Impact of Technology on Organizational Development Essay

Introduction Technology has left its magical touch everywhere. Business organizations are not out of that magical touch. Organization development and technology are very closely related. Every organization leverages technology to support their overall strategy. Different organizations are using technology to a various extent. By using technology, organizations have become more efficient than organizations before them. Technology allows the organization to achieve their goals. Technological developments enable productivity allowing reorganization of organizational structure, activities and culture. In return, it greatly improves the effectiveness of the organization. However, for this to last and stay a reality, the use of technology should be leveraged at its fullest extent to maximize results. Indeed, the rise in productivity could be a result of organizations having the ability to grasp, appreciate and absorb current technological advances into their structure, creation and culture. Efficient business processes enable business ventures to save money and time. To hold market share, organizations also try to incorporate the latest technologies as much as possible. Organizations should continue to strive to use modern systems that are concurrent with the latest technological advancement. Therefore, regulating modern systems confirms that organizations consistently use up-to-date technological systems to improve business procedures, as well as ensures that those systems and procedures are consistent within the entire organization. If productivity increases, it will be a result of an increase in the efficiency of the business process and decrease in expense which is the indication of an increase in overall income. The scope of technology that a corporation can adopt is immense; starting from buying a personal laptop with an application program, to investment within the latest progressive computer-aided production machinery. No matter the quality of the system or the dimensions of the organization, one factor is for certain – the incorporation of technology or information systems can result in change. Implementation of technological systems will act as a catalyst for change. Literature review Technological use has been widely recognized now. It is very important for an organization’s survival and growth. Among the use of different types of  technology it has been seen that the use of Information Technology (IT) is more frequent. According to Crichton & Edgar (1995), in dealing with the market complexity IT helps an organization to a great extent (Farhanghi, Abbaspour & Ghassemi, 2013). For instance, it has become difficult to run a business in the hotel industry without the help of IT. In the past, the check-in process at a hotel was manual, but now the check-in is performed with the use of software programs. The use of software has made the check-in process easy and time efficient. To evaluate the performance of the employees, hotel businesses are using different software programs such as Small Improvements, TribeHr or HRM Direcct With the help of IT, organizations are able to offer better product offering. Many organizations offer customized products or services to their customers and it is possible only because of technology. Customization in the banking sector can be the best example of customized service offerings. Citibank improved its Internet site in 2002 to provide easy navigation and access for customers, which is the adoption of latest technology in their organization (Mininni, n.d.). This adoption allows the customers of Citibank to set up a customized home page catered to their individual needs and preferences. On the home page, customers can keep the content in a layout that work in the best way for them. Technology plays a vital role in shaping organizational structure. Whisler (1970) argued that increasing vertical information results in centralization of information, and IT impacts the structure of the organization (Farhanghi, Abbaspour & Ghassemi, 2013). According to Church & Waclawski (1998, 2001), people are now in the era of information (Church, Gilbert, Oliver, Paqu et & Surface, 2002). For instance, if an individual wants some information about a specific hotel, he can use a laptop to find information about the hotel. He can reserve a room through online reservation. Hronec (1993), illustrated the role of information as â€Å"vital signs† to drive and evaluate initiatives related to organizational development (OD) and human resource development (HRD) which are more significant now than before (Church, Gilbert, Oliver, Paquet & Surface, 2002). For instance, most organizations are using performance appraisal software such as Trackstar Performance Appraisal, Wingspan, or Empxtrack for the performance appraisal of their employees. Most businesses are now operating either with computers or communication devices. These devices allow the organization to organize information such as data base, personal schedule and so on (McGrath, 2008). In the view of Waclawski & Church (2002), technology has showed a different way to look at OD as a truly data-driven process (Church, Gilbert, Oliver, Paquet & Surface, 2002). Consistent with the view of Tippins (2002), to achieve the advancement in the field of OD, technology has brought more opportunities (Church, Gilbert, Oliver, Paquet & Surface, 2002). Impacts of Technology on Organizational Development Technology has various impacts, both positive and negative, on the development of the organization. Technology definitely has its place among the key parts that form a corporation. The formal structure or arrangements inside a corporation may be plagued by the arrival of recent technology; this does not need to be the case in every circumstances. A change may also occur when businesses change the way they operate. One futurist plan whose views are being validated is that the notion of the virtual geographical point (Kerman, 1995). The basic idea of this concept is that employees are able to work independently and will have accesses to information. The concept of not having a group workplace area definitely would be a modification from the standard routine of being physically present at the workplace from nine to five (ideally) and working. Such a concept would clearly be obsessed on the duty to be accomplished. In the case of virtual work spaces, employees have the autonomy of doing their assigned jobs. Tasks would be more focused, target oriented and the performance evaluation would not be on the basis of face to face interactions rather on the basis of how employees are performing their appointed tasks. Computer networks permit people to react quickly, share ideas, and transfer information regardless of physical locations. This is how technology allows supervisors to monitor the activities of their subordinates without requiring subordinates reporting them physically. Technology provides additional profit to organization, though it has some cost as well. However, in terms of return, it brings more than the cost to the organization. For instance, if a restaurant creates a website and start taking orders online, it would have some costs associated with creation of the website; however the restaurant will be able to tak e more orders than before creating the website. Technology helps to accumulate  ability and reduces duplication of resource. It also enhances career developments and eases the communication among employees of an organization. For example, many organizations use information systems within the organization to allow employees to communicate with leadership and subordinates. Information systems enable easier communication between employees. Technology provides structure making work easier. It increases the safety of recognized sources and interdependencies, allows diversification, and increases accountability between departmental managers. Technology can change the total operating model. For a quality work life, it is important to have a technological advanced setting which supports reduce absences, turnover, and accidents, through the use of prime quality digital computer (Hackman, 1977). Additionally, technology improves company’s sales and services. It improves division work by permitting staff to use personal electronic d evices to make sales displays, transmit orders and client information to the house from workplace. These electronic devices shorten the interval corporations spend receiving and delivering product or services, which can be a competitive advantage for the organization. Corporations can also send sales representatives to multiple markets at a shortest possible time, permitting them to penetrate multiple markets with negligible costs. Each business must use technology to achieve competitive advantage. In today’s environment, time and competence are essential factors in business growth. To survive in business, people should take advantages of technologies. Technology has changed the life of people; it has brought revolutionary changes in each operational sector. Through technological advancement, corporations are able to increase productivity, reduce costs, minimize time, etc. Technological advancement is equally necessary to OD practitioners. OD practitioners can use technology to gather knowledge, analyze actual state of affairs, and provide outcomes. The use of technology within the organization will bring the best result when employees of the organization are connected to the technology. Technological advancement increases competition, fosters rapid growth, and mitigates environmental changes imposing on the organization to reorganize themselves (Cummings & Worley, 2009). Technology dictates the pace of economic process within the space of information and communication technology (ICT) as this is often the main driver of processes. In the 21st century, developing countries are  concentrating on adopting technology as much as possible within organizations. Developing countries are viewing the application of technology in organizations as an economic development. Many organizations from developed countries are doing outsourcing from the developing countries [provide an example here]. These outsourcings are playing a vital role in the economic development of developing countries. Technology has changed the life of people; it has brought revolutionary changes in each operational sector. Through technological advancement, corporations are able to increase productivity, reduce costs, minimize time, etc. Technological advancement is equally necessary to OD practitioners. OD practitioners can use technology to gather knowledge, analyze actual state of affairs, and provide outcomes. The use of technology within the organization will bring the best result when employees of the organization are connected to the technology. Technological advancement increases competition, fosters rapid growth, and mitigates environmental changes imposing on the organization to reorganize themselves (Cummings & Worley, 2009). Technology dictates the pace of economic process within the space of information and communication technology (ICT) as this is often the main driver of processes. In the 21st century, developing countries are concentrating on adopting technology as much as possible within organizations. Developing countries are viewing the application of technology in organizations as an economic development. Many organizations from developed countries are doing outsourcing from the developing countries. These outsourcings are playing a vital role in the economic development of developing countries. Technology helps organizations achieve goals. However, technologies have some blockade. First, technologies are expensive. Second, individuals have to be capable to use advanced technical instruments. Individuals cannot work effectively until there is a free flow of sound data and technology. Proper work results in an increase in profit for the organization. Organizations typically pay a lot for the installation and maintenance of their own technology. Organizations want to keep information secret and safe about their technology. Output will be higher when employees have sound knowledge about the technology within their organization. Organizations have to take initiatives to teach their employees about technology. Once individuals have sound knowledge about technology then they have to know how to apply the application of their  earned knowledge. It is the responsibility of the OD practitioner to find out when individuals need training. OD practitioners try to reduce barriers and increase gains.. Organizations need to provide training about performance, competitions, elaborate program design, and many more. With proper training, employees will be able to make the best use of technology. Thus the organization will be able to achieve the goals. Conclusion In the end it can be said that the installation of a technology in the organization will not be enough to achieve organizational goals. The overall success depends on some other factors as well. Installation of a technology is only the beginning. Organizations have to provide proper training to employees to achieve the maximum advantage from the installation of the technology. Organizations have to have a close look on the performance of the organization as well. OD practitioners play a vital role to get the best result from the use of technology. When a change comes to the organization there will always be some resistant. Some employees may not accept the change. OD practitioners have to deal with these issues. They have to create the readiness for change and overcome the resistance. It is the responsibility of OD practitioners to ensure consistent training for all employees. If training is not consistent among the members of a same group then there could be a probability of conflic t among the group members. OD practitioners have to pay close attention to these issues as well. A combination of effort from all employees within the organization is needed to have the best result from the use of technology. To survive in the present competitive business world technological knowledge is must for any organization.

