Athens State Information Systems and Information Technology Research Paper

Athens State Information Systems and Information Technology - Research Paper Example Student Advising Module is an element that is provided by Athens State University through Banner. SAM is the students’ official plan of the study which gives students chances to view courses according to year. It also allows the students to view unofficial transcripts, degree plans, as well as grades from the courses, completed recently. SAM’s applicability is the matter to the accurateness of the academic history of students as well as the programs that are installed in SAM. It allows the students to receive the updated transcripts regarding the raises as well as promotions after completing the degrees or courses. This means that the students get information directly from the instructor posts the grades. The degree planner offers students guarantee for coursework pertinent to degree plan as well as the updated grade for expected graduation. SunGard Banner has utilized by the Athens State University. It has helped the University in analyzing, measure as well as improves academic programs and student victory projects. This is an automated self-service software package that connects the whole institution. Banner provides, as well as grades from the courses, s, account information, and needs of course material and individual information control ability to students of Athens States University. This system assists the students who in few years ago had to travel to the institution in order to get and fill the forms, and move from one campus to another in order to finish the required tasks.  

Environmental Issue Essay Example for Free

Environmental Issue Essay The current concern of our environmentalist nowadays is how to bring back the bountiful natural resources of our venue of living before. This is just a dream but this can be true because nowadays everything is possible. It is, indeed, a great challenge of this environmentalist to provide solutions of the problems manifested in our environment. Before presenting my arguments, I would like first to secure the parameters of this debate. I limit this debate to one of the hottest issues in the environment which is Air Pollution. Air Pollution is the human introduction into the atmosphere of chemicals, particulates or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organism. Looking at the status quo, it is obscene that there are a lot of sources that made our air contaminated. First point, I content that the severity of catastrophe happened in our environment deeply rooted from anthropogenic sources (human activity) such as â€Å"Stationary Sources† as smoke stacks of power plants, manufacturing facilities and municipal waste incinerators. â€Å"Mobile Sources† as motor vehicles, aircraft etc., marine Vessels such as container ship or cruise ships and related port air pollution, burning wood, fireplace, stoves, furnaces, fumes from hair spray, varnish, paint, aerosol spray and other solvent, oil refining and industrial activity in general. These things respond the question of why our air is being contaminated. Second point, I would like also to argue that the government plays a vital role in protecting our environment. The government has the prowess to make some possible and practical solutions of environmental problems. They have enough budgets to initiate some activity and project that would cater the protection and preservation of our natural resources. To sum up my arguments, first the main problem is the human activity that deteriorates our environment and second is the irresponsible action of the government. We can make a difference as by letting ourselves as an example because change starts in ourselves. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Air_pollution#Sources This page was last modified on 22 March 2008, at 18:53. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details. ) Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. , a U. S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.

The Connection Between Homelessness And Social Issues Social Work Essay

The Connection Between Homelessness And Social Issues Social Work Essay Essay Question What is the connection between homelessness, unemployment, drug use and mental illnesses in Australian society today? Unfortunately, in Australian society today, it is assumed that all Australians have access to a safe and secure environment, and are able to seek and gain employment; however this is not always the case for many Australians, with these social detriments being exacerbated by mental health issues and alcohol and drug abuse. However, in saying this not everyone that experiences one or more of these detriments necessarily experiences another. Alternatively, evidence has shown that there is an obvious link between each of these social and health detriments of health, with each intricately leading to another. This essay will discuss the intricate links between homelessness, unemployment, drug use and mental illness in todays society. On any given night in Australia it is estimated that over 100,000 people are homeless and living without essential human rights. (MHCA, 2009. p.5) While the reasons for peoples homelessness are varying, the abuse of alcohol, drugs and other harmful substances can exacerbate the situation and lead to further problems. The use of harmful substances by many homeless people is often seen as functional, this meaning that the use of these substances is helping them cope with their situation, and provide them with a sense of belonging in the Australian street culture. While many of the homeless people may start using soft drugs , this often opens the gateway to harder substances to which they can come completely reliant upon. The prevalence of heroin use in the homeless community is ten times higher than the general Australian community. (Australian National Council on Drugs, 2008) (Johnson Chamberlin, 2008, p.347) Australias homeless population, exhibit higher rates of emotional and physical health issues, anxiety, poor nutrition and difficulties in maintaining relationships (Lady Bowen Trust). 