Work in partnership Essay Example for Free

Work in partnership Essay Working in partnership with other colleagues and professionals is detrimental in being able to provide a service fit for need as it helps promote team working which i believe motivates a team to work well and excel them. It also helps every person involved in providing the service aware of all obstacles that could arise and any outcomes to achieve or have been achieved. Within a children’s setting it can also help build positive environments for children to be in and this would help a child or young person settle better into a new environment so that you are able to assess a person or child and manage tasks efficiently. It helps creates a safe environment to share information as nearly all professionals update themselves with technology, information can now be sent password protected via a encrypted system which deters others from being able to access a person’s private information by a secure connection. Sharing information about a person can help the smooth running of a service as it enables all involved to be fully aware of each person’s position and remit and allows others to know who to approach for feedback or guidance. Working in partnership with others i.e. family members or carers helps with the smooth running of a service, as family members hold a lot of information past and present about a person which can be used to build a care plan. Family are often keen to assist with service provision for a person and by working in partnership with them it creates positives relationships. You can put a person’s mind at ease with regard to the level of support a person may need. If it is a child or young person a parent or guardian would need much reassurance to know that they are leaving the child in safe capable hands therefore it is imperative that pre assessments are carried out. We have in the past used an informal interview process for new services for a person  who may have either complex or long term needs i.e. a waking night service. We would before the service is due to start we would set up an informal meeting at the clients home and arrange for 3-4 people to go and meet the client their family or NOK. This would allow them to put any questions forward and explain specific tasks and how they should be carried out. It also helps as when the service does start the person coming to assist is not a stranger. This in turn helps a nok, guardian, parent or family member enjoy their respite without fear of the person not being able to manage. This has worked well on many occasions and this is something we intend to keep as a way of matching the correct care support assistant to the person who needs support. Analyse how partnership working delivers better outcomes. Partnership working can help to deliver better outcomes for all health and social care professionals from a commissioning, performance management, service delivery and service improvement purpose. As we move forward with new legislation and processes it is important to deliver person centred care. This means we need range of expertise, knowledge and experience in order to deliver the best possible service for an individual. From the outset we are able to use the information gathered from social worker assessment, hospital discharge letters care plans and risk assessment to produce a plan tailored for a specific person. For example we currently have client who requires support from a team of Care Support Assistants, District Nurse Teams and mental health community team. By working in partnership we are able to get up to date information and guidance on the person’s condition and how to manage it from a professional point of view. We work well with arranging our service delivery around the schedule for the District Nurse’s therefore we book out daily visits either before or after their due to attend for two reasons. We found that when we attended for a review meeting and there were too many people in the property this caused panic and distress to the service user it was agreed by all that any visits would be made by appointment only and by 2 people maximum, also due to the high demand and limited resources District Nurse teams have, it worked well by planning our visits to a different time to their arrival so that they  were not kept longer than they needed to be and vice versa for our staff. There is a joint log book left in the property for any concerns or follow up actions to be taken and this is signed once the action has been acknowledged or completed. We worked with the service user to make this plan to minimise disruption and undue distress to him as by not following this plan could lead to a setback in his recovery which in turn would mean outcomes would not be met. Therefore in this instance and for most it shows that partnership working is how we proceed to working to ensure that out comes are met efficiently and if this cannot be achieved how we change our methods to enable achieved outcomes. Explain how to overcome barriers to partnership working. There can be many barriers to partnership working and most commonly arise due to a lack of experience, lack of time and a disregard for importance. Others include a lack of trust especially when it comes to children. There are many parents who initially will put a barrier up to professionals as they tend to feel that strangers are coming in to their home to tell them how to be a parent or how to look after their child. A good way of overcoming this barrier is to build a relationship with the family first, listen to the incidents, issues or concerns they have. By supporting them through the crisis/difficult time will build trust within the circle and helps them to make informed choices in a relaxed environment. Acknowledging each other’s expertise for example a parent will feel they know their child better than any other person which is correct however a professional will have seen a child similar to the one they have been allocated to many times therefore with their joint expe rtise this would make a great team. It is important to sure that you are there to support the family unit not to criticise them and this can lead to positives outcomes and overcome barriers in partnership working. For adults it can be easier to break through these barriers especially if it is to support a person who has capacity. By speaking to them to conduct assessments you get to build a good idea of a person’s character, need and attitude toward a service. It allows you to build a rapport with someone share stories and common interests if any. This can be relationship building. I recently had this experience with a service. I was  contacted privately by a husband and wife who have physical disabilities, they are wheelchair and housebound without assistance. Upon speaking to Mrs x it was clear she had some bad experiences with other providers. I decided to visit them in their home to get a