Written discussions and online discussions Personal Statement

Written discussions and online discussions - Personal Statement Example In the second written discussion, my involvement was in reading the comment on constructivist views of learning and weighing the contents of the post. Although I did not comment to it, my participation was intra-personal wherein I was weighing myself where I stood in the whole of things about skill and challenge and whether I was also getting bored; and if I was, how would I think in terms of rewards or promotions. I was also debating within myself about "enjoying if I reduced my skill" and when do I do that. I guess this means going down to the level of students, but not necessarily reducing my skill. The second point that came to my mind is how "the level of challenges would be increased for teachers." How is that going to happen By administration The post has greatly challenged my thinking. I have been a thinker rather than a talker in most discussions. I don't like speaking in front of many people. I learn the content I learn in class while listening to others verbalizes their ideas. Sometime, it's not clear whether I understand certain content, but after listening to others' personalized examples, it becomes clear. Explain: If there was a 4.5, my degree of enjoyment would be it. First, I cannot afford the face-to-face presence because of some concerns. Second, I don't very much like face-to-face set ups in conversing with other internationals where the language is not mine. c. the degree to which you felt the oral discussions contributed to your learning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Contributed Contributed Contributed not at all somewhat greatly Explain: The contribution to my learning of oral discussions is only on the level of 4, considering what I had presented earlier. I don't have the luxury of time, and I am not given to mixing in set-ups with oral concerns. Section 2: For the next questions, consider the WRITTEN (bulletin board) discussions: 3. I am interested first in having you describe how you read and understand the written comments. In particular, describe what you typically do in terms of reading comments in a Blackboard discussion. With written discussions, I open to them and read all,

Assimilation of US Snipers back to the Society Research Paper

Assimilation of US Snipers back to the Society - Research Paper Example As the paper stresses it is important to undertake critical analysis of the psychological realignment that these people undergo when they are in this work and the complications associated with their transition from service back to the society. The nature of any job creates a new person in somebody and the military snipers are not exceptional. It therefore tend to take some process and time to get them assimilated back to the society after they retire or get their jobs terminated under some condition. Due to the type of the training they go through, their mentality gets altered towards some code of conduct and this significantly affects their interpersonal skills. Appropriate approaches of rehabilitating this special group of people who has served the nation to conform to the ordinary society system need to be investigated. This report declares that it is important to explore the personal attributes of a sniper which are partly acquired through training and partly by birth. One of the conditions to be a sniper is having worked as a government security agent or a military officer with in-depth prior knowledge of handling different types of guns and rifles. The concept of knowing the various concepts about the arms is not limited to use but should cover even the ability to understand their structural components. The training of a sniper is costly and requires perseverance of the highest degree with maximum self-discipline. This explains why a single sniper is worth more that several untrained rifle users. These people go through a series of thorough physical and mental training that steadily realign their perception about various issues within the confines of social order (Austin, 1992). Due to their critical role in the military operations, snipers are people with high intelligence that goes beyond shoot ing .They also have internal psychological understanding of any social environment and that is the reason they are able to camouflage and single out the target from a crowd without interfering with non-target (Perline & Goldschmidt, 2004). Their ability to take any angle and take into consideration the physical factors like wind and other environmental impediments that

Comparing The Faiths Of Deism And Puritanism Philosophy Essay

Comparing The Faiths Of Deism And Puritanism Philosophy Essay The 18th century and the age of the enlightenment was a period in American history which saw a proliferation of many new scientific ideas as well as an increase in religious tolerance. During this time many intellectuals explored new possibilities and interpretations of religion that were sometimes quite contradictory to the Puritanism that had been the standard religious practice since Puritans first settled the New England region. Deism, which was quite radical in contrast to the Puritan faith, came about during this time, and Benjamin Franklin, a famous enlightenment figure and a founding father of America, was one of its first spokespersons. The Deist doctrine he wrote as a 19 year old preaches a starkly different message from the writings of famous Puritans such as Mary Rowlandson, Michael Wigglesworth, and John Winthrop. While their works paint a portrait of God as a severe, demanding creator and man as a sinful, wild beast who must be restricted in his actions, Franklins piece on Deism portrays a more benevolent God who has released man into the universe to pursue his own goals without fear of Gods interference and wrath. It is these ideas of Gods intent and the nature of man which set these two religious philosophies and their writings apart.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Puritan understanding of God as a vengeful and commanding ruler of men is one that dominates the writings of all of the most famous and widely read Puritan authors of the 17th and 18th centuries. Michael Wigglesworths poem The Day of Doom is particularly useful in highlighting this belief as its content focuses on Christs return to earth on Judgement day and how he deals with the sinners. He opens the poem with the quotes The Mountains smoak, the Hills are shook, the Earth is rent and torn, and Straightaway appears (they seet with tears) the Son of God most dread, (Wigglesworth, 3.) From the first lines of the poem there is a sense of helplessness and despair in the face of an angry God who is going to judge and punish his subjects on his terms. The descriptions of Gods destruction of the physical earth demonstrates his awesome power, and the use of the word dread to describe peoples perception of God is very telling of the Puritan bel ief. Even though they dread his second coming and his vengeance, they have a profound respect for his power and submit themselves to his will. The poem goes on to describe who is going to hell and why, and this passage serves to demonstrate the strict qualifications for getting into heaven that the Puritans believe God employs in his judgement of souls. Children who are too young to read the bible, Native Americans, and the mentally challenged are all unworthy of heaven in the eyes of God because they lack the ability to understand the Puritan faith (Wigglesworth, 4.) Along with these people unwelcome in Gods kingdom are all non-believers, sinners, and anyone who is simply not predestined to be saved by God. These harsh qualifications preached by Wigglesworth and other Puritans to a very accepting public are all strong testaments to the harsh nature of the Puritans God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In contrast to the harsh God of Puritanism, Deism preaches that God is a benevolent, all knowing creator who does not find evil to punish in the world of men and can for the most part leave them to their own devices. Franklin outlines this idea at the beginning of his doctrine on Deism, A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain, with the idea that If [God] is all-powerful, there can be nothing either existing or acting in the Universe against or without his Consent; and what he consents to must be good, because he is good; therefore Evil doth not exist. (Franklin 26.) This statement is radically different from the Puritan system of belief because it eliminates the existence of evil and therefore demonstrates a more pleasant interpretation of God. Rather than stressing the need for Gods constant exertion of authority over humankind and its evils through interference and punishment, Franklin asserts that since God made every thing and knows everything, there is no reason for him to even bother with the trivial affairs of humans, much less reprimand them. This is a very Deist concept of a God who is less involved in the daily business of man. The common Deist perception of God, which embodies this image of a wise and somewhat removed God, is often illustrated by the image of God as a clockmaker who has set the universe into motion to play out without his influence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The idea of Gods constant interference in the lives of men, which Franklin refutes as unnecessary because Gods has already predetermined the fate of the entire universe and its inhabitants, is another cornerstone of the Puritan belief system. One of the best examples of this idea in Puritan writing is Mary Rowlandsons A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson which describes the destruction of her town at the hands of a band of Native Americans and her subsequent captivity among them. This work gives a slightly more benevolent description of God as her protector through these hardships, but her easy acceptance and rationalization of the massacre as Gods will and punishment still alludes to the harsh nature of God and highlights his interferences in the lives of Puritans. One of the most telling quotes of the account, which Rowlandson uses to sum up her beliefs, comes in the final paragraph when she says, yet I se e when God calls a person to any thing, and through never so many difficulties, yet he is fully able to carry them through, and make them see and say they have been gainers thereby, (Rowlandson, 20.) Rowlandson cites Gods hand throughout the piece in every aspect of her captivity, and in this conclusion she makes it quite clear that it was God who put her through the terrors of these tribulations. The idea of God carrying her through her troubles and making her see and say that she is better for the experience not only indicates that God is responsible for what happened, but that he was actively focused on her for every instant of her captivity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The nature of man is another key point of disagreement between the two religious beliefs, and the Puritan stance views man as a beastly creature whose primitive instincts must be controlled by the authority of God. John Winthrops famous essay On Political Authority and Liberty, which is both a description of Gods intent of how the people should be ruled and a pitch to be reelected as governor,   gives examples of this belief in mans unruly nature. Winthrop makes a point of driving home exactly how God feels about mans more primal, natural liberties when he says, This [kind of liberty] is that great enemy of truth and peace, that wild beast, which all of the ordinances of God are bent against, to restrain and subdue it. (Winthrop 1.) The kind of liberty that he is alluding to is mans freedom in nature to do whatever he wants. According to Winthrop, this freedom, which man shares with all beasts and other creatures leads to chaos and must be controlled. This concept of the natural evil in men and the fact that God must constantly restrain men pervades Puritan doctrine and directly carries over to the Puritan style of governing that stresses adherence to authority figures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Unlike the Puritan idea of mans evil nature and his need to be controlled, Deism states that mans nature is inherently good and that control over his actions is unnecessary. Franklins writings illustrate this idea when he says, If a Creature is made by God, it must depend upon God, and receive all its Power from Him; with which Power the Creature can do nothing contrary to the Will of God because God is Almighty; what is not contrary to [Gods] Will, must be agreeable to it; what is agreeable to it, must be good, because He is good; therefore a Creature can do nothing but what is good, (Franklin, 27.) In this quote Franklin asserts his belief that since the all-good and almighty creator made man and gave him his nature and abilities, man must be naturally good. He also makes the point that all of mans actions are actions of which God made him able; therefore, man can make no natural action which is not inherently good. This idea of man as g ood from the start clearly breaks from the general Christian and especially Puritan belief of original sin, and this stark difference demonstrates the progressive nature of Deisms. The idea that man is inherently good removes the need for overbearing authority and allows for man to rule himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The overwhelming differences in the beliefs of Deism and Puritanism on the subjects of God and the nature of man illustrate a clear break in the religious ideas of 18th century America. The contrast between Franklins writings and those of his Puritan predecessors demonstrates the shift from the nearly uniform belief in religion of the 17th century to a more progressive atmosphere in the time which Franklin writes. The Deist beliefs of the goodness in God and man explore an alternative to the strict Puritan faith, and in both Franklins time and today they serve as a mode of beliefs which fit the understanding of many religious Americans.

