Saturday, November 30, 2019

Measurement of Crime free essay sample

Measuring Crime Trends Felicia Moye Miller-Motte College Most measurement of crime in this country emanates from two major data sources. For almost seven decades, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) has collected information on crimes known to the police and arrests from local and state jurisdictions throughout the country. The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), a general population survey designed to discover the extent, nature, and consequences of criminal victimization, has been conducted annually since the early 1970s. Other national surveys that focus on specific problems, such as delinquency, violence against women, and child abuse, also provide important data on crime, victims, and offenders. Crimes are divided into twenty-nine types of offenses. Eight of which are major crimes. These crimes include homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson. These crimes are also known as index offenses. Information, or data collected on the index offenses, is more complete than the other twenty-one types of crimes. We will write a custom essay sample on Measurement of Crime or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They are generally less serious, and would never come to the attention of the police unless an arrest was made. Some important factors used when collecting data are age, race, sex, geographic locations, etc. The Uniform Crime Reports have both positive and negative aspects. The Uniformed Crime Reports are crucial to the determination of the amounts of crimes solved. This is important because it can help determine social tendencies pertaining to crime. These crime tendencies can lead to theories about crimes that are on the rise, or crimes that are declining. Figures used in this report were submitted voluntarily by law enforcement agencies throughout the country. Individuals using these tabulations are cautioned against drawing conclusions by making direct comparisons between cities. Comparisons lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction. It is important to remember that crime is a social problem and, therefore, a concern of the entire community. The efforts of law enforcement are limited to factors within its control. The data user is, therefore, cautioned against comparing statistical data of individual agencies. Further information on this topic can be obtained in the annual UCR report Figures used in this Report were submitted voluntarily by law enforcement agencies throughout the country. Individuals using these tabulations are cautioned against drawing conclusions by making direct comparisons between cities. The efforts of law enforcement are limited to factors within its control. The data user is, therefore, cautioned against comparing statistical data of individual agencies. Further information on this topic can be obtained in the annual UCR report Crime in the United States, 2010. References: Report issued by Robert S. Mueller III, Director, 2011 http://www. ojp. usdoj. gov/bjs/glance http://www. jblearning. com/criminalJustice/corrections http://www. fbi. gov/stats-services/crimestats

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

10 Writing Tips for a Winning Web Site

10 Writing Tips for a Winning Web Site 10 Writing Tips for a Winning Web Site 10 Writing Tips for a Winning Web Site By Mark Nichol Some time ago, I posted some general guidelines for writing for an online audience. Here are some specific time-tested tips for attracting and keeping site visitors with clean, clear writing: 1. Keyword Top Labels Use keywords for window titles and taglines, and keep them sharp and succinct. These labels are for helping Internet users get to your site because they typed them into a search engine and your site came up in the results, not for wowing visitors when they get there (assuming they get there, because you’re not using keywords to help searchers). 2. Keyword Display Copy Employ keywords, not clever words, to begin headings, headlines, and link names, and keep the display copy brief. Most Web site visitors scan just the first one or two words of display copy. In â€Å"Where to Go on Vacation This Summer,† the first keyword appears as the fifth word of seven. (Go isn’t a keyword, because you don’t yet know what kind of going is involved.) â€Å"Summer-Vacation Destinations,† by contrast, gives you three keywords out of three, with the two most important ones in first and second place. This approach is especially advantageous for a commerce site, but your personal blog shouldn’t be any different (assuming you want to attract new site visitors, not just impress current ones). 3. Avoid All Capital Letters Don’t use all capital letters, even in display copy. All-cap text is harder to scan and to read. Do, however, use initial caps for headings and headlines. 4. Avoid Exclamation Points Unless your site is all about bringing the funny or attempting to do so don’t use exclamation points. (Another exception: if all the i’s are dotted with circles or hearts.) 5. Omit Extraneous Spaces or Punctuation All-cap initials and acronyms, of course, but don’t separate letters with word spaces or with periods. Omit apostrophes when attaching a plural s to such abbreviations. 6. Avoid Superfluous Headings Eschew headings and headlines like â€Å"Features† and â€Å"Links† for self-evident sections. 7. Make Navigation and Display Easy on the Eyes Make it easy to find other pages and archived content, and avoid making the home page and other pages busy in general. 8. Keyword Navigation Never use â€Å"Click here† or â€Å"More† (by itself) or â€Å"Next page† for a link name. Use keywords: â€Å"Archive,† â€Å"More Top 10 Lists,† â€Å"Ski Trip, Day 2.† 9. Limit Font and Background Styles Avoid multiple fonts, font sizes, font colors, and background colors. Use one font for display copy and another for running text. Limit italics to emphasis of words and short phrases. Employ boldface generously in display copy but sparingly in running text. 10. Write for First-Time Visitors If you want to attract a general readership, write for a general readership. Don’t dumb down, but do explain obscure terminology and do spell acronyms out. (You could provide a glossary, but briefly explaining, or spelling out, an unfamiliar term needn’t be distracting to either lay readers or experts.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Passed vs Past7 Tips for Writing a Film ReviewHow Do You Fare?

