Can a good dissertation increase your employability?

For most students the prospect of undertaking a dissertation is a daunting one. University guidelines state that the body of a dissertation can range from ten to twenty-five thousand words, depending on the qualification. This is a substantial undertaking for anyone. Let's imagine that you're a dedicated student. You're studious, achieving above average marks, but not likely to be invited to University Challenge any time soon. You've worked your way through the first two years and now, in the final year of your degree, the prospect of completing a body of work that counts towards a substantial portion of your final grade is fast looming on the horizon. To compound that unnerving feeling in the pit of your stomach, you've also come to the stark realisation that you're CV is hardly bursting at the seams with relevant work experience, transferrable skills that prove invaluable in employment, let alone an army of contacts to call on when you finally graduate and hit the job market. How are you to prove to employers that you have that edge over any other prospective candidates? Do you need to make a positive pre-interview impression to get your foot in the door? Is the accumulated debt over the course of your education weighing heavy on your mind, and you need to secure employment quickly? An eloquent dissertation can dazzle employers, and secure you that much needed position. The ability to write clear and accurate text is the most useful skill that you will learn at university. Whatever subject you specialise in, and whatever career you choose after you graduate, a command of language is a valuable asset. When employers offer a job to an MA graduate they are sometimes interested in how much he or she knows about Charles Dickens or the Napoleonic wars, but they are always looking for someone with good communication skills and an eye for detail. In almost any job, you will spend time working with a range of texts. You may produce written reports, letters or marketing copy. You may also give lectures or presentations. If you are aiming for a career in which you can use language stylishly, such as journalism or creative writing, it is equally important that you know the rules of good plain English. It's true that summer internships, placements and graduate schemes are still effective ways of procuring employment, but in today's competitive job market it's highly advisable to have as many strings to your bow as possible. It's also true that not all employers will base their selection of candidates on the strength of their dissertation. However, those candidates who have demonstrated their ability to complete such a demanding project to the very highest of standards will surely mark themselves out as the

Free Essays on For Whom the Bell Tolls

For Whom the Bell Tolls begins and ends in a pine-scented forest, somewhere in Spain. The year is 1937 and the Spanish Civil War is in full swing. Robert Jordan, a demolitions expert attached to the International Brigades, lies "flat on the brown, pine-needled floor of the forest, his chin on his folded arms, and high overhead the wind blew in the tops of the pine trees." The sylvan setting, however, is at sharp odds with the reason Jordan is there: he has come to blow up a bridge on behalf of the antifascist guerrilla forces. He hopes he'll be able to rely on their local leader, Pablo, to help carry out the mission, but upon meeting him, Jordan has his doubts: "I don't like that sadness, he thought. That sadness is bad. That's the sadness they get before they quit or before they betray. That is the sadness that comes before the sell-out." For Pablo, it seems, has had enough of the war. He has amassed for himself a small herd of horses and wants only to stay quietly in the hil! ls and attract as little attention as possible. Jordan's arrivaland his missionhave seriously alarmed him. "I am tired of being hunted. Here we are all right. Now if you blow a bridge here, we will be hunted. If they know we are here and hunt for us with planes, they will find us. If they send Moors to hunt us out, they will find us and we must go. I am tired of all this. You hear?" He turned to Robert Jordan. "What right have you, a foreigner, to come to me and tell me what I must do?" In one short chapter Hemingway lays out the blueprint for what is to come: Jordan's sense of duty versus Pablo's dangerous self-interest and weariness with the war. Complicating matters even more are two members of the guerrilla leader's small band: his "woman" Pilar, and Maria, a young woman whom Pablo rescued from a Republican prison train. Unlike her man, Pilar is still fiercely devoted to the cause and as Pablo's loyalty wanes, she becomes the moral center of the grou... Free Essays on For Whom the Bell Tolls Free Essays on For Whom the Bell Tolls For Whom the Bell Tolls begins and ends in a pine-scented forest, somewhere in Spain. The year is 1937 and the Spanish Civil War is in full swing. Robert Jordan, a demolitions expert attached to the International Brigades, lies "flat on the brown, pine-needled floor of the forest, his chin on his folded arms, and high overhead the wind blew in the tops of the pine trees." The sylvan setting, however, is at sharp odds with the reason Jordan is there: he has come to blow up a bridge on behalf of the antifascist guerrilla forces. He hopes he'll be able to rely on their local leader, Pablo, to help carry out the mission, but upon meeting him, Jordan has his doubts: "I don't like that sadness, he thought. That sadness is bad. That's the sadness they get before they quit or before they betray. That is the sadness that comes before the sell-out." For Pablo, it seems, has had enough of the war. He has amassed for himself a small herd of horses and wants only to stay quietly in the hil! ls and attract as little attention as possible. Jordan's arrivaland his missionhave seriously alarmed him. "I am tired of being hunted. Here we are all right. Now if you blow a bridge here, we will be hunted. If they know we are here and hunt for us with planes, they will find us. If they send Moors to hunt us out, they will find us and we must go. I am tired of all this. You hear?" He turned to Robert Jordan. "What right have you, a foreigner, to come to me and tell me what I must do?" In one short chapter Hemingway lays out the blueprint for what is to come: Jordan's sense of duty versus Pablo's dangerous self-interest and weariness with the war. Complicating matters even more are two members of the guerrilla leader's small band: his "woman" Pilar, and Maria, a young woman whom Pablo rescued from a Republican prison train. Unlike her man, Pilar is still fiercely devoted to the cause and as Pablo's loyalty wanes, she becomes the moral center of the grou...

