Purpose The Purpose Of This Lab Is To Yield Isoamyl Acetate, A Banana

Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to yield isoamyl acetate, a banana fragrance, by reacting acetic acid and isoamyl alcohol. By reacting a carboxylic acid with an alcohol we synthesize an ester, in this case isoamyl acetate. Procedure: 1) Obtain 8.5 mL of isoamyl alcohol and 15.0 mL of acetic acid in a 100-mL round-bottomed flask. 2) Add dropwise 5 mL of concentrated sulfuric acid with boiling chips and reflux for one hour. 3) At the end of the reflux cool the round-bottomed flask in a cold water bath. 4) Pour the contents of the flask into a beaker with 40mL of ice water. 5) Pour the beaker contents into a separatory funnel and mix with occasional venting. If the two layers do not separate add 2-3 g of solid sodium chloride to increase the density of the aqueous layer which will separate the two layers. 6) Separate the organic layer and wash with 15 mL sodium bicarbonate. Keep washing with sodium bicarbonate until it is neutral or slightly basic. This might take 1 to 2 more washings. 7) After the last washing, wash again with 15 mL of distilled water. 8) Transfer the organic layer to a dry flask and add 1-2 g of anhydrous magnesium sulfate. Stopper the flask and occasionally stir. 9) Gravity filter the solution into a 100 mL round-bottomed flask and perform a simple distillation. Collect the portion that distills between 130oC and 145oC into a pre-weighed vial. 10) Record the refractive index, mass, and percent yield. Data: Percent Yield: Hypothetical 8.5 mL isoamyl alcohol x .81g/mL = 6.9 g isoamyl alcohol 6.9 g x 1 mol isoamyl alcohol/88 g = .0781 mol isoamyl alcohol 1 mol isoamyl alcohol : 1 mol isoamyl acetate .0781 mol isoamyl acetate x 130 g/ 1mol = 10.1530 g isoamyl acetate Actual 12.4344 g 6.6333 g 5.8011 g Percent Yield = Actual / Hypothetical = 5.8011 g/ 10.1530 g = 57.14 % Refractive Index: Measured refractive index: 1.400 at 20oC Merck Index refractive index: 1.405 at 20oC Discussion: The reaction that took place, carboxylic acid with an alcohol forming an ester, can be done two different ways: The one used in this lab was method A. The R group in this case is a methyl group and the R' is the (CH3) 2CH(CH2)2 group. The acid used is sulfuric acid. This method does not present as high yields as method B. The reason for this is that the reaction is reversible. To help increase yield in this method an excess of one of the primary reactants is used. In this case the acetic acid. The isoamyl alcohol is a limiting reactant and is used to calculate the percent yield. The first step in the reaction mechanism is that the carboxylic acid is protonated. The double bonded O is reacted with the acid H+ and the double bond between the carbon and the oxygen goes to the oxygen molecule to a pair of electrons and with the acid H+ ion, an OH+ forms. In the same step the O from the OH group on the alcohol attaches to the C atom of the carboxylic acid giving the carbon atom 4 bonds after it lost one by giving the other oxygen an electron pair. The H+, from the newly added alcohol, is then separated with the oxygen taking the electron pair. Then the H+ attaches to the side OH group forming H2O. This H2O is then removed, leaving one OH group, which in turn returns to its primary state by losing an H+ and forming the double bond again (giving carbon 4 bonds). Research: The product has many uses. These uses include being a component in pear oil and banana oil, and pear flavor in mineral water, syrups, and lacquers. Isoamyl Acetate is also used in photography, bronzing, and dyeing of artificial silk. It aids in the manufacturing of artificial silk. The product is one of many ingredients used in cigarettes, and it also is used as a pheromone. Its characteristics make it a very popular compound. Its smell has been argued to be that of pear, apple, or banana, yet most popularly banana. It also has gives flavor of pear. These characteristics make it popular to be used as a fragrance, and flavor additives. It can be found naturally in pears, apples, and

