Management Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management Research Methods - Essay Example Numerical data are exact and specific; therefore, their treatment is necessarily objective. On the other hand, qualitative data are descriptive and experiential, and therefore their treatment is subjective. There are necessary differences in the philosophies that govern quantitative and qualitative research methods. These philosophies define the world-view the method assumes when conducting research. The quantitative method is grounded in positivism, which asserts that the knowledge that is gathered through research can only be significant if it can be measured. It proceeds from the theory of Auguste Comte, the French philosopher, that the world is an external environment that can be seen externally and measured objectively. Opinions, impressions, and perceptions that cannot be measured are not significant in a positivist approach (Zawawi, 2007, p. 3). Qualitative theory, on the other hand, is based on the philosophy of phenomenology. This philosophy states that the world and its rea lity derive their meaning from people (Husserl, 1946 in Zawawi, 2007, p. 3). The experiences of people concerning certain phenomena provide their significance, thus their subjective understanding of the event or phenomenon is what comprises knowledge. This is why qualitative approach uses cases, descriptions and narratives to convey the knowledge gathered about an event. Comparing qualitative and quantitative approaches highlights certain important contrasts. One is that the quantitative method is deductive while the quantitative method is inductive. The deductive approach begins from established theory that relates to the topic being researched, and then goes on to seek evidence of its application in the real world. A hypothesis is tested based on the chosen theory, then situations are tested to see if they comply with the theory. On the other hand, the qualitative method makes use of the inductive approach, which begins with the focus of the research – the issue or problem, or the organization under study – and at the end of the research develops a theory that would explain the phenomena observed (Greener, 2008, p. 16). Furthermore, the quantitative approach is positivist while the qualitative is interpretivist. The positivist approach is characterized by the use of the scientific inquiry most closely associated with the natural sciences. The positivist approach emphasizes those observations that may be made with the senses, and promotes the process of experimentation, of statistically proving or disproving hypotheses, and to explain the discrepancies or deviations from the rule. Positivism emphasizes the objective or normative. On the other hand, quantitative techniques lean more towards interpretivism, which in turn is closest to the social sciences. This branch of the sciences attempts to interpret social phenomena in a way that explains consistently their causes and effects (Greener, 2008, p. 16 -17). There are many other differences betwee n the quantitative and qualitative approaches to research, but these are their most important contrasts. Section B With reference to Qualitative approaches describe the common methods used for data collection and analysis. (1000 words) According to Creswell (1998), qualitative research is defined as: †¦an inquiry process of understanding based on distinct methodological traditions of inquiry that explore a social or human problem. The researcher builds a complex, holistic picture, analyses words, reports

Religion Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Religion Paper - Essay Example He had unwavering faith that God would give him offspring and his belief and trust in God was rewarded. God instructed Abraham to go up the mountain with his son and then lay him on the altar and sacrifice him. This story clearly illustrates to believers the importance of faith and works. Many of the believers claim to have faith in God, but they are required to prove it in actions. As human beings, God tests us in different ways, but ultimately we have to overcome the test by focusing our faith and trust in God. This story also teaches believers that God wants them to make Him their priority and focus on obeying all His commands. Abraham understood all this because he knew that God had given him a son at his advanced age of over 90 years. With the same faith, he was ready to sacrifice that one and only Son in order to please God (Roshwald 15). Abraham was ready to obey God because he knew that God had made a covenant with him. He knew that it was important to trust God with his whole life. He treasured Isaac more than everything else and God knew that this was where his strength and hopes all rested. When God instructed him to offer his one most treasured possession as a sacrifice, He knew that this was the very one thing, which Abraham loved. Abraham did not question God; rather he obeyed the command of God. This shows believers that obedience to God must come first without questioning. Abraham taught believers the importance of reverence to God. Total respect and surrender to the Creator to the point of surrendering everything they have to Him. God validated His covenant with Abraham because he knew that Abraham had totally surrendered his life to Him. This story also reveals to believers the divine providence of God. When Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son, God stopped him as he was about to kill him. This happened just after he tied and took a knife to slay his son (Roshwald 17). However, the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven and called

Health Safety and Security Essay Example for Free

Health Safety and Security Essay Outline how legislation, policies and procedures relating to health, safety and security influence health and social care settings. M1: Describe how health and safety legislation, policies and procedures promote the safety of individuals in a health or social care setting. Within health and social care there are a number of acts and procedures set out in legislation which must be followed. These acts ad procedures influence care settings by offering practical examples of good practice and the way that health and social care should be delivered. They provide advice on how to comply with the law and determine what is reasonably practicable. The acts enforce a duty of care to everyone who is involved at all levels such as the service user, the service user’s friends and family and the staff. The first act I will be looking at is the Health Safety at Work Act 1974. This act was put into place to protect employees from exploitation and being over worked. The main features of this act are that employers-who employ more than five employees-must provide a written health and safety policy, take precautions to reduce the possibility of accidents occurring, provide training to enable staff to work safely, provide equipment (if needed) to ensure the health of those working. Employees must comply with health and safety policies in the workplace and report any potential hazards. Also, employees need to be fully informed of their rights and responsibilities and leave nothing to chance. ‘The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering work-related health and safety in the United Kingdom. ’ www. nidirect. gov. uk/ For the employees, this act means that training in all aspects of health and safety is compulsory so they would need to be fully informed about policies and procedures such as what to do in the event of a hazard to minimise any risk. So, the employee would know what to do, who is responsible, how to report the hazard and how to deal with it. Also, the employee would have important knowledge about fire regulations and how to evacuate the building (know where the fire exits are). It prevents employers from exploiting employees and having them work long hours and shifts in health and social care. Service users can be at risk if the people who are caring for them are overworked and tiered. Employers themselves could be held responsible if there are breeches of health and safety at work. If the training is inadequate for manual handling and the use of equipment then employees can be injured. Volunteers are subject to the same requirements under the Health and Safety at Work Act too. Some employee legislation is weakening, yet this act is strengthening in its influence and interpretation. This act also influences health and social care settings for service users. People receiving the service need to be sure that the building is a safe place to be. They can be vulnerable and dependent upon the staff and the work environment for their safety. This is a huge responsibility and the law reflects the magnitude of this. In schools, children have been known to of ‘gone missing’ or walked out. Relatives need to know that their children or siblings are being constantly monitored and that freedom and independence is balanced with health and safety procedures. The second act I will be looking at is the Data Protection Act 1984. This act introduced basic rules of protection of people’s personal information. ‘The Data Protection Act 1984 introduced basic rules of registration for users of data and rights of access to that data for the individuals to which it related’. http://www. out-law. com/page-413. It was designed to protect individual’s personal information from being passed on to other people, also known as confidentiality. ‘The purpose of the Act is to protect the rights and privacy of individuals and to ensure that data about them are not processed without their knowledge and are processed with their consent wherever possible’. http://www. soas. ac. uk/infocomp/dpa/policy/overview/ The principles of the Data Protection Act include: obtaining and processing data fairly, ensuring accuracy and relevance of information and taking effective measures to prevent unauthorized access to data. Individuals have the right to be told if a third party holds information about them, obtain a record of that information, and require correction if necessary. The Data Protection Act was reviewed in 1998; this newer act gave employees the right to see their personal records. This act was again reviewed in 2000 to include computerised data. For employees, this act ensures that their personal information can only be accessed by their employee and themselves. This protects the employee from hassle from third parties. For employers, this act prevents them from selling person information of there employees to third parties. However, this can be breached, but only on a need to know basis such as for public or individual safety and if the information is needed by a court order. In health and social care, the Data Protection Act protects service users/patients details being passed on to anyone unnecessary. However, their details may need to be passed onto other professionals if they are under the care of more than one health or social care professional. If the information is shared between these professionals, they understand that it will not be used apart from where it is needed. An example of this would be a school and carers or social workers. The school would need to know what situation the child is in and then they can adequately safeguard him/her. It may be that one parent is not allowed contact with their child. This keeps all involved safe. ‘Where information is shared, there is an implied understanding that the information will not be used except where it is strictly needed to help the professional provide the service’.