New Product Launch Marketing Plan Essay

This paper will discuss the details market profiles, key buying behaviors, and decision motivators for the consumers and organization target markets. It will explain how to manage each stage of the PLC and tactical plans for the Four P’s at each stage. It will also provide the product mix for the new offering of features and benefits, branding, and any other products in line; it will show the differentiating characteristics from competitive or substitute products, packaging and labeling, and warranties and guarantees. In addition, this paper will discuss how the company will create a new positioning statement for the product, and provide justification for the new positioning strategy. Product Mix It is believed that many users will eventually start to look for alternate products created by Q-saver. For this reason after the first year of successful operation Q-saver will provide a mix of products for consumers. Q-saver will develop handheld scanners called Q-saver light to be attached to key-chains that will serve the same purpose of the smartphone app, but available for those who were not interested in using their smart phones. Another product to be offered is a digital website subscription called Q-saver virtual that will be available for consumers to see the breakdown process of discounts for products offered amongst retailer to retailer. The benefits of the two new product offerings are convenience, variety, and knowledge to support the mission to provide consumers with the greatest set of discounts by using Q-saver for their shopping needs. The Q-saver branding label will be adhered to the new products Q-saver light and Q-saver virtual. The addition of the new products w ill provide a convenient unique approach to saving. Differentiating the characteristics of the Q-saver  features the company will make surveys of recent buyers to analyze the consumer value set against the company cost for the different features. Q-saver will consider how many people want the feature, and how long it would take to introduce it and whether the competitor could certainly copy it. The company will also consider in terms of bundles or packages, as well as consider feature customization at a higher price or a many standard packages at a lower price (Kotler, & Keller (2012). Q-saver will differentiate products by customizing them. As Q-saver continue to increase it will gather information of each individual consumer and the business partner (retailers, suppliers, and distributors) the factories are designed for more flexibility. Q-saver will meet each customer requirement as individuality designed service, products, and communication (Kotler, & Keller, (2012). Q-saver packing the design for the consumer of the product. It will be attractive the consumer will want to displayed it at their home. Q-saver is a unique packaging and has a resealed spout that will bring big benefits to the consumer and profit Q-saver. Q-saver package will: Recognize the brand Q-saver Transport expressive and influential data Enable Q-saver shipping and security Storage Benefit Q-saver consumption Q-saver will choose color of packaging that carries meanings and the culture and market segments. Q-saver labeling will identify it brand and promote the product through it attractive graphics. Q-saver responsible for having a warranty statement for returned to the manufacturer or designed repair place for all repairs, replacement, or returns. Q-saver guarantees reducible risk. Q-saver has the highest quality and it service performance are dependable. The guarantee will assure the buyer of the quality and stability of Q-saver product (Kotler & Keller, (2012). Positioning For the diversified shopper, short on time, Q-saver provides the knowledge of savings and variety with the convenience of different stores and products. Q-saver is not affiliated with just one or two stores. The smartphone and  tablet app provides access to a wide variety of stores and products, providing access to current sales promotions, brand coupons, availability and so on. The objective is to position the app in the coupon app industry to best serve the market segments concerned with time management, savings and variety. Q-saver differentiates itself from competitors by providing access to a wide array of different stores’ information as well as sales promotions, providing guidance to what promotions can align with what manufacturer coupons to get the best savings, providing services such as scan and compare, the comparison of savings with consideration of other stores and so on. The application will constantly be evolving to better serve the well-informed shopper; requesting feedback and most importantly, acting on the feedback to provide the best product possible. In conclusion, the product will give details of target market profiles, behaviors and motivators’ for the organizational target market. It will explain the tactical plans of four P’s at each stage, and explain the features benefits and all differentiating characteristics for the competitive or substitute products, packaging and labeling, and warranties and guarantees. Also, create a positioning statement, which will provide justification for new positioning strategy. Reference Choosing a Product or Service to Sell. (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/78778 Kotler, P., & Keller, K.L., (2012). Marketing management(14th.ed) Upper Saddle River. NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall What is competition in marketing?- definition, types & quiz (2003-2014). Retrieved June 22, 2014, from http://education-portal.com/academ/lesson/what-is-competition-in-marketing- defintion-types-quiz.html#lesson What is an offering in marketing. (2014). Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/offering-marketing-24088.html Reference Kotler, P., & Keller, K. (2011). Marketing management: analysis, planning, and control(14th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

Ansel Adams Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ansel Adams - Term Paper Example At the same time, he provided ample importance to experimentation in the field of photography. Thesis statement: Ansel Easton Adams’ contributions to the context of photography prove that he made use of the same as a medium to communicate with the viewers and to express his views on nature, and his works are symbolic of the amalgamation of photography, environmental awareness, and music under a single roof. Biographical information Adams was born in the year 1902, in California. Adams’ father (Charles Hitchcock Adams) was a businessman (say, lumber business), who worked with his father (Adams’s grandfather). But Charles Hitchcock Adams was not interested in business because he was interested in Astronomy. In addition, Adams’ father was deeply influenced by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s naturalism. His mother, Olive Bray Adams was a homemaker. During his childhood, Adams was hyperactive and it prevented him from being the part of traditional schooling. So, A dams completed his school education by private tuitions. Besides, this de-schooling deeply influenced his later life as a nature photographer. Later, he joined Mrs. Kate M. Wilkins Private School to complete his education. One can see that Adams’ photographs represent his deep relationship with nature which was deeply indebted to his father’s influence upon him. ... Gradually, Adams began to participate in art exhibitions and exhibited his works. In the year 1928, he married a young lady named as Virginia Best, who later became the owner of Best's Studio. One can see that his career as a photographer is deeply influenced by music. Besides, Adams was interested in experimental photography. In the year 1933, he was able to open a gallery, specially prepared to exhibit his creative works in photography. This initiative was helpful to establish himself as a professional photographer. Adams passed away in the year 1984. Important works Some of the important works by Ansel Adams, like Rose and Driftwood, Clearing Winter Storm, Moonrise, and The Tetons and the Snake River are discussed here. As pointed out, Adams’ works are renowned for the close relationship with nature. He tried his level best to portray the secrets of nature, through the eyes of a naturalist. The photograph named as Rose and Driftwood (see appendix-1), 1932, which was capture d by him in San Francisco is the rare combination of animate and inanimate objects in nature. For instance, the rose represents the animate objects and the rosewood represents the inanimate objects in nature. Besides, this photograph is symbolic of his decision to give up his career as a musician. At the same time, this photograph reveals Adams’ awareness on the wise usage of natural light in photography. In addition, the similarity between the petals of the rose flower and the pattern on the driftwood is noteworthy. The photograph named as Clearing Winter Storm (see appendix-2) was captured by Adams in the year 1940. One can see that this photograph was taken at Yosemite National Park. Adams waited for a long time to capture this photograph because and

Ethics Dilemmas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics Dilemmas - Essay Example In articulating my response I have made the greatest effort to remain objective and refrain from imbuing the reasoning with personal morality or religious influence. Still, with personal reasons aside the risk associated with revising the report greatly outweighs the benefits. Recently, the risk associated with producing misguided reports was brought to light in the case of the Wakefield Paper Retraction. In this instance, â€Å"Two decades of an antivaccine movement were essentially built on this paper, creating a decrease in MMR vaccination and an increase in measles outbreaks†¦Despite countless other scientific studies†¦it’s been challenging to convince parents as to the lack of link between autism and the MMR vaccine† ("The wakefield paper," 2010). In this instance, the falsifying of the report created a paradigm shift that caused significant medical detriment to many individuals with autism. While this specific report may not have the wide-ranging implica tions of the Wakefield Paper, the potential for such a pervasive influence is an extremely viable concern. Another major reason why it will not be ethically responsible to change the contents of the report relate to the potential of such a change to detrimentally harm individuals. When considering historical instances of such medical malpractice, there are many examples wherein such practices had long-term harmful effects. From as early as 1932, with the Tuskegee Syphilis Study where, â€Å"Researchers withheld treatment even when penicillin became widely available† (Resnik, 2010), it’s clear that the nature of medical responsibility is of the utmost importance. Numerous instances in the 20th century demonstrate instances where short-term financial gain was followed, and in later years detrimental consequences followed. In these regards, if the report were revised, while it might be possible for the company to gain short-term market share and a competitive

Violence in Movies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Violence in Movies - Research Paper Example One of the most viewed and produced genres include violent and action packed movies which are purely entertaining in nature. However, the first years of violent movies were tightly regulated by the Production Code and therefore between the years 1939-1959, the genre of violent movies was in its lag phase; however produces recognized the potential of violence movies in the market and post 1960 production of such movies started though the concept of bloodshed was uncommon. It was only much later in the 1980’s that blood, guns and true violence was visible onscreen i.e. the depiction of violence changed drastically and till date the trend continues in American cinema. It needs to be admitted that though today violent activities are shown more in number, the actual visibility of blood was much raw in the older movies while today blood shedding is represented in a more sophisticated manner because the subject itself has become really common and the audience today have evolved too. It was in the 1980’s that the transition of movies into violence movies actually started since this was a drastic transitional period for the Hollywood film industry itself. One of the quintessential violent movies was the pure action movies whose basic structure and plot forms the basis of action movies that are made today. One of the first violent movies to be censored during this period was Conan, the Barbarian (1982) which was an action packed, adventurous and thriller. The concept of man-alien conflict also started in this period with the making of the Predator in 1985 where â€Å"the entire film literally boils down to a mano-a-mano standoff between Major Dutch Schaeffer, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and the alien predator who has hunted and killed his platoon soldiers one by one† (Kendrick,2009,p96). However, Cannibal Holocaust (1980) which is predominantly the most violent documentary movie that has

