The divine life ventures Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The divine life ventures - Research Proposal Example The Divine Life Ventures Research Proposal Dreams are never dependent upon eyes, rather they are born by the visions. We, in TDL Ventures believe in this and it is the core objective behind setting up this organization. In order to convert this idea into reality, we intend to conduct a research so that we would be able to assess our internal and external factors that will be expected to help us out in making this non-profit organization a success.Importance of Research Selection of a correct research approach is of vital nature, as the chances of success are so much dependent on this. A correctly used research method will enable us to have an exact picture of the future structure. Therefore, we it is inevitable for an organization to have a correct measure or use a suitable research approach to ascertain about the certain important current and future factors of the business. An organization, whether commercial or non-profit, is always formed by believing on some assumptions. For bein g successful, these assumptions need to be realistic and practical. Mostly, the research work provides a framework for these assumptions, therefore, research approach is always unavoidable. Research Approach For the desired purpose, we will use exploratory research. The reason is, there is not so much work available to be used as reference for this unique idea. However, we will refer to some secondary sources of data as well, but that would be very limited, only to the extent of taking some guideline for a particular direction in research. Our research will help us out in finding some new ways to do something for the blind or visually impaired people. Their needs, wants and ways of recreation will be explored by this exclusive study. Moreover, by knowing them from the inner, we would also be able to address their problems in a better way and this is the purpose of this study and of course, the objective of formation of this organization. Let’s discuss how this approach and th e intended research will validate the basic strategic tools of our organization in for future. Vision, Mission and Values Vision statement states what a company looks to be in a long term scenario. Therefore, as we at TDL wants to touch the heights in order to provide best services to our handicapped users without getting a single penny profit over our investments. Therefore, through this exploratory study, we will definitely be finding out ways how to explore new ways to do all this. Mission is somewhat what we want to do by our organization. So it is also very clear that we want to provide best services like transportation, leadership training and personal development so that they could make their own status in society and could spend their lives as a normal man does. Lastly, we can also strive to translate our core values in a more meaningful way by exploratory study and the conduct of research. Defining the target market is not a big deal, but finding out new and better ways to serve them is the matter of great consideration. As the chances of improvement are always there in the quality, lead time and magnitude of the future need. So the question for analysis is, HOW CAN WE ESTABLISH OURSELVES AS A BEST SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE HANDICAPPED, BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSONS? Answer of this question is revealed through the following lines. Internal Environment Analysis Internal environment analysis in research can include the discovery of new and improved infrastructure, minimization of turnaround time, trained and well equipped staff, modern machinery, state of the art software, latest researches equipped library, a separate and effective research and development department and a visionary leadership at all the departments and across the beard in organizational hierarchy. External environment Analysis External environment is also very important as far as some analysis for a newly established non-profit organization is

Indian Institutes of Management and Interview Essay Example for Free

Indian Institutes of Management and Interview Essay With academic internships on Internshala (likes of CERN, JNCASR, EPFL etc.) ruling the roost, we have been inundated with requests for tips on how to write an impressive Statement of Purpose (SOP). The kind which grabs selection committee’s attention and forces them to accept you in one go. We present, a been there and done that, expert telling you the finer nuances of how to write an effective SOP. About the author: – Nirmal Jayaram graduated from IIT Madras in 2006 post which he did his M. S Ph.D from Stanford University. Whether Nirmal is synonymous with the term Academic Brilliance or coined it; I am not sure. Sample this – he graduated with a CGPA of 9.54 from IIT Madras (last 4 sem GPA being 10/10), he had calls from all 6 IIMs and attended interviews of only 2 and converted both including IIM Ahmedabad. But of course he did not join it. He had admits with full scholarships from Stanford, MIT, Berkley, Cornell, UTA, Purdue. Rumors has it that MIT admission committee stalked him for weeks to swing his decision in their favor and sulked for months when he went to Stanford instead. With these credentials, if I were you I would pay VERY close attention to what he has to say on SOP writing. Happy reading†¦ 1. Understand what a statement of purpose means: You’ve probably been in situations where you have to choose one among several exciting alternatives. Recruiters face the same scenario while dealing with several good resumes intended at the same job opening. The statement of purpose gives you an opportunity to connect all your application materials together and express to the recruiter why you fit the role the best. To understand what goes into a good statement of purpose, you need to put yourselves in the recruiter’s shoes, and try to get a feel for the two burning questions a recruiter has: 1.Why are you interested in the opening? Sometimes the answer to this might be obvious. You current area of study/ work could well be closely related to the job opening, but it still can’t hurt to clearly enunciate your interest in this area of work and how that helps you move further in your intended career path. Naturally this is much more important whe n the job opening is in an area unrelated to your current area of work, although you might believe that the new area is really your calling. The end goal is that the recruiter needs to believe that you are very serious about this opening and you would give it your all once you actually get the job. More on this later. 