior alternative to traditional lectures, in which education can take place outside of the lecture hall. E-learning can also provide a model for students on how to train themselves to become self directed independent learners, which may assist them to become ‘life long learners. On the other part, for lecturers, e-learning may cause changes in work patterns and even change their professional role, but in addition, e-learning provides them the opportunity to train students in real business situations and new methods to evaluate their learning. As lecturers have the influence to eliminate students technical frustrations, make them feel empowered and encourage them to interact with one another, the role of the lecturer is become predominant in the successful delivery of e-learning initiatives. According to Malaysia Ministry of Education and Intel Malaysia, in a one to one (1:1) e-learning program at 10 primary and secondary schools in Malaysia, 85 percent of teachers, many of whom were skeptical initially, reported that the program lend a hand to them create a collaborative and innovative e-learning environment within their classrooms. E-learning represents a change in teaching and learning style. The precise nature of the change is hard to clarify, however allocation of sufficient resources and time. The major advantage of e-learning is its flexibility, accessibility, and convenience. Flexibility in variety of forms is also an often-identified positive feature of the virtual school or online school. Students are able to work at home, able to get extra credits that did not fit into their regular school day, and to take an extra course which is not offered at their school. It can save the travel cost and time contemporary. Besides that, as web browser software and internet connection are widely available, students are able to search information or material easily and efficiently. E-learning can enhance retention by varying the types of contents such as images, sounds and text work together, creating interaction that engages the attention, providing immediate feedback, encouraging interaction with other learners and instructors in discussion boards, chat room, instant messaging and all offer interaction for learners effectively. Every application has two sides, there are identified drawback with the use of e-learning. E-learning is not suitable for all kind of learners as e-learning emphasizes independent learning and requires the completion of a lots of assignment, tasks and interactive collaborations. Students with low motivation will have to face a stressful feeling and will not able to complete their modules, rendering the strategy ineffective. In addition, there are some people who are not able to deal successfully with isolation. The short of human interaction and the absence of active guidance increase the likelihood of disinterest and boredom. There are not all type of content is suitable for e-learning. The educational institutions are not yet prepare to adapt to the e-learning capabilities due to which many of the contents cannot be used to the e-learning platforms. Students taking on e-course may have the opportunity to receive a risk-free simulation environment, in which they can make mistakes without directly exposing themselves, eventually getting the feedback on the consequences of their actions. E-learning requires new skills in content producers and still has to clearly demonstrate a return on investment. Enabling technology might also be costly since there need to develop advanced visually-rich content for the learners. Nowadays, worlds people are currently moving towards an electronic and internet service system called e-services. E-services is a highly general term referring to the provision of services through internet and act as an interactive, content-centered and internet-based customer services, driven by the customer and integrated with related organizational customer support processes and technologies with the goal of strengthening customer-service provider relationship. E-services are including e-insurances services, e-banking services, e-financial advice services, flight or railway e-ticket services, hotel e-booking services, package tour e-services, real estate e-services, food take away e-services and so on. E-services are offering a lot of advantages to their users. The users are being familiarized with the electronic information personally and being educated on using advanced technology. Furthermore, easy tracking of payment to beneficiarys accounts thus it will enhance audit trail for the users. It can be also reduced cases of corruption and increased convenience and flexibility of the users as the users can access e-services in home without travel and this can help to save the travel cost and time contemporary. E-services have improved data acquisition, transformation and retrieval which unlike the data chaos in a traditional service provider. In addition, it allow in searching of large number of heterogeneous data such as documents, database, messages, pages and multimedia. It also involves the citizens in governmental activities providing easy access to information via internet. E-services are conducted at a distance, uncertainties and risks are magnified. Therefore, users have to rely on image and promises. Some services are confused of proper legal and regulatory framework. Besides that, users may face grave danger as the personal information including name, address credit card number, bank account number and so on which can be accessed by other culprits through e-services. Disclosure of private information, counterfeiting and illegal alteration of payment have been listed in the drawbacks of e-services.

Research Onion Explanation of the Concept

Research Onion Explanation of the Concept Introduction The research onion was developed by Saunders et al. (2007). It illustrates the stages that must be covered when developing a research strategy.When viewed from the outside, each layer of the onion describes a more detailed stage of the research process (Saunders et al., 2007). The research onion provides an effective progression through which a research methodology can be designed. Its usefulness lies in its adaptability for almost any type of research methodology and can be used in a variety of contexts (Bryman, 2012). This essay will examine and describe the different stages of the research onion, and explain the concepts at each stage. 1.1: Understanding the Research Process The research onion was developed by Saunders  et al. (2007) in order to describe the stages through which the researcher must pass when formulating an effective methodology. First, the research philosophy requires definition. This creates the starting point for the appropriate research approach, which is adopted in the second step. In the third step, the research strategy is adopted, and the fourth layer identifies the time horizon. The fifth step represents the stage at which the data collection methodology is identified. The benefits of the research onion are thus that it creates a series of stages under which the different methods of data collection can be understood, and illustrates the steps by which a methodological study can be described. Figure 1: The Research Onion (Source: Institut Numerique, 2012, n.p.). 