Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Two Kinds Essay Example for Free

Two Kinds Essay â€Å"Two Kinds† is set in modern United States and basically involves two main characters of Chinese descent Jing-mei and her mother.   In the story, Jing-mei, a young Chinese-American portrayed her mother as an overbearing and demanding woman who constantly tried to groom her daughter to pursue a life destined for fame- either as a talented young actress, a genius in geography, or a musical prodigy (Your Faxed Readings, p. 180-182). Jing-mei did not quite understand at first how her mother could persistently force upon her a future she did not want to have any part of.    She struggled against her mother’s will, not fully comprehending the reasons why her mother wanted her to be more than what she thought she was. As it was later on revealed in the story, her mother’s ways and beliefs rooted from the tragedies she encountered in her life before she came to America. Jing-meis mother went through terrible times in China. She lost her babies and had to struggle to be able to reach the â€Å"land of milk and honey. Reaching a new and prosperous land enabled her to start over, and she acquired a renewed sense of hope, along with the belief that in America, you can be all you want to be:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. You could open a restaurant. You could work for the government and get good retirement. You could buy a house with almost no money down. You could become rich. You could become instantly famous.Of course, you can be a prodigy, too,; my mother told me when I was nine.† (p. 180) The story goes on to expound on the mother’s past and her subsequent actions that affected her American-raised daughter. The story shows that after hurdling through obstacles in life, Jing Mei’s mother probably realized that anything was possible. Hers was a character who believed that if she went through hell in China but still made it to America then anything was possible, especially for a child raised in this land abounding in prosperity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Looking at it from this perspective, one could surmise that this explained why, as portrayed in the story, she was overbearing and appeared to expect a lot from her daughter.   Her expectations stemmed from what she had acquired from her surviving her misfortunes. As a mother who went through great adversity in life, she could not help but have high expectations for a daughter to whom she had afforded countless opportunities by raising her in America. With her daughter’s resistance to obey, she felt that Jing-mei was not taking full advantage of the opportunities that were made available to her: â€Å"My mother slapped me.†Who ask you to be genius? she shouted. Only ask you be your best. For you sake. You think I want you to be genius? Hnnh! What for! Who ask you! So ungrateful, I heard her mutter in Chinese, If she had as much talent as she has temper, shed be famous now.† (p. 183) It is evident in these lines that the mother was disappointed with Jing-mei. It seemed to her that her daughter was being unappreciative of everything that had been made available for her. On the other hand, the character of Jing-mei was portrayed as a stubborn and willful child. Jing-meis determination not to be what her mother wants her to be stems from her resolve not to let her mother change her. â€Å"And then I saw what seemed to be the prodigy side of me a face I had never seen before. I looked at my reflection, blinking so that I could see more clearly. The girl staring back at me was angry, powerful. She and I were the same. I had new thoughts, willful thoughts or rather, thoughts filled with lots of wonts. I wont let her change me, I promised myself. I wont be what Im not.† (p. 181-182) From these lines Jing-mei’s character is reflected as someone who often stated that she wanted to be who she is and who vehemently refused to be someone she was not. Although   later on she recognized that she could have been great if she did try to be,   the story further showed that till the end of that part of her childhood, she was determined not to (p. 183). â€Å"Two Kinds† is one of the multitudes of stories from Amy Tan’s â€Å"The Joy Luck Club†. Essentially, it deals with the dynamics of  Ã‚   the relationship between mothers and daughters. It gives a fresh perspective about the complexities of such kinship in the eyes of Chinese immigrants in an American Society. It deals with cultural differences and generation gaps, as well as the issue of establishing identity. This short story can be dissected into several areas of interest, all rich in symbolism. It reflects society in various levels of human interaction. While the plot of the story circles around the struggle between Jing-mei and her mother, a one may derive a deeper conflict, aside from the prima facie squabble between the mother and the daughter, that exists within it, comparable to one that is in society. If one looks closely, the mothers character represents individuals who believe that the past can be buried and forgotten once success is achieved. She represents the people who struggle everyday to overcome the ghosts of the past in order to provide for the future. The mother also stands for the people who are trying to compensate for things left undone or mistakes committed. Though their intentions may be good, there is a point where their zealousness in making up for the past becomes a burden that shackles them to what they are trying to escape. Meanwhile, Jing-meis character represents individuals who are in constant journey to find their identities amidst influential forces. It alludes to people caught between two cultures in two different time zones. Jing Mei also represents the young who, at a trying stage in their life, have to cope with the added responsibility of bridging the cultural gap between immigrant parents in modern-day America. On the other hand, the dynamics of the relationship between Jing-Mei and her mother represent the perennial and unavoidable conflicts between parents and their children. It speaks of expectations, of disappointment, of pride, of hurt and of differences and of finding one’s own identity. It reminds readers   how one can never pick his kin and though it may become an uphill battle, what matters is that one learns to accept the family he is given, for who they are. Furthermore, in a very subtle but compelling way, â€Å"Two Kinds†   also urges its readers to think about their past and where they are heading .This story prompts one to look at things in perspective find a way to come to terms with the past, be thankful of the present and look forward to the future with optimism. That being said, â€Å"Two Kinds†, with the infusion of literary brilliance, creativity and true-to-life experiences† has proved to be a true testament of Amy Tans artistic brilliance- both for its literary content and social reflection. This story is but, one of a kind. Works Cited Tan, Amy. â€Å"Two Kinds.† Title of the book of your faxed readings. Location: Publisher, Year Published. pages 180-187.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Study On The Student Athlete English Language Essay