What Is Statistical Significance How Is It Calculated

What Is Statistical Significance How Is It Calculated SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you've ever read a wild headline like, "Study Shows Chewing Rocks Prevents Cancer," you've probably wondered how that could be possible. If you look closer at this type of article you may find that the sample size for the study was a mere handful of people. If one person in a group of five chewed rocks and didn't get cancer, does that mean chewing rocks prevented cancer? Definitely not. The study for such a conclusion doesn't have statistical significance- though the study was performed, its conclusions don't really mean anything because the sample size was small. So what is statistical significance, and how do you calculate it? In this article, we'll cover what it is, when it's used, and go step-by-step through the process of determining if an experiment is statistically significant on your own. What Is Statistical Significance? As I mentioned above, the fake study about chewing rocks isn't statistically significant. What that means is that the conclusion reached in it isn't valid, because there's not enough evidence that what happened was not random chance. A statistically significant result would be one where, after rigorous testing, you reach a certain degree of confidence in the results. We call that degree of confidence our confidence level, which demonstrates how sure we are that our data was not skewed by random chance. More specifically, the confidence level is the likelihood that an interval will contain values for the parameter we're testing. There are three major ways of determining statistical significance: If you run an experiment and your p-value is less than your alpha (significance) level, your test is statistically significant If your confidence interval doesn't contain your null hypothesis value, your test is statistically significant If your p-value is less than your alpha, your confidence interval will not contain your null hypothesis value, and will therefore be statistically significant This info probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you're not already acquainted with the terms involved in calculating statistical significance, so let's take a look at what it means in practice. Say, for example, that we want to determine the average typing speed of 12-year-olds in America. We'll confirm our results using the second method, our confidence interval, as it's the simplest to explain quickly. First, we'll need to set our p-value, which tells us the probability of our results being at least as extreme as they were in our sample data if our null hypothesis (a statement that there is no difference between tested information), such as that all 12-year-old students type at the same speed) is true. A typical p-value is 5 percent, or 0.05, which is appropriate for many situations but can be adjusted for more sensitive experiments, such as in building airplanes. For our experiment, 5 percent is fine. If our p-value is 5 percent, our confidence level is 95 percent- it's always the inverse of your p-value. Our confidence level expresses how sure we are that, if we were to repeat our experiment with another sample, we would get the same averages- it is not a representation of the likelihood that the entire population will fall within this range. Testing the typing speed of every 12-year-old in America is unfeasible, so we'll take a sample- 100 12-year-olds from a variety of places and backgrounds within the US. Once we average all that data, we determine the average typing speed of our sample is 45 words per minute, with a standard deviation of five words per minute. From there, we can extrapolate that the average typing speed of 12-year-olds in America is somewhere between $45 - 5z$ words per minute and $45 + 5z$ words per minute. That's our confidence interval- a range of numbers we can be confident contain our true value, in this case the real average of the typing speed of 12-year-old Americans. Our z-score, ‘z,' is determined by our confidence value. In our case, given our confidence value, that would look like $45 - 5(1.96)$ and $45 + 5(1.96)$, making our confidence interval 35.2 to 54.8. A wider confidence interval, say with a standard deviation of 15 words per minute, would give us more confidence that the true average of the entire population would fall in that range ($45Â ± \bo{15}(1.96)$), but would be less accurate. More importantly for our purposes, if your confidence interval doesn't include the null hypothesis, your result is statistically significant. Since our results demonstrate that not all 12-year-olds type the same speed, our results are significant. One reason you might set your confidence rating lower is if you are concerned about sampling errors. A sampling error, which is a common cause for skewed data, is what happens when your study is based on flawed data. For example, if you polled a group of people at McDonald's about their favorite foods, you'd probably get a good amount of people saying hamburgers. If you polled the people at a vegan restaurant, you'd be unlikely to get the same results, so if your conclusion from the first study is that most peoples' favorite food is hamburgers, you're relying on a sampling error. It's important to remember that statistical significance is not necessarily a guarantee that something is objectively true. Statistical significance can be strong or weak, and researchers can factor in bias or variances to figure out how valid the conclusion is. Any rigorous study will have numerous phases of testing- one person chewing rocks and not getting cancer is not a rigorous study. Essentially, statistical significance tells you that your hypothesis has basis and is worth studying further. For example, say you have a suspicion that a quarter might be weighted unevenly. If you flip it 100 times and get 75 heads and 25 tails, that might suggest that the coin is rigged. That result, which deviates from expectations by over 5 percent, is statistically significant. Because each coin flip has a 50/50 chance of being heads or tails, these results would tell you to look deeper into it, not that your coin is definitely rigged to flip heads over tails. The results are statistically significant in that there is a clear tendency to flip heads over tails, but that itself is not an indication that the coin is flawed. What Is Statistical Significance Used For? Statistical significance is important in a variety of fields- any time you need to test whether something is effective, statistical significance plays a role. This can be very simple, like determining whether the dice produced for a tabletop role-playing game are well-balanced, or it can be very complex, like determining whether a new medicine that sometimes causes an unpleasant side effect is still worth releasing. Statistical significance is also frequently used in business to determine whether one thing is more effective than another. This is called A/B testing- two variants, one A and one B, are tested to see which is more successful. In school, you're most likely to learn about statistical significance in a science or statistics context, but it can be applied in a great number of fields. Any time you need to determine whether something is demonstrably true or just up to chance, you can use statistical significance! How to Calculate Statistical Significance Calculating statistical significance is complex- most people use calculators rather than try to solve equations by hand. Z-test calculators and t-test calculators are two ways you can drastically slim down the amount of work you have to do. However, learning how to calculate statistical significance by hand is a great way to ensure you really understand how each piece works. Let's go through the process step by step! Step 1: Set a Null Hypothesis To set up calculating statistical significance, first designate your null hypothesis, or H0. Your null hypothesis should state that there is no difference between your data sets. For example, let's say we're testing the effectiveness of a fertilizer by taking half of a group of 20 plants and treating half of them with fertilizer. Our null hypothesis will be something like, "This fertilizer will have no effect on the plant's growth." Step 2: Set an Alternative Hypothesis Next, you need an alternative hypothesis, Ha. Your alternative hypothesis is generally the opposite of your null hypothesis, so in this case it would be something like, "This fertilizer will cause the plants who get treated with it to grow faster." Step 3: Determine Your Alpha Third, you'll want to set the significance level, also known as alpha, or ÃŽ ±. The alpha is the probability of rejecting a null hypothesis when that hypothesis is true. In the case of our fertilizer example, the alpha is the probability of concluding that the fertilizer does make plants treated with it grow more when the fertilizer does not actually have an effect. An alpha of 0.05, or 5 percent, is standard, but if you're running a particularly sensitive experiment, such as testing a medicine or building an airplane, 0.01 may be more appropriate. For our fertilizer experiment, a 0.05 alpha is fine. Your confidence level is $1 - ÃŽ ±(100%)$, so if your alpha is 0.05, that makes your confidence level 95%. Again, your alpha can be changed depending on the sensitivity of the experiment, but most will use 0.05. Step 4: One- or Two-Tailed Test Fourth, you'll need to decide whether a one- or two-tailed test is more appropriate. One-tailed tests examine the relationship between two things in one direction, such as if the fertilizer makes the plant grow. A two-tailed test measures in two directions, such as if the fertilizer makes the plant grow or shrink. Since in our example we don't want to know if the plant shrinks, we'd choose a one-tailed test. But if we were testing something more complex, like whether a particular ad placement made customers more likely to click on it or less likely to click on it, a two-tailed test would be more appropriate. A two-tailed test is also appropriate if you're not sure which direction the results will go, just that you think there will be an effect. For example, if you wanted to test whether or not adding salt to boiling water while making pasta made a difference to taste, but weren't sure if it would have a positive or negative effect, you'd probably want to go with a two-tailed test. Step 5: Sample Size Next, determine your sample size. To do so, you'll conduct a power analysis, which gives you the probability of seeing your hypothesis demonstrated given a particular sample size. Statistical power tells us the probability of us accepting an alternative, true hypothesis over the null hypothesis. A higher statistical power gives lowers our probability of getting a false negative response for our experiment. In the case of our fertilizer experiment, a higher statistical power means that we will be less likely to accept that there is no effect from fertilizer when there is, in fact, an effect. A power analysis consists of four major pieces: The effect size, which tells us the magnitude of a result within the population The sample size, which tells us how many observations we have within the sample The significance level, which is our alpha The statistical power, which is the probability that we accept an alternative hypothesis if it is true Many experiments are run with a typical power, or ÃŽ ², of 80 percent. Because these calculations are complex, it's not recommended to try to calculate them by hand- instead, most people will use a calculator like this one to figure out their sample size. Conducting a power analysis lets you know how big of a sample size you'll need to determine statistical significance. If you only test on a handful of samples, you may end up with a result that's inaccurate- it may give you a false positive or a false negative. Doing an accurate power analysis helps ensure that your results are legitimate. Step 6: Find Standard Deviation Sixth, you'll be calculating the standard deviation, $s$ (also sometimes written as $ÏÆ'$). This is where the formula gets particularly complex, as this tells you how spread out your data is. The formula for standard deviation of a sample is: $$s = √{{∑(x_i – Â µ)^2}/(N – 1)}$$ In this equation, $s$ is the standard deviation $∑$ tells you to sum all the data you collected $x_i$ is each individual data $Â µ$ is the mean of your data for each group $N$ is your total sample So, to work this out, let's go with our preliminary fertilizer test on ten plants, which might give us data something like this: Plant Growth (inches) 1 2 2 1 3 4 4 5 5 3 6 1 7 5 8 4 9 4 10 4 We need to average that data, so we add it all together and divide by the total sample number. $(2 + 1 + 4 + 5 + 3 + 1 + 5 + 4 + 4 + 4) / 10 = 3.3$ Next, we subtract each sample from the average $(x_i – Â µ)$, which will look like this: Plant Growth (inches) $x_i – Â µ$ 1 2 1.3 2 1 2.3 3 4 -0.7 4 5 -1.7 5 3 0.3 6 1 2.3 7 5 -1.7 8 4 -0.7 9 4 -0.7 10 4 -0.7 Now we square all of those numbers and add them together. $1.32 + 2.32 + -0.72 + -1.72 + 0.32 + 2.32 + -1.72 + -0.72 + -0.72 + -0.72 = 20.1$ Next, we'll divide that number by the total sample number, N, minus 1. $20.1/9 = 2.23$ And finally, to find the standard deviation, we'll take the square root of that number. $√2.23=1.4933184523$ But that's not the end. We also need to calculate the variance between sample groups, if we have more than one sample group. In our case, let's say that we did a second experiment where we didn't add fertilizer so we could see what the growth looked like on its own, and these were our results: Plant Growth (inches) 1 1 2 1 3 2 4 1 5 3 6 1 7 1 8 2 9 1 10 1 So let's run through the standard deviation calculation again. #1: Average Data $1 + 1 + 2+ 1 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 14$ $14/10 = 1.4$ #2: Subtract each sample from the average $(x_i – Â µ)$. $0.4 + 0.4 + (-0.4) + 0.4 + (-1.6) + 0.4 + 0.4 + (-0.4) + 0.4 + 0.4 = 0.4$ #3: Divide the last number by the total sample number, N, minus 1. $0.4/9=0.0444$ #4: Take the square root of the previous number. $√0.0444 = 0.2107130751$ Step 7: Run Standard Error Formula Okay, now we have our two standard deviations (one for the group with fertilizer, one for the group without). Next, we need to run through the standard error formula, which is: $$s_d = √((s_1/N_1) + (s_2/N_2))$$ In this equation: $s_d$ is the standard error $s_1$ is the standard deviation of group one $N_1$ is the sample size of group one $s_2$ is the standard deviation of group two $N_2$ is the sample size of group two So let's work through this. First, let's figure out $s_1/N_1$. With our numbers, that becomes $1.4933184523/10$, or 0.14933184523. Next, let's do $s_2/N_2$. With our numbers, that becomes $0.2107130751/10$, or 0.02107130751. Next, we need to add those two numbers together. $0.14933184523 + 0.02107130751 = 0.17040315274$ And finally, we'll take the square root: $√0.17040315274 = 0.41279916756$ So our standard error $s_d$, is 0.41279916756. Step 8: Find t-Score But we're still not done! Now you're probably seeing why most people use a calculator for this. Next up: t-score. Your t-score is what allows you to compare your data to other data, which tells you the probability of the two groups being significantly different. The formula for t-score is $$t = (Â µ_1 – Â µ_2)/s_d$$ where: $t$ is the t-score $Â µ_1$ is the average of group one $Â µ_2$ is the average of group two $s_d$ is the standard error So for our numbers, this equation would look like: $t = (3.3 - 1.4)/0.41279916756$ $t = 4.60272246001$ Step 9: Find Degrees of Freedom We're almost there! Next, we'll find our degrees of freedom ($df$), which tells you how many values in a calculation can vary acceptably. To calculate this, we add the number of samples in each group and subtract two. In our case, that looks like this: $$(10 + 10) - 2 = 18$$ Step 10: Use a T-Table to Find Statistical Significance And now we'll use a t-table to figure out whether our conclusions are significant. To use the t-table, we first look on the left-hand side for our $df$, which in this case is 18. Next, scan along that row of variances until you find ours, which we'll round to 4.603. Whoa! We're off the chart! Scan upward until you see the p-values at the top of the chart and you'll find that our p-value is something smaller than 0.0005, which is well below our significance level. So is our study on whether our fertilizer makes plants grow taller valid? The final stage of determining statistical significance is comparing your p-value to your alpha. In this case, our alpha is 0.05, and our p-value is well below 0.05. Since one of the methods of determining statistical significance is to demonstrate that your p-value is less than your alpha level, we've succeeded! The data seems to suggest that our fertilizer does make plants grow, and with a p-value of 0.0005 at a significance level of 0.05, it's definitely significant! Now, if we're doing a rigorous study, we should test again on a larger scale to verify that the results can be replicated and that there weren't any other variables at work to make the plants taller. Tools to Use For Statistical Significance Calculators make calculating statistical significance a lot easier. Most people will do their calculations this way instead of by hand, as doing them without tools is more likely to introduce errors in an already sensitive process. To get you started, here are some calculators you can use to make your work simpler: How to Calculate T-Score on a TI-83 Find Sample Size and Confidence Interval T-Test Calculator T-Test Formula for Excel Find P-Value with Excel What's Next? Need to brush up on AP Stats? These free AP Statistics practice tests are exactly what you need! If you're struggling with statistics on the SAT Math section, check out this guide to strategies for mean, median, and mode! This formula sheet for AP Statistics covers all the formulas you'll need to know for a great score on your AP test!

