Hang on for a smooth flight; Paragliding in the UK, an Organisational Essay

Hang on for a smooth flight; Paragliding in the UK, an Organisational and Consumer perspective - Essay Example ccomplish the following: (1) to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current Hang gliding and Paragliding Industry in the United Kingdom of Great Britain; (2) to investigate key components in APCO’s marketing strategy which led to their perceived dominance in the market and; (3) to examine consumer’s perception and satisfaction with the current market situation. To achieve these objectives, the researcher would conduct a survey to fifty (50) respondents, 25 are new trainees and 25 are paragliding instructors. These respondents also went through a series of semi-structured interviews to clarify their answers in the survey. The results of this study proves that there is indeed an increase in the number of people who are into adventure sports such as paragliding despite the risks that come with these sports. It is because of this that they give so much importance to the reputation and marketing strategies of certain manufacturers so as to ensure their safety as they engage in sports which are accompanies by high risks. In the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the sport of Paragliding is gaining tremendous popularity as an essential part of both the aviation and adventure tourism industries. Without a doubt, it has significantly contributed to the rise of the aviation industry as one of the most important industries in the United Kingdom, generating about 10.2 billion pounds sterling, thus amounting to 1.4% of the Gross Domestic Product of the Country. At the same time, the aviation industry has opened a lot of job opportunities for the citizens of the UK. In fact, it has already been reported to have been directly employed by this particular industry. As one of the perceived substantial industries in the country, it has helped in supporting the vision of their government for a high-productivity economy (OEF, 1999). Without a doubt, the economic growth of the UK owes a lot to aviation. Firstly because it is a part of their transport infrastructure to which

Social Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Media - Essay Example Information sharing is considered as one of the major aspects of social media. The success of social media relies on the way people transmit and share information in an efficient manner (Panahi, Watson and Partridge, â€Å"Social Media and Tacit Knowledge Sharing: Developing a Conceptual Model†). Thesis Statement The report discusses the opinions of people on the usage of social media for sharing information. In order to understand the opinions about social media, two people have been interviewed on how they make use of social media for gaining information in one of the popular social networking sites named ‘Facebook’. The objective of the report is to recognize the importance of social media for sharing of information in present times. Information Sharing and Facebook Social media permits users to share their views, experiences, thoughts, understandings and perspectives effortlessly. Social media has opened new opportunities for users to involve in online groups and to develop media contents. Social media utilizes Web 2.0 application which has brought in a big revolution in the internet. Social media encourages sharing of information in a cooperative way. ... In these social networking sites people can establish relationships and influence social associations for sharing information and resources. In this context, it can be stated that Facebook is the biggest social networking site in the world (Wilson, Boe, Sala, Puttaswamy and Zhao, â€Å"User Interactions in Social Networks and their Implications†). It allows users to share basic information such as name, birthdate and other private interests. In Facebook, people use messaging applications in order to share information. Unlike other social networking websites, Facebook is developed by the model of networks which categorizes users to membership oriented groups. Users’ network membership enables to decide the type of information they can view and how their information is viewed by other people. Users can easily share photos and can post remarks (Wilson, Boe, Sala, Puttaswamy and Zhao, â€Å"User Interactions in Social Networks and their Implications†). Data Collectio n In order to understand the opinions of the people about information sharing in social media, two teenage students have been interviewed. The reason for selecting teenage students is that they are considered as the most active players in using social media and they also engage in social media activities frequently. Findings The interviewees were interrogated with close ended questions and open ended questions in order to understand their modes of using social media along with their thoughts about it for information sharing. The interview began with asking two questions concerning the frequency of using Facebook messaging and information sharing. It has been found that both interviewees use instant messaging on Facebook on a daily basis. With respect to sharing information both contribute