Study On The Student Athlete English Language Essay Being a student athlete is one of the hardest things there is to do. You find yourself having to make to make two full time commitments, one to your professors who expects you to fully commit yourself to the classroom and one to your coach who expects you to fully commit yourself to your sport. There is no remorse in the life of a student athlete, neither professor nor coach cares if youre too tired trying to balance the two in your life. If you spent all night studying for a class your coach is not going to let you sleep in and if you spent all day working on your sport your professor wont give you any slack. Aside from being a tough life to live there are many benefits to being a college students athlete as well. Sports teach lifelong skills that have extreme value and cannot be learned outside of sports. Also being a student athlete forces you to be so busy that you dont have time to get in trouble like other college students may. Being a student athlete means much more than what its shown to be, you learn critical life lessons through your sport, you learn to deal with stress on a different level and you become bonded to your team like a family. A college team is always changing; especially at the community college level you only see a big part of the team for only a year before they move on to a four year. At the beginning of the season you look to most of these players as just a group of guys of even your competition for your position. But as you progress through the off season your look upon these men changes, instead of your competition you see a team all striving for the same goal. Eventually this team isnt just as team but becomes a family. When your teammate is out of the field and youre not you clinch your teeth for them to make the play instead of fail which could give you a chance to play. At practice you push youre hardest to force the only players to do the same. When a whole team achieves this it creates something special, a team destine for greatness. Being a student athlete can bring a lot of stress causing them to lose concentration in both school and their sport. Stress can be a major problem that can eventually cause a student to not only quit in their sport, but also drop out of school all together. Being a student athlete causes more stress than typically any other reasoning for a college student to be stressed. For example when an athlete has a game coming up and a big project due the same night it will cause a lot stress. The one way that a student athlete can avoid having this type of stress is finishing their school work ahead of time, so they can relax after the game. This strain can also cause an athlete to stop doing a sport completely for a little while and entirely focus on their school. Theres nothing wrong with doing that, but stopping a sport for any time period will interrupt the growth of an athletes skill in their sport. Having good time management could be a determining factor of winning a State Championship or not for the team. Its granted that no athlete wants to be the one that ruins winning a State Championship just because they dont plan in advance. If a student athlete is in a sport that is individual such as tennis or golf this can cause even more stress due to the amount of pressure the sport causes alone. The goal to being a good student athlete is to have time management and not be a procrastinator. An athlete must also have good valued characteristics because in most case they are looked upon as role models. When a student goes to college they will develop into the adult they want to be in the future. Being in a sport while in college can give that student some of the respectable characteristics that they will need in the future. Bob Richards once said One of the great lessons Ive learned in athletics is that youve got to discipline your life. No matter how good you may be, youve got to be willing to cut out of your life those things that keep you from going to the top. Being an athlete means you must know what will help you move forward and what will take you back and remove what will take you back. Being an athlete also gives you leadership qualities that cant be learned elsewhere because you are placed into situations where quick decisions must be made. Athletes also have good respect towards others otherwise they would get punished in their sports for having disrespect. Being an athlete or not everybody probably agrees that having to run for being disrespectful is unquestionably not worth it. Student athletes are usually respected by others because they understand how the athletes have to work hard and are always strong-minded to succeed. Most people believe the idea that college is the time for messing around and discovering yourself, especially in the life of student athletes. The college athlete has been given this reputation of jocks only playing and partying. This is very untrue, the student athlete must strive for excellence of the field and still manage to do all their homework and school work. Regardless of how tough all the school work is, I believe everyone deserves to have a college experience outside the classroom. Some believe that student Athletes lead a different college experience than a normal student. As a college student athlete myself, I