1 in 200 Australians in todays society dont have access to adequate housing and employment. It is estimated that 75 percent of this homeless population is suffering from some kind of mental illness, (MHCA, 2009, p.5) and that at least forty three percent engaged in substance abuse. (Johnson Chamberlin, 2008, p.347) A safe and secure environment is essential to physical and mental health. Mental health symptoms can often be worsened by unstable housing and social isolation. Homelessness significantly affects a persons ability to successfully maintain employment and relationships. When referring to mental illness, generally speaking it is an illness that has some kind of influence and effect on how a person, thinks, feels and acts. (MHCA, 2009, p.10) These can include mental health issues such as depression, anxiety personality disorders, schizophrenia and stress disorders. It is estimated that 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness of varying degrees at some point in their lives. (MHCA, 2009, p.10) Although the exact cause of many mental illnesses are unknown, along with biological factors it is believed that environmental factors, stressful and abusing situations, substance or drug abuse and negative thought patterns all contribute to a persons mental health. Domestic violence, mental health, unemployment and substance abuse are among the leading causes of homelessness in Australia, along with critical shortages of affordable housing. However it is important to note that there are many contributing factors to a person becoming homeless such as family breakdown, sexual assault, gambling, mental illness, financial difficulties and social isolisation and broader social processes. (Homelessness Australia, 2010) Having a mental illness reduces a persons quality of life; the symptoms can make it difficult for individuals to cope with the daily demands of work and home life. In some cases this can lead to people becoming socially isolated, and even losing their jobs. This loss of employment often means people are no longer able to afford housing and a lack of social support can mean these people may become homeless. The unemployed are also less likely to receive medical treatment for symptoms of mental illness. If they do seek treatment of these illnesses they then face the problems of being able to pay for expensive prescriptions. (www.informahealthcare.com) The current economic climate has also placed increased stress on individuals and there has been a spike in Medicare claims for mental health consultations due to unemployment (Dragon, 2009). Studies have shown that homeless people have a higher prevalence of mental illness and substance abuse, with a Melbourne study showing 30 percent of homeless people surveyed had mental health issues and 43 percent suffered substance abuse issues. (MHCA, 2009, p.14) Substance abuse is also linked to homelessness, unemployment and mental illness, as substance abuse can take hold and damage a persons quality of life. Substance abuse begins to interfere with a individuals work and social life and this commonly leads to the destruction of relationships and loss of employment. Rather than this slide from positive relationships and employment being instant, many people tend to slide into homelessness as a result of their substance abuse. As they begin to come more dependent on these substances the transition becomes more rapid. ((Johnson Chamberlin, 2008, p.348) Having a mental illness can increase a persons likelihood of abusing drugs, which may in the short term make the symptoms of their mental illness feel better, while other peoples drug use can trigger the symptoms of mental illness. (MHCA, 2009, p.22) The link can also be made in terms of unemployment and homelessness, if a person is unemployed they can experience financial difficulties that can result in being homeless, alternatively if a person is homeless it becomes difficult to gain employment and break the cycle. The relationship between homelessness and substance abuse is well researched and documented; there is debate however on the direction of this relationship, and whether substance abuse is the cause or consequence of an individual becoming homeless. The focus of substance abuse as a consequence of homelessness is the social adaption model. Entering into homelessness often exposes individuals to a subculture where substance abuse is accepted and common place. This model also identifies that many people start to abuse substances as a method of coping with their situation, which can often be very stressful, uncertain and traumatic. (Johnson Chamberlin, 2008, p.343) Johnson and Chamberlain (2008, p.350) report that thirty four percent of individuals have engaged in substance abuse before becoming homeless, while sixty six percent first start abusing substances after becoming homeless.es as they struggle to pay for their addiction. Loss of employment then leads individuals looking for alternative income which can often lead to bad loans and illegal behaviours. (Johnson Chamberlin, 2008, p.p347-350) The social selection approach focuses on substance abuse as a cause of homelessness rather than a consequence. Substance abuse can be a leading factor into homelessness, as when a person becomes addicted to harmful substances they tend to start self damaging behaviours which