A Study On Agricultural Biotechnology Education Essay

A Study On Agricultural Biotechnology Education Essay For the past 10,000 years humans associated with domesticate plants, selecting seeds of favoured forms, pick out unwanted types to produce each following generation. Plants constitute the main food resource for humans and animals. So it is necessary to improve crop quality and yield to feed the hunger world. Today this came to a big problem due to environmental damages and population explosion [1]. There has been a drastic increase in population ever since and it is around 6.5 billion in the starting of 2010. Each year millions of people are dying due to starvation and nutritional deficiencies. So many Asian and African countries are not getting the benefits of the green revolution and gene revolution. The polluted agricultural lands and the consequences of global warming affected the agricultural production. The yield lost in each year due to pests, insects and diseases is around 30% of the total production [2, 3]. So biotechnology promises to reduce the world hunger by creating new array of transgenic plants which are resistant to pests and diseases and provide more nutrition [3]. The food and agricultural organization (FAO) recognized that the genetic engineering has the ability to increase the agricultural production. Biotechnology offers a wide range of environmental benefits such as reduce pollution, development of perfect crops which has higher nutrition, reduced or nil pesticides, resistance to insects, more yield etc.[4]. The transformation of agriculture started during the end of first half of twentieth century and it referred as Green revolution. The green revolution started in 1945 during this time Mexico imported wheat. After this Mexican government started working on the agricultural techniques. In 1964 they exported half million tons of wheat, the modern biotechnological techniques made Mexicans foot stable and this is also happened in so many other countries [5]. The green revolution decreased the world poverty in some extent. Now undeveloped countries need more applications of biotechnology, countries like India and China are still researching on new technologies but in the developed European countries are avoiding these techniques and considering as unnatural [3]. During the twentieth century conversional method produced and producing so many hybrids, which can provide more yield, stability of harvesting and farm income. But these conversional techniques dont preserve the gene pool. In the last 20 years biotechnology developed more and discovered new techniques for the stability and production. In animal biotechnology bovine somatatropin (BST) used to increase the milk production. In plant biotechnology so many new techniques arrived [5]. Conversional agricultural techniques are associated with modern genetic engineering. The plant tissue culture is the one of the major contribution of biotechnology in plant breeding. Via tissue culture we will able to produce many copies from a single plant part within a short time. The meristem culture will able to produce virus free plants. The plant tissue culture method helped for the conservation of so many medicinal plants. Another application of tissue culture is the selection of somoclonal variants with improved virus resistance [6]. The new molecular DNA technologies modify plants in different ways. Molecular level studies helped to produce agriculturally important virus resistant and virus free plants [7]. The cloning methods also gave a new phase to biotechnology. The new technologies in cloning help to prevent plant disease by deactivating the gene action. The findings suggest that the genetically modified micro organisms have the capacity to prevent the disease caused by the pathogens [7]. The genetic engineering methods are also employed in various animal species. Now it is possible to create animals with useful dairy product, meet, or fibre production. Most of the animal based experiments are primarily introduced in mouse and drosophila. Now these have been extended to the domestic farm animals. Genetic engineering is mainly used for the manipulation of fertilised egg and utters and manipulation of sperm and embryonic tissue. This facilitates the introduction of novel genes to the animals and provides more yield. Transgenic poultries, pig, sheep and cow are the examples for transgenic animals [8, 9]. The ability to alter the genome of animals by gene transfer is the major achievement of biotechnology. The animals having altered are known as transgenic animals. The transgenic animals are created by the introduction of small piece of known DNA in to the embryos. This will help the rapid introduction of new genes in to the livestock without any cross breeding [8] Transgenic methodology has so many potential advantages. The practical applications in livestocks are improved milk production and composition, increased growth rate. It is important that the production capability of transgenic animals realised only when their true genital potential is attained. The molecular study of Agrobacterium tumefaciens helped to produce transgenic plants. Using this technique many important genes were transferred to plants and it helped to get the high yield [10]. The different tools of genetic engineering made the gene transfer uncomplicated and plant manipulation easier. Gene banks and DNA libraries helped for the conservation and selection of variety of genes which facilitate special characters. Different microbes were used as vectors for the gene transfer [11]. In advanced industrial countries conventional agriculture system is following for the production. This allows the wide knowledge about the production techniques to grow crops, livestock and poultry. This method also helps to reduce the production cost and provide more yield to farmers [12]. There are some environmental problems associated with conventional agriculture method, but now they are trying to solve by using genetic engineering by the development of new methods for the diffusion of disease, insect resistant plants, drought resistant plants etc. And also biotechnology is working on to produce bio pesticides [12]. The environmental problems created by the chemical substance such as pesticides, herbicides, hormones and insecticides which used in the modern farming leads to the new thoughts in the production of bio pesticides and genetically modified plants. But their productions are restricted and under control. According to US food, agriculture and trade act in 1990 it should; (a) satisfy food and fibre needs of humans, (b) enhance the quality of the environment and natural resources depends on the agriculture economy, (c) efficient use of non renewable resource and on farm resource, (d) sustain the economic viability of farm operations and (e) enhance the quality of life for the farmers and the society as a whole [13]. The modern agricultural biotechnology focusing on genetically modified crops. So many researches are currently undergoing based on this. The genetically modified foods are the products of transgenic plants. These plants contains one or more genes from the another organism which is transferred by genetic engineering technologies [14]. According to Huttner et al biotechnology is being used in almost food production system, and it offers more opportunities in agriculture than medicine [4]. Apart from the food production biotechnology has been used to for the plant breeding and disease resistant. Most advanced commercially available plasticised are biotech products. The problem of pesticides is the introduction of super weeds and it will be difficult to control [2]. Genetically modified organisms are also used to control the pest and insects. Introduction of Bt-genes is the one of them and 17% of the total globally planted crops are Bt crops and its amount is very high in US. It is found that about 80% of the biotechnology researches are focused on non food based agricultural products such as cotton, tobacco, ornamental plants and medicinal plants [4]. It is found that use of biotech plants can reduce the plowing for control the weeds and this will lead to reduced use of diesel and decrease the pollution. This is also better for conservation of soil and water; reduce soil erosion and soil composition. The survey shows that the use of biotech crops saved around 441 million gallon of fuel which may result in the elimination of 10 billion pound carbon dioxide and this elimination is equal to removal of four million cars from the road. Thus the biotech crops has significant role in reducing the environmental pollution associated with agriculture production [2]. The genetically modified crops such as corn, soybean, and cotton are used for feeding livestock. The GM crops were introduced 15 years ago. GM crops indicate the genetic modification of plants to make it resistant to biotic stresses provide more yield. The main biotic stresses are pest and pathogens. Each year these factors reduce around 30% of the yield and in developing countries this may be higher due to climatic conditions. Weeds in the field compete with the crops for their nutrition and it will affect the yield. For this reason new GM crops were introduced to resist them. To avoid the insect attack and reduce the chemical insecticides GM technology introduced insect resistant plant. It is also help to reduce the environmental pollution [15]. In 2007- 90% of the agriculture area planted GM crops in six countries of north and south America and it is around 80% is in US, Brazil and Argentina. But in India and china they planted less than 3% only. But in the 27 countries of European Union they planted only 0.21% GM crops [16]. Present agricultural biotechnology status in Asia is amazing. Several Asian countries are currently following the uses of biotechnology in agriculture. The Chinese government gives high priority to biotechnology for improving food production and its quality in environmentally sustainable method. They are adopting the new genetic engineering methods for the crop production. Chinese introduced and planted new verities of wheat, rice, tomato, pepper, potato, papaya and tobacco and these crops are resistant to pest, herbicides and diseases. They approved around 50 verities of GM plants in last years. India government is supporting the development of infrastructures in biotechnology. In 1980 they formed Department of biotechnology to promote the advantages of biotechnology in agriculture and medicine. The RD of India developing a new generation of citrus, coffee, mangrove, and vanilla. The organisations in India such as M S Swaminathan research foundation have developed bio-village for th e growth of new incoming technologies in agriculture [17] The Indonesian government has developed three National biotechnology centers to coordinate R D in agriculture and medicine. In 1985 Pakistan started crop improvement using modern biotechnology. Now they are mainly concentrated on the improvement of rice and cotton. Philippines started the use of modern biotechnology by the creation of national institute of molecular biology and biotechnology. There also an increased use of modern biotechnology started in Thailand, Bangladesh, Singapore, Sri lanka and Vietnam. There are so many international agricultural research centres for the development of the new crops. International agricultural research canter (IARCs), international rice research institute (IRRI) are some of them [17]. Every technology can bring benefits and risks. This is also happened in the case of biotechnology. The risk of agricultural biotechnology got more publicity even biotechnology is also been used as a part of medicine and industry. The introduction of GMO has created a lot of controversy even it is not used for the production wide range of products. Then also the GMO technology is using widely. The argument is mainly focused on the herbicide and insecticide resistant plants which are more beneficial for farmers, seed producers and chemical companies. The insecticide resistant plants guaranteed 100% success, but in case the partial dosage in some insects may results in the formation of new mutants which will able to resist particular dosage. The pollination between the GM crops and wild crops may lead to the arrival of new genera, and wild verities may disappear from the environment. The introduction of antibiotic marker gene may result in the gene transfer. It is also noted that in the meat industry the routine feeding of animals lead to the high levels of antibiotics on them. It is observed that currently the biotechnology applications does not cause any harm to environment. But on the other hand it is worried about the GMO. The increased use of GMO may lead to higher amount of pesticide residues, genetic pollution, damage to beneficial insects, creation of super weeds and super pests, mutant viruses and bacteria [17, 12, 18, 4]. The 21st century being known as the century of biology and biology based industries promises to be powerful tools for the economy. It will become more powerful in industrialised countries and might be challenged by developing countries. Advanced biotechnology will revolutionise the agriculture and food industry. It is expecting that the consequences of genomics in the bio industry will be under control and biotechnology can reduce the world hunger in future. REFERENCES [1] Dominique Job, plant biotechnology in agriculture, Laboratoire mixte CNRS/INRA/Bayer CropScience (UMR 1932), Bayer CropScience, 14-20, rue Pierre-Baizet, 69269, Lyon cedex 9, France [2] www.bio.org, agricultural biotechnology- delivering benefits to farmers consumers and the environment. [3] www.cei.org, agricultural biotechnology [4] Jeremy Hall, Sarah Crowther, Biotechnology: the ultimate cleaner production technology, Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9RF, UK [5] Norman E. Borlaug, the green revolution revisited and the road ahead Nobel peace prize lecture [6] Low cost opening for tissue culture technology in developing countries. Proceedings of a Technical Meeting organized by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture [7] Graham S. Warren, Pious Thomas, Maria-Teresa Herrera, S.J. Lindsey Hilland Robert F. Terry .The use of plant cell cultures for studying virus resistance, and enhancing the production of virus-resistant and virus-free plants, 26-30 ,August 1991 [8] http://www.bio.org/foodag/animals/biotechanimalagoverview_ip.pdf [9] http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10418page=34 [10] K.P pauls, plant biotechnology for crop improvement Department of Crop Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2JV1 [11] http://www.scitopics.com/Advances_in_plant_genetic_engineering.html [12] Thomas A. Lyson, Advanced agriculture technologies and sustainable agriculture, TRENDS in biotechnology, vol.20, May 2002 [13] Biotechnology Information Center, National Agricultural Library,Beltsville, Maryland USA, http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/Topic/AgrEnv/Biotech/Bibliographies/ sustain.ag [14] http://www.greenpeace.org.uk [15] Environmental impact of genetically modified crops Ferry. N, Gatehouse A.M.R, Newcastle University, UK [16] http://www.foei.org/en/resources/publications/food-sovereignty/2009/gmcrops2009full.pdf [17] Agricultural biotechnology, poverty reduction and food security , Published and printed by the Asian Development Bank ,P.O. Box 789, 0980 Manila, Philippines [18] Christine McCollum, PhD, Charles Benbrook, PhD, Lori Knowles, llb, bcl, ma, llm, Susan Roberts, jd, ms, rd, ld Application of Modern Biotechnology to Food and Agriculture: Food Systems Perspective