1.2: Research Philosophy A research philosophy refers to the set of beliefs concerning the nature of the reality being investigated (Bryman, 2012). It is the underlying definition of the nature of knowledge. The assumptions created by a research philosophy provide the justification for how the research will be undertaken (Flick, 2011). Research philosophies can differ on the goals of research and on the best way that might be used to achieve these goals (Goddard Melville, 2004). These are not necessarily at odds with each other, but the choice of research philosophy is defined by the type of knowledge being investigated in the research project (May, 2011). Therefore, understanding the research philosophy being used can help explain the assumptions inherent in the research process and how this fits the methodology being used. Two main ontological frameworks can inform the research process: positivism and constructionism (Monette et al. 2005). These frameworks might be described differently (such as empiricism and interpretivism) but the underlying assumptions are broadly similar (Bryman, 2012). Positivism assumes that reality exists independently of the thing being studied. In practice this means that the meaning of phenomena is consistent between subjects (Newman, 1998). Conversely, constructionism suggests that the inherent meaning of social phenomena is created by each observer or group (ÃÆ'–stlundet al. , 2011). In this philosophy, one can never presume that what is observed is interpreted in the same way between participants and the key approach is to examine differences and nuances in the respondentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ understanding. Despite the inherent differences between these two practices, it is not necessarily the case that they form an inherent belief by the researcher that is then applied to all research contexts. One philosophy is not inherently better than the other, although researchers may favour one over the other (Podsakoffet al., 2012). The philosophy simply provides the justification for the research methodology. The methodology should be informed by the nature of the phenomena being observed. 1.3: Research Approaches Two types of approaches are outlined here: the deductive and the inductive approach. 1.3.1: Deductive Approach The deductive approach develops the hypothesis or hypotheses upon a pre-existing theory and then formulates the research approach to test it (Silverman, 2013). This approach is best suited to contexts where the research project is concerned with examining whether the observed phenomena fit with expectation based upon previous research (Wiles et al., 2011). The deductive approach thus might be considered particularly suited to the positivist approach, which permits the formulation of hypotheses and the statistical testing of expected results to an accepted level of probability (Snieder Larner, 2009). However, a deductive approach may also be used with qualitative research techniques, though in such cases the expectations formed by pre-existing research would be formulated differently than through hypothesis testing (Saunders et al., 2007). The deductive approach is characterised as the development from general to particular: the general theory and knowledge base is first established and the specific knowledge gained from the research process is then tested against it (Kothari, 2004). 1.3.2: Inductive Approach The inductive approach is characterised as a move from the specific to the general (Bryman Bell, 2011). In this approach, the observations are the starting point for the researcher, and patterns are looked for in the data (Beiske, 2007). In this approach, there is no framework that initially informs the data collection and the research focus can thus be formed after the data has been collected (Flick, 2011). Although this may be seen as the point at which new theories are generated, it is also true that as the data is analysed that it may be found to fit into an existing theory(Bryman Bell, 2011). This method is more commonly used in qualitative research, where the absence of a theory informing the research process may be of benefit by reducing the potential for researcher bias in the data collection stage (Bryman Bell, 2011). Interviews are carried out concerning specific phenomena and then the data may be examined for patterns between respondents (Flick, 2011). However, this approach may also be used effectively within positivist methodologies, where the data is analysed first and significant patterns are used to inform the generation of results. 1.3.3: The Quantitative Approach As the name suggests, this approach is concerned with quantitative data (Flick, 2011). It holds a number of accepted statistical standards for the validity of the approach, such as the number of respondents that are required to establish a statistically significant result (Goddard Melville, 2004). Although this research approach is informed by a positivist philosophy, it can be used to investigate a wide range of social phenomena, including feelings and subjective viewpoints. The quantitative approach can be most effectively used for situations where there are a large number of respondents available, where the data can be effectively measured using quantitative techniques, and where statistical methods of analysis can be used (May, 2011). 1.3.4: The Qualitative Approach The qualitative approach is drawn from the constructivist paradigm (Bryman Allen, 2011). This approach requires the researcher to avoid imposing their own perception of the meaning of social phenomena upon the respondent (Banister et al., 2011). The aim is to investigate how the respondent interprets their own reality (Bryman Allen, 2011). This presents the challenge of creating a methodology that is framed by the respondent rather than by the researcher. An effective means by which to do this is through interviews, or texts, where the response to a question can be open (Feilzer, 2010). Furthermore, the researcher can develop the questions throughout the process in order to ensure that the respondent further expands upon the information provided. Qualitative research is usually used for examining the meaning of social phenomena, rather than seeking a causative relationship between established variables (Feilzer, 2010). 1.4: Research Strategy The research strategy is how the researcher intends to carry out the work (Saunders et al., 2007). The strategy can include a number of different approaches, such as experimental research, action research, case study research, interviews, surveys, or a systematic literature review. Experimental research refers to the strategy of creating a research process that examines the results of an experiment against the expected results (Saunders et al., 2007). It can be used in all areas of research, and usually involves the consideration of a relatively limited number of factors (Saunders et al., 2007). The relationship between the factors are examined, and judged against the expectation of the research outcomes. Action research is characterised as a practical approach to a specific research problem within a community of practice (Bryman, 2012). It involves examining practice to establish that it corresponds to the best approach. It tends to involve reflective practice, which is a systematic process by which the professional practice and experience of the practitioners can be assessed. This form of research is common in professions such as teaching or nursing, where the practitioner can assess ways in which they can improve their professional approach and understanding (Wiles et al., 2011). Case study research is the assessment of a single unit in order to establish its key features and draw generalisations (Bryman, 2012). It can offer an insight into the specific nature of any example, and can establish the importance of culture and context in differences between cases (Silverman, 2013). This form of research is effective in financial research, such as comparing the experiences of two companies, or comparing the effect of investment in difference contexts. Grounded theory is a qualitative methodology that draws on an inductive approach whereby patterns are derived from the data as a precondition for the study (May, 2011). For example, interview data may be transcribed, coded and then grouped accordingly to the common factors exhibited between respondents. This means that the results of the research are derived fundamentally from the research that has been completed, rather than where the data is examined to establish whether it fits with pre-existing frameworks (Flick, 2011). Its use is common in the social sciences (Bryman, 2012). Surveys tend to be used in quantitative research projects, and involve sampling a representative proportion of the population (Bryman Bell, 2011). The surveys produce quantitative data that can be analysed empirically. Surveys are most commonly used to examine causative variables between different types of data. Ethnography involves the close observation of people, examining their cultural interaction and their meaning (Bryman, 2012). In this research process, the observer conducts the research from the perspective of the people being observed, and aims to understand the differences of meaning and importance or behaviours from their perspective. An archival research strategy is one where the research is conducted from existing materials (Flick, 2011). The form of research may involve a systematic literature review, where patterns of existing research are examined and summed up in order to establish the sum of knowledge on a particular study, or to examine the application of existing research to specific problems. Archival research may also refer to historical research, where a body of source material is mined in order to establish results. 