A Moment of Silence in Illinois Public Schools Essay

A Moment of Silence in Illinois Public Schools - Essay Example Firstly, from the legal point of view opponents claim that the mandatory school prayer introduced by the State is unconstitutional. In Illinois, as reported in the Chicago tribunal, Governor Red Blagojevich attempted to veto the bill on the grounds of separation of church and the state but was defeated. It is indeed true that public schools must remain neutral as far as religion is concerned, they may not endorse a particular religion at the demise of another one, may not endorse secularism over religion or endorse secularism over religion (Robinson 2000). The amends in the legislation to the Illinois act makes it flexible by accommodating diverse religious belief and introducing freedom and choice of observing ones belief according to many legal experts. Dave Smith a member of Illinois Family Institute [IFI] which has been lobbying for the bill in an interview said that it is good to see that the state is finally recognizing that citizens have freedom of religion and not freedom fro m religion. (Haynes, 2007) Even so, for the Act to be successful its implementation protocol is vital, according to Haynes and Thomas, parents, religious leaders and the community should be educated on three basic policies, one; The primary responsibility for the education of children still lie with the parents, secondly; schools must protect the religious freedom of students of all faiths and those of no faith and lastly; Public debate must be conducted with respect, civility and indifferent to the diverse religious beliefs of the society. (Loconte, 1996) Secondly, from the religious point of view, Christians believe that prayers should be subject-driven and not object-driven; thus an individual should instigate prayers from within for the prayers to have value otherwise the value of prayer diminishes if it is mandated hence defeats the purpose, a parent reacting to the act in the Christian website lamented that she wanted her children to want to pray not have to. But religious experts differ and hold the view that introduction of religious practices in schools in the long run help to nurture a moral society, on this grounds, religious lobbyists are in the view that it is possible to administer prayer and statement from variety of religion and secular philosophies without trivializing any religion or violating the constitution by concentrating on fundamental universal values taught by all the religious groups (Robinson, 2000). This can be done through signing up for the "Three R's Project" that is Rights, Responsibility and Respect. T his project has been introduced in many states successfully and it basically postulates that the Fist amendment provision was to maintain respect for individual conscience, and that it implies a set of civic principles for affirming religion in the public all its diversity. Thus multi ethnicity does not have to mute all religious influence. (Loconte, 1996) Another Christian classical notion is mandatory prayers in public schools will interfere with harmony between different religions

Personal statement for Finance (NOT ACCOUNTING) program at Imperial Essay

Personal statement for Finance (NOT ACCOUNTING) program at Imperial College - Essay Example While in China, I had the opportunity to work at Volunteer Union, Suzhou, for the old people. I also worked as a journalist for XJTLU University in Xian. I could do fairly well as a journalist, and some of my works got published in the official website of the university those days. All these areas helped me to get along with people and sustain confidence in everything I do. I was always crazy plying with numbers. During my graduation, I was very particular with the subject that even the solution to an easy puzzle would give me a lot of delight. The reason why I love to select finance as my subject is I want to concentrate on the unpredictable financial market situations in order to make stock analyses based on the market environment that involves a lot of mathematical calculations and analyses. To get real life experiences and additional knowledge on my prospective career, I have made visits to actual financial markets and travelled through markets like Shaanxi Finance Radio, Huatai Security Company and Agriculture Bank of China. Admittedly, my internships added to my experience and I clearly understood the required level of expertise a person must possess in order for working in financial markets. After two years’ major education in China, I left for Liverpool for continuing the rest of it in September 2010. My two years experience in the UK helped me to adjust with strange cultures and to take up a different view on urban and finance culture. This knowledge in cultural diversity is essential for one to act in response to the present financial problems in the modern economy especially in financial markets. I have the strong hope that Imperial College London with its fortunate reputation in academic world can help me to develop my skills and employability across a wide range of industries. The subjects like statistics, economics, securities market and financial mathematics that I studied during my

Public sector management and governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Public sector management and governance - Essay Example For example market-type mechanisms like contract giving. New public management also includes high emphasis on performance, maximization of outputs and great level of customer orientation. New public management developments include several economic, political, social and technological factors. Countries that adopt new public management are found to be witnessing fiscal and economic crises. This has resulted in the attempts to increase efficiency and reduce the cost of providing public services. The crisis encountered by the welfare state created several doubts about the role and institutional nature of the state. In many developing countries, developments in public administration and management have been accelerated by external pressures. Moreover, these reforms have happened in the background of structural adjustment programs. Other factors of new public management developments include pre-eminence of neoliberal ideas that existed in the late 1970s and the deployment of efficient int ernational management advisors and consultants on various reforms. Other factors in new public management include the development of information technology. For developing countries, new public management developments include great emphasis on proper governance and lending conditions. Earlier, new public management was considered as a phenomenon of developed countries, typically Anglo-Saxon, phenomenon. In the 1990s we have seen applications of different alternative of new public management practices in few developing economies and transitional economies. Downsizing and user fees are introduced in several countries, for example African countries. These activities are related to different structural adjustment works. Autonomous agencies included in the public sector are formed in certain countries. For example, the autonomous hospitals in Sri Lanka, Ghana and Zimbabwe. In Uganda and Ghana we found the hiving-off of excise and customs and revenue divisions to create executive agencies . Performance contracting as well as contracting out have been the major policy options in different crisis states. Contracting out has been considered as a tool to develop SOEs, state-owned enterprises. This provided more operational freedom to SOE managers while making them responsible for the performance of the enterprises. Grants, sanctions and rewards are implemented for the performance enhancement of enterprises. Performance contracts are introduced in different sectors like agriculture, transport and telecommunication. Countries like India, Bolivia and Ghana have implemented this. Contracting out is put into practice in the various sectors. Delivery of public services including road maintenance, waste management, laundry services, catering services, health services and other urban services are contracted out. In Zimbabwe we find the contracting out of different public services. Even though the adoption of new public management practices appear to be beneficial in certain case s, they have certain limitations to be applied in come crisis states. In Brazil and few other African countries new public management have brought cost savings while contracting out public works like road maintenance. However these techniques bring certain limitations in few states. The inefficiency of new public management in such countries reveals that there are institutional problems and other issues that

Deviance and Social Control Experiments Essay Example for Free

Deviance and Social Control Experiments Essay An interesting assignment was assigned to us this week, one that I was excited and a little nervous to get started on. Our society is quite dependent on what is â€Å"normal. † Normal is following a routine, one that was set only by you and no others. Normal is to dress in what is considered socially acceptable, not garb that would throw you into a social outcast setting. But what happens when you defy these norms and start to step out of the box? At home my husband and I have established a routine that works well for us. Simple chores, such as, loading and unloading the dishwasher and laundry are split equally between us. Another routine that took shape shortly after we were married was where we sat in relation to the television. I sat on the long couch on the middle cushion; he sat on the love seat with the recliner. I have no idea where this tradition came from but I was excited to shake it up. I started sitting in the recliner. No words were spoken about it beforehand; it was just claimed as mine. This behavior merited a few odd looks and that was that. I suppose to think this behavior was odd is to know my husband. The most laid back person I have ever met, he shies away from confrontation on any level. I brought up the subject a few days into the experiment and he simply shrugged his shoulders and said that it was just a place to sit. We have since fallen back into our routine but now we both have an unspoken knowledge that it is indeed, just a place to sit. When it comes to fashion sense, mine falls under classy yet comfortable. I was excited to see that fashion could play a role in this assignment and actually chose to utilize the entire week. Being a stay at home wife means that there is hardly a dire need for me to leave the house. Errands can be accomplished in one day. However, I do enjoy the library and frequent it often, but instead of visiting in casually comfortable clothing I wore a party dress. Not just a party dress but one with ridiculous shoes, rain boots. I felt so silly at first but boldly embraced my fashion choice as the day wore on. Many patrons of the library stole glances but didn’t say much. I was feeling sad for myself, I was finding that standing out is much harder that I imagined but also admiration for those who do it daily and have no tribulations. As I was leaving a little girl came and grabbed my poufy skirt and told me she liked my dress and I found it to be an instant mood booster, one that made this little experiment well worth the challenge. My mother and I have a wonderful relationship, one that took years and years of teenage angst and stubbornness to overcome. These days, however, we are thick as thieves. I call her daily just to chat and she is a shoulder to cry on during hard times. She is, in no way, soft spoken but in her aging years has gotten to be much calmer. We rarely fight or argue anymore and when we do we simply get off the phone. One day I called her and talked to her in a loud voice. As I did I was having flashbacks to my teenage years where, it seemed, all I did was talk to her like this. She was instantly upset with me and asked why I was mad and yelling. I wasn’t yelling just talking loudly and since it happens so rarely anymore she mistook it for yelling. We have maybe a minute long talk and she hung up. I was severely upset and hated doing this experiment. I had no idea it would upset her so much and that, in turn, would upset me. I called her back immediately and informed her of the assignment. She thought it was hysterical. She laughed so hard but I feel it was more out of relive than anything else. Overall, this assignment was enjoyable. I learned how to step out of routine and that sometimes that is ok. It is not going to shake up life as much as would be expected. I learned that fashion is in the eye of the beholder. It is not something that should hold as much pressure as magazine emphasis and that sometimes a little girl knows all the right words to turn your day upside down. I learned how sensitive my mother can be and also, how sensitive that makes me. I learned not to take myself to seriously because nobody else does.