2.What do you bring to the table? So, you have shown the recruiter that no one could be any more serious about the opening than you are. You’ve won half the battle, but you still need to prove that you are not all bluster and you are capable of performing the work at a very high level. Your resume does this for you partly, but the statement of purpose gives you an opportunity to highlight some of your major achievements and skill sets that are closely related to the job of interest. 2. Tell a story, your story! Let’s talk about structuring your statement of purpose for a bit. Your statement of purpose needs to tell your story in such a way that the recruiter clearly understands your background, your capabilities and your suitableness for the job. There are many ways to structure a statement of purpose, and this would be one: †¢Who are you and what do you do currently? Start out with your current education background and what got you there. Maybe you were inspired by pure science as a kid and ended up as a physicist. Maybe you were excited by the world of algorithms in high school that inspired you to pursue the field of computer science. Or maybe you even wanted to build the next Eiffel tower and decided to become a Civil Engineer! †¢What are your current academic credentials? Dedicate some part of your statement of purpose to explain your academic achievements and credentials in your current education program. If you did great in your college entrance exam or in your college exams, state it here and explain how this reflects your dedication to your current field and the hard work you are ready to put in. If you won scholarships through, for example, the National Talent Search Examination, make sure the recruiter kn ows that. †¢What is your current state of knowledge? Most disciplines are very broad and diverse, and it is imperative that you explain your specialization in more detail. Discuss your coursework and explain why you chose to specialize in the area that you did. Suppose that the job opening requires an intern that pursues research in the analyses of large data sets. You could be a mathematician and might have pursued a diverse set of courses, but you need to explain why the field of data mining excites you the most. You need to specifically identify your data mining-related coursework that clearly illustrates that you have the theoretical background to succeed at this new job. †¢Discuss your past projects: This is particularly critical for research based jobs that require that you be creative, comfortable working in open-ended problems, good at communicating orally and in written, and will not get easily frustrated by occasional difficulties in furthering the project due to research complexities. Some jobs also require that you be capable of working without much guidance or work as part of a large team. The most obvious way to communicate that you possess the above-mentioned skills is to provide a brief description of all your past proj ects and the skill sets you demonstrated along the way. Any journal or conference papers that you published as part of your projects will go a long way in helping you get a research-oriented job! †¢Discuss your non-technical skills: A lot of successful people are technically sound but also charismatic and possess excellent interpersonal skills. These are almost essential qualities in modern work places and activities that you’ve been part of where you have demonstrated these skills should help you big. Such activities include playing a leadership role in a department or college level association, being part of NSS, or maybe even running your own small startup! †¢Identify yourself with the company/ university: It is of utmost importance that your statement of purpose does not look generic, rather seems well crafted to the specific job opening. It would be wise to discuss briefly about your interest in the specific workplace and not just the nature of work, and in particular detail the attempts you’ve made to learn m ore about the workplace. 3. Ensure that the statement of purpose is written in a professional manner: A poorly worded statement of purpose with spelling or grammatical errors is a big turn off that would certainly hurt your cause. Request help from friends and colleagues regarding possible wording changes that would make the essay look more professional. Avoid terminology and wording that aren’t obvious to the reader, and remember that different countries may use different terminologies to refer to the same word. Keeping these sensitivities in mind will help. 4. Be brief: Recruiters do not have the time or energy to read through a rambling 4 page essay. The statement of purpose shouldn’t exceed a couple of pages and should be to the point. We are not trying to author the next Lord of the Rings here! Statement of Purpose (SOP) is a document containing one’s personal and professional details which makes the task of knowing a candidate for the MBA school much easier. It is a concise essay about one’s career goals, identified means to achieve them, and accomplishments so far in reaching towards those goals. An SOP often acts as the yardstick for assessing the capabilities of a prospective student of the MBA School. What should your SOP contain? According to top experts the answers to the following queries must be there in your SOP: You, your background and personality The reason or reasons for making a particular career choice Your hobbies Your short-term and long-term career goals Social initiatives taken by you, if any Leadership qualities demonstrated by you How you have dealt with failure Example of teamwork at the workplace Strengths and weaknesses Ethical dilemmas faced by you Preparing for writing the SOP Some suggestions on how to prepare for writing the SOP: Think deeply about matters concerning you, your choices and aspects of personality. Adopt pre-writing strategies and jot down thoughts as they occur Prepare a rough draft and proofread it to remove any errors. Start well in advance. While writing the SOP SOP is an extremely