affect social and work relationships. As their substance abuse increases, this often leads to financial difficulties and destruction of social networks. Psychological trauma and post traumatic stress disorder have been found to be contributing factors for many of the homeless population. There is no specific way in which each of these social detriments of health contributes to each other. For example, mental health issues may contribute or lead to people becoming homeless, while for others their mental health issues may be a result of being homeless or compounded by it. (MHCA, 2009, p.22) The homeless population can face discrimination when trying to find and apply for housing, especially when they have experienced a mental illness. (DHA, 2005) Many landlords are something about having people with a mental illness in their accommodation, due to the negative stigma that is attached with mental illness. Having a mental illness or past substance abuse problem can also follow a person and impact upon their lives even after they have overcome these issues. As in todays society many jobs and housing applications require police, credit and background checks. (MHCA, 2009, p.18) Webster (2007) reports that drug abusers with mental illnesses are likely to experience high rates of employment difficulties. Stating that individuals with mental illnesses have fewer work-related skills, poor interpersonal skills, impulse control and poor time management, therefore having less success in the workforce than individuals without mental illness and substance abuse issues. (Webster et al., 2007) Webster (2007) also reports that employment is a key factor in breaking the cycle of drug abuse, as employment occupies time, increases self esteem, promotes a sense of belonging and responsibility and provides structure. (Webster et al., 2007) In Australian society a quarter of the homeless population are children aged between 12 and 18, as these children age and mature they are at a higher risk of unemployment and being stuck in a vicious cycle of homelessness, unemployment, substance abuse and mental illness. (Graham, 2010, p.24) Children are more likely to face unemployment if they are from low socioeconomic status, left school early leading to low literacy and numeracy skills, are indigenous, live with one or more unemployed person, or live in remote areas. (Graham, 2010, p.20) A longitudinal study of Australian youth with mental health issues found that they did not suffer from mental health issues prior to unemployment. This shows the importance of employment and the effect that unemployment can have. (Graham, 2010, p.23) In 1991, Fischer Breakey developed three pathways into homelessness. The first being social selection which involves a breakdown in the capacity for living independently due to mental illness. The second pathway details socioeconomic adversity in which a person experiences unemployment, low levels of education and declining income. The third pathway described involves the inability to develop socially normative roles and support systems. (Kim Ford, 2010, p.40) The sociological imagination uses a sociological approach to analysing issues such as homelessness, substance abuse, unemployment and mental illness. This approach analyses associations of public issues and personal problems by looking at the Historical, structural, critical and cultural factors which contribute to a person experiencing issues such as homelessness. A better understanding of the causes can be found and thus leading to a better understanding of how to return to normal societal function and reducing the risk of relapse into past behaviours. . (Germov, 2009, p.7). The amount of structure and agency an individual holds in situations of homelessness, drug abuse, unemployment and mental illness is also important to note. The structure agency debate explores the amount of control a individual has over their behaviour and how much influence the social structure to which they belong plays. (Germov, 2009, p.7). Children that have grown up in an environment which is socioeconomically disadvantaged, high levels of drug abuse and unemployment, and poor work ethic, are more likely to follow in this pattern than children that have been brought up in higher socioeconomic conditions and have been instilled with a strong work ethic. Sue is 17 years of age and has been living away from home for two years, having left her family home due to conflict and violence with parents and physical assault between siblings. In the past two years Sue has lived a typically transient lifestyle, residing in crisis accommodation, various boarding arrangements and in an accommodation program to assist young people who are homeless and in need of specialist support. Sue has lived independently in a small unit as well as with a number of friends in their accommodation and in squats. Over the past two years Sue has engaged in self-harming behaviour and been violent and aggressive towards peers, herself and family, which has on occasion resulted in cautions from the legal system. Sue has also engaged in petty theft, auto-theft and break and enters, all resulting in legal cautions. Sue uses alcohol, marijuana and amphetamines and has been diagnosed with depression resulting in anti-depressants being prescribed (Mission Australia, 2005). In December 2008, the Australian Government released a White Paper on Homelessness: The Road Home: A National Approach to Reducing Homelessness. This paper recognises that maintaining the current approach to homelessness will see the homeless population of Australia significantly increase in the coming years. The paper takes a holistic view and aims to find solutions in address the varying needs of the homeless population, for example