have come to learn that I am going to need to work twice as hard to be able to receive good grades while earning my degree along with balancing my time consuming baseball career. While I am trying to balance all of these things I am also going to try to be adjusting to the living circumstances and other situations the college life decided to throw at me. All college students tolerate and encounter some of the same situations. The college life is a huge change from life in high school. In college students usually move away from the comfort of their homes and no longer live under the protection of their parents. Most student athletes like myself have always been juggling their school work and sports as long as they can remember. Because Ive always had a sport to go along with school Ive never had the chance to be as full time student. In high school I was always playing a sport or dedicating my time to become better in one. It gives a student an unfair advantage over student athletes because they can spend this time becoming a better student. Although, there are many issues college students and college student athletes share, there are also a lot of problems they do not. Life can be stressful at times for every college student, but your normal college students have additional time to deal with whatever problems that occur. From witness ing college students around me, I have come to the assumption that all college students will sleep as much as they can. In most cases this would mean sleeping until you have to attend class, which most likely starts around nine for most students. Your standard course load for a typical college student is around fifteen units, which averages around ten to twelve hours a week. Once a college student attends all of his or her classes for the day they are usually free to do whatever they desire. With this extra free time the student has, it is mostly devoted to their social life. Since there normally is a good amount of extra time on the college students life they can usually have a pretty decent social life outside of school. The life of a college student athlete is structured closely to a normal students life but has much more added on top. Although, your typical class normally starts around nine or eight, most athletes are required to have to be up much earlier for study hall and/or practice depending on the sport. Not being able to sleep in very much in the mornings, I celebrate when I have a class at ten and I can go home after study hall or lifting and sleep for that extra hour. After school is over for the day, a college student athlete is rarely free to do what they wish; the majority of the time, there is either practice or games to be attended too. After a long day of class and practice you get to finally go home and do homework and study. With all of their time dedicated to the sport they play, the majority of college student athletes dont have much of a social life separate from their teammates. While most of an athletes close friends are their teammates, it feels more as if a family than just simply friends. Throughout the chaotic schedules of athletes, they can still find some spare time to socialize with other friends. The difference is that every student athlete has a target on their back and constantly has eyes watching them so they must be very cautious of what they do outside of school. Being a student athlete is hard but college can still be fun. Nothing helps clear a writers block more than going outside and throwing a baseball to clear my head. It is still unsure if student athletes or regular college students party and get in trouble more. But what I am sure of is that a student athlete will run a whole lot quick when the police come because of the fear of having to face the consequences from their coaches. The truth of the matter is college is no breeze for anyone student; college as a whole is a lot of hard work and commitment. The majority of student athletes have respect, are good leaders, and are very passionate about their school work and their sport. I personally believe the life of a student athlete can be more difficult in some parts than it is for college students but the life lessons you learn from being an athlete can never be learned anywhere else. Writers Narrative Although my essay strides away from the main topic of the assignment I felt that writing this essay would help me develop as a student. I did extensive research of the benefits and withdraws of being a student athlete and wanted to argue the point that people make that student athletes care less about their school work. Work Cited 1. Academic and Athletic Reform. American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, Victor Bondi, Richard Layman, Tandy McConnell, and Vincent Tompkins.  Vol. 9: 1980-1989.   Detroit: Gale, 2001.  Ã‚  Word Count: 550. 2 College Athletics. BRADLEY JAMES BATES, JOHN R. THELIN, JASON R. EDWARDS, ROBERT E. STAMMER, Jr., RACHEL M. MADSEN, THOMAS PASKUS,, et al. Encyclopedia of Education. Ed. James W. Guthrie.  Vol. 1.  2nd  ed.   New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2003.  p344-371.  Word Count: 15416. 3. College and High School Sports. Sports in America: Recreation, Business, Education and Controversy. Robert Jacobson. 2006  ed.   Detroit: Information Plus, 2006.  p69-94.  Word Count: 8791.

