Reflection On The American Culture - 1384 Words

Reflection on Class Sources American culture refers to the traditions and practices of the people of the United States. Culture comprises of the nature of buildings, religion, music language and marriage. The population of the United States is more than 320 million people making it the most culturally diverse country in the globe. Books such as Crabgrass Frontier, Manifest Destination and Muscular Christianity are important sources of information about American culture. This paper is a reflection on the methods that these books use in providing information about the evolution of the US culture. The paper examines the relationship between these three sources and ways they challenge or inform an understanding of the American society during the late 19th and early 20th century. There is an analysis of the efficiency of the issues tackled by these books in influencing the contemporary discourse surrounding American culture. The major argument of this paper is that Crabgrass Frontier, Manifest Destination and Muscul ar Christianity provide reliable information about the evolution of the US culture and they supplement each other through the use of relevant examples. Manifest Destination uses the concepts of urbanization and tourism to explain the evolution of American culture. Gruen (2014) identifies Chicago as the center of urbanization in the US and this attracts domestic and international tourists to the city. The intention of these tourists was to explore theShow MoreRelatedA Reflection On The American Culture907 Words   |  4 Pagesare meant to feel a sense of dignity in ourselves for we were created in the image of God. Culture has an influence in the way we feel about ourselves, all of our societies are different. As believers we are meant not to make ourselves feel high but equal because we are all broken instead we need join hands with people. Intercultural studies come in play because it allows us to understand a foreign culture to accomplish a certain goal. The goal which we are to accomplish first is to know that weRead MoreReflection About Mexican American Culture700 Words   |  3 Pagestaught celebrating American culture like Memorial, Independence and Labor Day, with the explosion of bright, colorful fireworks, the smell of fire when turning on the grill and the best part; no school! As well as celebrating Christmas and New Years the American way, going to church, eating, and opening presents on Christmas day are holidays Ive grown up to enjoy and celebrate a certain way. It wasn’t until 4 years ago I went to Mexico and realized there’s more to my own rooted culture and how luckyRead MoreReflection On How American Culture Influenced The World And Vice Versa974 Words   |  4 PagesReflection on Instruction and Student Learning Candidate: Julia Sierpinska Date: 3/22/2016 School Mitchell Road Elementary School Grade level(s) 5rd Lesson topic How American culture influenced the world and vice versa. The advancement of technology. Instructions to the Teacher Candidate: Please reflect on teaching and learning that occurred while you were being observed, and respond to each of the following prompts. Attach examples, if available. 1. Describe your preparations forRead MoreLia Lee Could Be The Hallmark1209 Words   |  5 PagesIf one was to determine a nadir of culture and medicine, Lia Lee could be the hallmark. The case study shares a history of the Hmong to create an understanding of the cultural aversion to American medicine. The study involves a cultural belief that America abandoned the Hmong in war, in immigration, and in medical care. The Hmong were an expatriated people from a number of countries in which they tried to settle. Disease was a scourge on the younger generation and the physical strain left the elderlyRead MoreMedia As the Mirror of Lebanese Culture1335 Words   |  5 PagesWhat kind of Mirror is the Media of Lebanese Culture? As we discuss media, we must also discuss the nature and function of art. A difference between art and media can be the process by which they are made. Yet in these modern days, the lines between media and art are not lines, but fractals or shapes only described by functions of calculus. That is to say that art and media are heavily intertwined in the 21st century. Some media is art; some art is media. A trait that media and art have in commonRead MoreCultural Aversion And American Medicine1447 Words   |  6 PagesCase Study If one was to determine a nadir of culture and medicine Lia Lee could be the hallmark. The case study shares a history of the Hmong to create an understanding of the cultural aversion to American medicine. The study involves a cultural belief that America abandoned the Hmong in war, in immigration and in medical care. The Hmong were an expatriated people from the number of countries they tried to settle. Disease was a scourge on the young generation and the physical strain left the elderlyRead More Ethnography Essay1090 Words   |  5 PagesEthnography Works Cited Missing Reflexivity is a qualitative method of research that takes an ethnography one step further, displaying the personal thoughts and reflections of the anthropologist on his informants. Ethnographies generally take an outside or foreign perspective of a culture, like reading a text, and reflexivity introduces a new component of inside description. Here, the anthropologist may describe personal interactions and experiences with natives and use this inside informationRead MoreThe Hardships of Following Your Dreams and Immigration1404 Words   |  6 PagesAs an immigrant and divorce mother of two who comes to a foreign country pursuing a better future for my kids, I ignored the complexity of the factors that are required to fulfill my dreams. Moving from a socialistic culture to an individualistic one, being the last one, the culture that my kids are more likely to adopt I realized the importance to build a solid family, and I started looking for possible factors that might give me a clear view on how to achieve my quest. The first factor that I foundRead MoreImpact On Pop Culture960 Words   |  4 PagesPop culture is defined as a reflection of a mass population and their common likings. People tend to have similar likings based on their generations, those likings are considered part of pop culture. There are numerous amounts of studies that represent the effects of pop culture on specific groups of people. Through an economical standpoint, it can be noted how pop culture directly influences the way that an individual views themselves. Celebrity endorsement, the reflection of the economy on popRead MoreDifferences Between Television And Television702 Words   |  3 Pagesthrough television and the real world, as a way to escape the world and as a reflection of the world. The escapist and direct reflection approaches, according to Mittell, are not accurate. The escapist approach, which states that people watch television to escape from real life, falls short when c onsidering the news, sports, talk shows, and other reality television programs due to their connection to real life. The direct reflection approach, which states that programming on television is true to viewers’