Friday, November 22, 2019

Definition and Examples of Alliteration in English

Definition and Examples of Alliteration in English Alliteration (also known as head rhyme, initial rhyme, or front rhyme) is a device in written and spoken languages in which a string of words and phrases repeats the same letter or letter combinations. Much of childrens poetry uses alliteration: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers is a memorable tongue-twister taught to English-speaking children. It is initially alliterative on the letter p- and internally repetitive on the letters p and ck. But it isnt the specific letter that makes a phrase alliterative, it is the sound: so you could say that the alliterative function of Peter and his peppers includes the p_k and p_p sounds. Meaning in Poetry Alliteration is probably most often used for humorous reasons, to elicit a giggle in children, but in skilled hands, it can mean quite a bit more. In The Bells American poet Edgar Allan Poe memorably used it to illustrate the emotional power of different types of bells: Hear the sledges with their bells- Silver bells!What a world of merriment their melody foretells!Hear the loud alarum bells- Brazen bells!What tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells! Songwriter Stephen Stills used a combination of hard and soft  c sounds and l sounds to illustrate the emotional disarray of a pair of lovers ending their relationship in Heartlessly Hoping. Notice that the c sounds are the conflicted narrator, and the l sound is that of his lady. Stand by the stairway youll see something certain to tell youConfusion has its costLove isnt lying its loose in a lady who lingersSaying she is lostAnd choking on hello In Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Mirandas tour-de-force Broadway musical, Aaron Burr sings: Constantly confusing, confounding the British henchmen  Ã‚  Everyone give it up for America’s favorite fighting Frenchman! But it can be quite a subtle tool as well. In the example below, poet Robert Frost uses w as a soft recollection of quiet winter days in Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening: He will not see me stopping hereto watch his woods fill up with snow The Science of Alliteration The repeating patterns of sound including alliteration have been tied to the retention of information, as a mnemonic device that helps people recall a phrase and its meaning. In a study conducted by linguists Frank Boers and Seth Lindstromberg, people who were learning English as a second language found it easier to retain the meaning of idiomatic phrases that included alliteration, such as from pillar to post and carbon copies and spic and span. Psycholinguistics studies such as that by P.E. Bryant and colleagues suggests that children with a sensitivity to rhyme and alliteration learn to read sooner and more rapidly than those who dont, even more than those measured against IQ or educational background. Latin and Other Languages Alliteration is used by writers of most Indo-European languages, including English, Old English, Anglo-Saxon, Irish, Sanskrit, and Icelandic. Alliteration was used by classical Roman prose writers, and occasionally in poetry. Most writing about the subject by the Roman themselves describes the use of alliteration in prose texts, especially in religious and legal formulas. There are some exceptions, such as the Roman poet Gnaeus Naevius:   libera lingua loquemur ludis LiberalibusWe shall speak with a free tongue at the festival of Liber. And Lucretius in De Rerum Natura uses it to full effect, with a repeated p sound that mimics the sound of mighty  ker-plunking splashes made by giants crossing vast oceans: Denique cur homines tantos natura pararenon potuit, pedibus qui pontum per vada possenteAnd why can’t nature make men so largethat they cross the depths of the sea with their feet Sources Blake, N.F. Rhythmical Alliteration. Modern Philology 67.2 (1969): 118-24. Print.Boers, Frank, and Seth Lindstromberg. Finding Ways to Make Phrase-Learning Feasible: The Mnemonic Effect of Alliteration. System 33.2 (2005): 225-38. Print.Bryant, P.E., et al. Rhyme and Alliteration, Phoneme Detection, and Learning to Read Developmental Psychology 26.3 (1990): 429-38. Print.Clarke, W. M. Intentional Alliteration in Vergil and Ovid.  Latomus  35.2 (1976): 276-300. Print.Duncan, Edwin. Metrical and Alliterative Relationships in Old English and Old Saxon Verse. Studies in Philology 91.1 (1994): 1-12. PrintLanger, Kenneth. Some Suggestive Uses of Alliteration in Sanskrit Court Poetry. Journal of the American Oriental Society 98.4 (1978): 438-45. Print.Lea, R. Brooke, et al. Sweet Silent Thought: Alliteration and Resonance in Poetry Comprehension. Psychological Science 19.7 (2008): 709-16. Print.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Ethnography Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Ethnography - Research Paper Example At a personal level I needed the help of trusted informants who were knowledgeable or well located to earnest information. This was of course not going to be achieved easily but over a certain period of time. It’s hard to give a specific time frame within which the whole work is to be done but depended on how fast one can grasp such information. On a normal scale, a year or two would be good. It’s also depends on how complex some societies are owing to cultural influence from the natives under study. While carrying out a fieldwork activity it’s important to document one experience at the end of the study. This is because one is likely to experience cultural shock; it has the ability to enhance ones understanding though. Strange cultural practices such as eating habits, trends and other behavioral patterns witnessed is no longer perceived the same way. My experience has helped me to quickly identify such occurrences thus making precise judgment. In order to achiev e it it requires keen observation as well as the ability to conjure up accurate statistics within the shortest time possible. This has served as an added advantage to me basically because it has encouraged me to learn native cultures as well as language in the shortest time possible. At present ethnographic assembling and research approaches have gone beyond cultural anthropology. They now include studies on composition where students can be asked to conduct short-term observations on groups and write an ethnography using their observations. Students are thus expected to participate, analyze, observe, reflect, rethink, write and describe cultures, their members, and several other own involvements with them. Doing ethnographic data collection involves primary research that includes long-term study of the observed culture as well as immersion. Among the most basic methods of those sort of research include:- †¢ Secondary Data Analysis †¢ Fieldwork with Observation/Participant Observation †¢ Informal and Semi-Structured Interviews’ Secondary data analysis include Secondary sources, or existing data about a culture already analyzed by a researcher, it’s important for generating ideas and questions to explore further in your research. These can include scholarly publications, statistical data, records, etc. Fieldwork is the essential portion of ethnography that comprises primary research. The ethnographer spends an extended period in and among the observed group, learning their routines and customs. Ideally, the role of the researcher is that of both an observer and a participant/observer (McGraw). While in my field I usually listen and watch how members among different cultures interact. This alone can’t however guarantee much; in order to realize the expectation participation is of the essence and could as well help in facilitating cultural exchange among different societies. Experience thus serves as the best teacher in this re gard and can only be earned over time through close interaction. It has in my own opinion helped me in identifying critical aspects on cultural issue while trying to identify why and how they came into being. While trying to put this into account one has to select an area of scope to carry out his study. The starting ought to be clearly introduce the general

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Bride kidnapping and wedding in Kyrgyzstan Essay - 1

Bride kidnapping and wedding in Kyrgyzstan - Essay Example However, in some of the communities and societies across the globe, traditions remain traditions and as such, continue to define the social engagements among the people. A common and widespread practice entailed in the society that continues to hold a deeply rooted objection to modern view and practices is the entity of marriage. Marriage in the modern customization is a mutual agreement among the partners and is highly reliant on the consent of the participants (Werner 316). However, in other communities, marriage remains a form of social interaction in which relates to â€Å"slavery† depiction of this institutional formulation, which ensures the continual of the community. The practice is bride kidnapping, in which the women entailed face remarkable challenges, with a minority of the cases represented expressing the exception that they do become happy in the marriages that result through bride kidnapping (Werner 318). A particular case in which bride kidnapping remains highl y practiced is Kyrgyzstan. The practice of bride kidnapping is highly evident, despite the establishment that the law in the country does forbid the activities entailed in bride kidnapping. Alakachuu, as the approach of finding and establishing marriage spouses is called in Kyrgyzstan entails a grab and run technique, which is highly similar to the criminal kidnapping practices that criminals practice (Smith 1). However, in this case of this ancient practice, the case is socially acceptable and remains an ancient cultural practice in which the victims and the family thereof have no objection towards its practice. The practice of marriage in ancient Kyrgyzstan entailed the parents establishing spouses for their children and planning the entire course leading to eventual â€Å"planned marriages† (Toursunof, and Aigul 1). However, as the society evolved

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Competencies Between BSN and ADN Nurses Essay Example for Free

The Competencies Between BSN and ADN Nurses Essay What is the difference between associate and baccalaureate degree nursing? The associate degree is a two to three year entry level tertiary education nursing degree. The associate degree like the baccalaureate degree can sit for NCLEX-RN and be licensed as a registered nurse. The bachelor degree is a four year academic degree in the science and principles of nursing (Wikipedia). The baccalaureate degree prepares professional nurses for a role away from the bedside and opens up new opportunities for career advancement and higher salary, such as administration, research, consulting, and teaching. These positions not available to the associate degree nurses. The baccalaureate degree goes beyond the associate degree by a more in-depth scholastic requirement of physical and social sciences, nursing research, public and community health, nurse management and the humanities with a better understanding of issues that affect and influence health care today such as cultural, political, social and economic factors. Health care is rapidly evolving and so the role of the professional nurse must change accordingly. Nurses today are a large part of the interdisciplinary team, and as the primary providers responsible for direct patient care and education, the better educated the nurses caring for the patient, the safer the delivery of care will be given. A strong education will have an impact on a nurse’s ability to practice and all patients deserve the best educated nurse’s available. Education is the key to the registered nurses career advancements. Nurses with a bachelors degree are better prepared for the demands of nursing today in roles of leadership, case management and health promotion, and the ability to practice in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. A growing body of research reinforces the belief that shows a connection between baccalaureate education and lower patient mortality rates. (American Association of Collages of Nursing). Multiple nursing councils have issued a statement asking all registers nurse’s to advance their education in the interest of quality and safety across healthcare settings to meet the nations needs to deliver safe, effective patient care (Education Advancement of Registered Nurses. ) As the needs of the public grow, the expectations of quality educated nurses grow and become more complex. Evidence based research supports the theory that nurses prepared in a bachelor degree program are more likely to complete the graduate level of education. Job growth, is expected to be the greatest in higher education positions. Nurses with a baccalaureate degree or higher are more marketable than the associate degree nurse, as shown by the fact that BSN nurses have stronger communication and problem solving skills and are more proficient in the ability to make nursing diagnoses and evaluate nursing interventions (Giger and Davidhizar, 1990 fact sheet ). The baccalaureate nurse’s demonstrate higher competency in communication, leadership, professional integration, and research evaluation. (Phillips et al. , 2002 fact sheet ). Differentiated Nursing Practice is the new model of care†(fact sheet), it is defined by level of education, clinical skills, job descriptions, pay scale, and decision making participation. These models of care can be the stepping stone to advancement within the organization with the foundation being experience, education, certifications or other indicators of professional excellence. Evidence of a differentiated practice can foster positive outcomes in ways of job satisfaction, staffing costs, turnover rates, and lower adverse outcomes such as medication errors, patient falls and injuries to staff and patients. fact sheet). As a patient is admitted to the hospital either through the emergency department, operating room or the clinics, case management is involved at the moment of admission, the case manager must have an educational background to support the needs of the patients future past the hospital admission. Is the patient going to be able to care for themselves at home with or without a caregiver? Will they need a long term care facility, will they need just a few weeks in a rehabilitation center before going home? Could they benefit from an advanced care hospital before a rehab or extended care facility? These are the questions that a case manager must answer as part of the multi interdisciplinary team. Without a higher level of education the case manager would not be able to take in all the issues from injury and/or illness to culture and environment to make an educated nursing diagnosis and facilitate the needs of the patient. As the diagnoses become more of a multi systems dysfunction, the bigger the challenge for the entire medical staff, to coordinate total care for the patients. As a graduate from a BSN nursing program the case manager has the education to address all the issues.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Understanding Themewriting and Someones Pain :: Communication Language Essays