broader picture of the service they wanted and problems they had in the past to try and work out how improve their opinions of care providers. Upon speaking to them it was clear that although they both have medical conditions that reduce their ability to be fully independent they were not totally incapacitated. They wanted to be treated as adults not children or elderly people who were not able to fend for thems elves. They had social needs just the same as those who are fully independent for example going to the cinema and shopping. Mr x is a keen football fan and liked talking about sports. I believed i had gained some thrust and set about finding the ideal person to provide their service. We have had the service for approximately 1 year and in that time we have had to make changes to care workers who did not work out but the current Care Support Assistant has been with since February 2014 and all communication with Mr and mrs is positive. It is in agreement that planned absences require a second and third person to cover their service and shadowing the regular Care Support Assistant always takes place. By working together closely for those 3 months and investing my time in to rebuilding their opinion I feel I have worked in partnership with them and succeeded in overcoming the initial barriers that were there. Explain own role and responsibilities in working with colleagues. My role as the Service Team Leader/ Registered Manager firstly has a legal responsibility to ensure that everyone who is in receipt of a service is kept safe from risk, harm and abuse. It is my job to ensure that all staff are fully equipped with knowledge and training to go into the field and demonstrate that they are able and suitable for the role they have been appointed to. It is my role to supervise the office staff to give guidance and support where necessary. Set tasks on week by week basis according to the needs of the business. I take the lead on any complaint or safeguarding referral we may receive and investigate. I am responsible for the petty cash kept on site and to provide our accounts team each month of the breakdown of  money spent. It is my duty to complete supervisions and appraisals for office and field staff, maintain a good working relationship with local authorities. Providing my seniors with a monthly KPI report. Keep a professional boundary with all staff a nd service users. These are an example of what is expected of me in my role however i am also available and required to support in other roles as necessary i.e. provide an out of hours service on a rota basis, provide all induction training for new applicants as well as refresher training for existing members of staff. Evaluate own working relationship with colleagues. To evaluate my own work i need to be able to request positive or negative criticism as to how i may have handled a situation so that i can learn from the experience and improve for next time. I need to be able to self evaluate and not just rely solely on another persons opinion. By doing a self analysis i am able to pick up what my strengths and weaknesses are to be improved. This can also help with the quality of my work and setting myself targets to achieve to feel a great sense of completion helps motivate me which in turn passes on a positive working environment on to my team to help all of us excel. I feel presently as i am very open and honest with all my staff and my approachable manor i feel that i am able to communicate well my expectations of how i believe the service should be run and this is passed on to field staff and rarely do i feel i need to display any negative comments on to the team. We communicate by text and email with our field staff and i often send out messag es of gratitude to those have worked well over weekends as there are many issues that could prevent a service running smoothly. I feel that by appreciating my staff at any level i have formed good working relationships however there is always a need for improvement. Explain own role and responsibility in working with other professionals. It is my role to build relationships with outside organisations such as local authorities, district nurse teams, hospital teams and social work teams. I take the lead with all safeguarding investigations and work with the professionals involved in resolving the issues raised. Although it is my  duty to take the lead i expect my office to be able to share the responsibility to an extent for example if i am away from the office for any reason i.e. annual leave or sickness, i expect the rest of the team to be able to conduct an initial investigation to gather facts and provide a summary of the incident or concern raised so that i can take over on return. I feel that this does not limit the office to one way of working or delay important tasks. It can also help promote personal development to enable a junior member of staff to gain experience in order to progress either within or outside of our organisation. It is my role to attend all contract meetings to discuss possible issues withi n our service or for feedback to passed back to our staff to give thanks appreciation for something we did well. Evaluate procedures for working with professionals. The procedure for working with other professionals remains the same across the board. Every person is expected to treat all they come into contact with, with respect, be responsive to any equality and diversity matters as discussed. Confidentiality is to be adhered to at all times and personal information is not being discussed with those outside of the professional circle. Information relating to a person or child should be shared on a need to know basis and as agreed. Each professional is responsible for their own department and are expected to deal with matters as they arise within agreed timescales. Professionals are expected to work together to obtain the best possible outcomes in the safest way. Each person has a duty of care to protect those they care for from being subjected to any form of harm or abuse and to report any concerns to a senior person or to a care management team within a local authority. Professional opinions should be sought from specialist teams before partaking in any task that could potentially cause concern. For example the procedure for reporting any concern or information regarding one of our clients from the local authority is to write a detailed email containing all the facts we have at hand. We then send this to the placements and brokerage email who are regarded as our contact team within this borough. This is sent via a secure website with password protection. They will then forward on to the relevant social work team in oreder for  this to be either recorded or dealt with. We then if need be wait for a response and a resolution to the query and work together to reach an outcome. Analyse the importance of working in partnership with others. It is