A Comparison Of The Catcher In The Rye And The Adventures Of Huck Finn :: essays research papers

The forthcoming of American literature proposes two distinct Realistic novels portraying characters which are tested with a plethora of adventures. In this essay, two great American novels are compared: The Adventures of Huck Finn by Mark Twain and The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger. The Adventures of Huck Finn is a novel based on the adventures of a boy named Huck Finn, who along with a slave, Jim, make their way along the Mississippi River during the Nineteenth Century. The Catcher In The Rye is a novel about a young man called Holden Caulfield, who travels from Pencey Prep to New York City struggling with his own neurotic problems. These two novels can be compared using the Cosmogonic Cycle with both literal and symbolic interpretations. The Cosmogonic Cycle is a name for a universal and archetypal situation. There are six parts that make up the cycle: the call to adventure, the threshold crossing, the road of trials, the supreme test, a flight or a flee, and finally a return. There are more parts they do not necessarily fall into the same order, examples of these are symbolic death and motifs. The Cosmogonic Cycle is an interesting way to interpret literature because is Universal or correlates with any time period and any situation. The Call to Adventure is the first of the Cosmogonic Cycle. It is the actual "call to adventure" that one receives to begin the cycle. There are many ways that this is found in literature including going by desire, by chance, by abduction, and by being lured by an outside force. In The Adventures of Huck Finn, Huck is forced with the dilemma of whether to stay with his father and continue to be abused or to leave. Huck goes because he desires to begin his journey. In The Catcher In The Rye, Holden mentally is torn between experience and innocence, it would seem to him that an outside force is luring him to do something but in actuality he is beginning his journey because of his desire. The Call to Adventure is the first step in the Cosmogonic Cycle, it is the step at which the character or hero is brought into cycle. The Threshold Crossing is the second step, it is the place or the person that which the character crosses over or through into the Zone Unknown. The Zone Unknown being the place where the journey takes place. The threshold crossing is often associated with a character change or an appearance change. An example of this is in The Wizard of Oz, when the movie goes from black and white to color, showing a visual

Special Education Essay -- Health, Diseases, Autism

Gender According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV, 1994), the category of disorders under which autism falls is pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). Autism is often referred to as belonging in a â€Å"spectrum† of disorders. Autism is a severe disorder of communication and behavior. It is a lifelong disorder that usually appears during the first three years of life. It occurs in approximately 15 in 10,000 births, ten percent are classically autistic, the most severe form of autism. Autism is four times more likely to occur in males than females and there is no known cause or cure for autism (Sullivan, cited in Sewell, 1998). Educational Placement Parents and advocates began to challenge the schools to provide their children with the â€Å"most appropriate† education in the â€Å"least restrictive environment† (LRE) (Petch-Hoggan & Haggard, 1999). As defined by IDEA, the â€Å"least restrictive environment provision requires that states assure that, to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities are educated with children without disabilities.† Removal or separate schooling should only occur when the severity of the child’s disability is such that the general curriculum cannot be modified to meet their educational needs (Sawyer, McLaughlin, & Winglee, 1994, p. 204). Parents of children with autism have rarely been asked their opinions about their ideal educational placement for their child (Kasari, Freeman, Bauminger, & Alkin, 1999). Parental opinions on the proper placement for their child vary greatly and often evoke a wide range of emotions. The decision to place students into full or part-time inclusive environments is often dependent on several factors. The severity or dia... ...ose to have more than two workshops per year, depending on both student need and availability of staff. It is important to consider the latter, as this would be an after school activity, hosted by a committee of volunteer. Research supports the idea that such workshops would benefit students and their families in preparing for this difficult transition. Eckes and Ochoa (2005) also believe workshops would especially help in preparing for postsecondary education. The main idea behind the transition committee is for a variety of individuals from both the school and community to work collaboratively in their efforts to advocate for students in special education and their families may be more comfortable with this process. When they have questions or concerns, there would be a team of trusted individuals that they could feel comfortable turning to for help. Special Education Essay -- Health, Diseases, Autism Gender According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV, 1994), the category of disorders under which autism falls is pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). Autism is often referred to as belonging in a â€Å"spectrum† of disorders. Autism is a severe disorder of communication and behavior. It is a lifelong disorder that usually appears during the first three years of life. It occurs in approximately 15 in 10,000 births, ten percent are classically autistic, the most severe form of autism. Autism is four times more likely to occur in males than females and there is no known cause or cure for autism (Sullivan, cited in Sewell, 1998). Educational Placement Parents and advocates began to challenge the schools to provide their children with the â€Å"most appropriate† education in the â€Å"least restrictive environment† (LRE) (Petch-Hoggan & Haggard, 1999). As defined by IDEA, the â€Å"least restrictive environment provision requires that states assure that, to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities are educated with children without disabilities.† Removal or separate schooling should only occur when the severity of the child’s disability is such that the general curriculum cannot be modified to meet their educational needs (Sawyer, McLaughlin, & Winglee, 1994, p. 204). Parents of children with autism have rarely been asked their opinions about their ideal educational placement for their child (Kasari, Freeman, Bauminger, & Alkin, 1999). Parental opinions on the proper placement for their child vary greatly and often evoke a wide range of emotions. The decision to place students into full or part-time inclusive environments is often dependent on several factors. The severity or dia... ...ose to have more than two workshops per year, depending on both student need and availability of staff. It is important to consider the latter, as this would be an after school activity, hosted by a committee of volunteer. Research supports the idea that such workshops would benefit students and their families in preparing for this difficult transition. Eckes and Ochoa (2005) also believe workshops would especially help in preparing for postsecondary education. The main idea behind the transition committee is for a variety of individuals from both the school and community to work collaboratively in their efforts to advocate for students in special education and their families may be more comfortable with this process. When they have questions or concerns, there would be a team of trusted individuals that they could feel comfortable turning to for help.