Understanding Themewriting and Someone's Pain Trying to break free from the hold that themewriting has on me is getting to be hard. I never knew that it had such a grip. What is especially difficult is that I need to break free from its grip for this class but yet it is pretty much demanded for the psychology research articles that I am writing. I find that it's difficult to juggle both trying to break free and trying to hold on because of another class. Where does a person incorporate both themewriting and non-themewriting or can a person even think of such a thing? But then to say that I cannot, or possibly have to, incorporate both gives me a rule that I have to follow and wouldn't that constitute themewriting once again? And aren't we supposed to be breaking free of the rules that we have to follow for writing? Themewriting has become so complex to me that I have yet to come up with a definition of what themewriting is. It seems to me that for a person to say "we need to break free of themewriting" or "we need to learn to not write like that" would give me rules to follow in my writing which would constitute themewriting. It's almost like the professor who, on the first day of class, wrote "the is no absolute truth" on the blackboard. The statement itself becomes an absolute truth. I understand how it feels to not be able to write down the feelings that I have. To not be able to express the feeling that I have in words. That may be a result of themewriting, I don't know. When I was in high school I used to write poems, not very good ones I must admit, but none the less, I was able to put my feelings down on paper. But after high school, I lost it or it got replaced by what has come to be called themewriting. All I know is that writing the poems that I once did is difficult to do and I seldom do it. Can I blame that on my high school teachers? When they told me how to write and what to write? Or must the blame fall on me? Or is there no one to blame? I've been reading much about voice. I've read that we shouldn't stereotype, or look for the gender of, the author. Understanding Themewriting and Someone's Pain :: Communication Language Essays Understanding Themewriting and Someone's Pain Trying to break free from the hold that themewriting has on me is getting to be hard. I never knew that it had such a grip. What is especially difficult is that I need to break free from its grip for this class but yet it is pretty much demanded for the psychology research articles that I am writing. I find that it's difficult to juggle both trying to break free and trying to hold on because of another class. Where does a person incorporate both themewriting and non-themewriting or can a person even think of such a thing? But then to say that I cannot, or possibly have to, incorporate both gives me a rule that I have to follow and wouldn't that constitute themewriting once again? And aren't we supposed to be breaking free of the rules that we have to follow for writing? Themewriting has become so complex to me that I have yet to come up with a definition of what themewriting is. It seems to me that for a person to say "we need to break free of themewriting" or "we need to learn to not write like that" would give me rules to follow in my writing which would constitute themewriting. It's almost like the professor who, on the first day of class, wrote "the is no absolute truth" on the blackboard. The statement itself becomes an absolute truth. I understand how it feels to not be able to write down the feelings that I have. To not be able to express the feeling that I have in words. That may be a result of themewriting, I don't know. When I was in high school I used to write poems, not very good ones I must admit, but none the less, I was able to put my feelings down on paper. But after high school, I lost it or it got replaced by what has come to be called themewriting. All I know is that writing the poems that I once did is difficult to do and I seldom do it. Can I blame that on my high school teachers? When they told me how to write and what to write? Or must the blame fall on me? Or is there no one to blame? I've been reading much about voice. I've read that we shouldn't stereotype, or look for the gender of, the author.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Psychology and Stress Essay

In our world today there are factors that make our life a little more difficult. We all go through these frustrations every day and some more than other are affected by them. These factors come in many different forms, yet they all lay under one category, it is called stress. Stress can impact a person physically, emotionally and, may be reasonable for people’s actions out of the norm. Setting up a stress management plan is a good way to find out how to overcome this problem in our everyday lives. Stress can be addressed through finding out what type of stress it is, how it impacts our bodies, and how to deal with stress. First of all stress can be managed just by finding out what type of stress is the cause. Stress causes our bodies to react to event that can be good or bad. According to Melinda Smith, M.A., Robert Segal, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. authors of the article on Understanding Stress, explains the course our bodies take during stress. Our bodies can kick into super hero mode and take us out of danger this is called â€Å"fight or flight†. Our bodies own defenses want to save our lives by confronting the problem or getting away. This can further lead on to cause conflict in our lives. One type of stress that causes this is Acute Stress. This type of stress is cause by a full force event. This can lead to after-effects reoccurring for one month. A study was conducted by the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of China, with this study consisted of analyzing acute stress. The researchers took people with acute stress and tested patients on different levels of symptoms. The study came up with a scale; six dimensions and symptoms a person my experience. The results were helpful to better assist the degree of stress a person has. Also they connected how acute stress could lead to Post Traumatic Syndrome. It’s very important to find good consisting research to be able to find the proper treatment for each person. The next step to manage stress is the impact it has on a person. How could this affect a person’s health in a positive or a negative way. An example of acute stress is a person who has experienced an earthquake afterwards has nightmares of being in the situation again. Their body is responding to emotional impact this event had on them. If we were to go back into the moment the event happened, we would be able to see how stress got this person to react and out of the situation to save their life. People go through a moments of being unstoppable like the hulk. The body gives a person strength and increase other senses to escape. That’s a good way our body response in a time of need. After the fact is when problems start, that can change a person’s life. If this problem is not addressed lead to psychological and mental issues. Stress can start with symptoms of cognitive, emotional, physical, and behavioral (Smith, Segal, Segal). This is why people have different be haviors out of the ordinary. Also how important it is to know how much is too much stress (Smith, Segal, Segal). Letting a person get this far can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, depression and many other issues. Lastly finding steps to manage stress is the key. Finding a good plan that works for each person is a must. For example if a person gets stuck at the end of the line at the store and is late for work can be frustrating. People have to learn see the stressors and talk their way out of it. Tell them self’s its ok, review the situation and come to decision. At the end you’re the one who gets mad and then have to get happy again. So if a person starts from the beginning there’s so much that could be avoided. Another example is the people that were in 911 that had acute stress. This event was affecting many in different forms. Seeking treatment with a psychologist would help with the ordeal. Discussing the feelings behind the event helped many overcome their acute stress. In addition a good way to overcome stress comes from the article of Stress Management Health Center. The article notes how relax a person mind by writing, show a person’s emotions, and getting busy by destructions. This type of mental health treatment focuses on reliving the tension one carries. Taking walks, keeping an exercise plan to help focus the energy in another direction, these goals are good to maintain health balanced. A person may also due mediation to easy be the body and relax the mind. They can slowly start to change their outlook on life in more positive way. This can help with so much stress one deal with on a daily bases. In conclusion stress can be managed by taking control over lives by finding out what type of stress a person has, how it affects a person, and by learning to deal with it. Learning what stress is and its affects a person’s life is very important to improving oneself. It’s also a way to target the factors that are negative and replaces them with positive ones. Working one’s health one step at a time can avoid stress that affects people every day. Also learning to relax and taking the time for one self, makes life easier on the soul. If we let stress take ownership we will never overcome it. References YEBING, Y., JINGJING, T., YUAN, J., XUFENG, L., YUNFENG, S., XIA, Z., & DANMIN, M. (2011). DEVELOPMENT OF THE ACUTE STRESS RESPONSE SCALE. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 39(5), 713-720. doi:10.2224/sbp.2011.39.5.713 Smith, Melinda, Robert Segal, and Jeanne Segal. â€Å"Understanding Stress: Symptoms, Signs, Causes, and Effects.† Helpguide.org: Expert, Ad-free Articles Help Empower You with Knowledge, Support & Hope. Web. 07 Oct. 2011. . Stuff. â€Å"Techniques, Exercises and Therapies for Relieving Stress.† WebMD – Better Information. Better Health. Healthwise, 14 Oct. 2009. Web. 07 Oct. 2011. .