Research Methodology, Design and Process Dementia Care Free Essays

string(37) " improve nursing practice in the UK\." Abstract The ability to critically analyse literature is an important skill for evidence-based practice. This literature review aimed to critically analysed literature on dementia care. A search of literature was conducted on academic databases such as Pubmed and CINAHL. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Methodology, Design and Process: Dementia Care or any similar topic only for you Order Now Three studies were finally retrieved for this literature review. Each of these studies was critiqued using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool for qualitative studies and the critiquing framework of Long et al. (2002). Findings of this literature review could be used to inform current and future community nursing practice. Specifically, this review revealed that music therapy could improve the mood of individuals with dementia and show evidence in improving memory function. While findings could not be applicable to a wider population, nurses could utilise findings and tailor these to the individual needs of their patients. Introduction Evidence-based practice (EBP) is heavily promoted in the NHS since this helps nurses and other healthcare practitioners apply findings of recently published literature to one’s current and future practice. The Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC, 2008) code of conduct also emphasises that healthcare decisions should be evidence-based and supported by published literature and current guidelines. Developing the ability to critically analyse literature is essential when developing evidence-based care (Greenhalgh, 2010; Aveyard, 2014). There is a wealth of information from published literature and current guidelines. Determining the relevance and quality of these findings will help inform nurses whether findings are credible and valid before they are applied to current practice. As part of community nursing, I am interested in improving my current practice in order to deliver quality care to my patients. The recent policy on community care from the Department of Health (2013a) emphasises the importance of allowing patients with chronic conditions and their carers to self-manage their conditions, achieve self-efficacy and lessen admissions in hospital settings. This policy, â€Å"Care in Local Communities-District Nurse Vision and Model’ (Department of Health, 2013a) emphasises the role of nurses in supporting patients and their carers to improve their health outcomes. While it is acknowledged that patients with chronic illnesses may never recover from their condition, nurses have the responsibility to help patients or their carers manage signs and symptoms of the chronic illness. As a nurse in community setting, I have cared for patients with dementia. I saw how this condition impacts the patient’s quality of life and even increase the risk of depression amongst their carers (Talbot and Verrinder, 2009). I always had an interest in caring for patients with dementia. However, I noticed that most pharmacologic treatments have little effect in delaying the progression of cognitive impairments amongst these patients (Miller, 2009). These treatments are also costly and place a considerable burden on the family members and the NHS (Department of Health, 2013b). Hence, I thought that familiarising myself with non-pharmacologic interventions and their effects on cognition or memory of the patient would be important in my role as a community nurse. A number of non-pharmacologic interventions to preserve memory or delay cognitive decline have been developed in the last two decades. Studies (Spector et al., 2010; Hansen et al., 2006; Vink et al., 2004; Teri et al., 2003) show that these interventions range from motor stimulation, exercise programmes, sensory stimulation and cognitive training. Amongst these interventions, music therapy has been suggested to be least harmful and relatively effective. Some investigators (Fornazzari et al., 2006; Cuddy and Duffin, 2005) have shown that even in patients with severe dementia, music memory seemed to be preserved. However, some studies (Menard and Belleville, 2009; Baird and Samsom, 2009) suggest otherwise and explain that some patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) suffer from impaired music memory. One study (Baird and Samson, 2009) however, explained that procedural memory, specifically for musical stimuli are not affected in persons with dementia. With the acknowledgement tha t most pharmacologic interventions have limited ability to treat the symptoms associated with dementia, it is essential to consider how non-pharmacologic interventions, such as music therapy, alleviate symptoms of this condition. In order to enhance my current and future nursing practice and to increase my understanding on the relevance of music therapy to dementia care, I have decided to research this topic further. Literature Search A search of literature from academic databases such as the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Pubmed was done to retrieve relevant studies. CINAHL indexes more than 5,000 nursing and allied health sciences journals and contains almost 4 million citations. The depth of research articles indexed in this database makes it a database of choice for research on the effects of music therapy on patients suffering from dementia. Meanwhile, Pubmed was also used to search for academic literature. This database also contains millions of citations and indexes nursing and allied health journals. A quick search for ‘music therapy AND dementia’ was done in Pubmed since this database focuses on nursing and allied health journals. This search yielded 20 articles, most of which were available as full text journals. The same keywords were entered in the CINAHL database. The search yielded 14 articles, with almost all articles available as full text articles. A review of the abstracts of all articles was done to select only primary research studies conducted in the last five years. Polit et al. (2013) state that retrieving journal articles in the last five years will ensure that the most recent evidence is used to inform current and future nursing practice. Literature older than five years old may be outdated. However, this also increases the risk of excluding landmark studies (Aveyard, 2014). For the present review, the selection of studies was only restricted to the last five years to ensure that more recent evidence on music therapy were evaluated and critiqued. The re was also no restriction on the place where the studies were conducted since dementia affects people of different ethnicities. Learning from the experiences of other nurses or healthcare practitioners on the use of music therapy for dementia patients would also help improve nursing practice in the UK. You read "Research Methodology, Design and Process: Dementia Care" in category "Essay examples" The following articles were chosen for critique and evaluation: Simmons-Stern et al. (2012) ‘Music-based memory enhancement in Alzheimer’s disease: promise and limitations’ Sakamoto et al. (2013) ‘Comparing the effects of different individualized music interventions for elderly individuals with severe dementia’, Dermot et al. (2014) ‘The importance of music for people with dementia: the perspectives of people with dementia, family carers, staff and music therapists’ As previously stated, I am interested in how music therapy could help me assist my patients delay the progression of dementia and help them and their carers self-manage the signs and symptoms of dementia. Hence, all articles are relevant my work as a community nurse. To critique these studies, the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP, 2013) tool for critiquing qualitative studies was utilised. For the quantitative studies, Long et al. (2002) critiquing framework for quantitative studies was used. Both critiquing frameworks are easy to use and help researchers investigate the quality and rigour of research articles. Study 1: Simmons-Stern et al. (2012 A review of the title of the study shows that it reflected the main aim and objectives of the study. The title was concise and provided information to the readers that the study aimed to present the limitations of music-based memory enhancement as well as its possible application to nursing practice. Polit et al. (2013) emphasise the importance of creating a concise and clear title in order not to mislead readers and to inform stakeholders if the article is worth reading. A review was also done on the author’s background and shows that all had extensive background on dementia research and healthcare. This was essential since credibility of the authors’ background could increase the reliability of the findings of the study (Long et al., 2002). However, Hek and Moule (2011) emphasise that the authors’ background is not the sole criterion in assessing the credibility of the findings of the study. The abstract of the study failed to mention the type of study design used. While the abstract summarises the aims and main findings of the study, it did not follow the usual structure of an abstract in a journal article where the methodology or methods used are explicitly stated. Ellis (2010) reiterates that an abstract should provide a brief summary of the study’s background, aims and objectives, methodology, results and conclusion. Although it was difficult to determine why the researchers of this study failed to present the methodology in the abstract, readers of the study could have benefited from an abstract that states the methodology of the study. Reading of the body of the article would show that the quantitative study design was used. The study aimed to investigate the effects of music on the memory of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, one of the diseases grouped under dementia. Simmons-Stern et al. (2012) made excellent use of literature and related findings from previous studies with the current study. Apart from the excellent use of literature, there was also a very good review of the previous studies and a gap in literature was clearly presented. Hence, the literature review of the study was well written and provided the readers with good background on why there is a need to carry out the present study. Polit et al. (2013) emphasise that a well-written review of literature should be able to provide context to the study’s aims and objectives and argue why there is a need to address the gaps in literature. Importantly, Simmons-Stern et al. (2012) avoided the use of jargon when writing the paper. Burns and Grove (2013) explain that the use of jargon should be avoided since this excludes readers of the article that have no nursing or medical background. A good paper is one that is written for a general audience and not only for a scientific community (Burns and Grove, 2013). A total of 12 participants who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and 17 healthy controls g ave their informed consents to participate in the study. Brown (2009) states the importance of obtaining the informed consent of participants before commencing the study. This would not only protect the rights of the participants but also ensure that the nurse researchers are observing the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC, 2008) code of conduct in protecting the patients or participants from harm. Part of obtaining an informed consent is the presentation of the study’s aims and objectives, possible side effects or benefits when participating in the study (Brown, 2009). An informed consent will also ensure that debriefing is provided to the participants to avoid any harm and psychological distress to the participants (Oermann, 2010). Apart from getting the informed consent, it was also crucial that an ethics committee has evaluated and approved the study protocol. An evaluation of the study reveals that this was observed and an ethics committee approved the study. On reflection, the study has a very small sample size (n=12 experimental group; n=17 control group). This would have taken a randomised controlled study design since a control group was used to compare the effects of music therapy on the patients with a healthy control. However, the investigators specifically state that this study was comparative. An inclusion and exclusion criteria were used when recruiting the patients, suggesting that participants were not randomly selected. Since the study was quantitative and employed the experimental study design, random sampling of the participants who have been more applicable (Crookes and Davies, 2004). It should be noted that it would also be difficult to randomise participants since this study was only conduc ted in one healthcare setting and it was crucial that participants have developed AD. While randomisation of participants was not observed, it is noteworthy that the investigators stated how many of the participants were excluded from the study and the reasons of their exclusion. This was essential since failure to explain why participants who gave their informed consents to participate in the study but were later excluded in the actual experiment would make the data collection process unclear (Moule and Goodman, 2009). Despite the small sample size, the demographic characteristics of the two groups were not significantly different when t-test was done. There were no significant differences in prior musical training, formal or informal, years of education and age between the participants of the two groups. This allowed the investigators to determine if there were differences after the study, this might have been due to the intervention employed. After informed consents were taken, the authors of the study declared that they paid the participants for the hours spent during the study. Compensating the participants for the time is considered as ethical since considerable time has been taken away from the subjects for their participation in the study (Hek and Moule, 2011). The interventions were clearly stated. This increased the rigour of the study since a clearly stated research method would help other investigators replicate the methods in future studies and verify whether similar findings are obtain ed (Hek and Moule, 2011). Simmons-Stern et al. (2012) also specifically outlined the lyrics used and where these were obtained and how music memory of the participants was tested. Results section of the study clearly presented the main findings of the study. Appropriate statistical tests were also utilised to test the hypotheses of the research. Polit et al. (2013) emphasise that statistical tests should be appropriate to the study’s aims and objectives and should rule out any biases in interpretation of the findings. Despite having a small sample size, the researchers were able to establish that music in patients with AD enhances memory in terms of familiarisation of sung lyrics but not in spoken stimuli. This