employment needs, education and training, health and social support. This report has three main initiative areas. They are to ensure that services intervene early to stop people becoming homeless, making services more connected and responsive across a range of areas not limited to housing, such as health and economic and social participation and strategies to assist people who become homeless to move quickly through the crisis system to stable housing, and providing the support they need so that they do not re-enter homelessness. Through the implementat ion on many straggles under these initiatives and 1.2 billion dollars in funding the Australian Government aims to have a fifty percent reduction in homelessness by 2020. (MHCA, 2009, pp.12-13) Todays society has negative stigma and labelling associated with homelessness. Due to this attributes, the skills they poses, their personality, past achievements are often disregarded and overrun by the fact they are homeless. (Mission Australia, 2005) As homelessness is not a social norm, it can be seen is deviant behaviour. With the rise of the medical model of health, importance is placed on the individual receiving treatment in order to restore health and conformity. (Roach Anleu, 2010, pp.242-260) Under the therapeutic model deviant individuals which can include the homeless, mentally ill, drug and alcohol abusers and those experiencing adjustment problems require psychiatric intervention, with little emphasis in the social and environmental conditions that contribute to these issues. (Roach Anleu, 2010, pp.242-260) Homelessness, unemployment, drug use and mental illness are all intricately connected in todays society. These social determinants of health all coexist and can each weigh largely upon another. These linkages can lead to a viscous cycle which can be hard to break. Conclusion What was discussed Reaffirm argument http://www.health.qld.gov.au/research_information/social_determinants.asp

The Indian real estate sector

The Indian real estate sector The Indian real estate sector plays a significant role in the countrys economy. The real estate sector is second only to agriculture in terms of employment generation and contributes heavily towards the gross domestic product (GDP). Almost 5 per cent of the countrys GDP is contributed to by the housing sector. In the next five years, this contribution to the GDP is expected to rise to 6 per cent. According to Jones Lang LaSalle, faster economic growth in Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) could result in the property markets of those nations recovering at a faster rate than the UK and US real estate markets. It has also been suggested that Indias property sector could begin to improve from late 2009 and may attract up to US$ 12.11 billion in real estate investment over a five-year period. Almost 80 per cent of real estate developed in India is residential space. According to the Tenth Five Year Plan, there is a shortage of 22.4 million dwelling units. Thus, over the next 10 to 15 years, 80 to 90 million housing dwelling units will have to be constructed with a majority of them catering to middle- and lower-income groups. It is for this reason that residential properties in India, particularly in Mumbai and Delhi, are viewed as very good investments as per a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Urban Land Institute, a global non-profit education and research institute. In the 2009-10 budget, developers of affordable housing projects (units of 1,000-1,500 sq ft) have been granted a tax holiday on profits from projects initiated in the financial year 2007-08. Such projects would have to be completed before March 1, 2012. At the same time, the finance minister allocated US$ 207 million to grant a 1 per cent interest subsidy on home loans up to US$ 20,691, provided the cost of the home is not more than US$ 41,382. This subsidy is expected to give a further boost to the housing sector. An apartment is a self-contained residential unit or section that occupies a part of a building. It can be either owned or rented. Some apartment-dwellers own their apartments as cooperatives, in which the dwellers or residents own shares of a corporation that owns the building or development. In condominiums, residents own their apartments and share ownership of the public spaces. Living in apartments is gaining popularity in India. The Sahara Group has already decided to build 217 townships across India. Their allure lies in the convenience that they offer in terms of safety and security and maintenance of utilities like electricity and water. A central maintenance system obviates the need for hiring outside help for minor problems like leaking taps or electric short circuits. Stand-alone homes also require incurring additional costs like buying/leasing land, licensing, duties, etc. Apartments enable maximization of space utilization and reduce demand on public resources. People are also able to avail of additional amenities like gymnasiums, swimming pools, etc. at affordable prices. There is a gap in the literature, however, with regard to the value drivers that dictate purchase decisions of residential property in the country. Similar studies exist for other countries but were found wanting in the Indian context, especially when it comes to apartments. Through this paper, we aim to do the very same, i.e. establish which factors dictate purchase decision and to what extent. We will also correlate these preferences with the demographic profiles and characteristics of our respondents and hence arrive at a greater and much deeper understanding of these issues. We see immense utility for our paper, especially for builders and property dealers who can use our findings in structuring their