John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men Essay -- Essays Papers

Of Mice and Men Do you have an unrealistic dream? In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the main characters in the story each had a dream in which they were unable to carry out. Taking place during the Great Depression era in the United States, these individuals struggled to survive. The theme "It is better not to have big dreams in life because they are too difficult to attain and you end up bitterly disappointed and unmotivated" was brought up and proven true by them. Lennie, Candy, and Curley's wife's dreams, like "the best laid schemes o'mice an' men gang aft a-gley, had been led astray. Lennie's dream had been shattered when his craving for soft materials caused him to commit a crime. Lennie dreamt of owning a farm and a little house with George, and most of...

Role of Human Capital in New Ventures

ROLE OF HUMAN CAPITAL IN NEW VENTURES 1. INTRODUCTION With the increase in the rise of entrepreneurial ventures, it is necessary to understand the factors that determine success or failure of these ventures. One of such factors that have been considered by researchers is human capital (Bruderl, Preisendorfer and Ziegler, 1992). This report considers the function of the human capital element in a startup business.Based on a collation and analysis of previous research works on human capital in the entrepreneurial field, it was discovered that the various aspects of founder’s human capital have a role to play in attracting venture capital and improving the performance of the venture. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2. 1 Human Capital Human capital refers to the skills, abilities, knowledge acquired through work and educational experiences (Baron and Shane, 2008).The concept of human capital has been underpinned by several theories among which the theory of entrepreneurship, resource-based t heory and human capital theory and these theories would be discussed. The theory of entrepreneurship places emphasis on the fact that the entrepreneur has the responsibility of decision making (Casson, 2005). Thus, the entrepreneur is to analyse relevant information which would be used in making business decisions (Ganotakis, 2012). The recognition of markets for the products and services are part of the decisions to be made and would therefore determine a firm’s progress and accomplishment.Casson (2005) further argues that entrepreneurs need to have the right professional skills and work experience as it is these competencies would impact upon performance. The resource based theory (RBT) places value on resources which is argued to be a source of competitive advantage for the firm (Barney, 1991). Human capital is identified as one of such resources. In particular, Barney (1991) argues that a firm’s management team can be indispensable, rare and imperfectly imitable an d has the capacity for producing a perpetual competitive advantage.Alvarez and Busenitz (2001) examine the relationship between RBT and entrepreneurship. They suggest that entrepreneurship necessitates the founder’s cognizance of opportunities, the ability to obtain the resources to utilize the opportunities and the ability of the firm to fuse homogenous inputs into heterogeneous outputs. They further identified that entrepreneurial awareness, perception, knowledge and the ability to organise resources as resources in their own right. These two theories therefore place significance on the capabilities and resources of the entrepreneur.A theoretical foundation of how these capabilities can be measured is provided by human capital theory which was pioneered by Becker in 1964. The theory implies that an individual’s human capital is the skills and knowledge that can be of use to an organization and as such, employees’ salaries/wages was viewed as a return on the in vestment in human capital. The theory provides claims that the entrepreneurial team who have more experience tend to perform much better than those with less experience (Shrader and Siegel, 2007).This theory categorises the characteristics of an entrepreneur into general and specific human capital. 2. 1. 1 General Human Capital General human capital refers to skills acquired through formal education, training and work experience which can be transferred to other jobs in the market. The educational level of founders has been considered to be vital for a firm’s performance (Ganotakis, 2012). Education can provide the entrepreneur with a professional foundation and greater self-assurance as it is supposed to provide scenarios which encourage creativity and problem-solving ability.However, other results showed a negative relationship with growth and performance (Haber and Reichel, 2007; Bosma et al, 2004 ; Dichon, Menzies and Gasse, 2008). According to Deakins (2005), education d oes not influence growth but it may assist in making critical decisions. As such, education could be assumed to be more important for younger entrepreneurs who may not have a lot of experience. It is argued by Shrader and Siegel (2007) that the experience of the founders would aid them in making informed choices. Experience is also seen to influence business ideas and increase efficiency (Deakins, 2005).In contrast, some research works have also found negative relationships between work experience and firm formation and also performance (Ganotakis, 2012; Diochon, Menzies and Gasse, 2008). Ganotakis (2012), claims that this could be as a result of an over-confidence of the founders in their knowledge restraining them from gathering more information. 2. 1. 2 Specific Human Capital These are those skills which are specific to a particular work context and thus it might not be transferred to other professions. As such, these skills can assist the entrepreneur directly with managing the new venture (Ganotakis, 2012).These include entrepreneurial experience, industry-specific experience, managerial capabilities and technical experience. Industry specific experience has been found to have a positive effect on performance and the development of new ventures (Bosma et al, 2004; Dimov, 2010; Gimmon and Levie, 2009). Capelleras et al (2010), claim that this experience positively impacts the creation of ventures, but has little influence on their growth. It is believed that founders with the same sector experience would have a better knowledge of the opportunities and can benefit from past business ties.Entrepreneurship specific experience implies that the entrepreneur should have a previous experience in starting a business, running a company or having membership of an entrepreneurial association (Bosma et al, 2004; Baron and Shane, 2008). This experience does not have a direct effect on new venture growth but can aid in the pursuit of opportunities (Dimov, 2010). Manage rial experience is usually linked with the ability to organise resources and make strategic decisions (Ganotakis, 2012). It has been found that there is a positive relationship between managerial experience and performance (Ganotakis, 2012; Gimmon and Levie, 2009).However, Deakins (2005) believes that those with prior managerial experience may have a higher level of income they desire and may be unlikely to set up their own business as there is an uncertainty of a constant income flow especially at the gestation stages of the venture. Technical experience is gained in a specialised field or profession. Though Shrader and Siegel (2007) placed emphasis on this experience as useful in strategy implementation, research carried out by Ganotakis (2012) revealed that technical experience did not have a positive effect on performance.Thus, such experience should be accompanied by managerial experience. 2. 2 Human Capital and the Entrepreneurial Venture The theoretical background and explana tion of key concepts above has provided an insight into the subject of human capital. From literature, the importance of human capital is highlighted and three roles of human capital in an entrepreneurial venture can be identified and these would be explored for this purpose of this paper. Firstly, human capital can enhance in making and executing strategic decisions.Secondly, human capital can improve the performance of the new venture. Bruderl, Preisendorfer and Ziegler (1992) argue that better human capital increases the ability of the firm to attract customers and capital. From this, a third role can be identified which is human capital can enhance venture financing. These would be discussed in relation to past research and relevant theories. 3. METHODOLOGY The research was carried out by reviewing and analysing past research works on the topic of human capital as it relates to entrepreneurial ventures.The selection criteria for the resource materials used were peer-reviewed sch olarly journal articles. The time frame selected was from 2000 to 2012. This criterion was used so as to get reliable and up-to date information on the subject matter. 4. DISCUSSION This section explores the three factors identified in the foregoing. Decision making is very vital to a new venture. The success of a firm depends on the decisions made. The strategies adopted by a firm would reflect its competencies and would determine its competitive advantage which is line with resource-based and theory of entrepreneurship.Industry specific and technical experience of the founding team is argued to be valuable in the formulation and implementation of strategies and as such, they can make more informed decisions (Shrader and Siegel, 2007). These aspects of human capital could enhance decision making as knowledge of the market and industry would imply that the founder(s) is conversant with the process of gathering the relevant information. This experience is likely to lead to faster dec ision making (Forbes, 2005). Managerial capabilities could also be said to influence decision making as the entrepreneur would have experience n managing a firm and identifying appropriate markets (Ganotakis, 2012). It is crucial for new ventures to acquire financing for their operations at the start of the business. A higher human capital has been believed to attract capital (Bruderl, Preisendorfer and Ziegler, 1992; Baum and Silverman, 2004). In particular high educational qualifications can give signals to venture capital investors (Behrens et al, 2012). The reason for this may be that the investors believe that the founders can use their educational knowledge in managing the company and therefore they judge that their prospects are better.Seghers, Manigart and Vanacker (2012) also found out that business education and prior experience in accounting and finance increases a