suggests that in patients with AD, they can enhance their memory when familiarising with the lyrics or listening to music but not when they hear spoken language. There were also no significant differences in the healthy control and experimental groups in terms of memory after hearing the lyrics of a song compared to hearing the lyrics as a spoken stimuli. Since this study has a small sample size, the applicability of the findings to a larger and more heterogeneous population would be difficult (Burns and Grove, 2013). Although a control was used, it should be noted that participants in the experimental group are in the early stages of AD. This could have affected the findings of the study since it is unclear if patients with severe dementia would also yield similar reactions and results. At present, the findings are applicable to the sample population of the study and importantly, only on individuals in the early stages of dementia. While there were several limitations of the study, findings are noteworthy since these show that music therapy is promising as a non-pharmacologic intervention for enhancing memory in individuals with early stage dementia. The conclusion of the study was clearly presented and summarises the key points presented in the study. Although the discussion states future areas of study, there were no clear recommendations in the conclusion. Specific recommendations could have been made at the end to help future researchers identify areas of investigation. There were also no implications for future nursing and other healthcare practitioners’ practices. Despite the lack of clear recommendations, readers can still read through the study and identify areas that need further investigation. For example, there is a need to replicate the study in a larger and randomly selected sample population to strengthen the validity and reliability of the findings. There is also a need to compare findings with patients suffering from moderate to severe dementia to determine if music still has similar effects on the memory of those in advanced stages of the illness. There are a number of implications of the study in nursing practice. Nurses can use music to help enhance memory or prevent deterioration of memory amongst individuals with early stages of the disease. It is essential to consider the acceptability of music therapy in those suffering from dementia. As a whole, the study was of high quality and effort was made to reduce bias within the study. Although the investigators failed to blind assessors to the study, findings were presented objectively. It is also difficult to blind assessors because of the very small sample size (Burns and Grove, 2013). All investigators were familiar with the background of the participants and blinding them to the intervention was difficult since these investigators were also responsible in implementing the interventions. Finally, there were no conflicts of interest (Polit et al., 2013), ensuring the readers that bias in presentation of findings was avoided. Study 2: Sakamoto et al. (2013) An evaluation of the study’s title reveals that it was concise and clearly reflects the study’s aims and objectives. This was essential (Long et al., 2002) since this would present to the readers the main aim of the study. The type of study design chosen to answer the study’s aims was also appropriate. A quantitative study design would help investigators answer the research aims and objectives through experimentation, surveys or a randomised controlled trial (RCT) (Brown, 2009). In Sakamoto et al. (2013), the randomised controlled study design was used. Compared to other quantitative study designs, a RCT reduces risk of selection bias and bias in interpretation of findings (Moule and Goodman, 2009). Selection bias occurs when participants are not randomly selected and do no have equal chances of being assigned to a control or experimental groups (Crookes and Davies, 2004). This is avoided in RCT since all participants are randomly assigned to an experimental or c ontrol group. On the other hand, bias in interpretation of findings is lessened especially if investigators and assessors are blinded to the interventions and standard treatment (Oermann, 2010). A critical analysis of the study shows all participants in the study were randomly assigned to the treatment and standard care groups. However, a major limitation of this study was its relatively small sample size (n=39). It would be difficult to transfer findings to a larger and more heterogeneous group due to the representativeness of the sample population (Ellis, 2010). While it is difficult to transfer findings to other settings due to the relatively small sample size, community nurses may consider the applicability of the findings to their own practice. It is noteworthy that it would be difficult to recruit participants in the advanced stages of dementia since their ability to give their informed consent is severely limited (Department of Health, 2009). Further, their participation requires that their carers or immediate family members are aware of the study’s aims and objectives and should be able to assist the participants during the the study. While an ethics board app roved the study and informed consents were taken from the respondents or their representatives (Burns and Grove, 2013), involving individuals who suffer from severe cognitive impairment would be difficult. This also carries some ethical issues since their ability to understand the procedures of the study is compromised (Hek and Moule, 2011). Although the Mental Health Act in the UK acknowledges that carers can act in behalf of the individual with mental health condition, ethics regarding their participation in research studies remains debatable (Department of Health, 2009). Despite the possible ethical issues surrounding the study, investigators of this study used other means of evaluation to assess the participants’ responses to the interventions. For example, they used the Faces Scale (Sakamoto et al., 2013) to determine the emotions of the participants. A review of the study’s aims and objective shows that these were clearly presented in the beginning of the study. The introduction and review of literature also made excellent use of previous studies. It is also important to note the gaps in practice in recent studies were highlighted in the literature review section (Ellis, 2010). A good literature also argues why there is a need for the new study and how this could be applied to current healthcare practices (Ross, 2012). Methodology and methods used were also appropriate for the research question. Since the study aimed to determine the effectiveness of music therapy, it is appropriate that a RCT is used to compare music therapy with st andard care. Comparing music therapy with standard care is ethical (Ross, 2012) since all patients in the study received interventions. It would be unethical to withdraw treatment or assign participants to a control group that would receive no intervention (Crookes and Daives, 2004). The evaluation tools used to measure the responses of the patients were appropriate and have been previously validated and standardised. This was necessary to convey to the readers that validated measurement tools were used in the study (Moule and Goodman, 2009). A clear description of the research methods was presented. This would allow future researchers to replicate the present study (Oermann, 2010) and determine if similar findings could be observed. This also increases rigour of the study (Burns and Grove, 2013) since it is essential for other researchers to also test the hypothesis of the study and ensure that results are consistent across different healthcare settings. Results of the study were well presented and appropriate statistical tests were used. The discussion section of the study presented the strengths and limitations of the study. Polit et al. (2013) emphasise that presenting the limitations of a study will help inform other researchers on areas that need further improvement and presents areas for further research. Since weaknesses of the study were presented, readers and other healthcare practitioners can determine the extent in which the findings can be applied to current and future nursing practice (Burns and Grove, 2013) . The conclusion of the study succinctly captures the main points raised in the research study. This helped the researchers identify the main highlights of the study (Ellis, 2010). However, recommendations for other researchers and areas of improvement of the study were not cited. While the discussion section presented these limitations and areas for future studies, brief recommendations at the end of the study could have added rigour to the research study. Importantly, there were no conflicts of interest. This assured the readers that bias in reporting of data was reduced (Ellis, 2010). Findings of this study have important implications in nursing practice. All participants received either the passive or interactive music intervention while the control group received no music intervention. There was careful choice of music in the interactive group. For example, healthcare workers assigned to the interactive group helped investigators choose music for the patient participants. Music played during the intervention all had special meaning to the participants. All interventions were given individually for 30 minutes per session at once a week for 10 weeks. Those in the interactive group were allowed to clap, sing or interact with the music. Meanwhile, those in the passive group only listened to the music. The music chosen for the passive group also had special meaning to the participants. Those in the control group sat in silence for 30 minutes during the once a week session. Interestingly, findings show that music associated with special memories led to significant cha nges in the parasympathetic nervous system of the participants. Investigators note that music significantly increased relaxation of the individuals immediately after intervention when compared to baseline data. However, these were not noted in the control group. Significant changes were also seen on the emotional states of the participants in the interactive and passive music intervention groups. Music appeared to elicit pleasant emotional states. However, when passive and interactive groups were compared, the latter was significantly more relaxed following the music intervention. It should be noted that patients with severe dementia are more sensitive to environmental stimuli and may experience stress when placed in a new environment (Morris and Morris, 2010). Further, patients with cognitive impairments may express feelings of stress and fear through disruptive behaviour (Morris and Morris, 2010). The difficulty in verbalising their emotional needs could aggravate their responses to their surroundings (Department of Health, 2009). Hence, the st udy of Sakamoto et al. (2013) may have important implications in nursing care for patients in community settings. Nurses can encourage family members to play music that have special meaning to their loved ones suffering from dementia to illicit positive emotional states. The calming effect of music could be an advantage for patients cared in home or care settings since this would not only prevent stress but also allow patients to enjoy quality of life. Study 3: Dermot et al. (2014) A review of the study’s title shows that it also reflects the main aims and objectives of the study. Readers could easily understand that the study explored the experiences of individuals with dementia, their carers, staff and music therapists when music interventions are employed. The CASP (2013) tool for qualitative studies contains three screening questions that should be used to determine if a study is worth reviewing. The study of Dermot et al. (2014) suggests that music can help maintain the person’s interconnectedness and their quality of life. Findings have important implications in nursing practice since music intervention (Miller, 2009) is not costly and could yield positive results for patients suffering from early to advanced stages of dementia. Further review of the study shows that aims and objectives of the research were clearly stated. The main aim of the study was to explore the meaning of music in the lives of individuals suffering from dementia. Inves tigators of this study state that there is limited knowledge on why or how individuals find music beneficial to their wellbeing. Understanding the role of music according to the perceptions of the patients and their carers will help inform nursing practice on the relevance of music in the lives of people with dementia. A qualitative research methodology was appropriate for the study’s aims since the research aims to interpret the subjective experiences of individuals with dementia. Parahoo (2006) emphasises that a qualitative study allows researchers to explore the experiences and perceptions of individuals in more detail and depth. Since open-ended questions are used, investigators can use probing questions (Burns and Grove, 2013) to help participants articulate their experiences. One of the strengths of this study was the inclusion of participants’ family members, care home staff and music therapists. Individuals suffering from dementia were recruited from care homes and those living in the community. This allowed Dermot et al. (2014) to compare the perceptions of people with dementia living in care homes or in the community and determine if settings of the individuals impact their experiences with music therapy. Recruitment strategy employed was also appropriate for the research ai ms. There was also a clear explanation on the methods of data collection. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were done. In the former, this would allow researchers to investigate perceptions of participants in more detail (Parahoo, 2006). However, this requires more time to complete especially if there are many participants in a study. A focus group discussion, on the other hand, requires little resources and could be completed in one setting (Polit et al., 2013). However, if a dominant member would be included in a focus group discussion, interactions would be limited (Burns and Grove, 2013). This could be avoided with a facilitator who knows how to redirect the discussion to all members of the focus group. A stregnth of the study of Dermot et al. (2014) is the presentation of a rationalisation on why they used a combination of focus groups and in-depth interviews. It should also be noted that participants with dementia might display cognitive impairments, depending on the stage of their illness. Hence, requiring these patients to explain their experiences in more depth might be challenging. However, the investigators tried to mitigate this challenge by including carers of the patients as part of the study participants. Inclusion of carers could provide researchers with more detailed information on how music impacts the wellbeing and quality of life of the patients since these carers are more acquainted with the individuals suffering from dementia (Miranda-Castillo et al., 2010). It is also noteworthy that music therapy was individualised to the patients in the study. Thi s suggests that comparison of music therapy received by the patients was not done. Instead, investigators focused on the impact of music therapy on the patients’ wellbeing. In addition, the study did not take into account the differences in music interventions and whether this shaped the individual’s reaction to music therapy. Despite the differences in music intervention, it was common for the music therapists to use songs that were well-known to the patients. They also supported active music therapy with exploratory improvisation. Dermot et al. (2014), however, failed to explain what is exploratory improvisation or how this was done during music therapy. There was also an explanation on the content of the guides used for the in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. This was essential to demonstrate the coverage of the interview guides and whether each guide reflects the aims and objectives of the study (Moule and Goodman, 2009). However, the relationship between the researchers and the participants was not thoroughly discussed. If the participants knew the investigators, this might lead to potential bias especially if the researchers hold positions of power (Oermann, 2010). Despite this limitation, Dermot et al. (2014) emphasise that only one facilitator guided the focus group discussions. There were changes in the methods used during data collection. For instance, where a focus group discussion was initially decided, this was then changed to individual interviews in the second group of patients and healthcare workers. Dermot et al. (2014) explain that the severity of dementia of the patients was considered in the choice of d ata collection. In-depth interviews were used when patients had severe dementia. There were also sufficient details on how participants were recruited and whether ethical standards were observed. Polit et al. (2013) state that ethics in research is crucial to ensure that the rights of the participants were observed and they were not subjected to undue stress or negative experiences during data collection. Confidentiality was also observed in the study and all participants remained anonymous. Approval was also sought from an ethics board in the community settings. Data analysis of qualitative data could be extensive and time consuming (Parahoo, 2006). Informing readers how data was analysed would help increase the rigour of a qualitative study. Dermot et al. (2014) provided an in-depth description of how data was analysed. Thematic analysis was also used to present the main findings of the study. There was also a clear description on how categories and themes emerged. For instance, the long-table approach was used during analysis of data. Verbatim transcripts wer e used to support the main themes. This ensures validity and credibility of the main themes generated in the study (Polit et al., 2013). Contradictory data were also taken into account. The researchers also critically examined their own roles in the research process and the potential bias that might arise during analysis of research data. While respondent was not done, validity and credibility of the data were observed through constant comparison of categories and themes. More than one researcher was involved in the analysis of data. Professors and doctoral students of the Doctoral Programme in Music Therapy were also consulted during thematic analysis and were involved in identifying categories. Importantly, findings were discussed with reference to the original research question. A discussion was also made on the relevance of the study to dementia care. Findings of this study suggest that music is a medium that is readily accessible to patients with dementia. Many of the patients, their carers and healthcare staff admitted that music promotes mental stimulation and is an emotionally meaningful experience. Almost all participants also remarked that song lyrics with personal meanings helped patients remember their personal history. It is also perceived to reinforce personal and cultural identity. Music is also perceiv ed to promote connectedness and building and sustaining of relationships. In addition, music has immediate effects on the mood of the patients. Most of the staff members who participated in the focus group discussions remarked that agitation of the patients decreased as a result of music therapy. It is also shown to promote a relaxing environment in the care homes. On the other hand, listening to music in the lounge area could be challenging since care home residents might have different music preferences. Hence, it would be a challenge for healthcare workers to address all the music preferences of the patients. Since the study was qualitative, transferability of the findings to a larger and more heterogeneous population is impossible (Polit et al., 2013). However, other healthcare practitioners could use findings to help build a peaceful environment for patients suffering from dementia. A further review of the study also shows that the conclusion summarises the main points raised in the study and provides recommendations for other researchers to consider in similar studies in the future. Implications of Findings in Nursing Practice Findings of this literature review could be used to improve nursing practice when caring for patients with dementia. All three studies (Simmons-Stern et al., 2012; Sakamoto et al., 2013; Dermot et al., 2014) included in this literature review demonstrate the impact of music therapy on patients with dementia. Music therapy could improve health outcomes and quality of life of the patients from early to advanced stages of the disease. In the latter, patients who have difficulty communicating their needs, react positively to music therapy. Many of the patients with severe dementia show less agitation when exposed to music that was once relevant to them before they suffered from dementia. This suggests that music therapy could even not only promote positive mood of the patients but might even reconnect them to ‘who they are’ (Dermot et al., 2014). This holds important implications in nursing practice in community settings. Music therapy could be introduced to families caring for a loved one with dementia and could be used to calm the patient, reconnect with their family members and create an environment that is less stressful for the individual with dementia. The type of music therapy, however, will be dependent on the preferences of the individual (Sakamoto et al., 2013). This is consistent with patient-centred care (Department of Health, 2009) where patient preferences are considered when creating a care plan or introducing healthcare interventions. It is suggested that interactive music therapy (Simmons-Stern et al., 2012; Sakamoto et al., 2013) might be more effective than passive music therapy in improving memory and mood of the patients with dementia. As a community nurse, I need to be aware of the different non-pharmacologic interventions for people with dementia. I can use findings of this review when caring for patients suffering from dementia. Music therapy is relatively easy to carry out and entails very little cost. Importantly, it has positive short and long-term impacts on patient’s mood, memory and quality of life. Hence, considering this type of intervention could also help ease the burden of carers who provide care to these patients on a daily basis. I could use information from this literature when conducting patient education. I can inform my patients and their family members of the benefits of music therapy and the sustainability of this type of therapy over time. I can also encourage family members to consider music therapy to help alleviate the mood of the patients and provide a calm environment. Conclusion This literature review has shown the feasibility and promise of music therapy in promoting wellbeing, improving memory and quality of life of patients with dementia. As a community nurse, music therapy could be employed with the help of a music therapist in community settings. Families and carers could be taught on how to use this type of therapy to improve the mood of the patient or to calm the individual when agitated. This type of therapy holds some promise in long-term care for people with dementia. As shown in the review, individuals with severe dementia still have the ability to respond positively to music therapy. However, consideration should still be made on the applicability of the findings of the three studies to a larger and more heterogeneous population. All studies recruited a relatively small sample size that might not be representative of the experiences of a wider group of people with dementia. Although this limits applicability, findings can be tailored to the needs of individual patients. Considerations should also be made on the preferences of the patients and their family members on whether music therapy is acceptable to them. Since there is a need to practice patient-centred care, nurses have to determine if patients or their family members are willing to employ music therapy. It should ne noted that this literature review is only limited to reviewing three studies. Literature on the acceptability of music therapy was not evaluated. Despite this gap in the present literature review, the positive responses generated after music therapy should help patients and their family members consider music therapy. References Aveyard, H. (2014) Doing a literature review in health social care: A practical guide. 2nd ed. Berkshire: Open University Press. Baird, A. Samson, S. (2009) Memory for music in Alzheimer’s disease: unforgettableNeuropsychology Review. 19(1), p. 85–101. Brown, S. (2009) Evidence-based nursing: the research-practice connection. Sudbury Mass: Jones Bartlett Publishers. Burns, N. Grove, S. (2013) The practice of Nursing Research: Conduct. critique and utilisation. 7th ed., St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders. Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (2013) 10 questions to help you make sense of qualitative research. England: CASP. Crookes, P. Davies, S. (2004) Research into practice. Essential skills for reading and applying research in nursing and healthcare. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Bailliere Tindall. Cuddy, L. Duffin, J. (2005) Music, memory, and Alzheimer’s disease: is music recognition spared in dementia, and how can it be assessedMedical Hypotheses. 64(2), p. 229–235. Department of Health (2013a) Care in local communities: A new vision and model for district nursing. London: Department of Health. Department of Health (2013b) Improving care for people with dementia [Online]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/improving-care-for-people-with-dementia (Accessed: 5 December, 2014). Department of Health (2009) Living Well with dementia: A National Dementia Strategy. London: Department of Health. Ellis, P. (2010) Understanding research for nursing students. Exeter: Learning Matters. Fornazzari, L, Castle, T. Nadkarni, S. (2006) Preservation of episodic musical memory in a pianist with Alzheimer disease. Neurology. 66(4), p. 610–611. Greenhalgh, T. (2010) How to read a paper: the basics of evidence-based medicine. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley and Sons. Hansen, V., Jorgensen, T. Ortenblad, L. (2006) Massage and touch for dementia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 4, p. CD004989. Hek, G. Moule, P. (2011) Making sense of research. 4th ed. London: Sage. Long, A., Godfrey, M., Randall, T., Brettle, A. Grant, M. (2002) Developing evidence based social care policy and practice. Part 3: Feasibility of undertaking systematic reviews in social care. Leeds: Nuffield Institute for Health. McDermot, O., Orrell, M. Ridder, H. (2014) The importance of music for people with dementia: the perspectives of people with dementia, family carers, staff and music therapists. Aging Mental Health. 18(6), p. 706-716. Menard, M. Belleville, S. (2009) Musical and verbal memory in Alzheimer’s disease: a study of long-term and short-term memory. Brain and Cognition. 71(1), p. 38–45. Miller, C. (2009) Nursing for wellness in older adults. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Miranda-Castillo, C., Woods, B., Galboda, K., Oomman, S., Olojugba, C. Orrell, M. (2010) Unmet needs, quality of life and support networks of people with dementia living at home. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 8:132 doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-8-132. Morris, G. Morris, J. (2010) The dementia care workbook. London: McGraw-Hill International. Moule, P Goodman, M. (2009) Nursing Research: An Introduction, London: Sage Publishers. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) (2009) Depression: The treatment and management of depression in adults. London: NICE. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008) The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. London: NMC. Oermann, M. (2010) Writing for publication in nursing. 2nd ed., Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Parahoo, K. (2006) Nursing Research: Principles, Process and Issues. 2nd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Polit, D., Beck, C. Hungler, B. (2013) Essentials of nursing research, methods, appraisal and utilization. 8th ed., Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Ross, T. (2012) A survival guide for health research methods. Maidenhead: OUP. Sakamoto, M., Ando, H. Tsutou, A. (2013) Comparing the effects of different individualized music interventions for elderly indivduals with severe dementia. International Psychogeriatrics. 25(5), p. 775-784. Simmons-Stern, N., Deason, R., Brandler, B., Frustace, B., O’Connor, M., Ally, B. Budson, A. (2012) Music-based memory enhancement in Alzheimer’s disease: promise and limitations. Neuropsychologia. 50(14), p. 3295-3303. Spector, A., Orrell, M. Woods B. (2010) Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST): effects on different areas of cognitive function for people with dementia. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 25(12), p. 1253–1258. Talbot, L. Verrinder, G. (2009) Promoting Health: The Primary Health Care Approach. Australia: Elsevier Australia. Teri, L., Gibbons, L., McCurry, S., Logsdon, R., Buchner, D., Barlow, W., Kukull, W., LaCroix, A. McCormick, W. Larson, E. (2003) Exercise plus behavioral management in patients with Alzheimer disease: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association. 290(15), p. 2015–2022. Vink, A., Birks, J., Bruinsma, M. Scholten, R (2004) Music therapy for people with dementia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 4, p. CD003477. How to cite Research Methodology, Design and Process: Dementia Care, Essays

