Search Language and Search Engines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Search Language and Search Engines - Essay Example The numbers and letters can lead to other similar books and locations throughout the library. Search engines are also very helpful as they are a replacement of the classic style of searching. Before search engines, research could be conducted by standard index cards. The researcher would have to look through the index cards and read the catalogues to understand and be able to locate the title. Now, search engines allow the researcher to type in a few key words. These key words enable the researcher to browse through a list of titles that pertain to the researcher’s topic. One can decide to do a basic or a guided search. These two different forms of research will assist me in my search of possible sources regarding welfare reform. Using the internet to search through publications can be challenging and lead to irrelevant and false sources. The library of congress only contains credible sources and using the guided search can help narrow down specific categories of welfare reform. For example, accessing the library of congress website and choosing to perform a guided search will bring up substantial amounts of information. The guided search will bring up topics that are newer in publication and provide more current information. To the right of the search engine screen there is a date. Choosing titles with the most current date will assist in locating current

Trends in Hiv Prevalence Essay Example for Free

Trends in Hiv Prevalence Essay ABSTRACT HIV prevalence in the world is becoming increasingly high. As of mid-1998, the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to spread unequally around the world. In many cities in sub-Saharan African countries more than a quarter of young and middle-aged adults are infected with HIV, whereas in most developed countries, the number of annual AIDS cases continues to decrease. The status and of HIV epidemics in most other areas of the world remains uncertain because of inadequate data on the prevalence of HIV-risk behaviours. Hence, this paper presentation seeks to examine the trends of HIV prevalence across the world taking all the continents into consideration. INTRODUCTION HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a lentivirus, and like all viruses of this type, it attacks the immune system. Lentiviruses are in turn part of a larger group of viruses known as retroviruses. The name lentivirus literally means slow virus because they take such a long time to produce any adverse effects in the body. They have been found in a number of different animals, including cats, sheep, horses and cattle. However, the most interesting lentivirus in terms of the investigation into the origins of HIV is the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) that affects monkeys, which is believed to be at least 32,000 years old. It is now generally accepted that HIV is a descendant of a Simian Immunodeficiency Virus because certain strains of SIVs bear a very close resemblance to HIV-1 and HIV-2, the two types of HIV. HIV-2 for example corresponds to SIVsm, a strain of the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus found in the sooty mangabey (also known as the White-collared monkey), which is indigenous to western Africa. The more virulent, pandemic strain of HIV, namely HIV-1, was until recently more difficult to place. Until 1999, the closest counterpart that had been identified was SIVcpz, the SIV found in chimpanzees. However, this virus still had certain significant differences from HIV There are a number of factors that may have contributed to the sudden spread of HIV, most of which occurred in the latter half of the twentieth century and these includes: * Blood Transfusion * Drug Use * Mother-to-Child Transfusion ORIGIN OF HIV The origin of AIDS and HIV has puzzled scientists ever since the illness first came to light in the early 1980s. For over twenty years it has been the subject of fierce debate and the cause of countless arguments, with everything from a promiscuous flight attendant to a suspect vaccine programme being blamed. The first recognized case of AIDS occurred in the USA in the early 1980s. A number of gay men in New York and California suddenly began to develop rare opportunistic infections and cancers that seemed stubbornly resistant to any treatment. At this time, AIDS did not yet have a name, but it quickly became obvious that all the men were suffering from a common syndrome. The discovery of HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, was made soon after. While some were initially resistant to acknowledge the connection (and indeed some remain so today), there is now clear evidence to prove that HIV causes AIDS. So, in order to find the source of AIDS, it is necessary to look for the origin of HIV, and find out how, when and where HIV first began to cause disease in humans. In February 1999 a group of researchers from the University of Alabama announced that they had found a type of SIVcpz that was almost identical to HIV-1. This particular strain was identified in a frozen sample taken from a captive member of the sub-group of chimpanzees known as Pan Troglodytes (P. t. troglodytes), which were once common in west-central Africa. The researchers (led by Paul Sharp of Nottingham University and Beatrice Hahn of the University of Alabama) made the discovery during the course of a 10-year long study into the origins of the virus. They claimed that this sample proved that chimpanzees were the source of HIV-1, and that the virus had at some point crossed species from chimps to