Commonly Confused Words Cite, Sight, and Site

The words cite, sight, and site are homophones: they sound the same but have different meanings. Definitions The verb cite means to acknowledge, mention, or quote as an authority or example. (Also see citation.) Cite also means  to officially order (someone) to appear in a court of law. In addition, cite means to recognize or praise someone, usually for a notable achievement.   The noun sight refers to the power or process of seeing or  to something that is seen. The noun site means a plot of land or a particular place or scene. Examples This style guide explains how to cite sources in a term paper.I complimented his organization on its unusually courteous and efficient service, and cited the saleswoman as an outstanding example of the stores high caliber.(Jerzy Kosinski, Cockpit, 1975)  Ã‚  When he spoke, I saw that his teeth were white and straight, and the sight of them suddenly made me understand that Grossbart actually did have parents—that once upon a time someone had taken little Sheldon to the dentist.(Philip Roth, Defender of the Faith.  Goodbye, Columbus, 1959)A group of teachers of foreign languages met in Nashville, Tennessee. The Opryland Hotel was the site of the conference.(Maya Angelou,  Hallelujah! The Welcome Table. Random House, 2007) Idiom Alerts The expression a sight for sore eyes is a way of saying that someone is attractive or that youre very pleased to see some person or thing.Mrs. Evans! you are certainly a sight for sore eyes! I dont know how you manage to look so unruffled and cool and young! With all those children.(Jo Britten in James Baldwins play Blues for Mister Charlie, 1964)The oxymoronic expression sight unseen means to accept or purchase something without first having had an opportunity to look at it.Ill tell you something really crazy. I just bought a house on Nob Hill--three and a half stories and forty rooms.  It takes up half a block on Sacramento and Clay, right behind Jim Floods mansion. I  bought it sight unseen.†(John Jakes, California Gold. Random House, 1989) Practice (a) Allanbank was finally demolished, but despite this Jeans ghost has subsequently been seen on the _____ of the house and along the driveway, much to the relief of the local people who have come to love her.(Allan Scott-Davies,  Shadows on the Water: The Haunted Canals and Waterways of Britain. The History Press, 2010)(b) Authors who work on the same subject tend to _____ the same research papers.(c) It was a disgusting _____, that bathroom. All the indecent secrets of our underwear were exposed; the grime, the rents and patches, the bits of string doing duty for buttons, the layers upon layers of fragmentary garments, some of them mere collections of holes held together by dirt.(George Orwell, The Spike. The Adelphi, April 1931) Answers to Practice Exercises:Cite, Sight, and Site (a) Allanbank was finally demolished, but despite this Jeans ghost has subsequently been seen on the  site  of the house and along the driveway, much to the relief of the local people who have come to love her.(Allan Scott-Davies,  Shadows on the Water: The Haunted Canals and Waterways of Britain. The History Press, 2010)(b) Authors who work on the same subject tend to  cite  the same research papers. (c) It was a disgusting  sight, that bathroom. All the indecent secrets of our underwear were exposed; the grime, the  rents  and patches, the bits of string doing duty for buttons, the layers upon layers of fragmentary garments, some of them mere collections of holes held together by dirt.(George Orwell, The Spike.  The Adelphi, April 1931)

Reflection Essay - 1152 Words

As life becomes hectic and challenging, being able to manage my time is increasingly difficult. Additionally, being involved in online education adds a layer that requires time, that can be hard to find. Personally, through the use of a planner, eliminating distractions and studying at a coffee shop, has helped me find a way to balance my life. Between my responsibilities with family and work and still doing school, it is necessary for me to organize myself. What I have found helps me organize myself to accomplish everything I want to in a day is using a planner. I like to use a system called bullet journaling which is a more organized to-do list system. It is organized with daily, weekly and monthly lists and goals. Every morning while†¦show more content†¦Distractions are a complete detour in online school. It is increasingly difficult for me to maintain my focus and not become sidetracked by social media, friends, and entertainment. What I have found that is such an improvement for me is eliminating these distractions. Removing all possible distractions such as my phone, the television, and just unnecessary sidetracks online is crucial. Instead of being on Instagram or Snapchat all day, I have found that it is best if I delete the app or turn off my phone. I will also train myself so that every time I pick up my phone and start using it, I will start thinking â€Å"How important is this, do I need to do this.† Even doing this when I start getting that impulse. It is best to find a way to control my usage of my phone, computer or television. This is a constant struggle, but I make it a daily goal. To do this, I have begun setting up playlists for music or using a vinyl to play music. This helps me to avoid my phone and not put myself in the position of getting sidetracked. Even starting with small changes helps, for example, I try to take a ten-minute break every hour so that I can eliminate the possibility of losing track of time which is extremely harmful to me. I like to keep my breaks shorter, yet regular which helps aid me. Sometimes over limiting myself with my usage can make me lose my focus, so it is best to analyze my usage and deem what is appropriate. Sometimes IShow MoreRelatedReflection Essay1616 Words   |  7 PagesReflective Essay The aim of this essay is to reflect on an incident, which took place in a hospital setting during the first month of my Foundation Degree Assistant Practitioner course. It will explore the importance of communication amongst the health care professionals and how a good nursing documentation is an integral part of nursing. It will also demonstrate how reflection enabled me to make sense of and learn from this experience, as well as identify any further learning developments neededRead MoreReflection Essay781 Words   |  4 PagesI determined that I needed a new interest, something to keep my mind engaged and challenged. I enrolled in the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) through the Columbia Southern University (CSU) just for fulfillment. This reflection assignment exercise proves to be the catalyst for my future college endeavors. The assignment to reflect on DBA program dreamed of taking steps towards realizing those ideas and course accomplishments right now. Due to time som e course assignments, I will embrace,Read MoreSelf Reflection Essays817 Words   |  4 Pages  Self- ­Ã¢â‚¬ Observations   and   Self- ­Ã¢â‚¬    Reflections    Maximum   1000   words   each   term    The   purpose   of   these   three   reports   is   to   demonstrate   how   you   have   used   the   learning   journal   to    develop   your   self- ­Ã¢â‚¬ awareness   from   term   to   term.   (See   Section   11   about   the   Learning   Journal)    Each   report   is   due   at   the   first   class   meeting   after   each   reading   week.    Guidelines:    The   Reports   should   include   your   reflections   about:       Read MoreWriters Reflection Essay1463 Words   |  6 PagesEnglish Writing Reflection. English has always been one of my favorite subjects along with writing. At a young age I remember always writing childish stories, and comic books. In second grade I even won a writers competition. Writing has always been a part of my life. I keep a journal to write important events happening in my life and I like to write poems as well. However, during my high school years writing essays became more complex. For some reason I couldn’t seem to fullyRead More Mirror: Reflections of Truth Essay508 Words   |  3 Pages â€Å"Mirror†: Reflections of Truth In Sylvia Plath’s poem â€Å"Mirror†, the reader takes a look into the messages presented and compares them with the reflections that are cast in a mirror and images in a lake. When reading this poem, we discover that the speaker is the actual reflection that gives the interpretation of its views. The first interpretation is shown as a mirror on the wall â€Å"I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.† (1), second as the water in the lake because she states â€Å"Now IRead MoreReflection Within Professional Development: The Gibbs Model Essay1248 Words   |  5 PagesReflection Within Professional Development In this essay I intend to reflect upon a clinical skill, which I have learned and become competent in practicing. I will apply the Gibbs model to the chosen skill throughout the essay to allow for critical thought. Gibbs model includes the areas of description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan. (Gibbs, 1988) The term â€Å"reflection† directly refers to one’s own ability for serious thought or consideration regarding eventsRead MorePersonal Essay : Course Reflection992 Words   |  4 PagesCourse Reflection When my advisor asked me if I wanted to take summer school the first thing I said was, â€Å"Yeah, I want to take English 101.† The only problem was that it started at 8AM and I usually worked the night before, but I thought I could handle it. I enjoy writing. I actually write in my free time sometimes, so I thought English would be no problem. For me, writing is either extremely easy or extremely hard. It’s easy for me when I don’t have restrictions from what I can write about. I canRead MoreA Writers Reflection Essay1100 Words   |  5 Pagespositively on my introductions. This was greatly pleasing, for I have always thought them to be my weakest point. In the majority of my writing, the introductions were a result of extensive revisions. For example, the introduction of my Argumentative Essay was partially written in class, but I was not completely satisfied with it. To improve the introduction, I added several things, such as the example of the McDonaldâ⠂¬â„¢s commercial. In truth, I believe that these introductions are overanalyzed, whereRead MoreWriting Reflection Essay905 Words   |  4 PagesWriting a decent essay is as tedious, nerve racking, and strenuous as constructing a layer cake from scratch. First you have to decide that you are going to tackle this feat, and that can be your biggest challenge, motivation. Then you have, you must figure out what kind of cake batter you want to use. Collect all the ingredients to mesh together well, making each layer at a time. You throw all the layers together hoping that somehow they will come together to form a nifty design. But, they don’tRead MoreEssay on An Individuals Reflection on Academic Writing 951 Words   |  4 Pagesdeliver information logically and scientifically. This skill needs to be refined and practiced constantly regularly. After three months of taking ESL 273, I have accumulated various experiences in writing advanced sentences and organizing academic essay s which are really necessary for me to perform well in the next English course, ESL 5, as well as other classes. As a result, I think I am well-prepared and ready for the next coming course ESL 5. During the ESL 273 course, one of my strengths Reflection Essay - 1152 Words Personal Reflection Paper Gary Galicia Cultural Diversity and Special Populations BSHS/345 March 11, 2013 Joseph Andrade Personal Reflection This paper is going to identify an occurrence of invidious comparison and vicarious traumatization that I’ve experienced. Invidious comparison happens each and every day to practically everyone in the world. It is human nature to compare themselves to others, Reflection When I think about invidious comparison and if I’ve ever done it, there is only one answer, yes. Unfortunately I feel that I compare myself to many different people at different times. It could be the guy at the grocery store, or the guy on TV, it could even be one of my friends. The truth is I compare myself to†¦show more content†¦I used it as motivation, motivation to turn my life around and be in the same place she is in her life when I became the same age as her. Now when I look at my life I feel that I’ve succeeded. Knowing now-a-days, how people compare themselves to others. I feel that it is time that we stop. Although it is much harder than it seems. Comparing one another is something we do, there will always be someone stronger, smarter, more attractive, and wealthier. The key is not to let it affect us. An individual will always have something that no one else will. It will differ from each individual. We need to just look at our own life and see what we can do to make it better. If becoming a helper will fill a hole in your life, as it does mine, then do it. If becoming a parent does then do it. We need to stop looking at other people’s lives and focus on our own. We are on this earth for one reason, to live. So we need to stop dwelling on what we don’t have, and go out there and get it, and live, go out and live life. Life is too short to keep complaining about what other people have. Everyone just needs to live life to its fullest. Now there is the topic of vicarious traumatization, this is something that hits ne pretty hard. I am a very emotional and empathetic person. Personally I try to let other people deal with certain traumas in their life alone, without butting my nose into their business. There are those times where they need anShow MoreRelatedReflection1650 Words   |  7 PagesIan-Bradley Tancred This essay analyses and describes what reflection is and how it supports your personal and professional learning. It elaborates upon how and why recognizing your strengths and weaknesses are important and how they can enhance lifelong learning. It describes what arguments and assertions are, what the differences are between them and which one is better. Debnath describes reflection as a means of self-examination to learn from knowledge and experiences which will help transformRead MoreReflection1479 Words   |  6 PagesReflections Both simple and complex reflections were used. A simple reflection used towards the beginning of the interview transpired into, â€Å"pretty active out doing a lot of things.† Alternatively, a complex reflection used when reflecting on Sarah’s feelings about what her friends think about her not socializing subsisted of, â€Å"it bothers you thinking about them, wondering about your intentions.† I used twice as many complex reflections as simple reflections. Unfortunately, I should have usedRead MoreReflection On The Word Reflection 701 Words   |  3 PagesFor me the word ‘reflection’ means taking time to really dig deep into my thoughts, to contemplate something meaningful and significant, to make a decision that often involves me and my future. It has a personal and emotional connection. Daudelin (1996) uses the word ‘reflection’ to encourage managers to create time to recognise the value of learning from past and current work s ituations (‘experience’) and to adapt this learning to new situations. I would prefer to choose the words ‘thought’ or ‘consideration’Read MoreReflection1218 Words   |  5 PagesReflection on your personal development Reflection is a major factor in developing self-awareness to improve services provided to everyone around me, this is to develop my own understanding in realising the good and bad made previously. Moving forward with a better understanding, as well as rectifying the mistake whilst recognizing the good points, (Horton-Deutsch and Sherwood, 2008). Working in a domiciliary setting and visiting vulnerable adults within their homes, I am constantly tryingRead Morereflection703 Words   |  3 Pageshelpful/ inspiring. Your completed template form and content should be a CRITICAL reflection of the paper/ chapter content but NOT merely summarize what you have read. TEMPLATE FOR REFLECTIONS ON EXPERIENCES DATE: PLACE: The experience 1. What experience are you reflecting on (class session, project group meeting, particular piece of reading, other)? Give a brief account of this experience. 2. 3. Reflections on Experience 4. 2. Looking back, what was particularly memorable/ interestingRead MoreNursing reflection.12855 Words   |  52 PagesReflective Essay This essay will look at reflection on a critical incident that has promoted a positive outcome. It is not a very major incident but it stands out as it has a potential for learning. This essay will identify and explain Johns (1994) model of reflection and explain what reflection is and why reflective practice is necessary and how it can be used. Schone (1983) recommended reflection on critical incidence as a valuable term, sited in Ghaye and Lillyman (1997) a critical incidentRead MoreReflection Essay1616 Words   |  7 Pagesintegral part of nursing. It will also demonstrate how reflection enabled me to make sense of and learn from this experience, as well as identify any further learning developments needed to improve my practice and achieve the level of competency needed for when I qualify as an assistant practitioner. While discussing the knowledge underpinning practice, evidence based literature will be reviewed to support my discussion and for the purpose of reflection the essay will be written in the first person. SpouseRead MoreReflection On Self Development Through Reflection1854 Words   |  8 Pagesthrough reflection is a key issue of education and learning (Kennison, 2012), where you learn through experience (Tashiro, Shimpuku, Naruse and Matsutani, 2013), learn to self-evaluate (Duffy, 2013), identify gaps in knowledge and detect where further training or study is required to improve practice (Olarerin, 2013). Ultimately reflection is thought to be constant learning from practice, thus refining knowledge and experiences and putting them into practice (Naidoo, 2013). Within my reflection examplesRead MoreReflection Essay781 Words   |  4 PagesI determined that I needed a new interest, something to keep my mind engaged and challenged. I enrolled in the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) through the Columbia Southern University (CSU) just for fulfillment. This reflection assignment exercise proves to be the catalyst for my future college endeavors. The assignment to reflect on DBA program dreamed of taking steps towards realizing those ideas and course accomplishments right now. Due to time some course assignments, I will embrace,Read MorePersonal Reflection756 Words   |  4 PagesPersonal reflections are characterized as learning through experience in gaining new insights and changed perception of self and practices. Reflection can be a difficult experience without the support and guidance of an expert (Johns, 2004). This personal reflection presents an exciting opportunity for me to consider how successful my placement in the intermediate care has been in terms of my own personal learning. By reflecting on the positive aspects of the placement, I will be able to make sense