First Tuesday Book Club Essay Example for Free

First Tuesday Book Club Essay The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ranks number two on a list of â€Å"Ten Aussie Books to Read Before You Die† voted for by viewers of the ABC’s First Tuesday Book Club. Discuss the Significant Features of the novel that have contributed to its success, analysing and evaluating their contribution. The novel, â€Å"The Book Thief† by Markus Zusak was first published in 2005. The story is set in Germany, 1939, the time of World War Two. Many significant characters are revealed though out the novel such as Death, Hans Hubermann, and Liesel Meminger. These characters are memorable as well as lovable, but also bring out the idea’s and style of the Novel. Death is one of the major characters in The Book Thief as not only does he give the book a certain style but also the book is set from his perspective. â€Å"It’s the story of one of those perpetual survivors.† (Markus 2005, p.6) Death is shown as impatient and spills in the beginning the main events in the book such as the bombing raid the takes place, the death of the American fighter pilot as well as the fate of important characters. Death even notices it and apologises. By him being exposed as impatient, Zusak has been able to use the literary style of foreshadowing. Markus Zusak mentions in one of his interviews, â€Å"I deliberately made Death let the plot out of the bag. It lends to the idea of his knowingness, and that he is not human. He does not function exactly how a human would in his story-telling There was also the idea that knowing what would happen in advance might soften the blow, and its also a challenge to myself.† (Little Willow 2006) Death uses colours to not only describe certain moments, but also the colour of the sky when people are dying. There are three moments in the book where Death comes across Liesel and he uses three colours to describe these moments, when her brother died it was white, â€Å"It felt as though the whole globe was dressed in snow.† (Markus 2005, p.7) When the American fighter pilot died it was black, â€Å"It was the darkest moment before the dawn.†(Markus 2005, p.10) There was the last time when he encountered Liesel, when the sky was red, â€Å"The sky was like soup boiling and stirring. In some places it was burnt.†(Markus 2005, p.13) the use of colours creates a style which sets the mood. Whether the mood should be silent, soft and still, or it should make you angry. Death isn’t given a gender in the the novel and although he has feelings, it gives the idea as well as shows he is not human. There are other ways that Death shows he is not human. He clearly states â€Å"I am haunted by humans† which separates him from humanity. â€Å"To prove to me that you, and your human existence, are worth it.† (Markus 2005, p.16) Death acknowledges the idea of whether humans are worth it. Throughout the Book Thief it is noticed that there are many characters that truely are worthy such as Hans and clearly Liesel. Death illustrates that through all the ugliness that is happening at that time, even though the story is set at the time of the Holocaust as well as World War Two, that there is beauty that shines. It makes a difference. â€Å" He had the ability to appear in the background He was always just there. Not noticeable There was most definitely a value in him† (Markus 2005, p.34) Hans wasn’t a main character within The Book Thief, but was an important character. He creates the love and joy within The Book Thief. â€Å"I nearly wrote you a reply and signed your mother’s name I couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself.† Hans is a caring, and gentle. This stands out as the book thief has many sad moments by him being caring and gentle it gives you another view of what life was like in World War two as Hans is an average German man, but he disagrees with what is currently happening in Germany. â€Å"When he looks at me and smiles and breathes, I hear notes.† Hans’s accordion was not only a symbol of his kindness, but also is a part of him. Markus Zusak has carefully placed this in the book by writing about Rosa clinging to it at night when Hans works for the military and Liesel mentioning that she sometimes imagines Hans as an accordion when he plays. Liesel is the main character who still finds happiness out of an awful situation. â€Å"The words. Why did they have to exist? Without them, there wouldn’t be any of this. Without words, the Fuhrer was nothing. There would be no limping prisoners, no need for consolation or worldly tricks to make us feel better.† (Markus 2005, p.521) Although at age 9 Liesel is illiterate she soon learns the power that words have to heal and save such as Liesel reading books to Frau Holtzapel to heal the pain she felt. â€Å"It’s the story of one of those perpetual survivors- an expert at being left behind.†(Markus 2005, p.6) Liesel is seen as a â€Å"perpetual survivor† because despite many people dying and all the suffering she manages to still have pure happiness. The style and ideas are shown through the characters and the book is unusual in so many ways as it tackles ideas most don’t want to think about such as the ugliness and beauty of humans and whether some deserve to live. It also shows the power humans have through words and what we believe in. It looks at a different perspective of death so instead of humans being afraid of death, Death is afraid of humans. It’s a sad, depressing story where many good characters die, but it shows lightness. Good people who stand out even if not important. The novel is beautifully written as it flows like a poem with such power. These are the significant features that have contributed to its success. Zusak, M 2005, The Book Thief, PanMacillan, Sydney. Little Willow 2006, ‘Interview: Markus Zusak’, Blog post, interview, 4 June, accessed 22 May 2013, .