The Halayeb Triangle

The Halayeb Triangle The Halayeb Triangle (map), also sometimes called the Hala’ib Triangle is an area of disputed land located on the border between Egypt and Sudan. The land covers an area of 7,945 square miles (20,580 square kilometers) and is named for the town of Hala’ib which is located there. The presence of the Halayeb Triangle is caused by the different locations of the Egypt-Sudan border. There is a political boundary that was set in 1899 that runs along the 22nd parallel and an administrative boundary that was set by the British in 1902. The Halayeb Triangle is located in the difference between the two and since the mid-1990s Egypt has had de facto control of the area. History of the Halayeb Triangle The first border between Egypt and Sudan  was set in 1899 when the United Kingdom  had control over the area. At that time the Anglo-Egyptian Agreement for Sudan set a political boundary between the two at 22nd parallel or along the line of 22ÌŠ N latitude. Later, in 1902 the British drew a new administrative boundary between Egypt and Sudan which gave control of the Ababda territory that was south of the 22nd parallel to Egypt. The new administrative boundary gave Sudan control of land that was north of the 22nd parallel. At that time, Sudan controlled about 18,000 square miles (46,620 sq km) of land and the villages of Hala’ib and Abu Ramad. In 1956, Sudan became independent and the disagreement over the control of the Halayeb Triangle between Sudan and Egypt began. Egypt  considered the border between the two as the 1899 political boundary, while Sudan claimed that the border was the 1902 administrative boundary. This led to both Egypt and Sudan claiming sovereignty over the region. In addition, a small area south of the 22nd parallel called Bir Tawil that was formerly administered by Egypt was claimed by neither Egypt nor Sudan at this time. As a result of this border disagreement, there have been several periods of hostility in the Halayeb Triangle since the 1950s. For example in 1958, Sudan planned to hold elections in the region and Egypt sent troops into the area. Despite these hostilities, however, both countries exercised joint control of the Halayeb Triangle until 1992 when Egypt objected to Sudan allowing exploration of the region’s coastal areas by a Canadian oil company. This led to further hostilities and an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Egypt’s then-president Hosni Mubarak. As a result, Egypt strengthened control of the Halayeb Triangle and forced all Sudanese officials out. By 1998 Egypt and Sudan  agreed to begin working on a compromise as to which country would control the Halayeb Triangle. In January 2000, Sudan withdrew all forces from the Halayeb Triangle and ceded control of the region to Egypt. Since Sudan’s withdrawal from the Halayeb Triangle in 2000, there are often still conflicts between Egypt and Sudan over control of the region. In addition, the Eastern Front, a coalition of Sudanese rebels, states that it claims the Halayeb Triangle as Sudanese because the people there are more ethnically related to Sudan. In 2010 the Sudanese President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir said, â€Å"Halayeb is Sudanese and will stay Sudanese† (Sudan Tribune, 2010). In April 2013 there were rumors that Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi and Sudan’s President Al-Bashir had met to discuss a compromise of control over the Halayeb Triangle and the possibility of giving control of the region back to Sudan (Sanchez, 2013). Egypt denied those rumors however and claimed that the meeting was simply to strengthen cooperation between the two nations. Thus, the Halayeb Triangle still remains in Egypt’s control while Sudan claims territorial rights over the region. Geography, Climate, and Ecology of the Halayeb Triangle The Halayeb Triangle is located on the southern border of Egypt and the northern border of Sudan. It covers an area of 7,945 square miles (20,580 square kilometers) and has coastlines on the Red Sea. The area is called the Halayeb Triangle because Hala’ib is a large city within the region and the area is shaped roughly like a triangle. The southern border, about 180 miles (290 km) follows the 22nd parallel. In addition to the main, disputed portion of the Halayeb Triangle there is a small area of land called Bir Tawil that is located south of the 22nd parallel at the triangle’s westernmost tip. Bir Tawil has an area of 795 square miles (2,060 sq km) and is not claimed by Egypt or Sudan. The climate of the Halayeb Triangle is similar to that of northern Sudan. It is normally very hot and receives little precipitation outside of a rainy season. Near the Red Sea, the climate is milder and there is more precipitation. The Halayeb Triangle has a varied topography. The highest peak in the region is Mount Shendib at 6,270 feet (1,911 m). In addition, the Gebel Elba mountain area is a nature reserve that is home to Elba Mountain. This peak has an elevation of 4,708 feet (1,435 m) and is unique because its summit is considered a mist oasis because of intense dew, mist and high levels of precipitation (Wikipedia.org). This mist oasis creates a unique ecosystem in the region and also makes it a biodiversity hotspot with over 458 plant species. Settlements and People of the Halayeb Triangle The two major towns within the Halayeb Triangle are Hala’ib and Abu Ramad. Both of these towns are located on the Red Sea coast and Abu Ramad is the last stop for buses bound for Cairo and other Egyptian cities. Osief is the closest Sudanese town to the Halayeb Triangle (Wikipedia.org).Because of its lack of development, most of the people living within the Halayeb Triangle are nomads and the region has little economic activity. The Halayeb Triangle is however said to be rich in manganese. This is an element that is significant in the production of iron and steel but it is also used as an additive for gasoline and is used in alkaline batteries (Abu-Fadil, 2010). Egypt has currently been working to export ferromanganese bars to produce steel (Abu-Fadil, 2010). Due to the ongoing conflict between Egypt and Sudan over control of the Halayeb Triangle it is clear that this is an important world region and it will be interesting to observe whether it will remain in Egyptian control.