How do humans interfere with biogeochemical cycles Essay

How do humans interfere with biogeochemical cycles - Essay Example This nitrogen then travels to animals and humans when the plants are eaten, and is excreted as urine, which contains ammonia. Ammonia is poisonous, but autotrophic or nitrifying bacteria have the ability to oxidize it into nitrites and nitrates, which is the form of nitrogen that is most usable for plant metabolism.(CSuros, 1999:61). Similarly denitrifying bacteria have the ability to reduce nitrates to nitrous oxide and nitrogen, which can then be released back into the atmosphere. All of the above activities disturb the natural balance of nitrogen in the atmosphere and present within the soil. Human beings have interfered with the natural progress of the nitrogen cycle by dumping large amounts of untreated sewage into water bodies, which when coupled with the urban runoff has produced an overload of nitrogen in aquatic systems. The net result of this excessive nitrogen in water is eutrophication, or the excessive growth of algae that in turn draw out all the oxygen in the water, so that other forms of marine life, such as fish, are unable to survive. (www.library.thinkquest.org). This also upsets the delicate, natural ecological balance of nitrogen that is maintained through the nitrogen cycle, which generally ensures the amount of nitrogen in the atmosphere at about 79%. When eutrophication persists, then it produces a phenomenon referred to as the red tide, wherein the lack of oxygen in the water ca stifle and kill off any forms of life in the water. Atmospheric nitrogen is used by plants and the nitrogen excreted through the urine of plants and animals is fixed back into nitrates and nitrites using the nitrifying bacteria. But when excessive nitrogen is released through the dumping of too much sewage, it complicates issues by reducing the oxygen levels and thereby disturbing the balance of atmospheric gases as well. Since oxygen is necessary for living beings to survive and the percentage of atmospheric oxygen needs to be maintained in order to

Answer 9 questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Answer 9 questions - Essay Example different language because in most cases, word pronunciation makes a great deal in bringing our messages across no matter how wide one’s vocabulary is in a certain language. Sound production is a widely recognized problem and considered to be the most challenging part in learning a second language. Intonation and accentuation are equally challenging but do not give much problems in contrast to sound production because it is the pronunciation of the word correctly that makes one coherent. Older learners have difficulty in achieving a native-like pronunciation because they have already been used to the accent and intonation of their own tongue. This may be compared to training a plant to follow a bend that the florist desires for it to have a unique design wherein, if it is still young, the plant is easily bent while when it is already of age with its trunk hardened, there would be difficulty in bending it. Thus, if one wants to learn another language, it is best to start while he is still young and is able to develop the communication skills more effectively. Pronunciation should be taught not only in a certain period of time where the lesson is concentrated in sound formation but should be taught in all levels of the teaching process. Correction is more effective when the mistake is brought to light right then and there because the student is most aware of the mistake when he just made it. Whereas, when you let a mistake pass and try to correct it later during a spe cific pronunciation class, the student tends to forget and deny the mistake he committed. Thus, pronunciation should not be treated separately but should be taught all throughout. For beginners, I teach pronunciation separately during the first lessons. Of course it would be irrational to be teaching beginners many words that would just confuse them and worst, might scare them. Thus, I introduce my lessons systematically starting with the basic and common sounds and even giving examples to magnify