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Photographers of the Old West :: Research History Photography Papers

Photographers of the Old West In a society that is focused on visual stimuli, it isn't uncommon to see a person taking a picture with a camera or making a "movie" with their camcorder. But, in the 1840s and 1850s, life just wasn't like that. If someone said they could make a picture of a mining town or of the route to the West without a pencil or paint people would have laughed at them. Laughing would have been appropriate because photography didn't come into being until 1839. James Horan reveals in his book, Mathew Brady: Historian with a Camera, that it wasn't even called photography then, it was called the "new art" (5). There were very few people who knew what it was to take a picture, or make a picture with light. The only pictures that were around at that time were those that were drawn, painted, or printed from lithographs or etchings. Newspapers didn't have real live pictures that showed the actual things that were written about. The population of America as it was in 1800 didn't know what the "West" look ed like. According to Eugene Ostroff, sketches and paintings were the only illustrations of the West before photography (9). Ostroff tells us that these weren't usually accepted if the painter had taken artistic license (9). All Americans knew were the stories of the people who returned because it was too difficult to live there or the letters from friends and family telling the horrors they saw. So, with the invention of photography, especially the ability to "fix" the image onto the paper or metal plate had a major effect on the expansion to the West because the pictures that were taken showed how the West really was beautiful. Unfortunately, it was a while before the public was able to see the pictures that were taken by the photographers of the West because 1839 was only the very beginning of photography as a profession and a hobby. The first type of using light to make a picture was the daguerreotype. Both Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre and Nicephore Niepce, who passed away before the public was introduced to the daguerreotype, founded this type of picture taking. However, before this Louis Daguerre made a "theater without actors." Beaumont Newhall explains that this was an illusion made by extraordinary lighting effects that made the 45 Â ½ foot by 71 Â ½ foot pictures appear to change as one looked at them (2).

Codes of Practice in Health Care Essay -- Medical Industry

Codes of practice help classify the quality of care clients can expect if they receive care services and they can be used as a source for measuring the quality of care provided. All care professions have code of practice, some codes of practice mainly give advice and guidance, whereas others can be used to measure the quality of care. A policy is different to a code of practice, as it is set in a particular care setting in a particular place. A code of practice for nursery nurses will be relevant to all nursery nurses working in any care setting. If a nursery nurse works in a nursery, the policy which tells her how to cope with particular circumstances in that pacific nursery may be different to another nursery. Each care setting has its own policies, according on its specific needs and circumstances. Charters are slightly different, they are like codes of practices but they are created by the government which outlines the standards people can expect from a wide range of services. The charters contain information about the services and gives advice about how we can seek redress if a service does not fulfil all the stipulated standards. Many GPs produce practice charters that offer information about that standard of service delivered by their particular health centres. Information which most probably be covered is time schedule, collection of test results, how to get proscribed medication, facilities available to disabled people and further treatment. Profession care workers are trained to apply the values of care in their work. They are also helped in this, because they are expected to follow a code of practice. The Codes of Practice is issues to all registered nurses, midwives and health visitors. The Council i... ...Long Term Care Charter website) OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU – we want the NHS to be a high-quality health service. These are our aims as set out in the NHS Plan. The NHS will provide a universal service for all based on clinical need, not ability to pay. The NHS will provide a comprehensive range or services. The NHS will shape its service around the needs and preferences of individual patients, their families and their carers. The NHS will respond to different needs of different populations. The NHS will work continuously together with each others to ensure a seamless service for patients. The NHS will help keep people healthy and work to reduce health inequalities. The NHS will respect the confidentiality of individual patients and provide open access to information about services, treatment and performance. (Referred to the NHS website)

