How to Ask a Professor for a Letter of Recommendation

How to Ask a Professor for a Letter of Recommendation Are you looking to get into a graduate program? Perhaps you have finished your degree and are seeking employment? If so, then there is a strong possibility that you are going to find yourself in need of a letter of recommendation. College professors are an excellent choice because they have spent extensive time with you, observing how you work, how you analyse information and even how you present your opinion in a group setting. The question is, how to ask a professor for a letter of recommendation? What Is a Letter of Recommendation? It is essentially a letter which gives the admissions board or an employer a brief overview of you as a student and as a person in general. Your professor should describe their experiences of working with you referencing specific situations, attitudes and other things that speak to your character. They should also describe what potential they see in you and why you are a good fit for the program or position. Who Should Write It for You? One of the first things you need to think about when it comes to requesting a strong letter of recommendation is who you are going to ask to write it! It is a good idea to choose a faculty member. That way, youll be confident that the person knows you reasonably well. Ideally, they should know you not only as their student, but in other contexts as well. What if theres no professor who knows me good enough? If you still have enough time before you need a recommendation letter, you should put in much effort to make connections with your professors. That way, youll be able to improve your chance to achieve your academic and career goals. Keep in mind that admissions offices receive hundreds, if not thousands of letters from potential students. Many of these letters are generic and do not stand out in the pile. If you choose a professor who knows you well both as a student and on a more personal level, they can write the letter with a more specific slant. This is going to help it stand out and get your application noticed. Is There a Certain Etiquette for Recommendation Requests? When asking your professor for a letter it is important to understand that it is something they take seriously and that a certain amount of etiquette involved when requesting letters. It is necessary to make a formal request for your reference letter. This should be done by email or letter. You should ask if he or she is willing to write a reference letter or fill out recommendation forms on your behalf. A pro tip: Never assume that your professor will be comfortable writing the letter – even if they have agreed to write one in the past. A formal request should always be made. Here are a few more etiquette tips to keep in mind when asking a professor for a letter of recommendation: Ask as Early as Possible – Professors have busy schedules and it can take time to write a strong letter of recommendation. Submit your request as early as you can, preferably a month before the deadline. This will give plenty of time for your professor to handle the request. Provide as Much Information as Possible – It will be really helpful to your professor if you provide as much information about the program or job that you are applying for. This will make it much easier for them to complete the text that helps you the best way. It may even be useful to make an appointment during their office hours to discuss it in full. Include a Pre-Addressed Envelope – Make it as easy as possible on your professor by providing them with included envelopes which are pre-addressed and have the correct postage affix. What If My Professor Denies My Recommendation Request? There is always a chance that your professor will deny your request. If this happens, try not to be too disheartened. There could be a variety of reasons for their refusal. It may not even be personal. It could be that they have several requests on their plate already and just don’t have the time to add another one to their workload. They may also feel that they do not actually have enough experience or knowledge of you as a student.Sometimes it might be that they simply think there is another program more suited to your skillset. A refusal is not an indication that you are a horrible student! The best course of action is to simply thank them for their time and send a request to your second choice. This is another great reason to get those requests in as early as possible, so you have plenty of time to decide on plan B! In conclusion, asking for a letter of recommendation is something that you need to take very seriously. It could be the difference between securing that place in graduate school or that dream job and being turned down. Get as much information as possible to include with your request to make things easier on your professor and be sure to give them enough time to complete your request.

Filing a Follow to Join Application (Form I-824)

Filing a Follow to Join Application (Form I-824) The United States allows the spouses and children of U.S. green card holders also to get green cards and permanent residency in the United States, using a document known as Form I-824. It is more popularly known as the â€Å"Follow to Join† process, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says it is a more expedited way of coming to the country than processes that were in place years ago. Follow to Join allows families who may not be able to travel together to reunite in the United States. Since the early days of the republic, Americans have demonstrated a willingness to keep immigrant families together, as much as possible. Technically, Form I-824 is called an Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition. Form I-824 can be a powerful tool for promoting family reunification. Some important things to keep in mind: It is extremely important that you submit all required initial evidence with all the supporting documentation with your application at the time of filing. USCIS has strict requirements about what evidence you will need to provide.Follow to Join is only valid if the principal applicant has established permanent residency in the United States through employment, family-preference, the Green Card lottery or through a K or V visa.Follow to Join does not require a separate immigrant petition and does not require the applicant to wait for a visa to become available.You dont need to file Form I-130 to take advantage of the Follow to Join process.The principal applicant must not be a U.S. citizen. Thats a different process. If the principal applicant has become a naturalized citizen, then he or she can file a separate visa petition to bring family members here.The Follow to Join process is only available to children who are under the age of 21 and unmarried. Children over the age of 21 or ma rried children can immigrate to the United States if a parent becomes a naturalized U.S. citizen. There are provisions in U.S. immigration law for allowing stepchildren and adopted children to participate in Follow to Join. People who have gotten permanent residency through the Immediate Relative R category are not eligible for Follow to Join but can petition for visas for their spouses or children by filing Form I-130. Some Documents You Are Likely To Need Some examples of the evidence (documentation) that is typically required include certified copies of the childrens birth certificates, a copy of the marriage certificate and passport information. All documents have to be verifiable. Once the petition is approved by USCIS, the petitioners children or spouse must appear at a U.S. consulate for an interview. The filing fee for the Follow to Join application is $405. The check or money order must be drawn on a bank or financial institution located in the United States. According to USCIS, â€Å"Once Form I-824 has been accepted, it will be checked for completeness, including submission of the required initial evidence. If you do not completely fill out the form or file it without required initial evidence, you will not establish a basis for eligibility, and we may deny your Form I-824.† Further, USCIS says: â€Å"If you are in the United States and have not yet filed to adjust your status to permanent resident, you can file Form I-824 for your child overseas with your Form I-485. When concurrently filing Form I-824, it does not require any supporting documentation.† As you can see, this can get complicated. You may want to consult with a qualified immigration attorney to make sure your petition is approved without excessive delays. Government immigration officials warn immigrants to be careful of scammers and disreputable service providers. Beware of promises that seem too good to be true – because they almost always are. Applicants can check the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website for current contact information and hours.