Impacts Of Social Networks On Social Behaviour

Impacts Of Social Networks On Social Behaviour Social network sites have become a global phenomenon that plays important roles in our society today. It is a social milieu that allows individuals to present themselves, communicate with one another and to maintain relationships. These SNSs (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and MySpace) are rapidly increasing visibly among the University students. Social network does not only influence students learning outcome but it also help the University students to attain social acceptance as well as adapting to University culture which may play central role towards improving their learning outcome. Several researchers revealed that SNS as technological tools can be used to effectively improve student-student and student-teacher interactions in higher institutions. In this regards SNS plays a prominent role in learning environment as a major conduit for getting resources, knowledge, and social support and also provides help for students preparing for or/ finding employment. On the other hand, many researchers observed that students spend several hours in a day attending to different social network sites even during lecturers and library sessions thus creating distractions and reducing the time to focus on their studies. This discourse therefore reviews the benefits and obstacles of social networks on social behaviour and academic performance of students. It also reviews the attitude of students towards the use of technology, SNS and how social network can improve learning style as it portends great promise towards enhancing their academic performance. 1.0 Introduction Academic institutions all over the world especially in developed countries have made tremendous investment in computer and internet infrastructure with the hope that this would result in the utilisation of web-based knowledge resources which may leads to significant increase in academic performance and productivity of students or staff (Oskouei, 2010) . However, this investment may not have yielded the desired goals of increasing learning quality and productivity of the students because these resources are used for both academic and non-academic works (Oskouei, 2010). It has been estimated that young adults are the highest computer and internet users in the world population today, about 46% of them uses it for completing school assignment, 36% for e-mail or instant messaging and 38% for playing computer games (DeBell and Chapman, 2006). Social network sites which are online communication tool that have existed less than a decade allows its users to create public and private profile thus enabling them to interact with people in the same network (Boyd and Ellison, 2008). Social networks can be defined as web-based activities that allow individuals to build public and/or semi-public profiles within a confined system; articulate and connects to list of other users with which they are connected; view and check their list of connections with the ones created by others inside the system(Boyd and Ellison, 2008, Kirschner and Karpinski, 2010). Examples of the new phenomenon of social networks are MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Facebook is the leading social network in many countries followed by Twitter and LinkedIn in popularity. It has been reported that Facebook have 901 million monthly users and more than 125 billion friends connected at the end of March, 2012 (Karpinski et al., 2013). The positive and negative impacts of social network on students social behaviour and academic achievement can be examined by their engagement, collaborative work, creativity, distraction, and grade point average (GPA). Research has shown that students participation on social networks have a positive connection to their engagement, and negative connection to their academic performance. Many researchers indicate that students academic performance can be increased by enhancing their engagement, and it has been stated that students engagement has a significant predictor of their academic performance (Wise et al., 2011). The relationship between students academic engagement and their academic performance is in agreement with (Junco, 2012). They reported that students engagements are powerful forces for psychosocial development and academic success. Social networks have the potentials of improving learning styles, as they provides alternative to traditional teaching format such as creation of online classroom community, and also enhancement of student-teacher and student-student interaction (Merchant, 2012) Social network increases social interactions and allows easy communication between, families, friends, neighbourhoods and global communities. Most social networks incorporate lots of communication tools like mobile connectivity, blogs, photos and video sharing which allows cross-posting to each other as desired by the users (Merchant, 2012) It has been reported that social network interactions allows quality relationships, connectedness, positive behaviours and also sharing of relevant information have been observed on social network sites (Martin Dowson, 2009). Forkosh-Baruch Hershkovitz, (2012), also reported that lecturers, learners, system/software designers, decision makers and students are coming to social network sites for significant educational activities, and also establishes new innovations using interactive and collaborative online journals. Griffith and Liyange (2008) reported that students use social network in their academic studies such group and team based works. In this regards social network plays a central role in learning environment as a major conduit for getting resources, knowledge, social support and socialization for learning distribution (Cho et al., 2007). It provides help for students preparing for or finding employment (Connelly, 2011). On the other hand, researchers have shown that high level of internet usage among adults of certain age group (16-24 years) for social and emotional advancement could be regarded as internet addiction or pathological internet users for the group (Odaci and Kalkan, 2010). Internet addiction is the inability to limit internet usage despite its detrimental effects on social behaviour and academic performance; and also cause of anxiety when internet accessibility is restricted (Odaci, 2013). Young adults that experience difficulties in communication skills in the real life have reported significantly reduction while using social network but in real life their social skill is inadequate and therefore problematic in social behaviour and academic performance (Caldwell Cunningham, 2010; Caplan, 2010; Odaci, 2013). Social behaviour is an indispensable constituent of social psychology that can either be positive or negative. It consists of social determinant such as attitude, self-concept, collaboration, communication, violent behaviour and conflict reduction etc (Bertram, 2009). Social network helps to provide information on direct friendships and also generates a better global modelling for social organisation which determines how individual patterns of social behaviour correlate to group characteristics. The behaviour of an individual can affect the behaviours of others within the same social networks. Social behaviour can, for instance, influence flow of information or behaviours throughout a group (Makagon et al., 2012). Social networks do not only provide an assessment of popularity, but they can also be exploited as a vehicle to gain or access important information (Fetta et al., 2012). According to Lewis et al., (2007), the mass movement of people to the use of social network has instigated researchers into investigating impacts of social networks. It may not be an exaggeration if we say that many modern day young adults, especially students, make use of social network on a daily basis (Boyd Ellison 2007). According to Bryant Bryant (2005), the internet possesses the capability to influence our young adults and students behaviour very easily. This researcher has had experiences with youths/students in the library and classes that spend most of their time chatting and watching sexually explicit resources that might produce negative effects on their behaviour. Arising from the fore going, this researcher intends to study the postgraduate students attitudes as regards the use of social network during formal classes and library in Heriot-Watt University. At the end of the research, recommendations will be made based on the students response. Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter are chosen for this research study because of the large number of students that use these online social networks for chatting and sending messages (Cheung et al., 2010; Golder et al., 2007; Stutzman, 2006). It is essential for the academic institutions to know the positive and negative impacts of social network on students behaviour and academic performances. Benefits and obstacles of social network on educational system Social network sites (SNS) has become one of the useful tools that can revolutionized educational sector to suit requirement to improved knowledge for both student-student and student-teacher interaction. As an effective new culture of learning, social network site (SNS) offers students opportunity to use informal ways to communication, learn and collaborate independent of time and space (Zaidieh, 2012). It also helps teacher to keep constant communication and get feedback from students which improves learning efficiency. Social network sites play major role between students-teachers by allowing students to be in constant connections with other students, educators, alumni, administrators within and outside the academic environment (Jiang and Tang, 2010; Zaidieh, 2012). SNS has the ability to attract, motivate and engage students in meaningful academic practices, content exchange and other collaborations (Mills, 2011). SNS provides student-teacher flexibility in learning, teaching and also the ability to join groups in specific subjects or disciplines and enable them to connect, view photos, videos and instructional activities established by other users of the network (ELI, 2007). SNS gives students and teachers the possibility of repetition i.e to either retrieve information immediately or later which is hard when using traditional methods of teaching (Dobrzanski and Brytan, 2007). In contrast to SNS the non-SNS method such as blackboard and module are much focused and lack personal touch and network capacity of SNS. SNS has the potentials to actively encourage online community building and extend learning beyond the boundaries of the classroom (Smith, 2009; Brady et al., 2010). It provides unique opportunities for educators and instructors to facilitate a very strong sense of community within students and encourages creation of new knowledge and collective intelligence by personal interactions. SNS provides shared forum where students can post or share, and engage in collaborative discussion while sharing common sources like links, video and photos (McCann, 2009). It represents a defined shift towards social and community web-based application that can cultivate and sustain subject specific social networking. It does not only attract people but also hold their attention, propel them, to contribute and bring them back time without number all to get desirable qualities for educational purposes. SNS makes it easy and quick to access, review, update and edit learning materials any time and everywhere (Cheong, 2002) and allows students and teachers to select desirable materials from large quantity of course offered on online. It allows easy distribution of learning materials and reduces stress and increases satisfaction among students. It gives students opportunity to study at their own self-pace and allow them to join bulletin board discussion any time while visiting classmates and instructors remotely in chat room. It overcomes the limitations of space and time in education and allows accessibility of available materials in their sites and also helps to resolves time table conflicts (Zaidieh, 2012). The major challenges of SNS in education sector including lack of privacy, miscommunication and taking up times. Privacy is the major obstacles of SNS in education. Nissenbaum, (2004) described privacy as the contextual integrity which refers to the rules of appropriateness, in confines of the nature and types of information about different individuals within a given context, that is allowed, expected, or demanded to be revealed, and the rules of distribution, in confines of the movement, or transfer from one person to another. It simply means that in social network interaction; individuals have expectations concerning what information is deem appropriate to collect and circulate. Thus, specific types of information are appropriate for sharing among a certain groups of friends but may not be good to open to other social network users outside that group (Pai and Arnott, 2012). Its users express concern about privacy of their personal information and are most vigilant about safeguardin g it (Dwyer et al., 2007). In social network site (SNS), people have lots of friends and the quality and integrity of these friendship are always in question because they are not always 100% honest and reliable and cannot actually verify personal details (age and location) of their members. It also allows accurate and positive self-profile that can be potentially abused by the openness (Zaidieh, 2012). Miscommunication: In most cases, learner (students) face difficulties in expressing their ideas and views in writing as most of them prefer to express their ideas and views orally, the approach they are used to for many years of their studies. Face-to-face allows one individuals to perceive physical clues like tones, reflection, body language in an online environment (Zaidieh, 2012). Taking up time: Social network users spent much time in Internet, and more time online for their studies and works. Most times this causes lack of motivation towards learning and can be bored sitting in front of a computer for a very long time especially when the learning materials presented is free of audio and visual effects that can attract learner towards learning (Zaidieh, 2012). Lenhart et al., (2010) reported that half of the users are idled online for hours from time to time. This finding suggested that the more online time, the more SNS users, took their toll on information consumption through the social network platforms. According to Zhong et al., (2011), more than half of the social network users stated that reading information and watching videos online gave them short time for using non-SNS materials, such as broadcast and printed documents, indicating a move in trend of information from non-SNS to SNS, especially among students. Many researchers observed that students spend several hours in a day attending to different social network sites even during lectures and library sessions thus creating distractions and reducing the time to focus on their studies. For example, in the lecture or library, most students leave their mobile phone on and silently chat on the social network sites and when the lecturer sets an examination, with high expectation of good grades; majority of the students will not do well. This scenario is ominous for both the students involved and the society at large. If this situation is not put under control, it will affect the students focus towards academics and possibly increase the number of students dropping out of school. Pempek, et al., (2009) studied College Students social networking experiences on Facebook using 92 scholars. The study revealed that the students spend minimum of 1 hr. on daily bases with social network. The researchers reported that students spend more time reading the contents from