important document that you will have to prepare before you will be accepted into any MBA School. You must ensure that your SOP lacks any kind of spelling or grammatical error. Your ability to write at an acceptable level will tell a great deal about you as an overall student, so do not neglect to proofread your document before submitting it. The SOP must make an interesting read; otherwise it won’t leave any impact on the readers’ minds. Integrate your knowledge about the B-school with your career goals, as this will make it seem as though there is really no other school that you are thinking of attending. Some important points to keep in mind while writing the SOP: Originality The answers have to reflect the distinctive ‘you’ all the way. So, be original. Copy –Paste exercises will do more harm than good as one shoe size does not fit all, especially in terms of personality. Relevance Read the question very carefully before you start framing your essay. Consider the question: â€Å"Please detail your long-term career goals. Why have you classified them as long term? Do you foresee any change in these goals in the future?† Now, you must be careful in crafting a reply to each question in a convincing manner. Concentrating only on the first segment will make the statement lopsided and put off the admissions panel. Conciseness Every word, every sentence should be present in the essay for a purpose. Rambling and undirected thoughts are a no-no as your essay will be given a couple of minutes within which the panel member has to locate something memorable and distinctive. Imagery Imagery means using words that enable pictures to form in the minds of the reader. For example, the phrase ‘turning point’ is better than writing ‘The course of my life changed decisively at that point because it succeeds in giving rise to a picture in the mind of the reader. Avoiding jargon Using too much jargon clichà ©s or long-winded sentences obscure the point you want to convey. Professional tone and elements of standard usage There is a world of difference in the way we speak and the way we write. You should avoid informal style or slang while penning the academic essay. Keeping the standard elements of usage in mind will go a long way in ensuring admittance in the MBA School. It takes a lot of time and engages your mind to undergo lot of thinking before you come up with the perfect SOP. So you should start much before. All this takes time, so begin writing the SOP well in advance. Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more on MBA admission tips! CAT Toppers share their GD, PI WAT experiences When a student is selected by a top B School, it is ensured that he has not just scored well in CAT but has also performed well in the Group Discussion, Personal Interview and or Written Ability Test (WAT) or Essay Writing rounds. This page will give you the GD, PI WAT experiences of the CAT 2011 toppers who are now students of the academic year 2013-15 of the top B schools. I had an enjoyable WAT PI experience of IIM Ahmedabad B Sekhar Anand IIM Ahmedabad Tricky WAT by IIM Indore Vishal Vyas IIM Indore My interview at XLRI lasted for 15 minutes Arjun Gupta XLRI Jamshedpur I had a grilling interview session at Common Admission Process of new IIMs Siddhant Gupta IIM Raipur WAT PI experiences of top 3 IIMs Anusha Subramanian IIM Bangalore If you are a fresher, be thorough with your subjects for PI Parag Poddar IIM Indore My WAT topic was on foreign coaches at Indian sports Aditya Agar IIM Bangalore My interview experience was different in the top four IIMs Mohit Srivastava IIM Bangalore There was no stress at my interview; it was a candid conversation with learned men Tanishq Goyal IIM Ahmedabad I had an enjoyable WAT PI experience of IIM Ahmedabad, B Sekhar Anand IIM Ahmedabad Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail. A: My WAT/PI experience was very enjoyable. The topic for WAT was on corruptions affects- a topic that I was comfortable with. The PI on the other hand was skewed towards my academics. A lot of preparation beforehand helped me answer most of the questions. Though I could not answer a few, the interviewer was fairly satisfied with my approach to those questions. Tricky WAT by IIM Indore, Vishal Vyas IIM Indore Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail. A: WAT and PI were the two vital stages of IIM Indore selection process. WAT was somewhat tricky with a question on prà ©cis writing and another asking about my opinion in a given situation where a choice was to be made between a family managed business and a professionally run organization. PI probably was the most challenging part, with the interviewers asked extensively about by job profile and nature of work apart from a good amount of general knowledge. Work experience was somehow a difficult part to tackle with questions ranging from basic programming concepts to industry quality standards and their constituents. Overall, it was a mixed kind of interview which had its own high points and lows. I was hoping to convert with a good performance on almost all the measures which I later did. My interview at XLRI lasted for 15 minutes, Arjun Gupta XLRI Jamshedpur Q: How many GDPI rounds have you had? Please share your experiences in detail. A: I attended the GDPI rounds for the following institutes: †¢ NMIMS, Core †¢ XIMB, PGDM PGDM(HRM) †¢ SPJIMR(FIN) †¢ XLRI (BM HRM) SPJIMRs admission process is unique in the sense that they call you on the basis of your profiles. In the group interview rounds also, the emphasis is on ethics and values. They question you comprehensively on your work-experience, if any. XLRI has a single PI round for the BM program. The interview covers all the important points, viz., work-experience, Graduation subjects (Math, especially for Engineers), current affairs and ethics. Highly unpredictable stuff, I must say. The HRM program has both GD PI components. My interview went on for around 15 minutes in which I was questioned a lot about cultures, economies and technologies. I was asked to relate the factors citing suitable instances. Some questions on work experience and mathematics were also there. GD topic was related to IT sector. It was pretty basic hence I did not face any problem during the GD. XIMB had a single GDPI round for its BM and HRM programmes. The GD was related to Income disparity and was manageable. The