Critical Review & Appraisal of one published Research Study Essay

Critical Review & Appraisal of one published Research Study - Essay Example Themes in the literature tend to lean toward identifying the consequences and causes of domestic violence (Johnson and Ferraro, 2000). Crime studies tend to demonstrate a bias in favour of women as the primary victims of domestic violence (Straus, 1999). The reality is however, that men are victims of domestic violence (Straus, 1999). In fact, the Home Affairs Committee (2009: 133) of the House of Commons commented that ‘men are the forgotten victims of domestic violence’. It is the reality that men are victims of domestic violence and the fact that the Home Affairs Committee acknowledged the neglect of male victims of domestic violence that prompted my interest in research on this subject. I selected a peer reviewed article by Dobash and Dobash (2004) because it provides empirical evidence of why much of the focus on domestic violence tends to be biased in favour of women as the primary victims. The research was based on a mixed methods approach involving 95 couples where both partners had reported violence against one another. This research is important to me because it helps me in my future career plans in social and community development by shedding light on the social construction of domestic violence as a problem primarily for women. The article selected is: Dobash, R.P. and Dobash, R. E. (2004). ‘Women’s violence to men in intimate relationships.’ British Journal of Criminology, 44: 324-349. In selecting the article by Dobash and Dobash (2004) I began by entering key terms in the search engine provided by several databases online. The databases selected were Jstor, Springer, Wiley, Google Scholar, Sage, Karger Open Access, Elsevier, Taylor & Francis Group, and Exlibris. I also conducted a general search of Google. The key words entered into the search engines were ‘domestic violence against men’, ‘domestic violence against men in the UK,’ ‘men as victims of domestic violence’ and ‘men as victims of domestic