Ninas Fashions free essay sample

There are 7 vital parts to completing this comprehensive analysis of whether Nina’s Fashions and their management should acquire the Chic Company. 1) Gather information regarding mergers and present it to Nina’s board of directors. 2) Discuss reasons and factors justifying mergers, including their benefits to society and each company. 3) Discuss the Pro’s and Con’s of a hostile versus friendly mergers, along with some data on how shareholders from each side have fared in past mergers. ) Do a sensitivity analysis of all data that was estimated and used in the merger analysis. How to start negotiations, the beginning offer, and the max price per share. 6) Try to justify buying Chic Company using only Nina’s Fashions stock. 7) Recommend whether to proceed with the acquisition. I. Gather information regarding mergers and present it to Nina’s board of directors. There are several reasons mergers are appealing to companies. Mergers can diversify company’s interests similar to an individual’s stock portfolio thus reducing its overall risk. We will write a custom essay sample on Ninas Fashions or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Mergers also can serve as a source of growth for a company, instead of a company reinvesting its returns into growing its own company at a rate in which the company can’t handle it can acquire one that has steady growth like itself and grow them both at a reasonable rate. It is also beneficial to companies that merger because they create added value through synergies, economies of scale, and better management. II. Discuss reasons and factors justifying mergers, including their benefits to society and each company. Several reasons have been proposed to justify mergers. Among the more prominent are (1) tax considerations, (2) risk reduction, (3) control, (4) purchase of assets at below-replacement cost, (5) synergy, and (6) globalization. Economically justifiable reasons include Synergy: Value of the whole exceeds sum of the parts, Operating economies, financial economies, Differential management efficiency, Taxes (use accumulated losses). Questionable reasons for mergers; Purchase of assets at below replacement cost, acquire other firms to increase size, thus making it more difficult to be acquired. III. Discuss the Pro’s and Con’s of a hostile versus friendly merger, along with some data on how shareholders from each side have fared in the past. The differences between a hostile merger and a friendly merger are a friendly merger is one that is supported by the targets management. A hostile merger is resisted by the targets management, and the acquirer must go directly to stockholders and tender 51% of the share, often mergers that start out hostile end up friendly when the offer price is raised. The Pros of a friendly merger is less stress and animosity between the two companies post merger, target management is less likely to take the poison pill route. The Pro’s of a hostile merger include on average a 30% increase in the targets stock price versus a 20% increase from friendly mergers. The cons of a friendly merger target companies stockholders receive on average only a 20% increase in their stock when being acquired in a friendly manner. Con’s of a hostile takeover are they usually fail. Also increased regulation in the area of turnovers has even reversed some recent hostile takeovers due to anti trust issues. IV. Do a sensitivity analysis on all statistical data pertaining to estimates used in the merger analysis. When the capital structure is changing rapidly, as in many mergers, the WACC changes from year-to-year and it is difficult to apply the corporate valuation model in these cases. The APV model works better when the capital structure is changing. The steps are 1. Project FCFt ,TSt until the target is at its target capital structure for one year and is expected to grow thereafter at a constant growth rate. Should the Chic Company be completely against the idea of the acquisition I would not attempt a hostile takeover, the reason being the major reason for this acquisition is to utilize disposable cash for the greatest return on that money and a hostile takeover usually increases the cost an additional 10% versus a friendly takeover, and I believe there are enough other companies out their that would agree to a friendly merger instead of spending an extra 10% on one that is resisting and could potentially sabotage your efforts post merger.

My Life as a Novel free essay sample

I am Dante’s Inferno. Or maybe Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying. I am some complex novel of that type; full of profound ideas and detailed descriptions. So many deeper stories lie under the surface of my being. That’s why I connect to literature – so many people learn to accept the surface but choose to ignore the deeper meaning. Welcome to my life – I am a complex novel with many pages, a plain exterior, vivid images, and deep, underlying features. Readers often begin with the cover. From experience, I can admit to only picking up a book if the cover appeals to me. But not only do readers do this, all people do this. My cover is not anything special – plain, not very detailed, somewhat lacking distinction from other novel covers. Society tells readers to only read the books with exquisite covers. Therefore, making me a lot of people’s last choice when it comes to my exterior. We will write a custom essay sample on My Life as a Novel or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When a reader picks me up and begins to flip through the pages they notice that as my story progresses, I’m seen in more trying situations. A reader may begin to feel sympathy. Some find my story boring and choose to put me down. It takes a certain person to be interested in the struggles I’ve seen. I am full of vivid imagery. Finding the positive side to most things makes my descriptions more beautiful. When a reader is delighted by my sense of positivity, they want to keep reading. Living a beautifully imagined life attracts attention. It’s not until the reader is very interested that they begin to read in between the lines. They begin to see the deeper meanings to my feelings, and the hurt that I’ve grown up. It’s not until then that they realize how complex of a work I really am. Though my words and sentences may be short and sweet, each short word and sentence can be evaluated and seen deeply. The reader begins to realize that behind the not-so-exciting cover and short clauses lies something so deep – a complex person with complex feelings. And a complex plot is often what makes a story. I am a piece of literature. Literature speaks into my soul and makes me come to terms with who I am. I am a classic; someone to be remembered. I am complex; someone only certain readers can understand. And lastly, I am loved by my readers; the people who found me interesting enough to stick around. My story is not yet finished.