Operating system new and old one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Operating system new and old one - Essay Example Indeed, the evolution of OS correlates with the growth in IT and computer needs. Examples of old operation system include Admiral Operating system for Honeywell 800/1800, Atlas I Supervisor that introduced system calls and virtual storage for the first computer. We also have the SCOPE operating systems developed in the 1960s that enabled batch processing and the MACE operating system for sharing time. The Michigan Terminal System (MTS) and MUSIC/SP are also examples of old OS developed for early computers like IBM. However, the complexity of new hardware and application programs led to the development of new OS. Indeed, the old OS lacked important features that are present in new OS such as the capacity to run third-party applications and multiple applications at once. Examples of new OS include Microsoft Windows, Android, IBM z/OS, Mac OS X, iOS, and Linux (Computer Hope 1). Most new OS adopt a touchscreen input design since it applies to portable devices. Notably, Microsoft Windows is the most dominant OS used in PCs, IBM, and smartphones (Computer Hope 1). The Apple Mac OS applies only in Apple computer operating system and on Macintosh computers while Android OS is applicable in all Android compatible phones (Computer Hope 1). Moreover, Linux is a new OS applicable in PC and IBM compatible computers while iOS operates with the Apple iPhone (Computer Hope 1). Notably, the choice of an OS depends on the hardware though all operating systems offer a graphical user interface that entails a des ktop and the capacity to manage files and folders. The early OS embraced diversity where technicians produced multiple OS to apply in a specific mainframe computer. However, the old OS had different command models, operating protocols, and operating tools. The development of new computers and hardware resulted to the introduction of new OS where the technicians adjusted, retested, and restructured the applications to accommodate the new OS. The new OS

Designing and Managing Integrated Marketing Channels Essay

Designing and Managing Integrated Marketing Channels - Essay Example It will make sure that the relationship between different channels and the organization is strong and motivated. In addition, organizations need to keep a check on the channels in a timely manner. It will indicate any possible trouble within the relationship beforehand (Maddock & Fulton, 1996). The channels are affected by the trends that would be introduced over time. These trends may include the vertical marketing system (VMS), horizontal marketing system, and integrated marketing channel system (Kotler & Keller, 2012). As soon as the organization is aware of the channels with their selected intermediaries, it is suggested that it also create a sheet for distributing tasks and responsibility to each channel (Hunt, 2010). The undertaken grid or design to allocate the tasks to each channel would allow in understanding the channel that may be becoming problematic and act as a barrier for the smooth transitions of marketing. Thus, the aforementioned recommendation may be followed to get away with poor channel

F-1 status Essay Example for Free

F-1 status Essay I would like to appeal the case for reinstatement of my F-1 status with your office. My F-1 status expired on December 23, 2006. I require an extension on my F-1 visa because I have a research program pending completion at my university and this project must be done on site and allow me to have physical contact with my professors and advisers on this project. It is with a hopeful heart that I request you to consider the humanitarian reason behind my request. My father fell ill last year and this caused major interruptions to my research work. He eventually succumbed to his illness last September 2006 and this caused even greater damage to my research project because I had to take time off to join my family in caring and eventually mourning for my father. I was aware of the December 23, 2006 deadline but due to the reasons I have stated, I became preoccupied and eventually lost track of time. I did not realize that my visa had expired until it was too late. I realize that I am asking for a tremendous concession on your part. All I ask is to be given the chance to complete my project using some borrowed time. I assure you that I will honor any agreement that we may enter into in order to assure you of my honesty regarding this matter. Thank you for taking the time to seriously consider my request. Sincerely,

Analysis of the Head Start Program Essay -- Educational Policy, Class

The purpose of this essay is to offer a concise description of the Head Start program, discuss the historical background of the policy, and analyze the economic and political forces that have influenced the development of the program. The essay also seeks to evaluate both the manifest and latent functions of the policy, consider the current debate around Head Start, describe the ideologies and values that have framed the debate around Head Start, and offer recommendations regarding the program. Head Start Program Overview of the Policy The Head Start Program, typically referred to solely as Head Start, is offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program was inaugurated in 1964 as a means of preparing children from low-income families to enter kindergarten with a higher level of preparation (Gillette, 2010). Head Start is funded through the Head Start Act of 1981, which was reauthorized in 2007. Head Start has a budget of over $7 billion and has its own teachers and aides (Banner, 2011). In fiscal year 2009, the latest year for which data is available from the Administration for Children and Families (2010), the home to the Office of Head Start within the Department of Health and Human Services had an enrollment of 904,153, of which 3% were five-year-olds or older, 51% were four-year-olds, 46% were three-year-olds, and 10% were under three years of age. Children three and under are part of what is known as Early Head Start, an extension of the program that serves the youngest children. The Administration for Children and Families further disclosed that, in fiscal year 2010, 39.9% of children enrolled in Head Start were white, 30% were African-American or Black, and 35.9% were Latino. The sum of the... ...y. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Barnett, W.S. & Hustedt, J.T. (2003). Head Start’s lasting benefits. Infants and Young Children, 18(1), 16-24. Black, E. & Black, M. (2003). The rise of southern republicans. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Gillette, M.L. (2010). Launching the war on poverty. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. Meyers, M.K. & Gornick, J.C. (2003). Public or private responsibility? Early childhood education and care, inequality, and the welfare state. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34, 379-411. Mindick, B. (1986). Social engineering in family matters. New York, NY: Praeger. Vinovskis, M.A. (2008). The birth of head start. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Wainryb, C., Smetana, J.G., & Turiel. E. (2008). Social development, social inequalities, and social justice. New York, NY: CRC Press.