Leoh Ming Pei & Eero Saarinen :: Art

Leoh Ming Pei & Eero Saarinen The architects that I am comparing came from two different parts of the world and yet, in some ways the message(s) behind their work and the incorporation of engineering, geometrical and sculptural elements into their designs and their new identity as â€Å"Americans† brings them closer together. Leoh Ming Pei was born in Canton, China in 1917 and came to the United States for his further education. Because of his fathers influence on him, who always encouraged Pei in designing, he attended MIT and it was finally in Harvard that he got his architectural degree. Being brought up in a different culture also had an impact in his design for his approach towards it was different from most of his American classmates whose approaches towards design were mostly very traditional. At Harvard, Le Corbussier’s â€Å"Expressive Modernism† influenced him in his use of simple geometric shapes and forms. Gropius also had a great deal of influence on Pei for he developed a reliance on abstract form and materials such as stone, concrete, glass and steel and later developed his own approach to design in which he exhibits interest in the Avant Garde. My next architect is (1910- 1961) who was born in Finland, a son of an architect father and a sculptor and architectural model-maker mother. His parents’ professions influenced him very much into being an architect and he enrolled in Cranbrok Institute of Architecture and also Yale University after his family moved to the United States. He also went to Europe for a year to study sculpture and over there, he was greatly influenced by the sculptors there of that time and this sculptural influence is seen in almost every one of his designs. Like Pei, he was also a first generation American and having being brought up in a different country also had a great impact on the way he looked at design and his concepts towards it. After he finished his architectural degree, he developed a theory of treating architecture as sculpture, an engineering monument and three-dimensional geometry. I have to say Pei’s Grand Louvre Pyramid In France and Saarinen’s TWA terminal in New York have both been figures of splendor, admiration, and equally-- controversy. Both structures have sculptural and engineering elements in them and both incorporate modern materials into their design. Even the concepts as to why they look the way they are just as intriguing. Leoh Ming Pei & Eero Saarinen :: Art Leoh Ming Pei & Eero Saarinen The architects that I am comparing came from two different parts of the world and yet, in some ways the message(s) behind their work and the incorporation of engineering, geometrical and sculptural elements into their designs and their new identity as â€Å"Americans† brings them closer together. Leoh Ming Pei was born in Canton, China in 1917 and came to the United States for his further education. Because of his fathers influence on him, who always encouraged Pei in designing, he attended MIT and it was finally in Harvard that he got his architectural degree. Being brought up in a different culture also had an impact in his design for his approach towards it was different from most of his American classmates whose approaches towards design were mostly very traditional. At Harvard, Le Corbussier’s â€Å"Expressive Modernism† influenced him in his use of simple geometric shapes and forms. Gropius also had a great deal of influence on Pei for he developed a reliance on abstract form and materials such as stone, concrete, glass and steel and later developed his own approach to design in which he exhibits interest in the Avant Garde. My next architect is (1910- 1961) who was born in Finland, a son of an architect father and a sculptor and architectural model-maker mother. His parents’ professions influenced him very much into being an architect and he enrolled in Cranbrok Institute of Architecture and also Yale University after his family moved to the United States. He also went to Europe for a year to study sculpture and over there, he was greatly influenced by the sculptors there of that time and this sculptural influence is seen in almost every one of his designs. Like Pei, he was also a first generation American and having being brought up in a different country also had a great impact on the way he looked at design and his concepts towards it. After he finished his architectural degree, he developed a theory of treating architecture as sculpture, an engineering monument and three-dimensional geometry. I have to say Pei’s Grand Louvre Pyramid In France and Saarinen’s TWA terminal in New York have both been figures of splendor, admiration, and equally-- controversy. Both structures have sculptural and engineering elements in them and both incorporate modern materials into their design. Even the concepts as to why they look the way they are just as intriguing.

Law of Diffusion of Gases

Thomas Graham studied the behavior of the diffusion of gases of unequal densities when placed in contact with each other, using air as his control. He wanted to numerically prove how the diffusion of the gas volumes was inversely proportional to the value of the density of the gas, under constant temperature and pressure. The significance of this experiment was that in led to a reevaluation of the concept of the movement of matter, realizing that diffusion dealt with small immeasurable elements of matter, as opposed to large volumes of air, as perceived in the corpuscular theory, shedding light into the study of the behavior and structure of matter. Graham’s initial objective was to establish a numerical value regarding the gas density and its diffusiveness for ten different gases, establishing that the greater the gas’s density the smaller the value and rate of diffusiveness compared to air. He predicted that gases moved by diffusion when placed together in the form of minute volumes, were the heavier gas would tend to accumulate on one side while the lighter gas displaced towards the denser gas until a uniform mixture was achieved. In light of this, he predicted that if controlling temperature and pressure he would achieve the gases to diffuse and establish a numerical value. However no hypothesis was established based on the limited information at their disposal of matter. However seeing how gases diffused proportionately despite the aperture size, Graham perceived that diffusion dealt with minute particles as opposed to large volumes. The gas’s diffusion volume was achieved once the gas inside the stucco container was entirely replaced by external air, being this new volume the equivalent volume of diffusion. Once established the volume, he used his law of diffusion to provide a numerical value and verify the exactness of his formula. This was achieved by observing the change in height of the level of mercury. The use of a stucco plug channel containers was suitable to lessen the effect of gas absorption by the material and avoid the gas’s expansion or contraction when atmospheric conditions varied; in addition to this the fact that temperature and pressure were kept constant meant the movement of the gases was because of simple diffusion and not by an external force. Using air as a unit measure, meant variations in duplicability of results due to the air’s heterogeneous nature making the experiment inconclusive. They used air as their measure unit since they did not have the technology to test the direct interaction of single separate samples of gases, being unable to study properly their behavior. This experiment was accurate when comparing the results with the theoretical values, and consistent to previous experimental observations. The results showed to be always below the theory value explained by means of their materials absorption nature and slight variations in conditions and instrument’s precision. Despite this Graham was able to establish a clear numerical relationship using equivalent diffusion volumes, however with slight exceptions to certain gases that had to be further tested. Graham’s prediction of being density a factor, which determined the diffusiveness of gas, was corroborated at the sight that lighter gases than air such as hydrogen diffused more easily. In addition the accuracy of the results helped to determine the value of the gas’s gravity, which would further provide evidence for the study of matter. In addition the fact that intermixture of gases was achieved under controlled conditions, despite the size of contact surface, provided evidence of minute particle diffusion and led Graham to speculated further on the constituents of matter, not explained through the corpuscular theory, would lead to development of the colloid theory in the future. In conclusion this research paper showed that Graham verified a numerical value for the diffusion of gases with varying densities. However Graham’s observations led him to further speculate on the idea that diffusion was related to immeasurable elements, as opposed to sensible volumes. This paper provides valuable evidence on how the study and discovery of minute particles evolved as the corpuscular theory failed to explain the nature of matter.

Political Participation in the UK Essay

In a country based on representative democracy, a ‘fair’ system, it is questionable to say we as the public make the most of this opportunity. Whilst other nations are fighting against the intense grips of dictatorships, as we have seen recently in Libya and Egypt, we live in a system in which to instigate change, we simply have to turn up at a ballot box and cast a vote. But with voting numbers continuously dwindling, does the United Kingdom have a participation crisis? The most efficient way to judge this is to go straight to the figures, and on first glance the statistics are startling. The percentage of people that voted in 2001 was an astonishing record low of 59%, down over 10% from the previous election in 1997. Comparing both of these results to a 83.9 voting percentage of 1950, shows a dramatic change in the value the British people place in their vote. The two recent elections however in 2005 and 2010 have bucked this trend, achieving percentages of 61.5 and 65 giving the impression that voting is on the rise. But with only these two results showing increases in recent history, it is impossible to view this as a positive correlation. When looking at these figures we have to look at the groups of people who didn’t exercise their right to vote, with the majority of them falling in to the 18 to 24 year old category. Only 44% of the 18 to 24 age group casted a ballot in the 2010 election in comparison to the 76% turnout figure of the over 65’s. The general consensus of the political spectrum of the youth population is that it is firmly to the left. Given these facts it is arguable to say that if the turn out for the 2010 general election had been higher, we could have easily had a Labour or Liberal Democrat government which would have had major effects on the current policies in place in the UK. To go even further, if the voting percentage had been 100% in all the previous elections, it is claimable that every government the UK has had would be different, effectively changing nea rly every policy that has been put into place in the past. When looked at with this perspective, we can see the incredible importance of voting and political participation has in our lives. When looking simply at the turnout figures of the recent general elections we can see that participation in the UK is in a dangerous decline. Another factor we need to take into consideration is the decline of party membership in the UK. Similar to the steady decline of voting figures since 1950, all three major parties membership has dropped significantly over the last six decades. The Conservative party has seen the most severe decline in membership, from having over 2,900,000 members in 1951 falling to a mere 250,000 in 2008. This trend is shown within the ranks of the Labour and the Liberal Democrat parties as well, with the only noticeable exception is the rise in the Labour party in 1997, rising from 280,000 to 405,000. This however, can be contributed to the rise of Tony Blair with ‘New Labour’ and ‘Blairism’ which gripped the country in the late 20th century. Following this though, the Labour parties membership continued to fall and by 2008 had reached a low of 166,000. Tony Blair’s biographer Anthony Seldon has made the link between declining levels of public trust in formal politics and the decline in party membership, however it is difficult to prove a simple link such as this exists. With these dramatic declines in voting participation and party membership, some would claim that it is difficult to argue that there is not a political participation crisis gripped the UK. On the other hand though, there has been rises in other forms of political participation. Whilst collective acts such as party membership has been on decline, individual direct action, in some cases has been on the rise. With consumer issues being one of the main causes the public has more intensely rallied around. The Power inquiriy in 2006 highlighted these changes in political participation, with traditional forms such as party membership seeing dramtatic decreases, whereas involvement with pressure groups and protest movements seeing dramatic increases. In the year 2000, 31% of the public claimed that they had boycotted products for ethical reasons, whether this can be contributed to the rise of the media and social desirability or not it shows a dramatic rise from the 4% that boycotted products in 1984. This shows perhaps that although a part of society has lost faith in the political process and the value of their votes, they instead prefer to take actions they believe that they will be directly making a difference and contributing politically. The phenomenon of the rise of the media and the internet over the last 60 years has allowed new systems of political participation to develop. An example of this is e-petitions. E-petitions are an easy way for anyone to influence government policy in the UK. With anyone being able to create an e-petition about anything that the government is responsible for, it allows people to get involved at a more direct level and definitely attracts the younger generation to get involved. If a petition gets at least 100,000 signatures, it will be eligible for debate in the House of Commons. These ways of participation makes it easier for people to get involved and allows the public to voice their opinions on particular subjects, almost seeming like a direct democracy in comparison to the representative democracy we have in the UK. Another argument that there is not a participation crisis in the UK is the huge turnouts in political protests over the last decade, with possibly the most poignant of these being the protests against the Iraq war in 2003. With over one and half million people taking to the streets of London, the British public showed they are not afraid to have their voices heard. A more recent example of a political protest, is the student tuition fees demonstrations in 2010, with over 50,000 taking to the streets. A British Election Study stated that in 1979, 20% of respondents would be willing to go on a protest demonstration, this number had risen to 33 % by 2000. Added to this, an increase in illegal political demonstrations, notably the London riots earlier this year, shows us that people are much more likely to take to the streets to demonstrate than they were in previous decades. This shows that although different forms of political participation are on the rise, they are arguably much less important than voting. Taking into consideration that the government merely acknowledged these particular protests and continued with their policies anyway, shows us the lack of impact these forms of participation have in contrast with voting. In the UK today we can see a growing trend of a decrease in traditional participation, but an increase in new forms and less traditional participation. This can be contributed to a number of factors, including the decline in public trust in formal politics and the rise of the media and internet, which allows people to organise and take part in other types of participation. This shows that generally there is not a participation crisis in the UK, with the majority of the public getting involved in some sort of political participation, with only 15% taking no political actions in the year 2000. However, the forms of participation that are growing in popularity are shown to have less effect on the political process of the UK, with the Iraq demonstrations of 2003 and the Student Protests of 2010 resulting in no change of political policy and the e-petitions only resulting in a political debate. This highlights the importance of traditional participation and the problems with the more popular forms of participation. Perhaps a more poignant question would be, does our representative democracy really represent the views of the public, as in reality these new forms of participation should have resulted in more of an effect on UK policy. To describe the current political participation as a crisis is far to extreme, as the figures show the majority of the British public readily get involved. At the present time there is not a crisis in the UK’s political participation, but if the trends continue, we could be faced with one in the coming years, but as long as the public remain involved at some level there can be no crisis.