Mass and Centigram Balance free essay sample

Procedure: The Centigram Balance: Direct Weighing 1. Weigh a slug on a centigram balance using the direct-weighing technique: Obtain a centigram balance from the Balances option under the Equipment menu. Select the centigram balance and add one slug from the Chemicals dialog box. Record the slug mass in the Observations. 2. Weigh the same slug directly on another centigram balance: Obtain a second centigram balance from the Balances option under the Equipment menu and place it under the first centigram balance such that the pans line up under each other. Select the centigram balance with the slug and choose Pour/Decant from the Procedures menu. Record the mass of the slug. Weighing by Difference 1. Weigh the same slug by difference: Determine the mass of an empty 100-ml beaker by obtaining a 100-ml beaker and placing it on the pan of the empty centigram balance. Record the mass of the beaker. Move the beaker below the pan of the centigram balance that contains the slug. We will write a custom essay sample on Mass and Centigram Balance or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Select the centigram balance and choose Pour/Decant from the Procedures menu. Place the beaker with the slug on the pan of the centigram balance used to weigh the beaker. Record the mass of the beaker and slug. Calculate and record the mass of the slug. 2. Use the other centigram balance to determine the slug mass by difference: To store the slug, remove the beaker with slug and position it over the pan of the same centigram balance, select the beaker and choose Pour/Decant from the Procedures menu. Place the empty beaker on the pan of the other centigram balance. Record the mass of the beaker. Move the beaker below the pan of the centigram balance that contains the slug. Select the centigram balance and choose Pour/Decant from the Procedures menu. Place the beaker with the slug on the pan of the centigram alance just used to weigh the beaker. Record the mass of the beaker and slug. Calculate and record the mass of the slug. Move the beaker and slug to the side for use with the electronic balance. 3. Weigh an unknown mass on a centigram balance using the direct-weighing technique: Select a centigram balance and add an unknown mass from the Chemicals dialog box. Record the identification num ber. Record the mass of the unknown by direct weighing. 4. Weigh the same mass by difference: Determine the mass of an empty 100-ml beaker by obtaining a 100-ml beaker and placing it on the pan of the empty centigram balance. Record the mass of the beaker. Move the beaker below the pan of the centigram balance that contains the mass. Select the centigram balance and choose Pour/Decant from the Procedures menu. Place the beaker with the mass on the pan of the centigram balance used to weigh the beaker. Record the mass of the beaker and the unknown. Calculate and record the mass of the unknown. Delete one of centigram balances and move the beaker with the unknown mass to the side for use with the electronic balance. The Electronic Balance: Mass of the Slug by Direct Weighing and by Difference Determine the mass of the same slug used above by direct weighing and by difference using either the Electronic Balance or the High Sensitivity Balance. 1. Direct weighing: Select the beaker with the slug and choose Transfer to New Container from the Procedures menu. Select an electronic or high sensitivity balance from the Transfer Contents dialog box. Record the mass of the slug using the number of figures justified by the sensitivity of the balance. 2. By Difference: Select the balance with the slug and choose Transfer to New Container from the Procedures menu. Select a 100-ml beaker from the Transfer Contents dialog box. Select the beaker with the slug and place it on the balance. Record the mass of the beaker and the slug. Remove the beaker from the balance. Select the beaker and choose Empty from the Procedures menu. Place the empty beaker on the balance. Record the mass of the beaker. Calculate and record the mass of the slug. Mass of the Unknown by Direct Weighing and by Difference Determine the mass of the unknown by direct weighing and by difference using either the Electronic Balance or the High Sensitivity Balance. 1. Direct weighing: Select the beaker with the unknown mass and choose Transfer to New Container from the Procedures menu. Select an electronic or high sensitivity balance from the Transfer Contents dialog box. Record the mass of the unknown using the number of figures justified by the sensitivity of the balance. 2. By Difference: Select the balance with the unknown mass and choose Transfer to New Container from the Procedures menu. Select a 100-ml beaker from the Transfer Contents dialog box. Select the beaker with the mass and place it on the balance. Record the mass of the unknown and the beaker. Remove the beaker from the balance. Select the beaker and choose Empty from the Procedures menu. Place the empty beaker on the balance. Record the mass of the beaker. Calculate and record the mass of the unknown. The Average Mass of a Copper Slug with an Electronic Balance Obtain an electronic balance from the Equipment menu or use one already available. Select the balance and add a slug from the Chemicals dialog box. Record the slug mass using the number of figures justified by the sensitivity of the balance. Select the balance and add a second slug from the Chemicals dialog box. Record the mass of the two slugs. Select the balance and add a third slug from the Chemicals dialog box. Record the mass of the three slugs. Select the balance and add a fourth slug from the Chemicals dialog box. Record the mass of the four slugs. Select the balance and add a fifth slug from the Chemicals dialog box. Record the mass of the five slugs. Calculate and record the average mass of the slugs. Weighing Solid Chemicals with Centigram Balance and Electronic Balance 1. With Centigram Balance: Obtain a watch glass from the Equipment menu. Select the watch glass and add sodium chloride (NaCl) in the range of 1. 0 to 1. g from the Chemicals dialog box. Place the watch glass on a centigram balance. Record the mass of watch glass and sample. Remove the watch glass from the centigram balance. Select the watch glass and choose Empty from the Procedures menu. Place the watch glass on the centigram balance. Record the mass of the watch glass. Calculate and record the mass of the sample by difference. 2. With Electronic Balance: Obtain a watch glass from the Equipment menu. Select the watch glass and add sodium chloride (NaCl) in the range of 1. 0 to 1. 2g from the Chemicals dialog box. Place the watch glass on an electronic balance. Record the mass of watch glass and sample. Remove the watch glass from the balance. Select the watch glass and choose Empty from the Procedures menu. Place the empty watch glass on the balance. Record the mass of the watch glass. Calculate and record the mass of the sample by difference. Note: In an actual lab you would have to develop the skill of measuring out samples of chemicals according to specific weights. In lab simulations the measuring out is done for you in the Chemicals dialog box. You key in the amount of chemical required and it will automatically be added to the specified container.