interview again revolved around my work-experience. We had a very candid discussion instead of an interview. I could easily answer all their queries related to work. NMIMSs GD was related to the airline sector. The interview was about Petrol/Diesel pricing, Basic Share Markets term and history about my parent company. For all the above GDPIs, I brushed up my Graduation Subjects well. Read about the major issues which are plaguing the nations, basic indices to measure economic health society, knowledge about the parent company, its product profile, job role, etc. I had a grilling interview session at Common Admission Process of new IIMs Siddhant Gupta IIM Raipur Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail A: I had my WAT/PI in Delhi. I was given a topic on financial crisis in Europe. I was asked to speak on any topic from current affairs during the interview. I chose to talk on KFA bailout. I explained the problem and was asked for possible solutions. I suggested some solutions and a few cross questions were fired. Then I was asked a few questions on chemistry (I am a chemical engineer). Towards the end, I was grilled on â€Å"Which IIM will I choose if I happen to get multiple converts†. I linked it to the question related to the meaning of name and the panel seemed impressed. WAT PI experiences of top 3 IIMs, Anusha Subramanian IIM Bangalore Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail. A: Let me share my experiences of attending IIM Calcutta, IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore. IIM Calcutta – I had a good WAT and GD. My interview was mostly about events doing the rounds, a few maths questions, logic puzzles and some general questions about my future plans, etc. IIM Ahmedabad – The WAT was tricky as we were given only 10 minutes to complete the essay. I was questioned on a wide range of topics ranging from work, recent happenings in the software industry and academics. IIM Bangalore – My interview with IIM Bangalore was almost entirely based on the statement of purpose submitted earlier. I was quizzed in great detail about specific points in my SOP, regarding my work experience and future plans. If you are a fresher, be thorough with your subjects for PI, Parag Poddar IIM Indore Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail. A: The WAT process for IIM Indore involved summarizing an article in one-third word limit and was followed by essay writing. I had been practicing essays during my GD/WAT preparations and this helped me perform well in the WAT section. This was followed by PI. Being a fresher, I was questioned thoroughly on my subjects. Professors checked every aspect of my personality through questions on general awareness, GK, current affairs and my background. The interview was a great learning experience and helped me gauge myself better and identify areas of improvement. My WAT topic was on foreign coaches at Indian sports, Aditya Agar IIM Bangalore Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail. A: At IIM Bangalore’s WAT/PI process, I was asked to first write an essay on ‘Foreign coaches are a waste of money in Indian sports.’ My interview was centered on my experience at work and I was asked a lot of questions on the contributions I made to the organization. All in all, the interview was a big test of finding out what I gave to the organization I worked for and to the college I came from, which, trust me is very difficult to comprehend. My interview experience was different in the top four IIMs, Mohit Srivastava IIM Bangalore Q: How was your WAT/PI experience? A: The interview experience was very different at all the four IIMs. IIM Lucknow was focussed more on general affairs. IIM Bangalore was mostly academics and SOP based (they actually asked me an algorithm) IIM Calcutta was purely quant based in terms that the first five questions were based on Permutations and Combinations. After I satisfactorily answered them the interviews started asking me questions on Seattle and where all I had been in Seattle. IIM Ahmedabad was very unpredictable in terms that most of the questions were not from my strength. It was somewhat less academic. There was no stress at my interview; it was a candid conversation with learned men, Tanishq Goyal IIM Ahmedabad Q: Please share your WAT/PI experience in detail. A: I got calls from all 13 IIMs, but I gave interviews for the top four only. In IIM Ahmedabad, the WAT topic was In today’s world, business and ethics don’t go hand in hand. The questions ranged from my work experience, solving math problem, my hobby tennis to politics. The entire interview was like a candid conversation with learned men on some random topics. There was no stress at all. Personal Interview A personal interview is aimed at knowing a candidate more intimately assessing the clarity of thinking process, future goals and the fit with the B-school. A personal interview is aimed at knowing a candidate more intimately – assessing the clarity of thinking process, future goals and the fit with the B-school. Personal Interview What does it test? Analytical Skills †¢ During the personal interview, Interviewer will check the analytical skills of the candidate in ways that cannot be done with a written test. Certain questions during the personal interview are devised to see how the candidate can analyze a situation and create a solution. For example, an employer may ask a candidate to explain a time when the candidate had to work quickly against a pending deadline. In the personal interview, the employer can ask follow-up questions to dig deeper into the candidates critical thinking process, to see if he/she fits to be a part of the Institute/organization Goal Clarity †¢ Why do want to do an MBA? How does it fit into your career goals? What do you wish to do after your MBA? These are some hard questions that you will have to answer almost invariably in all Interviews. These questions search the inner motivations of a candidate, and there are no right answers. The only way to answer these questions is to introspect: what excites and motivates you; what makes you perform your best; what would you really like to do in your life, and how do you genuinely see an MBA helping. Tough questions, but answering them honestly is critical for your success! Why MBA? is the most important question that MBA aspirants need to answer. There is no good