extremely important to work in partnership with others as every person wants the best level and quality of care for the person they are dealing with, acting on behalf of or have a personal relationship i.e. parent, child, guardian NOK. I feel the best outcome sought by all is the wellbeing, safety and happiness of the person or child who requires support. There is also a level of consistency for not only you but for the person or child you are supporting. Children need consistency especially if you are supporting a child who has autism. Children who live with this condition require a huge amount of support. They do not adapt well to change and require routine to help them have a good quality of life and experience. By not working in partnership with others it would not be possible to build and establish relationships, improve service delivery and help the child transition well to an adult. For an elderly person working in partnership helps them have a better quality of life by having a unit of support who know their needs and are familiar to them. By working in partnership it allows every person you support to access to different activities and support. It is also good to surround yourself and your settings with professionals from all backgrounds and groups and to create relationships so you can use, learn and share resources and experience to achieve outcomes. Evaluate procedures for working with others. The procedure for working with others is very much similar to those as working with professionals. The main requirement is be honest, communicative and detailed in every aspect. It is important to seek consent and permission from the person or a child guardian, parent or NOK you are supporting before any tasks procedure or assessment takes place. It is important that you involve others in the care planning process in order to achieve the outcomes as they know themselves or their loved one best to know their strengths, weaknesses and desires to a service delivery. You are expected to treat  others with respect and dignity. As part of our pre-employment paperwork all staff office and field base are expected to sign and adhered to the dignity promise. Continued regular monitoring and supervision ensures that others are adhering and receiving all aspects of the dignity promise. That any concern raised will be dealt with efficiently and professionally. It is more common for others to be come upset and angry and may fall from treating people with respect. However this does not absolve a professional from completing their task, but it does mean that an increased sense of awareness needs to be adopted so that all can remain safe. We previously had a service user that all we was required to do was support him in taking his medication. Unfortunately his wife suffered with Dementia and she would often try and attack staff and make accusation that they were trying make her husband ill. After working with family the service user himself and other professionals it was decided that this call would be attended by two care workers. Although it did not require 2 care workers to support him to take the medication, the second care worker was sent in to distract his wife so that the first care worker could safely support him. This was due to all involved wanting the outcome to be safe. Mr x was less anxious about the distress it caused upsetting his wife and being concerned for his own health if he did not receive his medication. We continued to mon itor this new approach and all feedback was positive.

To Determine the Heat of Formation of Calcium Carbonate Essay Example for Free

To Determine the Heat of Formation of Calcium Carbonate Essay A) In the 1st part, an accurately weighed known mass of anhydrous magnesium sulphate(VI) powder is added to known volume of deionized water. With the help of the data of temperature change during the addition, the molar enthalpy change of solution of anhydrous magnesium sulphate(VI) can be calculated. ( H1) B) In the 2nd part, an accurately weighed known mass of magnesium sulphate(VI)-7-water powder is added to known volume of deionized water. With the help of the data of temperature change during the addition, the molar enthalpy change of solution of magnesium sulphate(VI)-7-water can be calculated. ( H2) After that, by constructing a suitable enthalpy cycle, i.e. MgSO4(s) + 7H2O(l) MgSO4 . 7H2O(s) MgSO4(aq) and applying Hesss law, the molar enthalpy change of hydration of magnesium sulphate(VI) ( H) can be calculated. ( H = H1 H2) 5) Data: Anhydrous MgSO4(s) MgSO4(s)-7-water Molar mass / g mol-1 120.4 246.4 Mass of copper(II) sulphate / g 3.01 6.16 Initial temp. of water / oC (T1) 25 24 Highest/Lowest temp. attained / oC (T2) 34 22.5 Change in temperature / oC (T2-T1) +9 -1.5 Volume of deionized water used: 100 cm3 6) Calculation: The molar enthalpy change of solution of anhydrous magnesium sulphate(VI) = mc T x (no. of mol)-1 = (100 x 4.2 + 3.21 x 1.3) x (-9) x (0.025)-1 = -152.70 kJ mol-1 The molar enthalpy change of solution of magnesium sulphate(VI)-7-water = mc T x (no. of mol)-1 = (100 x 4.2 + 3.21 x 1.3) x (1.5) x (0.025)-1 = 25.45 kJ mol-1 By Hesss law, H = H1 H2 = -178.15 kJ mol-1 The molar enthalpy change of hydration of magnesium sulphate (VI) = -178.15 kJ mol-1 Discussion: (1)~(3) is answered above 4) What assumption have you made in your calculation? Assumed: * The thermal capacity of the beaker is negligible. * The specific heat capacity of the 2 resulting solutions are the same as water, and they also weight 1 g/cm3 * The weight of the solids which dissolved in deionized water does not affect the total mass of the solution. * The solids are in pure state. * The solid are dissolved quickly so that the heat losses are negligible. * The resulting solutions were infinitely diluted, that is further addition of water would not cause any further heat change. * There was no heat lost to surrounding in 1st part and no heat gained in 2nd part. 5) What are the sources of error in this experiment? * The specific heats of the solutions cannot be exactly 4.2 J g-1 oC-1 as that of water. The error could be minimized by using electrical compensation method. * The solid night not be in pure state, that was, the anhydrous magnesium sulphate(VI) may be completely anhydrous, which could be improved by heating the sample for several hours in an oven and then use immediately. * Some solid might not dissolve quickly enough and thus heat was lost. The improvement was using the reactants in powder form or tiny crystal form abut not bigger one, such that they could be dissolved quickly enough. * Some heat might e lost to 1st part or gained in 2nd part. The improvement was insulate the beaker or use a vacuum flask calorimeter. 6) Why cannot the molar enthalpy change of hydration of magnesium sulphate(VI) be measured directly in the laboratory? Because it was not possible to form magnesium sulphate(VI)-7-water from anhydrous magnesium sulphate(VI) and water because the anhydrous saly may dissolved in water instead. Conclusion: By using the experimental result, the molar enthalpy change of hydration of magnesium sulphate(VI) is -178.15 kJ mol-1