Methods Essays - Littorinidae, Common Periwinkle, Periwinkle

Methods The purpose of this experiment is to test how periwinkles react in different salinities by measuring their overall velocity (movement over time). We set up two containers of the same volume each with the same volume but different levels of salinity, and would individually subject one periwinkle to one of the salinities, thus creating a separate experiment with two treatments (one of 10ppt, one of 30ppt). The periwinkles were chosen at random by a rotation of selectee that was determined by both a 6-sided die and a coin flip. Once the periwinkles were introduced and were both right side up a 30 second acclimatization period would begin. After that 30 second period, had elapsed a secondary timer of five minutes would begin. During these five minutes, two randomly chosen members of the group would trace the Periwinkles movement on a clear plastic sheet with an erasable marker. A secondary sheet of clear acetate was provided should the Periwinkles start to climb on the walls of the conta iner. After five minutes, the periwinkle form each container was removed and placed in a "used" container. The used periwinkles would not be taking part in the rest of the experiment. This was repeated as time permitted allowing for roughly 10 replicates within each trial. Pictures were taken of the traced movement and then the process would begin again. There were no adjustments made between trial 1 and trial 2. The periwinkles that we were used were randomly selected via die and coin combination that both randomized those that were picking (at random) as well as which jar the animal was being selected from. This was done in attempts to sample from a variety of the periwinkle population in efforts to avoid bias. The periwinkles were all collected at tower beach at random. In an effort to limit experimental uncertainty we made sure to roll die and flip a coin to decide the group and then the subsequent person who would be performing each task. Containers were emptied washed and scrubbed before being used again. This was to wash the mucus layer off of the container that other periwinkles might follow. To limit extraneous variables, temperature, salinity, and light was measured every three replicates to ensure there was no change in abiotic conditions. Human interaction was necessary in this case but was attempted to stay limited by not moving while observing the snail's movements. We used image J, an online software, to calculate the total distance travelled by analyzing the pictures of the plots we traced of the snail's movement. This in turn would provide us with a total distance that the Periwinkles travelled, which when divided by the time that we recorded for each replicate (five minutes) we received velocity which we could use to achieve our purpose.

Words Beginning With For- and Fore-

Words Beginning With For- and Fore- Words Beginning With For- and Fore- Words Beginning With For- and Fore- By Maeve Maddox English has several words that begin with the prefixes for- and fore- Sometimes the prefix means â€Å"before† or â€Å"in front of.† Sometimes it means â€Å"outside,† a meaning derived from an Old French element related to modern French hors, as in the French borrowing hors d’oeuvre, â€Å"outside the main course.† Perhaps the most frequently misspelled of this category is the word found at the beginning of many books: Foreword. A book’s foreword is a preface, a brief essay not necessarily essential for the understanding of the text of a book and commonly written by someone other than the author of the text. Confusion arises from the existence of the adjective forward. As an adjective, forward is used to describe something that is in front of or ahead of something else. On a ship, things located towards the front are said to be forward, for example, the â€Å"forward hold.† A â€Å"forward child† in a positive sense is a clever child, precocious for its years. In a negative sense, a â€Å"forward child† is like the ones on television who exchange quips, insults, and double entendres with adults; again, the sense is that the child is ahead of its years. The three verbs forecast, foretell, and foresee all mean â€Å"to predict† or â€Å"to prophesy,† but have different connotations: The weatherman forecast showers for Monday. (prediction based on analysis of data) The gypsy foretold Gwen’s marriage to a rancher. (prediction based on mysterious knowledge) Harold’s business experience enabled him to foresee the consequences of his partner’s decision. (prediction based on personal experience) Some other verbs beginning with fore- in which the sense is â€Å"happening before† are: forebode: to announce beforehand. Forebode and forbid come from OE verbs with similar meanings. Forbid now means â€Å"to command a person not to do something.† Forebode means to announce ahead of time. The word forbode carries a connotation of dread, for example, â€Å"Vanishing act of middle class forebodes turbulent time.† The verb bode, on the other hand, means simply â€Å"to predict† or â€Å"to give promise of something† and may be used in either a positive or a negative context: Stephen Colberts Super-Charming Late Show Appearance Bodes Well for His New Gig. Scottish independence does not bode well for its economy foreordain: to determine in advance. â€Å"His hostility drives the drama in the first act, and his frenetic dancing in the second makes his demise seem foreordained.† forewarn: to warn or caution in advance. This quotation from Charles Kingsley has become a proverb: â€Å"To be forewarned is to be forearmed,† (i.e., knowledge of what is about to happen is like having a weapon with which to defend yourself). In the following nouns the prefix has the sense of â€Å"before†: forelock: A lock of hair growing from the fore part of the head, just above the forehead. In old novels you’ll find references to farm workers and other social inferiors touching or tugging their forelocks to show respect to their superiors: â€Å"There was plenty of bobbing from the girls and pulling of forelocks from the boys.† The expression â€Å"to take opportunity by the forelock† means to take advantage of a situation as aggressively as possible: â€Å"He seized opportunity by the forelock and secured the best aid possible in his business† forefather: an ancestor, one who has come before. foresight: The action or faculty of foreseeing what must happen. For example, â€Å"[Jacob Little] had unusual foresight, which at times seemed to amount to prescience.† In the following verbs, the prefix is from the French borrowing that meant â€Å"outside†: forbear: to abstain or refrain from â€Å"The defendants were asked to forbear to arrest Mr. Swift.† forswear: to swear falsely; to abandon or renounce â€Å"As waggish boys in game themselves forswear, So the boy Love is perjured everywhere.† A Midsummer Night’s Dream, I, i, 240-241. forfeit: to lose the right to; give up â€Å"The execution of a murderer does not violate his right to life, because he forfeited that right when he committed a murder.† John Locke forget: to lose remembrance of forgive: to give up resentment forsake: to give up, renounce foreclose: to preclude, hinder, or prohibit (a person) from (an action). Although spelled fore-, the prefix in foreclose has the â€Å"out† meaning, as in â€Å"to shut out.† Finally, there are two words that look almost alike, but have quite different origins: forebear (noun): An ancestor, forefather, progenitor (usually more remote than a grandfather). This noun is formed from the prefix fore- (before) and an old word, beer. This beer has nothing to do with the beverage. Instead, it comes from the verb to be. A be-er is one who exists. A forebear existed before you did. forbear (verb): to abstain or refrain from something. â€Å"Woman, forbear that weeping!† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Using "a" and "an" Before WordsHyper and HypoSupervise vs. Monitor

French Pronunciation of Vowels (Voyelles Française)

French Pronunciation of Vowels (Voyelles Franà §aise) A vowel is a sound that is pronounced through the mouth (and, in the case of nasal vowels, the nose) with no obstruction of the lips, tongue, or throat. There are a few general guidelines to keep in mind when pronouncing French vowels: Most French vowels are pronounced further forward in the mouth than their English counterparts.The tongue must remain tensed throughout the pronunciation of the vowel.French vowels do not diphthong. In English, vowels tend to be followed by a y sound (after a, e, or i) or a w sound (after o or u). In French, this is not the case - the vowel sound remains constant: it does not change into a y or w sound. Thus the French vowel is a purer sound than the English vowel. Hard and Soft Vowels A, O, and U are sometimes called hard vowels and E and I are soft vowels, because certain consonants (C, G, S) have a hard and a soft pronunciation, depending on which vowel follows. Nasal Vowels Vowels followed by M or N are usually nasal. Nasal pronunciation can be very different from the normal pronunciation of each vowel. Accents Accents may change the pronunciation of vowels. They are required in French.

Do Judges Make the Law or Find it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Do Judges Make the Law or Find it - Essay Example An older dimension of the ideology that judges do not make law is captured in saying that judges find or declare law but do not make it.2 The question of whether judges make law or find and the arguments relating to this question is hinged on the roles of the three major organs of the government; the executive, judiciary, and legislature. It is argued that the legislative branch of the government has the mandate of creating the law.3 Nonetheless, it is true that the executive branch can make the law through executive orders which operate as law, and so can the judiciary branch make the law. While it is generally known that the judiciary is mandated to interpret law, it has over the years asserted its authority and has established itself as an equal branch of the government that can make law.4 Case law is a common example of the law that is created by the court system or the judiciary. Case law can be defined as the sum of body of cases that creates a body of law or jurisprudence on a certain subject distinct from legislations and other sources of law. Case laws interpret regulations, constitutional provisions, and statutes. Strasbourg jurisprudence recognized the powers of the courts to make laws.5 In R v Governor of HMP Brockhill Ex parte Evans (2000), it was held that even in the criminal law, the domestic courts can develop law through judicial interpretation of a case or more.6 So, are judges really law makers or are merely law finders? The fact that the main role of the judges is to interpret and apply existing law in a particular case is undisputable. Therefore, judges are supposed to find any existing law that is relevant to a case at hand and apply it to make legal decisions. In this case it can be said that judges are law finders rather than being law makers because they have to find law.7 The doctrine of separation of powers stipulates that each branch of the government should not interfere with the mandate and roles of the other branch and each branc h should be allowed to operate independently. In this respect, the court system should interfere with the legislature’s role of making the law.8 Instead, it should preoccupy itself with the role of interpreting the law. However, it is an appreciated fact within the legal fraternity that the legal system is dynamic and keeps on developing and so does the role of the judges. As such, it is expected that the role of the judges should not be confined only to finding laws and applying them, but rather to make law where necessary and leave their own legal imprint in the legal system.9 In common law countries, the case law left behind by the judges is used in applying to other cases that relate to the previous ones based on the doctrine of judicial precedent. It has been argued to a greater extent that the doctrine of judicial precedent is an indirect way in which judges make law.10 In common law countries and democratic states, the role of judges is perceived to be active and creat ive rather than passive. This explains why they have a special place in the judiciary branch of government. Apart from being expected to interpret the law, they are also expected to contribute towards the growth of the legal system of their countries through their knowledge, skills, experience, and creativity.11 Whereas the