Importance of Statistical Research in Medicine

Importance of Statistical Research in Medicine The Nepal Journal of Epidemiology is the first journal of its kind in Nepal. Our main objective in pioneering this journal is to attempt to provide a common platform for all researchers, particularly those doing epidemiological studies on prevailing public health problems in the community. We wish to make this journal one that follows standard criteria of scientific article writing with sound technical knowhow. We have introduced several initiatives to improve the quality, reporting, and transparency of research in general, and randomised trials in particular, by emphasising the importance of protocols. We offer to review protocols to improve trial quality and reduce publication bias. We consider submissions of randomised trials only if registered and accompanied by a protocol, which is sent with the manuscript to peer reviewers. All who use, receive, or pay for health-care interventions depend on guidance from reliable research findings and will want reassurance that medical researc h is credible. Essentially, Nepals research output is still small. More collaboration and partnerships between countries in different regions of Asia and externally must be fostered. Lack of investment in research should also be addressed by nations that are capable of investing more. Research in Nepal can and should flourish over the next decade. A brief review through almost any recently published medical journal will show that statistical methods play an increasingly important role in modern medical research. Many research papers quote at least one p-value to communicate their results while some present the results and the statistical analysis of medical data in relatively sophisticated and complex sets1-8. After extensive study of the available literature and from the personal experience in this domain, I would like to venture a few recommendations for the improvement of various aspects in medical research and its application. I believe that this brief discussion will be of great value to all professionals involved in medical research and its application. Medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability, mused William Osler. Medical journals are a confluence of medicine, science and journalism-and are expected to have the values of all three. The science that underpins medicine is presented in journals, and most journals can point to landmark studies that changed medicine. Medical journals differ from scientific journals in that they are mainly read, not by scientists, but by practicing doctors. Medical journals will continue to be the main vehicle of scientific information for years to come, particularly where access to computer and internet facilities are relatively limited. Currently, the output-and rewards-of research are based almost entirely on published papers in scientific journals. Scientists in low-income and middle-income settings want an opportunity to analyze data for their populations according to their own priorities. They want to be in the frontlines of national and global conversations about their countr ys experiences. Evidence-based medicine provides several ways to quantify and communicate uncertainty, but does so from a probabilistic rather than a human perspective. We can divide Evidence based medicine/clinical epidemiology into two major methodological themes: statistical and implementation. The use and analysis of large trials, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, evidence hierarchies, cost-effectiveness analyses, and number needed to treat would come under the statistical while the improved access to evidence through literature searching, library and critical appraisal tools, guideline development, risk framing, etc. would be implementation. Researchers welcome clinical uncertainty as a source of knowledge gaps, whose answers will be meaningful to clinicians and patients. Clinical epidemiology bridges clinical practice and public health. Policies notwithstanding, despite suggestions to detect and eliminate research misconduct, training in research ethics, standards and responsible conduct is often minimal or absent in academia. The quality of medical journals depends on several factors involving three groups of people: namely the authors, the reviewers and the editors. Deciding who should be listed as an author is not simple, and too often the decision is made on the basis of power. The powerful are included, even when they have done nothing, and the weak are excluded, even though they have done most of the work. This unethical behaviour can become a major problem if the study proves to be fraudulent, as has happened many times. Sometimes journals receive coverage in the media that makes them squirm, particularly when they are exposed as having published research that is fraudulent. I worry that journals are being polluted by misconduct and that editors are not responding adequately. Scientific reading will enhance the quality of scientific writing. Critical reading and thinking will provide a relevant, interesting, feasible, ethical and novel research hypothesis. The author or researcher planning on a research study and publication should search in Medline, PubMed and other search engines for relevant reviews and literature of similar studies in world and national scenario. These studies must be examined for strengths and weaknesses, and the researcher must apply required modifications for new knowledge. It will help the author tremendously in the writing of the introduction, discussion and