The Holocaust Essay Example for Free

The Holocaust Essay The pain and conditions experienced by the victims is unimaginable by any standards. (spicenter. org) In the early 1930’s, Eastern Europe was on the verge of power, and in a small western European country called Germany, trouble was occurring. In 1933, Europeans had no worries beyond their daily struggle to earn money, put food on their familys table, and clothes on their childrens backs. This would all change in a matter of months. Whatever type of life a person had built for themselves, it was all to come to a crashing down, if they did not conform to Hitler’s specifications. www. ushmm. org) On January 30, 1933 Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany. In March 1933, with the building of the Dachau concentration camp, (thinkquest. org) Adolf Hitlers rising became one of the most destructive leaderships in recorded human existence. After his inception as ruler of Germany, Adolf Hitler had one thing on his mind, a pure Aryan race with complete world domination. Jews were subjected to humiliation through the Anti-Jewish Laws. (theholocaustexplained. rg) The seven most established laws in Germany were: Jews were forced from jobs in civil service and history, Jews were barred from most other professions, Jews were excluded from schools and universities, Jews were forced to carry cards identifying themselves as Jews, Jews were forced to have a J stamped on their passports, Jews were excluded from dining and sleeping cars on German trains, and Jews were barred from public areas such as parks, sporting arenas, and baths. (theholocaustexplained. org) Hit ler’s goal was to eliminate all of the things he did not desire for Europe. worldpress. com) This included: Jews, mentally and physically ill, non supporters of Nazism, gypsies, homosexuals, and anyone else who did not fit the mandatory code. (www. ushmm. org) He wanted to create a â€Å"superior race† called the Aryan Nation. To accomplish his mission he had concentration camps created. (library. thinkquest. org) The most significant sign of the troubles looming ahead was the â€Å"Kristallnacht-night of the broken glass. † On November 9, 1938, Nazis attacked Jewish communities; destroying, and burning over 1000 synagogues. (theholocaustexplained. rg) Over 700 businesses were wrecked, as were hospitals, schools, cemeteries, and homes. From Poland, Czechoslovakia, eastern European provinces, and of course Germany, a great migration was going to begin. (worldpress. com)Nazis transported victims to concentration camps by means of railroad, which was the cheapest a nd easiest method. The trip was horrible. People were packed in as tightly as possible. In the summer, the cars became sweaty, smelling, and seriously hot. Many died of heat stroke. On the other hand, winter was even worse. When the temperatures decreased, these cars were sent place to place without heat. Death from hypothermia and starvation was common. (spicenter. org) Camps were set up for various purposes. These included labor, medical experiments, and death. Transition camps were set up as holding places for death camps. (Saucher) At the beginning of camp, prisoners usually had marks on their clothes or numbers on their arms to identify them. Things such as: jewelry, clothes, shoes, gold fillings, eyeglasses, shawls, baby bottles, and anything with value was taken and sold. (Saucher) They were then put into the inhumane conditions of the camps. Many times families would be split up. Women and men were separated, and grouped according to age. (library. thinkquest. org) There was only one bathroom for hundreds of people. At some camps these were long wooden boards with round holes. While they are in the bathroom, they would be watched by the soldiers to make sure they would not stay in too long. (Saucher) There was no toilet paper, so the prisoners used the linings of jackets. If they did not have one, they often stole one from someone else. Sleeping conditions were equally bad. The beds of the prisoners were usually wooden boards. The diet of the prisoners was poor. (thinkquest. rg) A standard daily meal would consist of watery soup and a piece of bread. Occasionally, an extra allowance was permitted and prisoners received a piece of cheese, some margarine, or some watered jam. (thinkquest. org) The prisoners had to stand for hours in snow, rain, heat, or cold for role-call, which occurred twice a day. Within the first few days of being at a camp many people woul d die of hunger, disease, or a beating. (thinkquest. org) The main disease was typhus, which was carried by flies. When infected by disease, prisoners were still required to work. They did not see that sickness necessarily meant death. spicenter. org) If the prisoners did not obey the guards every order then they would be beaten, put in solitary confinement or shot. It was extremely hard for prisoners to escape these camps. If caught, a prisoner was either shot or beaten severely. (Saucher) Many times, when someone escaped from a camp, all of the prisoners in that group would be shot. (Dinnerstein) If a person was caught planning a rebellion or escape, and the prisoner refused to give the names of the other associates, the Nazis would bring everyone from his or her barracks and force him or her to watch to mutilation of the others. Dinnerstein) When a prisoner died, the remains were usually thrown on the side of the street. Later, most of the bodies were burned. (library. thinkquest . org) There was often a severe lack of food. This was overcome by the cooks, who sometimes used the dead bodies as food for the prisoners. (thinkquest. org) Many of the activities practiced by the Nazi soldiers were horrifying. (thinkquest. org) Prisoners were fed to bears in private zoos. Husbands were forced to have sex with others men’s wives in front of their children. Women were forced to have sexual relations with animals. thinkquest. org)Jewish babies were launched into the air and fasten together by bayonets in front of their mothers. Soldiers practiced their gunmanship by shooting the Jews finger tips and noses. Prisoners were put through terrifying experiments without their consent. The first tests performed were sterilization tests. (A,2) Three methods were tried, including sterilization by medication, sterilization by x-rays, and sterilization by injection. Next came saltwater tests. Prisoners were forced to drink saltwater until they went insane. They were performed in order to find a way for downed pilots and sailors to drink the surrounding sea water. The third set of tests were high altitude tests. (A,4) Test subjects were put in low pressure chambers and then the oxygen was slowly removed. After the subject died, the Nazis put the body under water and did an autopsy to find out how much oxygen was left in the brain cavity. (B,2) Another set of tests were performed to find information on hypothermia. The Nazis took subjects and put flight suits on them. After being properly adjusted, the men were put in 36 degree Fahrenheit water. Then they would be able to find a way to save pilots stranded in the North and Baltic Seas. (thinkquest. org) Before they could be revived, many of the men died of severe brain excessive bleeding. The Nazis used quite a few methods of extermination, but the most common were gassing, burning, shooting, beating, and inhumane testing. (spicenter. org) Gassing was the easiest, cheapest, and most efficient way of destruction. Jews were put in chambers disguised as showers and then gas was let in. They were all sent to the showers, naked with a bar of soap, so as to deceive them into believing that they were truly going into a shower. B,1) Most people smelled the burning bodies and knew the truth. To most people the Holocaust represents an extremely harmful event, and perhaps the cruelest crime in history. (thinkquest. org) What many fail to consider is the pain and misery these prisoners endured throughout these unfortunate times. The truth is that all prisoners were treated wrongly; from the time that they were captured and separated from their family, until the moment they were forced into death. Concentration camps were camps that the Jewish, Gypsies, or other people were forced to go to, to be tortured or forced to do work. Adolf Hitler and the German Nazi Soldiers did not like those kinds of people so they decided to put them in camps, called Concentration camps. They put them in these camps mostly because of their looks and their religion. By 1942, Germans had built 6 death camps. Some death camps were located in Auschwitz, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor, and T. II. Some other concentration camps were Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald, Dachau, Sachsenhausen, Treblinka, and Theresienstadt. These camps were work camps not killing camps. The worst death camp was Auschwitz. (thinkquest. org) It was the largest concentration camp. Auschwitz was located in Poland. It was made up of 3 concentration camps in one. About 1 ? million people were killed at Auschwitz during World War II. (C,2) The second camp was Bergen-Belsen. It was built in 1943 as a prison camp. It was meant for 10,000 people, but it held 41,000. (thinkquest. org) There were no gas chambers but 37,000 prisoners died from either diseases or just being overworked. Anne Frank, one of the most famous victims died there. The third camp was Dachau. This was the first concentration camp built in 1933. This camp was meant to perform experiments on prisoners but it wasn’t meant for a killing camp. It was still known as one of the harshest camps because of its horrible living conditions and experiments. (thinkquest. org) The fourth camp was Sachsenhausen. This camp was built in 1936. It was apart of three camps, including Buchenwald and Dachau. (thinkquest. org) Early prisoners were 10,000 Jews from Berlin and Hamburg. 200. 000 people were in the camp. 100,000 ended up dying from diseases, exhaustion, or over working. (C,3) The fifth camp was Theresienstadt. 33,500 people died from the crowding in the ghetto. 88,000 Jews were sent to killing camps. (thinkquest. org) The sixth camp was Treblinka and T. II. In 1941 it opened to be a slavery camp. Close by another camp called T. II opened in 1942. That camp was meant to be a killing camp. (thinkquest. org) In Treblinka, there were bath houses which were used to kill people by a poisonous gas called carbon monoxide. About 700,000 to 900,000 were killed. (thinkquest. org) In 1943, a group of prisoners tried to escape but some were killed or recaptured. T. II camp was closed in October of 1943. (thinkquest. org) Treblinka was closed in July of 1944. In 1945, the war ended. Many died due to the harsh conditions of the camps. (thinkquest. org) Very few survived. If you survived you were very lucky! (C,4) There is a lot of information about the Holocaust. Some propagandists use partial knowledge to suggest that it didnt happen and they have their own statistics to make their audience believe so. Some people feel guilty. It was a very dark time and lots of lives were lost. (library. thinkquest. org) Others would like to escape from what they did because I think deep down they all knew it was wrong. Some people are just ignorant and feel superior and are racist so they dont regard it as something bad but something that should have continued happening. (spicenter. rg) Those types of people are horrible. Then, there are always skeptics. I believe the holocaust happened because first of all, who would fake something like that? And second of all, if people dont learn the lessons of history, people will be forced to repeat them. And who would want to repeat that? Maybe some people are just scared and dont quite understand what the holocaust was. I m ean, there are even some people who called Anne Franks diary fake and thats just wrong. (Saucher) But its not necessarily that people are stupid or idiotic but they just werent taught the normal way. Maybe they were taught to ignore things like that. Fear things like that. Laugh, gloat, and cheer at things like that. (Saucher) What disgusts me is that, people should know to frown upon those things but also have to accept them too to make sure that nothing like that ever occurs again. The Holocaust was absolutely real. Did they starve people and pile their bodies just to take convincing pictures? Theres real evidence. What about all the concentration camps? There are millions of bodies there. (Saucher) Im sure its possible to count them all, and the numbers would be well into the millions, of course, not all Jews died in concentration camps, but the numbers are very high. Prisoners liberated from camps. (Dinnerstein) It means Jews were alive and being fed. You don’t feed or protect a person you want to kill. If they were killed then who was liberated. (thinkquest. org) There are countless testimonies to see that the Holocaust did happen. Just go to Poland, Germany and other European countries in order to see the horror that the Nazis had made. (Saucher) The same people who say the Holocaust never happened are called Holocaust deniers. Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews during World War II, Holocaust denial is a criminal offense, punishable by fine and imprisonment in different countries in the world. Israel, Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain and Belgium have enacted laws prohibiting Holocaust denial. Italy has a similar law that is being ratified. Quite simply the reason that many people no longer believe the holocaust happened is the fact that there is absolutely no evidence that it did. (Dinnerstein) The proof is always on those making the accusations. Many of the photos that were taken intentionally held those showing diseased prisoners were released. The fact that there was allied bombings and lack of food was the true reason for the deaths of those at the concentration camps. The scale of which has dropped at first being as high as 6 million people to the now accepted number of 200,000 to 1 million. (thinkquest. org) Quite simply we dont know exactly how many people died in the camps in Poland because there was never an investigation allowed. However the thing that many people dont understand is that there were no death camps or gas chambers. Even at the most horrific camp, Auschwitz, the only proof of there being a gas chamber was a reconstructed air raid shelter made by the Russians post war. (thinkquest. org) That right there is opinions being listed. (spicenter. org) People don’t believe the Holocaust never happened because of the facts not being more clear and official. What else do people want? Humans just like us suffered a tragic death or memory from the Holocaust and because evidence was either destroyed or just not there anymore people want to question or doubt that the Holocaust never happened. That’s wrong. (thinkquest. rg) What about Anne Frank’s diary. Is that fake? Did someone just waste their time faking a diary and going fully out of their way to express deep feelings on something so horrific? There’s a museum in Germany and a website to the people that they have identified and found during the Holocaust. Real people look for their loved ones or a family member that they lost o r may have an idea that the person was involved during the Holocaust. (Saucher) You can go online send whatever information you know and if they have the information you can find out a family member that was in the Holocaust. C,5) If people want to deny it because the number is too big and they think it’s impossible that a human can ever pull something like that off their wrong. Pearl Harbor, Princess Diana, Twin Towers, etc. Were those wrong was that a lie? It was right. It’s a lie because so many lies are said about it. Does it mean that we need to agree with what everyone else says or look up things and educate yourself more about a subject you’re not so sure about? The Holocaust will forever be in our history for many more generations to come. It doesn’t matter if lies are said or doubts. There is no person that can change the fact that the Holocaust did happen. Since there are some that deny it, we can’t change it. Jews are not known for lying there are known for their honesty, But the person who started the Holocaust Denial was Harry Elmer Barnes. He was a respected historical revisionist known for his anti-war perspectives. He was warned against placing an amount of blame on the Nazis during the early 1960s. He says the World Wars were aggression against Germany, and that the Holocaust was propaganda for aggression. He then joined with European deniers in order to spread it; unfortunately, their efforts were successful. B,4) The Holocaust happened. It has been proven, many times over. But some people, American Nazis for example, claim that it never happened. It is easy to say things that are not true. It is easy to believe things that are not true. What kind of evidence is there, at this late date? There is a lot. There are eyewitness accounts, of Jews and N azis and bystanders. There are confessions. There are mountains of documents. There are graves and crematoriums. And there are missing people, individuals and huge parts of populations, gone, murdered. A person, who says that the Holocaust did not happen, says more about himself/herself than about history. You can claim that man never walked on the moon, and that Jesus never existed, that Mohamed was a pedophile and that the CIA killed JFK, yet if you claim that Jews were not murdered in gas chambers, you are facing a criminal record. The Holocaust was a major event in history. The millions of Jews who were tortured and killed by the Nazi are still being remembered today. The Holocaust was a terrible genocide and it leaves an impact on modern day history event, though it was a long time ago, before my time, it hurts. Even today, the damage still has not been repaired. It can’t be. No amount of money or anything can equal what was done. When I look back and identify with the holocaust, reading the history of the holocaust I could identify with what was happening and it was and still is horrifying. Never again, should this ever happen! I believe that if anyone knew what was to come, they would rather die than go through  the torture that they went through. Death was the only choice once in the hands of the enemy. The Nazis at that time  brutalized the idea of a Jewish person being a human being. It scares me to think that a world would allow such a horrible thing, but they went along with it. It makes me wonder, where God was when this happened. Any belief was judged if not deleted at a time like this. To look at the past, and see the live tapes of how it was, makes me want to close my eyes and pretend it didnt really happen, because to believe it shows just how evil,  a  man can be when given the opportunity. Families destroyed, records destroyed, being pulled apart, burned, shot, babies being cut out of the tummy of mothers and the wars. (library. thinkquest. org) My opinion on the holocaust is that it happened, and it is real. As horrible as it was, it happened. We as a nation and as people should never give anyone the power to do what was done. Just like slavery in America. It sickens me to say the least, that a man can justify killing another. They didnt just kill them, that would have been better if they just killed them, but that wasnt good enough. They had to torture  them, a  race of people who didnt deserve it. To those who deny the holocaust, well they will face serious consequences when it comes to the government. It’s a law that any person who denies the holocaust will be punished. There is no point in denying the Holocaust. (worldpress. com) After the Holocaust, the aftermath with the Jews, they were terrified after everything. So terrified they did not want to return back to their homes. (Dinnerstein) Some Jews were murdered when they tried to return to their homes in Poland. The problem was complicated because many countries refused to allow the survivors to enter. (Dinnerstein) A large number of Jewish survivors wanted to go to Palestine; the British were against such immigration and allowed fewer than 100,000 Jews to enter before Israel declared its independence in May, 1948. Looking for new homes approximately 137,000 Jews came to the United States (which admitted almost 400,000 refugees). Other countries where Jews found new homes were France, Canada, Great Britain, and Israel. The two countries receiving the largest numbers were the United States and Israel. (Dinnerstein) Works Cited Dinnerstein, Leonard. Survivors of the Holocaust. New York, 1982. Print. library. thinkquest. org. n. d. Saucher, Abraham. The Redemption OfThe Unwanted. 1987. Print. spicenter. org. 2013. theholocaustexplained. org. n. d. thinkquest. org. 2001. worldpress. com. n. d. www. ushmm. org. n. d.