The effect of Levis online community

The effect of Levis online community Methodology This section of the dissertation will focus on the area of the research design, the methodology conducted and it will also relate to the sample used, methods choice and the methodology criticism. The research which focuses on an online Levis community will use qualitative work to examine how Levis brand personalities influence young Chinese consumers, how this online Levis community affects people who communicated with each other and may strengthen their brand loyalty. Research Design For this dissertation, there are increasingly young Chinese consumers wearing Levis jeans on whom I might conduct and exploratory study to generate possible explanations. Because this research is an exploratory research, the major emphasis is on the discovery of the ideas and insights of consumers. Churchill and Iacobucci (2005: p77) described the purposes of exploratory research and suggested it should include, â€Å"formulating a problem for more precise investigation or for developing hypotheses and gating information about the practical problems of carrying out relevant research.† It is widely acknowledged that while quantitative approach emphasize on theory testing which means using existing theory tested and measured a specific research context (Carson et al. 2001); in long-standing tradition, qualitative research are considered to be exploratory in nature because studies are characterized by flexibility with respect to the research used (Churchill and Iacobucci, 2005). Gordon and Langmaid (1988) demonstrated the differences between qualitative research and quantitative research. Qualitative research concerned with understanding things rather than with measuring them using quantitative research; and â€Å"qualitative research emphasis is on in-depth understanding of how, why and in what context certain phenomena occur; and what impacts upon or influences such phenomena†¦.conversely, quantitative research is more relevant where the research emphasis is on comparison.† (Carson et al. 2001: p66) According to the differences, by using a qualitative a pproach, more in-depth study in the research process could provide information and insights with much more detailed and thorough level than quantitative analysis approach (Weischedel et al. 2005). For this dissertation, the intention of the research is to seek human views at the root of empirical experience on Levis jeans. So the qualitative research approach is more suitable for this dissertation. Because qualitative research approach focus on things really happen as researchers and people experience them. Besides, some characteristics of qualitative research were mentioned by Gordon and Langmaid (1988) which includes small samples of consumers which may not represent large populations; a wide different of techniques to collect data, not just a structured â€Å"question-and-answer† format; and access to the ways in which consumers express themselves. For this dissertation, the samples will be chosen from the online Levis community and a semi-structured interview questionnaire will be conducted during the research. Meanwhile, qualitative research is often carried out to examine consumers attitudes and behaviour in relation with a product category, usually with the specific aim of understanding consumers relationships with a specific brand (Proctor 2005, Gordon and Langmaid 1988). Kozinets (2002) also believed qualitative methods are mostly useful for illustrating the rich symbolic world that cause peoples needs, desires, meanings, and choices. Due to the research objectives of th is dissertation are exploring the attitudes of Chinese consumers who like to wear Levis jeans and show loyalty to this brand as well as perspectives towards one Levis online community, While quantitative research might be used to find differences between Levis normal consumers and Levis fans, qualitative research could be used to examine the attitudes, feeling and motivations of the Levis fans. Although, qualitative research has some limitations and disadvantages, such as small sample size (Gordon and Langmaid, 1988) and free-flowing discussion can result qualitative research projects with many different thought (McDaniel and Gates 2006). There are still some main advantages for qualitative research: first, it is usually much cheaper than quantitative research; second, there is no better way to understand the in-depth motivations and feelings of consumers (Proctor, 2005). According to these main advantages, the qualitative research will be developed during the research process. Secondary Data It is very important to understand market and brand background before doing research. So secondary data plays a crucial role in understanding this such as the market assessment of Levis in China as well as supports the research analysis. There are two types of secondary data. The first one is called internal database which means the company itself (Levis Company) and the second one is called external database which means other organizations or persons (McDaniel and Gates, 2006). In the dissertation, secondary data such as Levis annual report and GMID will be used to study the situation of Levis in China. Because Levis Company has a significant business performance in the world, some public media such as website, newspaper even textbook will be consulted to gain contextual information on this brand. The second data information we are looking for in this topic will also be conducted in the dissertation to strengthen the reality and accuracy of the market orientation. Sampling Sampling means using information which was obtained from a subset (a sample) to estimate about various characteristics of the total population (McDaniel and Gates, 2006). This research aims to seek the reason of young Chinese people like to wearing Levis jeans; therefore non-probability is appropriate to represent this purpose in small sample units. Because the respondence in non-probability samples is more rational representative if collected in a careful process. (McDaniel and Gates, 2006; Proctor, 2005) But the main problem of non-probability is the accuracy and the range of sample units (Forrest, 2003). Meanwhile, the results of using non-probability samples may not be projected to the total population (Proctor, 2005). Meanwhile the samples of this dissertation will be chosen from an online Levis community. McDaniel and Gates (2006) demonstrated the advantages of the Internet Sampling which included â€Å"target respondents can complete the survey at their convenience; the interview can be administered under software control; data collection is inexpensive.