conclusion part of the manuscript. Before starting data collection, the researcher should decide upon the study design, target population, sample size and sampling method, inclusion exclusion criteria, study period, study variable, outcome measures and units of measurement, definition of all the terms and variables and their classification. After careful consideration, the methodology of data collection and the method of data analysis, including the computer packages and statistical methods, should be chosen. The instruments or questionnaire used to measure the variables should be described correctly and if others have developed them, referenced properly. A researcher should be well aware of the concepts of different types of data and variables, two types of errors (type I and type II errors), calculation of sample size, significance level, confidence interval, testing of hypothesis and power of the test1-11. Once these criteria are followed, the authors should allot paragraphs for each one of them in the material and methods part of the manuscript, thereby increasing the quality of the study. This meticulous planning and execution will be useful to new researchers in this area. The editorial management is a crucial part of the publishing process. The editors begin action with the receipt of the manuscript by directing the various steps of evaluation, correction and re-submission, until an editorial decision is taken to accept the paper as is, accept it after modification or reject it if it is unacceptable. They then make necessary text and layout editing. Due consideration is given to the statistical, multilingual and ethical aspects as well as to the overall uniformity of the terminology, nomenclature and style throughout the volume as a whole. Experts review plays a pivotal role on maintaining the quality of a medical journal. A reviewer is required to address a number of important aspects of the paper and to make recommendation concerning the acceptability of the paper. Findings of good research deserve to be presented well, and a good presentation is as much a part of the research as the painstaking collection and analysis of the data. Critical appraisal of 150 articles published in a reputed medical journal in Nepal reveals that in more than 70% articles experienced biostatisticians were not involved or substantially contributed (not co authored), more than 65% studies sample size calculation were wrong and 80% of the article with inadequate statistical details and wrong statistical tests. Critical reviewers of the biomedical literature have consistently found that more than half of the published articles (including scientific articles, published even in the best journals) that used statistical methods contained unacceptable errors 1-11. The term statistics here in this context, has a wider meaning and includes the methodology of research, study design, or epidemiological methodology etc 1-8. The major applications of biostatistics started in the middle of the 17th century in the analysis of vital statistics. After the early developments in vital statistics, the field of genetics was the next area that benefited most from the new statistical ideas emerging in the works of Charles Darwin (1809-1882), Francis Galton (1822-1910), Karl Pearson (1857-1936), and Ronald A. Fisher (1890-1962). Now, the fields of application and areas of concern of biostatistics include evidence based medicine, bioassays, public health, health service research, nutrition, environmental health, demography, epidemiology, surveys of human populations, community diagnosis, bio-mathematical modelling, clinical trials, brain imaging, genomics and proteomics. Computer-based statistical packages have not yet been given expertise to decide the correct method although they sometimes generate a warning message when the data are not adequate. The user of the package decides the method9. The real solution to poor statistical reporting will come when authors learn more about the statistical methods in research design and when statisticians are able to convey the importance of the methods used in the study to authors, editors, and readers; when researchers begin to involve statisticians from the beginning of research, not at its end; when manuscript editors begin to understand and to apply statistical reporting and editing guidelines; when the journals are able to screen the articles containing statistical analyses more carefully; and when readers learn more about how to interpret statistics and begin to expect and demand, adequate statistical reporting7. A researcher should never hesitate to ask for professional assistance from a biostatistician to plan the study or experiment. There may be valuable research going on in developing and financially less-privileged countries, but it usually does not reach international visibility, in spite of a large number of scientific journals in these countries. Such journals are not only invisible but by perpetuating a vicious circle of inadequacy, may be directly damaging to the local science and research culture. Journals should prevent this by constructing an editorial board including qualified editors from developed and developing countries in the editorial board. I recommend biostatisticians to join as editors and reviewers in order to help formulate journal policy, audit the quality of statistics in published papers, help produce statistical guidelines or checklists for authors, educate editors, provide explanatory statistical comments on published papers, and write expository articles about statistical matters in journals.