Ira essays

Ira essays If you're like most people, there's nothing more important to you than your family. As difficult as it is for you to imagine not being there for them, it's a risk we all face. To help be sure your loved ones have the financial protection they'll need, it's important to not only think about the unexpected, but to plan for it. If you were gone, who would provide for your loved ones? Who would help... Cover the cost of raising your children? Life insurance can help give your family the protection they need while providing you with peace of mind. It can help provide continuing income and help pay the billskeeping your family's hopes and dreams alive even after your death. or to find out if you're approved for up to $150,000 of immediate 10-year term life insurance that could save you up to 30%.* Coverage starts today with no medical exam if Or, get more information on other life insurance coverage offered through U.S. Bancorp in higher coverage amounts for maximum coverage at the lowest premiums that can be designed for long-term protection while providing flexibility in terms of premium payments and cash value accumulation. Applying for 10- and 20-year underwritten term and universal life insurance involves an interview and a medical exam (including blood and urine samples). Initially, premiums are lower than those for various forms of whole life insurance, thus allowing you to purchase higher amounts of insurance coverage. It is good for covering specific needs that will disappear in time, such as Premiums will increase as you grow older and at the end of the term of the policy you purchase, such as 10 year term. In the 11th year the premiums will increase. ...

Ishi Living the Way essays

Ishi Living the Way essays Ishi has always strived to help his family; ingrained in him is a responsibility and desire to help protect and provide for them. Life for the remaining Yahi people becomes more and more complicated as their population decreases, and the saldu presence in the Yahi world increases. Ishi and his family are constantly adapting their lifestyle to survive in an ever-changing world. The one constant in Ishis life, weather he is living in the Yahi world or the saldu world, is his endless quest to live in accordance with the way, or in harmony with nature. Imbedded in Ishi is a respect for all the creatures around him. Ishi feels one with the world around him, the animals around him are not lesser beings, and they are an essential part of the world Kaltsuna and Jupka created thousands of years ago. A small cotton-tail rabbit came out of the brush, hopping closer and closer to him...with a last hop, rabbit landed between Ishis hands....I am hungry. My People are hungry. It is the duty of the hunter to take what he can. But this four-footer I shall not take. It came to me without fear, knowing I was not hunting.(Ishi last of his tribe Pg 46) How many could say truthfully, that near starving they would let an easy catch go? Not many. Ishi follows the way and does not take anything he doesnt need, or kill animals that come to him when he isnt hunting no matter how hungry he is. To Ishi what is one night of hunger for the life of a rabbit that trusted him? Ishi shows this kind of respect again while hunting the spring deer with Timawi. They observe the deer eating, and get the attention of the deer. They kill one of the younger males, and when they are finished they cover up all traces of the kill. The Yahi use the entire deer, the meat, the hide and the bones. The other deer and the birds and rabbits which had been close by disappeared into the brush...But there was no panic...nothing wa...

New Opportunities for Women in Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

New Opportunities for Women in Society - Essay Example Women have been awarded bachelors degrees for centuries, have the vote, and are not generally victimized in society. Women can now hold any position available to a man, take the same degree courses, and vote in the same elections as men, although there are still some inequalities present. This paper will look at the historical developments that have led to the status of women in society today, including the Seneca Falls convention and the provision of education for women. It will examine how these developments have led to new opportunities for women in the United States, so that now more women than ever have a career (Baker, 1984). It is these historical developments, amongst others, that have allowed women to move out of the domestic sphere and into the working world. 18th Century America and the Salem Witch Trials The situation for women in the late 17th and early 18th centuries is where the discussion of women in the United States will begin. Women at this time were expected to be confined to the domestic sphere and did not generally hold down jobs in the same way that men did. In some states, women did have the ability to vote but these rights were generally lost over the coming years, in some cases because married women did not legally have ownership of anything and therefore were not considered as individuals (Matthaei, 1982). They were expected to run the household, and did not have any educational qualifications (Evans, 1997). Families were also generally larger in this era than they are today, and women were expected to care for their children as part of their homely role. Further than this, childbirth was also far more dangerous and many women did not survive pregnancy because of the poor health provisions (Rosen, 1973). Women of the time were often taught to read for Bible reading purposes, but there was no desire to teach women how to write and there was no formal education for females (Matthaei, 1982). Women were also viewed as being under the cont rol of their father or their husband, or another male figure if these weren't applicable, often being traded for furthering the family status. These problems were further compounded by the fact that the highly Puritanical society in some areas saw females as being more prone to sin than men, casting a shadow over the role of women in society. It was this view that led to the events of the Salem Witch Trials, in which 13 women were hanged. It must be noted here that men were also victim of the accusations, but they were aimed primarily at women. This further highlights the status of women as inferior within the society, and provides a good starting point to show just how far women have moved from this original starting point and how much has been gained for women's rights. It is also interesting to note the role of women in the Revolutionary War. Women were not permitted to fight (although one, Deborah Samson, did fight by disguising herself as a man) but they were permitted to have roles as nurses and cooks, as well as other secondary roles (Segal, 1981). Women were not permitted into the army until much later, but it is interesting that they were allowed to participate in some activities, which would be unheard of in many other countries at the time. It was this Revolution that brought about the idea of Republican Motherhood, placing women in the role of correctly bringing up the children in order for society to

Family business an empirical analysis of their performance and Essay

Family business an empirical analysis of their performance and ownership structure - Essay Example ta connected with this has been presented in this paper along with the analysis to identify how the markets have performed in the United States and elsewhere. Founding Family Controlled Firm (FFCF) was expected to be down and the general conception is that they might not grow beyond a specific size2. But with clear targets and achievable ones being laid out, these firms have been consistently producing results3. This has resulted in more investor confidence. Sharon Nelton also points out that the second generations managers of the Family have seen to that the companies have grown manifold and investments from others were solicited. These FFCF businesses have repeatedly achieved rapid growth over a period of time. This has primarily happened because of the smaller decisions making tree which helps in swift and strong decisions. This way the company was able to respond to market situations swiftly resulting in better bottom line. In addition to these, the FFCFs are mostly professionally supported. They do employ professionals to be as consultants resulting in getting the right kind of employees for their growing business. Therefore, it was no surprise that the companies with a dynamic manager at helm could bring about rapid changes in its structure resulting in swift growth4. The same way, there has been consistent performance betterment wherever there has been a committed leadership in these companies. The performance of the companies typically, in the case of young founders was also analyzed and the reasons behind growth of the companies have to be studied. In order to ensure that the companies are appropriately studied data of various companies fitting into the cross section of FFCFs with younger founders and those FFCFs with descendant leaders in the organizations helm were taken up. This would throw a new light on the working of the FFCFs. For the purpose of our study, a business is considered family business if the controlling interest in the firm is held by

Business Ethics and Rules Essay Example for Free

Business Ethics and Rules Essay Personally, I agree that Solomons ethical fundamentals are a good moral foundation for a business. â€Å"Business ethics is the study of what constitutes right and wrong (or good and bad) human conduct in a business context. † (p25) From the lecture, we know that ethics matters because â€Å"how organizations behave have important implications for how they fulfill their social and economic roles† and â€Å"their success as well as the success of their employees, customers, etc. † Thus, running a business ethically is good for business. Applying Solomon’s three C’s of business ethics and the eight rules of thinking ethics in business make good sense. The three C’s of business ethics include compliance, contributions and consequences. The first C is â€Å"the need for compliance with the rules, including the laws of the land†¦and such general concerns as fairness. †(p36) As a saying goes, â€Å"Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards. † Rules in business are intended to assert business structure or to control or influence the behavior of the business. Let’s take EU-Rent for example. EU-Rent is a car rental company owned by EU-Corporation. EU-Rent sets up rules about rentals, returns, servicing and customers. For example, â€Å"EU-Rent keeps records of customers, their rentals, and bad experiences. This information is used to decide whether to approve a rental. † If EU-Rent doesn’t comply with these rules, it may not organize well. The second C is â€Å"the contributions business can make to society, through the values and quality of one’s products or services†¦and usefulness of one’s activities to the surrounding community. † (p36) For instance, economists conventionally assume that organization’s primary goal is to maximize profits. Many successful organizations are gradually aware of the important relationship between profits and contributions to society. Starbucks has seen its profits rise as it has increased its investment in social issues. Those organizations who are making profits and don’t contribute to society may receive criticism from the public. As the article â€Å"The Sichuan Earthquake and the Changing Landscape of CSR in China†, which was written by Ariel McGinnis, James Pellegrin, Yin Shum, Jason Teo, and Judy Wu (University of Pennsylvania), mentioned, â€Å" In the days and weeks following the Sichuan earthquake, many multinational corporations(MNCs) pursued a global CSR (corporate social responsibility) policy in line with their international standard. While some multinationals pledged cash, many others pledged a combination of cash, equipment and services. Domestic firms, by all accounts, out-donated multinationals†¦The popular perception was that international firms relief contributions not only did not match those of local Chinese companies in terms of scale or timeliness, but also were not commensurate with their presence in the Chinese market. Chinese consumers quickly seized upon this disparity by openly attacking major MNCs, calling for a boycott of their products †¦ The Chinese public soon gave these affected MNCs the nickname of ‘international iron roosters. The term refers to a bird that never gives up a single feather, and its usage highlights the perceived stinginess of these international firms†¦Despite their additional donations,’ iron-rooster’ MNCs continued to face angry consumers throughout China, resulting in severe public backlash, including protests at several McDonalds and blo ckades at KFCs throughout Sichuan province and the rest of China. † From this example, we can see how important the contributions that organizations should make to the society are. The third C is â€Å"the consequence of business activity†¦including the reputation of one’s own company and industry†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p36) Why the consequences of business activity are so important? Let’s have a look at the following example. Once, Sanlu was one of the oldest and most popular brands of infant formula in China. It went into bankruptcy after the â€Å"Sanlu milk scandal†. Based on the media, â€Å"By November 2008 China reported an estimated 300,000 victims, six infants dying from kidney stones and other kidney damage, and a further 860 babies hospitalized. Since the Sanlu Group didn’t solve the problem and recall the products in time, it leaded to a horrible incident. Doubtlessly, what did organizations do may affect their development and even the well-being of the public. Organizations should not blindly pursue for profits only but also be responsive to society. To become successful, a business needs to be driven by strong ethical va lues. If a corporation fails to adopt ethical values and cannot be responsive to society, it will fail, just like the Sanlu Group. Besides the three C’s of business ethics, Solomon also stated the eight rules of thinking ethics in business, which are also good moral foundations for a business. The eight rules include â€Å"consider other people’s well-being, including the well-being of nonparticipants; think as a member of the business community and not as an isolated individual; obey, but do not depend solely on, the law; think of yourself—and your company—as part of society; obey moral rules; think objectively; ask the question ‘What sort of person would do such a thing? and respect the customs of others, but not at the expense of your own ethics. †(p40, 41) Based on the above statements, it is obvious to see that they are mainly about the concept of three C’s. According to the text, thinking ethically means â€Å"thinking in terms of compliance with the rules, implicit as well as explicit, thinking in terms of the contributions one can make as well as oneâ€⠄¢s own possible gains, thinking in terms of avoiding harmful consequences to others as well as to oneself. (p40) In the case of â€Å"Sanlu milk scandal†, one of the main reasons behind