† (p315) However Chen and Hinton (1999) argued, online interviewing may include some sampling biases that should be thought by researchers considering the method; research methods are limited in their ability to survey members of the researchers target population because the motivation of potential interviewees to agree to being studied using the proposed method; and the ability of the method to include selected interviewees. In this project, interviewees will be obtained from their different levels in the online Levis community. The â€Å"level† in this Levis online community means the favorite level they like Levis jeans through t heir contributions such as Levis jeans photos they uploaded in this online community; Levis products introduction they wrote in this community, their own feelings about Levis products shared in this online community. The higher level they obtained means the more experience they had on Levis. The reason for choosing different level people is trying to investigate different voices and feedbacks as well as support the research objective to give further suggestions. In-depth Online Interview Qualitative researchers who use interviews as data collection tools believe that they can, â€Å"investigate elements of the social by asking people to talk and to gather or construct knowledge by listening to and interpreting what they say and to how they say it† (Mason, 2002: 225). For this project, by using interview method, it could examine interviewees feeling about Levis brand. Several researchers have found the usefulness of the internet to design and conduct qualitative research projects and online data collection methods are increasingly used (Gruber et. al. 2008). In this dissertation, I will focus on an online Levis Community and the netnography method which is used will be text-based online individual depth interviews with open ended questions. Interviewing is an important qualitative approach, because it is a highly personal process which means creating through personal communication. In-depth interviewing is defined by Neuman (1994: p246) as a social relationship a short-term, secondary social interaction between two strangers with the explicit purpose of one person obtaining specific information from the other. The use of in-depth interviews was seen as a suitable methodology which could obtain rich data through a detailed and open discussion with consumers and decision makers (OConnor and Madge, 2004). In many fields, online in-depth interview and face-to-face in-depth interview are similar processes for the researcher and both can be considered â€Å"†¦ conversations with a purpose† (Burgess, 1984: p102). However, there are still some differences between online interview and face-to-face interview. OConnor and Madge (2003) stated, comparing with face-to-face interview which would be impractical, costly and time consuming; online interview is conducted on the Internet, so that it has lower cost and is a convenient way to carry out. For this dissertation, because all the interviewees are young Chinese people, they are familiar with online environment; they are good at using chatting software such as MSN Messenger and QQ. Meanwhile, online interview method could avoid geographical problems. Gruber et al. (2008: p257) also mentioned, â€Å"Online interviews are cheaper to conduct than traditional interviews as there are no travel, venue renting and accommodation expenses. Researchers do not have to tape and transcribe online interviews as the online chat programmes that are used to conduct interviews automatically generate interview transcripts, which allow a quicker analysis of data; further, the whole interviewing process may be less stressful and more convenient for respondents as they can be interviewed at home or at work in a familiar and non-threatening environment.† Another advantage by conducting online interview for this project is the interviewees are the members of Levis online community. Qualitative on-line research, such as on-line in-depth interview, is particularly useful when the target population is small, very specialized in its skills, and difficult to find and recruit (Miller Dickson, 2001). On the other side, online interview also exist in some limitations and disadvantages. OConnor and Madge (2002) argued, although online interview could obtain rich and valuable to the researchers, there are many problems of online research so that online research should not be exaggerated and researchers should be aware of these problems. Firstly, Chen and Hinton (1999) concerned about limited samples and limited data during the online research process. They believed this sample limited problems could lead to non-specialized interviewing, such as the general assessment of a group which did not be defined because their access to the Internet. For this dissertation, the sample will be chosen in one online Levis community and the interviewees are members of this community. The second disadvantage is that online interview may receive less attention of interviewees and may not make interviewers to create rapport which is important to create a relationship with interviewees who are then wil ling to share information. (Chen and Hinton 1999; Gruber et al. 2008; OConnor and Madge 2003). The online interview is difference between face-to-face interview because online interview happened when both interviewer and interviewee fact to computer screen. â€Å"It may be that distractions result in respondents not being fully engaged with the interview whilst dealing with interruptions of which the interviewer may not be aware. In the face-to-face setting the interviewer can respond immediately to external factors, perhaps by suspending the interview, whereas the virtual interviewer, unable to see what is happening, may carry on regardless, not aware that s/he does not have the full attention of the respondent † (OConnor and Madge, 2003: p137) Gruber et al. (2008) demonstrated, during the online interview, because both of interviewer and interviewee face to computer screen, they cannot receive each others respondence such as body language, head nodding and facial expression s, as a result, researchers developing online interviewers can not able to observe if interviewees are losing interest in the chat or if they are annoyed or unclear about a particular question. As a result, there is no rapport was created. For this project, because the MSN messenger softer ware will be used as interview tool, this problem will also happen during this online interview process. Summary By summary, this research will focus on solely qualitative methodology. Secondary data will be used for an early stage of understood of the background of Levis in China. Online in-depth interview will be conducted in the exploration the reason of different consumers in one online Levis community like wearing Levis jeans. The limitations and disadvantages of online interview and sampling were also discussed in this chapter.