Leadership: Bases of Power Essay

Who would want to work for a weak manager? Managers need power to do their jobs, because their jobs require them to influence others. Consequently, managers who feel powerless to influence others experience a tremendous amount of frustration and stress. Their staff members tend to feel frustrated too. Power means many different things to different people. For some, power is seen as corrupt. For others, the more power they have, the more successful they feel. For even others, power is of no interest at all. Positions of authority confer power to the people who hold managerial positions. However, managers who rely solely on their formal authority to influence others will find that it doesn’t inspire their staff, and can even demoralize them. Hence, it helps to also derive power from other sources. Charisma and having personal appeal are sources of power too. Power can also be developed by becoming and expert or by performing critical role for the firm. Bases of Social Power Bases of power refer to the methods that managers and leaders utilize to influence their employees. When examining bases of power, the concept of authority must also be considered. These two are interconnected attributes tied to the behavior of superiors over subordinates. In their article, â€Å"Are There No Limits To Authority?†, David Knights and Darren McCabe explain that â€Å"power should be understood to be a condition of social relations. Thus, it is erroneous to ask who has power. Instead, it is necessary to explore how power is exercised.† In turn, the nature of how power is exercised is a workable definition for authority. In short, authority and power are intertwined, with power being the ability to do things or have others do what one has ordered while authority is the foundation on which that power is built. The bases of social power are very diverse, and no list is ever complete. Nonetheless, the commonly identified bases of power fit pretty well into two categories; position-related factors and personal factors. Position-related factors. Position power comes from the legitimacy inherent in many positions, the ability to provide rewards, the ability to coerce, access to valuable information and performing a critical function. These position-related factors are: Legitimate power allows leaders to motivate others simply because they hold the leadership position. Sometimes we comply with the wishes of a leader just because of the societal expectations for us to do so. For instance, if Colin Powell shows up at your club’s luncheon and wants to say a few words, you let him. Why do you give him that privilege? Stupid question. He’s the Secretary of State! You just do that sort of thing for someone in his position. That’s legitimate power. That kind of legitimacy isn’t always very strong for managers who are promoted to a position in which they must supervise their former peers. If the former peers have any difficulty adjusting to their managers’ new positions, legitimacy will be kind of weak. Legitimate power comes from having a position of power in an organization, such as being the boss or a key member of a leadership team. This power comes when employees in the organization recognize the authority of the individual. For example, the CEO who determines the overall direction of the company and the resource needs of the company. Legitimate power rests in the belief among employees that their manager has the right to give orders based on his or her position. For example, at the scene of a crime, people usually comply with the orders of a uniformed police officer based simply on their shared belief that he or she has the predetermined authority to give such orders. In a corporate setting, employees comply with the orders of a manager who relies on legitimate power based on the position in the organizational hierarchy that the manager holds. Yet, although employees may comply based on legitimate power, they may not feel a sense of commitment or cooperation. Reward power is the ability to provide incentives to others if they will cooperate with you. Managers who can affect their direct reports’ income, perks, job assignments, etc. are able to offer rewards in exchange for compliance. Having a high degree of reward power really helps a manager influence others. Reward power is conveyed through rewarding individuals for compliance with one’s wishes. This may be done through given bonuses, raises, a promotion, extra time off from work, etc. For example, the supervisor who provides employees comp time when they meet an objective she sets for a project. Reward power, as the name implies, rests on the ability of a manager to give some sort of reward to employees. These rewards can range from monetary compensation to improved work schedules. Reward power often does not need monetary or other tangible compensation to work when managers can convey various intangible benefits as rewards. Huey describes Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., as an active user of reward power. Walton relies heavily on these intangible awards, indicating that â€Å"nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They are absolutely free-and worth a fortune†. When reward power is used in a flexible manner, it can prove to be a strong motivator, as Crosby, Deming, and others have shown. Still, when organizations rely too rigidly on rewards, the system can backfire. Employees may be tempted to unethically or even illegally meet the quotas to which overly rigid reward systems may be tied. Another problem associated with rewards as a base for power is the possibility that the rewards will divert employees’ attention from their jobs and focus their attention instead on the rewards da ngled before them. Coercive power is the ability to punish or intimidate. It’s often said that unions eliminate management’s ability to sanction uncooperative employees. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but when collective bargaining agreements state that management can only terminate employees with cause, management does have restricted ability to coerce cooperation. Managers should use coercion with great care anyway. Coercion only motivates minimal cooperation and breeds resentment. Coercive power is conveyed through fear of losing one’s job, being demoted, receiving a poor performance review, having prime projects taken away, etc. This power is gotten through threatening others. For example, the VP of Sales who threatens sales folks to meet their goals or get replaced. Coercive power rests in the ability of a manager to force an employee to comply with an order through the threat of punishment. Coercive power typically leads to short-term compliance, but in the long-run produces dysfunctional behavior. Coercion reduces employees’ satisfaction with their jobs, leading to lack of commitment and general employee withdrawal. In the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, coercive power has seen a decline in the last 50 years. Several reasons contribute to this, ranging from the legal erosion of employment-at-will and the awareness of employee violence or other forms of retaliatory behavior. Equally important as an effect on the receding popularity of coercion as a basis of power has been the influence of quality management theorists, such as Philip Crosby and W. Edwards Deming. They suggested that there is a decline in productivity and creativity when coercive power is employed. The use of coercive power results in an atmosphere of insecurity or fear. In spite of this insight, coercion as a base of power continues to play a role even in those organizations influenced by theories of quality management. In times of economic crisis or threats to the survival of the organization at large, coercion may come to the forefront. Coercive power may also materialize as organizations attempt to streamline their operations for maximum efficiency. If employees must be fired, those who fail to conform to the organizational goals for survival will be the most likely candidates for termination. The threat of termination for failure to comply, in