Michigan agricultural college a dream fullfiled Essay

Michigan agricultural college a dream fullfiled - Essay Example In 1850, the state constitutional convention called for the foundation of an Agricultural School under the provision of Article 13, Section 11 – the Morrill Act enacted under Abraham Lincoln’s administration. Interestingly, it was first suggested that this Agricultural School would be part of the University of Michigan. In fact, then-president Henry Tappan lobbied for this school to be built in UM’s own Ann Arbor. However, John C. Holmes of the Michigan State Agricultural Society opposed this, on the ground that the school’s students may end up being neglected by UM. Luckily for him, then-Michigan Governor Kingsley S. Bingham saw things his way, mandating a bill commissioning the establishment of what was then called the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan. Eleven years later would be a moment in history for the school – it saw its first batch of graduates, as well as the Michigan Legislature that allowed it to offer four-year curriculum c ourses and grant degrees on par with more established universities. The beginnings of the Agricultural College were surprisingly humble. Under its first president, Joseph Williams, a member of Harvard’s Phi Beta Kappa in addition to being both an accomplished farmer and attorney, it started out with only three buildings and five professors, as well as a student body of 63. Luckily, Williams made the best of the situation, hiring a host of competent professors in the college’s first year. These professors then proceeded to set up sophisticated science laboratories in its College Hall, complete with equipment such as microscopes which were then thought to be state-of-the-art. Needless to say, Michigan Agricultural College flourished under President Williams’s tenure; even relatively early on in its existence, it boasted a wide array of theoretical and practical academics. The Michigan state legislature passed a bill in 1855, which

Mongol Empire and Silk Road Essay Example for Free

Mongol Empire and Silk Road Essay The Silk Road is a touchstone for world history. It was a rich trans-regional vehicle for the transmission of art, religion, science and disease that also affords a glimpse into the politics and economic systems of the pre-modern world. . The Silk Road in World History (Suggested writing time – 40 minutes) You should spend at least 10 minutes reading, analyzing, and grouping the sources. Directions: The following question is based on the accompanying Sources 1 6. (The sources have been edited for the purpose of this exercise). The question is designed to test your ability to work with and understand historical sources. Write an essay that: Â · Has a relevant thesis and supports that thesis with evidence from the sources. Â · Uses all of the sources. Â · Analyzes the sources by grouping them in as many appropriate ways as possible and does not simply summarize the sources individually. Â · Takes into account both the sources of the documents and the authors points of view. You may refer to relevant historical information not mentioned in the sources. Prompt: To what extent did the Silk Road create an interconnected network? What kinds of additional documentation would help assess the role of the Silk Road in creating interconnected network from the 2nd century C.E. to the 13th century? Source 1 Source: Roman historian, Cassius Dio, 164 224 C.E., commented on a celebration the Roman emperor, Julius Caesar, staged in his own honor around 50 B.C.E. If I mention one feature of his [Caesars] extravagance at that time, I shall thereby give an idea of all the rest. In order that the sun might not annoy any of the spectators, he had curtains stretched over them made of silk, according to some accounts. Now this fabric is a device of barbarian luxury, and has come down from them even to us to gratify the fastidious taste of fine ladies. Source 2 Source: Sima Qian, The Records of the Grand Historian, about Zhang Qian, a diplomat who traveled to the court of the Yuezhi for the Han Emperor Wudi, 1st century B.C.E. Zhang Qian was the first person to bring back a clear account of the Dayuan [present day Krygystan and Uzbekistan]. Anzi [Parthian Persia] is situated several thousand li [a little more than a third of a mile] west of the region of the Great Yuezhi. The people are settled on the land, cultivating the fields and growing rice and wheat. They also make wine out of grapes. . Source 3 Source: Faxian, A Chinese Buddhist Monks Travels in India and Ceylon, 399 411 C.E. From this place [Central Asia], we traveled southeast, passing by a succession of very many monasteries, with a multitude of monks . When stranger monks arrive at any monastery, the old residents meet and receive them . Source 4 Source: Anonymous assistant to a Chinese merchant, A Record of Musings On the Eastern Capital, about Hangzhou, capital of the Southern Sung Dynasty, 1235. During the morning hours, markets extend from Tranquility Gate of the palace all the way to the north and south sides of the New Boulevard. Here we find pearl, jade, talismans, exotic plants and fruits, seasonal catches from the sea, wild game all the rarities of the world seem to be gathered here. Some of the hustlers are students who failed to achieve any literary distinction. Though able to read and write, and play musical instruments and chess, they are not highly skilled in any art. They end up being a kind of guide for young men from wealthy families, accompanying them in their pleasure-seeking activities. Source 5 Source: Friar John of Monte Corvino, Letter to the West, one of two letters written to his fellow Franciscans around 1295. John was sent by Pope Nicolas IV to try to make an alliance with the Mongols against the Mamluk rulers of Egypt. I, Friar John of Monte Corvino, of the Order of Friars Minor, departed from Tauris, a city of the Persians, in the year of the Lord 1291, and proceeded to India. And I remained in the country of India, wherein stands the church of St. Thomas the Apostle, for thirteen months, . I proceeded on my further journey and made my way to Cathay, the realm of the emperor of the Mongols who is called the Great Khan. To him I presented the letter of our lord the pope, and invited him to adopt the Catholic faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, but he had grown too old in idolatry. However he bestows kindnesses upon the Christians, and these two years past I am abiding with him. Source 6 Source: Marco Polo, The Travels of Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant who may have worked for the Yuan dynasty, the Mongol rulers of China, late 13th century. This excerpt is a description of Hangzhou, a southern city that was part of the Yuan empire. There are within the city ten principal squares or market places, besides innumerable shops along the streets. . On the nearer bank stand large stone warehouses provided for merchants who arrive from India and other parts with their goods and effects. They are thus situated conveniently close to the market squares. In each of these, three days in every week, from forty to fifty thousand persons come to these markets and supply them with every article that could be desired.

The Wifes Lament Essay -- Poet Wifes Lament Speaker

The Wife's Lament Over the years, there have been many interpretations of who the speaker of The Wife’s Lament could be. These range from very interesting ideas to ones that seem a little rough around the edges. It is obvious that no sure answer can be found due to the fact that whoever wrote this poem is dead and that the answer will always be in speculation even if it is correct. Hopefully, at the end of this quest I will be slightly more enlightened as to who the true speaker may really be. There are some things that we do know about this poem. It is most often referred to as an elegy because of the mood of mourning and regret. Upon further reading I discovered that this poem is like others of its time period. Many parallels can be seen between The Wife’s Lament and The Wanderer. The Wanderer is a poem about a man that is exiled due to war and details his miserable life in the wintry wilderness. Another poem that resembles The Wife’s Lament is Wulf and Eadwacer. In both of these poems, the speaker is interpreted to be a woman unlike other poems of the time. Wulf and Eadwacer is about a woman who has been involved with two men, the dreaded love-triangle. When the woman was separated from her lover, Wulf, she is taken into the comforting arms of another man, Eadwacer. This causes her much happiness but also pain over the lost love of Wulf. Thus the lament of this woman is very similar to the speaker in The Wife’s Lament. The various interpretations of The Wife’s Lament may argue on who the speaker is, but there is one thing that can not be denied. There is no doubt that this poem is about lamenting exile and the trials the speaker must face due to this exile. No matter who the speaker is, he/she is wroug... ... I think that anyone that reads this poem should be told about this interpretation so that they can at least consider it. The question of who is speaking in The Wife’s Lament will never be answered because there are too many facts that aren’t provided. It would have been wonderful if the poet would have stated straight away that the speaker was a woman or a goddess or any of the other possible people or things. The only thing that readers of this poem can do is take all of these interpretations into consideration and use them to form their own idea of who the speaker is. I am very glad that I was introduced to this work and that I had the possibility to examine the various arguments of who is speaking. I think that when reading any piece of literature it should be looked at in a similar fashion as trying to pick apart who is speaking in The Wife’s Lament.

Rhitorical Appeals in Literature Essay

In â€Å"Superman and Me† by Sherman Alexie, the narrator’s claim is that if you do your best to obtain knowledge, even those considered to be low class can flourish and rise up in a world such as ours. In this specific case, the narrator turns his quest for knowledge into a fight to improve his life as well as the lives of his fellow Indian’s. He read whenever possible in hopes that he could escape the poverty of the reservation and make something of himself, unlike the other kids who purposely did bad in class and pretended to be stupid. Sherman Alexie uses the rhetorical appeal of Pathos, or emotion, as well as Ethos, to get his point across. He writes about how when he was a kid, no one was there to help them in school and teach them how to write properly, and how as an adult he Is continuously fighting to help kid’s in the same situation he was once in so that they do not have to go through what he did to succeed and become successful in life. There is no better interpretation of what Alexie is trying to prevent or solve as he himself was in the same situation that he is fighting to end to this day. He says â€Å"I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky. I am trying to save our lives† (Alexie Phar. 8). Throughout his essay, he shows how using his knowledge, arrogance, and luck he manages to â€Å"break out† of the Indian reservation to become a successful writer in an attempt at saving â€Å"our† lives: Not just his life, but the lives of all Indians, both current and future. In the poem â€Å"Crazy Courage† by Alma Luz Villanueva, the author talks about a man named Michael that she met in her fiction class, who, as she later finds out, is a cross dresser. Using the rhetorical appeal Pathos, the author  truly proves her point- that other people’s opinions do not matter so long as you are courageous and confident about yourself. In the poem, Michael seems so courageous, even though he is dressed in woman’s clothes and in front of an entire class, that it â€Å"shocked / the young, seen-it-all MTV crowd / into silence†(Villanueva 20-23). The class was so shocked at the confidence of the person in front of them considering his situation that they couldn’t even speak. In fact, even â€Å"those who would kill him† were impressed at the level of courage he must have had, and the fact that he seemed even happier in the seemingly odd clothes and outfit he was wearing (Villanueva 27). Last but not least is the poem â€Å"Theme for English B† by Langston Hughes. The author Langston Hughes seems to use more of a Logical appeal. While it doesn’t seem to be the most organized Poem, there is without a doubt some sort of claim. While it isn’t necessarily the best example of a claim that relates to knowledge and individual power, it seemed like an interesting poem to write about. In my opinion, the author is trying to show that even though he is of a different race than his white teacher, and even though he is from Harlem, he is just like everyone else. He likes â€Å"to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. / [He] like[s] to work, read, learn, and understand life†(Hughes 21-22). On the other hand, I feel like this poem has a hidden message, which is that obtaining knowledge is important for him to eventually become as â€Å"free† as his older, white teacher. That is why, in my opinion, he mentions where he went to school and the fact that he is in college to learn, in hopes of getting somewhere in the long run. That is also why, in my opinion, he points out that he is the only colored student in his class. Not necessarily to point out his color or race, but to show that he is one of the few in his race that finds knowledge to be an important thing. Overall, I feel like all of these claims are somewhat valid. The claims in â€Å"Crazy Courage† and â€Å"Superman and Me† are without a doubt true in my opinion, however the claim in â€Å"Theme for English B† seems a bit weak. I’m not quite sure when the third poem was written, however nowadays I feel like the level of colored people obtaining an education is relatively fair. Racism is for the most part nonexistent in at least the northern half of the United States, so that is no longer a problem in our  society here. I feel like if the poem was written recently it would not have been as successful as it was, and you wouldn’t be finding it in text books. Perhaps the poem was written a long time ago so the authors points were valid, however nowadays plenty of colored people are receiving proper educations and going to college.