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Overview of Qualitative Research Essay

What have sampling and data collection got to do with good qualitative research? My current research project is a mixed phenomenological and meta-analysis of declining membership and participation in the church. Operating on the presumption that sampling and data collection are critical to a study (Gibbs, 2007). Like Gibbs (2007) I want to be guided by the research goal developing theoretical outcomes Gibbs (2007), covering intrinsic participant cognitions, and clearly explaining any limitations (Gibbs et al, 2007). I have decided to reduce the scope of my study to the a case study approach with a Pastor and five Associate Ministers within a single church to which I happen to belong, in the Midwest. I believe these five observers are in the best â€Å"position† to observe this phenomenon and its effects. The information obtained in this first week has led me to the following conclusions concerning sampling and data collection. According to the work of Gibbs, Kealy, Willis, Green, Welch, & Daly (2007), sampling and data collection are intrinsically germane to generalizability (Gibbs et al, 2007). These authors, in agreement with other exceptional researchers, use designs like those of Daly, Willis, Small, Green, et al (2007) who also note that generalizable studies provide a comprehensive analysis of experience (Daly, et al, 2007). There is an imperative for the allowance of immersion to investigate context and population, along with practical constraints operating against sampling and data collection (Gibbs et al, 2007). Qualitative research begins with justification of the research problem with reference to the literature (Gibbs et al, 2007). Qualitative research then according to Willis, Daly, Kealy, Small et al (2007) provides theoretical framework to identify the theoretical conc epts relevant to and employed in the study Willis, et al, 2007). Data is then collected according to a sampling plan, as suggested by Green, Willis, Hughes, and Small, et al, (2007), thus the most acceptable evidence possible, through data analysis  (Green, et al, 2007). The hierarchy of evidence model proposed by Gibbs, et al (2007), offers studies that differing evidences such as the single case study, the descriptive study, the conceptual study, the generalizable study and the interview study (Gibbs et al, 2007). Accordingly transcribed data from verbatim recordings is the most common method of data collection (Gibbs et al, 2007). In these instances individual case studies, are limited by small samples but, capable of provide more information on setting (Gibbs et al, 2007); and Descriptive studies, describe experiences or activities but do not describe their differences (Gibbs et al, 2007). Case and descriptive studies provide good information as long as their limitations are clearly acknowledged (Gibbs et al, 2007). According to Suri (2011), informed decisions concerning sampling are necessary to improving the quality of research (Suri, 2011). Suri additionally points out that data may be retrieved through group discussion, personal journals, follow-up in-depth interviews and researcher field notes (Tuckett and Stewart 2004a, 2004b; Suri, 2011). According to Tuckett, et al 2011 and in agreement with Rubinstein (1994), no rules governing the numbers in sampling apply; however, experiential methods have been used for choosing samples from 1 to 100, with clustering. Some have suggested as few as 12-20 data sources, for the best variation, because no definite rules apply (Baum 2002). Suri notes that according to Patton (1990), some research relies on small samples aiming to study provide depth and thoroughness (Miles and Huberman 1994, Patton 1990). Purposeful sampling is seen as a means for developing rich data, derived non -randomly (Ezzy 2002, Mays and Pope 1995, Reed et al, 1996), Also, accordin g to Lincoln and Cuba (1985) and Higginbotham et al (2001), the desired sample size may unfold, depending on previous studies, allowing the support of emerging theory (Baum 2002, Kuzel 1992, Miles and Huberman1994, Reed et al, 1996). Another issue in data analysis is presented by Sandelowski (2011), when he suggests alternative interpretations of data do not conform to the parameters between methods (Sandelowski, 2011). Sandelowski suggests that taking a view of inquiry as dynamic and flexible rather than static and unchangeable might prevent researchers from succumbing to that follow (Sandelowski, 2011). Sandoelowski also notes that Alvesson and Skoldberg (2009) coined extreme terms such as grounded theory ‘‘dataism’’ (p. 283), the hermeneutic ‘‘narcissism’’, and  critical theory â€Å"reductionism’’ (p. 269). Sandelowski further suggests that data analysis and presentation do not have to be considered as discrete independent operations (Sandelowski, 2011). Recognizing Spalding and Phillips (2007, p. 961), Sandelowski proposed that the use of vignettes will reveal the often concealed author’s vision which Phillips expects will produce do ubt’ (p. 961), inevitably serving to enhance the validity of interpretations (Phillips, 2007, p. 961; (Sandelowski, 2011). Sandelowski finally concludes that recognizing the need to account for problems associated with cognitive flexibility validating qualitative or quantitative inquiry Sandelowski, 2011). In addressing the issue of â€Å"presentation†, I found an article by Simundic (2012), concerning some â€Å"Practical recommendations for statistical analysis and data presentation†. The table below gives a suggestion for what should be included in any presentation of data. In working on the definition of â€Å"saturation† I was able to find the differentiation between the various qualitative methods. The following table is a representation of my findings based on the article by Walker (2012). I was impressed with the definitions provided by this author as he explained the different methods of determining saturation. I found the definitions of to be succinct and to the point, and very helpful in making a decision about which methods to use and when.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