turn, is coercive power. Access to valuable information produces power because valuable information is a resource that can be exchanged. Back in the days when managers had secretaries do all their typing and schedule their meetings, some secretaries had access to a lot of important information. Consequently, people who were nice to secretaries were able to get information and access to key personnel that jerks couldn’t get. Even without having formal authority, the secretaries did have power, and shrewd business people treated secretaries with respect. Performing a critical function confers power, but only to the extent that the individual or group performing the function is irreplaceable. One of my favorite examples of criticality and irreplaceability as they pertain to power comes from NBC’s television show, West Wing. At the end of the first season, the producers were expecting to have to renegotiate a lot of the actors’ contracts. The producers wanted to bring the whole cast back because audiences don’t react well to new actors playing established roles or to roles that are clumsily dropped from the story. Thus, each actor was critical and irreplaceable. Of course, producers don’t have to replace an actor whose character died. So, the writers arranged to have the West Wing season finale end with a gunshot that could have killed any of the critical actors. It wasn’t until the second season that we found out who got hit. By making the actors less critical, the producers reduced the actors’ negotiating power. Personal factors. A number of personal qualities can also contribute to a person’s power in an organization. Some of these are: Expertise that can be used in exchange for favors is a form of power. For instance, if you’re an expert with PowerPoint you can help colleagues put together their presentations, and you can get favors from them in return. Expert power comes from ones’ experiences, skills or knowledge. As we gain experience in particular areas, and become thought leaders in those areas, we begin to gather expert power that can be utilized to get others to help us meet our goals. For example, the Project Manager who is an expert at solving particularly challenging problems to ensure a project stays on track. Expert power rests on the belief of employees that an individual has a particularly high level of knowledge or highly specialized skill set. Managers may be accorded authority based on the perception of their greater knowledge of the tasks at hand than their employees. Interestingly, in expert power, the superior may not rank higher than the other persons in a formal sense. Thus, when an equipment repair person comes to the CEO’s office to fix a malfunctioning piece of machinery, no question exists that the CEO outranks the repair person; yet regarding the specific task of getting the machine operational, the CEO is likely to follow the orders of the repair person. Expert power has within it a built-in point of weakness: as a point of power, expertise diminishes as knowledge is shared. If a manager shares knowledge or skill instruction with his or her employees, in time they will acquire a similar knowledge base or skill set. As the employees grow to equal the manager’s knowledge or skills, their respect for the superiority of his expertise diminishes. The result is either that the manager’s authority diminishes or that the manager intentionally chooses not to share his or her knowledge base or skill set with the employees. The former choice weakens the manager’s authority over time, while the latter weakens the organization’s effectiveness over time. Likeability, or any kind of personal attractiveness, also gives you power. If people like to be around you because you’re witty, friendly, famous or good looking, you’re also likely to be pretty persuasive. We all want to do favors for people we like, up to a limit anyway. Charisma has multiple meanings. A person with charisma has a special interpersonal appeal. Charisma can be viewed as a particularly strong form of likeability or attractiveness. That’s the kind of charisma that Princess Diana had. Charismatic leaders, on the other hand, communicate a vision that’s very appealing and they energize others to pursue it with them. If you want to be a charismatic leader, (a) you have to have an ambitious vision for the group you’re leading, (b) you have to be excited about it, (c) you have to be confident in the group’s ability to achieve that vision, and (d) you have to be able to communicate your vision, excitement, and confidence. That’s the kind of charisma that Winston Churchill had. Persuasive ability, which is clearly associated with the ability to influence others, is another personal source of power. Intellectual problem solving abilities (e.g., rational problem solving ability, creative problem solving ability, inductive reasoning ability) help people influence others. So do interpersonal persuasion skills. On the list of influence tactics, â€Å"reason† is generally considered the best way to influence others. It’s ranked above â€Å"reciprocity,† which draws on reward power (e.g., a bonus in exchange for exceptional performance), and â€Å"retribution† which uses threats and intimidation. To the extent that reason is a great way to influence others, possessing the ability to reason with others is a great power base. Credibility is an important personal base of power. We are more likely to be persuaded by and follow someone with high credibility than we are someone with low or no credibility. Credibility comes from integrity, character, competence, and the ability to lead. Integrity means being open and sharing information that people need and have a right to know. Hidden agendas undermine integrity. So does the unwillingness to provide truthful, well-intentioned, constructive criticism. Honesty also has to be tempered with discretion. Managers need to show discretion and not say negative things about people as gossip or with the intent to hurt, even if those negative things are true. Remember the lesson from the movie, Jerry Maguire, â€Å"brutal truth† can be a bad thing. Character is the strength to do what needs to be done in difficult times. A basketball team has character if it tends to play well at the end of close games. A businessperson demonstrates character by acting in a moral and ethical way despite pressures or self-interests that push them to do otherwise. Competence is one’s knowledge and skills that pertain to a given situation. When someone tries to reason with you and gain your support for a certain course of action, their competence in that area affects their persuasiveness. If they don’t know what they’re talking about, you’re not going to be influenced. Competence contributes to credibility, and credibility allows one person to influence another. Finally, the ability to lead contributes to managers’ credibility. Would you enthusiastically follow a leader who is unable to inspire others, manage conflict, delegate tasks or coordinate activities? No matter how much you respect a leader for her task-related knowledge, integrity and character, you’ll have reservations about working hard for her if she doesn’t demonstrate the ability to lead. In Summary †¦ Managers must have power, and they would do well to develop more than just the ability to reward and punish others. Having resources and information that can be exchanged for cooperation is also helpful. Having personal qualities that inspire confidence and a willingness to follow might be even more useful. Nevertheless, all are sources of power. References: Victor, D. (n.d.). Leadership Styles and Bases of Power. Retrieved February 25,2013, from: http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Int-Loc/Leadership-Styles-and-Bases-of-Power.html#ixzz2Lt2Q7QbI Abudi, G. (2011). The 5 Types of Power in Leadership. Retrieved February,from: http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2011/08/26/the-5-types-of-power-in-leadership/ Wiliams, S. (2004). Building Your Power Bases. Retrieved February 25, 2013, from: http://www.wright.edu/~scott.williams/LeaderLetter/power.htm