A Critical Analysis of Recruitment and Selection Methods

Executive Summary Duxton Hotel Wellington began its life as the Plaza International Hotel that opened in 1987. The hotel was renamed and rebranded in June 2000. Situated in the heart of the Harbor Capital of New Zealand, 170 Wakefield Street, Wellington. There are 198 employees who employed by Duxton Hotel. Our group interviewed Anne Bellman who is Human Resources Manager of Duxton Hotel. Anne gave us much information about the methods of recruitment and selection of their hotel. Like if they need recruit a position, they will recruit internal first and they concentrate on external too (internal and external are nearly balance). They recruit on website, because it is cheap and popular medium. And many people can have chance to apply. They also use Employment Recruitment Agency. Although agencies are very expensive, they can save time and provide excellent suitable candidates to Duxton Hotel. For selection methods, Anne told us they usually use structured interview because they think it is equally to the applicants to answer the same standard question. Further they use Reference Checks too. Reference checks are a low-cost and save time method. I suggest Duxton Hotel use multiple interviewers can be advantageous, for their individual biases and stereotypes may cancel one another out. Because there are only 2 people do the interviewer. And I also advise them use some logo on the ads on the web. Don’t recruit internal when they recruit some too senior position. Sometimes the reference can’t s show the employee real ability and personality. Duxton Hotel should have a checklist to evaluate the selection methods. The various methods of recruitment and selection all have benefits and drawbacks, and the choice of a method has to make in relation to the particular vacancy and the type of labour market in which the job falls. Table of Contents Executive Summary Table of Contents 1. 0Terms of Reference†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1 2. 0Procedure 1. Primary Research†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 2. 2 Secondary Research†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1 3. Findings 1. Introduction of Duxton Hotel†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 2. Recruitment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 3. Selection†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 4. Analysis and critical Commentary 1. Recruitment Methods†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 1. Internal Recruitment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6 2. Advertise on Web†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 3. Recruitment Agency†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 2. Selection Methods†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 1. Structured Interview †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 8 2. Reference Checks†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 5. Conclusions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 11 6. Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦12 7. References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 Appendix 1— 4 MEMO To: Jacqui Campbell, Lecturer of Human Resource Management From: Nina Bu Date: 28th August 2003 Subject: A critical analysis of the recruitment and selection methods used in a large or medium sized organisation 1. 0 TERMS OF REFERENCE This assignment is requested by Jacqui Campbell, Lecturer of Human Resource Management. Its purpose is to analysis the recruitment and selection methods used in a large or medium sized organization and to make appropriate recommendations. This assignment is due on 28th of August 2003. It is submitted by a group primary research, but secondary research and writes by individual. Nina Bu wrote this report individually. 2. PROCEDURE 1. Primary Research On 14th of August 2003, an interview was conducted with Ms Anne Bellman, Human Resources Manager of DUXTON HOTEL Wellington. Three digital recorders were used during the interview. 2. Secondary Research 2. 2. 1 City library & Massey Library books 2. 2. 2 Internet websites 2. 2. 3 The hand book of Duxton Hotel 3. 0 Finding 3. 1 Introduction of DUXTON HOTEL Duxton Hotel Wellington began its life as the Plaza International Hotel that opened in 1987. In 1992 the hotel was bought by Mr. George Ishiyama. Mr. Ishiyama set about refurbishing the hotel to its present standard, ensuring its growths and development. He owned the hotel until 2000 when Duxton Hotels International purchased it. The hotel was renamed and rebranded in June 2000. Duxton Hotel situated in the heart of the Harbor Capital of New Zealand, 170 Wakefield Street, Wellington. 2. Recruitment Our group interviewed Anne Bellman who is Human Resources Manager of Duxton Hotel. From the interview, we know each position has a different cost associated with recruitment. If they were replacing a manager then they would put an advertisement in the newspaper, that costs about $1000,and also put on â€Å"seek† website as well, so in total maybe $2000. If they uses an agency and pay a fee, the cost is about $6000. To replace a person, the cost is different because there is a training cost, including the time of other people. The average cost is about 2. 5% of the annual salary of the person—sometimes 2 or 3 times that if the position is really important. We chose the job group is Front office manager. So Duxton Hotel paid $120 for the web advertisement for one month, and paid $6,000 to an agency to recruit a suitable front office manager. Duxton Hotel has policies on recruitment and the main policy is they advertise internally first—Hotel Situations Vacant Board, this is to promote career progression. They have an EEO policy. They look at someone’s CV on the basis of what they can do, and not their sex or country of origin. For a job like housekeep attendances, they advertise internally and see if people have a friend or daughter, cousin etc. Then advertise in â€Å"free newspapers† so many people have a chance to apply. If the role were more supervisory then they would first look internally to see if they could promote someone. If they want to recruit a manager, even to a role like Front Office Manager then they still need to use Employment Recruitment Agency, for example, TMP, Candidates Personnel, Terrence Cox (an agency specializing in hospitality) because there are not many people who have that ability. Duxton Hotel does use the web to advertise because it is more cheaply compared to using an agency. As part of the fee they can keep the advertisement on the web for 4 weeks and this means many people have the opportunity to see it. It becomes more and more popular to use the web because fewer people buy newspaper now. Anne measure they analysis each position on a â€Å"case-by-case† basis. They look at where they got the person from, for instance, newspaper, web, agency or internally. There is a balance between internal and external. Agencies are very expensive so they only do that once or twice each year. They look at why one method was less successful. Maybe it was the language they used, or the logo, the words were not attractive enough. They mention the days of the week are best for advertising. Normally that is Wednesday and Saturday for newspapers. There are not many checks from outside for EEO policy. Nobody really audits them, but they rely on â€Å"self-checks†. They look at how honest they were, and they want to be â€Å"seen† as a â€Å"good employer† so they need to make sure people know they demonstrate EEO. If they didn’t do it then people would find out and contact their supervisor or manager. Anne said they would try them best to let the employee feel at home. On average they would advertise 25 times per year (2 per months), including advertising on the web, through the newspaper, or at the student job research. This is an industry where staff turnover is high so that is one reason they have so many advertisement. Another reason is because sometimes they are very busy and they just need more people. Number of applicants depends on the position, i. e. , some position quite popular then maybe up to 30 and it is normally around 15. For some hard position, they maybe only get 5 people interested. Now they are advertising for a Front Office Manager which the job group we focused. They have about 10 applications at the moment from the web and about 6 applications from Employment Recruitment Agency. The number depends on the position and how attractive it is. 3. 3 Selection The selection method of Duxton Hotel is interviews and they use Structured Interviews, so everyone is asked the same questions. Anne would do first interviews and then â€Å"shortlist† people for a second interview. This methods is used for more senior positions and they normally shortlist down to 2 or 3 people and meet assistant manager or someone more senior. Then they make a decision based on that. They always have 2 people interviewing each applicant so they can discuss it afterwards. They are Anne and the manager of the department if there are lots of applicants they are interviewing, then they (the interviewer) fills in a form about each applicant, so they can remember what happened in the interview. Examples of questions Anne asked during the interview. Generally they would tell the applicant about their hotel and the chain of hotel. They would then tell them about the position and the department. After that they would give the applicants a copy of the job description. So they spend the first 5-10 minutes trying to make the interviewee feel more relaxed (maybe also service them a cup of coffee) and giving them information about the hotel and the job. Then some questions Anne would ask is why they applied for the job and what do they know about the hotel. They would also ask the applicants to talk about their previous work experience. Hence they can â€Å"get a sense of† how well they communicate. Anne mention how well they can describe something and whether they can make it interesting. Further ask them questions about their strengths focus. Anne use a format like â€Å" tell us about a time when you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Tell us a story†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Anne uses work experience, personality and communication ability–criteria to measure candidates. They want to know if applicants confident in talking with other people. Anne can understand more about them by asking them questions like how they dealt with difficult customers in the past. And questions about working under pressure are also vital. The criterion is how they present themselves–do they look after themselves, for example, their hair and their clothes. Anne does a â€Å"reference check† too. They would call the candidates’ previous employers to see if they would recommend them. Anne always do reference checks and never offer a job before they do that. Sometimes they check the qualifications too. For the successful applicants, Anne would phone them and see if they still want the job. Anne will tell them the salary and starting dates, and who they will be reporting to, and tell them what kind of information they will need to give the hotel: like bank account details and IRD number. For unsuccessful applicants, Anne normally uses a letter, but for second interview applicants she sometimes will call them. Anne said she should have a checklist but they don’t have it, so they don’t really evaluate. 4. 0 Analysis and Critical Commentary Human Resource Management involves the productive use of people in achieving the organization’s strategic business objectives and the satisfaction of individual employee needs (Stone, 2002, P 4). HRM is getting the right people who have the right skill into the right place at the right time. Manager use recruitment and selection, to attract and hire new employees who have the abilities and skills to achieve the strategic goal. Good HRM demands that organizations have well-defined EEO objectives and policy. Duxton Hotel have EEO policy requires fair treatment for all members of the community and the elimination of discrimination. It means candidates should be treated fairly irrespective of differences in race, sex, nationality etc. 4. 1 Recruitment methods The definition of recruitment is the process of seeking and attracting a pool of qualified candidates for a job vacancy (Stone, 2002, P174). There is numerous ways in which Duxton Hotel can find employees to fill their job vacancy. They have application form (see Appendix 2). They advertise internally first, advertise on newspapers and website, use Employment Recruitment Agency etc. . 1. 1Anne advertises internally first–Hotel Situations Vacant Board, it is to promote career progression. It is extremely advantageous for you to be able to offer upward mobility your internal people. While Anne said their Internal and external recruitment is a balance (half-half). Why? Because everything has two aspects, the internal recruiting ha s advantage & disadvantages. |Advantages |Disadvantages | |Employee is familiar with the hotel |A limit ool of applicants | |Motivation current employees |Stifle creativity and innovation | |Hotel can save money to advertising |Infighting for promotions | |Less time consuming |System can become bureaucratic | |Hotel know employees honest, reliable |No new talent into organization | In contrast, external recruiting has benefit: new skills, knowledge, methods, wider choice of applicants, and good advertisement for the hotel. When organization is in trouble and performing poorly, external recruiting is often relied on to bring in managerial talent with a fresh approach. 4. 1. 2 Duxton Hotel does use the web to advertise, because it is very cost effective compared to using an agency. Website is the web address or location of an organization (Stone, 2002). The web site for Duxton Hotel is www. duxton. com. Now Duxton Hotel posts their vacancies like front office manager via their own Web site. For example, position is front office manager, job description is to ensure maximum yield and profitability from the rooms inventory, requirements is he/she must have at least five years experience in a first class hotel, and a natural leader, key responsibilities is to provide statistical & financial reports for the general manager as request and the date of applications (more details please see Appendix 3). In the last seven years, the Internet has really had an impact on business. Like Anne said nowadays the web becomes more and more popular but fewer people buy/read newspaper. And advertising on the Internet is not expensive, so they can just use $120 keep the ad on the web for 4 weeks (24 hours a day), we can image this means many people have the opportunity to see it. So when an human resource manager do an actual recruiting plan for the hotel, he/she should includes Internet advertising as part of the media mix, along with newspaper ads, agency and so on. In general, the higher the education level and the greater the past employment responsibility, the greater the likelihood a candidate will use the Internet as a tool. 4. 1. Recruitment agencies specialize wholly in recruitment and generally keep an up-to-date database of experience potential employees. They take the time out of advertising, interviewing and selecting candidates, and can hand the client a ready-made employee to fit the client’s job specification. Duxton hotel uses Employment Recruitment Agency, because for Front Office Manager, there are not many people who have that ability. So they need to pay $6000 for that to the agencies, i. e. TMP, Candidates personnel, Terrence Cox which is an agency specialising in hospitality. From that we know, Employment agencies can be effective in generating job candidates in some fields. The agency’s effectiveness is largely a function of how well it understands the organization and the requirements of the specific job. Using agencies is expensive and usually not cost-effective for low-level and low-paying jobs. In contrast, most opening at the senior management level use executive search firms as part of their recruiting efforts. It is important to establish a good relationship with the professional recruiters you use; they can provide excellent candidates and save you a lot of time and effort. . 2 Selection methods The definition of selection is the process of choosing the candidate who best meets the selection criteria. (Stone, 2002, P174) Many organization uses selection methods like this graph show: SELECTION 4. 2. 1 Duxton Hotel concentrates on structured interview and references for selection. Structured interview in which interviewers ask a standard set of questions of all candidates about qualifications and capabilities related to job performance To determine who has the best claim to a position and thus will be selected for further consideration (e. . second interview), candidates are short-listed on the basis of their job application, work samples, interviews or reference. In a structured interview, Anne asks each applicant the same standard questions. At the beginning of the interview, they spend the first 5-10 minutes trying to make the applicants feel more relaxed (maybe service them a cup of coffee) and giving them information about the chain of hotel and the copy of job description. In my opinion, Anne did very well. One reason is because the candidates will feel nervous when they sit the interview. An effective interviewer should take candidates at ease, address they feel comfortable, have water, coffee, or soft-drinks available, and help them feel as welcome as possible. And then encourage people to be open in their communications, talk candidly. Another reason: it is important to remember that the interview has a two-fold purpose: to find out whether the applicant is suitable for the particular job, and to give the applicant information about the firm and the position which is vacant. Anne then ask why they applied the job and what do they know about the hotel. Because of this, Anne can know if the applicants have done some homework, testing their interests. And also ask them to talk about their previous work experience, Anne mention how well they can describe something and whether they can make it interesting. Further using a format like â€Å"tell us about a time when you (deal with a different client) †¦Ã¢â‚¬  to know candidate’s strengths. These questions are important to Duxton Hotel because this is a â€Å"customer service† industry. Communicate with people is very important. Question asked must be job related, under EEO legislation, irrelevant and private unnecessary question may lead to charges of discrimination. Many Human Resource Manager feel structured interview are fair to applicants, because they are same question. Anne feel structured interview method is quite successful for selecting. However, I think the interview should be improved at one point. That is Anne told us they always have 2 people (Anne and the manager of the department) interviewing each applicant so they can discuss it afterwards. If there are lots of applicants they are interviewing then they fills in a form about each applicant so they can remember what happened in the interview. Even when structured interviews are used, but, there is always the potential for the biases of the interviewer to influence his or her judgments. It is important for interviewers to be trained to avoid these bias and sources of inaccurate perceptions as mush as possible. Duxton Hotel just has 2 people do the interviewer. They may be cannot avoid the effects of biases and stereotype. So at this point, Duxton Hotel needs to improve. 4. 2. Anne said they also do a â€Å"reference check†, they would call the applicants previous employers to see if they would recommend them and sometimes also check the qualification. Duxton Hotel always do reference checks and never offer a job before they do that. This is a good selection method for Duxton Hotel. Reference check is one of the most commonly used predictors of future job performanc e (www. ask. com). References are usually supplied by a former employers or professional colleague who knows the applicants’ skills, abilities, or personality attributes such as motivation, leadership and personal skills. References are often used at the end of the selection process to confirm a decision to hire. There are two benefits for using References. o References are best for evidence of attributes that cannot be easily assessed in an interview, either due to impression management (e. g. interpersonal skills) or the unrealistic setting (e. g. reliability, honesty). o References checks are not too costly or time-consuming. References are usually only checked for short-listed applicants. In fact, some former employers are reluctant to provide negative information in references sometimes makes it difficult to interpret what a reference is really saying about an applicant. 5. Conclusions The correct recruitment and selection of new employees is just as important as finding the right person for the job. â€Å"Better recruitment and selection strategies result in improved organizational outcomes. † Says DDI (Development Dimensions International), Ph. D. So HRM recruit and select candidates is the more effective task for the organization. We interviewed the Human Resource Manger of Duxton Hotel, Anne Bellman. I discussed some methods of recruitment and selection using by Duxton Hotel. 5. 1 Recruitment methods 5. 1. 1 Internal recruiting is manager turn to existing employees to fill open position. The employees familiar with the hotel, managers have considerable information about their skills and increase employee moral. 5. 1. 2 The availability of New Zealand focused Internet recruiting sites is growing rapidly. Putting the advertisement on the Website is cheap and many people will have a chance to read the advertisement. . 1. 3 Employment Recruitment Agency is also used by Duxton Hotel. Because Front Office Manager is a senior position, not everyone has that ability. Although agencies are really expensive, they can save time and provide excellent suitable candidates to Duxton Hotel. 5. 2 Selection methods 5. 2. 1 Structured interview is commonly used by Duxton Hotel. They think it is fair to the applicant, because th ere are same standard question. However, there are only 2 interviewers, so maybe they cannot avoid the effect of bias. 5. 2. Reference checks are a low-cost and save time method, so it is very popular in Duxton Hotel, too. The various methods of recruitment and selection all have advantages and disadvantages. Whatever recruitment and selection methods the organization choose, remember that the objective is to attract people who suit the job vacancy. So be as open and as informative as possible. 6. Recommendations 6. 1 Duxton Hotel recruits front office manager internally firstly. I don’t think it is a smart idea. Because one drawback of internal recruitment is limit to number of applicants, the other is stifle creativity and innovation. Maybe they can recruit someone from the inside to replace the position, but maybe his/her former task will get problem. So I suggest Anne should concentrate on external selection totally for a too senior position in the future. 2. Duxton Hotel do advertisement on Website, it is really good method. While depending the advertisement, they only put Job position is Front Office Manager, and the detail of job description, requirements and key responsibilities. I think it is not â€Å"catchy† enough for attracting people. They should put some attractive Logo on the web to encourage people apply. 3. Using multiple interviewers (at least 3 people) can be advantageous, for their individual biases and stereotypes may cancel one another out. Now there are only 2 interviewers in Duxton Hotel to select new employees. 4. Anne said they always do reference checks and never offer a job before they do that. However, sometimes some former employers are reluctant to provide negative information in references. So Anne should not believe all the comments of the references, she should concentrate on the employees’ real work ability. 6. 5 Duxton Hotel should have a checklist to evaluate the success of their selection methods. Then they can check whether the method is useful and improve the methods in time. 7. References Black, J. S. , & Porter, L. W. (1999). Management: meeting new challenges (1st ed). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Chambers, H. E. (2001). Finding, hiring, and keeping peak performers: every manager’s guide (1st ed. ). Cambridge: Perseus Books Group. Gilberison, D. W. , & Stone, R. J. (1985). Human resource management: case and readings (2nd ed. ). Roseville: McGraw-Hill Book Company Australia Pty Ltd. Jones, G. R. , & George, J. M. , & Hill, C. W. L. (1998). Contemporary Management (International Ed. ). U. S. A. : Craig S. Beytien. Stone, R. J. (2002). Human resource management (4th ed. ). Milton: John Wiley & Sons Torrington, D. , & Hall, L. (1998). Human resource management (4th ed. ). Herefordshire: Prentice Hall. www. ask. com www. duxton. com Appendix 1: Interview Questions 1. How much does your company cost for each job (Front Office Manager)? 2. Do you have policies for recruitment internal or external? How do you practice? 3. What methods do you use to recruit for this particular job group? 4. Do you have application form? . Have you considered advertising on the web? 6. Why are these methods used? 7. How do you measure the success of the methods? 8. Equal employment opportunities are a significant issue for recruitment policy. How do you make sure you do EEO for recruitment in your organization? 9. Could you tell us the number of positions advertised in a year, the number of applications received for each position and time from closing date to offer of position? 10. How do you identify where your applicants are coming from? †¢ What selection methods do you use for this job? Interview-what types of interview? †¢ Panel – who is on the panel? How many? †¢ Structured – could you please give us some examples of questions that you ask? 11. What criteria do you use to measure candidates? 12. Do you usually use reference checks for selecting people? 13. How do you inform successful and unsuccessful applicants? 14. How do you evaluate the success of your selection methods and recruitment methods? ———————– Background information Interviews References Work samples Assessment Centres Psychological Tests