own business activities. RESEARCH BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Even though consumer behaviour is generally assumed to be an important part of real estate valuation, buyer preferences are generally not considered during the valuation process. It is basically reduced to the confirmation of a bid price which may or may not be met by the buyer. Efforts are being made to address this fault and many papers have been written on the analysis of motivations of residential property purchasers, attempting to explain them using models such as bounded rationality and hedonic pricing. Hedonic Pricing, or Hedonic Demand Theory as it is also known, decomposes the item of interest into constituents and evaluates the importance of each of them and their contribution to the overall valuation. These factors can be both internal characteristics of the good or service and external factors. In the case of real estate valuation, internal characteristics include layout, structure, etc of the property while status of neighbourhood, proximity to schools, etc are the exter nal factors. Factor Analysis enables us to do just that. It is a statistical method that reduces the number of variables by grouping two or more of them into unknown or hidden variables known as factors. Further analysis is then conducted by looking at the variation among these factors and evaluating their relative performance. These factors are taken to be linear combinations of the original variables plus error terms (Richard L. Gorsuch, 1983). Factor analysis seeks to do precisely what humans have been engaged in doing throughout history that is to make order of the apparent chaos of the environment (Child, 1990). It has great use in evaluating consumer behaviour. Charles Spearman is credited with its invention. He used it in the formulation of the g Theory as part of his research on human intelligence (Williams, Zimmerman, Zumbo Ross, 2003). Over the years it has found uses in fields as diverse as psychometrics, marketing, physical sciences and economics. It can be used to segment consumers on the basis of what benefits they want from the product/service (Minhas Jacobs, 1996). It has evolved as a technique over the years, with many researchers working on fine-tuning and improving the analytical process. Bai Ng (2002) developed an econometric theory for factor models of large dimensions. It focused on the determination of the number of factors that should be included in the model. The basic premise of the authors was t hat a large number of variables can be modeled by a small number of reference variables. Marketing strategies based on customer preferences and behaviour often make use of this technique during the market research phase (Ali, Kapoor Moorthy, 2010)[14] and while devising and changing the marketing mix (Ivy, 2008). Factor Analysis has also been used in ground water management to relate the spatial distribution of different chemical parameters to various sources (Love, Hallbauer, Amos Hranova, 2004). The facility of segmentation that factor analysis offers has been extended to the real estate sector and all studies thereof. Regression analyses are subject to aggregation biases and segmented market models yield better results. This segmentation is done using factor analysis Watkins, 1999). Property researchers have also dedicated a lot of attention to researching the preferences of property buyers and identifying the drivers of property value. A study in Melbourne, Australia (Reid Mills, 2004) analyzed the purchase decisions of first time buyers and tried to determine the most influential attributes that affect the purchase decision using factor analysis. The research findings of the paper indicated that financial issues accounted for approximately 30 percent of the variance in the decision of first time owners to buy housing. This related to timing, the choice of housing, and the decision to buy new housing. Apart from that the choice of housing is dependant on Site Specific fac tors (Location) and the decision to buy new housing is dependent on Lifecycle factors, such as family formation, marital status or the size of the existing house. Another study determined that brand, beauty and utility play a defining role in property value (Roulac, 2007). The findings of the paper explain why certain properties command premium prices, relative to other properties. It came to the conclusion that for value determination of high priced properties the overall perception of the brand is the most important factor followed by utility and beauty. Brand names are also very important especially in metropolitan markets as they add to the appeal, distinctiveness of the property. Another way to attract buyers attention is through the mix of neighborhood amenities offered (Benefield, 2009). Neighborhood amenities like tennis courts, clubhouses, golf courses, swimming pool, play park and boating facilities significantly impact property values. Hedonic pricing models in which buye rs are assumed to evaluate property specifics and location attributes separately when they purchase a home have also been used to study housing markets like that of Shenzhen, China (Xu, 2008). The findings suggest that the marginal prices of key housing attributes are not constant. Instead, they vary with the household profile and location. Cluster analysis involves the grouping of similar objects into distinct, mutually exclusive subsets known as clusters. The objective is to group either the data units or the variables into clusters such that the elements within a cluster have a high degree of natural association among themselves while the clusters remain relatively distinct from one another. Mulvey and Crowder (1979)[22] presented and tested an effective