1.5: Choices The choices outlined in the research onion include the mono method, the mixed method, and the multi-method (Saunders et al., 2007). As the names of these approaches suggest, the mono-method involves using one research approach for the study. The mixed-methods required the use of two or more methods of research, and usually refer to the use of both a qualitative and a quantitative methodology. In the multi-method, a wider selection of methods is used (Bryman, 2012). The main difference between the mixed and the multi-method is that the mixed-method involves a combined methodology that creates a single dataset (Flick, 2011). The multi-method approach is where the research is divided into separate segments, with each producing a specific dataset; each is then analysed using techniques derived from quantitative or qualitative methodologies (Feilzer, 2010). 1.6: Time Horizons The Time Horizon is the time framework within which the project is intended for completion (Saunders et al., 2007). Two types of time horizons are specified within the research onion: the cross sectional and the longitudinal (Bryman, 2012). The cross sectional time horizon is one already established, whereby the data must be collected. This is dubbed the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"snapshotà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ time collection, where the data is collected at a certain point (Flick, 2011). This is used when the investigation is concerned with the study of a particular phenomenon at a specific time. A longitudinal time horizon for data collection refers to the collection of data repeatedly over an extended period, and is used where an important factor for the research is examining change over time (Goddard Melville, 2004). This has the benefit of being used to study change and development. Furthermore, it allows the establishment of some control over the variables being studied. The time horizon selected is not dependent on a specific research approach or methodology (Saunders et al., 2007). 1.7: Data Collection and Analysis Data collection and analysis is dependent on the methodological approach used (Bryman, 2012). The process used at this stage of the research contributes significantly to the studyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s overall reliability and validity (Saunders et al., 2007). Regardless of the approach used in the project, the type of data collected can be separated into two types: primary and secondary. 1.7.1: The Primary Data Primary data is that which is derived from first-hand sources. This can be historical first-hand sources, or the data derived from the respondents in survey or interview data (Bryman, 2012). However, it is not necessarily data that has been produced by the research being undertaken. For example, data derived from statistical collections such as the census can constitute primary data. Likewise, data that is derived from other researchers may also be used as primary data, or it may be represented by a text being analysed (Flick, 2011). The primary data is therefore best understood as the data that is being analysed as itself, rather than through the prism of anotherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s analysis. 1.7.2: Secondary Data Secondary data is that which is derived from the work or opinions of other researchers (Newman, 1998). For example, the conclusions of a research article can constitute secondary data because it is information that has already been processed by another. Likewise, analyses conducted on statistical surveys can constitute secondary data (Kothari, 2004). However, there is an extent to which the data is defined by its use, rather than its inherent nature (Flick, 2011). Newspapers may prove both a primary and secondary source for data, depending on whether the reporter was actually present. For a study of social attitudes in the Eighteenth Century, or for a study of the causes of fear of crime in present day UK, newspapers may constitute primary data. Therefore, the most effective distinction of the two types of data is perhaps established by the use to which it is put in a study, rather than to an inherent characteristic of the data itself. 1.8: Research Design The research design is the description of how the research process will be completed. It is a framework which includes the considerations that led to the appropriate methodology being adopted, the way in which the respondents were selected, and how the data will be analysed (Flick, 2011). There are a number of different characteristic research designs, namely the descriptive, explanatory, and the exploratory. The descriptive research design relates to reflecting the experiences of respondents. It is thus related closely to ethnographic studies, but a quantitative framework is also an appropriate framework; for example, the demographic characteristics of a population subgroup can be reported (Bryman, 2012). An explanatory research design is focused on how to effectively explain the characteristics of a population or a social phenomenon (Saunders et al., 2007). This may be seen as effective where using a quantitative framework, where the influence of one variable on another can be established (Kothari, 2004). The exploratory study is an exploration of an issue that takes place before enough is known to conduct a formulaic research project. It is usually used in order to inform further research in the subject area (Neuman, 2003). 1.9: Samples A sample is a representative segment of a larger population (Bryman, 2012). In quantitative research, the sample size and how it is selected can be used to establish the reliability of the results of the study. In qualitative research, the sample characteristics are also important, but much smaller samples tend to be used. 1.9.1 Sample Size The sample size represents the number of respondents selected from the overall population that are used in the research (Newman, 1998). In quantitative research, the size of the sample is essential in determining the reliability of the results of a study. Sample sizes of much less than 30 will tend to produce results where individual respondents may skew the results. In such cases, the larger the sample size the more reliable will be the results (Flick, 2011). In qualitative research, the size of the sample is less important, and the concept of representativeness is not as strong a guideline for the validity of the research. 1.9.2: Sampling Techniques Sampling techniques are the ways in which an appropriate sample size is selected for the wider study (Bryman, 2012). There are a number of accepted techniques that can be used. A random sample represents individuals within a larger population who are chosen at random. However, this can result in random distribution, which can mean significant skewing resulting from the random nature of sample selection (Neuman, 2003). For example, a random sample may result in more males than females being represented in a sample, or an unequal distribution across ages. A stratified sample may then be used to ensure that the representatives of the population in the sample reflect the significant characteristics of the wider population, such as making sure that the demographic characteristics of age and gender are reflected in the sample (Newman, 1998). A convenience sample is where the sample is taken from an existing framework, such as an educational institution, given that the ways in which respondents may be recruited is relatively straightforward. This may be appropriate if a study is concerned with studentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ views, and it proved convenient to sample just one educational institution; it may be considered unlikely that significant variation in studentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ characteristics will occur between institutions or that those characteristics will have a significant effect on the results of a study. Conclusions In this study, the different stages of the research onion were described. Given the research onion comprises different stages of many research projects and can be effectively adapted to different models, this report has necessarily been summative and restricted in depth. However, the stages defined by Saunders et al. (2007) have been expounded upon, and the usefulness of the staged development of the onion demonstrated. The most effective model of its effectiveness, however, lies in its use. References Banister, P., Bunn, G., Burman, E., Daniels, J. (2011). Qualitative Methods In Psychology: A Research Guide. London: McGraw-Hill International. Beiske, B. (2007). Research Methods: Uses and limitations of questionnaires, interviews and case studies, Munich: GRIN Verlag. Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods (5th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bryman, A., Allen, T. (2011). Education Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bryman, A., Bell, E. (2011). Business Research Methods (3rd ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press. Feilzer, M. Y. (2010). Doing mixed methods research pragmatically: Implications for the rediscovery of pragmatism as a research paradigm. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 4(1), pp.6-16. Flick, U. (2011). Introducing research methodology: A beginners guide to doing a research project. London: Sage. Goddard, W. Melville, S. (2004). Research Methodology: An Introduction, (2nd ed.) Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Gulati, P. M. (2009). Research Management: Fundamental and Applied Research, New Delhi: Global India Productions. Institut Numerique, (2012). Research Methodology, http://www.institut-numerique.org/chapter-3-research-methodology-4ffbd6e5e3391 [retrieved 3rd October, 2014]. Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research methodology: methods and techniques. New Delhi: New Age International. May, T. (2011). Social research: Issues, methods and research. London: McGraw-Hill International. Monette, D.R., Sullivan, T. J., DeJong, C. R. (2005). Applied Social Research: A Tool for the Human Services, (6th ed.), London: Brooks Publishing. Neuman, W. L. (2003). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, London: Allyn Bacon. Newman, I. (1998). Qualitative-quantitative research methodology: Exploring the interactive continuum. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. ÃÆ'–stlund, U., Kidd, L., WengstrÃÆ' ¶m, Y., Rowa-Dewar, N. (2011). Combining qualitative and quantitative research within mixed method research designs: a methodological review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 48(3), pp. 369-383. Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Podsakoff, N. P. (2012). Sources of method bias in social science research and recommendations on how to control it. Annual Review of Psychology, 63, pp.539-569. Rowley, J. (2012). Conducting research interviews. Management Research Review, 35(3), pp.260-271. Saunders, M., Lewis, P., Thornhill, A. (2007). Research Methods for Business Students, (6th ed.) London: Pearson. Silverman, D. (2013). Doing Qualitative Research: A practical handbook. London: Sage. Snieder R. Larner, K. (2009). The Art of Being a Scientist: A Guide for Graduate Students and their Mentors, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Wiles, R., Crow, G., Pain, H. (2011). Innovation in qualitative research methods: a narrative review. Qualitative Research, 11(5), pp.587-604.

East vs. West in The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

F. Scott Fitzgerald tends to write with a very poetic style in his otherwise prose novels. The Great Gatsby is no exception. In the novel, Fitzgerald takes an obscure and rather insightful look on basic issues of the 1920’s. One of those issues is that of east vs. west. The 1920’s were a time of booming youthful energy in the east and of age-old tradition in the west. Fitzgerald uses a somewhat naturalistic approach when he suggests that people belong to one or the other and cannot function in the wrong one. The character of Daisy Buchanan in the novel The Great Gatsby illustrates the defining differences between the east and the west and the people who belong in each place. All the main characters of this novel originated in the west and Daisy was no exception. She grew up in the west and spent her entire single life there living in the mansion of her wealthy parents. The west represented everything that was formal and proper. Daisy went to fancy balls in wealthy country clubs and was courted by gentlemen. Everyone in the west got married happily, or at least pretended to, and never had affairs. The west was morality and formality, but more than that, it was perfection. â€Å"For Daisy was young and her artificial world was redolent of orchids and pleasant, cheerful snobbery and orchestras which set the rhythm of the year, summing up the sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes.† (p. 158) Daisy grew up in a life of too perfect happiness and comfort. Romance also prevailed in the sweetly proper courtship of the west. â€Å"There was a ripe mystery about it, a hint of bedrooms upstairs more beautiful and cool than other bedrooms, of gay and radiant activities taking place through its corridors and of romances that were not musty and laid away already in lavender but fresh and breathing and redolent of this year’s shining motor cars and of dances whose flowers were scarcely withered.† (p. 155-156) Daisy represented mysterious love and passion in all her western ideals to all men who happened upon her innocent trap of obsession. Daisy gave up on her true love for Gatsby in exchange for the new, rich, and exciting Tom Buchanan, who swept down from Chicago to steal Daisy away. They ran off to the east together in search of excitement. East vs. West in The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers F. Scott Fitzgerald tends to write with a very poetic style in his otherwise prose novels. The Great Gatsby is no exception. In the novel, Fitzgerald takes an obscure and rather insightful look on basic issues of the 1920’s. One of those issues is that of east vs. west. The 1920’s were a time of booming youthful energy in the east and of age-old tradition in the west. Fitzgerald uses a somewhat naturalistic approach when he suggests that people belong to one or the other and cannot function in the wrong one. The character of Daisy Buchanan in the novel The Great Gatsby illustrates the defining differences between the east and the west and the people who belong in each place. All the main characters of this novel originated in the west and Daisy was no exception. She grew up in the west and spent her entire single life there living in the mansion of her wealthy parents. The west represented everything that was formal and proper. Daisy went to fancy balls in wealthy country clubs and was courted by gentlemen. Everyone in the west got married happily, or at least pretended to, and never had affairs. The west was morality and formality, but more than that, it was perfection. â€Å"For Daisy was young and her artificial world was redolent of orchids and pleasant, cheerful snobbery and orchestras which set the rhythm of the year, summing up the sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes.† (p. 158) Daisy grew up in a life of too perfect happiness and comfort. Romance also prevailed in the sweetly proper courtship of the west. â€Å"There was a ripe mystery about it, a hint of bedrooms upstairs more beautiful and cool than other bedrooms, of gay and radiant activities taking place through its corridors and of romances that were not musty and laid away already in lavender but fresh and breathing and redolent of this year’s shining motor cars and of dances whose flowers were scarcely withered.† (p. 155-156) Daisy represented mysterious love and passion in all her western ideals to all men who happened upon her innocent trap of obsession. Daisy gave up on her true love for Gatsby in exchange for the new, rich, and exciting Tom Buchanan, who swept down from Chicago to steal Daisy away. They ran off to the east together in search of excitement.