answer for this. The answer needs to be your answer. In other words, you need to think deeply, introspect and find out what it is that really drives you. So put on your thinking cap, do some soul searching and then jot down the answers to whats your goal questions. Communication †¢ When an employer is engaged in a personal interview with a candidate, he will listen to hear how the candidate gives answers to questions, watch for body language that can indicate the candidate is not being truthful or is uncomfortable; determine confidence by gauging eye contact. Is the student is able to effectively communicate using his entire body, etc and these skills can only be judged during a personal interview. Domain Knowledge †¢ Given that a good MBA is a demanding programme, B-schools would like to know how you will be able to cope up with the academics and the extra-curricular 24 x 7 demands of your new campus. They are also keen to assess how you have utilized the earlier learning opportunities. Be prepared to discuss different specialty areas in business and their responsibilities. Interviewers will also expect you to discuss current issues in business, including the economy, taxation, foreign competition, the role of technology and ethical challenges in the field. So be careful about the gates you open, and be very sure you have in-depth knowledge about whatever you mention. For e.g. if you say you have an avid interest in Badminton, be ready for questions pertaining to Prakash Padukone, Deepika Padukone, plastic shuttles v/s feather shuttles, Saina Nehwal etc. It is advisable to brush up 2-3 subjects from your graduation thoroughly if you are a student fresh out of college. Also, contextual knowledge of the environment around you as well as general knowledge comes quite handy. Presentation †¢ Candidates who do not take the time to create a professional presentation for a personal interview can hurt their chances for getting the job. A personal interview gives the employer the opportunity to see what the candidate considers to be professional grooming, professional attire and a professional attitude. A candidates resume may be impressive, but if he shows up to the interview 30 minutes late and is not dressed in professional interview attire, then he may not be the candidate you are looking for. Attitude †¢ In a personal interview it is not always the answer you give to a question that is important, but how you give that answer. An interviewer is well aware of the corporate culture within his institute and a personal interview gives the interviewer a chance to gauge the candidates attitude to see if there is a match with the institute. Importance of an Interview: Who Conducts MBA Interviews? Every business school has different policies when it comes to MBA interviews. Typically, an MBA interview is conducted by one or more members of the admissions committee. However, it is not unusual to be interviewed by current students or alumni. Professors do not normally conduct admissions interviews, but there are a few schools who do assign faculty members to the task. No matter who interviews you, expect a lot of questions and an evaluation. Most admissions committees have a form that they work off. They will ask you specific questions from the form. If you are being interviewed by other students or alumni, dont expect anything different. They have probably been trained by the admissions committee to use the form or ask specific questions. Read more about the different types of MBA interviews. Personal Interview can also turn out to be an opportunity to sell yourself. While intimidating for some MBA-hopefuls, the personal interview represents a prime opportunity. Interviews allow you the chance to not only put a face and personality to the name and credentials on your application file, but also to express your academic, personal, and professional accomplishments, experiences, and intentions.

Unprogessive Advances :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The MP3 â€Å"We are born savage and self-centered, and then, unless we move to Hollywood, we get over it. We become civilized. We enter a state in which we understand that sharing is good.† – John Perry Barlow   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the past few years record sales have plummeted to an all time low, the record industry has since been frantically searching for the crack in the dyke; a reason for all this. The most obvious target that has been chosen by these corporations is the act of internet file sharing, more specifically the programs that run these services like the previously shut down â€Å"Napster† and the currently battling â€Å"Kazaa.† There is no doubt that file sharing is a factor in declining record sales but does it really deserve all the blame? Maybe today’s mainstream music lacks a certain quality that would normally motivate a consumer to purchase the CD. There are many factors that could cause declining sales, one of them being file sharing but does the record industry really have the power to classify our right to share as illegal?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The number of users for file swapping programs is in the millions. In its height Napster held 36 million people in the palm of its hand, and since the program has shut down more and more like it have been sprouting too fast for the recording industry to shut them down (Gaither,2). The companies that are filing suit apparently expect us to be sympathetic towards them because they aren’t rolling in the dough like they used to. A CD costs me about $20 after taxes, as a college student and normal person that money is better spent doing time in my bank account, it is almost the same lifestyle as subsistence farming. If I can receive the same music for free over the internet than why bother giving more money to excessive rock stars or silicone divas. The richest of the rich seem to be the only ones complaining as well, small time acts such as â€Å"Battery Park† practically rely on the free trade of music over the internet, mainly because they cannot affor d airplay on major radio or television stations. It is the only way for bands like these to be heard. Lead singer J. Brown of â€Å"Battery Park† however admits that â€Å"Downloads don’t necessarily equate to sales, we hope they like what they hear and want to hear more so they’ll purchase the CD.