Table Manners Cultural Differences

Table Manners Cultural Differences Thesis statement: All of us know that diet is very important in our daily life. It can can reflect a nations tradition and culture. However, each country in which geographical, environmental, and cultural and ethnic customs, which has a different concept of diet and dietary practices, and ultimately the formation of the differences in diet culture. Of cause, the table manners appear in our life everyday. They are witness of the history of dietary cultures for thousands of years, are the sign that a country or nation from ignorance and backward towards civilization and progress. Research achievement has a lot on the table manners, and in this passage, the author will stress on the analysis of their differences and the formation cause of the differences. Abstract: The different of the philosophical thoughts and the various kinds of social factors make some differences in Chinese and Western table manners. In China, a banquet, whatever the purpose, there will be a kind of form. Everyone sitting around the table and the delicacy is put in the center of the table. Not only it is a good taste, but also it is a communication medium for people. People toast each other and let food each other. It embodies the mutual respect and the virtue of humility. This way is easy to communicate with others. However, the western table manners are more cumbersome and canonical. Every people has his own service plate, no matter what dish has, they eat by themselves. Westerners drink also depend on their own thoughts, such as Whisky, Cocktails, Brandy, they can drink what they like. It embodies the respect of personal willingness. In this paper, we will talk about Chinese and western table manners and finding out the reasons. The purpose is to improve our intercultural communication ability by means of doing the research on the differences dietary culture between China and west in table manners. 1. Introduction In the 21st century, intercultural communication has become an indispensable content in peoples life. Cooking culture and table manners play a significant role of nonverbal culture in cross-cultural communication. Because of the Chinese people and Westerners have different life styles, the way of thinking, culture, so the table manners between china and western also show a big difference. Chinese table manners have a long history, At the time of the ancient times, table manners had a quite complete system. They took an important part in the past and still have a deep influence in the modern society. Western table manners originated in the 20 century. Italian culture came to France, table manners and menu turned to be more elegant and delicate, from that time, books of etiquette are published gradually. Today, table etiquette is still spreading in Western countries. The table manners in Western countries have influence on Chinese table manners because of the communication. In order to protect our table culture, we can make the two table manners get together, which is good for us to communicate with foreigners. So, it is necessary for us to know the differences of the two table manners and analyze the causes of the different the two table manners between Chinese and Western. 2. The importance of table manners in international cultural communication As Chinese reform and opening quicken markedly, international cultural communication also increases quickly. We must be willing to communicate and be tolerant of views that differ from our own. Our abilities are improved according to international communication. In the society, we do many things successfully on table. For example, when we meet important person, or we have important thing, we could ask the relevant people to have dinner, and discuss on the table. So we must know the table manners. Moreover, if we have a dinner with the Westerners, we should understand the Western table manners well. Because the Western table manners is different from Chinese. On the table, no matter what country the people come from, they could feel the respect from the table manners. Today, transnational cultural communication is so frequent that table manners become more and more important. Not only the whole dining process more harmonious but also status of customers more obvious and their communic ation more convenient by the table manners. For foreign language learners, it is quite useful to know the differences of Chinese and western dietary culture. We can not only increase the understanding of the table manners culture, but also improve the success of intercultural communication, which can help to avoid misunderstandings and communication disorder because of inappropriate behavior. 3. The differences table manners between China and Western countries 3.1 The differences in arrival of time When talking about the time, the Chinese and Westerners have different views. In China, we dont pay much attention on the time. We dont have specific demands about arrival time. To arrive earlier, on time or a little late are all allowed. In fact, we often get to the place where we have a dinner at a litter late time. Because most of us think the host should wait for guest and it is a way to respect for others. The Westerners think both of the time and money are very important, so they always make time and money bonded together. There is a saying goes said that Time is money , and the saying goes has become deeply in the Westerners mind. Therefore, they cherish as far as possible, they plan and manage their time carefully. The Westerners are often filled with a sense of urgency of time. All of them have a interest that they go to some parties in free time. If the westerners have to go to somewhere to have a dinner with others, they must arrive there on time. Frequently, when they want to have a dinner at ones home, they usually get earlier for five minutes. In their opinion, it is not very polite for you to get much earlier, maybe the hostess is so busy doing preparation for the dinner that is not suitable for you to reach at that time. 3.2 The differences in seating arrangement Both in China and in the west, people are particular in seating arrangement of formal banquette. In the Chinese banquets, we prefer to the round table . If there is just a round table in the family dinner, it has no table order. If we join a formal dinner, our seating should comply with the rule. Traditionally, Chinese use square table and the seats, which is look towards to the door is the most important, while seats on both sides are partial seats. So, the elderly and the guests of honor or high status should sit at the seat facing the main door. Then guest of honor sit on the right of the host and deputy chief gust on the left. While, as for the dinning of less than five people, its table setting can follow those four rules: right is honor and the left is low; the middle seat is senior; the seat of facing the door is the top; flexibility arrangement. In Western countries, people usually use long table. Host and hostess sit at both ends, and the guests of honor sit besides them. Then ordinary guests sit along with them. That is to say, the one who is more nearer to the host, the more important he is. In the informal party, it follows that women is first. Seat arrangement should treat the hostess as benchmark, and the most important guests should sit at the upper right of the hostess and the wife of him sitting at the upper right of the host. If a man and a woman have a diner, the man should let the woman sit on his right and dont let she sit near to the passageway; anyway the man need to let the woman sit inside. When two people have a dinner, the senior sit inside.When two men with a woman, men should let woman sit in the middle place. Besides, men should remove the chairs and let women sit first. In a word, women are very important in the seating arrangement. 3.3 The differences in tableware As everyone know people use chopsticks in China, and chopsticks are the most significant tableware for Chinese. Usually, they are traditionally held in the right hand, even by left-handed people. Although chopsticks may now be deployed by either hand, left-handed chopstick use is considered improper. Besides, there are also some rules to abide by when using it. For example, before dinner, chopsticks must be put on the right of rice bowl tidily. While after the meal, it should be placed in the middle of rice bowl, and when talking with other people, we should put down our chopsticks. It is a polite action to others. When take food for others, we ought to use the public chopsticks. In Western countries, people use knives and forks. When eating western-style food, a knife should be held in the right hand and a fork should be held in left hand. Whats more, the different ways knives and forks place have different meanings. For example, you have to leave for a while when you have a meal, you can put the knife and fork separately as a triangle. The service person will not receive your plate. If you have already finished the meal, you should make the knife and fork parallelled. Bread is taken in the fingers and laid on the side of plate or the edge of the large plate. It is never taken with a fork. Butter is taken from the butter dish with the butter knife and placed on the side of plate, not on ones bread. Well, Chinese use chopsticks and westerners use knives and forks. However, they also represent the difference between both collectivism and individualism. Westerners use knives and forks to cut food and separate it to represent individualism. The Chinese use chops ticks to grasp the entire food to mean unity and collectivism. 3.4 The differences in order of serving Chinese order of serving: the first are cold dishes, beverage and wine; then the hot dishes; next staple food; at last the sweets and fruit. Sometimes, there are many tables, each table should be on every dish at the same time. The order of serving still keep the traditional, first hot and later cold. Besides, hot dishes should be served from the left side opposite the seat of the guest of honot. The dishes like whole chicken, whole duck, and whole fish cant put their heads and tails toward the host seat. In the banquet, each dish like slide show, each time a dish is served. Nevertheless, there are some tips: in the wedding banquet or other red banquet, the plates on the table can be overlapped, and meaning that a good thing comes again and again. While, in the White Banquet like funeral, the plates cannot be overlapped, I think you can guess the reason. Western serving steps are usually like that: bread and butter, cold dishes, soup, seafood, main course, dessert, coffee and fruit. When you eating the cold dishes, the soup and bread should be eaten at the same time. In Western, the cold dishes are known as appetizer dish, served as the first course to eat with an aperitif. And soup includes stains soup and cream soup. The main course has chicken, beef, fish and pork and so on. The dissert always has ice-cream, pudding etc. 3.5 The differences in having dinner on table In China, food should be taken by the guest firstly. If you want to eat some food, you could not take too much. The men could give service to women. When you take food, you could not glance left and right and you could not choose one by one in the public dishes. If you eat with many people, you could have comity with everyone. The food which you want to eat and you cant take, you should ask other people to help you to take. Please avoid leaving seat to take by yourself. Chinese table manners atmosphere is lively, people like chatting over eating. Your utterance should be elegant, scholarly and euphemistic. But talking and laughing loudly is not polite. While eating, the older is first, when a dish served, the young can t eat until the elder eat. Chinese table s atmosphere is lively, people like chatting over eating. But talking and laughing loudly is not polite. hen a person has a cough, he or she should turn his or her back. Before you have a drink, you should drink a toast to the e lder and the guest. In West, men should move the seat for women. People always talk with their neighbors when eating, they dont talk loudly. Usually, people have a talk after the main food that the time of they eat dessert. Using the knife and folk cant make a sound. They do not use their own utensils for others to take their food; do not cut food on a plate after a good use of all right hand fork to eat; do not put the bones and food that dont eat on the floor or on the tablecloth, while put them on the on the plate of iceberg. Besides, the polite way is eating out the food on your plate. 3.6 The differences in leaving the table In China, only can the master sign the end of banquet. After the master and guest leave seat, the other guests can leave. Then, the master should be to see guests off at the gate, and the guests should express their thanks to the master. If the guests want to goodbye to host in the midway of the banquet, they just say good-bye to the master or give a nod as a signal to others. At the end of the banquet in Western countries, people should pick up the napkin from the leg, fold optionally, put the napkin on left of the table, and then get up for leaving. After having a meal, the host and hostess should leave before the other guests leave. When leaving, people should help elders or ladies to move the seats, and thank to the master when they say goodbye. If you want to be more cautious, you can thank by phone or card again. The causes of different table manners between the West and China 4.1 The different cultural connotations Culture will affect peoples view on things. Different country has its different culture, so it is obviously that the thinking model between China and western are different. The Chinese culture pays more attention on ones intuition, and the Western culture leans to logic and analyze. As to the traditional of the culture, Chinese people especially believe their own intuition. They insist the experience and feeling during the thing, this phenomenon also happens in the communication between west and east. In China, thousands of cultural tradition is reflected in Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. The Confucian thought mainly emphasized benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, faith; Taoists advocated natural and clean; Buddhist is advocated merciful, purdue beings, harmony without. From this we see that what is tasty to a host may not necessarily be tasty to his guest. Because people have different opinions about various ingredients and cooking methods. It is rather easy to misjudg e what someone considers to be the best dish. Forcing a guest to eat food he doesnt like is quite awkward. However, Western countries assert democracy, freedom, equality, and advocated personal power, put emphasis up on personal value, paysattention to individualism. We have to learn from the American literature that the theme of American Dream is an important indication in the American literature history. It means that Americans wish to succeed through their self-dependence and self-reliance. They believe that they are created by God and that they are endowed with special traits which will help them to become the kind of people they wish to be. So this culture connotation can also be reflected in the table cultures. They respect freedom. So there are not so many rules as in Chinese table setting. They behave freely. 4.2 The different way of thinking Compared with western thinking model, the eastern idea is blanket and unclearly. The Chinese thought is more comprehensive and integrated. Traditional perceptual intuition thinking including the doctrine of the thought in Chinese style. The essence of the idea emphasize harmonization or even cancel with extreme solution to the problem. The Chinese psychological bias for comprehensive, logical analysis. The simple integral concept and unified way of thinking reflects our national macro understanding and the ability to transform the world. The west emphasizes analysis and partial logic thinking, and emphasizes its own characteristics. For scientific thinking of the standard, this kind of thinking mode in the real world in present multidimensional nature. At the same time, in western countries, and always put the value of the individual in important position, the principle of the supremacy of outstanding individualism. 4.3 The different behaviors regulation Behaviors regulation means the single standard, which the society can accept. That means that something can tell people what is the right way to solve this matter and what is unsuitable to do. When different background culture people do communication with each other, they usually judge the rationality by own code of conduct. So it is inevitable for them to misunderstand others. And whats more, it will destroy the friendship between people. For example: In China, it is kind to pat childrens head, but it is a very terrible thing in the western country. They think it is unexpected thing to a child. If you do like this, his parents will get very angry for it. And the other different thing: In China, men always smoke after they finish the meals, they think it is a kind of enjoyment. Nevertheless, in western countries, they consider this behavior is not polite to women and children and it is also a rude thing to smoke on a table. So, it is very important for us to recognize and use the dif ferent regulation behavior when we do business or have communication between foreign countries. In order to ensure the communication will be smoothly, you should understand each others conduct. Especially remember the forbidden things and impolite things. The best way is when in Rome, do as the Romans. 4.4 The different values Value is the core of culture and the most appropriate criteria what is used to evaluate the behaviors, things and make choices from all possible targets by social members. Values are the reflection of peoples social existence, people in the same natural environment and social environment will have the same values. Therefore, every society and country is using their own recognized values. In the dinner table etiquette, peoples behavior is a microcosm of the national values and the corresponding behavior under the guidance of different values. In a state of ceremonies like China, emphasizes loyalty and filial piety, reflects the values of collectivism. Chinese people respect the aged and take good care of children, therefore, seating arrangements are very regular, seats not only have upper and lower grades, but also the specific seat sorting. For western countries, the individualism values occupy the dominant position and individual power of each person is reflected. This is because in the philosophy of Westerners, it tends to focus on individualism, personality development and self-expression. They think that if a person is not up to his purpose, which is not because of the destiny but their own laziness and their lack of fighting spirit. Western people put into practice individual dining system, each of them eat their own tableware and choose their own favorite food. So, in western, there will not appear the situation like eating the food reluctantly served by the hosts in China. Conclusion Different countries and different people have different manners. We should have a good knowledge about other customs so that they will not think us are ill-mannered. When exploring the differences in communication manners and customs, we set them mainly into three parts: manner and culture, communication manner and table manner. Considering the roots of these differences, Historical and regional causes might took the significant places. Therefore, a cross culture environment and a cross culture mind do lead to the better understanding in todays communication. In modern society, along with the development of the open policy, it seems that the world is getting smaller and smaller so that people are very active with frequent exchanges. With the constant deepening of integration of the world, we should pay more attention to etiquette among people. In particular, the importance of the table manners is more prominent. Consequently, we should admit these differences in cross-cultural commun ication, and understand and respect it as well. The key of successful intercultural communication is to have a correct attitude to deal with cultural differences. It is to understand and respect other countries culture that is the necessary condition to avoid cultural conflict, realize equal association and cooperate successfully. So as the graduate students, we must based on the requirement of the labor market. We will enter the society later, and before this we must get the full preparation of being a good worker. Only do we learn the different culture and practice it, we could find a good job quickly and do right things during the communication. By doing this can we make our work easier to be handled. If we can understand the manners better, we can know others better.