Adrienne Rich Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Poetry of Adrienne Rich Adrienne Rich was born in Baltimore, Maryland in the year of 1929. Rich grew up in a household as she describes it as † †¦white, middle-class, full of books, and with a father who encouraged her to write† (Daniel). Her father Arnold Rich was a doctor and a pathology professor and her mother, Helen Jones Rich , was a pianist and a composer. â€Å"Adrienne Rich recalls her growing-up years clearly dominated by the intellectual presence and demands of the male in the family, her father, while correctly marked by the submerged tensions arising from the conflicts between the religious and cultural heritage of the father's Jewish background and her mother's Southern Protestantism† (Pope). In the year of 1951, Rich graduated from Radcliffe University. During this year, Adrienne Rich also won the Yale Younger Poets Prize for her first book, A Change of World. In 1953, Adrienne Rich married Alfred Conrad who was a Harvard economist; during the next five years Rich had three sons. Deborah Pope says that Rich’s journal entries, from these years, state that this was an â€Å"emotionally and artistically difficult period† (Pope). Rich’s poems were mainly influenced by Robert Frost, Yeates, Stevens, and Auden. She became a major influence, through her essays and poetry, in many areas of modern-day women's movements, she had become one of the most provoking voices on the politics of sexuality, race, power, and women‘s culture. Adrienne Rich is a southern Jew who grew up during the forties. Rich lived in a gentle neighborhood and was never taught about her Jewish heritage. She eventually had to deal with conflicts between the religious and cultural heritage of her father’s Jewish background and her mother’s southern Protestantism (Pope). Rich’s father didn’t show any signs of ethnicity in any way. He did this to fit into a society that was against Jewish people. In many of her works, Adrienne Rich talks about being oppressed. In her poem, â€Å"1948: Jews,† Adrienne Rich refers to her college years. At Radcliffe University, she was to stay away from Jews. No matter how much she wanted, she could not unite with them as a group because socially it was less acceptable. She had to avoid her own ethnicity to survive in the American culture. â€Å"A Vision,† is another poem Rich wrote that discusses the issue of... ...s full of sound and fury (Barclay). She has fused politics and poetry and also revitalized the lost American institution of political poetry. Adrienne Rich depicts herself in her early 1980's poem "Sources," "she is a woman with a mission, not to win prizes/but to change the laws of history" (Rothschild). Works Cited â€Å"Adrienne Rich.† Barclay Agency 2004. 31 Oct 2004 . â€Å"Adrienne Rich.† Bedford/St. Martin’s 1999. 27 Oct 2004 . American Literature Web Resources. May 1999. Millikin University. 2 Nov 2004 . Daniel, Meagan. â€Å"Adrienne Rich: To Make the Work Her Life, and Her Life the Work.† Empowerment4Women. 28 Dec 2004 . LITWEB. W.W. Norton & Company. 28 Dec 2004 . Pope, Deborah. â€Å"Rich’s Life and Career.† Modern American Poetry. (2000) 27 Oct 2004 . Pettit, Rhonda. â€Å"Bibliography of Adrienne Rich.† Encyclopedia of American Poetry 2001. Compiled and hyperlinked by Gunnan Bengtsson. AmericanPoems.com. 30 Dec 2004 . â€Å"Rich, Adrienne.† Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia of American Literature. Ed. 1, 1991, Vol. 1 P909. Tennessee Electronic Library. 29 Oct 2004 . Rothschild, Matthew. â€Å"Rich 1994 Interview from the Progressive.† Modern American Poetry. (2000) 27 Oct 2004 .

Cfa- Economics

ADS It has two variables, share price S and time t. However, there is a second derivative only with respect to the share price and only a first derivative with respect to time. In finance, these type equations have been around since the early seventies, thanks to Fischer Black and Myron Schools. However, equations of this form are very common in physics Physicists refer to them as heat or diffusion equations. These equations have been known In physics for almost two centuries and, naturally. Scientists have learnt a great deal about them.Among numerous applications of these equations in natural sciences, the classic examples are the models of Diffusion of one material within another, like smoke particles in air, or water pollutions; Flow of heat from one part of an object to another. This is about as much I wanted to go into physics of the BBS equation. Now let us concentrate on finance. What Is The Boundary Condition? As I have already mentioned, the BBS equation does not say which financial instrument it describes. Therefore, the equation alone is not sufficient for valuing derivatives.There must be some additional information provided. This additional information is called the boundary conditions. Boundary conditions determine initial or final values of some financial product that evolves over time according to the PDP. Usually, they represent some contractual clauses of various derivative securities. Depending on the product and the problem at hand, boundary conditions would change. When we are dealing with derivative contracts, which have a termination date, the most natural boundary conditions are terminal values of the contracts.For example, the boundary condition for a European call Is the payoff function V(SST,T) = Max( SST-DE) at expiration. In financial problems, it is also usual to specify the behavior of the elution at SO and as S . For example, It is clear that when the share value S , the value of a put option should go to zero. To summaries, equ ipped with the right boundary conditions. It Is possible using some techniques to solve the BBS equation 1 OFF tort various financial instruments. There are a number tot deterrent solution method one of which I now would like to describe to you.Transformation To Constant Coefficient Diffusion Equations Physics students may find this subsection interesting. Sometimes it can be useful to transform the basic BBS equation into something a little bit simpler by a change of variables. For example, instead of the function V(S,t), we can introduce a new function according to the following rule V(S,t) = e ¤x +  ¤Ã‚ ¶LLC(X, 6) where or oh=-1 02 – 10, 2 -0 or 10. 000142 Then IS(x, 6) satisfies the basic diffusion equation D U D 21. 1 = 2 . DXL It is a good exercise to check (using your week 8) that the above change of variables equation.This equation looks much simpler that can be important, for example when simple numerical schemes. Previous ‘partial derivative exercises' f m om r indeed gives rise to the standard diffusion than the original BBS equation. Sometimes seeking closed-form lotions, or in some Green's Functions One solution of the BBS equation, which plays a significant role in option pricing, is 1 You can also read about this transformation in the original paper by Black and Schools, a copy of which you can get from me. 7 ? expo 0 for any S'. (Exercise: verify this by substituting back into the BBS equation. ) This solution behaves in an unusual way as time t approaches expiration T. You can see that in this limit, the exponent goes to zero everywhere, except at S=S', when the solution explodes. This limit is known as a Doric delta function: lime G(S , t) * 6 (S , S Don not confuse this delta function with the delta of delta hedging! ) Think of this as a function that is zero everywhere except at one point, S=S', where it is infinite.One of the properties of is that its integral is equal to one: +m Another very important property en De TA-don ation is where f(S) is an arbitrary function. Thus, the delta-function ‘picks up' the value of f at the point, where the delta-function is singular, I. E. At S'=S. How all of this can help us to value financial derivatives? You will see it in a moment. The expression G(S,t) is a solution of the BBS equation for any S'. Because of the linearity of the BBS equation, we can multiply G(S,t) by any constant, and we get another solution.But then we can also get another solution by adding together expressions of the form G(S,t) but with different values for S'. Putting this together, and taking an integral as Just a way of adding together many solutions, we find that V (S ,t)= If(S (S , t)ads ‘ o m is also a solution of the BBS equation for arbitrary function f(S'). Now if we choose the arbitrary function f(S') to be the payoff function of a given derivative problem, then V(S,t) becomes the value of the option. The function G(S,t) is called the Green's function.The formula abov e gives the exact solution for the option value in terms of the arbitrary payoff function. For example, the value of a European call is given by the following integral c(S , t) = f Max( S E (S , t) ads Let us check that as t approaches T the above call option gives the correct payoff. As we mentioned this before, in the limit when t goes to T, the Green's function becomes a delta-function. Therefore, taking the limit we get T , T) = I Max( S E T , S ‘)ads Max( SST -E ,0). Here we used the property of the delta-function.Thus, the proposed solution for the call option does satisfy the required boundary condition. Formula For A Call Normally, in financial literature you see a formula for European options written in terms of cumulative normal distribution functions. You may therefore wonder how the exact result given above in terms of the Green's function is related to the ones in the literature. Now I'd like to explain how these two results are related. Let us first focus on a Eu ropean call. Let us look at the formula for a call c(S , f Max( S E (S , t)ads We integrate from O to infinity. But it is clear that when S'