founder’s knowledge of financing alternatives. As such, the founder is able to access different sourc es of funding based on such knowledge. Another factor that affects venture financing is the social network ties the founder has (Zhang et al, 2012). Such networks would enable the founding team encounter people who could give them the required funding. Industry-specific experience is also vital in developing broad networks.Investments in human capital are widely believed to impact performance (Unger et al, 2011; Bosma et al, 2004; Rauch, Frese and Utsch, 2011; Bruderl, Preisendorfer and Ziegler, 1992). An investment in industry specific and entrepreneurial experience increases the chances of success for a new venture. Entrepreneurship specific experience positively affects the profitability of the firm as the founder has acquired skills from previously owning a business and would be able to use these skills effectively in the new venture (Bosma et al, 2004).However, the research carried out by Haber and Reichel (2007) on high tech industries, highlights that education and previous e xperience had no effect on performance. As such, it may be argued that technical experience is more relevant to industries which use a more advanced technology as they require a high level of expertise and technical knowledge but as Ganotakis (2012) highlighted, technical experience should be complemented with managerial skills. Business education and management capability is thus very significant for the sustainability and survival of new ventures (Gimmon and Levies, 2009).Drawing on all that has been discussed, human capital characteristics especially industry specific and business skills would help in making more efficient strategic decisions which would also influence the venture performance. Business and finance skills could increase access to finance and good management of finance is crucial to profitability. Also, the social networks the founder has would enable him access finance and tap into knowledge of others which could affect the firm’s prospects. 5. CONCLUSION T his report examines the importance of human capital to the new venture.The contribution of this study is that it explored the effect of general and specific human capital attributes on the performance of new ventures, venture financing and strategic decision making based on review of past research works. An interesting finding is that industry-specific experience as opposed to general experience and managerial experience are found to play a major role in all three areas while education seems to be least relevant to decision making and performance but quite vital in attracting investors.The implications to prospective entrepreneurs are that they should enhance their business, managerial and commercial skills as this is vital to the survival of new ventures. Also, it is necessary for them to use their present organisation positions to build network ties as this can enable them tap into knowledge and gain access to finance. This study is limited as it focused on a narrow range of past research works and not only all human capital characteristics were considered. Future research should focus more on the impact of the all aspects of human capital most especially on strategic decision making.A meta-analysis of a wide range of research works could also be carried out. PERSONAL REFLECTION STATEMENT Entrepreneurship is an interesting subject and the reason for this is that at the core of entrepreneurship is the fact that something new is involved. It could be a new market or a new product. It generally involves starting a new business venture. I understood that in starting a new business venture, one of the first things to consider is the opportunities available. Opportunities arise from the environment and in this age, quite a number of them arise from advances in technology.It is necessary to consider the market for the product or service as for a product to sell in the market; it has to meet individual, societal or business needs. It is useful to take into considera tion the competitors that are currently there. Some ventures can be pushed out of the market by other stronger companies such as monopolies particularly in a mature market. One of the concepts I have come to appreciate is the personality of the entrepreneur. Firstly, entrepreneurs are risk takers.They are very determined and spontaneous individuals who are passion and vision driven. They require intelligence both practical and social. They should be social beings and have the ability to persuade others to commit to the venture. If a team of entrepreneurs wish to come together to create a new venture, they must have complementary skills and must be compatible. An entrepreneur would have to consider if there is a need to hire a few staff. They can take advantage of the opportunities that social networking presents in getting useful personnel and contacts.I learnt that finance is also a very important factor as one could start a business out of a brilliant opportunity and experience fi nancial shortages. An entrepreneur would need to consider if he has enough funding from the planning stage and actually taking the product to the market through to the product development. Also, there is the need to consider if the business would be profitable because many people start new ventures based on great ideas and inventions with delusions of grandeur without seeing the â€Å"business† in the ideas.There are some concepts that are particularly fascinating. One of which is the concept of effectual reasoning which opposes the usual entrepreneurship process and implies that entrepreneurs do not always have a predetermined goal but the goals are dependent on the resources available to them. This course was enlightening and transcends beyond just starting a new ventures. There are implications for me as a future manager because I am motivated to find new ways of solving problems and exploring opportunities that surround my organization.The concepts of business strategies and maintaining a competitive advantage are important not only in entrepreneurial startups but in other areas of business. Now I appreciate people as a crucial resource for both entrepreneur ventures and a rich source for identifying new markets, new processes, new ideas, new opportunities, new product that will lead to new and improved levels of productivity. References: Alvarez, S. A. and Busenitz, L. W. (2001) â€Å"The entrepreneurship of resource-based theory†, Journal of Management, vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 755. Barney, J. (1991) â€Å"Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage†, Journal of Management, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 99. Baron, A. and Shane, S. (2008) Entrepreneurship A Process Perspective 2nd edn. South-Western Cengage Learning. Baum, J. A. C. and Silverman, B. S. (2004) â€Å"Picking winners or building them? Alliance, intellectual, and human capital as selection criteria in venture financing and performance of biotechnology startups†, Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 411. Behrens, J. Patzelt, H. , Schweizer, L. and Burger, R. (2012) â€Å"Specific managerial human capital, firm age, and venture capital financing of biopharmaceutical ventures: A contingency approach†, Journal of High Technology Management Research, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 112-121. Bosma, N. , van Praag, M. , Thurik, R. and de Wit, G. (2004) â€Å"The Value of Human and Social Capital Investments for the Business Performance of Startups†, Small Business Economics, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 227-236. Bruderl, J. , Preisendorfer, P. and Ziegler, R. 1992) â€Å"Survival Chances of Newly Founded Business Organizations†, American Sociological Review, vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 227-242. Capelleras, J. , Greene, F. J. , Kantis, H. and Rabetino, R. (2010) â€Å"Venture Creation Speed and Subsequent Growth: Evidence from South America†, Journal of Small Business Management, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 302-324. Casson, M. (2005) â€Å"Entrepreneurs hip and the theory of the firm†, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, vol. 58, no. 2, pp. 327-348. Deakins, D. (2005) Entrepreneurship and small firms 4th edn. McGraw-Hill Education.Dimov, D. (2010) â€Å"Nascent Entrepreneurs and Venture Emergence: Opportunity Confidence, Human Capital, and Early Planning†, Journal of Management Studies, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 1123-1153. Diochon, M. , Menzies, T. V. and Gasse, Y. (2008) â€Å"Exploring the Nature and Impact of Gestation-Specific Human Capital among Nascent Entrepreneurs†, Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 151-165. Forbes, D. P. (2005) â€Å"Managerial Determinants of Decision Speed in New Ventures†, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 355-366.Ganotakis, P. (2012) â€Å"Founders' human capital and the performance of UK new technology based firms†, Small Business Economics, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 495-515. Gimmon, E. and Levie, J. (2009) â€Å"Instrumental Value Theory and the Human Capital of Entrepreneurs†, Journal of Economic Issues (M. E. Sharpe Inc. ), vol. 43, no. 3, pp. 715-732. Haber, S. and Reichel, A. (2007) â€Å"The cumulative nature of the entrepreneurial process: The contribution of human capital, planning and environment resources to small venture performance†, Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 119-145. Rauch, A. , Frese, M. and Utsch, A. (2005) â€Å"Effects of Human Capital and Long-Term Human Resources Development and Utilization on Employment Growth of Small-Scale Businesses: A Causal Analysis†, Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 681-698. Seghers, A. , Manigart, S. and Vanacker, T. (2012) â€Å"The Impact of Human and Social Capital on Entrepreneurs' Knowledge of Finance Alternatives†, Journal of Small Business Management, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 63-86. Shrader, R. and Siegel, D. S. 2007) â€Å"Assessing the Relationship between Human Capital and Firm Pe rformance: Evidence from Technology-Based New Ventures†, Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, vol. 31, no. 6, pp. 893-908. Unger, J. M. , Rauch, A. , Frese, M. and Rosenbusch, N. (2011) â€Å"Human capital and entrepreneurial success: A meta-analytical review†, Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 341-358. Zhang, J. , Souitaris, V. , Soh, P. and Wong, P. (2008) â€Å"A Contingent Model of Network Utilization in Early Financing of Technology Ventures†, Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 593-613.