Epidemics in Colonial America

John Duffy, a true historian, contributed immensely to the history of medicine by publishing his research in the form of his first book ‘Epidemics in Colonial America. ’ Duffy continued to write other books as well but this particular one stood as a landmark in his career, facilitating all those interested in the field of medicine. In writing this book, Duffy’s primary goal was to clarify epidemic diseases in order of importance and show their direct and indirect effects on colonial development.He showed how the health environment is important for economic outcomes and that there is a direct effect of health conditions on income and an indirect effect on institutions. There is clearly no ‘hidden’ goal or aim of the author and whatever he has intended to show is pretty apparent and understandable. His book is more on the lines of medical history/ economic impact and is more descriptive and explanatory than theoretical.‘Epidemics in Colonial Ameri ca’ provides, in detail, the history of disease epidemics in America and guides the reader through the years of epidemics to show how the outbreak of various diseases effected the development of colonial America. The book explains how epidemic diseases have been affected, and vice verse, have affected the isolation of rural societies, changing economic conditions, varied work conditions and the factors determining poverty and wealth. BodyThe seventeenth century is identified as the period when epidemics were fairly limited in their impact as the interaction between the people of different colonies was minimum and communities were more isolated than they would be in the future. As a result any disease would remain localized to the people of a particular community and not become an epidemic. However, the situation progressively changed by the end of the eighteenth century when there was more commercialized activity/economy. The increased mobility and urbanization led to a great er threat of epidemics spreading from the rural areas.The situation obviously worsened by the end of the nineteenth century as mobility was further improved and there was increased urbanization. The poor urban centers began experiencing high death rates from diseases like cholera, tuberculosis etc that were endemic in cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia and New Orleans. Yellow Fever, Smallpox, malaria, hookworm infection, beri-beri, Typhoid and Dysentry, and Idiocy are amongst the epidemic diseases in colonial America. The detail of each, along with its effects has been given in the book.The impact of the mosquito borne diseases, Yellow fever and malaria, was greater on the colonists of Jamestown as compared to that in New England. Yellow Fever came from Barbados and spread in Philadelphia and New York, and later on in Boston. Thousands of people fell victim to the disease and several left afflicted areas. As is the case with other epidemics, business activity came to a stand still, unemployment rose along with the death rate. People who chose to stay in the afflicted areas had to take severe precautionary measures, but to little effect.They would shut themselves in their homes and keep the sick isolated from the rest in mosquito nets. The period of the disease is almost one week, by the end of which the person either dies or recovers and becomes immune to it. However, the instances of recovery were little and as history tells us, several hours of work had to be put in just to bury the dead. The Yellow Fever epidemic in 1793 killed around 5,000 people in Philadelphia, which is approximately 10% of its population.Moving on, Small Pox was introduced in America by the European colonists and effected the native Americans the most as they had little immunity to the disease because of having very little or no exposure to it. The entire native American population was swept off by the disease and as Duffy quotes a letter by a South Carolina resident in his book which says that Small Pox swept away a whole neighboring [Indian] nation, all to 5 or 6 which ran away and left their dead unburied. In the book, Duffy also describes it by saying that the epidemic in 1738 killed one half of the Cherokee Indians near Charleston.The effect of such an epidemic was reduced resistance to western expansion in the U. S. In another reported incident, some U. S Army men distributed blankets that had been used by smallpox and measles victims, to Indian tribes that also immediately fell prey to the diseases. The small pox epidemic was this disastrous because of its highly contagious nature and the fact that it spreads through even minimum human contact. It can choke the nostrils and also cause blindness. Prevention efforts were made by colonists who tried using isolation and inoculation, a controversial procedure introduced in Boston in 1721.The patient was injected with a mild form of the disease for a short while to create immunity and antibodies to counter the virus. As a result, a person would get the disease for a shorter while as compared to if they had gotten the disease naturally. A more crude form of this procedure was practiced by the African Americans and was called ‘variolation. ’ The practice consisted of transferring the pus or the scabs from the wounds of the already-affected people and injecting them in the open wounds of unaffected people in order to create immunity.Malaria was also one of the epidemics in the U. S. It became one of the significant diseases of the colonial times as it spread from Maryland to Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and Mexico. The mosquito parasite began spreading faster a s virgin soil was introduced