Prelude to Foundation Chapter 10 Book

HAND-ON-THIGH STORY-†¦ An occasion cited by Hari Seldon as the first turning point in his search for a method to develop psychohistory. Unfortunately, his published writings give no indication as to what that â€Å"story† was and speculations concerning it (there have been many) are futile. It remains one of the many intriguing mysteries concerning Seldon's career. Encyclopedia Galactica 45. Raindrop Forty-Three stared at Seldon, wild-eyed and breathing heavily. â€Å"I can't stay here,† she said. Seldon looked about. â€Å"No one is bothering us. Even the Brother from whom we got the dainties said nothing about us. He seemed to take us as a perfectly normal pair.† â€Å"That's because there is nothing unusual about us-when the light is dim, when you keep your voice low so the tribesman accent is less noticeable, and when I seem calm. But now-† Her voice was growing hoarse. â€Å"What of now?† â€Å"I am nervous and tense. I am†¦ in a perspiration.† â€Å"Who is to notice? Relax. Calm down.† â€Å"I can't relax here. I can't calm down while I may be noticed.† â€Å"Where are we to go, then?† â€Å"There are little sheds for resting. I have worked here. I know about them.† She was walking rapidly now and Seldon followed. Up a small ramp, which he would not have noticed in the twilight without her, there was a line of doors, well spread apart. â€Å"The one at the end,† she muttered. â€Å"If it's free.† It was unoccupied. A small glowing rectangle said NOT IN USE and the door was ajar. Raindrop Forty-Three looked about rapidly, motioned Seldon in, then stepped inside herself. She closed the door and, as she did so, a small ceiling light brightened the interior. Seldon said, â€Å"Is there any way the sign on the door can indicate this shed is in use?† â€Å"That happened automatically when the door closed and the light went on,† said the Sister. Seldon could feel air softly circulating with a small sighing sound, but where on Trantor was that ever-present sound and feel not apparent? The room was not large, but it had a cot with a firm, efficient mattress, and what were obviously clean sheets. There was a chair and table, a small refrigerator, and something that looked like an enclosed hot plate, probably a tiny food-heater. Raindrop Forty-Three sat down on the chair, sitting stiffly upright, visibly attempting to force herself into relaxation. Seldon, uncertain as to what he ought to do, remained standing till she gestured-a bit impatiently-for him to sit on the cot. He did so. Raindrop Forty-Three said softly, as though talking to herself, â€Å"If it is ever known that I have been here with a man-even if only a tribesman-I shall indeed be an outcast.† Seldon rose quickly. â€Å"Then let's not stay here.† â€Å"Sit down. I can't go out when I'm in this mood. You've been asking about religion. What are you after?† It seemed to Seldon that she had changed completely. Gone was the passivity, the subservience. There was none of the shyness, the backwardness in the presence of a male. She was glaring at him through narrowed eyes. â€Å"I told you. Knowledge. I'm a scholar. It is my profession and my desire to know, I want to understand people in particular, so I want to learn history. For many worlds, the ancient historical records-the truly ancient historical records-have decayed into myths and legends, often becoming part of a set of religious beliefs or of supernaturalism. But if Mycogen does not have a religion, then-â€Å" â€Å"I said we have history.† Seldon said, â€Å"Twice you've said you have history. How old?† â€Å"It goes back twenty thousand years.† â€Å"Truly? Let us speak frankly. Is it real history or is it something that has degenerated into legend?† â€Å"It is real history, of course.† Seldon was on the point of asking how she could tell, but thought better of it. Was there really a chance that history might reach back twenty thousand years and be authentic? He was not a historian himself, so he would have to check with Dors. But it seemed so likely to him that on every world the earliest histories were medleys of self-serving heroisms and minidramas that were meant as morality plays and were not to be taken literally. It was surely true of Helicon, yet you would find scarcely a Heliconian who would not swear by all the tales told and insist it was all true history. They would support, as such, even that perfectly ridiculous tale of the first exploration of Helicon and the encounters with large and dangerous flying reptiles-even though nothing like flying reptiles had been found to be native to any world explored and settled by human beings. He said instead, â€Å"How does this history begin?† There was a faraway look in the Sister's eyes, a look that did not focus on Seldon or on anything in the room. She said, â€Å"It begins with a world-our world. One world.† â€Å"One world?† (Seldon remembered that Hummin had spoken of legends of a single, original world of humanity.) â€Å"One world. There were others later, but ours was the first. One world, with space, with open air, with room for everyone, with fertile fields, with friendly homes, with warm people. For thousands of years we lived there and then we had to leave and skulk in one place or another until some of us found a corner of Trantor where we learned to grow food that brought us a little freedom. And here in Mycogen, we now have our own ways-and our own dreams.† â€Å"And your histories give the full details concerning the original world? The one world?† â€Å"Oh yes, it is all in a book and we all have it. Every one of us. We carry it at all times so that there is never a moment when any one of us cannot open it and read it and remember who we are and who we were and resolve that someday we will have our world back.† â€Å"Do you know where this world is and who lives on it now?† Raindrop Forty-Three hesitated, then shook her head fiercely. â€Å"We do not, but someday we will find it.† â€Å"And you have this book in your possession now?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"May I see that book?† Now a slow smile crossed the face of the Sister. She said, â€Å"So that's what you want. I knew you wanted something when you asked to be guided through the microfarms by me alone.† She seemed a little embarrassed. â€Å"I didn't think it was the Book.† â€Å"It is all I want,† said Seldon earnestly. â€Å"I really did not have my mind on anything else. If you brought me here because you thought-â€Å" She did not allow him to finish. â€Å"But here we are. Do you or don't you want the Book?† â€Å"Are you offering to let me see it?† â€Å"On one condition.† Seldon paused, weighing the possibility of serious trouble if he had overcome the Sister's inhibitions to a greater extent than he had ever intended. â€Å"What condition?† he said. Raindrop Forty-Three's tongue emerged lightly and licked quickly at her lips. Then she said with a distinct tremor in her voice, â€Å"That you remove your skincap.† 46. Hari Seldon stared blankly at Raindrop Forty-Three. There was a perceptible moment in which he did not know what she was talking about. He had forgotten he was wearing a skincap. Then he put his hand to his head and, for the first time, consciously felt the skincap he was wearing. It was smooth, but he felt the tiny resilience of the hair beneath. Not much. His hair, after all, was fine and without much body. He said, still feeling it, â€Å"Why?† She said, â€Å"Because I want you to. Because that's the condition if you want to see the Book.† He said, â€Å"Well, if you really want me to.† His hand probed for the edge, so that he could peel it off. But she said, â€Å"No, let me do it. I'll do it.† She was looking at him hungrily. Seldon dropped his hands to his lap. â€Å"Go ahead, then.† The Sister rose quickly and sat down next to him on the cot. Slowly, carefully, she detached the skincap from his head just in front of his ear. Again she licked her lips and she was panting as she loosened the skincap about his forehead and turned it up. Then it came away and was gone and Seldon's hair, released, seemed to stir a bit in glad freedom. He said, troubled, â€Å"Keeping my hair under the skincap has probably made my scalp sweat. If so, my hair will be rather damp.† He raised his hand, as though to check the matter, but she caught it and held it back. â€Å"I want to do that,† she said. â€Å"Its part of the condition.† Her fingers, slowly and hesitantly, touched his hair and then withdrew. She touched it again and, very gently, stroked it. â€Å"It's dry,† she said. â€Å"It feels†¦ good.† â€Å"Have you ever felt cephalic hair before?† â€Å"Only on children sometimes. This†¦ is different.† She was stroking again. â€Å"In what way?† Seldon, even amid his embarrassment, found it possible to be curious. â€Å"I can't say. Its just†¦ different.† After a while he said, â€Å"Have you had enough?† â€Å"No. Don't rush me. Can you make it lie anyway you want it to?† â€Å"Not really. It has a natural way of falling, but I need a comb for that and I don't have one with me.† â€Å"A comb?† â€Å"An object with prongs†¦ uh, like a fork†¦ but the prongs are more numerous and somewhat softer.† â€Å"Can you use your fingers?† She was running hers through his hair. He said, â€Å"After a fashion. It doesn't work very well.† â€Å"Its bristly behind.† â€Å"The hair is shorter there.† Raindrop Forty-Three seemed to recall something. â€Å"The eyebrows,† she said. â€Å"Isn't that what they're called?† She stripped off the shields, then ran her fingers through the gentle arc of hair, against the grain. â€Å"That's nice,† she said, then laughed in a high-pitched way that was almost like her younger sister's giggle. â€Å"They're cute.† Seldon said a little impatiently, â€Å"Is there anything else that's part of the condition?† In the rather dim light, Raindrop Forty-Three looked as though she might be considering an affirmative, but said nothing. Instead, she suddenly withdrew her hands and lifted them to her nose. Seldon wondered what she might be smelling. â€Å"How odd,† she said. â€Å"May I†¦ may I do it again another time?† Seldon said uneasily, â€Å"If you will let me have the Book long enough to study it, then perhaps.† Raindrop Forty-Three reached into her kirtle through a slit that Seldon had not noticed before and, from some hidden inner pocket, removed a book bound in some tough, flexible material. He took it, trying to control his excitement. While Seldon readjusted his skincap to cover his hair, Raindrop Forty-Three raised her hands to her nose again and then, gently and quickly, licked one finger. 47. â€Å"Felt your hair?† said Dors Venabili. She looked at Seldon's hair as though she was of a mind to feel it herself. Seldon moved away slightly. â€Å"Please don't. The woman made it seem like a perversion.† â€Å"I suppose it was-from her standpoint. Did you derive no pleasure from it yourself?† â€Å"Pleasure? It gave me gooseflesh. When she finally stopped, I was able to breathe again. I kept thinking: What other conditions will she make?† Dors laughed. â€Å"Were you afraid that she would force sex upon you? Or hopeful?† â€Å"I assure you I didn't dare think. I just wanted the Book.† They were in their room now and Dors turned on her field distorter to make sure they would not be overheard. The Mycogenian night was about to begin. Seldon had removed his skincap and kirtle and had bathed, paying particular attention to his hair, which he had foamed and rinsed twice. He was now sitting on his cot, wearing a light nightgown that had been hanging in the closet. Dors said, eyes dancing, â€Å"Did she know you have hair on your chest?† â€Å"I was hoping earnestly she wouldn't think of that.† â€Å"Poor Hari. It was all perfectly natural, you know. I would probably have had similar trouble if I was alone with a Brother. Worse, I'm sure, since he would believe-Mycogenian society being what it is-that as a woman I would be bound to obey his orders without delay or demur.† â€Å"No, Dors. You may think it was perfectly natural, but you didn't experience it. The poor woman was in a high state of sexual excitement. She engaged all her senses†¦ smelled her fingers, licked them. If she could have heard hair grow, she would have listened avidly.† â€Å"But that's what I mean by ‘natural.' Anything you make forbidden gains sexual attractiveness. Would you be particularly interested in women's breasts if you lived in a society in which they were displayed at all times?† â€Å"I think I might.