Emergence of Women in the Great Gatsby :: F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Emergence of women and the decline of male dominance in the 1920’s During the 1920’s, the role women had under men was making a drastic change, and it is shown in The Great Gatsby by two of the main female characters: Daisy and Jordan. One was domesticated and immobile while the other was not. Both of them portray different and important characteristics of the normal woman growing up in the 1920’s. The image of the woman was changing along with morals. Females began to challenge the government and the society. Things like this upset people, especially the men. The men were upset because this showed that they were losing their long-term dominance over the female society. Daisy is in a relationship where she is unhappy. Not only is she unhappy, she is immobile and has no say in just about anything that goes on. Relationships in the 1920’s were just like this scenario. Women were dominated by their husbands and unhappy. They were objects that were to be domesticated and be under the command of â€Å"the man†. It was during this time that woman were starting to take a stand and be in charge. They were done with standing on the sidelines while their husband had reign over their lives. In the beginning of the twenties a change was made. On August 18, 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified giving women the right to vote. This gave women the chance to have a voice in the government. In 1922 Nellie Tayloe Ross, the nations first female governor, was elected in Wyoming. Giving women the right to vote was the first step to helping them emerge from out of the shadows of a male dominated society. Daisy wanted to drive Gatsby’s car and was cheating on Tom. Jordan was a golf champion. It was usual for the men to be dishonest to their spouses, but not for women. A thing like driving cars was a â€Å"mans thing to do†. Also there were certain sports that women just weren’t supposed to play. Along with the emergence into society, came a new set of morals. Women were beginning to think and act for themselves. They changed the man made stereotypes that they had been brought up to think, into something brand new. â€Å"Never had a drink before, but oh how I do enjoy it†(Gatsby pg.

Cause and Effect of Movie Crash Essay

Crash, a film directed by Paul Haggis in 2005, is a film that follows characters whose lives intertwine over the course of just a few hours. These characters all have different cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds, but are each in front of the identical issues of racial discrimination and stereotyping because of their differences. Making the impression that â€Å"films are primarily concerned with the issues of everyday people† a highly accurate statement in regards to the movie Crash. Thoroughly Crash provides a look into these issues of discrimination and stereotyping and shows how they affect everyone’s lives. Crash is the perfect resemblance of how we as a human race deal with life, people and our own experiences. Physical characteristics and racial differences may be interpreted as two distinguishing traits that separate us. I think it’s what keeps us away from each other. It also shows how everyone’s actions can cause a current effect on another person’s life. Together we are all connected to one another by just crossing one another’s paths while been in possession of our lives. A person’s views and beliefs can have an outcome on how one behaves towards other people. The opening scene is great in presenting the issue of racism right from the start. There has been a load on a motorway and Detective Ria is soon arguing with an Asian lady. â€Å"I ‘Blake’ too fast? I’m sorry, you no see my ‘Blake’ lights†? †¦Maybe you see over steering wheel, you ‘Blake’ too.† These harsh words set the film up for a story full of racism and discrimination. Paul Haggis uses this negative mood to prove the anger. What Haggis is showing is that when you’re in your car, you feel safe and oblivious to everything outside of your world because you are secluded in your own little space. It’s only if you crash that you have to deal with the reality of what’s happening outside your own life. This is much the same with racial discrimination. You can live in your own little bubble, but when you find yourself â€Å"crashing into† someone else’s life, you’ll be forced to deal with your racial discrimination. John Ryan is one of the characters from the movie Crash. John role in the movie is a racist cop who always seems to show hate towards anyone he feels is a threat to him, mainly because him being a cop, he has the authority to do so over most people. He basically picks on anyone he feels is an irritation to him. In the movie his circumstances are very interesting, especially the way it effects different situations and other characters from the movie. Officer Ryan in the first scene that he is in, it shows him speaking on a pay phone in a diner. He is arguing about his elderly father medical condition and need for more testing and medications. After a couple minutes of speaking his conversation does not gets nowhere with the person on the phone, he ask them for their name. When she replies that her name was Shaniqua he says â€Å"that’s what I thought†. His attempt at trying to use reverse psychology on Shaniqua is very poor to get her to see his dad, it does make sense. However, she sees right through that and sees that he’s just being a racist prick. Then when he goes to the office in person it is the same women he had spoken with on the phone previously. He started off trying to be polite and civil. Regardless of his current behavior the woman cannot forget his being racist prick. All that officer Ryan cause was for Shaniqua to respond in a negative way. Officer Ryan’s request for further testing and a new Doctor for his sick father were rejected. Officer Ryan doesn’t stop, and then tries to explain why he is a racist to Shaniqua. He tells her of when the city of L.A passed a minority act John Ryan’s father loses his business, because almost all of his employees are working minorities. I think this adds or might even be one of the main reasons that causes John to become a racist individual towards others. Causes him to blame the minorities for the closure of his father’s business, (after all if it wasn’t f or them being minorities his father would still have his business) influencing him to mistreat people of other races. Shaniqua calls the buildings security to remove Officer Ryan from the building. Officer Ryan is out on patrol and pulls over the vehicle of a black couple Cameron and Christine, because the vehicle sort of matched the description of the D.A.’s stolen car. Because of his racist attitudes he proceeds to do an unnecessary body search just because he has the authority and disrespectfully molests Christine in front of her husband, and this act probably makes him feel like he’s getting even, maybe even like he’s getting â€Å"revenge† on minorities for ruining his sick dads business. Because it was their †fault† that the act was passed, but in reality John just seems to need someone to blame and African Americans are the easiest for him to criticize. For the reason that, Officer Ryan’s behavior towards Christine it has cause this couple to fight after getting home. Christine is angry that Cameron did not stop Officer Ryan from molesting her. This fight would never have happened if not for the why that Officer Ryan had treated them earlier. After that the discord and emotional distress that Christine was under. There is a serious car accident involving Christine upset and hurt and to a complete loss to be driving, which in turn causes the accident. She is badly injured in a car that is turned over, and refuses her only help from whom other then John Ryan. She seems scared and frightened when he approaches the scene and tries to help. I think at this very moment Ryan must have a huge change of heart and redeems himself, because he actually really wants to help Christine instead of hurting her, a minority, someone John Ryan would usually mistreat and maybe even ignore at this point. The cause of him molesting Christine caused the mistrust between them, but during the life threatening situation they were both in, he probably realize he had been wrong, as he strongly convinces Christine he was not going to hurt her. He even rushed back in to save her after being pulled out without. Christine even with the car being totally in flames right before the car blows up, he was able to get her out on time. This accident and the initial reaction of Christine towards Officer Ryan when he is trying to help her get out of the remains, it is showing himself the reason why he became a cop. That it did not matter what a person’s race was that they were still a person. However, that could possibly be the most important theme of Crash is how these racial stereotypes were able to be shattered. Or on the other side of the coin is how easy it is to fall and jump into judgement someone else by their race or even how they look or talk. In one of the last scenes of the movie Offi cer Hansen, shoots and kills the African American that was reaching in his pocket for his Saint Christopher statute. To show him that he had the same as the one Officer Hansen had on his dash board. Officer Hansen, assuming it was a gun the young black man was reaching in his pocket for. He shot the young man and killed him. The young man just happened to be detective Grimm’s younger brother. Officer Hansen must have realized in that moment what his ex-partner officer Ryan had meant when he had spoken to him at the start of the shift. Those words spoken had been the truth more than he wished to have to acknowledge. Crash. Dir Paul Haggis 2005 Perf Matt Dillion and Don Cheadle, DEJ Productions, DVD Crash. Dir. Paul Haggis. Perf. Sandra Bullock. Movies | Movie Trailers | Reviews – Rotten Tomatoes. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. . Koban, Craig J. â€Å"Afilm Review: Crash.† CrAiGeR’s Cinema Corner. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. .