31 Fun Pipe Cleaner Crafts for Kids

31 Fun Pipe Cleaner Crafts for Kids SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Pipe cleaner crafts are one of the easiest and most fun types of crafts to do with children. In this guide, we’ve compiled 31 of the best pipe cleaner crafts for kids. They range from crafts that take only a few minutes and can be done by very young children, to crafts that are a little more involved but will produce toys that’ll last for many hours of play. For each of these easy pipe cleaner crafts, we include a description of the craft, a link to more detailed instructions, the difficulty level (easy, medium, or hard), and the materials needed. (Note that crafts labelled as â€Å"hard† are still absolutely doable; they will just likely require more adult help to complete.)These pipe cleaner crafts range from animals to jewelry to science experiments, and they can be done by children of a variety of ages. One tip before you get started: many of these crafts suggest you use white craft glue to get the pipe cleaners to stick to each other or other craft supplies like paper, plastic, etc. Craft glue usually isn’t strong enough for this, and the crafts often fall apart after a few hours. When gluing something to pipe cleaners or gluing pipe cleaners to another object, we recommend using a hot glue gun instead. Feature image source: Flickr/Nicole #1: Chameleon Difficulty Level: Medium These cute pipe cleaner chameleons are made by wrapping green pipe cleaners around a marker to make basic body and head shapes, then legs and eyes are added. The eyes can either be made by creating two small circles with pieces of orange pipe cleaner or (more simply) gluing on googly eyes. Materials Needed: PIpe cleaners (green, orange, and red suggested) Marker Felt Scissors Hot glue gun Googly eyes (optional) #2: Seashore Crabs Difficulty Level: Medium This crab pipe cleaner craft is a great way to use some seashells you picked up from the beach. You’ll paint a shell that’ll be used as the body, then bend and attach pipe cleaners to act as the legs and claws. Add two googly eyes and your crab is set. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (red or blue suggested) Small seashells Craft paint Googly eyes Hot glue gun #3: Finger Puppets Difficulty Level: Easy An easy pipe cleaner craft for younger kids, pipe cleaner finger puppets can be made in less than 10 minutes. Just take a pipe cleaner, wrap it tightly around your child’s finger or your pinky finger to make the body, adding loops for ears or arms if you like. Then, pull the pipe cleaner off your finger, glue the pom pom to where you want the head to be, and add some eyes. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (any color) Googly eyes Hot glue gun Pom poms #4: Crocodile Difficulty Level: Medium For these pipe cleaner crocodiles, you’ll wrap pipe cleaners around craft sticks to create the animal’s body. The craft stick makes these crocs sturdier than many other pipe cleaner crafts, so they’re easier to play with without damaging them. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (green color suggested) Popsicle/craft sticks, colored green Small googly eyes Black markers Hot glue gun Zig zag scissors White paper #5: Spring Flowers Difficulty Level: Medium Pipe cleaner flowers are a great craft if you’re looking for something less messy than planting regular flowers. The link includes instructions on how to make tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. These flowers can also be â€Å"potted† in little flower pots as a cute way to display them. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (variety of colors, including green) Pencil Scissors Ruler Hot glue gun Small flower pots (optional) Floral foam (optional) #6: Bracelets Difficulty Level: Easy Pipe cleaner bracelets are super easy to make, and if you have lots of colors of pipe cleaners, you can make yourself a whole collection of rainbow-colored jewelry. To make the bracelets, just twist two colors of pipe cleaners together, or you can braid several colors together. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (any color) Scissors #7: Coffee Filter Butterflies Difficulty Level: Easy If you’re looking for a craft that includes both painting and pipe cleaners, check out these coffee filter butterflies. The wings are made out of painted coffee filters, while the body and antennae are made from pipe cleaners. This is a great craft for younger kids to get creative painting their butterfly’s wings. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (any color) Coffee filters Watercolor paints and brush Hot glue gun Scissors #8: Plastic Egg Bugs Difficulty Level: Easy These plastic egg bugs are a cute pipe cleaner craft to do around Easter or anytime you have some plastic eggs around. The plastic egg (decorated with permanent marker if you wish) will be the body, and pipe cleaners will be the bug’s legs and antennae. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (any color) Plastic eggs Googly eyes Hot glue gun Permanent marker Scissors #9: Bead People Difficulty Level: Hard For this bead people pipe cleaner craft, you’ll create the â€Å"skeleton† of the body with pipe cleaners, then string beads along them. It can be a bit tricky to figure out the best way to get the beads on at first, but after a little practice you’ll have a bendable bead person to play with. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (any color) Wooden or plastic beads Scissors #10: Christmas Trees Difficulty Level: Easy Pipe cleaner Christmas trees are one of the quickest pipe cleaner Christmas crafts. Just zigzag a pipe cleaner to form the shape of a tree, add a gold star on top, and you have a pipe cleaner Christmas tree that can be glued to a card or displayed on its own. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (green color suggested) Cardstock or paper Gold star stickers Glue Glitter (optional) #: Bendable Monkey Difficulty Level: Medium These bendable monkeysare really fun for kids to play with and can be hung off the backs of chairs or on a finger. The body of the monkey is made out of paper, while pipe cleaners make the bendable arms and legs. Kids can draw the monkey’s face on with crayons or markers. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (brown or black colors suggested) Two shades of brown paper Hot glue gun Markers Scissors #12: Rainbow Difficulty Level: Easy This rainbow pipe cleaner craft is an easy way to teach kids about the different colors of the rainbow and have them create one of their own. Just grab one pipe cleaner for each color that you need, bend them in a bow shape, add some fluffy cotton ball clouds, and either leave it as is or attach it to thick paper or floral foam. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple colors) Cotton balls Glue Floral foam (optional) #13: Jellyfish Difficulty Level: Medium Kids will love the long, wiggly tentacles of pipe cleaner jellyfish. Use half a painted foam ball to form the body of the jellyfish, then wrap several pipe cleaners around pencils or another object with a long, thin stick shape. Pull the pipe cleaners off, stretch them out a bit, attach them to the flat side of the foam ball hemisphere, and decorate your jellyfish. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (any color) 2  ½ inch styrofoam balls Knife for cutting styrofoam balls Paint Ruler Hot glue gun String Googly eyes Toothpick #14: Bookmarks Difficulty Level: Easy These fun pipe cleaner bookmarks are an easy way to get kids more excited about reading. Have the kids wrap, bend, and twirl the pipe cleaners to any shape they want, add googly eyes, and glue their creation onto a paper clip to create an easy and creative bookmark. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (any color) Colorful paper clips Googly eyes Hot glue gun Scissors Thin stick to wrap pipe cleaners around #15: Egg Carton Spy Glasses Difficulty Level: Medium With just some egg cups cut from an egg carton, pipe cleaners, and your choice of decorations, you can help your child create a pair of their very own secret â€Å"spy glasses.† The egg cups form the lens, and the pipe cleaners are the arms that go around your ears. Paint and beads make this a creative craft project. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (any color) Cardboard egg carton Plastic beads Craft paint Scissors Hot glue gun Toothpick #16: Ninjas Difficulty Level: Hard If your kids love ninjas or any other action figures, they’ll love pipe cleaner ninjas. The â€Å"skeleton† of the ninja is made out of pipe cleaners, which you’ll then put pieces of plastic straws over to create a body. A wooden bead will be the head, and you can add additional decorations to create fully bendable ninjas. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (any color) Colored drinking straws Scissors Wooden beads for the heads Plastic beads How glue gun Permanent marker #17: Snakes Difficulty Level: Easy By twisting two colors of pipe cleaners together, adding eyes and a tiny red tongue, you can quickly make a pipe cleaner snake. You can even turn this into a biology lesson and have kids look at pictures of different snakes and choose pipe cleaner colors to match a specific snake species. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (at least 2 colors) Small googly eyes Hot glue gun Red felt Scissors #18: Fall Fairies Difficulty Level: Hard These pipe cleaner fairies are a great craft to do during the fall, when you can use colorful leaves that have fallen to make fairy wings. Pipe cleaners and beads make the fairy’s body, yarn is used for the hair, and leaves (either real or fake) are stacked to create a colorful skirt. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (any color) Yarn Marker Scissors Leaves (fake or real) Wooden bead for head Plastic beads Hot glue gun #19: Christmas Wreath Difficulty Level: Easy These Christmas wreaths are another example of easy pipe cleaner Christmas crafts. You can also bows and small beads to the wreaths for additional decorations, and if you can find pipe cleaners with sparkles that will make them even more festive. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (red, white, and green suggested) Pencil to wrap pipe cleaner around. Small beads (optional) #20: Spider Difficulty Level: Medium Spiders are a classic pipe cleaner craft, and kids will love making the eight legs for their pipe cleaner spider. Although you can make the spiders with just pipe cleaners, you can also add pom poms, eyes, and beads for additional decoration (or paint if you want to make it clearly a garden spider or camel spider!). You can also make the pipe cleaner spider as an easy and slightly spooky Halloween decoration. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (black or brown suggested) Scissors Googly eyes (optional) Plastic beads (optional) Pom poms (optional) #21: Clothespin Dragonflies Difficulty Level: Easy When you make these cute dragonflies, you’ll use a clothespin for the body, then form the wings with four pipe cleaners to form the wings. Kids can get creative by painting the clothespin to make a colorful dragonfly and adding some googly eyes. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (any color) Clothespins Googly eyes Hot glue gun Paint Scissors #22: Crown/Tiara Difficulty Level: Medium Whether it’s your child’s birthday or they just want the fun of feeling like royalty, these pipe cleaner crowns will do the trick. After forming a circle for the base, add a variety of shapes formed from additional pipe cleaners to make your crown (triangles work particularly well). Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (gold suggested) Hot glue gun Scissors Beads, stickers, or pom poms for decoration #23: Pumpkins Difficulty Level: Easy These pipe cleaner pumpkins are a great craft for kids to do around Halloween. Orange pipe cleaners are used to make the actual pumpkin, and you can use green and brown pipe cleaners to form the leaves and stem. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (orange, green, and brown suggested) Scissors #24: Flamingo Difficulty Level: Medium If you have pink pipe cleaners lying around, use a few to make these cute pipe cleaner flamingos. Pink feathers will make them look more realistic, and you can pose the legs in a variety of shapes, just like actual flamingos do. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (pink and black suggested) Pink feathers Googly Eyes Hot glue gun Scissors #25: Dragons Difficulty Level: Medium These pipe cleaner dragons are fairly easy to make (although younger kids may need some help making the tight coils for the head and body), and once you add on some foam wings, they’ll be flying in no time. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (any color) Craft foam Popsicle sticks Googly eyes Hot glue gun Scissors #26: Fireworks Difficulty Level: Easy Pipe cleaner fireworks are a colorful and easy way to celebrate the 4th of July. This craft uses glitter and can get messy, but kids will love dipping their fireworks into a batch of glitter and seeing them emerge covered in sparkles. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (red, white, and blue suggested) White craft glue Glitter Scissors Thick sponge (for drying) #27: Magic Wand Difficulty Level: Easy Any child who wants to pretend to be a magician or fairy will want to make this pipe cleaner magic wand. By using a wooden skewer as the actual wand, kids can add all sorts of pipe cleaner additions, like those made into the shape of stars and hearts, until their wand is ready to work some magic. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (any color) Wooden skewer Hot glue gun Scissors #28: Snowman Difficulty Level: Easy Another great winter craft, these pipe cleaner snowmen are great to make once it starts getting cold outside and kids start looking forward to snow. After making the three circles of the body, you can use different colors to add a scarf and hat to your snowman. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (white, black, and red suggested) Popsicle stick/wooden skewer Hot glue gun Scissors #29: Shamrock Crystals Difficulty Level: Hard This pipe cleaner craft is a bit more involved than the others, but it doubles as a science experiment, and the shamrock crystals will look beautiful hanging in the window. After forming the pipe cleaners into a shamrock, you’ll submerge them in a borax solution overnight. The next morning, they’ll be covered in crystals and ready to display. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (green and white suggested) Borax Boiling water Mason jars String or yarn Pencil Food coloring #30: Fall Pom Pom Tree Difficulty Level: Hard This fall pom pom tree makes a great centerpiece for a Thanksgiving dinner, and kids can work on their fine motor skills by adding decorations to the pipe cleaner tree. You can have your kids go on a nature walk and collect their own acorns, leaves, etc. to add to the tree. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (brown, red, orange, and yellow suggested) Pom poms (red, orange, yellow suggested) Acorns, leaves, and other tree decorations Scissors Hot glue gun #31: Lion Mask Difficulty Level: Medium For this lion mask, tightly-curled pipe cleaners make the adorable mane, and a decorated paper plate is used for the lion’s face. This mask is great to use during a play about animals or a game of make-believe. Materials Needed: Pipe cleaners (yellow/orange and brown suggested) Paper plate Yellow paint Paint stirrer Marker Hot glue gun Scissors Summary: Crafts With Pipe Cleaners Pipe cleaner crafts are a cheap, easy, and fun way to entertain kids and get them to work on their creativity and fine motor skills. There are easy pipe cleaner crafts for kids of all age groups and of all difficulty levels, so whether you have only a few minutes or several hours to spend, you can find pipe cleaner crafts to suit your needs. What's Next? Are you also interested in science experiments for kids? Read our guide to see 37 of the most fun science experiments you can do with children. (coming soon) Teaching your kids Spanish, or are you learning yourself? We have a guide to the 71 body parts in Spanish you need to know. Want to learn more about clouds? Learn how to identify every cloud in the sky with our guide to the 10 types of clouds.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Capturing Tacit Knowledge In Squh Free-Samples for Students