their friends responses, uploading pictures and to keep in touch with friends. Other researchers however, observed that there is no relationship between time spent on the use of social network and students academic performance. Hunley et al., (2005) opined that there is no significant between the time spent on the social networks and the Grade Point Average (GPA) of students. This finding is in agreement with Kolek and Saunders (2008) which observed that social network usage and the GPA of Users have no relationship. On the other hand, Verden Boogart, (2006), reported that social network users have lower GPAs more than non-users. This finding correlates with the report by Flad (2010) that 32% out of 35% of the students that use social network have poor academic performance, and concluded that social network is good for students socialisation but negatively impact on their academic performance. Barratt et al., (2009), observed that many students log onto Facebook many times in a day, thus spending valuable time, if spent on their studies would lead to excellent academic performance. It is necessary to examine whether or not social network involvement by students improves their academic works and social behaviour. How Social network Improves learning style? In the world today, higher institutions explore emerging technologies such as social network sites as a new or improved tool to enhance teaching and learning. Social network sites support student, and boost the integration in the higher education classes. Even though the infrastructures to support social network presently exist in most universities, instructors are slow in adapting to the tools as an educational one. Recently, Sadaf et al., (2012) studied pre-service teachers beliefs about their intent to use social network in their future classrooms. The results opined that half (51%) were committed to the new technology as an instructional tool because it increases student engagement. Brady et al., (2010) studied the use of social network at North Carolina State University. Seventy percent agreed with the notion that SNS made communication skill possible between peers than a comparable face-to-face class. Nearly (82%) indicated that SNS help them communicate outside the class as we ll. Most users (74%) also agreed that SNS allows them to reflect and comments on other peoples work more effectively than a face-to-face class. In addition, Ajjan and Hartshorne, (2008), reported that Social network sites are viewed as useful tools to improve students satisfaction (32%) and also increased student-student interaction (56%). For instance, SNS enables scholars and teachers to remain current in their research areas, and also to explore recent approaches to teaching through networking with colleagues, interacting with different individuals, discussing their research/or work, and also expose their work or research interest to greater audiences. For example scholars use SNS such as blogs to support their scholarly endeavours. Researchers have identified that blogs are used; i) as a debate platform for scholars who seeks a live public intellectuals, (ii) for recording or sharing logs of pure research, (iii) as a type of tongue-in-cheek i.e water cooler to which analytical discussions of only scholarly experience can occur (Kirkup, 2010). Blog usage extends beyond research to include teaching endeavours (Deng and Yue n, 2011). Cho et al., 2007 reported that early Twitter users used Twitter for making instructional information and provide students with opportunities to communicate with professional communities outside the classroom. Future usage of social network In the past few years, social network sites have attracted the interest of researchers which examine the role this technology plays in higher education. Few of the work have showed the affective outcomes of social network site integration. Some of the studies examined learning outcomes and students achievement as related to the educational usage of social sites in college courses. King et al., (2009) described the recent development of an inter-professional team work in the healthcare field that shows how to integrate social networking. The researchers stated that in future integration of an educationally structured social network sites will facilitated growth toward the concept of effective communication which will overcome barrier of distance in learning. Some researchers have also reported that in future social network sites could foster scholarship that is social (Chong, 2010; Greenhow, 2009), conversational and open (Oblinger, 2010; Pearce et al., 2010). Social scholarship is the practice in which the use of social tools is an integral part of the research and publishing process that is characterised by openness, fast conversation, and collaboration, accessible, sharing, cheaper and transparent revision (Pearce et al., 2010). Social network sites which provide digital scholarship is more than just using information technologies and communication skill to research for materials; teach students and collaborate with other, but also to embrace the open values, ideologies and potentials of technologies essential for peer-to-peer networking and also a way of working in order to profit both the academic work and society at large. Picking up the mantle, Greenhow et al., (2009) suggested that todays student experienced different online identities due to new digital technologies at hand (for example; role playing sites, and virtual worlds). They opined that this new development presents a fundamental shift from the non-SNS to SNS and concluded that in future learners participation will be evidenced by inter-connections, content creation and participation attitudes in and out of the classroom. QUESTIONNAIRES A modified questionnaire instrument designed will be used in other to arrive at a general perception as regards to students opinion to the use social networks, behaviour to academic pursuit and social behaviour (Goodson et al., 2005; Pascarella et al., 2009). Considering the advantages of the quantitative approach, the researcher uses questionnaires to get many responses on the students behaviour towards the use social networks during classes and library sessions. There are 18 questions designed to elicit the participants opinion on the use of social network during classes and library sessions, social behaviour and time spent using social networks. Figure 1. Basic model of social behaviour and academic performance of students using social network (Adapted from Paul et al., 2012) The questionnaires measuring each of the following constructs; time spent on social network, predictors of behaviour, time management skills, academic competency, attention Span, student characteristics and academic performance were developed from literature and discussions with supervisor. For example, questions that best describe the factors which explain studentsonline networking behaviour were adopted from Cameron, (2010). Questionnaires that are related to factors such as academic competency, Information on GPA, time management skills, study strategies, student characteristics, etc. are adopted from Mizerski and Pettigrew, (2003); Sansqiry et al., (2004); Paul et al., (2012). The questionnaire adopted five point Likert scale of Strongly Agree, Agree, Undecided, Disagree, Strongly Disagree (Ary et al., 2000). The adaptation of this method is to provide correct and simple grammar in other to achieve the research objectives and also provide answers to the research questions. CATEGORIES OF SOCIAL NETWORK SITES There are many social network sites that exist today. The most popular sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and LinkedIn are free registration. All that is required from the prospective users is to provide their profile picture. Social network sites have several categories which are available in the World Wide Web (WWW) (Brown, 2011). Social network categories are the class given to a large groups based on certain functions, features, forms and meaning. Each of the social network categories has their specific focus and functions but all have common characteristics. They have features such blogs, videos, records of members, journal and many more (Othman et al., 2011). Thelwall (2009), reported that social network tools have three main categories as regards to friendship connections, (Fig1.2). The first Category social network is for social communication among members. Facebook, MySpace, twitter, etc. have this feature. Category two, with LinkedIn as example aims at searching for new contacts. Category three is the social navigation network through which specific types of information or resources can be obtained. Figure 1.2 shows about 22 categories available in social network like discussion, education, and library. Most of the website falls into more than one category such as MySpace which can be categories into music and friendship category. Facebook Facebook was originally introduced in 2004 as an online Harvard social network site which allows students living on University residential halls or students from other faculties of the University to register as users and communicate with their fellow students (Zywicas and Danowski, 2008). In 2006, Facebook was made public for everybody (Urista et al., 2009); and in December 2006 it had over 12 million users and at the end of December 2009, the active users increased to 350 million (Hew, 2011). Today Facebook is the most populated social network site in the majority of the countries with more than 400 Million users. In March 2011, Europe had the highest number of Facebook users 234.6 million followed by 163.9 million in North America (Karpinski et al., 2012). Facebook is a social network site in which individuals or groups can share photographs, personal information, and communicate with friends (Hew, 2011). Facebook is also considered as the leading social network site used among college students. For example, Ellison et al., (2007) reported that in USA, 90% of the Undergraduate students Participate on Facebook. In British undergraduate students, Facebook has also become the most popular SNS used (Madge et al., 2009). Munoz and Towner, (2009) suggested that Facebook can have positive impact on college students life, and further stated that students can use Facebook to communicate with other students concerning their assignments, group work or project, or teachers communicating their students regarding useful information on a specific course links. On the other hand, researchers have shown concern in regards to possible negative impacts of Facebook usage among college students. For example, Kirschner and Karpinski, (2010) reported that students spending hours on Facebook may adversely affect their academic performance. Facebook profile can be classified into four main groups: i) control elements, ii) referents elements, iii) preference elements, iv) contact elements. Control elements are fields like the gender of the user, length/period of Facebook membership, and their institutional status. Referents elements include hometown, residence and high school which are based on profile fields or common points of contact among the users. Preference elements are simply based on expression of personal interest and self-descriptive information of the user. For example, About Me, my interests, my favourite Music, favourite movies, favourite TV-shows, favourite books, favourite quotes, and my political views. Contact elements are profile fields such as e-mail address, instant messenger screen name, and the relationship status (Cain, 2008; Lampe et al., 2007). Facebook users can also create groups and become a fan of a particular page of their interest organization such as football clubs, and celebrities thus allowing users with common goal to get together and support the organization or the celebrity. Facebook also serve as sources of entertainment because of the availability of games and other applications. Examples of such games and applications are Crazy Taxi, My Fairyland, and Facebook for iPhone (Hew, 2011). MYSPACE MySpace is one of the popular social networks sites in the world today. It was launched in California in 2003 to compete with other networks like Friendster and Xanga etc (Anderson, 2007). It grew rapidly by taking advantage of Friendsters mistake and failure. According to Anderson, (2007) Indie-rock bands that were expelled from Friendster because of profile problems; moved to MySpace network and began to attract users. There were several advertisements by most popular clubs in MySpace. It is believed that music was not only the key issue that attracted users of MySpace but rather there were symbiotic association between music bands and fans that helped to expand MySpace beyond expectation. MySpace is unique because it allows addition of features based on the users interest (Boyd, 2006). Boyd said that teenagers started using MySpace in 2004 to connect to their friends and not just for the reason that they belong to the bands. MySpace site achieved its highest growth rates with three different groups, namely, the musicians, teenagers and undergraduate students. Among SNS, MySpace gives greater self-expression than the popular Facebook and Twitter. It allows the users to customize their virtual space through an open format in which the designed elements, like text, video, music, graphics and photographs can be used to display their users online personality. With this feature users can create self-image that can be communicated to the mass audience. MySpace also gives the users more anonymity by providing the option of using a nickname. (Kane, 2008; Boyle and Johnson, 2010). Twitter Twitter is a free social network site and micro blogging service which enables the users to read and post short text-based message that is not more than 140 words, called tweets. Some people tweet with micro-blog platform, while others regard it as a social networking site (Bake, 2009). A Web service which allows people to post brief messages to other users of the same service is micro-blogging. It derived its feature from Instant Relay Chat (IRC) including instant messaging and handsets. According to Bake (2009), Twitter is one of the social network web-based applications that allow its users to build their own profile either publicly or semi-publicly. Twitter uses the exact basic features like find people profile and uploading pictures on profile etc. The traditional contacts in twitter are followers and following categories. Twitter does not belong to only SNSs socializing category but also to networking with navigation, (Thelwall, 2007). This network allows you to follow users (following) and also followed by other users (followers) without any authorization. Messages sent are automatically published on the front page of the users (timeline) (Torreente et al., 2012). Any user may reply or retweet any tweet, which can generate public debate and conversation. Links can also be added to the tweets in order to create additional information beyond the 140 words. Some key potentials of Twitter are that it is a window to the unlimited source of information and can be regarded multi-focal. It gives the opportunity to create lists of manage tweets by themes, authors and tags which helps users to manage the information and also easier to follow a particular topic. It is an ideal tool to disseminate information and to broadcast live events such as conferences, and any event worldwide. Twitter is fast and viral i.e. anyone can tweet and the spread of information can be unstoppable. One of the features of Twitter is the ability to include links which makes it easier to move from particular content to another (Torreente et al., 2012). Influence of social network on social behaviour of students Social behaviour is a kind of influence from specific group of people which may positively or negatively affec