optimization algorithm for clustering homogenous data. Punj and Stewart (1983)[23] reviewed the applications of cluster analysis to marketing problems. They presented alternative methods of cluster analysis to evaluate their performance characteristics. They also discussed the issues and problems related to use and validation of cluster analysis methods. The application of cluster analysis in strategic management research was studied by Ketchen and Shook (1996). Their paper chronicles the application of cluster analysis in strategic management research. They analyzed 45 published strategy studies and offered suggestions for improving the application of cluster analysis in future inquiries. They believed that cluster analysis is a useful tool but the technique must be applied prudently in order to ensure the validity of the insights it provides. Since Marketing researchers were introduced to discriminant analysis half a century ago, it has become a widely used analytical tool since they are frequently concerned with the nature and strength of the relationship between group memberships. It is especially useful in profiling characteristics of groups that are the most dominant in terms of discrimination. Morrison (1969) explained how discriminant analysis should be conducted using canned applications and how the effect of independent variables should be determined. However, care must be taken when applying discriminant analysis. The potential for bias in discriminant analysis has long been realized in marketing literature. Frank, Massy and Morrison (1965) showed that sample estimates of predictive power in n-way discriminant analysis are likely to be subject to an upward bias. This bias happens because the discriminant analysis technique tends to fit the sample data in ways that are systematically better than would be expected by chance. Crask and Perreault (1977) looked at the validation problems in small-sample discriminant analysis. http://www.ibef.org/artdispview.aspx?in=60art_id=25260cat_id=381page=1. http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/welcome.html. http://www.pwc.com/en_US/us/asset-management/real-estate/assets/emergingtrend s2009.pdf. http://indiabudget.nic.in/ub2009-10(I)/ubmain.htm. http://www.sahara.in/press03.html. Australia Richard Reed and Anthony Mills, Identifying the drivers behind housing preferences of first-time owners, February 2004, Journal of Property Management, Vol 25 Issue 3 , Published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited. China Ting Xu, Heterogeneity in housing attribute prices: A study of the interaction behaviour between property specifics, location coordinates and buyers characteristics, International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, 2008, Vol 1, Issue 2, Published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Consumer behaviour in the valuation of residential property: A comparative study in the UK, Ireland and Australia, Jacqui Daly, Stuart Gronow, Dave Jenkins and Frances Plimmer, Journal of Property Management, 2003, Volume 21 Issue 5, Page 295 314. A Bounded Rationality framework for property investment behaviour, Anne de Bruin and Susan Flint-Hartle, Massey University, New Zealand. An application of the hedonic price model with uncertain attribute The case of the Peoples Republic of China, Zan Yang, Journal of Property Management, 2001, Volume 19 Issue 1, Page 50 63. Factor Analysis, Richard L. Gorsuch, 1983, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Charles Spearman: British Behavioral Scientist, Williams, R. H., Zimmerman, D. W., Zumbo, B. D. Ross, D. (2003), Human Nature Review. 3: 114-118. Benefit segmentation by factor analysis: an improved method of targeting customers for financial services, Raj Singh Minhas and Everett M. Jacobs, International Journal of Bank Marketing, 1996, Volume 14 Issue 3, Pages 3-13. Buying behaviour of consumers for food products in an emerging economy, Jabir Ali, Sanjeev Kapoor and Janakiraman Moorthy, British Food Journal, 2010, Volume 112 Issue 2, Page 109 124. A new higher education marketing mix: the 7Ps for MBA marketing, Jonathan Ivy, International Journal of Educational Management, 2008, Volume 22Issue 4, Pages 288 299. Love, D., Hallbauer, D.K., Amos, A. and Hranova, R.K. 2004. Factor analysis as a tool in groundwater quality management: two southern African case studies. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 29, 1135-1143. Property valuation and the structure of urban housing markets, Craig Watkins, Journal of Property Investment Finance, 1999, Volume 17 Issue 2, Page 157 175. Identifying the drivers behind housing preferences of first-time owners, Richard Reed and Anthony Mills, February 2004, Journal of Property Management, Vol 25 Issue 3. Brand+Beauty+Utility=Property Value, Stephen E. Roulac, Journal of Property Management, Vol 5 Issue 5, Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Justin D. Benefield, Neighborhood amenity packages, property price, and marketing time, 2009, Journal of Property Management, Vol 27, Issue 5, Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Ting Xu, Heterogeneity in housing attribute prices: A study of the interaction behaviour between property specifics, location coordinates and buyers characteristics, International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, 2008, Vol 1, Issue 2, Emerald Group Publishing Limited. John M. Mulvey and Harlan P. Crowder, Cluster Analysis: An Application of Lagrangian Relaxation, 1979, Management Science, Vol. 25, No. 4, INFORMS. GirishPunj and David W. Stewart, Cluster Analysis in Marketing Research: Review and Suggestions for Application, 1983, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 20, No. 2, American Marketing Association.