† â€Å"Wouldn't you be more interested if they were always hidden, as in most societies they are?- Listen, let me tell you something that happened to me. I was at a lake resort back home on Cinna†¦ I presume you have resorts on Helicon, beaches, that sort of thing?† â€Å"Of course,† said Seldon, slightly annoyed. â€Å"What do you think Helicon is, a world of rocks and mountains, with only well water to drink?† â€Å"No offense, Hari. I just want to make sure you'll get the point of the story. On our beaches at Cinna, we're pretty lighthearted about what we wear†¦ or don't wear.† â€Å"Nude beaches?† â€Å"Not actually, though I suppose if someone removed all of his or her clothing it wouldn't be much remarked on. The custom is to wear a decent minimum, but I must admit that what we consider decent leaves very little to the imagination.† Seldon said, â€Å"We have somewhat higher standards of decency on Helicon.† â€Å"Yes, I could tell that by your careful treatment of me, but to each its own. In any case, I was sitting at the small beach by the lake and a young man approached to whom I had spoken earlier in the day. He was a decent fellow I found nothing particularly wrong with. He sat on the arm of my chair and placed his right hand on my left thigh, which was bare, of course, in order to steady himself. â€Å"After we had spoken for a minute and a half or so, he said, impishly. ‘Here I am. You know me hardly at all and yet it seems perfectly natural to me that I place my hand on your thigh. What's more, it seems perfectly natural to you, since you don't seem to mind that it remains there.' â€Å"It was only then that I actually noticed that his hand was on my thigh. Bare skin in public somehow loses some of its sexual quality. As I said, its the hiding from view that is crucial. â€Å"And the young man felt this too, for he went on to say, ‘Yet if I were to meet you under more formal conditions and you were wearing a gown, you wouldn't dream of letting me lift your gown and place my hand on your thigh on the precise spot it now occupies.' â€Å"I laughed and we continued to talk of this and that. Of course, the young man, now that my attention had been called to the position of his hand, felt it no longer appropriate to keep it there and removed it. â€Å"That night I dressed for dinner with more than usual care and appeared in clothing that was considerably more formal than was required or than other women in the dining room were wearing. I found the young man in question. He was sitting at one of the tables. I approached, greeted him, and said, ‘Here I am in a gown, but under it my left thigh is bare. I give you permission. Just lift the gown and place your hand on my left thigh where you had it earlier.' â€Å"He tried. I'll give him credit for that, but everyone was staring. I wouldn't have stopped him and I'm sure no one else would have stopped him either, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It was no more public then than it had been earlier and the same people were present in both cases. It was clear that I had taken the initiative and that I had no objections, but he could not bring himself to violate the proprieties. The conditions, which had been hand-on-thigh in the afternoon, were not hand-on-thigh in the evening and that meant more than anything logic could say.† Seldon said, â€Å"I would have put my hand on your thigh.† â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"Positive.† â€Å"Even though your standards of decency on the beach are higher than ours are?† â€Å"Yes.† Dors sat down on her own cot, then lay down with her hands behind her head. â€Å"So that you're not particularly disturbed that I'm wearing a nightgown with very little underneath it.† â€Å"I'm not particularly shocked. As for being disturbed, that depends on the definition of the word. I'm certainly aware of how you're dressed.† â€Å"Well, if we're going to be cooped up here for a period of time, we'll have to learn to ignore such things.† â€Å"Or take advantage of them,† said Seldon, grinning. â€Å"And I like your hair. After seeing you bald all day, I like your hair.† â€Å"Well, don't touch it. I haven't washed it yet.† She half-closed her eyes. â€Å"It's interesting. You've detached the informal and formal level of respectability. What you're saying is that Helicon is more respectable at the informal level than Cinna is and less respectable at the formal level. Is that right?† â€Å"Actually, I'm just talking about the young man who placed his hand on your thigh and myself. How representative we are as Cinnians and Heliconians, respectively, I can't say. I can easily imagine some perfectly proper individuals on both worlds-and some madcaps too.† â€Å"We're talking about social pressures. I'm not exactly a Galactic traveler, but I've had to involve myself in a great deal of social history. On the planet of Derowd, there was a time when premarital sex was absolutely free. Multiple sex was allowed for the unmarried and public sex was frowned upon only when traffic was blocked: And yet, after marriage, monogamy was absolute and unbroken. The theory was that by working off all one's fantasies first, one could settle down to the serious business of life.† â€Å"Did it work?† â€Å"About three hundred years ago that stopped, but some of my colleagues say it stopped through external pressure from other worlds who were losing too much tourist business to Derowd. There is such a thing as overall Galactic social pressure too.† â€Å"Or perhaps economic pressure, in this case.† â€Å"Perhaps. And being at the University, by the way, I get a chance to study social pressures, even without being a Galactic traveler. I meet people from scores of places inside and outside of Trantor and one of the pet amusements in the social science departments is the comparison of social pressures. â€Å"Here in Mycogen, for instance, I have the impression that sex is strictly controlled and is permitted under only the most stringent rules, all the more tightly enforced because it is never discussed. In the Streeling Sector, sex is never discussed either, but it isn't condemned. In the Jennat Sector, where I spent a week once doing research, sex is discussed endlessly, but only for the purpose of condemning it. I don't suppose there are any two sectors in Trantor-or any two worlds outside Trantor-in which attitudes toward sex are completely duplicated.† Seldon said, â€Å"You know what you make it sound like? It would appear-â€Å" Dors said, â€Å"I'll tell you how it appears. All this talk of sex makes one thing clear to me. I'm simply not going to let you out of my sight anymore.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Twice I let you go, the first time through my own misjudgment and the second because you bullied me into it. Both times it was clearly a mistake. You know what happened to you the first time.† Seldon said indignantly, â€Å"Yes, but nothing happened to me the second time.† â€Å"You nearly got into a lot of trouble. Suppose you had been caught indulging in sexual escapades with a Sister?† â€Å"It wasn't a sexual-â€Å" â€Å"You yourself said she was in a high state of sexual excitement.† â€Å"But-â€Å" â€Å"It was wrong. Please get it through your head, Hari. From now on, you go nowhere without me.† â€Å"Look,† said Seldon freezingly, â€Å"my object was to find out about Mycogenian history and as a result of the so-called sexual escapade with a Sister, I have a book-the Book.† â€Å"The Book! True, there's the Book. Let's see it.† Seldon produced it and Dors thoughtfully hefted it. She said, â€Å"It might not do us any good, Hari. This doesn't look as though it will fit any projector I've ever encountered. That means you'll have to get a Mycogenian projector and they'll want to know why you want it. They'll then find out you have this Book and they'll take it away from you.† Seldon smiled. â€Å"If your assumptions were correct, Dors, your conclusions would be inescapable, but it happens that this is not the kind of book you think it is. It's not meant to be projected. The material is printed on various pages and the pages are turned. Raindrop Forty-Three explained that much to me.† â€Å"A print-book!† It was hard to tell whether Dors was shocked or amused. â€Å"That's from the Stone Age.† â€Å"It's certainly pre-Empire,† said Seldon, â€Å"but not entirely so. Have you ever seen a print-book?† â€Å"Considering that I'm a historian? Of course, Hari.† â€Å"Ah, but like this one?† He handed over the Book and Dors, smiling, opened it-then turned to another page-then flipped the pages. â€Å"Its blank,† she said. â€Å"It appears to be blank. The Mycogenians are stubbornly primitivistic, but not entirely so. They will keep to the essence of the primitive, but have no objection to using modern technology to modify it for convenience's sake. Who knows?† â€Å"Maybe so, Hari, but I don't understand what you're saying.† â€Å"The pages aren't blank, they're covered with microprint. Here, give it back. If I press this little nubbin on the inner edge of the cover- Look!† The page to which the book lay open was suddenly covered with lines of print that rolled slowly upward. Seldon said, â€Å"You can adjust the rate of upward movement to match your reading speed by slightly twisting the nubbin one way or the other. When the lines of print reach their upward limit when you reach the bottom line, that is-they snap downward and turn off. You turn to the next page and continue.† â€Å"Where does the energy come from that does all this?† â€Å"It has an enclosed microfusion battery that lasts the life of the book.† â€Å"Then when it runs down-â€Å" â€Å"You discard the book, which you may be required to do even before it runs down, given wear and tear, and get another copy. You never replace the battery.† Dors took the Book a second time and looked at it from all sides. She said, â€Å"I must admit I never heard of a book like this.† â€Å"Nor I. The Galaxy, generally, has moved into visual technology so rapidly, it skipped over this possibility.† â€Å"This is visual.† â€Å"Yes, but not with the orthodox effects. This type of book has its advantages. It holds far more than an ordinary visual book does.† Dors said, â€Å"Where's the turn-on?-Ah, let me see if I can work it.† She had opened to a page at random and set the lines of print marching upward. Then she said, â€Å"I'm afraid this won't do you any good, Hari. It's pre-Galactic. I don't mean the book. I mean the print†¦ the language.† â€Å"Can you read it, Dors? As a historian-â€Å" â€Å"As a historian, I'm used to dealing with archaic language-but within limits. This is far too ancient for me. I can make out a few words here and there, but not enough to be useful.† â€Å"Good,† said Seldon. â€Å"If it's really ancient, it will be useful.† â€Å"Not if you can't read it.† â€Å"I can read it,† said Seldon. â€Å"It's bilingual. You don't suppose that Raindrop Forty-Three can read the ancient script, do you?† â€Å"If she's educated properly, why not?† â€Å"Because I suspect that women in Mycogen are not educated past household duties. Some of the more learned men can read this, but everyone else would need a translation to Galactic.† He pushed another nubbin. â€Å"And this supplies it.† The lines of print changed to Galactic Standard. â€Å"Delightful,† said Dors in admiration. â€Å"We could learn from these Mycogenians, but we don't.† â€Å"We haven't known about it.† â€Å"I can't believe that. I know about it now. And you know about it. There must be outsiders coming into Mycogen now and then, for commercial or political reasons, or there wouldn't be skincaps so ready for use. So every once in a while someone must have caught a glimpse of this sort of print-book and seen how it works, but it's probably dismissed as something curious but not worth further study, simply because it's Mycogenian.† â€Å"But is it worth study?† â€Å"Of course. Everything is. Or should be. Hummin would probably point to this lack of concern about these books as a sign of degeneration in the Empire.† He lifted the Book and said with a gush of excitement, â€Å"But I am curious and I will read this and it may push me in the direction of psychohistory.† â€Å"I hope so,† said Dors, â€Å"but if you take my advice, you'll sleep first and approach it fresh in the morning. You won't learn much if you nod over it.† Seldon hesitated, then said, â€Å"How maternal you are!† â€Å"I'm watching over you.† â€Å"But I have a mother alive on Helicon. I would rather you were my friend.† â€Å"As for that, I have been your friend since first I met you.