humans. Their final findings were published two years later in Nature magazine. In this article, they concluded that wild chimps had been infected simultaneously with two different simian immunodeficiency viruses which had viral sex to form a third virus that could be passed on to other chimps and, more significantly, was capable of infecting humans and causing AIDS. These two different viruses were traced back to a SIV that infected red-capped mangabeys and one found in greater spot-nosed monkeys. They believe that the hybridisation took place inside chimps that had become infected with both strains of SIV after they hunted and killed the two smaller species of monkey. They also concluded that all three groups of HIV-1 namely Group M, N and O (see our strains and subtypes page for more information on these) came from the SIV found in P. t. troglodytes, and that each group represented a separate crossover event from chimps to humans. It has been known for a long time that certain viruses can pass between species. Indeed, the very fact that chimpanzees obtained SIV from two other species of primate shows just how easily this crossover can occur. As animals ourselves, we are just as susceptible. When a viral transfer between animals and humans takes place, it is known as zoonosis. The most commonly accepted theory on how zoonosis took place, and how SIV became HIV in humans is that of the hunter. In this scenario, SIVcpz was transferred to humans as a result of chimps being killed and eaten or their blood getting into cuts or wounds on the hunter. Normally the hunters body would have fought off SIV, but on a few occasions it adapted itself within its new human host and became HIV-1. The fact that there were several different early strains of HIV, each with a slightly different genetic make-up (the most common of which was HIV-1 group M), would support this theory: every time it passed from a chimpanzee to a man, it would have developed in a slightly different way within his body, and thus produced a slightly different strain. An article published in The Lancet in 20044 , also shows how retroviral transfer from primates to hunters is still occurring even today. In a sample of 1099 individuals in Cameroon, they discovered ten (1%) were infected with SFV (Simian Foamy Virus), an illness which, like SIV, was previously thought only to infect primates. All these infections were believed to have been acquired through the butchering and consumption of monkey and ape meat. Discoveries such as this have led to calls for an outright ban on bush meat hunting to prevent simian viruses being passed to humans. Others theories include: * The oral polio vaccine (OPV) theory * The contaminated needle theory * The colonialism theory * The conspiracy theory Four of the earliest known instances of HIV infection are as follows: * A plasma sample taken in 1959 from an adult male living in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. * A lymph node sample taken in 1960 from an adult female, also from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. * HIV found in tissue samples from an American teenager who died in St. Louis in 1969. A 1998 analysis of the plasma sample from 1959 suggested that HIV-1 was introduced into humans around the 1940s or the early 1950s.   In January 2000, the results of a new study16 suggested that the first case of HIV-1 infection occurred around 1931 in West Africa. This estimate (which had a 15 year margin of error) was based on a complex computer model of HIVs evolution. However, a study in 200817 dated the origin of HIV to between 1884 and 1924, much earlier than previous estimates. The researchers compared the viral sequence from 1959 (the oldest known HIV-1 specimen) to the newly discovered sequence from 1960. They found a significant genetic difference between them, demonstrating diversification of HIV-1 occurred long before the AIDS pandemic was recognised. The authors suggest a long history of the virus in Africa and call Kinshasa the â€Å"epicentre of the HIV/AIDS pandemic† in Central Africa. They propose the early spread of HIV was concurrent with the development of colonial cities, in which crowding of people increased opportunities for HIV transmission. If accurate, these findings imply that HIV existed before many scenarios (such as the OPV and conspiracy theories) suggest. Until recently, the origins of the HIV-2 virus had remained relatively unexplored. HIV-2 is thought to come from the SIV in Sooty Mangabeys rather than chimpanzees, but the crossover to humans is believed to have happened in a similar way (i.e. through the butchering and consumption of monkey meat). It is far rarer, significantly less infectious and progresses more slowly to AIDS than HIV-1. As a result, it infects far fewer people, and is mainly confined to a few countries in West Africa. In May 2003, a group of Belgian researchers published a report18 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. By analysing samples of the two different subtypes of HIV-2 (A and B) taken from infected individuals and SIV samples taken from sooty mangabeys, Dr Vandamme concluded that subtype A had passed into humans around 1940 and subtype B in 1945 (plus or minus 16 years or so). Her team of researchers also discovered that the virus had originated in Guinea-Bissau and that its spread was most likely precipitated by the independence war that took place in the country between 1963 and 1974 (Guinea-Bissau is a former Portuguese colony). Her theory was backed up by the fact that the first European cases of HIV-2 were discovered among Portuguese veterans of the war, many of whom had received blood transfusions or unsterile injections following injury, or had possibly had relationships with local women. TRENDS IN HIV PREVALENCE Since 2001, MEASURE Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) have included HIV testing in 31 countries. In 13 of these countries testing has been included in two surveys, which provides an opportunity to examine trends. However, trend data must be viewed with caution, as only some changes are statistically significant. Trends in HIV Prevalence In the charts below, changes in HIV prevalence that are statistically significant are marked with an asterisk and a star.   