Saturday, August 3, 2019

New Leadership in Indonesia and Singapure Essays -- International Gove

The emerging globalized world brings with it new global threats. Various forms of advancement have made the threat of terrorism a global threat. As a result, leaders of democratic states have been forced to work together to contain such threats. This paper examines the extent to which the Indonesian leadership transition from 2004 to 2009 affected security policy relations with Singapore. First, this paper takes a brief look at the new leadership transition of Indonesia and Singapore in 2004. Second, this paper examines whether the new leadership was able to strengthened regional security through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). New Leadership in Southeast Asia The year 2004 was of significant change not only for Indonesia, but also for Singapore. Both, Indonesia and Singapore, went trough a leadership change in 2004, which allowed them to realign their relationship and interest in the region. On August 12, Lee Hsien Loong was sworn in as Singapore’s third prime minister since independence. Lee Hsien Loong preceded Goh Chok Tong’s 14-year leadership. Lee had long been expected to have some sort of leadership because his father, Lee Kuan Yew, was Singapore’s first prime minister. More notably on October 20, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was sworn in as Indonesia’s sixth president since independence. Mr. Yudhoyono was the fourth president in six years, but was the first directly elected president since the fall of President Suharto in 1998. The leadership transition of 2004 is crucial to understanding foreign relations between Indonesia and SIngapore because it laid the platform from which they could renew, strengthen, and expand their regional ideals. In the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Singapo... ...nd Southeast Asia: Australia, the U.S., and ASEAN’s Counter-Terror Strategy.† Asian Survey 48, no. 4 (July/August 2008): 626-649. Chow, Jonathan T. â€Å"ASEAN Counterterrorism Cooperation since 9/11.† Asian Survey 45, no. 2 (March/April 2005): 302-321. Febrica, Senia. â€Å"Securitizing Terrorism in Southeast Asia: Accounting for the Varying Responses of Singapore and Indonesia.† Asian Survey 50, no. 3 (May/June 2010): 569-590. Kassim, Yang Razali. Transition Politics in Southeast Asia: Dynamics of Leadership Change and Succession in Indonesia and Malaysia. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2005. Lee, Kuan Yew. â€Å"The United States, Iraq, and the War on Terror: A Singaporean Perspective.† Foreign Affairs 86, no. 1 (January/February 2007): 2-7. Narine, Shaun. â€Å"ASEAN and the Management of Regional Security.† Pacific Affairs 71, no. 2 (Summer, 1998): 195-214.