Academic writing and discourse functions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Academic writing and discourse functions - Essay Example A potential argument maker takes into account all possible causes and factors of objection the critiques may come up with, and replies them in the same document. This adds a lot to the writer’s strength of argument. Language used in building up an argument is significantly different from that employed in essays and research papers. Arguments are particularly, narratives of the writer. So the writer frequently makes use of â€Å"I† and â€Å"we†, use of which is discouraged in general essays and other forms of literature. Because of the freedom of using first form, argumentative essays provide the reader with a very sound understanding of the language. Needs of effective communication can be readily met in an argumentative paper (Alo, 2010, p. 55). Particularly, the second speakers of a particular language benefit a lot from the argumentative essays in that they get a chance to learn through reading the language just the way it is commonly spoken in the every day life by the first speakers. For example, argumentation frequently involves use of phrases like â€Å"I grant that†¦., still I maintain that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"not even†¦, what to talk of†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Suc h phrases not only convey the reader correct usage of phrases, but also deliver a sense of the language they form part of. Such phrases are a product of the psychology, beliefs and ideology of the native speakers of a language. That is the reason why, language is often considered as one of the best means of comprehending a nation’s culture. Academic language usually sounds very formal and organized as compared to the language we use in our daily life to communicate with one another. It lacks freedom of expression. Sentiments and proverbs are usually restrained by the level of formality expected from the writing. Although there is no point denying the fact that even argumentative language in academic writing is much formal than the

It is important to preserve the rule of law in Hong Kong but somehow Essay

It is important to preserve the rule of law in Hong Kong but somehow its existence in Hong Kong is more of a myth than a real - Essay Example One can hence derive the idea that the legality and equality form the roots of Hong Kong’s legislature and every other principle revolves around it. To promote equality, the country’s legislature involves a ruling system specially designed to restrict the discretionary powers of the government. It provides the courts with a guideline for ensuring that constitutional powers are not exploited in any way by the government officials. So, any unreasonable decision or any attempt of exercising excessive power is always made invalid or futile by the court orders. The rule of law holds an important place in the Hong Kong system of legislature. It most certainly, is one of its greatest strengths. It is something that ensures the country’s status as a leading centre in the financial market in terms of finance and commerce and provides a secure environment for the businessmen to work in. Thus, it is the defining ideology upon which the people of the country put their trust and faith. They are proud of possessing an independent judiciary and are very concerned about upholding the integrity of their legal system. Any threats or criticism against the rule of law is severely dealt with. It is very important to realize the rule of law actually needs a very transparent legislation to work effectively. Without a clearly defined set of laws that are justified and comfortable for every citizen of the country and an independent and strong judicial and enforcement bodies, it is impossible to govern a country by the rule of law. Hence, the rule of law resembles the British legislation as it was proposed when Hong Kong was under the British colonial rule. Although, there was much concern that the rule of law would be compromised when Hong Kong was remerged with its motherland, it did not happen so and it still remains fair and just. For those who say that the rule of law is a myth are certainly very wrong in my personal opinion. Hong Kong has always preserved the core values of its legislature that involves freedom of speech and defending the human rights. The justice department works free from any outside interference or pressures and is responsible for maintaining law and order and defining the working principles for different matters in the society. Moreover, the responsibility of giving the government legal advices is handed over to the Secretary of Justice. Not to forget the fact that the country’s legal system consists of about 5000 lawyers and about 700 law firms. Through all such measures, the judiciary of the country has been improved to quite a great extent. The courts in Hong Kong are mainly operated by its judiciary which is independent of both the executive and the legislative councils as mentioned earlier as well. The word ‘independent’ is highly stressed upon because it holds the true essence of the rule of law. The legal body in Hong Kong enjoys a lot of protective measures and cannot be questioned by the government. This allows the system to be utterly transparent and just. The highest post in Hong Kong’s judicial council is that of Chief Justice, who is then assisted by other officials of different ranks and responsibilities. To ensure that the system remains profound, the rule of law r