UK Post-War Welfare Settlements

Compare and contrast the trends in the ‘settling' & ‘unsettling' of the political, economic & social settlements for the UK social policies relating to health care and social housing. (Approx 2 pages) Explain and illustrate the broad nature of the UK post-war welfare settlements (namely political, economic, social & organizational) and their reconstruction in the 1980s and 1990s. In what ways has the discourse of management affected the above two areas of social policy (i. e. health care & social housing). In the United Kingdom, after the destruction weathered by the British populace during World War II and the subsequent poverty weathered by so many of the British peoples, the argument for the right of universal public services or the creation of an all-encompassing welfare state became popular. The idea that all British citizens had the innate right to accessible roads and a clean and healthy environment was extended to education, social housing, and to health services. Even then, however, there was some disagreement within Parliament about extending such social welfare programs to all, namely that of â€Å"cost. Selectivity is often presented as being more efficient: less money is spent to better effect. There are problems with selective services,† because â€Å"recipients have to be identified, the services can be administratively complex and expensive to run, and there are often boundary problems caused by trying to include some people while excluding others. Selective services sometimes fail to reach people in need,† and to limit the elitism that had so often marked policies in the past, universalism was adopted as the ethos of all social policy programs in the United Kingdom. Thus, unlike the solidarity system of social policy adopted in France, which attempts to provide care via mutually shred social obligations, the United Kingdom created what could be called ‘unsettling' challenge to its former institutional system of social welfare. It created a new system, one in which need was accepted as a normal part of all British citizens social live. (â€Å"Social Policy,† 2005) This guarantee of minimum standards included a minimum income for all Britans. (â€Å"The Welfare State, 2005) The United Kingdom became a unitary state in which central government substantially directed most government activities of social welfare policy, rather than leaving the enforcement of these policies to private industry. (â€Å"Social Policy in the United Kingdom,† 2005) Welfare such as universal health care for all citizens was provided for the population as a whole, in the same way as public services like roads, and the school system was rendered more accessible to all, as students who distinguished themselves received government support for their educations. In an institutional system, welfare is not just for the poor: it is for everyone. † The Beveridge Report of 1942 proposed a system of National Insurance, based on three cornerstones, of equal family allowances, a national health service, and the goal of full employment-this created a new idea of natural human rights than had existed before in England, and settled the question of what constituted innate human rights for the next decades, until the event of Thatcherism in the 1980's. (â€Å"Social Policy in the United Kingdom,† 2005) Eventually, the Beveridge Report â€Å"became a major propaganda weapon, with both major parties committed to its introduction,† because of its popularity. During the war, the coalition government had already committed itself to full employment through free universal secondary education, and the introduction of family allowances, and the right to public housing for all in the form of such innovations council flats as part of the war effort, but unlike the United States social welfare policies during World War II, the British government made a commitment to retaining this philosophy and these formal institutions even after the end of conflict. â€Å"Social Policy in the United Kingdom,† 2005) After World War II, all references to the working classes were removed from British laws. â€Å"The replacement of the housing stock, particularly through clearances, became council housing's main role, with mass building. The subsidies favoured industrial, high-rise building, though this was often more expensive than the alternatives. Quantity was more important than quality. (Housing and Urban Policy,† 2005) When the Labour Government was elected in 1945 it introduced three key acts: the 1946 National Insurance Act, which implemented the Beveridge scheme for social security and old-age pensions, the National Health Service Act 1946; and the 1948 National Assistance Act, which abolished the Poor Law while making provision for welfare services such as housing. † (â€Å"Social Policy in the United Kingdom,† 2005) Thus, the United Kingdom became a unitary state in which central government substantially directed most government activity. However, during the 1980's and 1990's, the rise of Thatcherism began to bring a new ethos to the land. In terms of social housing policy, for example, â€Å"the growth of owner-occupation in Britain† based on tax advantages became more common in the 1980s and 1990s. The Building Societie once founded on a social, co-operative and non-profit making basis, became banks during these decades, abandoning the original â€Å"mutualist tradition† on which they had been founded. â€Å"Housing and Urban Policy,† 2005) In terms of health care, in the 1980s, Enthoven, an American economist, made an influential criticism of National Health Services' organization. Enthoven argued that the NHS was â€Å"inefficient, riddled with perverse incentives and resistance to change,† and in the need of capitalist styles of management. â€Å"The reforms which followed were based in the belief that the NHS would be more efficient if it was organised on something more like market principles. Enthoven argued for a split between purchaser and provider, so that Health Authorities could exercise more effective control over costs and production. The NHS administration was broken up into quasi-autonomous trusts from which authorities bought services. The role of Regional Health Authorities was taken over by eight regional offices of the NHS management executive. † (â€Å"Health Care,† 2005) The United Kingdom to this day retains the mangerial innovations (or setbacks) depending on one's point of view of the Thatcher era. Thatcher was unable to institute some politically unpopular and reactionary ideas, such as a poll tax, during the decline of her power, but the privitization of health care and housing continued, as did such policies as asking for students to pay for more of their post-secondary educations, and limiting social welfare policies within the United Kingdom. The welfare system in the United Kingdom remains universalist in theory, but less and less universalist in practice after the ending decades of the 20th century required the government to make cutting costs and competing in the global marketplace the bywords of political rhetoric and policy. UK Post-War Welfare Settlements Compare and contrast the trends in the ‘settling' & ‘unsettling' of the political, economic & social settlements for the UK social policies relating to health care and social housing. (Approx 2 pages) Explain and illustrate the broad nature of the UK post-war welfare settlements (namely political, economic, social & organizational) and their reconstruction in the 1980s and 1990s. In what ways has the discourse of management affected the above two areas of social policy (i. e. health care & social housing). In the United Kingdom, after the destruction weathered by the British populace during World War II and the subsequent poverty weathered by so many of the British peoples, the argument for the right of universal public services or the creation of an all-encompassing welfare state became popular. The idea that all British citizens had the innate right to accessible roads and a clean and healthy environment was extended to education, social housing, and to health services. Even then, however, there was some disagreement within Parliament about extending such social welfare programs to all, namely that of â€Å"cost. Selectivity is often presented as being more efficient: less money is spent to better effect. There are problems with selective services,† because â€Å"recipients have to be identified, the services can be administratively complex and expensive to run, and there are often boundary problems caused by trying to include some people while excluding others. Selective services sometimes fail to reach people in need,† and to limit the elitism that had so often marked policies in the past, universalism was adopted as the ethos of all social policy programs in the United Kingdom. Thus, unlike the solidarity system of social policy adopted in France, which attempts to provide care via mutually shred social obligations, the United Kingdom created what could be called ‘unsettling' challenge to its former institutional system of social welfare. It created a new system, one in which need was accepted as a normal part of all British citizens social live. (â€Å"Social Policy,† 2005) This guarantee of minimum standards included a minimum income for all Britans. (â€Å"The Welfare State, 2005) The United Kingdom became a unitary state in which central government substantially directed most government activities of social welfare policy, rather than leaving the enforcement of these policies to private industry. (â€Å"Social Policy in the United Kingdom,† 2005) Welfare such as universal health care for all citizens was provided for the population as a whole, in the same way as public services like roads, and the school system was rendered more accessible to all, as students who distinguished themselves received government support for their educations. In an institutional system, welfare is not just for the poor: it is for everyone. † The Beveridge Report of 1942 proposed a system of National Insurance, based on three cornerstones, of equal family allowances, a national health service, and the goal of full employment-this created a new idea of natural human rights than had existed before in England, and settled the question of what constituted innate human rights for the next decades, until the event of Thatcherism in the 1980's. (â€Å"Social Policy in the United Kingdom,† 2005) Eventually, the Beveridge Report â€Å"became a major propaganda weapon, with both major parties committed to its introduction,† because of its popularity. During the war, the coalition government had already committed itself to full employment through free universal secondary education, and the introduction of family allowances, and the right to public housing for all in the form of such innovations council flats as part of the war effort, but unlike the United States social welfare policies during World War II, the British government made a commitment to retaining this philosophy and these formal institutions even after the end of conflict. â€Å"Social Policy in the United Kingdom,† 2005) After World War II, all references to the working classes were removed from British laws. â€Å"The replacement of the housing stock, particularly through clearances, became council housing's main role, with mass building. The subsidies favoured industrial, high-rise building, though this was often more expensive than the alternatives. Quantity was more important than quality. (Housing and Urban Policy,† 2005) When the Labour Government was elected in 1945 it introduced three key acts: the 1946 National Insurance Act, which implemented the Beveridge scheme for social security and old-age pensions, the National Health Service Act 1946; and the 1948 National Assistance Act, which abolished the Poor Law while making provision for welfare services such as housing. † (â€Å"Social Policy in the United Kingdom,† 2005) Thus, the United Kingdom became a unitary state in which central government substantially directed most government activity. However, during the 1980's and 1990's, the rise of Thatcherism began to bring a new ethos to the land. In terms of social housing policy, for example, â€Å"the growth of owner-occupation in Britain† based on tax advantages became more common in the 1980s and 1990s. The Building Societie once founded on a social, co-operative and non-profit making basis, became banks during these decades, abandoning the original â€Å"mutualist tradition† on which they had been founded. â€Å"Housing and Urban Policy,† 2005) In terms of health care, in the 1980s, Enthoven, an American economist, made an influential criticism of National Health Services' organization. Enthoven argued that the NHS was â€Å"inefficient, riddled with perverse incentives and resistance to change,† and in the need of capitalist styles of management. â€Å"The reforms which followed were based in the belief that the NHS would be more efficient if it was organised on something more like market principles. Enthoven argued for a split between purchaser and provider, so that Health Authorities could exercise more effective control over costs and production. The NHS administration was broken up into quasi-autonomous trusts from which authorities bought services. The role of Regional Health Authorities was taken over by eight regional offices of the NHS management executive. † (â€Å"Health Care,† 2005) The United Kingdom to this day retains the mangerial innovations (or setbacks) depending on one's point of view of the Thatcher era. Thatcher was unable to institute some politically unpopular and reactionary ideas, such as a poll tax, during the decline of her power, but the privitization of health care and housing continued, as did such policies as asking for students to pay for more of their post-secondary educations, and limiting social welfare policies within the United Kingdom. The welfare system in the United Kingdom remains universalist in theory, but less and less universalist in practice after the ending decades of the 20th century required the government to make cutting costs and competing in the global marketplace the bywords of political rhetoric and policy.