Caucasian chalk circle

The use Of the V effect is also effective in this scene with the use of the singer which avoids the emotion of realism, making the audience detached from the characters. The purpose of this scene is to show the misunderstanding between the characters which also draws our attention back on society today as the proletariat are being oppressed by the bourgeoisie still in the 21st century. We showed this in our performance when the children have practically no say in their own lives, for example Klan could not do painting because his dad wanted to him to go into the army.Non-verbal communication. As part of our exploration focused we on communicating to the audience just using our body language. Vocal awareness To help us explore our use of voice we looked at scene 3 where Shrugs wanted to save herself from being caught therefore she pretended the governors wife. In this scene she was trying to find herself and Michael a place to live but she couldn't unless she pretended she was a woman of a high class. To do this, I changed my accent into a posh British accent which would normally be used by typical rich women. My Persian shoes† was said n a much exaggerated manner. My tone of voice as high pitched and had a nasal tone. However when I got caught and when the women noticed I was a servant my tone of voice and my accent because I couldn't defend myself in another accent however in my own accent I could express myself very well.. Breech was trying to get a message across that you only had to be Of a higher class or authority to be able to save yourself in society. This also draws our attention to the conflict of social class in society and how it always has been and there hasn't been really much change.Characterization – Rosily laded the role of Shrugs in Scene 6 ‘The Chalk Circle' and created my character by visualizing how I thought my character would stand for example since Shrugs is a servant and a lower class her back would always be bent sho wing the audience that she is always working and also she is working class. However at this point when performed the scene and cradled Michael realized I felt emotionally attached to the character as I felt as if really was a mother who could lose her child.Therefore to prevent this attachment and to remind myself that I am a demonstrator of this character used a range of rehearsal techniques including swapping characters for example, I swapped characters with Klan when we saw that I was getting emotionally attached we did this by spinning around and Klan handing me over the stick showing I had now become a judge. Also to make sure I do not get attached to the character I made another person in my group fix me into Shrugs this meant that was not playing the character but only demonstrating.We did this for example, when Michael started molding my gestures into Shrugs for example I was always bent which showed my class and also how much work I have done since Shrugs is a servant. Soci al/ cultural ‘historical/ political context of Caucasian chalk circle The Caucasian Chalk Circle was written in 1944 it is a story that explores what happens when the law conflicts with justice and asks questions about who is right and wrong in complicated situations. Setting up the play, a Prologue introduces the idea that things should be given to those who will take care of them as two farms dispute ownership of valley.Once an agreement has been reached, the villagers put on a play to celebrate it. Breech's political beliefs and experiences were his motivation to try to change he world through drama. Through the theatre he created he made people realism the wrong doings of the society in which they lived. Firstly, we reflected Breech's views on social class equality in our performance when we decided to make the audience sit in a circle. The fact that everyone is sitting in one big circle with nobody being left out means we are being fair. â€Å"The Caucasian Chalk Circleà ¢â‚¬  has an epic structure.It is a collection so many events which, when put together, show a process taking place. Each particular incident focuses on socio-political lesson in society today. This prologue serves to each the audience that the wealthy are not always right that in fact, the poor should also have a say in the society. It serves to reinforce the point that every single individual should be treated equally. We showed this in the modern version of the prologue when the children were not allowed to hold their dream career as either their parents or siblings wanted them to do something else.A political context was showed when we based prologue in a modern day context set in Syria where ownership is an issue. Where children can't actually make their own decisions. This is because there is a war that as been in Syria for a very long time. Breech emphasized the past by putting the present into perspective as well. Seeing the present through the present meant that the audien ce could compare the past to the present to see the changes in the society. Visual Spatial and Aural elements of production would like to set my play in Syria.In Syria currently people do not have ownership of what they even own it could be linked to the play as since Shrugs did not have enough money she couldn't claim custody of Michael even though she was one that raised him. The above set is the last scene hen the circle was drawn for Michael to be pulled by Shrugs and the Governor's wife. This scene is important because the fate of Michael and Shrugs lied in the arms of the judge like mist people in Syria their fate lied in the arms of the authorities.I would use sounds of shootings and bombings reminding the audience that the play was set in Syria. Also to make it more realistic. However the audience would be able to view the back stage props and cleaning equipment which was influenced by Breech as he wanted to remind the audiences that they were only in a theatre and they had to make a hanger in society. Shrugs would be on the left side of the circle whereas the Governor's wife would be on the opposite, even though this Is what the script stated it also to avoid this two people from touching each other to avoid audience attachment.Response to practitioner Breech wanted his performances to be understood by everyone who came to watch which included the less educated. How we communicated this was by performing the stage directions from the Noble Child to ensure that the audience (year 8, younger than us ) understood the message we were trying o get across which was the upper were taking over society and having most power in society and Breech being communist wanted to make a change. realism the wrong doings of the society in which they lived.Breech's view is that the actor should not impersonate but narrate action of another person, as if quoting facial gesture and movement. This means Breech did not want the actor to play the character which obviously did not distance them but wanted them to only demonstrate it. We showed this in our plays when we got rid of every scene that was going cause the audience r the actor to get emotionally attached. For example, we swapped characters when there were scenes such as emotional breakdown for example when Simon left Crush at the riverside.Breech wanted to use Guests which the presentation of emotions through gestures. We showed this by using my body language when expressing the Governors wife showed this by lifting my shoulders and my nose up in the air just trying to show the influence of class and how much they do not appreciate the poor. Interpretation of a section of ‘The Caucasian Chalk Circle' Intended Impact of he section: This section was to highlight to the audience Grass's choice.The nature of the scene is to get the audience emotionally attached however Breech didn't Want this and therefore used the V-effect to stop them from getting attached, in order for the audience to be mo tivated to make a change in their situation. Setting: I would set this scene at the river so there is something to separate the actors and to distance the audience and therefore we used a white long cloth to emphasize to the audience that it is only a play to avoid them from being emotional. Suggested Rehearsal techniques: Reading stage directions -this accentuates the fact that they were only in a theatre.Swapping characters- when the scene reached where Shrugs had to make a decision between Michael and Simon you could tell that the audience would naturally get attached and therefore Breech in this case would swap characters. We did this by lifting the cloth and walking underneath it in slow motion. When I changed I introduced my character and repeated the line before the swap again. This was effective because it made the audience understand the fact that there has being a change of characters and also to mind them that they are still in the theatre.

Trying Juviniles as Adults essays

Trying Juviniles as Adults essays Trying Juveniles as Adults and Placing them into Adult Institutions Juveniles being tried as adults, who is to blame? In todays society it is not who or whom it is what. Juvenile offenders are now facing a double-edged sword. Not only can they be tried in a Juvenile court for a crime committed. They are now being charged as adults. Charging a juvenile as an adult has stirred up many different views. When should we say enough is enough? Violent crimes committed by juveniles have become a growing epidemic. The children of today are subjected to violence in popular songs, television shows, and even computer games. Parents having guns accessible to children and the society the child lives in all play a part in the destruction of our youth. Juvenile offenders are now facing tougher punishment for their actions. Juvenile crime is stated as an act committed by a minor that would be considered a crime committed by an adult, such as vandalism, burglary, assault, or murder (Silverstein 11). Juveniles are committing these crimes against families, classmates, and strangers. In many states, a juvenile is any one under the age of eighteen. Young offenders commit these crimes because they feel neglected, that no one cares, and this is a way to get attention. However, professionals say that juvenile offenders commit these crimes due to being abused or even ignored as a child (Valentine). Telling a parent to not ignore, punish, or leave your child home alone or your child could grow to become a criminal, seems severe. Why dont we just tell them how to raise their children? We as a society can not place the blame on a parent the juveniles are the ones at fault. Juvenile crime is dated as far back as the 1600s. Where in the Massachusetts colony, a teenager over sixteen years of age who had cursed at or hit his parents could receive the death penalty (Landau 88). In this time-pe...

Italian Adjective Order

Italian Adjective Order In general  Italian adjectives  follow the  noun: È una lingua difficile.  (It is a difficult language.)Marina à ¨ una ragazza generosa.  (Marina is a generous girl.) Certain common adjectives, however, generally come before the noun: Anna à ¨ una cara amica.  (Anna is a dear friend.)Gino à ¨ un bravo dottore.  (Gino is a good doctor.)È un bruttaffare.  (Its a bad situation.) The most common adjectives that come before the noun are listed in the table below. Italian Adjectives That Precede Nouns bello beautiful bravo good, able brutto ugly buono good caro dear cattivo bad giovane young grande large; great lungo long nuovo new piccolo small, little stesso same vecchio old vero true But even these adjectives must follow the noun for emphasis or contrast, and when modified by an  adverb: Oggi non porta labito vecchio, porta un abito nuovo.  (Today he is not wearing the old suit, he is wearing a new suit.)Abitano in una casa molto piccola.  (They live in a very small house.)