While it may appear that HIV prevalence has decreased in most countries, these decreases are only statistically significant in the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Tanzania, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. This means that in these countries, the change is large enough that it is unlikely that the decrease is due to chance alone; it probably represents true change in the HIV prevalence in the population. In some countries, such as Tanzania, the decrease is statistically significant for the population as a whole, and for men, but not for women. In Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe, HIV prevalence has decreased among both women and men. DHS surveys have not detected any change in HIV prevalence in Mali, Senegal, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Lesotho, or Zambia. What does this mean? Because HIV prevalence is a measure of all HIV infections in a population, a decrease in HIV prevalence could indicate that fewer people are becoming infected, and/or that more people with HIV have died in a population. Similarly, an increase in HIV prevalence could point to more new infections, and/or could indicate an increase in HIV-positive individuals living longer on anti-retroviral therapy. TRENDS IN HIV PREVALENCE IN ASIA PACIFIC REGION With over 60 percent if the worlds population, the Asia-Pacific Region presents a wide diversity of HIV-related risk environments, in terms of behavioural, political and cultural factors. Within the framework of this diversity, there has also been a wide range of HIV epidemics and responses, both across and within countries. It is not therefore possible to present a simple analysis of the actual and potential occurrence of HIV infection in this vast region. Our understanding of the HIV epidemic and its determinants in the Asia-Pacific Region has improved substantially over the past 3-5 years, as a number of countries have implemented comprehensive surveillance systems for HIV prevalence, and sexual and injecting risk behaviours. Despite these advances, a number of countries still have a limited capacity to assess the occurrence of HIV infection and related behaviours, and to monitor the impact of interventions. A recent factor of importance in the Asia-Pacific environment has been the economic tumult of the past year. While various predictions have been made of the potential impact on the HIV epidemic, it is not possible to state with any certainty whether their net effect will be to increase or decrease the incidence of risk behaviour or HIV transmission. Since extensive HIV transmission has been a very recent phenomenon in a number of Asia-Pacific countries, there has so far been little experience with the care and support of people with HIV-related illness. Apart from Australia, Thailand and Japan, few countries have a healthcare workforce, which is adequately prepared to care for substantial numbers of people developing HIV-related illness. Without simplifying too much, it is possible to classify the differing patterns of HIV transmission into broad categories, based on available surveillance data. In Australia and New Zealand, the virtually all HIV transmission has been through sex between men, and the incidence of transmission via this route has long been recognized as having declined substantially in the 1980s. In a few countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia and parts of Myanmar and India, heterosexual transmission has been extensive, mediated through large-scale sex industries but extending now to the regular partners of sex workers male clients. Some countries have HIV epidemics among injecting drug users (IDU) with limited associated heterosexual transmission. These include countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and some areas of India and China. Other countries have limited, but well documented spread of HIV infections, such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea. Several countries have not reported substantial numbers of HIV infection, but do not appear to have comprehensive, ongoing surveillance systems. Papua New Guinea, Pakistan and Bangladesh are countries which may have a substantial risk environment, and need to strengthen their surveillance activities. The analysis of HIV epidemic trends in the region becomes more meaningful when a focus is placed on populations whose cultural and social affinity and networks transcend geopolitical borders. A new geography of HIV/AIDS in the region then emerges that helps recognize the foci of intense HIV spread. These include large metropolitan areas in western and southern India (Mumbai, Chinnai); the India/Nepal border area; the larger Golden Triangle, which reaches out to northern Thailand, eastern Myanmar, but also encompasses the areas of Manipur in India and Yunnan in China; and the Mekong delta area, which includes Cambodia and southern Vietnam. To gain better understanding of the dynamics of HIV epidemics, factors of affinity between populations as well as mobility patterns must be explored and mapped out.