Immigrant Children and U.S Education Essay Example for Free

Immigrant Children and U.S Education Essay Aware of the free education provided by the United States government to any school age children, immigrants both legal and illegal continue to be attracted to the United States, migrating in an attempt to provide better opportunities for their families and themselves. As the number of illegal immigrants living in the United states continues to rise and the percentage of illegal immigrant households which consist of children also continues to rise, it is important for the American government to examine the effect that these illegal children are having on the United States public education system. How educators and policymakers address the increasing diversification of the population will ultimately determine the stability of communities in the future.In order to produce a more effective public education system for students as a whole, it is important for the government examine the effects of the influx of immigrant students and learn to address the issues in a more productive way.Americans must ask themselves and answer the question, â€Å"How should the government better manage the influx of undocumented immigrant children in the public education system?† In 1982, the supreme court case Plyler v. Doe, ruled â€Å"that public schools were prohibited from denying immigrant students access to a public education. The Court stated that undocumented children have the same right to a free public education as U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Undocumented immigrant students are obligated, as are all other students, to attend school until they reach the age mandated by state law (Olivas).† As an american citizen, it is crucial for our society to realize the effects of allowing illegal immigrants the right to free public education because the effects affect us as individuals and future generations in the american society. It is important for us to see if the benefits of allowing immigrants free education outweighs the strain it puts on our public education system. Researching and answering the question â€Å"How should the government better manage the influx of undocumented immigrant children in the public education system?†, will help americans realize what laws and policies need to be edited, reformed, or added, to greater benefit our society. Answering this question will show us if we need more laws promoting and protecting immigrants rights which would bring in more immigrants or if we should create laws restricting the rights of immigrant children. As immigration continues to increase, and the children of immigrants fill more of the schools, educators will have to recognize and address the social, cultural, political, psychological, and economic complexity that is immigrant education in the twenty-first century. â€Å"Despite several decades of reform, public education in the United States is criticized by some as not teaching all children effectively† (Koehler). Due to poor test results and low graduation rates, many taxpayers criticize public schools and want to see better results. Among many of the issues creating discontent with the public educational system, inequality of opportunity ranks high among citizens. Despite the historical promise of quality education for all children regardless of race, ethnicity, or income, many americans feel that many children do not have equal opportunities to learn and are not likely to attend a quality school. â€Å"Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports that 63 percent of fourth graders perform at only basic, or below basic, levels in reading. Sixty-nine percent perform at these levels in mathematics. African-American, Hispanic, and Native American fourth graders perform consistently lower than their white coun terparts†(Koehler). These statistics show that over half of the students in the American educational system fail to learn high thinking skills. â€Å"And once again, this bottom half comprises primarily the poor and ethnic minorities†(Koehler). Majority of immigrants live in poverty.†The poverty rate for immigrants and their U.S.-born children (under 18) is two-thirds higher than that of natives and their children, immigrants and their minor children now account for almost one in four persons living in poverty†(Camarota). The high percentage of immigrants that live in poverty causes majority of their children to attend an underachieving school adding to struggles they already face as an immigrant and effecting their educational success.â€Å"The percentage of immigrants without a high school diploma is 30 percent, more than 3.5 times the rate for natives.†(Camarota). with out proper management of immigrant children in the school system, these underachieving schools will take th e blunt force of the student population increase and due to lack of resources and funding the schools have, the schools will continue to strip the students of their equality to opportunity. As the immigration population continues to increase â€Å"immigration has become the determinate factor in population growth. The arrival of 1.5 million immigrants each year, coupled with 750,000 births to immigrant women annually, means that immigration policy is adding over two million people to the U.S. population each year, accounting for at least two-thirds of U.S. population growth†(Camarota), it is important that the government learn how better manage the influx of undocumented immigrant children in the public education system to ensure equality of opportunity to american and immigrant students. As taxpayers, citizens should especially be concerned with the amount of their money that is used to educate immigrants. In January 2011, it was estimated that 11.5 million unauthorized immigrants are currently living in the United States. Of these it is estimated that 1.5 million children attend a public school costing the government an estimated six thousand dollars a year per student. In addition to the six thousands per student the government also pays about $1.5 billion annually to pay the bi-lingual teachers which are necessary to teach and attempt to provide an equal opportunity to immigrant children. All together, the total cost of educating the children of illegal immigrants is around $52,000,000,000. Educating the children of illegal immigrants is by far the single largest cost to American taxpayers. Even though americans are paying large sums of money to educate children of illegal immigrants, â€Å"foreign-born students ages 16-24 had a drop out rate of 29% while students ages 16-24 of foreign born parents had a high school drop out rate of 38.7%†(Illegal immigration statistics). This drop out percentage shows that despite the large amounts of money being spent, the government needs to find a way to better manage the influx of undocumented immigrant children in the public education system. Due to the large number and rising percentage of immigrants in our school system, the immigrants educational success will influence our nations future success. Works Cited Camarota, Steven. Immigrants in the United States: A Snapshot of Americas Foreign-Born. Center for Immigration Studies. Nov. 2002. Web. 03 Apr. 2012. . Website TagsEditDelete Hernandez, Donald J. Demographic Change and the Life of Immigrant Families. Publication. New York: Foundation for Child Development, 2004. Future of Children. Web. . Report TagsEditDelete Illegal Immigration Statistics. Illegal Immigration Statistics. Web. 03 Apr. 2012. . Website TagsEditDelete Immigration Statistics. DHS. Web. 03 Apr. 2012. . Website TagsEditDelete Koehler, Paul, and Joy W. Lewis. Criticism of Public Education. Encyclopedia of Education. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 1948-952. Print. Encyclopedia Article TagsEditDelete Olivas, Michael A. No Undocumented Child Left Behind: Plyler v. Doe and the Education of Undocumented Schoolchildren. New York: New York UP, 2012. Print. Book TagsEditDelete Schoorman, Diyls. Immigrant Education: Contemporary Issues. Encyclopedia of the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education. Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2009. 433-35. Print.

The Accumulation of Slack :: Slacking Slack Slacker papers

The Accumulation of Slack I want to begin with an apology. This paper may be little more than a tissue of puns punctuated by obscure cultural texts. It was composed quickly: after a late cancellation from this panel, I volunteered to pick up the slack. (Yes, that was the first pun.) Now, in proper Freudian fashion, I will follow that apology with an accusation: in 2003, the topic of "slacker culture" sounds dangerously close to out of date, or at least out of fashion. We critics must have become slackers ourselves, content to re-analyze stale fads when we ought to be braving untrammeled new ground with the gender politics of Eminem, or the fetish scene of "American Idol." But fortunately things are not so simple. There is an advantage to a certain historical distance taken from one's subject, as it is especially easy for cultural criticism to get caught up in fad-chasing. Rather than striving for a tauter, tighter connection to the current moment, then, let's enjoy the historical slack that has already accumulated between "slacker culture" and ourselves. If we wish to create "more a description of men than manners" (35), then for us as newly outdated slacker scholars the same doctrine applies that Sir Walter Scott famously gave about the setting of his Waverley: "Considering the disadvantages inseparable from this part of my subject, I must be understood to have resolved to avoid them as much as possible" (35). Unlike Scott we may not do this "by throwing the force of my narrative upon the characters and passions of the actors" (35) as Scott did. Instead, let's fix for a moment on a question. What is "slack"? What is this substance that those devilishly ironic slackers so earnestly want to accumulate? What are the structural characteristics of slack, considered as a substance circulated in a metaphorical or real economy? Should we seek slack, or avoid it? It seems to me that this set of questions is the best way to approach a political and economic evaluation of the slacker phenomenon. I want to suggest a few answers by reading different representations of the economy of slack, along with some familiar Marxist cultural criticism. The question of the political economy of slack is an excellent example of a broader dynamic in cultural studies, in that the initially tempting, apparently orthodox cultural-studies reading of slack (which I am about to construct) will turn out to be precisely wrong in its zeal to construe slack as a form of liberation.