Managing projects in engineering and construction Lab Report

Managing projects in engineering and construction - Lab Report Example First, before commencing my project, I developed a time schedule to guide me during the project. The activities listed in my time schedule included organizing for meetings with my supervisors and lecturers for training and orientation before commencing the experiment. Besides, I came up with a separate project plan outlining the specific phases and procedures of the actual experiment. In addition, I made a visit to the school laboratory to book a date on which to perform the triaxial tests. An early reservation ensures that all the necessary pieces of equipment for the experiment are available on the experiment day. A tamping rod, a measuring scale, a measuring cup, de-aired water, a spatula and, pair of scissor is the equipment required in the experiment. Additionally, I acquired a small notebook on which I recorded my meetings with the lecturer and supervisors. I also ensured that the supervisors and laboratory technicians signed the notebook. Signed notebooks serve as evidence for the attended meetings. In an attempt to account for the resources I used during the research, I prepared a budget and a time plan for the activities. Budgets and time plans ensure effective and efficient use of resources. Besides, time plans and budgets act as monitoring and evaluation tools, helping me identify failures and making necessary adjustments to the project In any experimental project, there are potential challenges likely to occur. I planned for some difficulties liable to affect my experiment.

Value of Segmenting, Targeting and Positioning from a companys Essay

Value of Segmenting, Targeting and Positioning from a companys perspective - Essay Example All these steps are highly dependent on each other. Segmenting, targeting and positioning commonly called STP means establishing relationships with the right customers. Usually companies do this process in order to select the most suitable segment of the market in which they can perform their best. Another author has described these STP activities as the tool of communicating the personalized message to the relevant customers or the audience (Hanlon 2013). Segmenting means the process of dividing the whole potential market into certain divisions and segments on the basis of their needs, nature, purchasing power and many other characteristics. At first the market is divided and then every segment’s profile is made on the basis of their characteristics. There are a variety of factors which can be used as a segmentation base. These factors may include geographical base, demographics, psychographic and behavioral factors. Lifestyles, social classes and differences in personalities are certain other sub-factors which are important for the market researchers. Due to advancement in marketing techniques the segmentation bases has also been modified now (McAllister 2013). The homogeneity of the market segments makes it easy for the companies to generalize their research for the whole population of the segment (Rudra 2014). According to another author the 5Ws model clarify the process of segmentation i.e. Who, What, When, Where and Why. These all queries regarding customer will differentiate market segments (Richard 2013). Targeting means the process of identifying a segment which can be served easily. After segmenting definitely a company must not start to serve all the segments rather it would select those which seem to be attractive to be served. It is important here that the selection of target segment is only based on its attractiveness and potential customers. A target market or the segment is usually classified as the set of potential

Emerging Markets Economies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Emerging Markets Economies - Essay Example This paper is based on the writings of Rousseau and Sylla on financial institutions and their role in expansion of trade and economic growth. Lessons which can be learned by emerging economies from the US are presented and described at length within this paper. Moreover the paper discusses the implementation of various models for a sound financial system and description of its role in enhancing expansion of trade and economic growth of emerging markets. It is through a good or sound financial system that rapid economic growth can be realized by emerging market. As a result, emerging economies must put in place a sound public debt and finances system (Rousseau and Sylla, 2001, p. 2). The financial markets are critical in the development of any economy and thus emerging markets must prioritize stabilization of their financial systems. For example, the remarkable growth of the US capital markets and banking systems is attributed to the rapid growth of its economy and acceleration of tra de within the country and internationally (Rousseau and Sylla, 1999, p. 4). This illustrates the role of financial markets in empowering individuals and businesses through provision of credit facilities as capital to enhance their trade. The efforts of the individual businesses in their trade endeavors will in return promote the ultimate economic growth of the economy. Moreover, the confidence and morale of investors is improved when there is availability and access to credit facilities. As a result, the investors will make use of the credit facilities and invest in the economy leading to expansion of trade and the economy in general. Monetary exchanges which characterize trade activities are promoted through a sound financial system. Banks enhance business transactions which are attributed to expansion of trade within emerging markets and thus growth of businesses. Rousseau and Sylla (2001, p. 42) emphasize that expansion of businesses into corporations and their internalization de monstrates a rapid growth of the economy. Rousseau and Sylla (1999, p. 15) reaffirm that the growth in stock of money or liquid money through expansion and increase of bank loans promotes financial development, economic growth and trade. For example, the increased liquid money in the expanded US bank credit boosted foreign investment through investors who were now more confident to invest in the economy. As a result imports were encouraged in addition to the increased application of modern production methods and thus internal economic growth. In this sense, financial are accredited for expansion of a country’s trade into import and export trade. Because of the growth of an emerging market’s trade into international orientations, foreign exchange is attained and hence further growth of the economy. It is the liquid money which finances businesses within an emerging economy Rousseau and Sylla (1999). The rate of exchange of liquid money within an economy demonstrates tha t there is rapidity of trade activities and hence a reflection of an expanding economy. According to Rousseau and Sylla (2001, p. 21), stable monetary arrangements within a country is one of the most important prerequisites to expansion of trade and growth of the economy. Monetary arrangements include policies which govern the financial systems. This means that emerging markets or economies must

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 13

English - Essay Example Furthermore, scientists are of the view that in addition to humans, mammals and birds also dream. It is believed that the "Rapid Eye Movement (REM)" is a stage that occurs when the human brain is at the pinnacle of its activity a state in which the activity resembles of a state when awake. Rapid eye movement sleep takes place due to the movement of eyes continuously while sleeping. However, dreams may occur during other different times and state of sleep, but they are less memorable or vivid. A Dream can be as long as a few seconds to twenty five minutes long. Individuals are more likely to have either a vague or unambiguous recollection of dreams if they are awakened from sleep during the rapid eye movement stage. According to scientists, an average person has two to four dreams per night, and some may even have up to eight occurrences of different dreams in a night. Moreover, some people are able to dream longer as the time during the night advances. About two hours of sleep are spent dreaming in a full eight-hour long sleep. According to modern research, dreams are directly connected to the unconscious mind. They categorize from ordinary and normal to completely unreal and obscure. They are of different natures that fluctuates from magical to sexual, exciting, fear inducing, or adventurous. What a person sees in a dream is out of the control of the dreamer, laying in effect an exception to lucid dreaming, in which the dreamer can exert some degree of control over his dream. Dream interpretations and opinions regarding the nature of dreams have varied and drifted through the continuum of culture and time. Dream interpretations can be traced as far back as 5000-4000BC. Ancient records of dreams have been acquired from Mesopotamia that are as old as 5000BC, where they were inscribed on clay tablets. People in the Roman and Greek empires believed that dreams held a divine meaning portending the occurrence of an auspicious or

Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Proposal - Essay Example In addition to wresting these native populations and lands from Mexico, the U.S grabbed itself many overseas colonies. While it reluctantly joined the two world wars rather late, the United States has started and waged quite a number of wars single-handedly since becoming a superpower. Interestingly, some of these wars have been merely military interventions whose justification some consider ulterior and therefore uncalled for. From this war-mongering nature of the United States and its leaders (presidents), it is strange that U.S citizens and subsequent presidents consider themselves as peace-loving people and continually deceive Americans that the U.S foreign policy serves their interests. One reason the U.S citizens elected President Barrack Obama is that they thought he would be different from his predecessor George Bush who not only started the foolish and unnecessary wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but also mismanaged these wars. It is because of Obama’s opposition to the two wars that he was endeared to the war-wary U.S citizens thus prompting his election. Unfortunately, two years into his first term in office, President Obama, who was expected to be more thoughtful on the use of U.S armed forces and the implications of crude policy tools escalated the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and even launched a new war against Libya. Because of its love for war and military interventions in countries and regions considered enemies, strategic, or of interest to it, the United States has made many enemies in the world, more so the Arab and Muslim world. In fact, the U.S foreign policy has particularly been aggressive towards the Arab world, seen to be harboring and su pporting individual terrorists and terror groups such as the Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabab. This paper explores the United States’ foreign policy, which is marred with a lot of lies not

How does college experience affect future experiences Essay

How does college experience affect future experiences - Essay Example Students learn to listen and pass their ideas articulately with good communication skills. In order to score good grades, students must be committed to attending all the classes. This is also true at the workplace. Employees are expected to be at their work place every day with few off days. Results are what matters in colleges in spite of how hard one works. At the workplace employees are also expected to deliver on their targets without excuses. Time keeping is a critical factor in our college lives. Both in college and workplace we are required to observe time and be punctual always. (Staley & Staley, 2012) observes that students should be able to exhibit the work ethic they had in college in their work life. The way they worked hard to achieve good grades should be the same way they will strive in their work places to meet the standards set by the organization. Most students have at one point been given a group work assignment. This experience prepares them to work in committees in future. They are also expected to be good team players from the experience they gain through the group work. In college students meet others from different races and cultural backgrounds. This enables them to appreciate and co-exist peaceful with other people from different backgrounds in their future endeavors. It helps them develop socially and intellectually. The extra co-curricular activities students participate in help in drilling discipline and enhancing self esteem. It also develops students socially since they interact with many people. Students are also thought to obey rules which in turn them into responsible citizens once they grow up. The values and characters developed in college can have a huge influence on success in the professional life. As (Staley & Staley, 2012) summarizes it â€Å"Thanks to having gone to college, you can begin your career with ready-to-go professional