Friday, August 2, 2019

Bass Pro Shops

Prepare a S. W. O. T. analysis for Bass Pro Shops. What types of strategies do you recommend based on your analysis? Strengths (company’s internal factors from resources and capabilities)- Bass Pro Shops have a competitive advantage, which in the text is defined as â€Å"a firm has a marketing mix that the target market sees as better than a competitor’s mix† (Perreault et al, 2011 p. 47). The way that Bass Pro Shops has this competitive advantage is that its stores have become a tourist attraction making customers want to go into their stores to experience the unique environment that incorporates attractions and learning opportunities.In addition, Bass Pro Shops have gained recognition for their outstanding customer service. The people that they employ have been trained and have the expertise in the departments that they are assigned to. Bass Pro Shops is different from other competitors because it offers educational workshops on hobbies and sporting activities. Additionally, Bass Pro Shops are much larger than traditional outdoor outfitters, which allow them to offer a broader range of inventory and merchandise.By allowing the customer to use an indoor fishing pond or the shooting range to try out certain products before making a decision, Bass Pro Shops can eliminate the tension called dissonance that many shoppers feel after making a purchase (p. 164). Weaknesses (company’s resources and capabilities)- Bass Pro Shop could face weaknesses if they are unable to hire the experienced people with the great customer service that they require. Sometimes it could be hard to find both qualities in a person.If they are unable to locate customer service representatives with the high level of experience they desire, they could overcome this problem through a structured training program. The other problem they could face is high prices. Because they are a higher quality store with a larger and higher-paid staff, their prices are obviously goi ng to be higher than other similar sporting good stores. Customers knowing beforehand of the higher prices might avoid a visit to a Bass Pro Shop altogether to avoid purchasing over-priced merchandise.In addition, an experienced shopper may know exactly what they need for their activity of choice and may realize that the item can be purchased at a common retail store such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gander Mountain, or even Wal-Mart. Lastly, with the store being as large as it is, some shoppers may view it as a burden to pick up just a few things because they don’t want to spend all day in the store. Customers may find it easier to go to a local sporting good store to purchase sporting goods rather than travel to Bass Pro Shop and make a whole day event.Bass Pro can overcome this by advertising its online store as a convenience to customers. Opportunities (emerge from external environment, customers and competitors) The opportunities that Bass Pro Shop has include  "getting the customers in the door† because they are considered a family-friendly tourist attraction. Bass Pro Shops have activities, themed restaurants, and entertainment, which can provide something that will appeal to each member of a family.The money that they put into their stores to make them different from others makes them more attractive to customers. It would be important for Bass Pro Shops to advertise in a great distance from the store to try and reach out to travelers that might stop by the store on a road trip. Bass Pro Shops offer the education experience as well as the shopping experience may help a customer to decide to visit their store instead of the competitors because its a one-stop shop.Lastly, having skilled and highly-trained employees to assist the customers allows for new products to reach the attention of consumers; for example, if a family enters the store with the intention to purchase camping gear, an experienced camping enthusiast, the employee, may recommend additional products based on his or her camping experiences, which will generate more sales. Threats (emerge from external environment, customers and competitors) A major threat for Bass Pro Shops is the economy.With the economy in a downturn it makes it a lot more difficult for people to justify spending the money on things that they really do not need. And since these stores are not everywhere you go it causes people to travel long distances in order to visit, which means they have to spend additional money on fuel to get there. The gas prices have been increasing to amounts that have put a damper on a lot of peoples travel plans. With all of the economic problems some customers are going to go somewhere that is more local and better in their price range.In addition, Bass Pro Shops face threats from traditional and specialty sporting stores, mass-merchandisers, and catalog and Internet-based retailers. These merchandise providers are everywhere and the 50 Bass Pro Sh ops that are currently in the United States and Canada can be quite a distance for the outdoor enthusiast that already knows what he or she may need. Furthermore, the consumer who enters a store with the intention to only touch and / or play with an item that he or she ultimately plans to purchase online threatens all retail stores.We would recommend that Bass Pro Shops continue to make their stores unique; however, making a few â€Å"smaller† stores with some of the same features, lower prices, and closer to large shopping centers would allow customers to experience the environment, which may entice them to visit the larger stores. I think that since they are such a popular store people would visit the smaller stores, purchase merchandise, and take some of the classes that were offered. . Can you think of retailers in other categories that might successfully emulate the format and execution of Bass Pro Shops? As the video case states, â€Å"the marriage between retailing an d entertainment is here to stay† (p. 635). Although there are not other retailers that have successfully emulated the format and execution of Bass Pro Shops, below is a list of companies that attempt to create a unique experience for the consumer. a.Build-a-Bear Workshops let kids personalize their stuffed animals. b. Mall of America is more than just a shopping mall; it is also a tourist destination. The mall is on the extreme side in that it houses 520 stores, 50 restaurants, and attractions galore, including Nickelodeon Universe, the nation's largest theme park, and the new American Girl store. The Mall of America doesn’t just have stores and restaurants like other malls; it also has a large theme park and an aquarium. . Home Depot and Hobby Lobby have DIY teaching workshops. d. Macy’s cosmetic department and Bare Minerals stores are set up so that products can be tried before they are purchased. e. IKEA stage their products as actual rooms instead of simply g rouping by product f. Abercrombie and Fitch usually have a unique entrance, loud new-age music, and young hip-looking sales associates to attract its target audience