How Does William Blake convey his anger in the poem London ? Essay

How Does William Blake convey his anger in the poem London ? The poem 'London' by William Blake, relfects his feelings upon the society that he was living in , and how despreratly it needed help. Blake thought that all of the poverty and misfortune that was happening on the streets were caused by the political opression in London. Blake was angered by what he saw in his homeland as other countries started fighting for their indipendence and equality whilst his country stayed dormant, eventhough he felt that there was a serious need for serious action. Eventhough Blake wasn't a typical romantic writer, he too possesed the same beliefs of fighting for what one believes in, and the urge to be liberated from the opression of society. So, by being a writer of the romantic period, watching a controlled and restricted society not showing an intent to break free and fight against the monarchy, angered him and inspired him to convey his ideas and feelings throuh the poem 'London'. In the poem, Blake travels through London and descibes what he sees. And as a result, he sees a severly opressed society that is caused by the authority, such as royalty and the church. This is as Blake sees that even the 'streets' and the 'thames' are 'chartered' and governed by the authorities. This is furthur emphasised by his repitition of the word 'chartered' which then gives the reader an image of the lack of freedom that the people in London posses as the 'streets' is a metahor for the general public while the 'thames' represents their freedom, this is as rivers are normally associated with free will while the 'streets' are gernerally associated with the lower class in society. So, by describing the streets and the thames ... ...y that the monarcy creates. I feel that the poem 'London' effectively convyed William Blakes anger towards the society and his feelings about it. This is as Blake is awear of everything that goes on in the society, and the poem clearly expresses his repulsiveness towards the political opression imposed by the monarchy. However, Blake does not soley balme the monarcy, but also the people of his country. This is because he saw all the other countries that previously suffered the opression of a monarcy, fight for their rights and equailty. Eventhough the monarcy did impose rules upon society, Blake strongly believed that people could overthrow the authorities if they were to truly try and do so. Hence, a part of Blake's anger was conveyed by descibing the self-imprisonment of the people, and how they could break free anytime, but still chose not to do so.

Lagrange Theorem

SAP transactions and reports Customer-specific transactions and reports Note Note It is possible that the origin of some objects cannot be identified clearly (either as SAP transactions and reports or customer-specific transactions and reports). In this case, the specified number of all transactions and reports is larger than the total of SAP and customer-specific transactions and reports. The possible deviation is due to the fact that only information for used objects is transferred. Objects in managed systems that exist there but are not used in the analyzed period are not transferred ND therefore have no designated origin.Information about customer objects that are not used is only displayed if you have selected the Get All Customer Objects option when you created the analysis. The following result types are displayed for each of the three named groups: Analyzed Not analyzed because, for example, there is no data for the client you specified when creating the analysis. Not analyze d in other clients The analysis fails with specified client due to missing data. Objects are used In other clients. You can base a new analysis with different clients, on this entry. Used.The objects are used in the analysis period and In the systems specified for the analysis. Not used (only affects customer-specific transactions and reports), If you have selected the Get All Customer Objects option when you created the analysis. Example Example You want to know how many transactions and reports were analyzed. The entry Is under All Transactions and Reports, Analyzed (Number). The transactions and reports of a result type, for example, the transactions and reports analyzed, are shown In a table. The following object properties are displayed: Object name, for example, transaction name such as SEES.Object type, for example, T for transaction or R for report. Object description, for example, Data Browser for transaction SEES. Origin, for example, S for SAP displayed in the All Transac tions and Reports overview Logical component, displayed for result type Analyzed, Not Analyzed or Not Analyzed in other Clients. SIDE, the system ID specified when creating the analysis; displayed for result type Used. System installation number; displayed for result type Not Used (customer objects). Threshold value, displayed for result type Analyzed, Not Analyzed or Not Analyzed in other Clients.Client specified when creating the analysis; displayed for result type Used. Result, for example, the number of dialog steps in a transaction Object description language You can copy objects of result types Used and Not Used to the rule database. Activities To open a table of transactions and reports, for example, a table of all the analyzed transactions and reports, click on the result type, for example on Analyzed. To copy an object to the rule database, click the result type, for example, Used to open the object table, highlight the object, and choose Add to Rule Database. Note NoteWhen copying the object to the rule database, you get a message informing you that a check step has been created or that the object is already in the rule database. To restrict the results to a specific system, open the input help for System and select a system. By default, the results refer to all systems you specified when creating the analysis. Note Note You can restrict the results by combining systems and time periods. You can choose another results overview tab: Graphical Overview Results in Analysis Structure Details of Analysis Error Statistics More Information Analysis Results Analysis Project Analyses Analysis Projects

Latest Innovations in Field of Chemistry Essay