† She smiled at him and Seldon hesitated as though he were not certain as to the appropriate rejoinder. Finally he said, â€Å"Then I'll take your advice-as a friend-and sleep before reading.† He made as though to put the Book on a small table between the two cots, hesitated, turned, and put it under his pillow. Dors Venabili laughed softly. â€Å"I think you're afraid I will wake during the night and read parts of the Book before you have a chance to. Is that it?† â€Å"Well,† said Seldon, trying not to look ashamed, â€Å"that may be it. Even friendship only goes so far and this is my book and it's my psychohistory.† â€Å"I agree,† said Dors, â€Å"and I promise you that we won't quarrel over that. By the way, you were about to say something earlier when I interrupted you. Remember?† Seldon thought briefly. â€Å"No.† In the dark, he thought only of the Book. He gave no thought to the hand-on-thigh story. In fact, he had already quite forgotten it, consciously at least. 48. Venabili woke up and could tell by her timeband that the night period was only half over. Not hearing Hari's snore, she could tell that his cot was empty. If he had not left the apartment, then he was in the bathroom. She tapped lightly on the door and said softly, â€Å"Hari?† He said, â€Å"Come in,† in an abstracted way and she did. The toilet lid was down and Seldon, seated upon it, held the Book open on his lap. He said, quite unnecessarily, â€Å"I'm reading.† â€Å"Yes, I see that. But why?† â€Å"I couldn't sleep. I'm sorry.† â€Å"But why read in here?† â€Å"If I had turned on the room light, I would have woken you up.† â€Å"Are you sure the Book can't be illuminated?† â€Å"Pretty sure. When Raindrop Forty-Three described its workings, she never mentioned illumination. Besides, I suppose that would use up so much energy that the battery wouldn't last the life of the Book.† He sounded dissatisfied. Dors said, â€Å"You can step out, then. I want to use this place, as long as I'm here.† When she emerged, she found him sitting cross-legged on his cot, still reading, with the room well lighted. She said, â€Å"You don't look happy. Does the Book disappoint you?† He looked up at her, blinking. â€Å"Yes, it does. I've sampled it here and there. It's all I've had time to do. The thing is a virtual encyclopedia and the index is almost entirely a listing of people and places that are of little use for my purposes. It has nothing to do with the Galactic Empire or the pre-Imperial Kingdoms either. It deals almost entirely with a single world and, as nearly as I can make out from what I have read, it is an endless dissertation on internal politics.† â€Å"Perhaps you underestimate its age. It may deal with a period when there was indeed only one world†¦ one inhabited world.† â€Å"Yes, I know,† said Seldon a little impatiently. â€Å"That's actually what I want-provided I can be sure its history, not legend. I wonder. I don't want to believe it just because I want to believe it.† Dors said, â€Å"Well, this matter of a single-world origin is much in the air these days. Human beings are a single species spread all over the Galaxy, so they must have originated somewhere. At least that's the popular view at present. You can't have independent origins producing the same species on different worlds.† â€Å"But I've never seen the inevitability of that argument,† said Seldon. â€Å"If human beings arose on a number of worlds as a number of different species, why couldn't they have interbred into some single intermediate species?† â€Å"Because species can't interbreed. That's what makes them species.† Seldon thought about it a moment, then dismissed it with a shrug. â€Å"Well, I'll leave it to the biologists.† â€Å"They're precisely the ones who are keenest on the Earth hypothesis.† â€Å"Earth? Is that what they call the supposed world of origin?† â€Å"That's a popular name for it, though there's no way of telling what it was called, assuming there was one. And no one has any clue to what its location might be.† â€Å"Earth!† said Seldon, curling his lips. â€Å"It sounds like a belch to me. In any case, if the book deals with the original world, I didn't come across it. How do you spell the word?† She told him and he checked the Book quickly. â€Å"There you are. The name is not listed in the index, either by that spelling or any reasonable alternative.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"And they do mention other worlds in passing. Names aren't given and there seems no interest in those other worlds except insofar as they directly impinge on the local world they speak of†¦ at least as far as I can see from what I've read. In one place, they talked about ‘The Fifty.' I don't know what they meant. Fifty leaders? Fifty cities? It seemed to me to be fifty worlds.† â€Å"Did they give a name to their own world, this world that seems to preoccupy them entirely?† asked Dors. â€Å"If they don't call it Earth, what do they call it?† â€Å"As you'd expect, they call it ‘the world' or ‘the planet.' Sometimes they call it ‘the Oldest' or ‘the World of the Dawn,' which has a poetic significance, I presume, that isn't clear to me. I suppose one ought to read the Book entirely through and some matters will then grow to make more sense.† He looked down at the Book in his hand with some distaste. â€Å"It would take a very long time, though, and I'm not sure that I'd end up any the wiser.† Dors sighed. â€Å"I'm sorry, Hari. You sound so disappointed.† â€Å"That's because I am disappointed. It's my fault, though. I should not have allowed myself to expect too much.-At one point, come to think of it, they referred to their world as ‘Aurora.' â€Å" â€Å"Aurora?† said Dors, lifting her eyebrows. â€Å"It sounds like a proper name. It doesn't make any sense otherwise, as far as I can see. Does it mean anything to you, Dors?† â€Å"Aurora.† Dors thought about it with a slight frown on her face. â€Å"I can't say I've ever heard of a planet with that name in the course of the history of the Galactic Empire or during the period of its growth, for that matter, but I won't pretend to know the name of every one of the twenty-five million worlds. We could look it up in the University library-if we ever get back to Streeling. There's no use trying to find a library here in Mycogen. Somehow I have a feeling that all their knowledge is in the Book. If anything isn't there, they aren't interested.† Seldon yawned and said, â€Å"I think you're right. In any case, there's no use reading any more and I doubt that I can keep my eyes open any longer. Is it all right if I put out the light?† â€Å"I would welcome it, Hari. And let's sleep a little later in the morning.† Then, in the dark, Seldon said softly, â€Å"Of course, some of what they say is ridiculous. For instance, they refer to a life expectancy on their world of between three and four centuries.† â€Å"Centuries?† â€Å"Yes, they count their ages by decades rather than by years. It gives you a queer feeling, because so much of what they say is perfectly matter-of-fact that when they come out with something that odd, you almost find yourself trapped into believing it.† â€Å"If you feel yourself beginning to believe that, then you should realize that many legends of primitive origins assume extended life spans for early leaders. If they're pictured as unbelievably heroic, you see, it seems natural that they have life spans to suit.† â€Å"Is that so?† said Seldon, yawning again. â€Å"It is. And the cure for advanced gullibility is to go to sleep and consider matters again the next day.† And Seldon, pausing only long enough to think that an extended life span might well be a simple necessity for anyone trying to understand a Galaxy of people, slept. 49. The next morning, feeling relaxed and refreshed and eager to begin his study of the Book again, Hari asked Dors, â€Å"How old would you say the Raindrop sisters are?† â€Å"I don't know. Twenty†¦ twenty-two?† â€Å"Well, suppose they do live three or four centuries.† â€Å"Hari. That's ridiculous.† â€Å"I'm saying suppose. In mathematics, we say ‘suppose' all the time and see if we can end up with something patently untrue or self-contradictory. An extended life span would almost surely mean an extended period of development. They might seem in their early twenties and actually be in their sixties.† â€Å"You can try asking them how old they are.† â€Å"We can assume they'd lie.† â€Å"Look up their birth certificates.† Seldon smiled wryly. â€Å"I'll bet you anything you like-a roll in the hay, if you're willing-that they'll claim they don't keep records or that, if they do, they will insist those records are closed to tribespeople.† â€Å"No bet,† said Dors. â€Å"And if that's true, then it's useless trying to suppose anything about their age.† â€Å"Oh no. Think of it this way. If the Mycogenians are living extended life spans that are four or five times that of ordinary human beings, they can't very well give birth to very many children without expanding their population tremendously. You remember that Sunmaster said something about not having the population expand and bit off his remarks angrily at that time.† Dors said, â€Å"What are you getting at?† â€Å"When I was with Raindrop Forty-Three, I saw no children.† â€Å"On the microfarms?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Did you expect children there? I was with Raindrop Forty-Five in the shops and on the residential levels and I assure you I saw a number of children of all ages, including infants. Quite a few of them.† â€Å"Ah.† Seldon looked chagrined. â€Å"Then that would mean they can't be enjoying extended life spans.† Dors said, â€Å"By your line of argument, I should say definitely not. Did you really think they did?† â€Å"No, not really. But then you can't close your mind either and make assumptions without testing them one way or another.† â€Å"You can waste a lot of time that way too, if you stop to chew away at things that are ridiculous on the face of it.† â€Å"Some things that seem ridiculous on the face of it aren't. That's all. Which reminds me. You're the historian. In your work, have you ever come across objects or phenomena called ‘robots'?† â€Å"Ah! Now you're switching to another legend and a very popular one. There are any number of worlds that imagine the existence of machines in human form in prehistoric times. These are called ‘robots.' â€Å"The tales of robots probably originate from one master legend, for the general theme is the same. Robots were devised, then grew in numbers and abilities to the status of the almost superhuman. They threatened humanity and were destroyed. In every case, the destruction took place before the actual reliable historic records available to us today existed. The usual feeling is that the story is a symbolic picture of the risks and dangers of exploring the Galaxy, when human beings expanded outward from the world or worlds that were their original homes. There must always have been the fear of encountering other-and superior-intelligences.† â€Å"Perhaps they did at least once and that gave rise to the legend.† â€Å"Except that on no human-occupied world has there been any record or trace of any prehuman or nonhuman intelligence.† â€Å"But why ‘robots'? Does the word have meaning?† â€Å"Not that I know of, but it's the equivalent of the familiar ‘automata.' â€Å" â€Å"Automata! Well, why don't they say so?† â€Å"Because people do use archaic terms for flavor when they tell an ancient legend. Why do you ask all this, by the way?† â€Å"Because in this ancient Mycogenian book, they talk of robots. And very favorably, by the way.-Listen, Dors, aren't you going out with Raindrop Forty-Five again this afternoon?† â€Å"Supposedly-if she shows up.† â€Å"Would you ask her some questions and try to get the answers out of her?† â€Å"I can try. What are the questions?† â€Å"I would like to find out, as tactfully as possible, if there is some structure in Mycogen that is particularly significant, that is tied in with the past, that has a sort of mythic value, that can-â€Å" Dors interrupted, trying not to smile. â€Å"I think that what you are trying to ask is whether Mycogen has a temple.† And, inevitably, Seldon looked blank and said, â€Å"What's a temple?† â€Å"Another archaic term of uncertain origin. It means all the things you asked about-significance, past, myth. Very well, I'll ask. It's the sort of thing, however, that they might find difficult to speak of. To tribespeople, certainly.† â€Å"Nevertheless, do try.†