According to Caimo & Lomi (2015), knowledge is a vital aspect of an organizational resource as it aids in the provision of a viable competitive advantage in a diverse and competitive market. Knowledge can be understood and defined in various way. For instance, Lehrer defines knowledge as what we know and understanding of what is false. Similarly, Wang and Hou, (2015), states that knowledge is processed information that entails ideas, facts, experience, and judgment relevant for a person, group, and organizational outcome. Therefore, for organizations to enhance dominance in the market, Caimo & Lomi (2015) reiterates that it’s essential for firms to depend on staffing and training methods that emphasize on the acquisition of workers that have particular knowledge, abilities, or capabilities or assisting employees to obtain them. Hence, the institute must put into consideration various ways to transfer knowledge from specialists that have the experience to trainees that needs it . As such, most organizations employ innovations in the management of this information and enhanced storage manner. However, the technological ways are not able to protect informational materials found in a person’s mind that have been stored for some years of studies, abilities, and experience. Notably, Srinivas (2016) identifies that there are two types of knowledge: explicit and tacit knowledge with the latter being expressed in books and speeches while tacit resides in mind and characters of an individual. According to Joe, Yoong, & Patel (2013) affirms that like other health centers and organizations, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) experience loss of knowledge due to a significant portion of its older experts leaving the facility due to retirement. Therefore, this paper explores knowledge capturing process in SQUH, the value of knowledge exchange, challenges and opportunities of tacit knowledge, and various methods of capturing tacit knowledge in SQUH. According to Sherwood (2013, p. 16), knowledge acquisition is in various methods, and executives and managers understand the importance of knowledge in the success of an organization. Knowledge management provides a vital factor when struggling in the competitive market since most clients visit facilities that they perceive to have skilled experts. Based on Srinivas (2016) studies, knowledge comes in two forms: explicit and tacit. Explicit Knowledge can be easily transferred from an individual to a given populace through the web, speech, and books while tacit is hard to transfer since it resides in peoples' mind and characters. Therefore, most organizations including SQUH employs an explicit form of knowledge management since individual’s knowledge in an institution can be expressed and made clear. Also, the health facility management believes that the approach can be incorporated to assist staffs in sharing information they entail to develop knowledge assets. The integration of information management systems within the Institute plays a significant role in enhancing the spread of explicit material assets over the hospital’s intranet, thus, helps in efficient patient management. Additionally, the hospital employs experiments and various factors of structured processes that are developed to remedy the lack of information that it essential to the health center. According to Caimo & Lomi, (2015), knowledge is one of the constant rising organizational assets such as management systems, brand identity, client information, and institutional character. It’s an important virtue in humans as it indicates grouped expertise and efforts of connections and associations. Most of the duties performed by workers are usually knowledge based, thus, a critical driver to corporates success. As such, the importance of knowledge is observed when it entails core functions and focuses on mission, fundamental values, and strategic significances. Therefore, in case the hospital reorganizes or changes its culture of knowledge management, Caimo & Lomi (2015) claims that valuable knowledge will diminish since staffs that leave the facility move with their valuable information, resources, abilities, and experience. Those that are employed or stays can be given new tasks and never incorporate their wealth of stored knowledge. Since the organization integrates both tacit and explicit knowledge systems, employees practice various perspectives to find a solution to a given problem. Hence, they share information and teams physical and intellectual possessions in current and creative styles. This allows the hospital management to exploit and utilize on knowledge-based activities, thus, aids in minimizing the cost of production, enhanced completion of creation of new merchandise, group activities, innovation capabilities and income generation. Based on Nesheim & Gressgà ¥rd, (2014) research on knowledge management, provision of relevan t materials at the time of necessity by use of structure, search, syndication, and support knowledge exchange, provides room for developing good decisions. According to Chen, Lin, & Yen (2014) teamwork promotes different opinions, and diverse experiences during the decision-making process, hence, enables decisions to be created on genuine understanding. Conspicuously, it facilitates smooth and timely completion of responsibilities such as finding a solution to a problem, analyzing markets, benchmarking against co-workers, and understanding competition. Chen, Lin, & Yen (2014) articulates that active and efficient knowledge management process enhance reuse of already developed information that eventually helps to reduce rework, avoid problems, saves time, and hasten progress. Sharing of knowledge among the employees as well aids in avoiding redundancy at work, therefore, saves money and streamline events. Remarkably, transfer of knowledge between personnel helps in preventing similar mistakes in the future, and this is usually accelerated by a culture of trust and openness within the workers. Also, Chen, Lin, & Yen (2014) argues that knowledge gained from a fellow employee assist an individual to learn from their experience and use it to their advantage in the management of patients and to perform other tasks. Moreover, enhancing the exchange of knowledge within the facility limits skill gaps since new staffs such as students in the internship, attachment, and recruited employees can quickly acquire the talents. When workers share thoughts and resources among themselves there is a feeling of a common objective being pursued, thus, boosts interest and strengthens every individual to exchange knowledge. According to Wang & Hou, (2015) knowledge helps employees to acquire more than they lose through sharing since the transfer of information is a synergistic method, hence, build one's morale when performing a given role. Knowledge exchange also enables provision of skills and abilities that are in demand due to their short supply in organizations mainly through the formation of discussion forums, training workshops, and ask the expert approach. For instance Wang & Hou, (2015) states that material sharing, reuse, and inventions can primarily minimize the time required to provide services to clients, thus, provides a competitive advantage to the hospital. With recent developments in the health sector such as the invention of Trakcare technology to enhance efficient patient management in SQUH, most of its staffs acquire skills and knowledge concerning their domain, competitive space, and customer requirements. As the ability to operate the machine develops, it becomes more significant for the organization to protect, nurture, and utilize recognized operators of the technique. According to Bessick & Naicker (2013) this is usually gained by employees that are not willing to document or share obtained expertise. Just like institutions that don't consider dissemination of information, workers frequently become the primary owner of the knowledge, thus, making the knowledge extinct in case the person retires or leaves the organization. According to Bessick & Naicker (2013), to store knowledge, management must target four areas to ensure knowledge dissemination and efficient application through teamwork. This includes governance role, staff activities, accepting operation occupation to develop, recreate, organize, and transmit knowledge properties. Drucker (as cited by Bessick and Naicker, 2013) states that for knowledge process to be significant, captured, and determined, it must pass through three levels. These entails utility of creative knowledge, consideration of knowledge workers as a valuable asset to an organization, and incorporation of formal educative programs to enable staffs to apply their ability both theoretically and analytically. Therefore, the following are barriers that occur in SQUH that deters acquisition of tacit knowledge among its employees. Br?i? & Miheli? (2015), asserts that age affects the transfer of tacit knowledge as some staffs consider themselves to be superior to their counterparts. This is because each generation is subjective to numerous factors that form a respective value system distinguishing them from individuals that grew at various times. For instance, students on internship find it difficult to relate with their seniors due to age difference, and this systematically leads to lack of appropriate knowledge transfer. Conversantly, gender also impact acquisition of this knowledge as some employees don’t easily interact with workers of opposite sex. SQUH incorporates several staffs such as nurses, doctors, administrator, human resource officer, and casuals. This entails that different employees have various ranks according to their level of education. However, most important are the doctors and nurses as they are entitled to patients that are major clients of the facility. Hence, Chuang, Jackson, & Jiang (2016) postulate that different level of study between nurses and physicians prevent smooth interaction and consultation, thus, minimizes the opportunity of attaining tacit knowledge. For instance, doctors might perceive their interaction with nurses to be diminishing their profession, therefore, relate easily with other specialists. Additionally, Br?i? & Miheli? (2015) reiterates that inadequacy of trust and failure embrace possession of intellectual stuff by various employees, thus, diminishes the ability of one to transfer tacit knowledge to the other. Based on Chuang, Jackson, & Jiang (2016) studies that poor managerial and leadership style in an organization that can’t integrate current information management systems also aids in deterring transmission of this knowledge from an individual. Moreover, leadership that fails to develop policies that are focused on knowledge retention enhance loss of informational materials from the experts. Lack of incorporation and compatibility of information technology structures and process leads to loss of tacit knowledge among the employees in SQUH. As such there is lack of technical support and communication between staffs at different departments, hence, leading to retention of knowledge by presumed experts. Likewise, the administration doesn’t demonstrate the importance of new techniques in inclination to the existing ones, thus, contributes to a reduction in knowledge sharing. Tong, Tak, & Wong (2015) articulates