Overpopulation :: Papers

Overpopulation The twentieth century has drawn to a close and civilization faces the dilemma of supporting an overpopulated world. Throughout time, mankind has lived as though there were no consequences for his actions. But now, as people of the future, we see what is happening to the world we live in. Despite our knowledge, these straightforward problems are still being ignored. Our actions in the past have dictated the present, and our actions now will determine our future, and generations to come. We caused the overpopulation problems we are now facing; so we must also be the ones to solve the problems. The link between population growth and environmental impact seems obvious. More people, consume more resources, damage more of the earth, and generate more waste. In the book Earth Odyssey, by Mark Hertzgaard, he quoted Paul Ehrlich’s statement, â€Å"The United States is the most overp opulated country in the world† (197). Today’s children are likely to see a tripling of the global population within their lifetimes unless, solutions emerge decreasing population growth. Hertzgaard points out â€Å"the world’s population will stabilize at much less than eight billion people, and an eventual total of ten or twelve billion is quite possible† (220). We must take action to save our planet. One crisis the earth and its inhabitants fear today is lack of resources due to the increasing number of people. Justifications for our path of destruction are; destroy trees for more farmland; excessive consumption of food sources by over harvesting and overgrazing causing barren wastelands; continued use of fossil fuels and chemicals needed for transportation, creation of electricity, and heating our homes; and more people means more homes will be built again forests and natural habitats of animals.

Ethnography :: Anthropology Culture Reflexivity Papers

Ethnography Personal experience and reflexivity should be used within anthropology as a tool to reflect on the culture that is being studied and not a refocusing of attention on the self. Works such as Dorinne Kondo’s â€Å"Dissolution and Reconstitution of Self,† use the idea of reflexivity as a mirror in which to view the culture being studied in a different manner. This use of reflexivity allows for the focus to stay on the culture being studied. A move away from this is the new branch of humanistic anthropology represented in this essay by Renato Rosaldo’s â€Å"Grief and a Headhunter’s Rage† and Ruth Behar’s â€Å"Anthropology that Breaks Your Heart† allows anthropologists to use reflexivity as a way to explore universal human feelings. For me, this is not the study of anthropology as much as self-reflexive psychology. The focus shifts from culture to self. The anthropologists completely understands the feelings of the people he/she is studying. I think that it is rather ambitious to state that emotion is univeral, and I do not think that it is the job of anthropologists to do so. The reflexive voice is a necessary aspect of ethnographic writing, but the anthropologist must be careful not to shift focus from concentrating on culture to concentrating on herself. Dorinne Kondo does an excellent job in her essay â€Å"Dissolution and Reconstitution of Self†in using the reflexive voice as a way in which to describe culture and break down the observer/Other dichotomy by giving agency and power to her informants. Not only does the anthropologist interpret the people, but the people give their interpretation of the anthropologist. She states: I emphasize here the collusion between all parties involved, for it is important to recognize the ways in which informmants are also actors and agents, and that the negotiation of reality that takes place in the doing of ethnography involves complex and shifting relations of power in which the ethnographrapher acts and is also acted upon. (Kondo 75) Kondo acknowledges the affect that the Japanese have on her character and by so doing she acknowledges their power. Instead of standing in the place of supreme authority, the anthropologist, by using reflexivity, can give the authority to her informants. Not only was she reflexively examining her positioning and the affect it would have on her informants, but she also looks at the affect that her informants have on her while still centering her discussion on the culture being studied.