Black plague

The Black Death During the fourteenth century there were some major disasters that plagued Europe and would result in everlasting changes. War caused by peasant revolts, French and English battle for throne, religious conflicts, famine caused from flooding by heavy rains and devastating arctic weather, were some of the massive dilemmas that Europe faced. â€Å"But the cruelest blow of all was the Black Death. This was the name given In Europe to a pandemic (universal) outbreak of a deadly disease, the bubonic plague. † (Lewis, 247).This disease was nothing new for Europe, during the sixth century Europe, the plague had already caused massive damage. But this time around it effected more people's lives than ever before. (Lewis, 246-247). Human resistance to disease was lowered from the famine and malnutrition. The spike in Rupee's population during the agricultural boom finally came to an end. â€Å"By about 1347, the plague reached the Black Sea region; from there, merchants from the city of Genoa brought it to Italy; and In about four years, It spread across Europe. (Lewis, 247). All people from the bottom of the social latter such as the peasants' right up to he top with the nobility such as lords and princes, had to deal with the drastic changes. No man, woman, nor child were safe from this tragic outbreak. The social effects that the Black Death that changed the most were that of the serfs and peasants who worked the fields to keep the agriculture flowing–significantly decreased. The members of the Church thinned along with the royal members of European kingdoms had also reduced their numbers.The clergy now needed to find new members but because of the decrease In population this left an opening to get more corrupt Individuals Involved. Many people Interpreted the plague as a punishment from God that called for severe personal penitence; some thought the end of the world was at hand. (Lewis, 247). The psychological effects alone were enough t o change Europe forever. The change in the economy eventually led to a new form of an economic system, capitalism.The need to make more money off the goods that needed to be sold or traded, caused more lengthy travel. These travels led to the contact with many new people more specifically, International merchants. â€Å"Independent craftspeople, in trouble because of trade stoppages, might become employees of wealthy merchants who were better able to survive until times improved; kings fighting expensive wars, and popes moving money to Rome, both needed services of bankers. † (Lewis, 253).The rise of bankers and a new method of transferring currency by the usage of paper money also started in the aftermath of the depopulation of Europe. The success of these International bankers, contributed to them augmenting both political and social Influence. Technology progressed due to the rise of capitalism, and because of the contact between Arabs, Chinese, and the Europeans, all new innovations were forming a new lifestyle for any people. â€Å"Sea transport, warfare, book production, the measurement of time–all were revolutionized by the Europe of the late Middle Ages. Lewis, 256). The invention of gunpowder by the Chinese and the improvement with it by the Europeans would and technical change enabled rulers to gain more control of their governments and armed forces than before. † (Lewis, 258). The central government treasury no longer paid the officials, causing more taxes to be collected from the public. This did open the gates for more corruption and fraud in the European societies. With all of the inheritance from the dead that the living received, most likely fueled some of the changes.The peasants also wanted higher wages for the work they had to do, which can cause all new problems. This plague also left many towns and villages abandoned and never to be rebuilt again. In a sense the Black Plague contributed to the end of feudal rule and no w rulers had a little more direct control over their lands. With all things considered, the Black Plague was not the only reason for all the changes that occurred in Europe, but it was one of the larger contributors. The league killed perhaps a quarter of all the inhabitants of Europe during the fourteenth century (25 million out of a population of 100 million). (Lewis, 247). The political, religious, economic, and social changes of European society after the Black Plague have had everlasting effects, with the reformation of Europe, in which some of the changes are still seen in present day. The humanism movement and Renaissance era in Europe were also about to surface. It's very interesting to think about, that everybody alive today have had the lucky ancestors that survived the horrors of the fourteenth century. Black Plague DBQ-Black Plague During mid-fourteen century, a terrible plague hit Europe and wiped out a third of the population, 25,000,000 people of Western Europe. This plague was named the Black Plague since when people got the disease they got bumps that oozed black liquid and different body parts would turn black. The plague was spread by infected fleas on rats that bit humans. Since the Europeans lacked medical knowledge, the Plague caused hysteria and hopelessness to spread across Europe. Therefore the Europeans turned to the one stable unit in their lives, the Church. The Europeans lack of medical knowledge really hurt them.They had all types of perceived causes and treatments that they thought would work. People just kept dying and they couldn’t find a cure for something that they didn’t know the cause. According to Heinrich Truchess von Diessenhoven, Jewish people were one perceived cause that the Europeans believed. They spread a rumor that the Jews poisoned the wells and rivers for people had â€Å"confessed† to the crime. The Report of the Paris Medical Faculty states another perceived cause to be the configurations of the heavens and the major conjunction of three plants in Aquarius to be blamed.Another excerpt states that an earthquake that occurred on St. Paul’s day in 1347 corrupted and infected the air above the earth and killed people in various parts of the world. In the excerpt from an anonymous poem, the vices rule is indicted as a cause. The Europeans tried many treatments in which most of them failed. However, Lisavetta Centenni wrote that her husband, Ottavio, had a fatal fever. She believed he would die but Sister Angelica sent her a little piece of bread that had touched the body of St. Domencia. Her husband was a lucky one and his fever broke.Other methods didn’t work so well and patients died anyway. For example, H. de Rochas, a French physician states that patients would hang toads around their neck either dea d or alive, in which they believed the venom would draw out the poison of the disease. Furthermore William Zouche, an Archibishop of York, wrote to his official that he believes the plague was surely caused by the sins of men so in order to stop the plague they should pray to the Almighty God and ask him to drive away the infection. In addition Dom Theophilus of Milan, a priest, suggests a few things to do if a person is struck by the plague.First let him gather as much as he can of bitter hatred towards the sins he committed, and the same quantity of true sorrow of heart, and mix the two into an ointment with tears. That is just one example of his unrealistic treatments. As you can see now this is why the plague had spread and killed so many people. The lack of medical knowledge led to hysteria in Europe as well. The first example is a letter from a schoolmaster saying the plague had taken twenty of the boys and this kept people from coming to them at all.The plague affected the ed ucation of the people as well. The hysteria only got worse. Heinrich von Laden stated that people were dying in their own houses of starvation for they were so afraid to leave and get food, and if a person had died within their home they were buried there. Imagine being as afraid as to leave your home, children must’ve been terrified. Then people started turning to more murderous options. According to the ‘Motto of Giovan Filippo, Sicilian physician of Palermo,’ gold, fire, and the gallows were being used.The gold was used for income for the pest houses to quarantine the sick, the gallows to punish those who violated the health regulations and bonfires to eliminate the infected. People were just turning to anything to try and get rid of this horrid plague. In an English Puritan’s diary, the father Nehemiah Wallington writes, â€Å"Who would I be willing to give up to the disease? Then would I say the maid. Who next? My son John. Who next? My daughter Eliz abeth. Who next? Myself. People were going mad in their homes, and willing to give up anyone but themselves.I don’t even know if I’d be able to keep my head either. The document from Heinrich Truchess von Diessenhoven comes up again for the hysteria was causing people to spread rumors that really hurt the Jew’s reputation and caused a huge decline in their population. Even some people confessed to it because they were starting to actually believe the untrue rumors. Some Christians confessed that the Jews had induced them to carry out the deeds. Even though an excerpt from an anonymous poem argues that everyone should rejoice with each other.People were obviously not listening to that poem if they were pointing out certain people who â€Å"caused† the plague. I already spoke about Dom Theophilus’ ridiculous methods of getting rid of the plague but I just wanted to bring it up again to show how hysterical people were getting by making up absurd remed ies like that. Therefore, Europeans suffered greatly from this plague and lost a third of their population which is 25 million people. I would’ve liked to see a death chart rate over the years in Europe. With all of this death and exposure education and centralization was very hard to recover.Even through all of this havoc the people always turned to the church in their time of need. An example is Lisavetta Centenni, an Italian housewife, whose husband survived from the blessed piece of bread from St. Domencia. It was probably out of luck, or good immune system that helped him survive, but people looked at this in a very serious and reliable manner. Furthermore, Father Dragoni states he has accompanied danger with compassion and charity and paid guards and gravediggers with alms the lordships sent him.They depended a lot on alms and holy charities would help. The Church not only had a religious role but a secular one as well. Peasants were taught how to farm and how to use to ols. Noble’s daughters were taught to farm as well. As I mentioned before, William Zouche said that people believed that if they prayed to the Almighty One, he would stop the spread of the plague and go to church every Wednesday and Friday. Once again, the document with Dom Theophilus of Milan appears for he believed if you used these remedies you could save yourself.Overall, you could see how important the Church was to the people. The lack of medical knowledge really didn’t help the Europeans against the plague. It led to hysteria and all kinds of disasters. The people turned to the Church in a time of need, but even the Church was little help in this catastrophe. The Bubonic Plague still exists in countries today but with our advanced medical knowledge, people can get the right medical attention and medication they need. Doctors never want to have a repeat in history like the Black Plague in Europe and lose millions of people again.