Awareness as it Relates to Wikipedia Essay -- Wikipedia

In the paper â€Å"Awareness and Coordination in Shared Workspaces† written by Paul Dourish and Victoria Bellotti, the authors describe awareness as: â€Å"an understanding of the activities of others, which provides a context for your own activity† (Dourish 107). This concept appears several times in the various Wikipedia research papers. We can also see that as Wikipedia changes and evolves one of the key aspects of successful awareness, passive awareness rather than active awareness, is potentially being eroded. Finally, the definition of awareness as described by Dourish and Bellotti was written almost 20 years ago and certainly was not considering a collaborative effort such as Wikipedia, there are considerations and alterations should be taken into consideration when looking at awareness in an environment such as Wikipedia. The article â€Å"Lifting the Veil: Improving Accountability and social Transparency in Wikipedia with WikiDashboard† discusses the issue Wikipedia faces with quality and accountability while proposing a potential solution. The main focus of the article is the WikiDashboard application that the authors created, however the reason this application is created is to address the transparency issue with Wikipedia. â€Å"Despite their tremendous success, collaborative models of knowledge building are still viewed with skepticism. The quality, accountability, and trustworthyness of the articles in Wikipedia has been debated heavily in the press† (Bongwon 1037). This distrust is the result of the disconnect of awareness between the Wikipedia readers and the Wikipedia writers, who of course can be the same individuals but in many cases are not. When a reader of a Wikipedia article cannot say for sure who has wr... ...Lifting the veil: improving accountability and social transparency in Wikipedia with wikidashboard Proceeding of the twenty-sixth annual SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems 1037-1040. Bryant, Forte and Bruckman (2005) Becoming Wikipedian: Transformation of Participation in a Collaborative Online Encyclopedia Proceedings of the 2005 international ACM SIGGROUP conference on Supporting group work (GROUP'05) 1-10. Kittur, Suh, Pendleton and Chi (2007) He says, she says: conflict and coordination in Wikipedia Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems (CHI'07) 453-462. Butler, Joyce and Pike (2008) Don't look now, but we've created a bureaucracy: the nature and roles of policies and rules in wikipedia Proceeding of the twenty-sixth annual SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems (CHI'08) 1101-1110.

Elian Gonzalez :: Free Essay Writer

Elian Gonzalez Is it possible for a six-year-old boy to successfully seek asylum in the United Sates against his father’s wishes? This is the main point of exploration in the April 21, 2000 article (off the wire) that appeared in The Plain Dealer. The article relates, â€Å"to be granted asylum, people must show that they were persecuted or had a legitimate fear of persecution in their home country because of race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group or political opinions.† According to the article, the case has not reached a decision because of the debate over whether Elian Gonzalez has the right to seek asylum. For the time being, he is allowed to remain with his Miami relatives until the matter is resolved. There may be several levels of appeals and years of debate if the case is sent to an asylum hearing. Janet Reno, Attorney General, Joe Lockhart, White House Spokesperson and Richard D. Freer, a professor at the Emory University School of Law in Atlanta was interviewed and quoted as sources regarding the possible outcome of the case. Lockhart and Freer had seemingly opposing views. Lockhart believe that the proper legal view is the view if Elian’s father. Freer thinks the debate should result in a longer stay in Miami for Elian. Reno asserts despite all of the predicted outcomes that there is no way to confidently determine what is to happen. They key fact in the article is that federal law allows any alien resident in the United States to seek asylum and that the courts must make a decision after hearing arguments even if it is the arguments of a child Elian’s age. An example of a 1985 case where a 12-year-old Soviet child sought asylum against his parents’ wishes is presented. But the child was considered on the â€Å"lower end† of maturity in deciding his rights separate from his parents. An AP photograph accompanied the article as it appeared in the Plain dealer but the content is unknown. Another article on the same topic appeared in the Weekly Standard magazine on April 24,2000. Author, Tucker Carlson relates a two-sided protest regarding the fate of Elian Gonzalez. Among the public and private protesters lies entertainers Gloria Estefan and Andy Garcia who are both of Cuban origin. Both feel that Elian should be allowed to stay in the United States All of the deep seated emotion is over the fact that Janet Reno decided on April 13, 200 that the Miami relatives had until 2:00 p.