Agenda-Setting Assignment

5th of November 2012 Agenda-Setting Assignment In agenda-setting news outlets act as gatekeepers of information. Policy agenda is when the media sets their own agenda based on issues that they think are the most important. And when they decide on these most important issues, they give them the highest importance. The media highlights certain aspects because they believe that these aspects are what we should know; and if there is something they don’t mention, then that’s something that according to them, we shouldn’t know – whether for our benefit or theirs.Despite the simplicity of creating an agenda, every different news outlet has a different agenda, based on their interest or what they believe to be our interest. Something important however to bear in mind is that, even though the media draws our attention to certain issues, they can’t tell us how to think about them – at the end of the day, how you perceive an issue depends on you. To giv e examples on how differently agenda-setting can be used, I will talk about two different news sources, an independent one and a national one.As a national news outlet I will talk about â€Å"CNN†. CNN (Cable News Network) is both America’s first news channel as well as the first channel to offer 24-hour coverage. CNN in the United States is sometimes described as CNN/US to differentiate the American Channel from the International one. CNN/US was founded by Ted Turner in 1980, and since then has been one of the worlds leading news outlets. â€Å"The Independent† is an independent, British, morning newspaper owned by Alexander Lebedev with Chris Blackhurst as the current editor in chief.The Independent was first launched in 1986 and holds the title as UK’s youngest daily newspaper. To analyze different agenda-settings, lets look at two similar news items reported in both of these newspapers and compare their similarities and differences. Let’s take the picking of Egypt’s new pope as one news story. Both news outlets reported the story completely different. CNN told the story in a very short article that focused primarily on the fact that Christians in Egypt are a minority.If one were to analyze this article on the terms of Salience and Priming, one would notice very interesting facts. Firstly its very obvious that CNN’s priority is not to talk about the new pope, since he is hardly mentioned throughout the entire article. Instead the article focuses on the terms â€Å"Christians†. The fact that they are a minority is mentioned several times. They also mention that according to a few forums made, the Christian population in Egypt is between 5 and 9%. The church bombing attack that took place in January killing 21 people was also stated.However nothing is mentioned about the ceremony itself other than that a blindfolded boy picked one of the three potential popes through picking his name from a crystal bowl. Egypt’s former pope is also mentioned. His date and cause of death are also cited. In terms or Framing, it is obvious that CNN has given this story a big importance as it was in the â€Å"Top Stories† section. However the words used don’t really talk about the event itself but rather inform us about Christians in Egypt. Despite the fact that this event wasn’t in The Independent’s top news list, they gave the story a bigger importance.The article was a lot longer than in was in CNN and more importantly it focused on the event itself. They talked about the young boy who had to pick a name, about the thousands of cameras that were there, and about how big of an event this was for all 8 million Christians in Egypt. They also quoted many people that said that how important finally having a new pope meant to them and how because of Egypt’s current difficult political status, it’s good to have a figure that represents faith and hope.In term s of salience, priming and framing no words were repeated and the articles priority was to display how significant this event was for many people all around the world. This is just one example of how differently news outlets can report similar stories. Lets look at Superstorm Sandy as another example. Unlike the choosing of a new Pope in Egypt – CNN gave this story a lot of attention. Several articles were written with several images displaying just how big of a disaster has happened.They mention the difficult time that these people are having to go through – not to mention that right now there is another major event happening in the U. S, the elections. Not only are these people dealing with the loss of their homes and lack of electricity but it also seems that another storm will hit New York and northern New Jersey by Wednesday. The weather has decreased suddenly and according to Meteorologists it will continue to drastically decrease. Many people say that it is a ve ry difficult time for these American citizens that have to deal with so much at once.However it is also mentioned how construction work has immediately begun and how many have started working in the 9/11 ground zero sight that has been destroyed by the flood. Although they mentioned the same facts, The Independent, took a different approach in reporting the story. Firstly they mentioned the state governor Andrew Cuomo and how he is trying to quickly solve all of the problems that have suddenly arisen, such as the cold weather and lack of electricity hence lack of heat. There is also a problem with the lack of fuel and the inability to run back-up generators.The difficulty of housing and how many are living in â€Å"  homes that are uninhabitable†, is also a massive problem. Furthermore the article goes on to say that with this new approaching storm, the anger towards the government has increased, saying that they are â€Å"moving too slow†. The articles main priority is to mention all of the problems the people are facing and how the government isn’t very responsive. Words such as â€Å"fear, anger, threat, struggling† are used to display just how drastic of an event this is. Overall, the article is very informative and states clear information without using any repetition.I think by now its clearly obvious that each news source has a different agenda and a different way of reporting a story. The reason behind that varies. Before I mentioned the storm that took place in America, I mentioned a different neutral event. CNN would obviously have more interest in the storm since it’s a national event. Therefore I chose an event that both news outlets aren’t directly related to – Egypt picking their new pope. What I noticed however was extraordinary. CNN talked about it very generally.They didn’t mention any details of the event itself and rather focused on the terrorism attacks that have happened with the in tention of hurting Christians, the countries minority. They seemed to report the story in such a negative way instead of saying how beautiful and important this event was. The Independent on the other hand reported the story in a wonderful way. They said how important choosing a new pope was for the Christian population. They also said that how this event brought peace, joy, hope and love to many people around the world. Lets look at the storm as our second issue.Because CNN is directly –nationally- involved in this event it reported it very differently. It spoke about the difficult times that many are facing, bearing in mind that presidential elections are soon. They also mentioned how construction work has begun to take place quickly. On the other hand The Independent mentioned the lack of response from the government and how many citizens are afraid and aren’t sure what to do next. Unlike the previous story where CNN was slightly negative while The Independent repor ted the story as a positive event, now it’s the opposite.However due to both news outlets orientation its understandable. I mean how would CNN a national news outlet criticize their government for responding to the crisis too slow? It just wouldn’t make sense. That’s why we should play close attention to a news sources’ orientation because they usually create their agenda based on it. Based on their orientation and funding there are things they can and can’t say – that’s why every news outlet reports news differently then others. Through this, I believe that we should learn to be an active audience.We shouldn’t just limit ourselves to one media source, because that one source can be reporting news based on its agenda, and not on what we, the audience, need to know to create an informed decision on what to think about the event taking place. Furthermore we should not let a media outlet tell us what to thing – we should ta ke the information, and create our own opinion about it. Because at the end of the day we’re all human beings and we have the right to think in whichever way we see to be right. Sources: * http://www. independent. co. k/news/world/africa/egypts-ancient-coptic-christian-church-chooses-a-new-pope-in-elaborate-ceremony-8280938. html * http://us. cnn. com/2012/11/04/world/africa/egypt-coptic-pope/index. html? hpt=wo_c2 * http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/CNN * http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Independent * http://us. cnn. com/2012/11/05/us/tropical-weather-sandy/index. html? hpt=us_c1 * http://www. independent. co. uk/news/world/americas/temperatures-approach-freezing-as-another-storm-looks-set-to-hit-new-york-in-the-wake-of-superstorm-sandy-8282360. html

10 Threats to Monarch Migration

10 Threats to Monarch Migration Though monarch butterflies as a species are not in danger of extinction in the near future, their unique North American migration may cease without intervention. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) calls the monarch migration an endangered biological phenomenon. Migrating monarchs face threats throughout their journey, from their overwintering sites to their breeding grounds. Here are 10 threats to monarch migration, all of them the result of human activities. Until we change our ways, monarchs will likely continue to decline throughout their North American migration route. 1. Roundup-Resistant Crops American corn and soybean growers now plant mostly genetically-modified crops that are resistant to the herbicide Roundup. Rather than till the soil to control weeds in their fields, farmers can now plant their crops first, and then spray their fields with Roundup to kill the weeds. The weeds, including milkweed, die back, while the corn or soybeans continue to grow. Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), perhaps the most important monarch host plant of all the milkweeds, can still thrive in a tilled field. Ask any gardener who has planted a patch of it about how quickly it spreads, and how hard it is to keep from resprouting. But common milkweed (or any milkweed species, for that matter) cannot tolerate these repeated applications of Roundup on farm fields. Milkweed in agricultural fields is believed to have been a food source for up to 70% of monarchs in the past; the loss of these plants could seriously impact the population. Roundup doesnt discriminate, either, so nectar plants tha t once bloomed between crops have disappeared in these areas, too. 2. Insecticide Use This might seem like a no-brainer (and perhaps it is), but monarch populations can be impacted by exposure to insecticides, even those intended for controlling other insects. In some cases, the insecticide in question may be deemed safe to other, non-targeted wildlife, but often no studies exist to prove the product wont harm monarch butterflies. Fear of West Nile virus leads many communities to conduct aerial spraying programs of pesticides intended to kill mosquitoes, to the possible detriment of monarchs. Permethrin, for example, is used to control adult mosquitoes, but one study done by the Monarch Lab at the University of Minnesota showed that permethrin residue on milkweed foliage is highly lethal to monarch caterpillars, particularly in the early instars. Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis)is a bacteria that specifically targets caterpillars. It is applied aerially to forests, to combat pests like the gypsy moth, and inserted into genetically modified corn, to help the plants repel pe sts like the corn borer. Studies show that windblown pollen from GM corn can kill monarch larvae if the toxic pollen lands on milkweed foliage. Fortunately, recent research suggests Bt-laden corn pollen may not pose a serious threat to the overall monarch population. 3. Roadside Maintenance Activities Milkweed grows well in disturbed habitats like roadsides. It could be said that most monarch enthusiasts can spot a milkweed patch while driving 60 miles per hour down the highway! One would think such an easy growing host plant would give monarchs an edge, but unfortunately, the people who maintain our right-of-ways usually view milkweed as a weed, and nothing more. In many places, the roadside vegetation is mowed, often right when milkweed is at its peak and crawling with caterpillars. In some cases, roadside vegetation is treated with herbicides. As farmers eliminate milkweed from their fields with Roundup, roadside milkweed stands will be more important to migrating monarchs. 4. Ozone Pollution Ozone, a major component of smog, is highly toxic to plants. Some plants are more sensitive to ozone pollution than others. Milkweed is highly sensitive to ozone at ground level, so much so that it is considered a reliable bio-indicator of ozone pollution. Milkweed plants affected by ozone develop dark lesions on their foliage, a symptom known as stippling. While we know the quality of milkweed suffers in areas of high ground-level ozone, we know little about how this may impact monarch larvae that feed on milkweed plants in smoggy areas. 5. Deforestation Overwintering monarchs need forests for protection from the elements, and they need very specific forests at that. The population that breeds east of the Rocky Mountains migrates to mountains in central Mexico, where they can roost in dense stands of oyamel fir trees. Unfortunately, those trees are a valuable resource, and even after the monarch wintering site was designated as a preserve, logging activities continued illegally. In the 20 years from 1986 to 2006, an estimated 10,500 hectares of forest were either lost entirely or disturbed to a degree that they no longer provided suitable winter cover for the butterflies. Since 2006, the Mexican government has been more vigilant in enforcing the logging ban within the preserve, and thankfully, deforestation has decreased significantly in recent years. 6. Water Diversion Since long before the monarchs were found clinging to trees by the millions in Mexico, Mexican families have subsisted off the land in and around the oyamel forests. Local residents need water, both for their homes and for their cattle and crops. In recent years, villagers have started diverting water from mountain streams, using plastic pipes to intercept and direct it to their homes and farms. Not only does this leave streambeds dry, but it also requires the overwintering monarchs to fly longer distances in search of water. And the farther they fly, the more energy the butterflies require to survive until spring. 7. Real Estate Development California boasts some of the countrys highest property values, so its no surprise that monarchs on the west coast might get squeezed out by land developers. Both breeding habitat and wintering sites are at risk. Remember, the monarch butterfly is not an endangered species, so it isnt afforded the protections of the Endangered Species Act. So far, butterfly enthusiasts and monarch lovers have done a good job of pleading for the conservation of overwintering sites, which are scattered from San Diego County to Marin County along the California coastline. But vigilance must be maintained to make sure the monarchs keep this prime real estate. 8. Removal of Non-Native Eucalyptus Trees Why would the removal of non-native trees impact the monarch butterfly, a native species? In the mid-to-late 19th century, Californians imported and planted no less than 100 species of eucalyptus from Australia. These hardy trees grew like weeds along the California coast. Western monarch butterflies found the groves of eucalyptus trees provided ideal protection in the winter, even better than the stands of native pines where they roosted in the past. The western population of North American monarchs now relies heavily on these stands of introduced trees to see them through the winter. Unfortunately, eucalyptus is known for its propensity to fuel wildfires, so these forests are not so beloved by land managers. We may see a decline in monarch numbers where the non-native trees are removed. 9. Climate Change Monarchs need very specific climate conditions to survive the winter, and this is why their overwintering sites are limited to just 12 mountains in Mexico and a handful of eucalyptus groves in California. It doesnt matter whether you believe climate change is caused by humans (it is) or not, climate change is real and it is happening now. So what will that mean for the migrating monarchs? Scientists used climate change models to predict what conditions at the overwintering sites will be in the near future, and the models paint a gloomy picture for the monarchs. By 2055, climate change models predict the oyamel forests of Mexico will see precipitation similar to what the area experienced in 2002 when an estimated 70-80% of the monarchs in the two largest overwintering sites died. Why is wet weather so detrimental to the monarchs? In a drier climate, the butterflies can adjust to the cold by a process known as supercooling. Wet butterflies freeze to death. 10. Tourism The very people who care the most about monarchs may be contributing to their demise. We didnt even know where the monarchs spent their winters until 1975, but in the decades since, millions of tourists have made the pilgrimage to central Mexico to see this mass gathering of butterflies. Each winter, up to 150,000 visitors travel to the remote oyamel forests. The impact of 300,000 feet on the steep mountain trails causes considerable soil erosion. Many tourists travel by horseback, kicking up dust that blocks spiracles and literally suffocates the butterflies. And each year, more businesses pop up to cater to butterfly tourists, requiring more resources and creating more waste. Even in the U.S., tourism has sometimes hurt more than help the monarchs. A motel built at one of the California overwintering locations degraded the forest and caused the butterflies to abandon the site. Sources North American Monarch Conservation Plan (PDF), prepared by the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC).Conservation Initiative in North America to Protect Monarch Butterfly, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).Monarch Butterfly Conservation in North America, U.S. Forest Service.Migrating Monarch Butterflies in Monterey County, Ventana Wildlife Society.Species Profile (Monarch), Species at Risk Public Registry, Government of Canada.The Effects of Mosquito-Control Applications of Permethrin on Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Larvae, Sara Brinda, 2004.Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Resmethrin on Nontargeted Species, Meredith Blank, 2006.