that knowledge creation in a firm entails making accessible and strengthening information that is made by entities as well as forming and integrating it into a facility’s knowledge structure. The major contributors to knowledge development grounds on numerous studies of information making in innovative Japanese Enterprises that eventually confirmed that knowledge creation bases on four models of knowledge exchange. The knowledge development involves Socialization, Externalization, Combination, and Internalization that is commonly known as SECI model. Significantly, Easa, 2012 claims that achievement of most Japanese Companies relied on their capability to generate innovative organizational knowledge centered on a cyclic model of endless interactions and conversion of tacit and explicit materials on three stages: individuals, groups, and institute. Globally, the framework has become widely recognized by scholars in categorizing, constructing, documenting, sharing, and exchanging knowledge from a Knowledge Management perception. The figure below indicate the four channels of SECI model. According to Easa (2012) the method transforms tacit knowledge to new tacit information by enhancing exchange of experience, skills, and opinions and majorly it occurs through social and cultural activities organized by organization such as team building. Typically it takes place in a traditional form other than through documented manuals or books. Additionally, it can occur during informal social gatherings outside the institute in which tacit knowledge like worldviews, mental models, and friendship is developed and shared. Also, it can be drawn up beyond hospital’s boundaries such as interaction with clients and suppliers. Easa (2012) states that this technique changes tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge that occurs when the organization attributes its inside rules of happenings formally or when it openly sets their goals that quickly captures through writing or computerization. Therefore, by converting tacit knowledge to explicit, it enables easy sharing, hence, becomes the significant source of new information. As such, capturing of tacit knowledge is eased since the experienced staff can easily put the tacit knowledge into writings that can be read by other members. The process articulates explicit knowledge into various systematic groups of explicit knowledge. Easa (2012) reiterates that explicit information is derived either from inside or outside the facility then fused, edited or managed to create new insights. Combination involves changing of explicit knowledge into more detailed and logical sets of clear understanding. The developed knowledge is then shared among various employees, and it can be facilitated by creative incorporation of online communication systems and databases. For instance, when the hospital’s auditor gathers data from different departments and assembles them in a context to create a financial report, the report is regarded as a new knowledge since it integrates information from various sources in a single context. Easa (2012) indicates that the process transfers explicit knowledge to tacit knowledge indicating that explicit knowledge is internalized to obtain tacit knowledge. By internalizing, any development of explicit knowledge is exchanged between staffs and transformed into tacit informative materials through individuals. Internalization is almost similar to learning by performing, for instance, creation of training programs can assist trainees to apprehend the institution or reading documented manuals concerning their job descriptions can help them internalize explicit knowledge contained in such files to enhance their tacit knowledge. Similarly, the acquired tacit knowledge at personal level can then enable a new set of knowledge making when it’s exchanged between personnel by socialization method. Tounkara (2015) argues that knowledge sharing is a major challenge for many organizations and significantly those that bases their approach on knowledge codification through employing knowledge engineering means. Most of these institutes experience a significant problem as their knowledge repository is used by few individuals. Since tacit knowledge is that information found in a person’s mind and attributes that is unique and once possessed can be a greater boost to a company’s achievement. However, the knowledge is significantly individualized and difficult to formalize, hence, hard to communicate to other populace. For example, Tounkara (2015) identifies that tacit knowledge occurs in two scopes: technical dimension that entails the â€Å"know-how,† and cognitive aspect that encompasses beliefs, ideas, and values that most are taken for granted. Therefore, tacit knowledge is a non-codified know-how that is obtained through informal take-up of educated traits and procedures. However, tacit knowledge is still a new domain that is not known by several managers, thus, depends on their natural ability to enhance correct decisions making process. As such, institutions that seek to propel their competitive advantage in the market has to integrate environment that enables employees to verbalize their tacit materials. General staffs, therefore, needs to exploit their addition to the group of ideas that facilitates a competitive edge to the facility. In SQUH different strategies are used to capture tacit knowledge among various experts that are seen to be viable for success of the firm. Harmaala (2014) argues that face-to-face interaction among colleagues in the hospital has been observed as the primary channel for sharing tacit knowledge with the most common model being expert-novice model. Quietly, it’s always believed that the new recruits, novice employees learns from their senior specialist, but the advantages occur when both are involved in sharing their ideas and opinions. Nevertheless, to support success of the model persons are required to develop trust and motivation among themselves. Moreover, Harmaala (2014) claims that individual system is also considered as a way of capturing tacit knowledge from workers. This is enhanced through cycling of tasks in which staffs performing similar roles can exchange their work, thus, enables personnel to discuss their capability and ideas together after the transfer duration. Similarly, based on Harmaala (2014) incorporation of teamwork through pairing of staffs when performing their roles enhance sharing of ideas, skills, views, and experiences. Therefore, new updated operational styles are developed, and the tacit knowledge is retained within the hospital. A common method of capturing tacit knowledge in the institution via pair work include mentoring and expert-novice. The university hospital has majored mostly on mentoring as a technique since the experienced personnel provides advice, guidance, and support for the newly recruited staffs. The method focuses on individuals own objectives and professional growth that is opposed to organization’s stated goals. Additionally, through mentorship one is able to acquire various skills and ideas that are shown by the senior employee, thus, helps in smooth transfer of the knowledge. Significantly, integration of teamwork by management as a means of apprehending tacit knowledge has helped in retaining significant information from experienced personnel. However, Harmaala (2014) claims that the approach is useful when participants are of different age brackets and different experience. Usually, every attendant must co-operate, hence, share ideas and thoughts. As such, it provides deeper exploration of solutions to a problem as it involves diverse views from individuals that are facilitated through communication, knowledge transfer, and questions to obtain best results. According to Harmaala (2014) the system of externalization that entails exchange of tacit information to explicit knowledge has been incorporated in the workforce mainly by interviewing individuals and documenting their knowledge. However, the technique provides a challenge since it’s hard to include expressions, emotions, and actions in a text manner. This leads to loss of various amount of educational materials and knowledge that can be useful to the organization.    Knowledge is a primary factor that needs consideration by managers when making company’s decision to enhance success of an organization. Knowledge is of two dimensions: explicit and tacit in which the latter can be acquired through books and print media while the second resides in people's mind and characters. However, technology can’t transform this knowledge found in individuals mind to other populace, hence, the need to develop various techniques to enable its sharing. Various methods have been integrated into SQUH to help in acquisition of this knowledge such as through encouraging socialization, internalization, combination, and externalization commonly known as SECI model. Additionally, the hospital has developed different ways of capturing this knowledge by incorporating mechanisms like encouraging face-to-face interactions, teamwork, and mentorship among employees. Conversely, the institution faces numerous hindrance in integrating this knowledge. Some of the ba rriers include difference in educational levels of the staffs that prevent dynamic interactions, sex and age of personnel also inhibit sharing of tacit information, and technology adoption among workers. Therefore, to facilitate exchange of this knowledge, SQUH needs to incorporate different mechanism such as encouraging more outdoor socialization that certainly improves knowledge sharing Bessick, J. and Naicker, V., 2013. 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Knowledge creation process & Innovation in Egyptian Banking Sector. In Organization Learning, Knowledge and Capabilities Conference. Harmaala, M., 2014. The Tacit Power: Case study: Maintpartner. Joe, C., Yoong, P. and Patel, K., 2013. Knowledge loss when older experts leave knowledge-intensive organisations.  Journal of Knowledge Management,  17(6), pp.913-927. Lehrer, K., 2015.  Theory of knowledge. Routledge Nesheim, T. and Gressgà ¥rd, L.J., 2014. Knowledge sharing in a complex organization: Antecedents and safety effects. Safety science, 62, pp.28-36. Sherwood, W.R., 2013.  A case study: Barriers preventing the capture of tacit knowledge in small manufacturing companies  (Doctoral dissertation, Baker College (Michigan)). Srinivas, S.A.S., 2016. Driving Knowledge Sharing Initiatives for Enhanced Collaboration in Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) Libraries–A Case Study.  Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management,  14(1). Tong, C., Tak, W.I.W. and Wong, A., 2015. The Impact of knowledge sharing on the relationship between organizational culture and Job satisfaction: The perception of information communication and technology (ICT) practitioners in Hong Kong. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 5(1), p.19. Tounkara, T., 2015. Increasing transferability of tacit knowledge with knowledge engineering methods. Leading Issues in Knowledge Management, Volume Two, 2, p.114. Wang, W.T. and Hou, Y.P., 2015. Motivations of employees’ knowledge sharing behaviors: A self-determination perspective. Information and Organization, 25(1), pp.1-26.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