Essay --

Quantitative Research Critique on article, Trust in nurse- patient relationships: A literature review by Leyla Dinc and Chris Gastmans Summary: †¨Purpose of the study: According to Dinc and Gastmans, the purpose of this study is to look over empirical studies on the trust within the nurse- patient relationship and to analyze and synthesize the results. Study Design: In the search for nursing literature, 34 publications were found to be relevant to be used in the study; out of these 34 publications, 22 studies exercise a qualitative design while 12 exercise quantitative design. The quantitative studies designs of this literature review included descriptive designs, cross- sectional designs, correlational designs, descriptive cross- sectional and correlational design. As for the qualitative studies included study designs: exploratory and descriptive, interpretative interactionism, hermeneutic, phenomenological design, ethnographic, feminist phenomenological design, and grounded theory approach, How data is collected: As for how data was collected, all the quantitative studies were collected using a questionnaire and scales such as the Trust in Provider Scale, Consortium Patient Satisfaction tool, Group- Based Medical Mistrust Scale, Cultural Mistrust Scale Inventory, and Black Racial Identity Attitude Scale. One of the researchers used the Trust Subscale of Patient’ Opinion of Nursing Care to judge the trust of nursing staff. The Caring Behaviors Assessment and Caring Behavior Questionnaire were both used on studies that dealt with the importance of nurse caring behavior. In addition, most of the qualitative studies used part structured or non- structure interviews with patients to collect data with participants. Some of the studi... ...ituations. Many of these qualities are needed to being tolerant of patients’ culture, lifestyles, and decisions without being judgmental in a condescending manner, instead give sympathetic advice, and assure with confidence. The study of Benkert and Wickson showed that patient satisfaction was positively related to trust in nurse practitioners and receipt of care in nurse managed centre (Dinc & Gastmasn 2013). It mentions how trust and faith from a nurse gave empowerment and ease for women giving birth. Above all, their study found patients with suffering had more hope when felt trust in a nurse; as for dying patients, trust gave them motivation to live, ease and sense of peace when facing death. The positive outcome of trust for nurses is when there is trust; it makes the job less stressful because patients are more compliant and cooperative with nurses’ orders.

Analysis of History :: American America History

Analysis of History "History is the memory of things said and done. Every man is a historian." I agree that history includes everything said and done, to a certain extent. There are levels of history. The relevance to each individual's life determines the significance and importance of the certain event. Also, it should only be studied, perhaps, if the event has a certain impact on the person who is studying it. If an action proved to be important to an individual in the present or the future, that incident would be a sort of personal history. If it were meaningful to a large group of people, it would be a less individual kind of history. The type of history that is commonly taught is the less personal kind. History teachers think that this kind of national history has more relevance to each person's life than the more individual events. However, sometimes the personal events are more important and leave a bigger impact on an individual than the national history. In one dictionary, history is defined as "a written account of events, particularly of those affecting a nation, institution, science, or art..." I think that this definition of History completely counteracts the original quote. In my opinion, if one were to do something that only effected himself, it would still be history. It would not have that big of an impact on the world, but to that person, it could have been very influential. Another definition of history says that it " is a methodical record of important events which concern a community of men." Once again, in my opinion history does not have to effect a community of men in order for it to be important or significant. Also, history does not have to be written in order for it to be relevant or to have an impact. Even a simple story passed from generation to generation with clues from the past is a form of history. If one were to write that cavemen had three legs, it would not make it history. Whether it is written or not does not affect the truth and facts of the situation. I agree that history is simply just the memory of past events. The remembrance of an occurrence shows that it is relevant enough to be remembered. It is important that a historical event is remembered the same by all.