One of the latest inventions developed by researchers from Stellenbosch University in South Africa is a one of a kind â€Å"tea bag† that makes use of nanotechnology to clean drinking water, making it free from contaminants and bacteria. It would be interesting to note that the â€Å"tea bag† is made of the same material that is used to make the actual tea bags. The only difference is that in the Stellenbosch researchers’ invention the ingredients are nanoscale fibers and grains of carbon, reports io9. Both fibers and grains of carbon filter water from all hazardous contaminants. In order to purify the water, the user needs to place the tea bag in the neck of a water bottle. The tea bag filters the water when the person drinks from the bottle. One bag can be used to filter up to 1 liter of water and it costs less than a half of an American cent. Loopwing Korea Unveils Solar-Powered Streetlights, Wind Power Generators Having the goal of reducing the demand for grid electricity, a South Korean company decided to create a new type of streetlights and renewable energy generators. Looping Korea presented its latest inventions at the Renewable Energy World 2010. Its loopwing-type wind power generators boast a one-of-a-kind loop-shaped wing structure that allows generating electricity from winds that have speed as low as 2m/s. In addition, the design also makes it possible for the device to produce power without much noise. One of the models of loopwing type wind power generator is called the TRONC. It features a hybrid solar and wind energy generator and it doesn’t need extra source of energy. Besides, the streetlight can be even connected to such external devices as LED display systems, informs Aving. TRONC represents a complex that includes a small windmill and sunlight panel mounted on top. It also features a loop wing style blade of that is 1. 5 meters in diameter. Latest Invention: LED Light Bulbs that Makes Use of Salmon DNA Researchers from the University of Connecticut recently unveiled their latest invention, which is a long-lasting LED light bulb that makes use of salmon DNA. Scientists added two different fluorescent colors to the DNA molecules, the dyes being spaced from each other at a distance ranging from 2 to 10 nanometers. After the colors were added, the DNA molecules are spun into nanofibers. The UV light that produces LED is then covered with DNA nanofibers. David Walt, a chemistry professor at Tufts University, explained: â€Å"When UV light is shined on the material, one dye absorbs the energy and produces blue light. If the other dye molecule is at the right distance, it will absorb part of that blue-light energy and emit orange light. † By changing the ratios of dyes, one can adjust the quality of light, for example turning cool white into warm white. But just like all latest inventions, this one still requires more studying. Besides there is currently no information regarding how many lumens per watt the salmon DNA LEDs generate, which is why it is too early to say anything about longer life or improved light quality. New research shows that exposing polymer molecular sieve membranes to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in the presence of oxygen produces highly permeable and selective membranes for more efficient molecular-level separation, an essential process in everything from water purification to controlling gas emissions. Published in the journal Nature Communications, the study finds that short-wavelength UV exposure of the sponge-like polymer membranes in the presence of oxygen allows the formation of ozone within the polymer matrix. The ozone induces oxidation of the polymer and chops longer polymer chains into much shorter segments, increasing the density of its surface. By controlling this ‘densification’, resulting in smaller cavities on the membrane surface, scientists have found they are able to create a greatly enhanced ‘sieve’ for molecular-level separation – as these ‘micro-cavities’ improve the ability of the membrane to selectively separate, to a significant degree, molecules with various sizes , remaining highly permeable for small molecules while effectively blocking larger ones. The research from the University of Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory partly mirrors nature, as our planet’s ozone layer is created from oxygen hit by ultraviolet light irradiated from the sun. Researchers have now demonstrated that the ‘selectivity’ of these newly modified membranes could be enhanced to a remarkable level for practical applications, with the permeability potentially increasing between anywhere from a hundred to a thousand times greater than the current commercially-used polymer membranes. Scientists believe such research is an important step towards more energy efficient and environmentally friendly gas-separation applications in major global energy processes – ranging from purification of natural gases and hydrogen for sustainable energy production, the production of enriched oxygen from air for cleaner combustion of fossil fuels and more-efficient power generation, and the capture of carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases. Chemists at Indiana University Bloomington have created a symmetrical, five-sided macrocycle that is easy to synthesize and has characteristics that may help expand the molecular tool box available to researchers in biology, chemistry and materials sciences. The molecule, which the researchers call cyanostar, was developed in the lab of Amar Flood, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences. It is described in an article in the journal Nature Chemistry, scheduled for publication in August and available online. Doctoral student Semin Lee is the lead author of the article, â€Å"A pentagonal cyanostar macrocycle with cyanostilbene CH donors binds anions and forms dialkylphosphate (3)rotaxanes. † Flood and Chun-Hsing Chen, research crystallographer in the IU Molecular Structure Center, are co-authors. â€Å"Macrocycles have been at the heart of molecular recognition experiments in recent years,† Flood said. â€Å"But they’re a dime a dozen. To make a contribution, you have to raise the bar. Cyanostar raises the bar not only because it is easy to make, but for its unprecedented ability to bind with large, negatively charged ions, suggesting potential applications ranging from environmental remediation of perchlorate and molecular sensing of biological phosphates, to processes related to the life cycle of lithium ion batteries. The creation follows from earlier work in Flood’s lab showing that organic molecules could be designed to remove negatively charged ions fro m solutions. While the molecules have a neutral charge overall, their structure causes them to exhibit electro-positive properties and bind with weakly coordinating anions that were once thought to be incapable of being captured by molecular receptors. breakthrough in fuel cell technology. Scientists from Julich and Berlin have developed a material for converting hydrogen and oxygen to water using a tenth of the typical amount of platinum that was previously required. With the aid of state-of-the-art electron microscopy, the researchers discovered that the function of the nanometre-scale catalyst particles is decisively determined by their geometric shape and atomic structure. This discovery opens up new paths for further improving catalysts for energy conversion and storage. The results have been published in the current issue of the respected journal Nature Materials (DOI: 10. 1038/nmat3668). Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are regarded as a clean alternative to conventional combustion engines, as, aside from electric energy, the only substance produced during operation is water. At present, the implementation of hydrogen fuel cells is being hindered by the high material costs of platinum. Large quantities of the expensive noble metal are still required for the electrodes in the fuel cells at which the chemical conversion processes take place. Without the catalytic effect of the platinum, it is not currently possible to achieve the necessary conversion rates. As catalysis takes place at the surface of the platinum only, material can be saved and, simultaneously, the efficiency of the electrodes improved by using platinum nanoparticles, thus increasing the ratio of platinum surface to material required. Although the tiny particles are around ten thousand times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, the surface area of a kilogram of such particles is equivalent to that of several football fields. Still more platinum can be saved by mixing it with other, less valuable metals, such as nickel or copper. Scientists from Forschungszentrum Julich and Technische Universitat Berlin have succeeded in developing efficient metallic catalyst particles for converting hydrogen and oxygen to water using only a tenth of the typical amount of platinum that was previously required. Researchers from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), S. Korea, developed a novel, simple method to synthesize hierarchically nanoporous frameworks of nanocrystalline metal oxides such as magnesia and ceria by the thermal conversion of well-designed metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The novel material developed by the UNIST research team has exceptionally high CO2 adsorption capacity which could pave the way to save the Earth from CO2 pollution. Nanoporous materials consist of organic or inorganic frameworks with a regular, porous structure. Because of their uniform pore sizes they have the property of letting only certain substances pass through, while blocking others. Nanoporous metal oxide materials are ubiquitous in materials science because of their numerous potential applications in various areas, including adsorption, catalysis, energy conversion and storage, optoelectronics, and drug delivery. While synthetic strategies for the preparation of siliceous nanoporous materials are well-established, non-siliceous metal oxide-based nanoporous materials still present challenges. A description of the new research was published (Web) on May 7 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. (Title: Nanoporous Metal Oxides with Tunable and Nanocrystalline Frameworks via Conversion of Metal-Organic Frameworks) This article will be also highlighted in the Editor’s Choice of the journal Science. Ionic liquid formulation improves herbicide Scientists in Poland and the US have reformulated the herbicide dicamba to reduce its environmental impact. The use of chemicals in agriculture is widespread, however, there are increasing concerns about their other environmental effects. Dicamba, used to control broadleaf weeds in grain fields and grasslands, is known to enter the environment via water runoff and evaporation following its application. In an attempt to reduce its volatility, a team led by Robin Rogers, from the University of Alabama, and Juliusz Pernak, from Poznan University of Technology, has formulated dicamba as an ionic liquid. Ionic liquids are liquid salts, consisting of a cation and an anion. Deprotonated dicamba assumed the role of anion and the team tested different cations to see which combination was most effective. The team formulated 28 new dicamba ionic liquids using hydrophobic cations that had surfactant or antimicrobial activities. ‘We have always thought of ionic liquids as dual-acting; that is, one can combine an active ingredient in both ions into a single salt,’ exaplins Rogers. By forming a hydrophobic ionic liquid, the water solubility of the herbicide was reduced. The new ionic liquids showed lower volatility, increased thermal stability and improved efficacy in field tests over the parent dicamba. Not only are the ionic liquid forms desirable because of the potential for lower environmental impact, they actually work better, leading to lower application rates of the chemicals,’ Rogers adds. Bill Johnson from Purdue University, Indiana, US, an expert in the development of weed management systems, comments that ‘if a less volatile form of the herbicide can still provide the same level of weed control, the concerns about off-site movement will be greatly reduced. ’ He also says that this approach could be taken with other weak acid herbicides, such as 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid). The next step for Rogers and co-workers is to investigate other cations with the dicamba anion to create a herbicide with other useful properties. Sustainable iron catalyst for clean hydrogenation 27 June 2013Emma Eley An international team of chemists has reported a clean and green way to perform one of the most important industrial reactions for pharmaceutical and petrochemical synthesis. Platinum group metals are currently the catalysts of choice for hydrogenations due to their high activity. However, they are also expensive, toxic and very rare. Now, in a joint project between McGill University, Canada, and the RIKEN Institute, Japan, a polymer supported iron catalyst has demonstrated excellent performance as a hydrogenation catalyst in the most environmentally-friendly of reaction mediums – water. Iron is abundant and far less toxic than the precious metal catalysts currently used, but its use in industry is limited by it rusting in the presence of oxygen and water. ‘When rusted, iron nanoparticles stop acting as hydrogenation catalysts,’ explains project leader Audrey Moores from McGill University. The system we report solves this limitation and makes iron active in water. ’ Amphiphilic polymers, developed by Yasuhiro Uozumi at the RIKEN Institute, are used to protect the iron catalyst from being deactivated by water while still allowing reactants to reach the catalyst’s active site. After overcoming some synthetic difficulties involving the use of toxic iron pentacarbonyl, the team showed that their robust catalyst was tolerant to water and could be viewed as a realistic competitor to the platinum series metals. The authors demonstrate that the catalyst can be used in a flow system with little leaching, allowing for continuous hydrogenation at the multi-gram scale,’ says Jianliang Xiao, a catalysis expert at the University of Liverpool, UK. ‘As it stands now, the catalytic activity is still low; that said, the study presents an excellent example of green chemistry in practice – total atom-economic reduction in flow with an inexpensive and safe iron catalyst. ’Future work from the team will focus on developing and understanding the protective power of the polymer. We are also interested in developing this catalyst for other industrially relevant reactions,’ says Moores. Titanium takes on Haber–Bosch process The synthesis of ammonia under milder condition, using less energy and fewer resources, has moved a step closer. Scientists in Japan have created a trinuclear titanium polyhydride complex that can cleave the dinitrogen bond and form nitrogen–hydrogen bonds at ambient temperature and pressure without additional reducing agents or proton sources. 