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 13

English - Essay Example Furthermore, scientists are of the view that in addition to humans, mammals and birds also dream. It is believed that the "Rapid Eye Movement (REM)" is a stage that occurs when the human brain is at the pinnacle of its activity a state in which the activity resembles of a state when awake. Rapid eye movement sleep takes place due to the movement of eyes continuously while sleeping. However, dreams may occur during other different times and state of sleep, but they are less memorable or vivid. A Dream can be as long as a few seconds to twenty five minutes long. Individuals are more likely to have either a vague or unambiguous recollection of dreams if they are awakened from sleep during the rapid eye movement stage. According to scientists, an average person has two to four dreams per night, and some may even have up to eight occurrences of different dreams in a night. Moreover, some people are able to dream longer as the time during the night advances. About two hours of sleep are spent dreaming in a full eight-hour long sleep. According to modern research, dreams are directly connected to the unconscious mind. They categorize from ordinary and normal to completely unreal and obscure. They are of different natures that fluctuates from magical to sexual, exciting, fear inducing, or adventurous. What a person sees in a dream is out of the control of the dreamer, laying in effect an exception to lucid dreaming, in which the dreamer can exert some degree of control over his dream. Dream interpretations and opinions regarding the nature of dreams have varied and drifted through the continuum of culture and time. Dream interpretations can be traced as far back as 5000-4000BC. Ancient records of dreams have been acquired from Mesopotamia that are as old as 5000BC, where they were inscribed on clay tablets. People in the Roman and Greek empires believed that dreams held a divine meaning portending the occurrence of an auspicious or

How does college experience affect future experiences Essay

How does college experience affect future experiences - Essay Example Students learn to listen and pass their ideas articulately with good communication skills. In order to score good grades, students must be committed to attending all the classes. This is also true at the workplace. Employees are expected to be at their work place every day with few off days. Results are what matters in colleges in spite of how hard one works. At the workplace employees are also expected to deliver on their targets without excuses. Time keeping is a critical factor in our college lives. Both in college and workplace we are required to observe time and be punctual always. (Staley & Staley, 2012) observes that students should be able to exhibit the work ethic they had in college in their work life. The way they worked hard to achieve good grades should be the same way they will strive in their work places to meet the standards set by the organization. Most students have at one point been given a group work assignment. This experience prepares them to work in committees in future. They are also expected to be good team players from the experience they gain through the group work. In college students meet others from different races and cultural backgrounds. This enables them to appreciate and co-exist peaceful with other people from different backgrounds in their future endeavors. It helps them develop socially and intellectually. The extra co-curricular activities students participate in help in drilling discipline and enhancing self esteem. It also develops students socially since they interact with many people. Students are also thought to obey rules which in turn them into responsible citizens once they grow up. The values and characters developed in college can have a huge influence on success in the professional life. As (Staley & Staley, 2012) summarizes it â€Å"Thanks to having gone to college, you can begin your career with ready-to-go professional

Ways promoting efficiency in a business Essay Example for Free

Ways promoting efficiency in a business Essay Talking an example of production industries, promoting a culture of open communication will enhance the skill of helping people. This skill will aid in problem solving. still under helping people skill patience as a skill will apply in that in case of delays of salaries workers will not feel that they are being subjected to kind of punishment (Richards, 2011). Another way of ensuring efficiency is encouraging communication, collaboration and feedback between departments and the management staff this will promote stream of ideas resulting to a more productive team overall. Positive perspective way of looking at your business as a worker increases output thus promoting efficiency. Computer survey as a skill enhances adoption of modern technology that put your business in front line towards more effective procedures. This creates better quality experience for employers’ and clients resulting to a stronger bottom hold. Being focused as an entrepreneur sets a good role model to your workers. In trying to be like, they put in enough effort which in return encourages efficiency. An outgoing business man sees to it that he is trending with current technology. The skill of being obsessive and compulsive aids you as a manager to make certain decision that will have an impact on your workers which in a way promotes efficiency for example punishing indiscipline. Lastly getting to know your workers better is a key point in promoting efficiency. This can be achieved by analysing employee process to their overall efficiency. Flexibility or the skill of adopting to change promotes efficiency in that no time is wastage trying to deny changes introduced in the business. After that is done achievable goals should be set. These realistic tangible goals provides motivation needed to achieve them which in turn enhances efficiency. Reference Richards, G. (2011). Warehouse management: A complete guide to improving efficiency and minimizing costs in the modern warehouse. London: Kogan Page. Source document