Regulation and Criminal Liability Essay

Currently in the United States, the Americans continue to face unfair treatments of health care professionals within the work place. Regulates and laws have been created and set forth to help individuals’ feel protected and to know their rights as a victim of such criminal acts. People deserve to be treated with respect, especially in the care of health professionals. In this paper will contain information on criminal liabilities of health professionals and show people who may have been violated by health care providers the steps of filing a civil complaint. In addition, the paper will go into investigating allegations and disciplinary actions. Up-to-date regulatory policy regarding health care professionals is based on the speculation that the market for resources in health care is unsuccessful because consumers do not have complete facts about the nature of services these professionals offer. The outcome of some professionals possibly will exploit consumers on the condition lesser-quality services. The theory of economics proposes that in the absence of order, many health care professionals might offer minimum quality services at expensive quality prices to uneducated consumers. Therefore, the main justification for managing health professionals is to expand the quality of their services and to guard the interests of unaware health care consumers. Health care professional guidelines restrict access into the profession by setting the least possible measures of education and experience mandatory to practice. Furthermore, those regulations identify the legal acceptable boundaries of training for the health care provider or the permissible scope of health care professionals’ training and state the permitted business training of health care professionals. In the United States the federal system of government, regulates every states health care professional practice. Health professional training performances are statutory laws that create regulatory or licensing agencies or boarding to promote rules that order medical  practice. State licensing laws initiating the lesser level of education and experience needed to practice, explain the roles of the profession and bound the act of these roles to licensed individuals. State occupation practice limits restrictions on the services of professionals by for-profit firms, limitations on the operation of trade names, restrictions on the process of numerous workplaces, and boundaries on the place of health care professionals’ workplaces. Earlier in 1977 state companies practice limitations on frequently incorporated restrictions on marketing by professionals. Principles of Medical Ethics, the American Medical Association (AMA) declare a physician shall obey the law† and â€Å"record doctors’ insufficient in character or ability, or engaging in deception or fraud. AMA could refuse mem bership to doctors guilty of criminal activity, in addition to physicians charged with crimes in different countries. Reference to petition for licensure, the Federation of State Medical Boards, in connection of state medical boards’ responsibility for punishing physicians, suggests that every state medical board run criminal record review as part of licensure application practice and all candidates with a criminal background, comes before the committee for questioning to examine the candidates ability for licensure. AMA recognizes that doctors can be criminally arraigned merely to the degree of statue, and these regulations unlike state to state. Although illustrations from our data demonstrate the regular ordinary sanctions by state medical boards after the doctors have been criminally found guilty. According to AMA recent data less than 80 percent of doctors who carried out sexual acts offenses the physicians’ licenses would be revoked, suspended, or surrendered. Merely 53 % of doctors convicted of criminally possessing, using, or prescribing controlled substances and only 40% of doctors were guilty of criminal wrongdoing connected to the practice of medicine had their licenses surrendered, revoked, or suspended. The statistics show a system that permits questionable physicians to remain practicing medicine after displaying clear unethical and risky behavior. If an individual thinks that a health care provider, local or state government agency, has discriminated against he/she based on national origin, race, age, or disability, one can file a civil rights complaint. OCR can examine disability-based discrimination complaints against programs ran by HHS. Below certain regulations and statue, OCR has  slight authority to explore complaints of discrimination based on religion and sex. If an individual believe his/her health care provider moral safety rights have been breached, individuals can file a complaint with OCR. The Case Resolution Manual for Civil Rights Investigations (CRM) offers OCR managers and staff with the strategies and process designed to effectively and promptly investigate, evaluate and settle compliance and complaint evaluation, and to implement violation locations where guaranteed. When filling a complaint an individual have to follow the complaint requirements and that is followed by: (http://www.hhs.gov) Be filed in writing, either electronically via or paper the OCR Complaint Portal, by email, fax, or mail. Social service provider or health care provider involved, and describe the acts or omissions, that one believed over stepped the civil rights regulations or law. Must be filed in 180 days of when the omission complained of or act occurred. OCR could prolong the 180-day period if individual can provide a worthy reason. In conclusion individuals need to educate themselves on the laws which supposed to protect them from mistreatment of any health care provider and learn the appropriate ways to handle the situation in case of becoming a victim to any type of neglect or abuse. Physicians’ and nurses should follow the quality standards. Patients are treated with kindness, dignity, compassion, respect, honesty and understanding. References Article in Health Matrix: United States Physicians’ Disciplined for Criminal Activity, Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from: http://www.citizen.org/page.aspx?pid=696 Principles of Medical Ethics, Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from; http:// http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/code-medical-ethics/principles-medical-ethics.page United States Department of Health and Human Resources, Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from: http://www. hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/complaints/index.html#file Wilson,D., The Regulation of Health Care professionals other than Physicians, Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from;

Analyzing the role of Strategic Entrepreneurship in forming temporary Competitive Advantage that leads to Value Creation The WritePass Journal

Analyzing the role of Strategic Entrepreneurship in forming temporary Competitive Advantage that leads to Value Creation Introduction Analyzing the role of Strategic Entrepreneurship in forming temporary Competitive Advantage that leads to Value Creation ). Strategic entrepreneurship essentially involves concurrent opportunity-seeking and advantage-seeking behaviors, which result in better performance of the firm (Ireland, Hitt Sirmon, 2003). This research is interested in conducting a similar investigation and seeks to analyze the role of strategic entrepreneurship in forming temporary competitive advantage, which leads to the creation of value for the firm. Research Questions This dissertation is interested in determining whether firms, which engage in strategic entrepreneurship, are able to establish temporal competitive advantage in a dynamic environment, especially whilst competing with other firms and within the context of creating value for the firm. Below are the specific questions to be addressed in this dissertation: What benefits would a firm obtain by successfully employing strategic entrepreneurship in the current competitive market? What temporary competitive advantage results from employing strategic entrepreneurship? Does strategic entrepreneurship create value? Aims and Objectives The primary aim of this research is to analyze the role of strategic entrepreneurship in building competitive advantage and creating value for the firm. Based on the research questions given above, the objectives of this dissertation are as follows: To find out the benefits of employing strategic entrepreneurship To understand what competitive advantages are the result of utilising strategic entrepreneurship To investigate whether strategic entrepreneurship creates value for the firm Rationale This dissertation will provide insights on the significance of strategic entrepreneurship, especially within the context of forming temporary competitive advantage, in pursuit of creating value for the firm. This research seeks to address some of the gaps in literature, such as understanding the balance between the opportunity-seeking behavior associated with entrepreneurship and the advantage-seeking behavior of strategic management (Hitt et al., 2011). Moreover, a Strategic Entrepreneurship Theoretical Tree will be utilized in order to analyze the various components of strategic entrepreneurship. The theoretical tree is created based from the different studies conducted on the subject. Literature Review (Preliminary) Strategic entrepreneurship is associated with firm’s objective of achieving superior performance through the simultaneous application of both opportunity-seeking and advantage-seeking activities (Ketchen, Ireland, Snow, 2007). Various researchers have identified different components of strategic entrepreneurship, which can lead to superior performance of the firm. Ireland, Hitt Sirmon (2003) proposes four dimensions for the successful implementation of strategic entrepreneurship: (a) entrepreneurial mindset; (b) entrepreneurial culture and leadership; (c) strategic management of resources; and (d) applying creativity to develop innovations. At the business level, value creation is usually reflected in the expansion and growth of a firm. Welter Smallbone (2004) found that Institutional Economic Theory highlights the institutional embeddedness and path dependence of entrepreneurial behavior. This, in turn, influences the degree and nature of value creation for the firm. A number of authors have identified the factors that influence value creation and competitive advantage. Pongpearchan (2011, p.5) found that ‘operational innovation efficiency and business practice effectiveness have a significant positive effect on value creation excellence.’ On the other hand, Rindova Fombrun (1999) argue that competitive advantage is a systemic outcome which develops as firms engage in processes that involve the use and exchange of resources, as well as the communication that occurs in these exchanges. Therefore, the fluctuations on the interpretations and evaluations of a firm affect its resources and its competitive advantage in the marketplace. Below is the model of the Strategic Entrepreneurship Theoretical Tree which will be used as the main theoretical framework of this research. Each of the components of this model is based on different studies. These will be discussed in more detail during the full dissertation document. Methodology This research will use quantitative research methodology in addressing the objectives of the study. Quantitative survey will be used in gathering data from respondents. Quantitative methodology is chosen for this study because it will allow the researcher to utilize the opinions of respondents in explaining the phenomena being studied. The survey will be administered to employees and managers of SMEs and large commercial firms in the UK to find out their views on the subject. The survey will asks questions such as how respondents perceive the role of strategic entrepreneurship in forming creative temporary competitive advantage; what are the benefits of strategic entrepreneurship; how can firms create value; etc. The target number of respondents for the survey is 100. In anticipation of the fact that some potential respondents might refuse to participate in the survey, around 175 to 200 questionnaires will be distributed to ensure that 100 responses will be gathered. The survey will be administered face-to-face, via post, though emails, and online. This is done to allow respondents to choose how they want to answer the survey. After data gathering is completed, statistical analysis will be used in analyzing the data. SPSS and Excel will be used as the primary software for analysis. References Hitt, M, Ireland, D, Sirman, G, Trahms, C. (2011). Strategic Entrepreneurship: Creating value for individuals, organizations and society. Academy of Management Perspective. p.57-75. Ireland, D, Hitt, M, Sirmon, D. (2003).   A Model of Strategic Entrepreneurship: The Construct and its Dimensions. Journal of Management. 29(6), p.963-989 Ketchen, D, Ireland, D, Snow, C. (2007). Strategic entrepreneurship, collaborative innovation, and wealth creation. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal. 1(3-4), p.371-385. Olusola, A. (2012). Strategic Entrepreneurial Skills’ Influence on Small Businesses’ Performance in Oyo and Osun Western States-Nigeria. Research Journal in Organizational Psychology and Educational Studies.1 (6), p.345-352. Pongpearchan, P. (2011). Strategic entrepreneurship management competency and firm success: a comparative study of SMEs in auto and electronic parts in Thailand. International Journal of Business Strategy. 11(2). Rindova, V Fombrun, C. (1999). Constructing competitive advantage: the role of firm-constituent interactions. Strategic Management Journal. 20(8), p.691-710.