Les Miserables :: essays research papers

Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo, starts out with Valjean saying how he is 19 years old and a thief. The novel goes through his whole life. It explains the many conflicts he faces. But mainly it shows how he tries to escape his past during the French Revolution. Valjean was not a very wealthy man. He stole a piece of bread because he was hungry. He got tried and committed as if he had done a major crime and served 5 years in prison. He ended up doing 19 years of hard labor because he had tried to escape and failed. After he got out he had no where to go. A forgiving bishop decided to take him in. He feeds him and gives him clothes and shelter. Even after all that the bishop has done for him, Valjean steals silverware from the bishop. Once the bishop found out it was him who had stole it, the bishop tells the police that he gave it to Valjean, so Valjean could get off. After this Valjean decides to shape himself up. He sold the silver and moved to a town up north. He gets a job and he tries to start a life. Not only did he change his name, but he becomes a changed person as well. He eventually becomes mayor of this town. However, his past comes to haunt him. A police officer, which goes by the name of Javert, followed him to this town. Javert accuses another man of being the thief, so Valjean, being a changed man, turns himself in to save an innocent man. Eventually, Valjean escapes. When he is out he meets this woman Fantine, who is a prostitute. She is very sick and Valjean helps nurse her. On her deathbed, Fantine asks Valjean to take care of her daughter who is now owned by a money hungry family. Valjean agrees and buys her daughter, Cosette, from this family. He then takes her and all of the money he has left and flees to Paris. The novel then moves to 9 years later. This is during the French Revolution. Cosette is now a young adult. She meets a student revolutionary named Marius. Javert, the police officer, is trailing Marius. That brings Javert back on the trail of Valjean. Once again, he can not escape his past. Cosette and Marius fall in love and plan to wed. Les Miserables :: essays research papers Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo, starts out with Valjean saying how he is 19 years old and a thief. The novel goes through his whole life. It explains the many conflicts he faces. But mainly it shows how he tries to escape his past during the French Revolution. Valjean was not a very wealthy man. He stole a piece of bread because he was hungry. He got tried and committed as if he had done a major crime and served 5 years in prison. He ended up doing 19 years of hard labor because he had tried to escape and failed. After he got out he had no where to go. A forgiving bishop decided to take him in. He feeds him and gives him clothes and shelter. Even after all that the bishop has done for him, Valjean steals silverware from the bishop. Once the bishop found out it was him who had stole it, the bishop tells the police that he gave it to Valjean, so Valjean could get off. After this Valjean decides to shape himself up. He sold the silver and moved to a town up north. He gets a job and he tries to start a life. Not only did he change his name, but he becomes a changed person as well. He eventually becomes mayor of this town. However, his past comes to haunt him. A police officer, which goes by the name of Javert, followed him to this town. Javert accuses another man of being the thief, so Valjean, being a changed man, turns himself in to save an innocent man. Eventually, Valjean escapes. When he is out he meets this woman Fantine, who is a prostitute. She is very sick and Valjean helps nurse her. On her deathbed, Fantine asks Valjean to take care of her daughter who is now owned by a money hungry family. Valjean agrees and buys her daughter, Cosette, from this family. He then takes her and all of the money he has left and flees to Paris. The novel then moves to 9 years later. This is during the French Revolution. Cosette is now a young adult. She meets a student revolutionary named Marius. Javert, the police officer, is trailing Marius. That brings Javert back on the trail of Valjean. Once again, he can not escape his past. Cosette and Marius fall in love and plan to wed.