Urban Studies Research Paper Basic Recommendations on How You Can Cope with One

Urban Studies Research Paper Basic Recommendations on How You Can Cope with One Urban studies is a broad field of study that involves engineering, architecture, planning, social, and political factors. Thus, writing a research paper on urban studies is challenging for students because of the broad topics that fall under the area of study. The process takes not only a significant time to craft a paper but also requires profound research, in-depth understanding of the subject, intricate data analysis, and proficient writing skills. Writing a research paper may not be your strong forte, but your ability to put together a comprehensible scholarly paper will influence the outcome of your final grade. This urban studies research paper writing guide provides you with a step-by-step process that will help you improve your research paper writing skills and enhance the likelihood of your attaining high grades in your urban studies assignment. Each step is important in the writing process. Thus, take note of every guideline. Selecting a Topic for Your Urban Studies Research Paper Writing The first challenge in your writing process is choosing an interesting research topic. Students whose lecturers assign research paper assignments based on a particular topic do not face the topic selection challenge. However, it is common for professors to provide students with the freedom and flexibility to choose topics that interest them within the urban studies field of study. Here are some tips to help you choose a topic for your research paper: The research paper will be more informative and relevant if you care about the topic. Hence, select the topic you are interested in. The interest may be based on the need to explore a certain idea, to provide a solution to an urban development issue or be based on issues affecting your daily experiences such as poverty in the metropolitan cities. Narrow your ideas to come up with a manageable topic: If the topic is too broad, use limiters to narrow it down to ensure it has a specific focus. Limiters may be based on geographical location, periods in the history of urban development, or populations. The topic should not be too narrow or too broad as it will lose focus. Background research of existing literature on urban studies can help you choose and limit the scope of your topic. If your assignment has guidelines regarding the topic selection, review them and choose topics based on the guideline. Better still, ask your instructor for possible suggestions. If brainstorming for topic ideas does not yield any results, refer to your lecture notes and texts on urban studies to refresh your knowledge of the urban studies unit. Talking to peers may help you acquire knowledge of issues that you did not consider. Peer discussion can help focus your topic. Think and analyze the who, what, when, where and why questions that guide in formulating an appropriate topic: Why did I choose this topic? What interests me about it? Do I have an idea and opinion about the issues involved in the topic? Why is the topic relevant? Who are the information providers on this topic? Who does the topic affect? What are the likely major questions for this topic? Is the topic controversial or of interest to the intended population? What are the range of issues and viewpoints to consider under the topic? Where is the topic important: at the local, national, or international level? When is the topic significant? Is it a current occurrence or a historical aspect? Possible topics for your urban studies research paper may include: Urban Marginality and Public Transit Politics: Trains and Automobiles; Exclusionary Housing Measures and Their Influence on Segregation: a Case of Baltimore; Social Justice and Urban Economic Development; Social Determinants of Urbanization and Health Disparities in Manhattan; Recreational Planning in Urban Ecology. Important Pre-Writing Tips for your Urban Studies Research Paper Decide on a topic. As highlighted in the topic selection section, choosing a topic is the first important aspect of the research paper writing process. Ensure the topic you select falls within the urban studies subject and is interesting to you. The topic and the research paper content should add some value to you and the reader by introducing ideas and approaches, persuading adoption of certain practices, or reinforcing claims and opinions. Conduct research. The research step is important as it directly influences your research paper content and equips you with a basis for your arguments, and evidence to support articulated claims. It is appropriate to research both primary and secondary sources to obtain a diversity of ideas. Take notes. While conducting your research, take notes of the important arguments, themes, theories, statistics, and facts documented in your sources. Taking notes ensures you do not forget major issues. Besides, it helps during the paper writing process by providing quotes and accurate reference and citation pages. It would be unprofessional to submit a research paper with inaccurate citations or without proper quotes, whether direct or in parenthesis. However, do not overuse quotes unless the professor requires you to do so. Clustering and outlining. On a piece of paper, write your major points and use links to put together matching or related ideas. Clustering helps you to develop themes that create more focus. Once you have completed clustering, outline why the topic and research are significant, identify relevant background material, the thesis and purpose statements, and the organizational plan for major and supporting ideas. Creating an Appropriate Title and Thesis Statement for Your Urban Studies Research Paper Research Paper Title A research paper title is the first thing that draws the readers’ attention and determines whether the reader will be interested in the paper or not. Therefore, an effective and appropriate research paper title should: Summarize the paper content in a few words; Capture the readers’ attention; Differentiate the research paper from other papers of the urban studies subject area. Here are the basic urban studies research paper writing tips to consider while writing a title for your urban studies research paper: Keep the title attractive, brief, and simple. Keep the title brief and clear since it will serve as a precise summary of the paper content. Avoid unnecessary details and complex noun-based phrases and use active verbs. A good research paper title should have 10 to 12 words. In other words, it should not be too short or too long. A lengthy title takes the readers’ attention away because it is unfocused while a short title may be too broad. Use appropriate descriptive words. Use keywords that define the nature of your research and those used in the manuscript. Use terms people would use to search for your research paper and have them as part of your title. Keep in mind that they should add meaning to the research paper topic and content. Avoid jargon and abbreviations. Unless the abbreviations are well known and common in the urban studies field of study, avoid their use. In this case, leave out lesser known terms or abbreviations not familiar to the intended audience. Thesis Statement The thesis statement should present a summary of your research paper topic in one or a few sentences. It should also provide the readers with your papers argument and direction of what to expect. In other words, craft a thesis statement that informs your readers about the subject of your paper and the position you will take in the discussion. A good thesis statement should: Make a limited, clear, and definite assertion that should be explained and supported by scholarly evidence; Have a specific point that provides the direction of your argument; Not be too big for your paper such that it would be impossible to explore every aspect of your claim; Present an argument that can be proven or argued against. Ensure your intended audience does not instantly accept your thesis statement; Show your perspective and position on the urban studies topic and direction of your argument; Allude to the methods you will use to provide evidence to support your arguments. Writing an Outline for Your Urban Studies Research Paper: Top Picks from Our Writers Writing the Introduction The introduction of your research paper should provide your readers with an overview of the entire paper but should be slightly different from the abstract. It should introduce the topic of the paper and set it in a broader context. When crafting your introduction, narrow down the topics gradually to a research issue, thesis statement, and hypotheses or research questions, depending on the nature of the research paper and topic of discussion. If your urban studies research paper is based on providing solutions to a pressing issue, the introduction should explain how you intend to solve the research question, and should create ‘leads’ that entice the reader to want to delve further into your research paper. You should assume the paper is aimed at people with a good working knowledge and understanding of the urban studies field. However, it is important to provide some working definition for the terms specific to the research paper topic. You will need to ensure your introduction includes the following elements: Contextual material or relevant background of the discussion topic; Definition of concepts and terms where necessary; Explanation of the paper focus and its specific purpose; Your organization plan for the main themes and major points in the paper. Moreover, the introduction may include the background or history section if the chosen urban studies topic requires one. This type of information is not a mandatory part of a paper involving research. However, it is often necessary to explain the development of a particular issue that may help put your topic within the required context. Writing the Body The body forms the largest part of your research paper. This is where you write the information you have gathered and arrange the relevant evidence to support the claims you make. The evidence is aimed at convincing the reader of your argument. Thus, it should be organized logically. The body of the research paper can have partitions depending on its length and the number of issues being discussed. The partitions are in the form of headings and sub-headings. As noted above, the body paragraphs in your research paper focus on research and are broken down into sections that focus on particular aspects of your research. You should have the following goals in mind when writing the body paragraphs: Incorporation of relevant and current (five to seven years) research as it pertains to your chosen urban studies topic; Presentation of evidence in a balanced and objective manner; Appropriate use and acknowledgment of primary and secondary sources. Remember the outline made during the preparation phase of your research writing process? Use the outline as a flexible guide into the ideas that should be written in each body paragraph. Moreover, analyze, summarize, explain, and evaluate the primary and secondary sources you use in your research paper rather than reporting their content. Move from the generalization of concepts to varying levels of presenting relevant information about the topic of the discussion. Unless it is necessary to use direct quotes from the existing literature on urban studies, stick to using parenthetical citations when referencing another authors work in the body of your text. Writing the Conclusion The conclusion of your research paper should summarize the major points and arguments of the paper and restate the thesis statement in different words. You can also highlight the significance of your research findings. If you adopt an inductive approach in your research, add your opinions and explain their impacts and significance to the research. Importantly, transit from details to a generalized consideration of the topic. You can also recommend further research of the topic if you feel it needs further exploration. Post Writing Tips to End It Up The post writing tips focus on revising the final draft of your research paper. When proofreading, check the organization of the paper to ensure coherence, logical flow of information, and in-depth discussion of ideas. You should also revise the sentence structure and ensure there is consistent use of appropriate citations.