Jonathan Edwards – Sinners in the hands of an Angry God!

Jonathan Edward’s most recognizable sermon was entitled â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God†. This was a very stimulating and reassuring speech containing religious instruction because as you read it you will be able to engage yourself easily. He used some statement that may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but it is rarely meant to be taken literally. Just like the sinners that he spoke of briefly was illustrated as one that stood or walked in slippery places. We will never know the instantaneous or abrupt devastation waiting ahead of us because of the things or situations that might happen.He never threatened anyone but he tried his best to imply the possible consequence or consequences. One more thing that he wanted to share with us was that the sinners that stood or walked on slippery ground needed nothing but their own weight to throw them down. They were liable to fall of themselves, without being thrown down by the hand of another. The sinners must decide on their own without being pushed or influenced by other. I never thought introducing fear gradually through sharing can be an effect means of bringing people to God. It was a matter of choosing the right strategy of convincing them.I admired Edwards because during his time he delivered the sermon effectively. In my opinion, he wasn’t constraint the people or the listener to believe him but he just showed them the reality of what might happen if the wrath of God would not be suspended. On Calvinistic doctrine of predestination, it accented that humans were unqualified of adding anything to obtain redemption and that God alone was the initiator at every stage of salvation, including the formation of faith and every decision to follow Christ. Calvinism stressed the sovereignty or rule of God in all things — in salvation but also in all of life.In this belief, the only choice that we have is to accept and have faith in God because he is t he one and only way for us to be saved from hell. Because of God’s love, he gave his only begotten son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Thus, we must believe and follow Christ because He is the only way for us not to go to hell. There was no contradiction between the concept of predestination, central to Calvinism and Edward’s Covenant of Grace because both of them signify that salvation was not bestowed to us upon any condition, but freely and for nothing.We were to do nothing for it; we were only to take it. This taking and receiving was faith. It is very improper to say that a covenant is made with men, any otherwise than in Christ; for there is an immeasurable difference between a free offer and a covenant. The promise was made with Christ, and in him with his mystical body; and the condition of the covenant is Christ’s perfect obedience and sufferings. The Covenant of Grace was described by Christâ€⠄¢s open and free offer of life, whereby he holds it out in his hand to sinners, and offers it without any condition.Faith cannot be called the condition of receiving, for it is the receiving itself: That’s why, the only reason why Christ died on the cross was for our salvation. God loved us so much that He won’t allow us to go to hell. He offered the salvation freely just believe and have faith. I think Calvinistic Doctrine is popular because in the history of America, two-thirds of the colonial population was trained in the school of Calvin. It means most of the individuals were fascinated and knew the teaching of Calvinism. Never in the world's history had a nation been founded by such people as these.Furthermore, these people came to America not primarily for commercial gain or advantage, but because of deep religious convictions. It seems that the religious persecutions in various European countries had been providentially used to select out the most progressive a nd enlightened people for the colonization of America. Until now, the Christianity that spreads in America was born through the existence also of Calvinism. That’s why I was convinced that Calvinism is not dead but accepted and widely practiced by many. Jonathan Edwards – Sinners in the hands of an Angry God! Jonathan Edward’s most recognizable sermon was entitled â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God†. This was a very stimulating and reassuring speech containing religious instruction because as you read it you will be able to engage yourself easily. He used some statement that may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but it is rarely meant to be taken literally. Just like the sinners that he spoke of briefly was illustrated as one that stood or walked in slippery places. We will never know the instantaneous or abrupt devastation waiting ahead of us because of the things or situations that might happen.He never threatened anyone but he tried his best to imply the possible consequence or consequences. One more thing that he wanted to share with us was that the sinners that stood or walked on slippery ground needed nothing but their own weight to throw them down. They were liable to fall of themselves, without being thrown down by the hand of another. The sinners must decide on their own without being pushed or influenced by other. I never thought introducing fear gradually