Cloning Essay -- essays research papers fc

Shortly after the announcement that British scientists had successfully cloned a sheep, Dolly, cloning humans has recently become a possibility that seems much more feasible in today's society. The word clone has been applied to cells as well as to organisms, so that a group of cells stemming from a single cell is also called a clone. Usually the members of a clone are identical in their inherited characteristics that is, in their genes except for any differences caused by mutation. Identical twins, for example, who originate by the division of a single fertilized egg, are members of a clone; whereas nonidentical twins, who derive from two separate fertilized eggs, are not clones. (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 97 Encyclopedia). There are two known ways that we can clone humans. The first way involves splitting an embryo into several halves and creating many new individuals from that embryo. The second method of cloning a human involves taking cells from an already existing human being a nd cloning them, in turn creating other individuals that are identical to that particular person. With these two methods at our desposal, we must ask ourselves two very important questions: Should we do this, and Can we? There is no doubt that many problems involving the technological and ethical sides of this issue will arise and will be virtually impossible to avoid, but the overall idea of cloning humans is one that we should accept as a possible reality for the future. Cloning humans is an idea that has always been thought of as something that could be found in science fiction novels, but never as a concept that society could actually experience. Today's technological speed has brought us to the piont to where almost anything is possible. Sarah B. Tegen, '97 MIT Biology Undergraduate President states, "I think the cloning of an entire mammal has shown me exactly how fast biology is moving ahead, I had no idea we were so close to this kind of accomplishment." Based on t he current science , though, most of these dreams and fears are premature, say some MIT biologists. Many biologist claim that true human cloning is something still far in the future. This raises ethical questions now as towhether or not human cloning should even be attempted. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/). There are many problems with cloning humans. One method of human cloning is splitting embryos... ...ill this experiment be used to create a new race of human clones? I personally think that human cloning to any extent will be at least problematic. I think nature will put up a good fight against mans feable intrusion into the creation business. As I have mentioned before in the movie The Boys from Brazil, man can only screw-up any attempt at creation. Just ask Dr. Frankenstein. Who knows what kind of mutations cloning would breed. Biologically would a clone evolve faster, slower? Would it affectively wipe out gene diversity making humans susectable to disease? Could a common cold be the new plauge? These are questions I hope we will never have to answer. Bibliography Works Cited "Clone," Microsoft ® Encarta ® 97 Encyclopedia.  © 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Macklin, Ruth. "Human cloning? Don't just say no" U.S. News and World Report. 3 March 1997 (4-26-98) Martin, Robert. "Creating a Soul by Cloning?" Applied Christian ity. 1998 (http://www.user.shentel.net/ramartin/applied/cloning.htm) (4-26-98) ROSS, SONYA "President ruling out federal research on human cloning" U.S. News and World Report. 3 March 1997 (4-27-98) Cloning Essay -- essays research papers fc Shortly after the announcement that British scientists had successfully cloned a sheep, Dolly, cloning humans has recently become a possibility that seems much more feasible in today's society. The word clone has been applied to cells as well as to organisms, so that a group of cells stemming from a single cell is also called a clone. Usually the members of a clone are identical in their inherited characteristics that is, in their genes except for any differences caused by mutation. Identical twins, for example, who originate by the division of a single fertilized egg, are members of a clone; whereas nonidentical twins, who derive from two separate fertilized eggs, are not clones. (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 97 Encyclopedia). There are two known ways that we can clone humans. The first way involves splitting an embryo into several halves and creating many new individuals from that embryo. The second method of cloning a human involves taking cells from an already existing human being a nd cloning them, in turn creating other individuals that are identical to that particular person. With these two methods at our desposal, we must ask ourselves two very important questions: Should we do this, and Can we? There is no doubt that many problems involving the technological and ethical sides of this issue will arise and will be virtually impossible to avoid, but the overall idea of cloning humans is one that we should accept as a possible reality for the future. Cloning humans is an idea that has always been thought of as something that could be found in science fiction novels, but never as a concept that society could actually experience. Today's technological speed has brought us to the piont to where almost anything is possible. Sarah B. Tegen, '97 MIT Biology Undergraduate President states, "I think the cloning of an entire mammal has shown me exactly how fast biology is moving ahead, I had no idea we were so close to this kind of accomplishment." Based on t he current science , though, most of these dreams and fears are premature, say some MIT biologists. Many biologist claim that true human cloning is something still far in the future. This raises ethical questions now as towhether or not human cloning should even be attempted. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/). There are many problems with cloning humans. One method of human cloning is splitting embryos... ...ill this experiment be used to create a new race of human clones? I personally think that human cloning to any extent will be at least problematic. I think nature will put up a good fight against mans feable intrusion into the creation business. As I have mentioned before in the movie The Boys from Brazil, man can only screw-up any attempt at creation. Just ask Dr. Frankenstein. Who knows what kind of mutations cloning would breed. Biologically would a clone evolve faster, slower? Would it affectively wipe out gene diversity making humans susectable to disease? Could a common cold be the new plauge? These are questions I hope we will never have to answer. Bibliography Works Cited "Clone," Microsoft ® Encarta ® 97 Encyclopedia.  © 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Macklin, Ruth. "Human cloning? Don't just say no" U.S. News and World Report. 3 March 1997 (4-26-98) Martin, Robert. "Creating a Soul by Cloning?" Applied Christian ity. 1998 (http://www.user.shentel.net/ramartin/applied/cloning.htm) (4-26-98) ROSS, SONYA "President ruling out federal research on human cloning" U.S. News and World Report. 3 March 1997 (4-27-98)