Qualitative Data and Collection Methods

Here are the characteristics of a good qualitative data: 1) naturalistic (derived from actual participation or analysis of a subjective data, 2) â€Å"rich† and â€Å"deep† data (that is, specifics of dynamics of an event or context can be discerned or analyzed), 3) subjective (data should be perceptions of the people in the environment), 4) credible (that is, the data are derived from actual experiences of the people involved – the source of data), and 5) confirmable (that is, the data derived may be collaborated by other subjective sources).There is though an additional characteristic (but not required) of a good qualitative data. In some cases, social scientists attribute a good qualitative data based on its transformability into quantitative data (this is though not necessary). Types of Qualitative Data Collection (Qualitative Methods, 2006: URL cited) There are generally four qualitative data collection methods that are frequently used in the social sciences . Here are as follows: 1) participant observation, 2) direct observation, 3) unstructured interviewing, and 4) case studies.There are though variations in qualitative data collection methods. In anthropology, ethnography is used as the primary mode of qualitative data collection. In a sense, it is case study on a wide range (all aspects of a culture are examined and analyzed). In psychology, psychoanalysis methods of qualitative data collection are used to code and validate a person’s psychological standing or perhaps his/her state of mind. For simplicity’s sake, we shall not tackle on these methods. Participant Observation.This method requires that the researcher become a participant in an event or the place being observed. This approach allows the researcher to know the specifics as well as the intent of an activity or the people involved. Without bias or prejudgment, this method becomes more pronounced when the researcher is accepted as a natural part of the culture , assuming that the observations are natural phenomena. Here, the researcher collects first-hand qualitative data, and hence allows him/her to relate it simultaneously with the event or activity (or culture).Direct Observation. This is a different from the previous method in a number of ways. First, the researcher is not a participant in the context or event. The researcher in this case does not in any way mingle or influence the actions of the participants in a context or event. Doing so would undermine data authenticity as well as validation (see Hawthorne Effect). Second, direct observation is a detached perspective. Technologies replace actual participation as a measuring tool for validation and procurement of good qualitative data (as presented earlier).Third, the researcher is observing sampled situations or groups of people; in no way the researcher is immersed in the activity or event. Lastly, direct observations are usually shorter in scope than participant observation in t erms of data viability as well as practicality. Unstructured Interviewing or In-Depth Interviewing. Here the researcher and the respondent have direct interaction. The researcher usually uses a short guide to his interview questions (unstructured) or core concepts to ask about. The interviewer may ask additional or supporting questions that are relevant or connected to the main problem of the research.This allows the researcher flexibility in structuring his/her qualitative data as well as representative tools like bodily gestures and facial expressions. The protocol however in this type of method is that the interviewer respects the principle of confidentiality. Only information approved by the interviewee can be released to the public or to academic associations. Case Studies. This is the frequently used research method in the social sciences (especially in anthropology and sociology). This involves an intensive and extensive study of an individual on a specific milieu.In a sense, this is a combination of structured interview, participant observation, and direct observation. Using all the methods in one setting allows the researcher to get the whole picture of the problem. It also allows him/her to determine the variables or factors at play without undermining validity. Most of the time, if only one method is utilized, there is a tendency for variables to be neglected or misrepresented. There was a case when voting behavior was concluded to be attributed to the party affiliation of the group being studied (participant observation was the only method used) – note that only one variable was used.When the study was replicated using combinations of methods, party affiliation accounted only 19% of the relations (when the qualitative data was converted to quantitative data). Although this is not to say that a combination of data is more desirable or more academically reliable (this would depend on the context of the research problem), it is often noted that this type of method has all the requirements for procuring good qualitative data. Process for Analyzing Qualitative DataQualitative data analysis is composed of three general processes: 1) noticing things, 2) collecting things, and 3) thinking about things. These three general processes are connected are related with each other. We shall discuss each of the processes below. Noticing Things. This refers to the general observation of an event or context and the manner by which it is coded. It generally means â€Å"making observations, writing field notes, tape recording, interviews, gathering documents, etc. When you do this you are producing a record of the things hat you have noticed†(Seidel, 1998:3). Collecting Things. This process is similar to solving jigsaw puzzles (Seidel, 1998:5). The data coded are assembled or disassembled into groups. In this way, relations can easily be extracted. Thinking About Things. This is generally the theoretical part of the research process . Each part of the â€Å"puzzle† are examined and related to the main problem. After relationships between variables are stated, they are then referred to the main problem (as well as the specific propositions).