Dissertation

Dissertation A dissertation is always a challenge for college students. Here is a short dissertation writing guide to make this task easier. In case you need professional help team is always there for you! For any student that is about to write a dissertation, there is a lot of information that you have to assemble ensure your paper includes the relevant data for a dissertation. You also have to make sure that your work is well-researched and then it’s going to be clearly structured. Here are a few tips to guide you through the dissertation writing process. What Is a Dissertation? You might ask, â€Å"What is a dissertation and how do I set it up?† It’s best to read through sample instructions first so you understand how to read your dissertation and the difference between a dissertation and the thesis to help guide you in your work. Dissertations, so that you know, are the documents that are going to be required for you to earn your Ph.D. This document is going to be something that will generally be published but it also is going to help you to specialize in your particular field of study. DISSERTATION WRITING You may be wondering what a completed dissertation looks like. There are plenty in the library for you to peruse. When you examine them, notice how varied they are. But student life is too short to spend it in libraries, you can always count on us our professional writers will gladly  help you to conduct research. Thesis vs. Dissertation The dissertation is not the same as writing a thesis because a thesis is on a smaller scale and it’s something that’s required for graduate school. This is not the same as a dissertation which is required for your Ph.D. to get your doctorate. To give you a better understanding of the difference between a dissertation and a thesis, your dissertation is a very lengthy document that will help you get your doctoral degree at the particular college or university that you’re studying at. When you study for a thesis, and you want to prepare a thesis, this is completely different because it’s a smaller paper that’s going to help you to support a particular argument. You may look for research on a topic and expand upon that based on what you find online and other information. How to Structure and Outline a Dissertation? In understanding how to structure an outline a dissertation, there are several key steps to consider and that’s one of the reasons why you want to take your time and set up all of the different parameters so that way you have all of the information that you need. Your dissertation outline is going to help guide you through your work. That’s why you need a thorough understanding of how it needs to be structured because you actually need an outline which is more like a linear plan that’s going to guide you through. DISSERTATION FORMAT In terms of how to structure your dissertation, you want to definitely be organized in your work,  because there a lot of different sections that you have to work on. You want to build the language for your work and you also want to look at the different types of academic supporting documents you are going to use in your dissertation. How to Write a Dissertation? In understanding how to write a dissertation, there are a lot of different areas that you can tap into, but it’s best to go from the introduction to the conclusion to help you to better understand how to draft your paper in a streamlined way so that it structured and it’s clearly focused. Introduction.  The introduction is where you want to discuss what the topic is and why you are studying it. You can also mention what your focus is. Research Question.  You are going to have a research question and this is going to be the area where you’re going to ask a question and you going to explain and define all of the terms that you’re going to use throughout your dissertation. Literature References. You’re going to outline the particular parameters of literature that you’re using so this is the area where you’re going to have your literature references. As you can see this is already different from a thesis paper or a regular research paper where you would have your references at the end because this is the section where you’re going to include your key references, and who is behind any underlying theoretical ideas that you might be using. Research Methodologies. You are going to have your research methodologies. This will be the area where you may decide how you want to argue your paper and whether not you want to use pros and cons, where you pick one side versus the other. You may want to stress the analysis of the particular data that you’re using, and you may want to use the presentation of your data in terms of explaining what you found in the results that you were able to come up with. Supporters. This is a  section that’s devoted to supporters for the document. You may have counter arguments that you found in your research that goes against your beliefs or states how their opinion is worded and conclusions that they came to. You can also point out your own point of view and then your argument to support your beliefs and what you may find in common with other theorists and what they come up with. Conclusions. You’re going to go into your conclusions and you’re also going to discuss whether or not there is a need for further research. This is the segue for other students who may come behind you and work on your paper to develop their own dissertation. Bibliography and Appendixes. This is the area for your bibliography and your appendix. Any additional information that you add is going to be in this section and you’re going to include it here. List all of the references and the different types of materials that you were able to use whether that  were online videos or interviews. Dissertation Writing Tips When you write your dissertation, it has to be well organized and you also have to be very well versed in the language that you use and how you word your document. It is also very important that you keep track of your information. You also need to keep track of any areas where you found a gap in information or areas that you were not able to get research if you trying to prove a point and you couldn’t draw a conclusion from it. You need to state this in your work. The Dos and Don’ts of the Dissertation Writing Process Because your dissertation can be up to about a hundred thousand words, this is a very lengthy document that’s almost the size of a book. That’s why it has to be well-organized and it has to be very in depth. You also have to know how to write on this level to help you to get from one section to the next. There are a few dos you should focus on: You do want to consider your time management skills in assessing how your work will be laid out so that way you can clearly structure it and focus your time. As you work on your dissertation, you also want to take regular breaks and intervals to keep track of the work that you’re doing and also to allow large blocks of time so that you can focus on different sections to keep it consistent all throughout. DISSERTATION WRITING SERVICE You want to make sure you understand the purpose of your dissertation because it is a thing it is based on your ability to understand research and also offer insightful ideas into the research that you’re finding. In terms of the various types of don’ts as it relates to your dissertation, you want to make sure that you’re giving enough time to the dissertation and the work that you have to assemble, so don’t wait until the last minute. You also want to ensure that you are giving the research enough time, so don’t forget to set up a timeline and outline. You will need ample time to measure the data you’re collecting and you want to make sure that you’re developing tests that are going to coincide with and correspond to the particular hypothesis that you’re coming up with as you have to account for various variables. Because you do want to make sure that you’re allocating enough time for the work at hand, don’t take this work lightly. Jumping ahead, what does a faculty member look for in a proposal? It should be well-written Organized, with a logical flow Concise, but also complete Good grammar Are you looking for a model custom writing service? can help with your assignment!