Unmarried Women Are More Politically Liberal. Heres Why.

Unmarried Women Are More Politically Liberal. Heres Why. Theres long been evidence that unmarried women are more politically liberal than married ones, but theres never been a good explanation for why this is the case. Now there is. Sociologist Kelsy Kretschmer of Oregon State University (OSU) found that women who are not married tend to be more concerned about the social status of women as a group, which makes them more politically liberal and likely to vote Democrat than married women. Kretschmer told the American Sociological Association (ASA), Over 67 percent of never married women and 66 percent of divorced women perceive what happens to other women as having some or a lot to do with what happens in their own lives. Only 56.5 percent of married women hold the same views. Kretschmer presented the study, coauthored with OSU political scientist Christopher Stout and sociologist Leah Ruppanner of the University of Melbourne, at the August 2015 meeting of the ASA in Chicago. There, she explained that women who are not married are more likely to have a strong sense of linked fate, which is the belief that what happens in their own lives is connected to the social status of women as a group in society. This means they are more likely to believe that gender inequalitymanifested for instance in the gender pay gap, the gender wealth gap, and discrimination in education and the work placehas a significant impact on their own life chances. To conduct the study, the researchers drew from the 2010 American National Election Study and included data from women respondents 18 years and older, who they sorted as married, never married, divorced, or widowed. Using this data, they  found that a sense of linked fate has a significant impact on ones political orientation and behavior. Using statistical analysis the researchers were able to rule out income, employment, children, and views on gender roles and discrimination as factors that explain away the gap in political preference between married and unmarried women. A sense of linked fate is in fact the decisive variable. Kretschmer told the ASA that women with a sense of gendered linked fate, who tend to be unmarried, think in terms of what will benefit women as a group. This means that they are likely to support candidates who promote, and political measures for, things like wage equality, workplace protections for pregnancy and maternity leave, anti-domestic violence laws, and welfare expansion. Kretschmer and her colleagues were motivated to do this study because the concept of linked fate has been used by other sociologists to help explain why strong racialized voting patterns exist among Blacks and Latinos in the U.S., but not among other racial groups. The concept had never been used to examine political behavior among women, which is what makes the study and its results notable and important. The study also revealed that women who have never been married are more likely than those who are married to believe that is important to have women politicians, and that  married and widowed women demonstrated the same degrees of linked fate. The researchers pointed out that widowed women are likely to still be engaged in the marriage institution via things like a husbands pension or social security, so they tend to think and act more like women who are married than those who are not (never been, or divorced). While notable, its important to recognize that this study demonstrations a correlation between marriage status and a sense of linked fate, and not causation. At this point it is impossible to say whether linked fate influences whether or not a woman will get married, or if getting married can reduce or eliminate it. Its possible that future research will shed light on this, but what we can conclude, sociologically speaking, is that cultivating a sense of linked fate among women is necessary to making political and social change that advances equality.

Discrimination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discrimination - Essay Example Being of the minority of Chinese descent living in the United States, I am often subjected to racial discrimination on matters that might not even relate to me personally. Such prejudice is a result of the generalized misconceptions (Ruchlis 2) that people have fostered about the Chinese population in the United States, and I often fall victim to such stereotypic prejudice (Ruchlis 1). Working as a cashier in a store, one day I was faced with a situation in which a white lady made a ride remark about my ethnicity. Our store has a policy that customers can only use a card to make a purchase if the bill amounts to a minimum of three dollars. This lady bought a lollipop and wanted to make the payment through a credit card. I politely explained to her that this was not possible since her transaction did not amount to the minimum set by our store manager. Instead of trying to abide by this rule, she commented that such a behavior was typical of â€Å"you Chinese people†. I was disa ppointed and heartbroken by this comment, as it was not my fault and I had no way of assisting her. Nevertheless, I was viewed as a troublemaker for the customers just because of my ethnicity. I feel that had the cashier been a white native, he or she would not have been subjected to such comments by the same customer. This is an example of the social prejudice that people nurture in their hearts when they have too little information about a group of people whom they have to deal with on a daily basis (Ruchlis 2).... This discrimination, according to Ruchlis, forms the third level of social prejudice (8). On the other hand, I sometimes act as a perpetrator, too, practicing social discrimination and prejudice against certain groups of people that I either do not like or do not feel comfortable with. I have often held a negative view about the black population of the area that I live and work in. Some of this discrimination has resulted due to unpleasant experiences that I have had with that group (Ruchlis 2), and those feelings of resentment have been augmented by the general views of my friends and the people around me about the black populace (Ruchlis 4). I generally believe them to be rude and stingy, and although I am well aware that holding such negative notions about a community in general is faulty on my part (Ruchlis 3), I still keep on harboring such feelings. For instance, just recently a black lady came to our store to buy groceries. It was the first time she had come, so she needed som e directions as to the location of certain items and some help with choosing among the options. Although I assisted her, my manner was very rude. I did not address her as â€Å"ma’am† or â€Å"lady†, rather I answered her questions in merely â€Å"yes† and â€Å"no†, and overall had a very exasperated air to me. Thinking that she would be so stingy as to deny me any tip for assisting her, I did not put my best foot forward, and did not give her my best advice. Nevertheless, she was very sweet of me, and on her way out at the counter, she gave me a handsome compensation for helping her, which was very surprising for me. She has not visited the store since then, so