An introduction to the Delphi Language

An introduction to the Delphi Language Welcome to the sixth chapter of the FREE online programming course:A Beginners Guide to Delphi Programming.Before you start developing more sophisticated applications by using the RAD features of Delphi, you should learn the basics of the Delphi Pascal language. Delphi Language: tutorials Delphi language, a set of object-oriented extensions to standard Pascal, is the language of Delphi. Delphi Pascal is a high-level, compiled, strongly typed language that supports structured and object-oriented design. Its benefits include easy-to-read code, quick compilation, and the use of multiple unit files for modular programming. Heres a list of tutorials, an introduction to Delphi Pascal, that will help you learn Delphi Pascal. Each tutorial will help you to understand a particular feature of Delphi Pascal language, with practical and easy to understand code snippets. Object Pascal Variable Scope: now you see me, now you dont. Typed constantsHow to implement persistent values between function calls. LoopsRepeating operations in Object Pascal in Object Pascal in Object Pascal in Object Pascal. DecisionsMaking decisions in Object Pascal or NOT. Functions and ProceduresCreating user defined subroutines in Object Pascal. Routines in Delphi: Beyond the BasicsExtending Object Pascal functions and procedures with default parameters and method overloading. The basic layout of a Pascal/Delphi program. String Types in DelphiUnderstanding and managing string data types in Delphis Object Pascal. Learn about differences between Short, Long, Wide and null-terminated strings. Ordinal and Enumerated Data TypesExtend Delphis built-in types by constructing your own types. Arrays in Object PascalUnderstanding and using array data types in Delphi. Records in DelphiLearn about records, Delphis Pascal data structure that can mix any of Delphis built in types including any types you have created. Variant Records in DelphiWhy and when to use variant records, plus creating an array of records. Pointers in DelphiAn introduction to pointer data type in Delphi. What are pointers, why, when and how to use them. Writing and using recursive functions in Object Pascal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Some exercises for you...Since this Course is an online course, there is much you can do to prepare for the next chapter. At the end of each chapter Ill try to provide several tasks for you to get more familiar with Delphi and the topics we discuss in the current chapter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  To the next chapter: A Beginners Guide to Delphi ProgrammingThis is the end of the sixth chapter, in the next chapter, well deal with more sophisticated articles on the Delphi language. A Beginners Guide to Delphi Programming: Next Chapter Sophisticated Delphi Pascal techniques for Beginners

Christmas Quotes From the Bible

Christmas Quotes From the Bible From a religious perspective, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Quotes from the Bible are staples at many holiday plays and pageants as young children are taught the story of baby Jesus. Bethlehem. Quotes from the Bible are staples at many holiday plays and pageants as young children are taught the story of baby Jesus. Biblical Christmas Quotes   Matthew 1:18-21This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph, her husband, was faithful to the law and yet  did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus  because he will save his people from their sins. Luke 2:4-7Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger  because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 1:35And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy- the Son of God. Isaiah 7:14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 9:6For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Micah 5:2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Matthew 2:2-3The Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. Luke 2:13-14And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!

The Best Blog Format to Improve Every Post (Includes Templates)