Top 7 Job Skills You’ll Need in 10 Years To Stay Up To Date

Top 7 Job Skills You’ll Need in 10 Years To Stay Up To Date There’s an awful lot of doomsday chatter about the future of the workforce and how all our jobs will be replaced by robots by 2020. A lot of that might be true. The World Economic Forum’s 2016 Future of Jobs Report estimated that over 5 million jobs will be lost to automation by that time- and that number will only continue to grow. Your usual fall back jobs- you know those â€Å"safe bets† your parents always lectured you about: manufacturing, law, administrative jobs, etc.- these will probably suffer the most cuts. But the good news is this: in times of great change, there’s always room for the enterprising and entrepreneurial to clean up. It’s just that there will be new and different skills to master- skills that will be most valuable in a new economy and in a changing world.Here are some of the top skills you’ll need if you want to get a leg up on the future of the workforce.1. TechTech skills will of course be in high demand, as will an ything to do with â€Å"computational thinking.† If the world is being taken over by computers, you’ll need to think like one. Learn to manage and synthesize the massive amounts of data we already process daily- and make sense of patterns.Jobs that will be fairly secure include: software developer, computer systems analyst, market research analyst, and marketing specialist- among other positions. In short: boost your analytical skills.2. Soft SmartsIf you’re just not a techie person, never fear. It will take a very long time for robots to be as emotionally intelligent as people, or as socially savvy. Focus on social intelligence and literacy with new media forms and platforms and you’ll be just fine. Sales, marketing, customer service, etc. are all the new â€Å"safe bets.†3. World BuildingVirtual reality already feels like a retro technology, but it’s here to stay. And it’s appearing more and more in everyday use. If you have skills that can lead to creating, managing, and manipulating virtual worlds, you’re golden. Also, storytelling skills will prove to be invaluable. It’s not all CGI bells and whistles. Someone has to make the worlds believable.4. AdaptationUnfortunately, â€Å"being adaptable† isn’t really a thing you can get paid to do exactly, but it is a skill you’ll need for almost anything in the changing workforce. Expand yourself and your mind, get outside your comfort zone and stay there- comfort zones will be disappearing altogether.Also make sure to learn and understand deeply how business works. Figure out ways to make a living as an independent contractor, or scout jobs in management analysis, accounting, and auditing.5. Constant LearningWith so much information, data, and constant change, those who keep on top of the latest trends and information will have a major leg up. Don’t rest on the laurels of what you know. Keep learning, even if only in 10 minu te chunks while commuting. Learn coding. Refresh your C++. Try a new language. And if you can do all this and teach or train, then you’re in great shape to stay employed.6. CaregivingAgain, if you’re just not that into business or tech, remember there will always be a need for caregivers- especially as the human lifespan lengthens. You’ll be relieved to know that nearly half of the hottest sectors for jobs through 2025 are health care or caregiving related. Anything in the fields of medical tech, physical therapy, workplace ergonomics, veterinary medicine, etc. Even medical secretaries and medical assistants will stay employed.7. Shallow ExpertiseThere will always be a need for specialists. But if you aren’t one, or you don’t care to become one, the new world will also require a host of people who can be ready to be a â€Å"shallow expert† on nearly anything at a moment’s notice. The sooner you can become well-versed on a wide variety of software programs, platforms, systems, and services, the more likely you are to stay on top.

Is the School Justified in Firing a Teacher Posing for an Adult Websit Research Paper - 1

Is the School Justified in Firing a Teacher Posing for an Adult Website - Research Paper Example II. Any teacher is a role model for his students and as such the high school teachers’ act of posing on an adult, the website gives a bad effect on the ideology of the students. Thus, the teacher should be penalized to prevent further damage to the students’ ideology. III. As a teacher of a school, she should have conformed to some public, moral, business, and ethical standards as her actions affect her students and indirectly a larger community, which she did not, making her eligible to be dismissed. IV. Before getting hired by the school, the teacher signed an agreement which read, â€Å"I agree to promote this schools mission of training good and law-abiding citizens who will make this society a better place to live.† The act of posing for the adult website creates a bad impact on the students. It can happen that the students start posing for adult websites following the teacher. The teacher violates her contractual obligation â€Å"of training good and law-abiding citizens who will make this society a better place to live† (Contract clause) and therefore she should be fired. V. It can be presumed that the teacher has caused harm to the students by posing for an adult website once students have come to know about it and this makes the teacher liable to â€Å"be sued personally for causing student injury† and she may â€Å"also lose her job† (Kaplan and Owings 252). VI. The high school teacher was also negligent in doing her duty towards preventing harm to the students. She never thought for an instant that when her act of posing for an adult website is disclosed she may cause a bad impact on the ideology of the students and indirectly the future of the students. Moreover, â€Å"neglect of duty and negligence† is a ground for dismissal of a teacher in 26 states of US (Neal 86). this case, which includes dismissal of the teacher for immorality, causing harm, violation of contract, injury to the students and negligence.  

Forecasting Alliances Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Forecasting Alliances - Essay Example The two powers have managed to form strong alliances that exist until today. In fact, the two exercise their mutual influences under the frameworks of Western powers across greater part of the world. The influence of the two powers have probably been due to their held ideology of democracy that intends to promote liberalization and thwart communism seen as derailing global economic, political and social integration. Much resistance against the Western powers has been coming from Russia and China, and their allies like Cuba and some Middle East countries. Despite the resistances, Western powers seem to have made significant successes bearing the spontaneous transformation of Russia and China to adopt capitalist ideologies that have seen rise in the number of billionaires found in the two countries. However, there exists consistent strategies and conspiracy by some countries to alliance with intention to challenge the Western powers. The possibility of success of the likely alliances i n challenging Western powers requires careful examination and study. Russia, Cuba and Venezuela share similar history of perpetuating communist ideologies characterized with no democracy. In fact, the three countries were once under the unity of the Soviet Union, which diminished due to unbearable influence of capitalism of the Western powers. Among the three, Russia is the only strongest in the global arena with stronger military, economic and political influence. Russia boasts of endowment of massive natural resources including natural gas, oil and metal among others. Venezuela on the other hand boasts of rich oil reserves that mark the backbone of its economy (Keck). Cuba on the other end boasts of highly trained professionals and unexploited oil reserves. Located just below the southern part of North America, Cuba and Venezuela have been depending on each other in various aspects. For instance, since 2000, Cuba has been exporting

CRITICAL APPROACHES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CRITICAL APPROACHES - Essay Example een from the scene that emphasizes on Emily’s status in being involved in teaching china painting which is considered to be done by the middle class and upper class people. With time we see Emily’s financial status deteriorate making her lose her respect with the high and mighty in her class. This led to an illusion by people of her class in the society because of the belief that everyone can make a success of themselves but their social status still remain no matter what happens. This is also seen from the fact that Emily still stayed at her parents’ home to maintain her class and feel as part of the class she was born in even though all was not well even though she was not getting any younger. When we analyze her relationship with Homer she accepted to go out dine and wine with him but refused to commit herself to him because of his low class status. She only became friends with Homer to make herself seem well behaved and not

Housing Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Housing Market - Essay Example The dominant contingent valuation approach has been used for many years in the research field work in Europe and unfortunately, is very likely to continue its prevalence in the near future, too. 2. In the article Kartin Rehdanz, presents an interesting and problematic view about the climate change impact on British households. Her study is based on investigating the amenity value of climate on households in Great Britain. She applies the hedonic price approach, which traces the marginal willingness of individuals to pay for changes in the climate. 3. The article claims that climate should be regarded as amenity and thus prices for houses in geographical regions with more sunny days on average have to affect the property price. The study is unique, because it uses for the first time geographic information system to derive the data. In comparison with other researches done, this one is exceptional, because attention is paid to problems of endogeneity when applying the census tract date. Furthermore, various specifications of the climate variables are taken into consideration and at the end, the study conducts an analyses if British households will gain from the global warming. 4. One of the shortcomings of the study is that besides Maddison's empirical work in 2001, there are no other investigations made on the amenity value of climate. ... 5. The administrative boundaries create data limitations, which influence the final results and their interpretations. Thus, the evidence collected varies not only between different counties, but also within Great Britain. Roback (1982) first examined the effects of climate and how they affect both wages and the price of housing. Moreover, obtaining the required information and measures of local amenities, requires mainly distance evaluation. 6. A number of problems into this research also cause the two hedonic equations that have to be estimated. The regression analysis becomes too complicated as the two equations need to be determined. 7. All extensive data collection has to be taken from the specific local areas, which requires extra control of the variables on which the location choices are based. Therefore, the variables must be accurately chosen, to eliminate the variable biases, and to decrease the problems of multicollinearity. The further avoid difficulties in measurements, the proposal given in the articles divides Great Britain into smaller geographical areas, where the local amenities like the climate variables vary, but they are adjusted with the local housing market, because the labour market can not be modified (Englin, 1996). Gayer (2000) took an instrumental variable approach to a hedonic analysis. In his study he estimated a bi-causal relationship between house market prices and the environmental risk. 8. The starting point of all hedonic analysis if the presumption of equilibrium in hedonic markets - salary and rents are adjusted in such a way that people stay indifferent in what location they are living and working (Mler, 1977). Another problem is that