Early American Rule of Puerto Rico :: Puerto Rican History Historical Essays

Early American Rule of Puerto Rico Ideally Puerto Rico was to mold itself into the perfect American product. Politically Puerto Rico was to remain inferior by following American rules and regulations that restricted the liberties of the people. Economically it was expected to provide capitol growth for the United States while neglecting the popular masses. Through the process of Americanization, the hope was to create a second America on the island. Here the people would look to the mainland for inspiration and more importantly guidance. The general intentions and plans for the island, however, backfired in that the actual goals and feelings of the people were never taken into account. Upon the arrival of the Americans, Puerto Ricans, for the most part, rejoiced in hopes of new liberties not found under Spanish colonial rule. Puerto Ricans expected â€Å"under American sovereignty that the wrongs of centuries† would â€Å"be righted.† (Trias-Monge 36) The United States would surely extend its democratic policies to Puerto Rico, as it should to any of its other parts. The U.S., however, did not consider Puerto Rico as part of the mainland. Joseph Foraker, senate member, captured the American sentiment: â€Å"Puerto Rico belongs to the United States, but is not the United States, nor a part of the United States.† (Fernandez 2) The basic assumption that the U.S. would create legislation equal to that of the mainland lasted only a brief period. Puerto Ricans were made clear on the American position. The ultimate authority belonged to the U.S. Government as only they were seen fit to govern the affairs of the island. The American government was open ly adamant in declaring the people inferior and incapable of ruling themselves due to their race as the genetic successors of the Spanish. â€Å"Puerto Ricans were an inferior offspring of an already middle-level race.† (Fernandez 13) More importantly the inhabitants of Puerto Rico were dismissed on the basis on their skin color. As non-white they were compared to small children. â€Å"The Latino was presented as a ‘black child’†. (Fernandez 13), who at that time was at the bottom of the racial hierarchy. With this image in mind the United States continued its fatherly role and created several policies that would have destructive effects on the island. Through the organic acts mainly the Foraker and Jones acts, the liberties of the Puerto Ricans were curtailed. â€Å"Within the legal channels provided by the Foraker act.

Beautiful Boy Application Essay

He kept experimenting with more drugs and finally Crystal Meth. To be honest I think that he may have never developed the full capacity for formal reasoning. He also had a lot of different environmental and cultural influences that had a huge impact on him. Certain things would lead him towards the path of drugs, and he couldn’t reason to himself differently. â€Å"Now I am in my own program to recover from my addiction to [Nic’s addiction]† (p. 305). I feel like that is a good example of how â€Å"logical† his reasoning really is. 2. Apply the concepts of Erikson Theory to Nic’s Development. At age 4 Nic’s parents got divorced. That was during the Preschool stage, where the conflict is Initiative vs. Guilt. In this stage children need to begin asserting control and power over their environment. Nic was doing well in this stage and the school age stage as well. His grades well good, he had friends and was active and involved in sports. His father thought that Nic was coping well because he was doing so well in school and playing sports. â€Å"Nic was excelling in school and I could have been happier. (30) However related to Preschool stage – Nic was able to control his grades, and his activities therefore he was about to successfully show his power. However, at age 12 Nic’s father found pot in Nic’s back pack. This is the adolescence stage where the conflict is Identity vs. Role Confusion. This is where teens need to develop a sense of self and personal identity. Success leads t o an ability to stay true to yourself, while failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self. Well Nic was not successful and true to himself because by the age 18 he had experimented with many other drugs and was on looking towards Crystal Meth. At this point, he has lost his true identity and is going off track. Going into his Young Adulthood he was already strong on Meth. He became more and more into the drug; everyday losing more of himself and hurting his family. The vicious cycle never seemed to end. 3. Apply Family Systems theory to the Sheff family. What concepts are evident in their interactions? â€Å"We are dysfunctional†¦I’m not sure if I know any ‘functional’ families, if functional means a family without difficult times and members who don’t have a full range of problems. (14) The Sheff family was dysfunctional, but also considering all the challenged and obstacles they went through with Nic that can cause a strain, which would certainly not result in normal functional family. And I would have to agree with David – I don’t know if I know any â€Å"functional families. † Nic certainly was the most difficult member in the family. Calls to the hospitals and long nights wondering if Nic was OK are things his dad became very familiar with. When Nic was on the street, his dad would drive around looking for him, hoping to find him and get him help. That would cause strain on any family. His father tried to instill family roles and family rules and boundaries; however Nic would always end up on his own path –Crystal Meth. The family roles were very unclear. Did anybody even really know the real Nic? (probably not) Also, there was really never any consistency in the family. I mean the father would try his best but things always would get off track when it came to Nic and Meth. What was consistent was the â€Å"typical behaviors† and â€Å"the way it is† that the family became accustom too. Nic’s lie, stealing, and using. To me it seemed like the family was slowly disconnecting. Families are systems of interconnected and interdependent individuals; none can be understood when isolated from the family. â€Å"(pp) 4. What characteristics of resilience do you see in Nic? * He valued learning and he had excelled at writing. * I believe that he did have positive relationships with caring adults when he was in the right state of mind. * He also d id have problem solving skills. â€Å"Now I am in my own program to recover from my addiction to [Nic’s addiction]† (p. 305). He did not always make the best choice but when not on meth he could. * He did like to help others – especially his family when he was on the right path.