in Carolina and the Blacks were available as victims for the mosquitoes. The parasite then gradually spread to the whites and eventually became an epidemic. The Hookworm infection was another one of the diseases, starting from Florida and Louisiana.The Hookworm parasite spread through the m oist soils from Virginia and just like Malaria, the Native American slaves were its carriers. The Beri-Beri disease, a simple deficiency of vitamin B, on the other hand was curable to a great extent. One of the most widely spread diseases, Tuberculosis, remained a highlight of the nineteenth century as it became very common amongst the people of rural areas and also the poor people of urban areas. Its airborne nature accounted for the high number of people who were affected by the disease and it took several decades for doctors to come up with a counter to this disease.Duffy’s book mentions other diseases and their effects on America as well but the ones mentioned above were the most significant ones. They hold great importance in maki9ng the present what it is today as they left a lot for the human race to learn from in terms of medical advances. Conclusion The outbreaks of epidemics not only affected the western expansion but also halted the functioning of many cities in Am erica. People were unwilling to work at the risk of their health and lives and therefore businesses and industries collapsed as unemployment rose.The economy fell and people preferred staying indoors to protect themselves. Education, industry, economy, agriculture and every other structure fell prey to the epidemics that hit the U. S. Local outbreaks became epidemics of a national nature as the transport systems developed and coastal trade began. The nineteenth century saw water and airborne diseases spreading throughout the U. S as poor sewage systems, dirty drinking water and poor food quality etc added to the spread. Eventually, the life expectancy of an average American greatly fell.On a more positive note, these epidemics had a great lesson to teach as far as the knowledge of medicine is concerned. It helped modern medicine develop into what it is today and facilitated doctors dealing with patients suffering from similar diseases to a great extent. Even though these disease wer e thought as a punishment for the sins that had been committed by the people, its positive aspect should not be ignored. ‘Epidemics in Colonial America’ is a significant addition to the literature of medicine and the efforts of John Duffy should be recognized for the immense help that they are.Duffy has remained successful in his attempts of creating awareness regarding the diseases that have struck colonial America in the past and has effectively shown their effects on the people, their incomes, the environment and the development of the United States. The details in the book help paint a fairly adequate picture of the colonial years and make it easy for one to imagine the magnitude of the diseases that occurred. Therefore, it is safe to say that Duffy succeeded in his efforts and should be remembered for them. Reference Duffy, John. Epidemics in Colonial America. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1953.

Choosing Between an Objective and Projective Test for Children

Choosing Between an Objective and Projective Test for Children The Dood Caoek Joms University It has been observed that there has been a growing acceptance and understanding to the necessity and value of personality testing. It is at this stage in time where there is increasing demand and consumption for such services, met by a diverse range of offerings, it is important to know the ideal service to meet one’s needs.Keeping this in mind, this essay will attempt to compare and contrast between two known personality tests, the Five-factor Personality Inventory-Children (FFPI-C), an objective test, and the Rotter incomplete sentences blank (RISB), a projective test, as to their similarities, differences, advantages, disadvantages and suitability for children.The two mentioned tests, the RSIB and FFPI-C are similar in that they utilize a scoring guide provided, whereby responses are given scores which are used to identify specific states or predictions about the subject within the ir respective manual, providing for standardization and consistency in evaluation (Rogers, Bishop, Lane, 2003, p. 239; Klingbeil, 2009, p. 61). Another similarity is that both tests are easily administered either to an individual or large groups without need for special environmental or situational prerequisites for a general administration.A more significant similarity is that both tests are capable of either testing for a subject’s deviation from a population norm or for a specific trait within a subject (Churchill & Crandall, 1955, p. 345; McGhee, Ehrler, Buckhalt, 2007, p. 207). As seen from above, the similarities between the two tests are confined largely to the method of assessment and also the ease of administrating the tests. The differences however begin from the fundamentals of what the tests aim to get from the subjects and how the assessor views the responses from the subjects.The RISB aims to illicit projective responses that contains emotive and referencing ele ments from its subjects, in a situation whereby the purpose and or method of assessment is unknown (Rogers, Bishop, Lane, 2003, p. 236). The subject under those circumstances will be unable to attempt responding in favor for a particular outcome, and even if the subject attempts to respond neutrally to emulate a non-response, the indicated non-response or even a refusal to provide any input in itself is a consideration within the