The Best Blog Format to Improve Every Post (Includes Templates) How much time do you spend worrying about your blog format when you sit down to write a post? However much time that might be, there’s a better way: establishing an outline and a set of editorial standards that you follow on every piece. This way, you can focus more on writing, and waste less time on mechanics and presentation. In this post, you’ll learn everything from formatting best practices to where all your visual components should go (and beyond). By the time you’re done, you’ll be sure to have picked up a few tips that’ll help improve your content and retain more readers. What is ? is the industry’s favorite marketing management calendar platform. Manage every project, schedule your content + social media promotion, and more, all in one place. Start your free trial. Download Your Free Blog Format Template Advice is only worthwhile if you can put it into practice. And to make applying this post simple, use this blog format template. Fill out each section and your post will come out well-formatted every time. The Best Blog Format to Improve Every Post (Free Templates)Why Worry About Formatting? Even the best content can underperform if it looks sloppy. In general, most people stick around on a website for less than a minute. Consider this graphic from Nielsen Norman Group: People are most likely to drop off right away, unless they see something compelling that they want to stick around and read, or otherwise interact with. And guess which factors determine whether people leave, according to Neil Patel: The content is irrelevant. It’s tough to read on mobile devices. It isn’t clear what the page wants them to do (like sign up or make a purchase). The design is either too busy, or not interesting enough. The site takes too long to load. Why are these points relevant? All five of these factors can be influenced, positively or negatively, directly and indirectly, by your formatting. Plus, there are plenty of other benefits behind making your content presentable. Here are three. Save Time Writing Like the intro to this post suggested, setting formatting guidelines for every post helps you save time since you won’t have to think about it each time you create a piece of content. Multiply the amount of time you save on one post, times the number of posts you’ll ever write, and it adds up. Ensures Posts Are Easy to Read This helps solve problems #2 and #3 from the numbered list a few paragraphs back. Provided your content is on point (solving point #1), making sure people can read your stuff on whatever device they’re on while making conversion steps clear, you can put yourself on the path to success. Improve Your SEO Performance Incorporating keywords into the right sections of your post, along with using header tags (H2, H3, etc.) smartly throughout your content can have considerable influence over its search performance. 8 Formatting Best Practices to Follow Before this post digs into an actual formatting process, it’s time to cover some basic best practices that apply more or less universally. Sentence Length: Aim for 25 words or less per sentence. Paragraph Length: Stick to three sentences or fewer per paragraph. Word Count: The best post length is however long it takes to make your point. Image Placement: Consider adding at least one image per 300 words. Form / Lead Magnet Placement: Make opt-in forms easy to find. They can either be placed in-line (aim for somewhere near the beginning or end) or using a (tasteful) pop-up. Links: Make links open in a new window so users aren’t taken away from what they’re trying to read. Usage of Header Tags: Use one H1 header for your headline, H2 tags for sub-headers, and H3 tags for points beneath sub-headers. Use header tags H4 through H6 sparingly. Flow of Information: Have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Diagram of an Ideal Blog Post Format You’ll probably need an example to follow before setting forth on formatting yourself. So, what does a crisp and clear blog post look like? Check out this illustration: Formatting Your Blog Post in 7 Simple Steps So, say it’s time to write a blog post. How should you approach structuring each section? And how can you get that advice in plain English? Start with this process. Step 1: Write an Outline This is the first thing you should do before writing a piece of content: figure out what you’re going to write, and what sections your post will include. The simplest way to write an outline is to sketch out section subheaders in bold text, and add specific details in bulleted lists beneath each one. Here’s an example: Introduction Point 1 Point 2 Point 3 Next, add in sub-sections and label which sub-header levels they’ll use: Introduction Point 1 Point 2 Point 3 First Section: Thoughts on Point 1 (H2) Sub-Point 1 (H3) Sub-Point 2 (H3) Sub-Point 3 (H3) Why worry about this stuff? Here are a few reasons: Using clear sub-headers makes content easier to read. This post you’re reading right now uses H2 and H3 subheader levels throughout. Now, imagine how much harder it’d be to read without them. Figuring out up front which header levels to use saves time later: And time is of the essence, right? Less time writing means more time to †¦ do more writing. Or something else. Good content structure supports good SEO. Search engines want to see well-structured content with a logical header structure. Mapping that out right away helps keep smart SEO practices a part of your process right from the start. Step 2: Structure Your Introduction When the actual writing starts, everything begins with the introduction. There’s a lot of weight riding on this one section, too. So, how should they be formatted? Follow these guidelines: Keep it concise. Stick to three or four paragraphs maximum (and keep each sentence brief and punchy). Add links. Reputable sources can immediately establish accuracy and authority (and keep readers around). Recommended Reading: How to Write Irresitible Blog Post Introductions That'll Keep Your Readers Reading Step 3: Consider Content Upgrade and Lead Magnet Placement After the introduction, it’s worth considering where your lead magnets (free downloadable resources locked behind an email opt-in form to build your email list) should go. The Blog frequently places these shortly after the introduction. That’s because they often include resources that are required (or at least helpful) for implement the advice in the rest of the post. But, whether that’s the best placement for you depends on your content. Here are some options and examples: After your introduction: At the end: In a pop-up: It’s worth experimenting with different placements and monitoring which appears to work best. From a formatting perspective though, what matters is knowing ahead of time where it will go, so you can plan and write accordingly. Step 4: Write Each Subsection Following your outline, each subsection will need to be written next. Each one should start with its appropriate sub-header level. If you’re using WordPress, you can find your subheader controls here: Why are these important? This has been touched on before in this post, but it’s worth reiterating a couple of key points: Using consistent subheader levels improves readability. Having logical and consistent structure looks better than using headers and bold text at random. Search engines use sub-header HTML tags to understand your content. When assessing how relevant your content is in relation to keyword search terms, Google (and others) will take the contents of your sub-headers into consideration. This also helps search engines (and readers) understand which points of a post are most important (an H1 is more important than an H2, an H2 is more important than an H3, and so on). As has been stated before, stick to 25 words or less per sentence, and three or fewer sentences per paragraph to make your post easy to skim. Step 5: Where Should Images Go? The general best practice is to include an image every 200 to 300 words. This helps to add more visual appeal to your post, giving readers a rest periodically to look at something more interesting than an endless scrolling wall of words. Some other images to consider: Header graphics: These are great for using as the featured image in WordPress. Call to action graphics: Inline graphics linking to conversion steps (like signup forms) can help drive more clicks. Infographics / long graphics: They can go a long way toward helping provide information using less inline text, and they’re highly shareable on social media. Step 6: Adding s Great content deserves to be shared. And people will often want to share something great that I’ve read, while they’re reading. This is where click-to-tweet boxes (which can be created using a variety of plugins) come in. Here’s an example of what they look like:

Enslavement Timeline 1619 to 1696

Enslavement Timeline 1619 to 1696 Historian Frances Latimer argues that enslavement happened one law at a time, one person at a time. As the American colonies grew throughout the 17th Century, human bondage transformed from indentured servitude to a life of enslavement. 1612: Commercial tobacco is raised in Jamestown, Va.1619: Twenty Africans are transported to Jamestown. They were imported to work as slaves in Great Britains American colonies.1626: The Dutch West India Company brings eleven African-American men to the New Netherlands1636: Desire, the first carrier in the United States to participate in human trade. The ship is built and first sails from Massachusetts. This marks the beginning of colonial North Americas participation in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.1640: John Punch becomes the first documented slave to receive servitude for life. An African servant, John Punch, is sentenced to life after running away. His white friends, who also ran away, received extended servitude.1640: Residents of New Netherlands are prohibited from providing any assistance to fugitive slaves.1641: The DAngolas become the first recorded marriage between people of African descent.1641: Massachusetts becomes the first colony to legalize enslavement.1643: A fugit ive slave law is established in the New England Confederation. The Confederation includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Haven. 1650: Connecticut legalizes enslavement.1652: Rhode Island creates laws restricting and then forbidding slavery.1652: All black and Native American servants are mandated to take military training by Massachusetts law.1654: Blacks are granted the right to be slaveholders in Virginia.1657: Virginia passes a fugitive slave law.1660: The Council of Foreign Plantations is ordered by Charles II, King of England, to convert slaves and indentured servants to Christianity.1662: Virginia passes a law establishing hereditary slavery. The law states that children of African-American mothers shall be bond or free according to the condition of the mother.1662: Massachusetts passes a law prohibiting blacks from bearing arms. States such as New York, Connecticut, and New Hampshire followed suit.1663: The first documented slave rebellion takes place in Gloucester County, Va.1663: The state of Maryland legalizes enslavement.1663: Charles II gives North Carolina and South Carolina to slave proprietors. 1664: Enslavement is legalized in New York and New Jersey.1664: Maryland becomes the first colony to make marriage between white women and black men illegal.1664: Maryland passes a law making lifelong servitude for black slaves legal. Colonies such as New York, New Jersey, the Carolinas, and Virginia pass similar laws.1666: Maryland enacts a fugitive slave law.1667: Virginia passes a law stating that a Christian baptism will not change a persons status as a slave.1668: New Jersey passes a fugitive slave law.1670: Free Africans and Native Americans are prohibited from owning white Christian servants by Virginia law.1674: New York lawmakers declare that enslaved African-Americans who convert to Christianity will not be freed.1676: Slaves, as well as black and white indentured servants, participate in Bacons Rebellion.1680: Virginia passes laws prohibiting blacksfreed or enslavedfrom bearing arms and congregating in large numbers. The law also enforces stiff punishments for slaves who t ry to escape or attack white Christians. 1682: Virginia passes a law announcing that all imported Africans will be slaves for life.1684: New York prohibits slaves from selling goods.1688: Pennsylvania Quakers establish the first antislavery resolution.1691: Virginia creates its first anti-miscegenation law, prohibiting marriage between whites and blacks as well as whites and Native Americans.1691: Virginia declares it illegal to free slaves within its borders. As a result, freed slaves must leave the colony.1691: South Carolina establishes its first set of slave codes.1694: Importation of Africans increases tremendously into the Carolinas after rice cultivation is developed.1696: Royal African Trade Company loses its monopoly. New England colonists enter into the slave trade.

Lord Randalls Anonymous Folk Ballad

Lord Randall's Anonymous Folk Ballad The folk ballad Lord Randall is an example of an Anglo-Scottish border ballad. These songs were sung acapella  and  often had repeating lines. History of the Ballad Sir Walter Scott collected border ballads and published them in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, published in three volumes from 1802 to 1803. Scott is known for his 1805 poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel, which brought him to literary fame. He was offered the position of Poet Laureate in 1813 but declined. Lord Randall tells the tale of a noble young man who has been poisoned by his lover. He comes home to his mother and complains that he is fatigued and only wants to lie down on his bed. He repeatedly pleads with his mother to make his bed so he can finally rest. His mother repeatedly questions him on what he has been doing and teases the story out of him. He has been poisoned by his false-hearted lover, and he bequeaths his belongings and treasures to his siblings. The structure of the song is reminiscent of the nursery rhyme Billy Boy, but instead of the hero being poisoned by the young lady, he bakes her a pie and decides she is too young to leave her mother. It also is mirrored in the campfire song, Green and Yellow. The song is a source for many  modern artists and authors. Bob Dylan used it as the basis of A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall. Many artists have covered the folk ballad on their albums and releases. The Lord Randall Anonymous Traditional Folk Ballad â€Å"O where ha you been, Lord Randal, my son?And where ha you been, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I ha been at the greenwood; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m wearied wi hunting, and fain wad lie down.†An wha met ye there, Lord Randal, my son?An wha met you there, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"O I met wi my true-love; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m wearied wi huntin, an fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"And what did she give you, Lord Randal, my son?And what did she give you, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Eels fried in a pan; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m wearied with huntin, and fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"And wha gat your leavins, Lord Randal, my son?And what gat your leavins, my handsom young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"My hawks and my hounds; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m wearied wi huntin, and fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"And what becam of them, Lord Randall, my son?And what became of them, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å "They stretched their legs out an died; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m wearied wi huntin, and fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"O I fear you are poisoned, Lord Randal, my son!I fear you are poisoned, my handsome young man!†Ã¢â‚¬Å"O yes, I am poisoned; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down. â€Å"What d’ ye leave to your mother, Lord Randal, my son?What d’ye leave to your mother, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Four and twenty milk kye; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What d’ ye leave to your sister, Lord Randal, my son?What d’ ye leave to your sister, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"My gold and my silver; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m sick at the heart, an I fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What d’ ye leave to your brother, Lord Randal, my son?What d’ ye leave to your brother, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"My house and my lands; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What d’ ye leave to your true-love, Lord Randal, my son?What d’ ye leave to your true-love, my handsome young man?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I leave her hell and fire; mother, mak my bed soon,For I’m sick at the hea rt, and I fain wad lie down.†