Nursing as a Profession Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Nursing as a Profession - Research Paper Example Information literacy describes the ability to find and gather critical and accurate information as required in any practice to provide quality services. This relates to skills needed to maneuver efficiently through the burst of data available and decisively acquire relevant information (Bonnel and Smith, 2010). In nursing, information is regarded as a key attribute that facilitates efficiency with regard to the scope of the duties. Nursing officers assist other medical practitioners in patient care interventions as directed and according to the plan of care. They also contribute to the collection of accurate healthcare information as well as maintaining accurate health care records. The general duties include attending to patient’s personal hygiene needs such as showering and toileting and assisting with patient mobilization and repositioning. In addition, nurses observe the patient's physical and psychological status, as well as responses during the course of treatment, which entails monitoring patients’ vital signs and recording them accordingly. The duty of care seeks to stress the need for selflessness among healthcare personnel, especially those involved in providing direct basic care to patients. Consequently, nurses are placed at a patient’s personal service through the expression of kindness, moral worth, and dignity of the self and others. This is irrespective of one’s cultural similarities and differences, thus placing more value on the accessibility of health care services to all.... Consequently, nurses are placed at a patient’s personal service through expression of kindness, moral worth and dignity of the self and others. This is irrespective of one’s cultural similarities and differences, thus placing more value on accessibility of health care services to all. Presently, information technology has found a home in most institutions in the society and the healthcare sector has had positive results with technological integration. Health care organizations are rapidly adopting and implementing health information technology such as the electronic health record systems. Electronic health recording aids in enhancing efficiency within the health provider’s organization. This translates to improved patient handling and effective treatment to ensuring appropriate patient management. This creates a smooth carryover of the patient by a new health care provider following referral for further management since the patient’s medical history is rea dily available. In addition, it reduces medical errors where the electronic prescribing applications would alert health care providers in case of any anticipated drug reaction. Cases of illegible handwriting have also been eliminated as progress notes are directly indicated in the electronic system. In addition to the efficiency, electronic records cut back on the risk of mix-ups in patient files where a patient is treated for the wrong condition. This is often the results of archival problems where leafs from patient files are pooled together before sorting. The use of electronic medical records saves hospitals and patients from this by securing the records appropriately that only the records of the required patient can be accessed, thus mix up are evaded (McGonigle and

Situational Analysis of Women in Managament Essay

Situational Analysis of Women in Managament - Essay Example Situational Analysis of Women in Managament The goals and mission will be communicated more effectively and everyone in the organization will know what they are supposed to do and when they are supposed to do it in order to get to the goals of the organization and women are adept at managing households and communicating effectively with every member of the family. Every employee will work towards the same goals if they understand them and are committed. Most companies are aware that they need to have a good top management in their organization. However, they are unsure how to get that perfect team and many a times unsure about women. Creating the team requires that they know two aspects of their job; that is their responsibility to the organization and the lines of communication between them and the employees. Women should be crystal clear as to what they should be doing and how to do it properly. They also need to communicate the information effectively and efficiently so that other follow suit in the pursuing of goals. They should be open to employees and their feedback as well because communication is a two way street; women tend to be good listeners as well The top management job remains essentially the same; whether it is a flat structure organization or a typical hierarchical level organization with senior managers, middle managers and their own employees. It also changes with the size of the organization, but once again, even as the approaches are different, the roles remain the same. And since women always perceive themselves as an alien, they are more flexible to change and change management and so would be to the structure of an organization as well. The top management team takes charge of the decision making primarily and hence they need to have good judgment skills. A bad manager, will be detrimental both to the employees and the organization as well, and sometimes it is difficult to gauge if a manager has a sound personality fit for the job or not. The following discussion further outlines why women are competent for higher posts in organizations. (Drucker, 1974) Why women? A study of 2,500 Danish firms shows that women in top management and senior executive posts are not harmful but actually positive for an organization. Since this is a large sample size, the study seems to be plausible. However, the qualification of women is important as well; top management positions filled by less qualified women will lead the organization towards a downfall and therefore, women don’t have special knack but education benefits males and females both equally to equip them with the skill of running an organization. Women of skill and power such as Angelina Merkel and Hillary Clinton are good examples of good candidates for top posts and are a living example of leading women. (Nina Smith, 2006) Another study shows that women are good for the organization as they also bring diversity which is important in top management teams or TMTs. However, women in the top management are an ongoing issue over the years. Most men simply do not feel comfortable with women as their bosses. Especially in Asia, the barriers to entry for women are extremely high. However, those companies that did employ women noticed a positive growth in their companies and it is also foreseen as positive for their

Nursing as a Profession Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Nursing as a Profession - Research Paper Example Information literacy describes the ability to find and gather critical and accurate information as required in any practice to provide quality services. This relates to skills needed to maneuver efficiently through the burst of data available and decisively acquire relevant information (Bonnel and Smith, 2010). In nursing, information is regarded as a key attribute that facilitates efficiency with regard to the scope of the duties. Nursing officers assist other medical practitioners in patient care interventions as directed and according to the plan of care. They also contribute to the collection of accurate healthcare information as well as maintaining accurate health care records. The general duties include attending to patient’s personal hygiene needs such as showering and toileting and assisting with patient mobilization and repositioning. In addition, nurses observe the patient's physical and psychological status, as well as responses during the course of treatment, which entails monitoring patients’ vital signs and recording them accordingly. The duty of care seeks to stress the need for selflessness among healthcare personnel, especially those involved in providing direct basic care to patients. Consequently, nurses are placed at a patient’s personal service through the expression of kindness, moral worth, and dignity of the self and others. This is irrespective of one’s cultural similarities and differences, thus placing more value on the accessibility of health care services to all.... Consequently, nurses are placed at a patient’s personal service through expression of kindness, moral worth and dignity of the self and others. This is irrespective of one’s cultural similarities and differences, thus placing more value on accessibility of health care services to all. Presently, information technology has found a home in most institutions in the society and the healthcare sector has had positive results with technological integration. Health care organizations are rapidly adopting and implementing health information technology such as the electronic health record systems. Electronic health recording aids in enhancing efficiency within the health provider’s organization. This translates to improved patient handling and effective treatment to ensuring appropriate patient management. This creates a smooth carryover of the patient by a new health care provider following referral for further management since the patient’s medical history is rea dily available. In addition, it reduces medical errors where the electronic prescribing applications would alert health care providers in case of any anticipated drug reaction. Cases of illegible handwriting have also been eliminated as progress notes are directly indicated in the electronic system. In addition to the efficiency, electronic records cut back on the risk of mix-ups in patient files where a patient is treated for the wrong condition. This is often the results of archival problems where leafs from patient files are pooled together before sorting. The use of electronic medical records saves hospitals and patients from this by securing the records appropriately that only the records of the required patient can be accessed, thus mix up are evaded (McGonigle and

Nutritional needs Essay Example for Free

Nutritional needs Essay Protein 4 calories/ g 0.8 g / kg / day Meat Fish Chicken Eggs Dairy Insufficient intake leads to muscle wasting and atrophy Carbohydrates 4 calories / g Starches Sugars (fructose, glucose, lactose, sucrose) and cellulose Fruits Vegetables Milk Grains Insufficient intake results in protein and fat metabolism Fats 9 calories / g Needed for ADEK vitamin absorption Animal products Egg yolks Organ meats (except liver) Butter Cheese Oils Insufficient intake increases risk of infection, skin lesions, amenorrhea, and cold sensitivity Thiamin (B1) Pork Wheat germ Fortified cereals Insufficiency leads to Beriberi, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome Riboflavin (B2) Milk Enriched grains Insufficiency leads to Ariboflavinosis Niacin (B3) Peanuts Legumes Enriched grains Insufficiency leads to diarrhea, dementia, dermatitis Cobalamin (B12) Animal protein Insufficiency leads to pernicious anemia Folic Acid Orange juice Meat Leafy green vegetables Insufficiency leads to anemia and neural tube defects Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C): wound healing, hormone synthesis Citrus fruits Insufficiency leads to scurvy, bleeding gums Vitamin A: vision, tissue growth, immune, reproductive function Animal foods Fruits Vegetables Fortified milk Insufficiency leads to night blindness, xerophthalmia Vitamin D: calcium and phosphorus metabolism, PTH, kidney Dairy Fortified food sources Insufficiency leads to rickets, osteomalacia Vitamin E: antioxidant, immune Vegetable oil Peanuts Margarine Insufficiency leads to hemolysis of RBCs Vitamin K: blood clotting Liver Leafy green vegetables Insufficiency leads to hemorrhage Potassium Apricots Avocado Bananas Cantaloupes Raw carrots Peas / Dried beans Dried fruits Oranges Peanuts Potatoes Prune juice Spinach Tomatoes Winter squash Calcium (also use for kidney stones) Chocolate Dairy Beans Lentils Dried fruits Canned / smoked fish (except tuna) Flour Cocoa Green leafy vegetables Tyramine / Dopamine Restrictions (for people taking MAOIs) Aged Cheese Chocolate Smoked fish Processed meats Bananas Liver Fava beans Soy sauce Purine (gout / uric acid stones) Organ meats Anchovies Sardines Salmon Herring Venison Goose Beef, chicken, pork, veal should be limited because they contain purine Alcohol Seafood Oxalates (kidney stones) Asparagus Beets Celery Cabbage Dark green leafy vegetables Fruits Tomatoes Green beans Chocolate Cocoa Beer Cola Nuts Tea Acid-Ash Foods (will acidify urine to prevent UTI and avoid if patient has acidic stones) Cranberries Plums Grapes Prunes Tomatoes Eggs Cheese Whole grains Meat Poultry