Seven Facts About the Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Seven Facts About the Lincoln-Douglas Debates The Lincoln-Douglas Debates,  a series of seven public confrontations between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, took place in the summer and fall of 1858. They became legendary, and the popular conception of what happened tends to veer toward the mythical. In the modern political commentary, pundits often express a wish that current candidates could do Lincoln-Douglas Debates. Those meetings between candidates 160 years ago somehow represent the pinnacle of civility and an elevated example of lofty political thought. The reality of the Lincoln-Douglas debates was different than what most people believe. And here are seven factual things you should know about them: 1. They Were Not Really Debates Its true that the Lincoln-Douglas Debates are always cited as classic examples of, well, debates. Yet they were not debates in the way we think of the political debate in modern times. In the format Stephen Douglas demanded, and Lincoln agreed to, one man would speak for an hour. Then the other would speak in rebuttal for an hour and a half, and then the first man would have a half-hour to respond to the rebuttal. In other words, the audience was treated to lengthy monologues, with the entire presentation stretching out to three hours. There was no moderator asking questions, and no give-and-take or fast reactions like weve come to expect in modern political debates. True, it wasnt gotcha politics, but it also wasnt something that would work in todays world. 2. They Got Crude, With Personal Insults and Racial Slurs Though the Lincoln-Douglas Debates are often cited as a high point of civility in politics, the actual content was often pretty rough. In part, this was because the debates were rooted in the frontier tradition of the stump speech. Candidates, sometimes literally standing on a stump, would engage in freewheeling and entertaining speeches that would often contain jokes and insults. Its worth noting that some of the content of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates would likely be considered too offensive for a network television audience today. Besides both men insulting each other and employing extreme sarcasm, Stephen Douglas often resorted to crude race-baiting. Douglas made a point of repeatedly calling Lincolns political party the black Republicans and was not above using crude racial slurs, including the n-word. Even Lincoln, albeit uncharacteristically, used the n-word twice in the first debate, according to a transcript published in 1994 by Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer. Some versions of the debate transcripts, created at the debates by stenographers hired by two Chicago newspapers, have been sanitized over the years. 3. The Two Men Were Not Running for President Because the debates between Lincoln and Douglas are so often mentioned, and because the men did oppose each other in the election of 1860, its often assumed the debates were part of a run for the White House. They were actually running for the U.S. Senate seat already held by Stephen Douglas. The debates, because they were reported nationwide (thanks to the aforementioned newspaper stenographers) did elevate Lincolns stature. Lincoln, however, probably did not think seriously about running for president until after his speech at Cooper Union in early 1860. 4. The Debates Were Not About Ending Slavery Most of the subject matter at the debates concerned slavery in America. But the talk was not about ending it, it was about whether to prevent slavery from spreading to new states and new territories. That alone was a very contentious issue. The feeling in the North, as well as in some of the South, was that slavery would die out in time. But it was assumed it wouldnt fade away anytime soon if it kept spreading into new parts of the country. Lincoln, since the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, had been speaking out against the spread of slavery. Douglas, in the debates, exaggerated Lincolns position and portrayed him as a radical abolitionist, which he was not. The abolitionists were considered to be at the very extreme of American politics, and Lincolns anti-slavery views were more moderate. 5. Lincoln Was the Upstart, Douglas the Political Powerhouse Lincoln, who had been offended by Douglass position on slavery and its spread into western territories, began dogging the powerful senator from Illinois in the mid-1850s. When Douglas would speak in public, Lincoln would often appear on the scene and offer a rebuttal speech. When Lincoln received the Republican nomination to run for the Illinois senate seat in the spring of 1858, he realized that showing up at Douglas speeches and challenging him would probably not work well as a political strategy. Lincoln challenged Douglas to the series of debates, and Douglas accepted the challenge. In return, Douglas dictated the format, and Lincoln agreed to it. Douglas, a political star, traveled the state of Illinois in grand style in a private railroad car. Lincolns travel arrangements were much more modest. He rode in passenger cars with other travelers. 6. Huge Crowds Viewed the Debates In the 19th century, political events often had a circus-like atmosphere and the Lincoln-Douglas debates certainly had a festival air about them. Huge crowds, up to 15,000 or more spectators, gathered for some of the debates. However, while the seven debates drew crowds, the two candidates also traveled the state of Illinois for months, giving speeches on courthouse steps, in parks, and in other public venues. So its likely that more voters saw Douglas and Lincoln at their separate speaking stops than would have seen them engaging in the famous debates. As the Lincoln-Douglas Debates received so much coverage in newspapers in major cities in the East, its possible the debates had the greatest influence on public opinion outside of Illinois. 7. Lincoln Lost Its often assumed that Lincoln became president after beating Douglas in their series of debates. But in the election depending on their series of debates, Lincoln lost. In a complicated twist, the large and attentive audiences watching the debates were not even voting on the candidates, at least not directly.   At that time, U.S. Senators were not chosen by direct election, but in elections held by state legislatures. This situation would not change until the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution in 1913. So the election in Illinois wasnt really for Lincoln or for Douglas. Voters were voting on candidates for the statehouse who, in turn, would then vote for the man who would represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate. The voters went to the polls in Illinois on November 2, 1858. When the votes were tallied, the news was bad for Lincoln. The new legislature would be controlled by the party of Douglas. The Democrats ended the day with 54 seats in the statehouse, the Republicans (Lincolns party), 46. Stephen Douglas was thus reelected to the Senate. But two years later, in the election of 1860, the two men would face each other again, along with two other candidates. And Lincoln, of course, would win the presidency. The two men appeared on the same stage again, at Lincolns first inauguration on March 4, 1861. As a prominent senator, Douglas was on the inaugural platform. When Lincoln rose to take the oath of office and deliver his inaugural address, he held his hat and awkwardly looked about for a place to put it. As a gentlemanly gesture, Stephen Douglas reached out and took Lincolns hat and held it during the speech. Three months later, Douglas, who had taken ill and may have suffered a stroke, died. While the career of Stephen Douglas overshadowed that of Lincoln during most of his lifetime, he is best remembered today for the seven debates against his perennial rival in the summer and fall of 1858. Source Holzer, Harold (Editor). The Lincoln-Douglas Debates: The First Complete, Unexpurgated Text. 1st Editon, Fordham University Press, March 23, 2004.