1 Nitrogen is the most abundant gas in our atmosphere, essential to life, yet largely inert. Some microbes generate bioavailable nitrogen by reducing nitrogen to ammonia. Industrially, ammonia is produced via the Haber–Bosch process, which is so energy intensive that it consumes 1% of the energy generated globally. The process combines nitrogen and hydrogen over activated iron surfaces to generate ammonia for use as a fertiliser or as a chemical feedstock. This titanium complex could be part of the answer to producing cheaper fertiliser  © Science/AAAS The intrinsic inertness of nitrogen has made it challenging to discover metal complexes that can both bind and activate it. By experimental and computational studies, we determined that the dinitrogen reduction by a trinuclear titanium hydride complex proceeds sequentially through scission of a nitrogen molecule bonded to three titanium atoms in an end-on-side-on fashion, followed by N–H bond formation,’ says study author Zhaomin Hou, of the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Japan. ‘The hydride ligands serve as the source of both electron and proton. ’ Cleaving the N–N bond and forming N–H bonds directly from a hydride complex has been seen only rarely, with some f the most influential work coming from Michael Fryzuk at the University of British Columbia, Canada, who has championed the ‘hydride route’ to dinitrogen complexes. 2 ‘The active sites of both major N2 reduction catalysts – nitrogenases and the Haber–Bosch process – have hydride species as their resting states, but in neither case is the detailed mechan ism of hydrogen loss and nitrogen cleavage known,’ says Patrick Holland of the University of Rochester, US. The authors, he adds, ‘conclusively determined the structures of many of the intermediates along the pathway, giving insight into possible structures and pathways of intermediates on the catalysts’. Fryzuk, who wrote an accompanying perspective,3 says the paper adds important fundamental knowledge about potential elementary reactions such as cleaving N–N triple bonds and forming N–H bonds, which are relevant to the Haber–Bosch process. He predicts it ‘will change the way people think about N2 activation so that in the future perhaps a soluble, suitably designed multi-metallic hydride complex will be able to both activate and functionalise molecular nitrogen productively to form ammonia or some other higher-value nitrogen containing material’. However, there still challenges to overcome to make this process practically useful, Hou says. But if successful the low temperature, low pressure synthesis of ammonia in smaller reactors is on the cards. Latest Invention: World’s First Battery Powered by Paper Sony has recently announced it managed to come up with a battery powered by paper. However, the whole process is more complex than simply using a standard paper. The batteries developed by the Japanese tech giant make use of enzymes in order to break down the glucose found in the cellulose of the paper (which by the way is made of wood pulp fibers). It would be interesting to note that Sony was able to demonstrate its bio-battery. The demo took place at the Eco-Products exhibition in Tokyo. During the presentation the paper was placed into a mix of water and enzymes. After a couple of minutes the liquid started generating enough power to activate a small fan. After enzymes broke down the paper, they were left with sugar that was produced from cellulose. Then they were able to process the sugar to produce hydrogen ions and electrons. The latter then went through an outer circuit to produce power. Mixed with oxygen in the air, the hydrogen ions were then able to create H2O. â€Å"This is the same mechanism with which termites eat wood to get energy. Bio batteries are environmentally friendly and have great potential as they use no metals or harmful chemicals,† explained Chisato Kitsukawa, a PR manager at Sony. Scientists use electron ‘ink’ to write on graphene ‘paper’ Nanoscale writing offers a reliable way to record information at extremely high densities, making it a promising tool for patterning nanostructures for a variety of electronic applications. In a recent study, scientists have demonstrated a simple yet effective way to write and draw on the nanoscale by using an electron beam to selectively break the carbon atoms in single-layer graphene. The researchers, Wei Zhang and Luise Theil Kuhn at the Technical University of Denmark in Roskilde, Denmark; and Qiang Zhang and Meng-Qiang Zhao at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, have published their study on using electron ink to write on graphene paper in a recent issue of Nanotechnology. â€Å"The ability to record information has been directly correlated with the process of human civilization since ancient times,† Wei Zhang told Phys. org. â€Å"Paper and ink are the two essential factors to record history. Currently, information communication has proceeded onto an unprecedented scale. † Nanoscale writing, which is essentially the manipulation of matter on the nanoscale, has already been widely explored. The current methods can be classified into two groups: lithography (top down), which imprints a pre-made pattern on a substrate, but has restricted resolution; and self-assembly (bottom up), which manipulates atoms or molecules individually, but faces challenges with controllability. Herein, the researchers proposed a combination method based on both types of methods to overcome the difficulties of each, which they demonstrated on â€Å"the thinnest paper in the world†: graphene. â€Å"The rise of graphene calls for broad attention,† Qiang Zhang said. â€Å"One distinct characteristic is its flatness, which provides the perfect opportunity to be regarded as the thinnest paper. In order to directly write on this ultimate thin paper, the suitable ink must be found. At the small scale, typically nanoscale, the ink candidate ust meet the qualification as both high-resolution writing and visualization function. Therefore, high-energy electrons in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) are the best choice. The electron beam can be manipulated as ink for direct writing, but is by itself invisible. † When an electron beam (green) writes on graphene paper, some of the carbon atoms in the graphene are kicked off, and external carbon atoms are deposit ed onto the dangling bonds to form an irregular structure that appears as â€Å"ink. † Credit: Wei Zhang, et al.  ©2013 IOP Publishing Ltd. As the researchers explain, the carbon atoms in graphene are sensitive to a variety of irradiation effects. Here, a 300 keV electron beam was used to break local carbon-carbon bonds in single-layer graphene. When the bonds break, carbon atoms are kicked off, resulting in dangling bonds that are free to attract new carbon species from the vacuum and on the graphene surface. These new amorphous carbon species become absorbed onto the dangling bonds to stabilize the edge, forming only along the scanning direction of the electron beam.