The Theory of Planned Behaviour: Nurses Attitudes towards Older Patient

The Theory of Planned Behaviour: Nurses' Attitudes towards Older Patients ABSTRACT The Theory of Planned Behaviour was tested in a study for its ability to predict intention to behave in specific ways towards older patients. There were 172 subjects from 3 Scottish universities, Napier, Edinburgh and Abertay Dundee. The results gained from a questionnaire suggest that the Theory of Planned behaviour can be used to predict behavioural intentions of nurses when working with older patients. Nurses’ intention to behave was predicted by their attitudes mostly, perceived behavioural control also carried a significant beta weight although social norms were found to be non– significant. The underlying beliefs of attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural controls were also investigated in terms of expectancy value models. Nurses with positive attitudes towards older patients were found to hold patient orientated values, and job satisfaction, more important than other relevant values. Nurses are also more motivated to comply with senior staff that ma y share their positive attitudes also. One consequence of the present findings is that greater levels of support by senior staff and ways of increasing job satisfaction will improve the levels of care and treatment for older patients. Introduction Last year, for the first time ever, the developed countries of the world had more people aged 60 and over than youths aged 14 and under. For the world as a whole, the same will be true by the year 2043. The percentage proportion of older people in Western Europe is predicted to increase by 14.8%, 8.8 in Japan and 2.7% in the U.S.(U.S Census bureau). Two major forces drive the shift in age distribution. First, birth rates are declining in most parts of the world, but especially in the industrialized nations. and second, life expectancy is increasing almost everywhere. The U.K is a prime example of this phenomenon. In 1999 16 % of the population was 65 and over (DOH 1999). With the advent of new medicine and treatment for more and more illnesses and diseases the trend will increase. The implications of a human population that is both growing and aging are numerous and worrying. Advances in medical science, nutrition and fitness, and even bioengineering point to the day when many human beings will have the option of living well past the age of 100 (CSIS gl... ...ch in health care has often over looked these variables. Certainly the high level of interpersonal care and contact in nurses day-to-day work is directly influenced by the nurses own self identity (Farley, Lehmann and Ryan 1981), so therefore attitudes are expected to be significantly predictive of behavioural intentions. Perceived behavioural control has been shown to be of greatest influence when a person has previous experience and knowledge of the target behaviour and environment ( Bentler & Speckart,1979; Fredricks & Dossett, 1983; Manstead et al. 1983). Gerontology is a large specialist field in healthcare and a large proportion of nursing education from the outset of 1st year training. The theory of planned behaviour offers a better architecture in which to incorporate these influencing factors. Hypotheses H1 = The theory of Planned Behaviour can be used to predict Nurses’ intentions to behave towards elderly people. H2 = Behavioural beliefs and evaluations directly correlate with attitudes. H3 = Normative beliefs and evaluations directly correlate with subjective norms. H4 = Control beliefs and control power directly correlate with perceived behavioural controls.

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Shusanta Bhattarai Ms. Kelley Formal lab report The conservation of Mass and how it’s connected to chemical reactions Introduction In this lab, we were looking at the conservation of matter, chemical reactions and using mass to find the number of moles present after a reaction. We had previously studied moles (measurement system) and mass. We copiously took notes on the masses of the objects after reactions and observed how the quantity would â€Å"change† after a chemical reaction. The conservation of mass is a law that states a mass will stay consistent over time and will not change until it is not combined or removed. We performed a lot of chemical reactions in this lab. The first part of the lab was putting a coiled piece of copper in silver nitrate and washing it out with water. The second and third part was also about adding chemicals and seeing the reactions. The purpose of the experiment was to determine if the values of silver and silver nitrate would stay the same. The hypothesis was that if chemical elements and compounds react the ratio would stay the same, due to the conservation of mass and the law it has. Procedure Originally, I was supplied with 30 cm of copper wire and a test tube. First, the wire was cleaned with steel wool.The copper wire was coiled around the full length of the test tube. The copper was then weighed. Then an empty 250 ml beaker that was labeled by my partner was weighed. A vial of white silver nitrate was also weighed. After, 2/5th of the clean beaker was filled with distilled water and the solid silver nitrate was stirred in with the water until the crystals that were formed dissolved. Then the end of the copper wire was bent so we could submerge the coil in the solution and still be able t... ...s is attached and the mass must remain consistent over time. The chemical process did not change the quantity and it showed. 4. The ratios might be different because there might have been a flaw in the procedure. They all still surround 1 and no one in the class got one but we all got something close. 5. I think that the decanting process was the main source of contamination. Sometimes water doesn’t take out all the specks. We could buy a high tech decanting type-system and walk through each student individually so that there would be minimal chance of error. Conclusion We saw that no matter the chemical change we would get the same ratio. The purpose worked out in a great fashion and showed us that the quantity was almost the same. The whole class got a number that was close to one. The hypothesis was supported because the conservation of matter proved to be true.

Insanity of Hamlet and Ophelia

Hamlet’s insanity comes from his passion to get revenge and grief over his fathers death, while Ophelia has true and justified insanity. Hamlet has reason behind his madness, he is saddened by his father’s death, planning on how to kill his uncle, and his mind is in a fragile place throughout the play. Ophelia is very naive, defenseless, and loyal to the men in her life. She cannot contend with difficulties that occur during the play such as, her father dying, Hamlet’s attitude towards her, and her lack of judgement. The are both insane yet have different reasons and ranging motives behind their insanity. Hamlet is in a unique situation where he his mother has married his uncle, Claudius, and his father has been murdered by his uncle. He wants nothing but revenge for his father. Hamlet is obsessed with proving Claudius guilty. Hamlet receives a lot of pressure from the ghost of his father to achieve revenge and feels like he has some sort of responsibility to get revenge for his father. Hamlet is hasty, erratic, and does not really think about his actions. When he stabs Polonius thinking that it is Claudius hiding behind the curtains, he does not even bother to look behind the curtain he just does it. His wild elocution and deranged actions upset other characters and set them up for other actions. When Hamlet repetitively acts nastily towards Ophelia she winds up committing suicide . When Hamlet says, â€Å" Get thee to a nunnery! † to Ophelia she even questions Hamlet’s sanity at that point and may have been a contribution to Ophelia’s suicide. Hamlet is also upset with his mother, Gertrude, for marrying Claudius so fast after his fathers death. Hamlet feels betrayed by his mother and is enraged with her. In the play Hamlet tells Gertrude how much better his father was than Claudius and tries to make her promise how much better his father was than Claudius. Hamlet says to Gertrude in Act 3 Scene 4, â€Å"Mother, you have my father much offended. † Hamlet feels like his mother has betrayed his father and is angry. Hamlet makes Gertrude feel guilty for doing this. Ophelia madness is brought upon by her love for Hamlet, her loyalty to men, the death of her father, her lover killing her father, and many other things. Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship is not based on love, but almost around their insanity. It seems as if Hamlet does not really love Ophelia until she passes and then he finally realizes his true love for her. Hamlet states in Act 5 Scene 1,†I loved Ophelia. Forty-thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her? †. Ophelia truly loves Hamlet and thinks that Hamlet loves her the same way, she is traumatized by the fact that Hamlet shuns her and is rude to her. While watching the play in the castle Hamlet says to Ophelia, â€Å"That’s a fair thought to lie between maids' legs. † His rude comment to Ophelia causes her to become distraught. Hamlet is a possible cause of Ophelia’s suicide. When she finds out that Hamlet has killed her father she talks in riddles, rhymes, and sings songs about death and virginity. In Act 4 Scene 5 Ophelia sings, â€Å"Larded with sweet flowers which bewept to the grave did not go with true-love showers. † Ophelia is hysterical over the fact that Hamlet had killed her father and this is where she completely loses her sanity. She listens to all the men in her life and follows their commands. Polonius and Laertes tell Ophelia to not see Hamlet and that Hamlet does not love her. Laertes states to Ophelia in Act 1 Scene 3, â€Å"Perhaps he loves you now, and now no soil nor cautel doth besmirch the virtue of his will but you must fear. † Laertes is telling Ophelia that Hamlet only wants her love now and will be done with her later. She believes Laertes and does not think for herself. Ophelia is an unpredictable woman who is confused by the males in her life. Ophelia and Hamlet are both undoubtedly insane, but at times Hamlet is on the brink of sanity. Ophelia is clearly crazy throughout the play. She is wild, emotional, and is operated by others. Hamlet’s madness has a source behind it and is at times a sham to throw off others. He is frazzled by his fathers’ death and getting revenge for his father by killing Claudius. He also is angered over the fact that Gertrude, his mother, married Claudius, his uncle, so quickly. Hamlet states in Act 1 scene 2, â€Å" The funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. † He is saying that his mother got married so quickly that the left overs from the funeral could cater the wedding. His relationship with Ophelia tears at his heart. He tells Ophelia that â€Å"a woman’s love is brief† during the play within a play nd makes sexual remarks to her. He is very passionate about his fathers death but not about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s death . Hamlet is so enveloped in getting revenge for his father, that he does not even care about the death of his two friends. Hamlet is deep in his plot for revenge against Claudius, he makes himself â€Å"crazy† over it. Hamlet and a few others are the only ones that see the ghost, people who do not see the ghost think Hamlet and the others are mad. Hamlet’s relationship with his mother was ruined after she marries Claudius. He feels betrayed by her and his mind is filled with memories of his father. Hamlet has crude passion and purpose behind his insane feelings. Ophelia is entirely insane. Hamlet’s insanity comes from the passion to get revenge for his father’s murder on Claudius and his mother for getting married so quickly to Claudius. Hamlet and Ophelia are both crazy, but Ophelia is absolutely insane and cannot handle the struggles of life. Hamlet could have possibly gotten over his insanity and dealt with his feelings, but his passion for revenge took him over. They are both insane and unstable people as Shakespeare indicates through their deaths.