The role of the mentor in organising, managing and leading programmes Essay

The role of the mentor in organising, managing and leading programmes of learning in clinical education - Essay Example Facilitating learning is very important, as its very nature is very complex ranging from different aspects of the body of knowledge. Learning from the behavioral perspective is a changed of behavior; and it is associated with changes inside of a person from cognitive perspective (Brockbank and McGill, 2006). Learning is one of the most important things to acquire in this world. It is essential because it is viewed as the result of how humans adapt to their environment (Murre, 1992). In nursing career, educating others is an essential intervention which also depicts the importance of learning (Bastable, 2008). All of these substantially illustrate why it is important to facilitate learning. Mentors therefore should be able to come up with simple or basic ideas in order to facilitate learning and ensure that there is increase in knowledge of their learners as far as mentoring is concerned. In nursing, mentoring is necessary and the role of mentors is simply as facilitators emphasising learning in an effective and practical way. Adult learning can be well facilitated using experiential learning, which means acquiring substantial knowledge can be appropriately achieved out from somebody’s significant experiences. In fact, one of the most familiar adages puts it, â€Å"Experience teaches us best.† This can be further elaborated from Kolb’s theory of experiential learning. ... In fact, one of the most familiar adages puts it, â€Å"Experience teaches us best.† This can be further elaborated from Kolb’s theory of experiential learning. Illustration 1: Kolb’s cycle of experiential learning (Quinn, 2000). In this theory, Kolb’s emphasised four generic adaptive abilities to reach effective learning and these involve concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation (Quinn, 2000). It is therefore the role of mentors to effectively organise activities that will allow full immersion of their students into concrete and fresh experiences. Along the way, mentors have to manage important activities that are crucial in the creation of learning experiences. It is not just enough to organise activities, but leading and management is necessary because everything that the mentors do should be considered a guiding path for students to effectively take in order to facilitate learning at a highest maximum level as possible. Students on the other hand must be able to learn from their experiences by reflecting on them. Furthermore, it is also important for them to come up with significant concepts out from their personal observations on their experiences. Finally they have to apply whatever theories they have learned. All of these are important things that students must do while their mentors are facilitating for their learning (Quinn, 2000). It is in line with these that regarding their ability to facilitate learning, mentors must be able to support learning in practice, they have to demonstrate effective time management and leadership skills, and should be able to organise students’ clinical experience (Quinn, 2000). Another