Definition and Examples of Narrators

Definition and Examples of Narrators A narrator is a person or character who tells a story, or a voice fashioned by an author to recount a narrative.   Professor Suzanne Keene points out that the  nonfiction narrator  is strongly identified with the author, whether a first-person self-narrator  in autobiography or a third-person historian or biographer (Narrative Form, 2015).An unreliable narrator (used far more often in fiction than in nonfiction) is a first-person narrator whose account of events cant be trusted by the reader. Examples and Observations The term narrator can be used in both a broad and a narrow sense. The broad sense is one who tells a story, whether that person is real or imagined; this is the sense given in most dictionary definitions. Literary scholars, however, by narrator often mean a purely imaginative person, a voice emerging from a text to tell a story. . . . Narrators of this kind include omniscient narrators, that is, narrators not only who are imaginary but who exceed normal human capabilities in their knowledge of events.(Elspeth Jajdelska, Silent Reading and the Birth of the Narrator. University of Toronto Press, 2007)Narrators in Creative Nonfiction- Nonfiction often achieves its momentum not just through narrativetelling the storybut also through the meditative intelligence behind the story, the author as narrator thinking through the implications of the story, sometimes overtly, sometimes more subtly.This thinking narrator who can infuse a story with shades of ideas is what I miss most in much nonfic tion that is otherwise quite compellingwe get only raw story and not the more essayistic, reflective narrator. . . . [I]n telling nonfiction stories we cant as writers know anybodys interior life but our own, so our interior lifeour thought process, the connections we make, the questions and doubts raised by the storymust carry the whole intellectual and philosophical burden of the piece.(Philip Gerard, Adventures in Celestial Navigation. In Fact: The Best of Creative Nonfiction, ed. by Lee Gutkind. W.W. Norton, 2005)- Readers of the nonfiction work expect to experience more directly the mind of the author, who will frame the meaning of things for herself and tell the readers. In fiction, the writer can become other people; in nonfiction, she becomes more of herself. In fiction, the reader must step into a believable fictional realm; in nonfiction, the writer speaks intimately, from the heart, directly addressing the readers sympathies. In fiction, the narrator is generally not the author; in nonfictionbarring special one-off personas as encountered in Jonathan Swifts A Modest Proposalthe writer and narrator are essentially the same. In fiction, the narrator can lie; the expectation in nonfiction is that the writer wont. Theres an assumption that the story is, to as great an extent as possible, true; that the tale and its narrator are reliable.(New York Writers Workshop, The Portable MFA in Creative Writing. Writers Digest Books, 2006) First Person and Third Person Narrators[S]imple, direct storytelling is so common and habitual that we do it without planning in advance. The narrator (or teller) of such a personal experience is the speaker, the one who was there. . . . The telling is usually subjective, with details and language chosen to express the writers feelings. . . .When a story isnt your own experience but a recital of someone elses, or of events that are public knowledge, then you proceed differently as narrator. Without expressing opinions, you step back and report, content to stay invisible. Instead of saying, I did this; I did that, you use the third person, he, she, it, or they. . . . Generally, a nonparticipant is objective in setting forth events, unbiased, as accurate and dispassionate as possible.(X.J. Kennedy et al., The Bedford Reader. St. Martins, 2000)- First-Person NarratorOnce there, beside the ocean,  I felt a little frightened. The others didnt know Id gone. I thought of the violence in t he world. People get kidnapped on the beach. A sneaker wave could take me out, and no one would ever know what had happened to me.(Jane Kirkpatrick, Homestead:  Modern Pioneers Pursuing the Edge of Possibility. WaterBrook Press, 2005)- Third-Person NarratorLucy felt a little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well. She looked back over her shoulder and there, between the dark tree-trunks, she could still see the open doorway of the wardrobe and even catch a glimpse of the empty room from which she had set out.(C.S. Lewis,  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 1950) Narrators and ReadersIt is well known that in linguistic communication I and you are absolutely presupposed one by the other; likewise, there can be no story without a narrator and without an audience (or reader).(Roland Barthes, An Introduction to the Structural Analysis of Narrative, 1966) Pronunciation: nah-RAY-ter