Discussions of the Parts of a Speech

Discussions of the Parts of a Speech In classical rhetoric, the parts of a speech are the conventional divisions of a speech (or oration)- also known as arrangement. Roman orators recognized as many as seven parts: ExordiumNarratioDivisionProof (or Confirmation)RefutationDigressionPerorationEpilogue In contemporary public speaking, the major parts of a speech are often identified more simply as the introduction, body, transitions, and conclusion. See Examples and Observations below. (Dont confuse the parts of a speech in rhetoric with the parts of speech in grammar.) Examples and Observations From late fifth through late second century BCE, three traditions of handbooks characterized theory and instruction in rhetoric. Handbooks in the earliest tradition organized precepts in segments devoted to the parts of a speech. . . . [A] number of scholars have proposed that early handbooks in this tradition typically dealt with four speech parts: a proem that secured an attentive, intelligent, and benevolent hearing; a narration that represented facts of the judicial case favorable to the speaker; a proof that confirmed the speakers claims and refuted the arguments of the opponent; and an epilogue that summarized the speakers arguments and aroused emotions in the audience favorable to the speakers case.(Robert N. Gaines, Roman Rhetorical Handbooks, in A Companion to Roman Rhetoric, edited by William J. Dominik and Jon C. R. Hall. Wiley-Blackwell, 2007) The parts of a speech (partes orationis) are the exordium or opening, the narratio or statement of facts, the divisio or partitio, that is, the statement of the point at issue and exposition of what the orator proposes to prove, the confirmatio or exposition of arguments, the confutatio or refutation of ones opponents arguments, and finally the conclusio or peroration. This six-fold division is that given in De Inventione and Ad Herrenium, but Cicero tells us that some divided into four or five or even seven parts, and Quintilian regards partitio as contained in the third part, which he calls probatio, proof, and thus is left with a total of five.(M. L. Clarke and D. H. Berry, Rhetoric at Rome: A Historical Survey. Routledge, 1996) Classical Divisions in Prose The classical tradition of oratory was carried on for a great many centuries in oral performance. It was also carried on in written texts, most purely in written works that take the form of orations. Although they were not intended for oral performance, they translate features of oratory to the written word. Including some sense of the writer and the reader.Erasmuss Praise of Folly (1509) is a model example. It follows a form of the classical tradition, with Exordium, Narration, Partition, Confirmation, and Peroration. The orator is Folly, and she steps forward to speak to the crowded assembly that is her audienceall of us readers.(James Thorpe, The Sense of Style: Reading English Prose. Archon, 1987) The Classical Form of Jonathan Swifts A Modest Proposal The essay is organized in the manner of a classical oration, as follows: Exordium - Paragraphs 1 through 7Narration - Paragraphs 8 through 16Digression - Paragraphs 17 through 19Proof - Paragraphs 20 through 28Refutation - Paragraphs 29 through 30Peroration - Paragraphs 31 through 33 (Charles A. Beaumont, Swifts Classical Rhetoric. University of Georgia Press, 1961) Transitions in Contemporary Speeches To move from one to another of the three major parts of a speech (i.e., introduction, body, and conclusion), you can signal your audience with statements that summarize what youve said in one part and point the way to the next. For example, here is an internal summary and a transition between the body of a speech and the conclusion: Ive now explained in some detail why we need stronger educational and health programs for new immigrants. Let me close by reminding you of whats at stake. . . . Transitions are vital to effective speaking. If the introduction, body, and conclusion are the bones of a speech, the transitions are the sinews that hold the bones together. Without them, a speech may seem more like a laundry list of unconnected ideas than like a coherent whole.(Julia T. Wood, Communication in Our Lives, 6th ed. Wadsworth, 2012)

A Young Athlete Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Young Athlete - Research Paper Example r affection for games amid supplementary things had distinguished them from non-Greeks therefore, solitary Greek populace were permitted to contend in the games. (Camp 2004) In ornamentation, procedure of construction and appearance, Panathenaic amphorae had pursued conventional ethnicity for generations. The Vase in above picture is of 24  ½ in height and as of current situation it is conserved at the Metropolitan Museum of New York. (www.metmuseum.org n.d.) The Vase is carbon dated as of manufactured around 530 B.C. and belonged to the vast culture of Greeks. The painting style of the Amphora above matches with other works of the â€Å"Euphiletos Painter.† (Hyman 2006) The figures on one side of vase materialized as black shadows in opposition to the orange of the fired up clay, the details (fig 1.0) were carved into the beautification prior to firing the sculpture into the Kiln. (Hyman 2006) The rest of the Vase is adorned with slip that transformed into black color when exposed to heat in the kiln. The wholly established black-figure method, with additional crimson and white particulars and notching for sketches and particulars was invented in â€Å"Corinth† at some stage in the early 7th B.C. and lately launched into â€Å"Attica† almost post a gap of generation. (Camp 2004) Subsequently it thrived until the finish of the 6th BC. The â€Å"red-figure method† (Hyman 2006) which was conceived in 530 B.C. overturned this practice by way of the Vases being decorated black and the outlines painted with bright crimson colors, as in the case of above illustrated Vase. On front side of this vase, decorated by the â€Å"Euphiletos Painter† is Athena, â€Å"the Greek goddess of perception, combat, the arts, commerce, honesty and talent† (Gates 1972) equipped with a helmet and shield together with holding in the air a spear which is belligerently tramping to the fore. Beneath the arm of Athena, there is â€Å"the snake-fringed edge of her aegis, the goatskin with the

Knowledge Management and High Performance Organizations Essay

Knowledge Management and High Performance Organizations - Essay Example As the essay stresses human knowledge may be an organization’s most valuable asset, much of this knowledge is never shared. Harnessing critical knowledge and using it to create a common vision and objectives can move a company closer to making an HPO. KM supports the notion of HPO through â€Å"†¦organizational values, culture, processes and tools that stimulate and support the organization's employees, partners and customers to create, capture, organize, access, and properly use the organization’s knowledge that enables people to personally and collectively become more productive, collaborative and innovative†. According to the paper findings the trend toward serious management changes made by large companies on the way toward making high-performance organizations is stressed in numerous theoretical and empirical studies. These changes revolve around one of the four commonly recognized approaches to organizational performance, namely employee involvement, total quality management, re-engineering, and knowledge management. Although neither of these categories can be addressed as simple knowledge management is â€Å"...the least well-defined and articulated of the four organizational improvement concepts†. Knowledge Management (KM) is a very broad discipline that integrates a number of organisational endeavours and practices used by different organisations in a variety of ways in order to identify, create, represent, and distribute knowledge and thus ensure competitive advantage of the company. KM represents one of the most recent developments in the long line of organisational tools a nd techniques such as 'the scientific management', X and Y' theory', 'T-groups', 'total quality management', 'organizational learning' 'systems thinking', 'benchmarking', 'business process re-engineering' and other methods meant to create economic value and competitive advantage. After becoming an independent established discipline in the middle of 1990s, KM is perceived as an essential aspect of HRM and information technology in modern organisations (Davenport & Prusak, 1998). The integrative and rather broad nature of KM contributes to the difficulties associated with defining this paradigm. Generally, KM is viewed as a new form of management which facilitates organizational adaptation, survival and competence in face of increasingly dynamic environmental changes. This broader perspective incorporates the processes of knowledge use, knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, knowledge transfer and knowledge renewal with each of these concepts being defined independently (Malhotra 2000). Therefore, Skyrme (2002) suggests defining KM as "the explicit and systematic management of vital knowledge and its associated processes of creating, gathering, organizing, diffusion, use and exploitation, in pursuit of organizational objectives" (p. 4). However, this definition of KM is far from being unanimous: the views vary substantially by representatives of different theories and approaches. Traditionally, two major views have been presented in the scholarly literature on KM, namely: the informational resources management (or management of explicit knowledge) and management, which creates the environment in which people could easily develop and share the knowledge while the increasingly serious