Incorporating Theory And Practice To Achieve Competency Nursing Essay

Incorporating Theory And Practice To Achieve Competency Nursing Essay Dewey (1938) stated that all genuine education comes through experience. Certainly, in practice-based professions such as the health care professions, clinical experience should be the basis for learning. To extract learning from experience, we need to create meaning from our experiences as we interact with and react to, them. We cannot allow any experience to be taken for granted; once we do so, actions become routine and habitual, we stop noticing and enter into a rut (Stuart 2007). Critically discuss this quotation by focusing on the complexity of learning in practice, the complexity of supervisory process and the end goal of creating a competent practitioner. Table of Contents Introduction John Dewey, one of the paramount philosophers and educational theorists of this century, wrote the book Experience and Education, more than 70 years ago, toward the end of his career. The book is based on the principle that all genuine education comes about through experience. Are his ideas relevant to nursing education in this day and age? Can we develop a theory for learning in our workplace? Are all experiences educative? Should clinical experience be the basic of learning? The following assignment shall use these questions as the basis of critical discussion about the complexity of learning and supervising and the formation of competent practitioners. The Maltese Code of Ethics for Nurses and Midwives (1997) seeks to promote the highest level of care delivered by nurses and midwives to their patients. This goal can only be achieved in the nursing profession, by the confluence of the two segments of health care; science and art. It was Florence Nightingale who created the art and science model of professional nursing practice and entrusted it to future generations. Nursing as a science and a profession is characterized by a close relationship between theory and practice (Papastavrou, Lambrinau, Tsangari, Saarikoski, Lieno-Kilpi, 2010), which involves the technological and research aspect of patient care. Conversely, the art of nursing is a more holistic view and takes into account all the patients mental, physical and spiritual needs. Hence, competent professional practice requires educational theoretical knowledge, as well as knowledge gained through hands on experience. Clinical experience and learning in practice Dewey (1998) argued that all genuine education comes about through experience. If Deweys statement is accurate, then why is the number of students attending universities increasing year after year? Why youths do not find employment instead of going to universities if the essential education can be gained directly through work experience? Is it feasible to allocate students in a ward, without any background knowledge about nursing? It is a fact that the knowledge base of nursing can be found in books, journals, and media and in handbooks of practice. On the other hand, Handal and Lauvas (1983) argued that a different component of practical theories is the transmitted knowledge and understanding communicated by others. This is because we pick up others knowledge and understanding together with our own experiences. Bonwell James (1991) stated that research consistently has shown that traditional lecture methods, in which lecturers talk and students listen, dominate university classroom s. Rolfe (1998) added that although this kind of knowledge forms the foundation of the science in nursing, nurses also need to have knowledge about themselves, their own clinical practice and their individual patients, if ever nursing has to become holistic and patient centered rather than disease focused. YourDictionory.com (2010) defines experience as an activity that includes training, observation of practice, and personal participation. Therefore, experience offers opportunities to the student to live through alternative ways of approaching the practice setting. However, nursing procedures, which may initially be taught in university clinical skills laboratories, require more varied and complex skills than can be taught in classrooms. It is not sufficient for a student to learn, for example, aseptic techniques, by reading a book, attending a lecture, or performing a skill in the lab where the environment and role model are perfectly controlled. Although knowledge learnt in the lecture rooms is essential as basic information, performing the skill in real life is something different altogether. For instance, when considering aseptic technique, a student on the wards can actually observe the wound, any odour or exudates, and assess pain whilst answering patient questions. Moreover, Po lanyi (1967) argued that much of the knowledge which inheres in human skill is tacit, and can only be learnt by observation. Thus clinical practice is a combination of practice of skills, the use of tacit knowledge, the use of knowledge about the skill and the use of knowledge of the field of practice (Jarvis, 1992). Besides, Nightingale (1893) as cited by Alliggod and Marrier-Tommey (2006) believed that nursing education should be a combination of both clinical and classroom experience. She states that Neither can it (nursing) be taught in lectures or by books (alone) although these are valuable accessories, if used as such: otherwise what is in the book stays in the book (p.24). In addition, Dewey (1998) further argued that experience alone, even educative is not enough. To a certain extent, it is the meaning that one perceives in and then constructs from an experience that gives the experience value. Consequently, this leads to the role of reflection, where its function is to make meaning out of our experiences. Loughran (2002) acknowledged that reflection is continually emerging as a suggested way of helping practitioners better understand what they know and do, as they develop their knowledge of practice through reassessing what they learn in practice. Moreover, Schon (1983) emphasis that reflection is a way in which professionals can bridge the theory practice gap, based on the potential of reflection to encourage knowledge in and on action. Since reflection facilitates discussion, it promotes the concept of shared learning. Furthermore, Schon (1987) acknowledged that when clinicians are trained to make their knowing in action clear, they can inevitably use this awareness to enliven and change their practice. However, one can argue that reflection is not a natural state or known without someone introducing it, but as Schon stated these systematic processes need to be guided experiences so that practitioners can derive the best possible outcomes from them. On the other hand, Crathern (2001) asserts that once reflective skill is mastered it will not leave the person. Thus clinical supervisors should help and guide students to develop and engage in the process of reflection as a means of deriving knowledge from their clinical experience. The complexity of learning in practice Antonacopoulou (2006) declared that learning is a process as well as a product, a cause, a consequence and context in which life and work patterns are achieved, and in turn organise learning. People have been trying to understand learning for over 2000 years. However, everyone has a different suggestion how to approach learning. Some might argue that learning is an increase in knowledge, that it is memorizing, or that it is acquiring facts or procedures that are to be used. Others may say that learning is making sense or understanding the reality. On the other hand, learning theorists have provided us with a set of ideas about how people learn, to facilitate practical implications for teaching (Darling-Hammond, Rosso, Austin, Orcutt, Martin, 2001). Yet, one must keep in mind that students practice experience is one of the most important aspects of their preparation for registration. Bransford (2000) affirmed that research has found that the brain plays a role in learning. Thus we cannot assume that all students learn in the same way. One must keep in mind that different students have different needs, and the concept that one size fits all is inaccurate. Additionally, if teaching methods do not match a students strength or learning style this may affect learning and behaviour. Mentors should primarily assist students to integrate into the practice setting while continuously providing ongoing support. Through observation, interaction and discovering a students interests, mentors can determine which learning styles would best facilitate the learning process. Novice students require an approach that is supportive, facilitative and structured, where careful monitoring, observation, demonstration and teaching are essential (Benner 1987). Alternatively, more advanced students need to be empowered to provide reflective holistic care. However, communication and an effect ive working relationship is the key to success (Chan, 2002; Papp, Markkanen, von Bonsdroff, 2003; Saarikoski Leino-Kilpi, 2002; Berggren, Barbosa da Silva, Severinsson, 2005). Learning is also based on the associations or connections we make. According to the learning theorist Jean Piaget accessing prior knowledge is how we make sense of the world. We attempt to take new information and fit it into existing knowledge in order to create a schema, or mental map that fits into a specific category. This makes the information more accessible because it is more memorable. On the other hand, workplace learning is of central importance and a crucially important site for learning. Nevertheless, students need to have theoretical background knowledge before working in a ward in order to be more motivated. Additionally, Burns and Peterson (2005) acknowledged that having a good role model is beneficial for the students. However, researchers found that sometimes mentors act as poor role models, where students alleged that they have observed malpractice practice in the clinical area (Rungapadichy, Mandill, Gough, 2004). Consequently, the key to successful practice learn ing lies in the level of support and guidance that students receive from mentors (Block, Claffey, Korow, McCaffrey, 2005 Jones, Walters, Akehurst, 2001) and other healthcare professionals. Gone are the days where students only require friendly or emotional support in practice settings. Besides, they also demand and deserve good quality, appropriately delivered practice learning that challenges the professionals delivering it and develops practice based on theoretical principles (Andrews, 2007). One of Jarvis points is that professionals also learn in situations with routine actions, because they are able to ask questions both about their actions and the attitudes behind them. Along these lines, they are able to regenerate disjuncture (Jarvis, 1999). Yet, can ritualism deteriorate into alienation, where skills will be performed without meaning? Thus it is important to discuss with the students what they want to learn and express their decisions in the form of learning objectives. The sequence of learning tasks should be moved from simple to complex and adequate guidelines and feedback (Darling 1985, Elliott Higgs, 2005) should be incorporated, so that the key points of learning are reinforced. Hammnond, Austin, Orcutt, Rosso, (2001) observed that the different ways people think and feel about their own learning affects their development as learners. Glasersfeld, (1989) argued that responsibility of learning should reside increasingly with the learner. Thus social constructivism is important so that students will be actively involved in the learning process, unlike previous educational viewpoints where the responsibility rested with the lecturer to teach and where students played only a passive role. Therefore, students should be encouraged to develop critical thinking skills and not just emulate the practices they observe. Motivation is another crucial assumption where some might give all the responsibility to learn to the students confidence in their potential for learning. However, one must keep in mind that other underlying problems might be the cause, such as personal problems or stress during clinical placement. Building a good relationship with the mentee can solve such problems, because when students confide their problems, mentors can address them appropriately. This would be supported by Darlings (1984) work, where in her study, after she interviewed 50 nurses, 20 physicians and a number of healthcare executives about their experiences with mentors, she identified that there were three vital ingredients for a mentoring relationship: attraction (admiration for the other person), action (invests time and energy to the relationship) and affect (positive feelings toward the other person). In addition, Prawat and Floden (1994) believed that feelings of competence and beliefs to solve new problems are derived from firsthand experience of mastery problems in the past and are much more powerful than any external acknowledgment and motivation. Consequently, the importance of being good role models is once more being stressed where with appropriate behaviour and attitudes, and with interaction together, the mentee will be helped to achieve the state of a competent practitioner. Strengths, problems, and challenges of learning in practice The clinical environment is a strong provider of learning (Cope, Cuthbertson, Stoddart, 2000). In fact, it is the only setting in which the skills of history taking, skills practicing, clinical reasoning, decision making, empathy, and professionalism can be taught and learnt as an integrated whole. However, common problems with clinical teaching exist such as lack of clear objectives and expectations, focusing on factual recall rather than on development of problem solving skills and attitudes, passive observation instead of active participation from the student, lack of reflection, discussion, and feedback and at times teaching by humiliation. These problems may arise due to time pressure, competing demands (especially when needs of patients and students conflict) and last but not least due to the increasing number of students and lack of mentors. Complexity of supervisory process Ever since research reports appeared to suggest that a theory-practice gap existed in nursing (Alexander 1983), a search has been in progress for new roles for nurses in clinical practice and in nurse education. These roles might ensure that what is taught in the theoretical component of nurse education corresponds, at least to some degree, with what happens in clinical practice. Evidently, the key to progressing from novice to an expert is the key to excellent mentor support (Watson, 2000), otherwise the nursing student may make defective assumptions based on inadequate personal reflections. It is useless having a state of the art hospital learning environment, without having enough supportive mentors who are really interested in mentoring. Such learning environment gives students the opportunity to get the most out of their learning processes and to achieve the objectives of clinical placements. On the other hand, failure to meet students expectations can cause disappointment to students during their clinical placement, where they can proclaim that their experience was unfruitful since for learning to take place, there is the need to create meaning from the experience (1998). Thus, one can question if all mentors are enthusiastic and committed to mentoring. Alternatively, mentorship may be supported, by developing workshops (Howatson-Jones, 2003) and other tools to teach, in order to remind mentors how to optimize their skills and to promote mentors and mentorship. Some authors argue, that the choice of the mentor is crucial to a meaningful supervisory relationship, and that this relationship is integral to the whole supervision process in relation to uptake and effectiveness (Jones A., 2001a; Spence, Cantrell, Christie, Sammet, 2002). However, mentorship in Malta is still in its infancy, and there are not enough mentors to accommodate all the students in the faculty, let alone choosing their mentors. Consequently, the need for more responsible mentors arises. Llyod-Jones, Walters, Akehurst, (2001) in their study of 81 pre-registered students found that those students who did not work with a mentor, were usually not supported by any other trained staff, leading to auxiliary nurse work being delegated to the student. Nevertheless, the system in Malta overcame this problem by giving the opportunity to every student to be mentored by different mentors according to the clinical placement, in most of their clinical placements. The environment itself is a valued characteristic for students to learn, mostly characterised by co-operation among staff, and an atmosphere in which they are treated as colleagues not as an extra pair of hands. The impact of a good ward cannot be overstated, where the philosophy of nursing team affects the ward atmosphere. Pearsy and Elliot (2004) declared that if students observe mentors acting as poor role models it affects the students learning negatively. Thus the supervisor role is to assist the supervisee to apply theoretical knowledge, appropriate attitudes and therapeutic communication into practice. This can only be done through the medium of supervisory relationship, since it is through others that we develop into ourselves (Vygotsky 1981). Mentoring is founded upon relationships between people and, like all relationships, is affected by what each participant brings to the relationship. Openness, self-awareness, and a belief in the value of mentoring are important qualitie s for both mentors and mentees to possess. Competency to mentor is built on a balance of individual cognitive, emotional and relationship abilities; personal virtues or characteristics, such as integrity and empathy, and competencies both within ones field of practice and related to mentorship itself (Epstin Hundert, 2002). The success of clinical supervision depends mainly on the supervisee (Dewar Walker, 1999), and it can be useful if they look at their responsibilities in the role. It is important that students are treated with respect as an equal partner. The primary responsibility of the mentors is for their own development and willingness to learn and change, irrelevant to the extent of experience. Yet mentors serve a variety of roles, including being a professional parent, teacher, guide, counsellor, motivator, sponsor, coach, advisor, role model, referral agent, and door opener. Hence a successful mentor must be capable of blending these roles with other important characteristics such as being patient, available, approachable, respected, people oriented, knowledgeable, and secure in their position, in order to help students in the process of competency. Creating competent practitioners Ensuring competence to effectively and safely practice should be the aim of mentoring, and a critical task for the educators. Kane (1992) defines competence as the degree to which the individual can use the knowledge, skills and judgment associated with the profession, to perform effectively, in the domain of possible encounters, defining the scope of professional practice. On the other hand, domains of competence can be assessed to some degree via direct observation because it provides the opportunity to make multiple assessments over time and across different clinical circumstances. Yet, this is not always possible due to time constrains with the student. Thus the faculty must find another approach how to combine lectures and clinical practice in order to give ample time for the student to work with the mentor. Moreover, another question might arise regarding the system sufficiency in providing competent and safe practitioners. The introduction of mentorship was the first step aiming to provide better competent practitioners. However, there are strategies that both mentors and mentees can employ to ensure that they get the most out of a mentoring relationship. Yet, are there policies in place that support the selection of competent, appropriate mentors? Equally important, is the method of students assessment acceptable? Burns Peterson (2005) declared that the assessment must be on going, where the mentor provides formative assessment in line with outcomes and competencies they are expected to achieve. Thus, locally, the final four hour role play, (where students can be motivated purely by the process of assessment to adapt to what they perceive as the requirements of the assessor rather than moving towards achievement of goals such as independent thinking, problem solving and originality) should not contain too much weight in determining students competence. Hence supervision methods will be more effective if used within the context of a healthy supervisory relationship. Asadoorian Batt ( 2005) acknowledged that self assessment should be the first step in self directed learning. However, self-assessment should only complement and not replace another means of assessment. Portfolios, on the other hand, can address a wide range of competencies because it provides a reflective insight into mentees abilities to self assess and learn from experiences. Conclusion Although experience is extremely important as a means of education, theoretical knowledge must be the basic to prepare students for the clinical practice. On the other hand, the need for nurses to be able to integrate theory and practice effectively has long been recognised. Thus, competent mentors are required to help students in minimizing the theory practice gap. The gap can be bridged through reflection and critical thinking so that experience can be transformed into learning. A good relationship between mentor and mentee is important for learning. Mentees appreciate a learning environment where they have the opportunity to learn, to act professionally and to learn about the values and norms on the ward. Moreover, since nursing is a practical profession, there is a need to ensure that practical assessment systems are able to discern the true knowledge base of students. Alternatively, the key to success is to monitor both student and mentor feedback on the learning practice enviro nment.