Implementation of Infrastructural design for information technology in Research Paper

Implementation of Infrastructural design for information technology in financial environment - Research Paper Example Keywords: servers, farm, co-location, co-lo, IT, information technology, location, maintenance, email, instant messaging, ticketing system Implementation of Infrastructural Design for IT in a Financial Environment I. INTRODUCTION i. Background of the problem The recent advancements in information and technology have resulted in widespread adoption of networked information systems thereby creating new threats to the integrity, and safety of the information infrastructure and transactions in a number of financial environments across the globe. Consequently many banks and other financial organizations are increasingly implementing secure infrastructural designs of information technology in their financial environments not only to secure their sensitive communications and transactions but also to improve the reliability and integrity of their systems. According to Harris (2001, p.39), an effective IT infrastructure design reduces the risks of potential financial losses due to network fau lts while at the same time reducing the expenses related to network management. A properly implemented infrastructural design for information technology in a financial environment often integrates a number of technological components to support business needs of the particular organization. IT infrastructure comprises a group of shared tangible IT resources that offer a foundation to enable present and potential business applications. These recourses include the operating systems, key data. Core data-processing applications network and telecommunication and shared its services. Information management is the heart component of government infrastructure; it is the intellectual capital of accountability governance. Best practices and standards leads in efficient, responsible and cost effective use of resources. IT comprises of a full spectrum of technology and services that back-up information management. Financial institutions are often demanding environments dealing with massive quan tities of sensitive information. In this regard, it is critically important to implement reliable and secure infrastructural designs for such environments to ensure their robust performance as well as provide secure access to information. This paper seeks to detail the specific server farm setup that will be utilized by the company, the design of the IT department, the type of software and hardware that would be best suited for the company, as well as the different possibilities for co-location sites that would be used for the servers themselves. ii. Researcher’s Work Setting and Role The researcher is a graduate student pursing masters of Science Degree in Management. As the lead researcher, my primary role will be to outline the specific research problem and work closely with the other members of the research team towards the achievement of the research goals. I will also be obligated to participate in the data collection processes as well as to provide a supervisory role t hroughout the research. iii. Statement of the problem For any information and communication system in any enterprise to run smoothly a

Sport Economic Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sport Economic Analysis Paper - Essay Example The Phoenix Suns is a team that has recently not been doing well. They have shown a turnaround this summer in the Summer League, but that is not a sure prediction of a turnaround during the regular season. With a new head coach and general manager both in their first year in those positions, the future of this year for the organization is predicted to be a team building year. The spending on salaries for team members is one of the ways in which a team can be predicted for success. The following analysis will look at the nature of team salaries and how they are predictive of success in relationship to the current position of the Phoenix Suns. Background: A New Head Coach and General Manager The Phoenix Suns have found a new coach in order to support their success, but they did not look too far from their own history. Jeff Hornacek was a second round draft pick for the Phoenix Suns in 1986, but now at the age of 50 has been hired as a first time head coach. The Suns are currently in tr ouble as they have not been showing much in the way of talent on the playing floor. The Suns have not been in this much trouble since well before most of the players were born, having really bad seasons in 1994 and even further back, making this during the time when Hornacek was playing. When Hornacek was in his third season as a combo guard, the team averaged about 36 wins in five seasons previous. However, Cotton Fitzsimmons, a veteran coach at the time, took over and flipped the franchise overnight so that he managed to gain 55 wins in his first season as coach. As a part of that history, Hornacek is one of the more popular players in the history of the organization. There is an expectation that Hornacek will pull a similar miracle to the one performed by Fitzsimmons in his freshman year as coach. Caplan (2013) writes that â€Å"The Suns haven't finished above .500 since 2010, when they went to the Western Conference finals. They bottomed out last season -- the first of the post -Steve Nash era -- at 25-57†. Ryan McDonough, age 33, is the first year general manager of the team. The team of Hornacek and McDonough form an unseasoned pair to lead the team towards better outcomes, but there have been some signs that there is already improvement. The Suns came close to winning the Summer League Championship. McDonough was instrumental in bringing in Eric Bledsoe and Carin Butler who both provide the potential for upping the quality of the play for the team. McDonough spoke out about how he views his position for this first year. He told Caplan (2013) that â€Å""The expectations are, for me, just to establish a culture of work, to get better every day†¦I'm not going to measure our success this year in terms of wins and losses, just in terms of: Are we making progress? Are the guys buying in? Are they playing hard and playing the right way? That's what I'm looking for." In rebuilding this team the idea is to be steady and strong, building what they ne ed and looking for the advantages and weaknesses so that they can work with them to build real teamwork. An example of an obstacle for Hornacek is Kendall Marshall who is described by Caplan (2013) as â€Å"the slow-footed point guard who was routinely outplayed in Vegas by the lanky and athletic Goodwin†. Wu (2013) writes that Marshall is consistently attached to any trades that the team considers as they want to move