through sharing can be an effect means of bringing people to God. It was a matter of choosing the right strategy of convincing them.I admired Edwards because during his time he delivered the sermon effectively. In my opinion, he wasn’t constraint the people or the listener to believe him but he just showed them the reality of what might happen if the wrath of God would not be suspended. On Calvinistic doctrine of predestination, it accented that humans were unqualified of adding anything to obtain redemption and that God alone was the initiator at every stage of salvation, including the formation of faith and every decision to follow Christ. Calvinism stressed the sovereignty or rule of God in all things — in salvation but also in all of life.In this belief, the only choice that we have is to accept and have faith in God because he is t he one and only way for us to be saved from hell. Because of God’s love, he gave his only begotten son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Thus, we must believe and follow Christ because He is the only way for us not to go to hell. There was no contradiction between the concept of predestination, central to Calvinism and Edward’s Covenant of Grace because both of them signify that salvation was not bestowed to us upon any condition, but freely and for nothing.We were to do nothing for it; we were only to take it. This taking and receiving was faith. It is very improper to say that a covenant is made with men, any otherwise than in Christ; for there is an immeasurable difference between a free offer and a covenant. The promise was made with Christ, and in him with his mystical body; and the condition of the covenant is Christ’s perfect obedience and sufferings. The Covenant of Grace was described by Christâ€⠄¢s open and free offer of life, whereby he holds it out in his hand to sinners, and offers it without any condition.Faith cannot be called the condition of receiving, for it is the receiving itself: That’s why, the only reason why Christ died on the cross was for our salvation. God loved us so much that He won’t allow us to go to hell. He offered the salvation freely just believe and have faith. I think Calvinistic Doctrine is popular because in the history of America, two-thirds of the colonial population was trained in the school of Calvin. It means most of the individuals were fascinated and knew the teaching of Calvinism. Never in the world's history had a nation been founded by such people as these.Furthermore, these people came to America not primarily for commercial gain or advantage, but because of deep religious convictions. It seems that the religious persecutions in various European countries had been providentially used to select out the most progressive a nd enlightened people for the colonization of America. Until now, the Christianity that spreads in America was born through the existence also of Calvinism. That’s why I was convinced that Calvinism is not dead but accepted and widely practiced by many.

Free Essays on Paragent Competitive Analysis

2005 Entrepreneurial Consulting Report Table of Contents I. Executive Summary 3 II. Overview 4 How Andrew, Brian, and Dustin Became Involved 4 First Meeting With Clients 4 Initial Objectives 5 Possible Timetable 5 III. Research Questions 6 IV. Methodology 7 V. Results 8 VI. Discussion and Recommendations 27 VII. Appendices 27 I. Executive Summary The goal of this consulting project was to aid Paragent with the release of their new performance monitoring software. They had done some preliminary research about the general aspects of many companies, but they had not focused in on any key competitors or taken an in-depth look at them. The consulting group from Ball State helped them by doing a competitor analysis of, what it believed to be the most prominent competitors. The first order of business was to understand Paragent ¡Ã‚ ¦s project. The group visited the company ¡Ã‚ ¦s headquarters and was given a thorough demonstration of the product. This helped the members to see where Paragent was at with the development of the software and what some of the key differentiating aspects were. Paragent has produced an agent that is implemented into every computer that allows the computer to talk  ¡Ã‚ §smartly ¡Ã‚ ¨. Say for instance, there is a problem with one computer; the others will stop  ¡Ã‚ §talking ¡Ã‚ ¨ to it so that the problem does not spread. The ability of Paragent ¡Ã‚ ¦s software to run without servers was another differentiating point. The consulting group members then decide what companies they would research and how. It was decided that Andy and Dustin would conduct research on the company and product of 5 companies; Andy researched 3 and Dustin 2. Brian researched 1 company and took different look at the comparison between Paragent and its competitors. He looked at the company as a whole, and more specifically their website design and utilization. This allowed the group to view Paragent... Free Essays on Paragent Competitive Analysis Free Essays on Paragent Competitive Analysis 2005 Entrepreneurial Consulting Report Table of Contents I. Executive Summary 3 II. Overview 4 How Andrew, Brian, and Dustin Became Involved 4 First Meeting With Clients 4 Initial Objectives 5 Possible Timetable 5 III. Research Questions 6 IV. Methodology 7 V. Results 8 VI. Discussion