Macbeth’s Downfall Was Brought on by His Ambition

The tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare outlines how the lust for power can bring out the worst in people. This is evident through Macbeth’s vaulting ambition to be king which ultimately leads to his downfall. Through Macbeth wrestling with his conscience about the prophesies of the witches he started to gain the trait of ambition. We also see his ambition continue to grow through the persuasion by his soul mate which is also shown through the 1961 CBC TV production of Macbeth.His want to stay king brought out the tyrant within him and shows the evil side of Macbeth, letting his ambition take over. His growth of ambition through the play leads to his tragic death. Macbeth was given a glimpse of prosperity through the witches prophesies. â€Å"All hail Macbeth, thou art shalt be king hereafter† the use of the prophesises outlines foreshadowing within the play. The witches are telling Macbeth of his future and he is left to wrestle with his conscience.This is shown when Macbeth in his soliloquy says â€Å"this supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good/ if ill why hath it given me earnest success† we see Macbeth wrestling with his conscience and his ambition starting to grow, he is starting to believe the witches and the seed of ambition is planted inside him, which is the first step leading to his demise. We see Macbeth’s ambition continue to grow and lead to his death through the persuasion of lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth uses guilt to talk Macbeth into committing regicide and becoming king.This is shown through the quote â€Å"wouldst thou have that which thou esteemst the ornament of life and live a coward in thine own esteem letting â€Å"I dare not† wait upn â€Å"I would† like the poor cat I th’adage† the simile â€Å"the poor cat I th’adage outlines how Lady Macbeth uses guilt to talk Macbeth into killing the king by calling him a coward. This is also shown in the 1961 CBC tv p roduction of Macbeth when Lady Macbeth is using her feminism to persuade Macbeth, causing his ambition to grow even more.When you durst do it, then you were a man and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man† this quote shows how Lady Macbeth uses guilt and calling Macbeth a coward to persuade him to commit regicide. The persuasion of Lady Macbeth causes Macbeth’s ambition to continue to grow which another step is leading to his downfall. Macbeth’s desire to stay king brings out the tyrant within him, his vaulting ambition causes wrath on anyone who stands in his path, even his closest friend.This is shown when Macbeth is planning to kill his best friend, Banquo, â€Å"come seeling night/scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day and with thy bloody and invisible hand cancel and tear to pieces tgar great bond which keeps me pale† the use of dramatic irony in this quote shows us how much Macbeth’s ambition has taken over, and how he is not even hesitatint to murder his bestfriend, he is wishing for the night to come when Banquo’s death finally happens so all his fears will be washed away and he will be able to remain king.Macbeth’s desire to stay king causes him to kill his bestfriend, his ambition has taken over fully by this stage which is the final factor contributing to his death. We see Macbeths ambition start to grow when he is wrestling with his conscience about the witches prophesies. Furthermore , his ambition continues to grow through the persuasion of regicide from his soul mate and Macbeths desire to stay king unleashes his ambition, all these aspect contribute to Macbeth’s vaulting ambition, thus leading to his tragic death. Macbeth’s Downfall Was Brought on by His Ambition The tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare outlines how the lust for power can bring out the worst in people. This is evident through Macbeth’s vaulting ambition to be king which ultimately leads to his downfall. Through Macbeth wrestling with his conscience about the prophesies of the witches he started to gain the trait of ambition. We also see his ambition continue to grow through the persuasion by his soul mate which is also shown through the 1961 CBC TV production of Macbeth.His want to stay king brought out the tyrant within him and shows the evil side of Macbeth, letting his ambition take over. His growth of ambition through the play leads to his tragic death. Macbeth was given a glimpse of prosperity through the witches prophesies. â€Å"All hail Macbeth, thou art shalt be king hereafter† the use of the prophesises outlines foreshadowing within the play. The witches are telling Macbeth of his future and he is left to wrestle with his conscience.This is shown when Macbeth in his soliloquy says â€Å"this supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good/ if ill why hath it given me earnest success† we see Macbeth wrestling with his conscience and his ambition starting to grow, he is starting to believe the witches and the seed of ambition is planted inside him, which is the first step leading to his demise. We see Macbeth’s ambition continue to grow and lead to his death through the persuasion of lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth uses guilt to talk Macbeth into committing regicide and becoming king.This is shown through the quote â€Å"wouldst thou have that which thou esteemst the ornament of life and live a coward in thine own esteem letting â€Å"I dare not† wait upn â€Å"I would† like the poor cat I th’adage† the simile â€Å"the poor cat I th’adage outlines how Lady Macbeth uses guilt to talk Macbeth into killing the king by calling him a coward. This is also shown in the 1961 CBC tv p roduction of Macbeth when Lady Macbeth is using her feminism to persuade Macbeth, causing his ambition to grow even more.When you durst do it, then you were a man and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man† this quote shows how Lady Macbeth uses guilt and calling Macbeth a coward to persuade him to commit regicide. The persuasion of Lady Macbeth causes Macbeth’s ambition to continue to grow which another step is leading to his downfall. Macbeth’s desire to stay king brings out the tyrant within him, his vaulting ambition causes wrath on anyone who stands in his path, even his closest friend.This is shown when Macbeth is planning to kill his best friend, Banquo, â€Å"come seeling night/scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day and with thy bloody and invisible hand cancel and tear to pieces tgar great bond which keeps me pale† the use of dramatic irony in this quote shows us how much Macbeth’s ambition has taken over, and how he is not even hesitatint to murder his bestfriend, he is wishing for the night to come when Banquo’s death finally happens so all his fears will be washed away and he will be able to remain king.Macbeth’s desire to stay king causes him to kill his bestfriend, his ambition has taken over fully by this stage which is the final factor contributing to his death. We see Macbeths ambition start to grow when he is wrestling with his conscience about the witches prophesies. Furthermore , his ambition continues to grow through the persuasion of regicide from his soul mate and Macbeths desire to stay king unleashes his ambition, all these aspect contribute to Macbeth’s vaulting ambition, thus leading to his tragic death.

Agriculture Education Essay

An interim development plan was prepared for undergraduate and postgraduate studies. It was agreed that the three existing courses in plant-breeding and genetics provided an adequate scientific background in this field and that priority should now go to fruit and vegetable production. To this end, two new courses should be added so that the overall course would include: vegetable growing, vegetable production (two courses) and seed production. – 5- 19. In vegetable growing, in addition to the existing areas of definition, classification, soil and climatic requirements, the Faculty should add rotation, green manuring and kitchen garden cultivation. The two courses in vegetable production would give time for major crops to be dealt with in greater detail and for more practical training. The area in Sind under vegetable cultivation is increasing steadily as farmers realise its value for cash crops, but the yield is still very low. This is due mainly to lack of knowledge and experience (which the agricultural extension services could provide) and a lack of good seed. 2 0. A course in vegetables, fruit and ornamental plant seed production should be offered. Students would learn how to collect, harvest, clean, dry, pack and store seeds and they would study seed dormancy, germination and treatment, together with methods of breeding self and cross-pollinated crops. Postgraduate Curricula 21. The present postgraduate curricula cover horticultural plant nutrition, plant propagation and fruit production (two p arts). This last should be replaced by two new courses : (a) the soil and water relations of horticultural plants; (b) temperature and water relations of horticultural plants. Optional courses should be introduced for M. Sc. students to supply them with additional information needed in their fields of study. Options could include courses on major horticultural crops and general courses on the improvement of horticultural plants, on growth† regulators and on protected cultivation. As most research experiments on vegetables must be conducted at the Agricultural Research Institute at Mirpurkhas, 30 miles away, it was decided that priority should be given to raising vegetable crops at Malir, the university Farm,to provide the Horticultural Department with the facilities needed for research. Vegetable Crops (1) Objectives and Methods 22. The main objectives of the Horticultural Department in growing vegetable crops were to provide practical training for staff, students and labourers; to become familiar with problems of vegetable production in Sind; to evaluate crops and varieties, and seed production. It was planned to start by using two acres in the horticultural garden for growing most of the vegetable crops for practical training, and four acres at Malir Farm for a four-year crop rotation. Winter vegetables, carrots, radishes, turnips, cauliflowers, spinach and beet, were grown in the garden. The local varieties were identified, evaluated, weighed and measured. Promising varieties of radish, carrot and onion could be improved by breeding. All peas and spinach were of poor quality, most of the peas being dwarf types, with an average plant height of only ten – twelve inches. – 6- The spinach varieties were prickly-seeded and, during the shortest winter days, started flowering early. The seed stalks had an extreme male-type of inflorescence. Seed of selected suitable varieties of peas and spinach should be imported. (2) Growing Methods (a) Trailed Tomatoes; 2 4. Trailing tomatoes were tried in the open; local and imported varieties were planted and supported by iron stakes, galvanised wire and plastic string. Students and labourers were trained to tie the vines to strings, to pinch and remove auxiliary shoots and to apply fertilisers. The trial was successful, the plants standing well throughout the season and bearing -heavily. Later, owing to virus diseases on some vines, all plants were removed and burnt. A second trial was begun in the summer, the tomato vines being shaded by luffa plants – ridge gourd (luffa acutangula) and sponge gourd (luffa aegyptica) – the small luffa fruit being edible. (b) Soil-level mulches: 2 5. Cucurbits – bitter gourd (mermodica charanta), tinda or Indian squash (citrullos vulgaris, var fistulosa), tori (luffa s p. ), cucumber and cantalope were grown- early. Seeds were planted on December 21st in hillocks on raised beds covered with clear polyethylene film to form soil-level mulches. Two weeks later, seed emergence was observed, with a minimum temperature o f 6 C. Minimum and maximum temperatures and germination percentages were recorded. (c) Plastic tunnels: 2 6. Plastic walk-in and mini-tunnels were† made of local materials. The mini-tunnels were used for raising nursery plants and for getting tomato, pepper and egg-plant seedlings†¢ They gave high germination percentages and well-established seedlings. The walk-in tunnels were used for trailed tomatoes and for cucumbers, temperature and humidity data being recorded.