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Kinds of Outline

What is an OUTLINE? An  outline  is an organizational tool used by writers to gather thoughts so that they can be clearly laid out in an essay or book. Many writers feel that creating an  outline  is the key to effective writing, and it certainly makes the writing process more efficient and focused. By creating an  outline  for a piece of writing, the author ensures that all the pieces of the puzzle are presented in a logical, clear order, and that they flow well, drawing the reader to a logical conclusion.An  outline  can also be used to identify and eliminate potential areas of  weakness  or lack of focus in a paper. Although an  outline  is rarely required for a piece of writing, it can be extremely helpful. Papers which are written with the assistance of an  outline  tend to be of a higher quality, because of the greater level of organization. For this reason, outlines should be among the tools which every writer knows how to use. Outlines help writers to organize what they are going to say before they write it. 2. What are the kinds of outline?The most common type of outline is called the  Alphanumeric Outline. Alpha as in alphabet and Numeric as in Numerals – it's the one that uses a combination of numbers and letters to organize your thoughts. I. Start with Roman Numbers for Largest Headings A. Then use Capital Letters 1. Then use Arabic Numbers a. Then use small letters II. Continue In This Fashion Until the Outline Is Finished Full-sentence outlines, as the term suggests, use complete sentences on each line of the outline. These can take longer to write, but they do give a much more thorough idea of what is going to be in the final paper.Topic outlines list the main topic or idea of each line, but do not make complete sentences. Some call the Roman numerals above a-heads, the capitalized letters, b-heads, and so on. Some writers also prefer to insert a blank line between the a-heads and b-heads (N. B. these people k eep the b-heads and c-heads together, though). I. Why do over 80% of today's companies monitor their employees? A. To prevent fraudulent activities, theft, and other workplace related violations. B. To more efficiently monitor employee productivity. C.To prevent any legal liabilities due to harassing or offensive communications. II. What are the employees privacy right's when it comes to EM/S (Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance) in the workplace? A. American employees have basically no legal protection from mean and snooping bosses. 1. There are no federal or State laws protecting employees 2. Employees may assert privacy protection for their own personal effects. A less common type of outline is the  Decimal Outline. This uses numbers, and each sub-heading has the number of the heading as part of it.This outline is used if you have a long, complicated outline and need to instantly be able to tell exactly where each section goes in the whole picture. Thesis statement: — 1. 0 Main Topic 1. 1Subheading 1. 2 Subheading 2. 0 Main Topic 2. 1 Subheading 2. 1. 1 Supporting Detail 2. 1. 2 Supporting Detail 2. 1. 3 Supporting Detail . . . . . . . . . 3. What is a Thesis Statement? A thesis statement tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. It is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.It directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel. It makes a claim that others might dispute. It is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation. 4. How similar or different is it from a main idea?The main difference is that â€Å"thesis† is generally used by teachers when referring to nonfiction works (you find them in history books and science books) while a â€Å"theme† is used when referring to a literary work (fiction). A thesis is stated plainly and early in a nonfiction work, while a theme is an idea or message that you get once you've read the book and you've taken some time to reflect on its meaning. The main idea, or thesis, should give your readers a clear and specific idea of your topic. The main idea can be thought of as a one or two sentence summary of the whole writing project. 5.What is an Action Research? Action research is known by many other names, including participatory research, collaborative inquiry, emancipatory research, action learning, and contextual action research, but all are variations on a theme. Put simply, action research is â€Å"learning by doing† – a group of peop le identify a problem, do something to resolve it, see how successful their efforts were, and if not satisfied, try again. While this is the essence of the approach, there are other key attributes of action research that differentiate it from common problem-solving activities that we all engage in every day.A more succinct definition is that an action research aims to contribute both to the practical concerns of people in an immediate problematic situation and to further the goals of social science simultaneously. Thus, there is a dual commitment in action research to study a system and concurrently to collaborate with members of the system in changing it in what is together regarded as a desirable direction. Accomplishing this twin goal requires the active collaboration of researcher and client, and thus it stresses the importance of co-learning as a primary aspect of the research process.What separates this type of research from general professional practices, consulting, or daily problem-solving is the emphasis on scientific study, which is to say the researcher studies the problem systematically and ensures the intervention is informed by theoretical considerations. Much of the researcher’s time is spent on refining the methodological tools to suit the exigencies of the situation, and on collecting, analyzing, and presenting data on an ongoing, cyclical basis.Several attributes separate action research from other types of research. Primary is its focus on turning the people involved into researchers, too – people learn best, and more willingly apply what they have learned, when they do it themselves. It also has a social dimension – the research takes place in real-world situations, and aims to solve real problems. Finally, the initiating researcher, unlike in other disciplines, makes no attempt to remain objective, but openly acknowledges their bias to the other participants.