RISB scoring guide. The RISB however has a cut-off point to the number of omitted or ncomplete responses wherein hit or exceed would render the test voided (Rotter & Willerman, 1947, p. 45). Responses from the RISB when scored objectively as according to the manual will allow for the assessor to make an analysis based on its established baseline. Given situations whereby a deeper analysis is required, an experienced practitioner can utilize psychodynamic interpretation to individually analyze each of the response, wherein various aspects such as time taken for responses, content and even the tone or language used are taken into consideration for specific meanings or relations (Rogers, 1978, p. 137). The FFPI-C in contrast is objective in its nature whereby participants are required to fill up a questionnaire where two opposing views are place upon a single line, presenting them with five choices of appreciating either one of the views in terms of â€Å"agree† or â€Å"somewhat agree† on each side, and a â€Å"in between† selection which participants are encourage to avoid using unless if they are unsure as to how they feel about a given question(McGhee, Ehrler, Buckhalt, 2007, p. 02). The FFPI-C’s objective style of testing differs from the RISB’s projective stance in the sense that the subjects are limited to given choices of responses to specific questions. That is not to say that the FFPI-C is in any way inferior to the RISB due to the limitation of a subject’s response, but simply that the approach is fundamentally different (Masling, 1997, p. 265).The advantage in the objective testing method of the FFPI-C is that it is straight forward and that it leaves little room for abnormalities or unprecedented responses that would be beyond what the inventory encompasses. Unlike the RISB, the FFPI-C relies upon the adherence to its given guidelines when scoring, leaving only further interpretation of the results when necessary to the assessor’s discretion (McGhee, Ehrler, Buckhalt, 2007, p. 203). The FFPI-C’s objective of testing would be ideal in a situation whereby the subject is honest and sincere in answering the question.However, if the subject was to be unwilling to or has a disposition to provide for inaccurate responses, such as a child would try to answer in favor of a more positive manner to impress or conceal certain details, then the scores gathered will result in a wrong interpretation of the subject’s state (Masling, 1997, p. 264). The RISB has an upper hand in that aspect as mention previously in that it does not provide any hints on how the scoring will go or the implications of a response, thus making any form of deliberate bias or inaccurate response very difficult especially for a child.Furthermore, the RISB’s projective nature allows for the assessor to look further read into a single or a train of responses to draw relational or contextual interpretations. This will allow for picking out nuances and valuable information that would have been lost in the FFPI-C’s objective testing. To administer the FFPI-C on a larger scale, for example within a school population, would be ideal in that it may be administered and assessed on either paper or computer. The FFPI-C due to its standardized question and answer structure can be digitally scored without error, allowing for fast yielding of analysis (Masling, 1997, p. 64). The RISB however in this case is limited in its methods of assessment in the sense tha t it has to be scored by hand, with each response taken into consideration. Within a large setting such as a school population, the RISB may take much more time to be scored and there is also the possibility of the occurrence of human error in scoring the responses. As one can observe from the above points, there are pros and cons attributed to each of the tests and that each one of the tests is suited best for a specific situation.But as far as suitability for child testing goes, the RISB is shown to be the choice test to use, reason being as mentioned, there is little indication from the test structure whereby a child may determine what would be the â€Å"favorable† answer to give or pick, the response yielded from the test may contain secondary information beyond the standardized scores and the assessment method that requires for the evaluator to score each response individually will further enhance the emphasis on each input made.Much as the FFPI-C is reliable and efficie nt, it does not account for as much depth as the RISB is capable of with its utilization of psychodynamic applications. Reference Churchill, R. (1955). The reliability and validity of the rotter incomplete sentences test. Journal of consulting psychology. 19, 345-350. Klingbeil, D. , A. (2009). Test review: A review of the five factor personality inventorychildren. 35, 61-64. doi: 10. 1177/1534508408326248 Masling, J. , M. (2010). On the nature and utility of projective tests and objective tests. Journal of personality assessment. 69: 2, 257-270. McGhee, R. , L. , Ehler, D. , J. , Buckhalt, J. A. (2008). Test Reviews: Five factor personalityinventory – Children. 26:2, 202-209. doi. 10. 1177/0734282907312830 Rogers, K. , E. , Bishop, J. , Lane, R. , C. (2003). Consideration for the use of incompletesentence tests. Journal of contemporary psychotherapy. 33: 3, 235-242. Rogers, G. (1978). Content analysis of the rotter incomplete sentences blank and theprediction of behaviour ra tings. Educational and psychological measurement. 38,1135-1141. doi. 10. 1177/001316447803800434 Rotter. , J. , B. & Willerman, B. (1947). The incomplete sentences test as a method of studyingpersonality. Journal of consulting psychology. 11:1, 43-48.