Development of Civil Rights

Development of Civil Rights Dulce Melgoza Rodriguez Civil Rights: Power to the People The seeking of civil rights is a seemingly endless fight that is still experienced in the United States on a daily basis. Since America’s early years, there has been a struggle for people of color to have as much rights as Caucasians. Skin color has determined privilege, and despite the fact that there has been progress, there has also been regress as well. When the idea of civil rights was in the early stages, not all were conformed to the thought. Some even took matters into their own hands, such as with the infamous group formation of the Ku Klux Klan. Even with the supposed protection under the law, blacks still came under the harassment and hate crimes that came from the KKK and typical discrimination under the Jim Crow Laws that followed them; even with the elimination of those said laws, people still refused to accept the minority race as an equal. An evident racism and reaction to civil rights seen today mirrors the past and holds true to the fact that civil rights hav e isn’t just one battle, and that it to be continuously sought after. Civil Rights are, by definition, the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality. Minorities in the United States have individually worked to gain their rights that weren’t given to them since birth as it was with the non-minority race. It is a lot easier to be white than to be a minority. For whites, they don’t typically deal with racial profiling because their skin color doesn’t make them look like the enemy nor are they reduced to a stereotype. In the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence it is written that â€Å"we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights [†¦]†, however those rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were only to men who were white, and not to any other race or ethnic group. During the Civil War, a major tension between the north and south dealt with the topic of if blacks should be kept as slaves. North said no and the South said yes. After the loss of the Confederacy, and the establishment of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, blacks were happy, but the wealthy and plantation owners were not. African Americans exercised their new rights at first, but black codes were established that stripped them of their freedoms and reduced them to a level of indentured servitude. At this time as well the Ku Klux Klan rose to power to intimidate blacks so they wouldn’t attempt to gain more of their rights. The method was effective and fear and panic was spread throughout as members of the KKK could have been anyone from the average man to law enforcement officials. The period of Reconstruction in the South that was meant to be a prosperous time for blacks in America, didn’t prove to have as much progress as originally intended. Influential black activists who fought for their rights rose up at this time and made themselves known. Some looked for gradual methods to gain their freedoms and others demanded immediate equal rights. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in 1909 by W.E.B. Dubois. With the use of courts and legislature, the NAACP would fight for the Civil Rights of African Americans. Despite the Amendments established in the Constitution, Southern states imposed voting restriction laws to disenfranchise African Americans through the use of literacy tests, poll tax, and the grandfather clause. The South went even further by passing the Jim Crow Laws that instituted segregation between blacks and whites in public facilities. These laws came to be challenged in the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson where Homer Plessy, a part black and part white man who could technically use both white and black facilities, was told to move to the end of a train, and ended up suing. Plessy lost the case and out of it, the doctrine â€Å"separate but equal† was established and ruled that the fourteenth amendment only ensured political equality and that segregation was not the same as inferiority, which made segregation legal for the next sixty years. Civil Rights had a long ways to go at this point, and the discrimination against blacks was followed into both World Wars. In World War II, American troops told the French to treat the white troops better than the black troops and they bunked in segregated facilities. After WW2, Blacks fought alongside NAACP and the Congress of Racial Equality to eliminate the Jim Crow Laws. In 1954, Congress declared the â€Å"separate but equal† rule to be unconstitutional, with the court case of Brown v. Board of Education that desegregated schools and began to apply the 14th amendment to its full extent, though it would be eleven more years until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and fourteen years until the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Since the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act, there has been change in the public policy towards the issue of racism and discrimination; however, it is still present despite the legislation passed to combat it. No matter how much America has gone forward in it’s advancements in Civil Rights, but just like it was in the 1860s, not everyone is willing to follow suit in the idea of equality for all races. The NAACP and other civil rights activist groups are still around today just like the KKK is. The need for civil tights is still prevalent today, and not just for blacks – but for all minority groups such as Hispanics, Native Americans, or Asians who have also benefitted off the legislation passed. In a typical election, most minorities would rather vote Democrat rather than Republican because the Democrats are those whose policies like Affirmative Action which seek to advance those who have been at a disadvantage throughout history. Liberal standpoints favor Civil Ri ghts while Conservatives have opposed them. When it comes to future policy-making issues, no minority wants to vote for an official who wouldn’t care about the importance of their rights and whose actions could lead to something simple as ignoring the fact discrimination exists and that it occurs to their constituents or to going out of their way to make the minorities the less represented group. This could go from anywhere such as gerrymandering, where district lines can be drawn up in a way to favor one party representation over another which actually has to be approved by Congress when done by the South to actual passing of legislation such as in Arizona’s Immigration Enforcement laws passed in 2010 that allowed for anyone who remotely looks â€Å"illegal† to a law enforcement official to be questioned and detained. Though it is a law that isn’t supposedly based on the color of one’s skin, it’s evident that the appearance of the individua l is what determines if the police officer approaches them and asks to see their papers. Progress is gradual overall, so there needs to be a stronger initiative to gain more than just rights, but also a sense of respect and to break the barrier of discrimination for something trivial like the color of one’s skin. There can’t be talk about progression when the progress is so little and there are people constantly trying to stop it through laws or discreet methods. If judging people on their race continues, nothing will ever get accomplished because the non-minority child will grow with a mindset that they can’t amount to anything. The institutionalized racism will discourage those minorities even though they are not to be the minority group within the future years of the growing population. The minority needs to know of their rights and the impact they can have on the United States if they banded together to bring change. All that needs to happen is for this group to understand they are not weak and that if they show the same amount of gusto that thei r predecessors showed, the United States could prove to be an entirely different place for its citizens, especially those of color.

Character, Values and Morals in Huckleberry Finn Essay -- Adventures H

Character, Values and Morals in Huckleberry Finn      Ã‚  Ã‚   Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is perhaps one of the most controversial novels the North American Continent has ever produced.   Since its publication more than a hundred years ago controversy has surrounded the book.   The most basic debate surrounding Twain's masterpiece is whether the book's language and the character of Jim are presented in a racist manner.   Many have called for the book to be banned from our nation's schools and libraries.   Mark Twain's novel is about a young boy who was raised in the south before slavery was abolished, a place where racism and bigotry were the fabric of every day life.   The novel is the account of how Huck Finn, who is a product of these times, transcended the morals and values of these times through his relationship with the escaped slave Jim.   Huckleberry Finn is a mixture of satire and adventure story.   It is a novel about growing up in a time and place that still haunts the living, the American past.   It is about a past, and the origins of that past, that still lie heavy on the American conscience.   This paper will examine the character, morals and values of Huckleberry Finn.   It will discuss his relationship to the values of his society and the conflict that is produced between those values and the relationship that grows between him and Jim during their adventure.       The character of Huck Finn has become a kind of an American folk hero.   He is a kid who knows how to live by his wits.   Perhaps he is a younger American version of the wily Odysseus.   He knows how and when to act and impersonate other people and perhaps most important for a boy in his situation, he knows how to lie.   One must never lose sight of the fact that... ...out a boy trying to find his own way in the days of the South before slavery had ended.   Huck Finn finds adventure and friendship with a runaway slave on a raft headed down the Mississippi River.   And like Odysseus on his adventures, Huck learns much about himself and subsequently we learn more about ourselves.   We learn that what an individual often believes to be right is not always in congruence with the official religion of the city or the values and mores of the times.   One must have the courage to stand up for what one believes in even if, as in the mind of Huck, it means suffering eternal damnation.    WORKS   CITED Beaver, H.   Huckleberry Finn.   London:   Allen & Unwin, 1987. Egan, M.   Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn:   Race, Class and Society.   Toronto:   Sussex UP, 1977. Twain, M.   The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.   New York:   Signet, 1959. Character, Values and Morals in Huckleberry Finn Essay -- Adventures H Character, Values and Morals in Huckleberry Finn      Ã‚  Ã‚   Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is perhaps one of the most controversial novels the North American Continent has ever produced.   Since its publication more than a hundred years ago controversy has surrounded the book.   The most basic debate surrounding Twain's masterpiece is whether the book's language and the character of Jim are presented in a racist manner.   Many have called for the book to be banned from our nation's schools and libraries.   Mark Twain's novel is about a young boy who was raised in the south before slavery was abolished, a place where racism and bigotry were the fabric of every day life.   The novel is the account of how Huck Finn, who is a product of these times, transcended the morals and values of these times through his relationship with the escaped slave Jim.   Huckleberry Finn is a mixture of satire and adventure story.   It is a novel about growing up in a time and place that still haunts the living, the American past.   It is about a past, and the origins of that past, that still lie heavy on the American conscience.   This paper will examine the character, morals and values of Huckleberry Finn.   It will discuss his relationship to the values of his society and the conflict that is produced between those values and the relationship that grows between him and Jim during their adventure.       The character of Huck Finn has become a kind of an American folk hero.   He is a kid who knows how to live by his wits.   Perhaps he is a younger American version of the wily Odysseus.   He knows how and when to act and impersonate other people and perhaps most important for a boy in his situation, he knows how to lie.   One must never lose sight of the fact that... ...out a boy trying to find his own way in the days of the South before slavery had ended.   Huck Finn finds adventure and friendship with a runaway slave on a raft headed down the Mississippi River.   And like Odysseus on his adventures, Huck learns much about himself and subsequently we learn more about ourselves.   We learn that what an individual often believes to be right is not always in congruence with the official religion of the city or the values and mores of the times.   One must have the courage to stand up for what one believes in even if, as in the mind of Huck, it means suffering eternal damnation.    WORKS   CITED Beaver, H.   Huckleberry Finn.   London:   Allen & Unwin, 1987. Egan, M.   Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn:   Race, Class and Society.   Toronto:   Sussex UP, 1977. Twain, M.   The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.   New York:   Signet, 1959.