What is sovereignty?

The idea of sovereignty is the idea of someone holding supreme power. For example in the United Kingdom we have parliamentary sovereignty. This means that parliament holds supreme power in the land with no constraints. However sovereignty is affected and controlled by certain things such as public opinion and outside influences including the media etc. That is why although sovereignty gives supreme power to the bearer it can sometimes be restricted by uncontrollable means. However ultimately, if remove all other influences and theories, sovereignty is the word used to describe something that is given to someone or something to hold supreme power, and this power should technically be un-unquestionable, that is the idea of sovereignty. Where is sovereignty located in the UK? The monarch originally always held sovereignty. However in 1649 after the English civil war sovereignty in the UK was handed over to parliament after the execution of Charles I, and the running of the country became a dictatorship under Oliver Cromwell. Ever since then, although the monarch is still head of state, parliament has always held supreme power in the land. The monarch still holds theoretical powers such as the command of the army but in practice these powers belong to the executive and ultimately the Prime Minister. Unlike the American presidential system where the President forms only one third of the three areas of power, the British system relies on a majority to form the government. This can sometimes be a problem as the majority party holds all powers because the house of commons makes legislation and the house of lords can only block legislation for so long. The only person in theory that can stop a law being passed is the queen but this would be very unpopular so in practice is not done. Although the House of Commons and ultimately the executive hold supreme power, whilst we are a part of the European Union we must follow the laws and guidelines set by them. This was shown when be introduced the Human Rights Act after the EU had made it law. So although in theory the UK could leave the EU if it really disagreed with something, in practice this would not be economically or politically viable and so we are bound by their laws. So although sovereignty ultimately rests with the executive, the monarch still has to agree to laws and the monarch still holds military powers but these are never used in practice. The only constraint to sovereignty is the EU that we could technically leave at anytime. So practically sovereignty in the UK is located within the government but in theory the EU can say ‘no' to our legislation. This is where sovereignty is located in the UK. Why has the UK's un-codified constitution been criticised? Over the years the UK's un-written or un-codified constitution has been criticised. This criticism has not only come from countries with a codified constitution but also within the UK as well. Although the UK constitution is un-codified it has however been around longer than any constitution in the entire world. This says that that fact that it has never been fully written down means that it has had a chance to evolve and so last for a long period of time. Some may argue that the American codified constitution was a necessity, as after the American war of independence the Americans needed a quick constitution straight away in order to run the country. There is no way that a country could have been set up without a codified constitution. The advantage of a codified constitution is that all of the information is there and cannot be removed unless two thirds of the government/senate agree. Acts can only be amended. This could also pose as a disadvantage as a law that needed to be passed quickly would take at least a week to go through all of the houses to be added to the constitution. The advantage of an un-codified constitution is that not everything is in black and white. This is where we get conventions and case law. As not everything in the constitution is set in stone, if something were to be ambiguous then it could be taken to court for a ruling. Also we have conventions that are things that we do but are not written down. The advantage of having an un-codified constitution is that in an emergency and act or law can be added pr removed completely within twenty-four hours as no government can bind another government. So basically there are both advantages and disadvantages of both systems. With an un-codified constitution not everything is set in stone so things can be adjusted from case to case and also it is very quick and easy to change. The disadvantage to this is that this gives a lot of power to the executive and in theory they could run a dictatorship with no one to stop them. This is an advantage of a codified constitution because it is not very easily change and so does not give a lot of power to a few people. The disadvantage of this system is that things take a long time to change and can never be completely removed. Despite both the advantages and disadvantages of both of the systems, each system works best for the country that uses it. So all the UK's constitution has been criticised it obviously works because it has lasted for such a long period of time.