La Belle Sans Merci: A Ballad

Keats belonged to the genre of the Romantics. He penned the poem ‘La Belle Sans Merci’ in the year 1819. Being a Nature poet, a tinge of pathos and the delightful re-creative power of Mother Nature weave through all his poems. John Keats seems to have experimented for the first time with the Ballad form of poem and this explains the reason of the Leigh Hunt, in 1819 to publish the poem with slight modifications (Friedlander, 2005), though the original seems to have an irresistible appeal to many readers.This essay shall retain the original version for the purpose of analyses, and try to explore the different dimensions of literary aspects like the ‘ballad’, alliterations, metaphors similes, characterizations; and finally, the beauty of the ballad which the poet has tried to paint. The Theme: Is about an unknown person, assumed to be the poet, meets a knight, who is almost in his death- bed.The pitiable condition of the knight who was â€Å"alone and palely loitering† (line 2) makes the poet wonder as to what may have made the knight to â€Å"ail† (line 1) so badly, that he looked â€Å"haggard and woebegone†, â€Å"pale† as a lily and the healthy â€Å"rose† (line 11) color in his cheeks fast fading. The knight then narrates his sad tale of pleasure and pain, as though in half dream to the poet. In the ‘Meadows† there, the Knight meets with an attractive young women†, whom he addresses as â€Å"Full beautiful – a faery's child, Her hair was long, her foot was light, (line14-16).To the reader, it seems as if the â€Å"Belle† with her â€Å"long hair and wild eyes† bewitches him; though she seems to reciprocate his fascination too, with her â€Å"looked at me as she did love, And made sweet moan† (lines 19-20). The knight seats her on top of his horse and walks by her side and they go to her â€Å"elfin grot† (line 29) – grotto, she sings and declares her love for him â€Å"sure in language strange she said – I love thee true† (line 27-28). His (the knight’s) desire for her is so complete and deep that he â€Å"kisses† her â€Å"wild eyes shut† even though he is unsure of her language and they put each other to sleep.The dream in the sleep seems to be a warning, to the knight. Though the knight elucidates his dream, he makes it clear that he longs for her; despite the premonition in his dreams, in which the likes of kings and princes warn him that she was an imposter of death, â€Å"They cried – ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’ Hath thee in thrall! †(34-35). Furthermore, even in his dream the condition of the others who have been the victims of her wily responses, shock the knight. Indeed the Knight seems to wake from his dream only to find that his â€Å"Belle Dame† gone and she probably never was, a reality.A similar idea is portrayed by the poet in his poe m â€Å"Ode to a Nightingale† too, in the last two lines wherein the poet says Was it a vision or a waking dream? Fled is that music; – do I wake or sleep? (John Keats) Literary Analyses: The poetic form used here is the â€Å"Ballad† – is a small narrative poem, that sings of dramatic actions or legends of love, death, betrayal, courage or all the above, just as here it is the fatal love that the knight and all her predecessors felt for the unearthly woman.Two distinctive features of a ballad – the incremental repetition and stanza, mark this poem. ‘Incremental repetition’ is the occurrence of one or more lines again and again, with minor changes simultaneously advancing the story; ex. the first two line of this poem: â€Å"O WHAT can ail thee, knight-at-arms, Alone and palely loitering? † occur repeatedly in the second and the last stanzas, respectively. The ballad stanza is generally of four lines. The first alternate lines c ontain four accents, the second alternate – usually the second and fourth lines contain three accents.Keats being a Nature poet has utilized skillfully the art of rhyme and repetition, to impress upon the reader the mood and the darkness of the setting; for example in the second stanza, second line, the words â€Å"So haggard and so woe-begone? † and (line 17) in the fifth stanza, â€Å"a garland for her head,† etc. The musical quality of the ballad is enhanced by the fact that Keats deploys the similar rhyme-endings in the second alternate lines that is the second line and the last line.For example, in Stanza VI of the poem, the second and the last line rhyme thus: â€Å"And nothing else saw all day long, †¦.. A faery’s song† (lines 22-24). As regards the charaterization part of it, there are three principle characters in the poem; one is the poet or the anonymous speaker who during the course of his â€Å"sojourn†, comes to the place wherein he meets the knight who is quite restless. The poet’s wonderment at the once-active knight and his account of the lady or the â€Å"Belle Dame† is well documented.The second character is that of the knight himself and his narration starts form the fourth stanza onwards. His amazement at the sudden appearance of the woman, her eyes, her incomprehensible language, and his craving for the woman, despite the negative connotation of the dream all carry elements of an intrigue to the reader. The third character is the woman, and she is a sort of mythical. Keats seems to put a question mark in the minds of the reader with this subtle references to the ‘elf’’ and the â€Å"faery’s child† etc.And he loved her, kidded her, knowing fully well that there is a strange and undiscovered part in her. In fact, it seems as if the poet enjoys her unearthly trait, and also knowing that it was temporary. There is the inherent and subtle reference t o Nature in lines like these: â€Å"The squirrel’s granary is full, And the harvest’s done. I see a lily on thy brow, with anguish moist and fever dew† (lines 7-10). Here, the use of metaphor â€Å"lily on thy brow† is to be noted. The lily is always associated with paleness.In line 11, â€Å"And on thy cheeks a fading rose† fading rose stands for draining away of color from the cheeks. Conclusion: Keats has used various means effectively and skillfully to bring out the elements of mystery and beauty in this ballad. It is said that just before the creation of this poem Keats read Spencer’s account of Florimel, who is an enchantress that disappears (Friedlander, 2005). But, this elfin beauty is an unique creation Keats and bewitches the reader in a very different and alluring manner.