and Recommendations 27 VII. Appendices 27 I. Executive Summary The goal of this consulting project was to aid Paragent with the release of their new performance monitoring software. They had done some preliminary research about the general aspects of many companies, but they had not focused in on any key competitors or taken an in-depth look at them. The consulting group from Ball State helped them by doing a competitor analysis of, what it believed to be the most prominent competitors. The first order of business was to understand Paragent ¡Ã‚ ¦s project. The group visited the company ¡Ã‚ ¦s headquarters and was given a thorough demonstration of the product. This helped the members to see where Paragent was at with the development of the software and what some of the key differentiating aspects were. Paragent has produced an agent that is implemented into every computer that allows the computer to talk  ¡Ã‚ §smartly ¡Ã‚ ¨. Say for instance, there is a problem with one computer; the others will stop  ¡Ã‚ §talking ¡Ã‚ ¨ to it so that the problem does not spread. The ability of Paragent ¡Ã‚ ¦s software to run without servers was another differentiating point. The consulting group members then decide what companies they would research and how. It was decided that Andy and Dustin would conduct research on the company and product of 5 companies; Andy researched 3 and Dustin 2. Brian researched 1 company and took different look at the comparison between Paragent and its competitors. He looked at the company as a whole, and more specifically their website design and utilization. This allowed the group to view Paragent...

How to Become a Resident Adviser (RA)

How to Become a Resident Adviser (RA) You may have wanted to be a resident adviser or resident assistant (RA) since the moment you first moved on campus or you may just want to explore the idea. Either way, youve ideally carefully considered the pros and cons of the position and are now looking to get your application in. What should you expect? And how can you be sure that your application stands out from the crowd? The RA application process varies, so youll need to check with the office that manages residence life at your college to get to know the specific requirements at your school. While this may not be the exact process you experience, the following overview can help you prepare to apply and interview for an RA position. Step One: The  Application What youll be asked to do: Most colleges and universities have prospective RAs fill out a several-page application, either online or in hard copy. Youll be asked about your involvement on campus, why you want to be an RA, what your leadership experience has been  and what  goals youd like to accomplish as an RA.What theyre looking for: Residence life professional staff are looking for people who come from a wide range of experiences. Be honest about what youve been involved in, where your interests are  and what youre most passionate about. Conversely, if you havent been that involved, be honest about that- and that you are now looking to become more involved in an RA role (and why). Your new potential boss(es) will be looking for people who are engaged with their community, want to be a part of building a community and are thoughtful about their role on campus.   Step Two: The Group Interview What youll be asked to do: You may be asked to participate in a  group interview, where youll be put in a small group with other applicants. Youll most likely have to introduce yourself and participate in team-building and problem-solving exercises- all while being observed.What theyre looking for: Your potential new employers are looking for candidates who work well with others, who are self-confident, who listen well, and who demonstrate leadership skills. Remember, however, that this doesnt mean you have to worry about leading your team through a possible challenge; leaders can also be quiet people in the background who see common ground, can help mediate conflict and provide positive reinforcement for others who may be struggling. Just make sure to be yourself while doing your best to work well with those in your group. Step Three: The Individual Interview What youll be asked to do: Youll have a much smaller interview with one (or two) full-time residence life staff members where youre the only candidate present. (This actually may come before or after a group interview, if there is one.) While this may sound nerve-racking, it can actually be less stressful than the group interview process. Youll be asked questions similar to the ones you saw on the  application you first submitted.What theyre looking for: This is the most important time to be yourself, as your interviewer(s) is most likely looking for someone who is a good listener and that can make other people comfortable. Make sure to be relaxed and friendly, make good eye contact  and be honest in your answers. Additionally, be prepared to think on your feet: Your interviewer(s) may ask you how youd handle a variety of scenarios an RA may encounter or ask you to share an experience where you helped mediate a conflict.  Keep yourself focused and do your best to communicate th at youre a smart, friendly, helpful person that will make a great addition to next years RA  staff. And dont forget to bring some questions of your own!