Western Blot and its Applications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Western Blot and its Applications - Essay Example Western blot analysis can detect your protein of interest from a mixture of a great number of proteins. It can give you information about the size of your protein (with comparison to a size marker or ladder in kDa), and also give you information on protein expression (with comparison to a control such as untreated sample or another cell type or tissue). It can analyze any protein sample whether from cells or tissues, but also can analyze recombinant proteins synthesized in vitro.Western blot is dependent on the quality of antibody you use to probe for your protein of interest, and how specific it is for this protein. In western blotting, proteins are electrophoresed in polyacrylamide gel, transferred onto a nitrocellulose or nylon membrane, and the protein bands are detected by their specific interaction with antibodies, lectins or some other compounds. First step involves the separation of tissue. Then proteins are separated by gel electrophoresis from sample. If you are going to western blot for protein mass you can lyse in larger volumes If you are going to western blot a phospho-protein use phosphatase inhibitors. It will remove the phosphates from your proteins. If you are looking at protein-protein interactions use a less-stringent detergent such RIPA. By far the most common type of gel electrophoresis employs polyacrylamide gels and buffers loaded with Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS). SDS PAGE allows separation of proteins by their molecular weight. Steps involved in obtaining protein for western blot. The protein bands are transferred onto a nitrocellulose or nylon membrane; initially this was achieved by a capillary movement of buffer but now a days it is usually done by electrophoresis (electrophoretic blotting). The electrophoretic blotting, both of proteins and nucleic acids are much faster and more efficient than capillary blotting. One thing to be aware of is that proteins bind better to nitrocellulose at a low pH. You may need to go through some trial-and-error to find the optimal pH. You also need to be sure there are no air bubbles between the nitrocellulose and the gel or your proteins will not transfer. The specific protein bands are identified in a variety of ways. 1. Antibodies are the most commonly used probes for detecting specific antigens. 2. Lectins are used as probes for the identification of glycoproteins. These probes may themselves be radioactive or a radioactive molecule may be tagged to them. Often the identification process is based on a 'Sandwich' reaction. In such an approach, a species specific second antibody or protein A of Staphylococcus aureus or streptavidin is used to bind to the antibodies bound to the protein bands. These second molecules may be labelled with radioactive, enzyme or fluorescent tags, Steps in conducting a western blot. a single preparation of these labelled molecules can be employed as a general detector for various probes. Applications in different fields The conformity HIV test uses a HIV western blot to detect anti- HIV. The HIV Western blot consists of a thin nitrocellulose strip in which are embedded proteins claimed to be unique to HIV. Each protein is labelled with a 'p' followed by its molecular weight in thousands. Serum is added to the strip and if there are antibodies to a particular protein this band will 'light up'. The HIV Western blot is not standardised. Lyme disease testing also uses Western blotting. The IgG Western Blot is a sandwich-type immunoassay performed in a manner that allows visualization of the patient's antibodies. It is a qualitative test and is generally more sensitive and specific than the ELISA. A positive IgG result with clinical history may be indicative of

Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES)

Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES), a non-profit organization was founded in 1989. Its objectives include encouraging ethical and sustainable business practices and promoting investment policies which are environmentally, socially and financially sound. It has created a group of worlds largest companies and investors who are responsible to take care of the environmental issues. 100-plus companies and many Fortune 500 businesses like- General Motors, Polaroid, Body Shop International, Bank of America, are engaged with Ceres for supporting clean energy policies and maintaining a strong climate. Financial organizations and Environmental groups like Sierra Club are members with Ceres (Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES), 2016).   Ceres aims at making companies understand the concerns of the planets future. Meeting the sustainable challenges of the 21st century is important along with running business. Ceres works on making the environment more sustainable and therefore it follows all the laws that comes under the Environmental Laws and Regulations of the U.S. government. Ceres rights: On the account of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill that happened in the Gulf of Alaska in March 1989, Ceres came up with its core Ten Principles. These principles aim to protect the earth, its energy and resources wisely; reduce waste and doing business in fair manner. The principles and its aspects are as follows: (The Ceres Principles , n.d.) Laws supported by Ceres- There are several issues addressed by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(EPA). Some of them include- limitation on air pollutants, enforcement of clean water and laws on safe drinking. EPA works for implementation of these federal laws so that the environment does not get affected by business practices. Ceres works along with EPA in implementation of the laws. The INCR Policy Working Group an initiative by Ceres focuses on five different areas of policy engagement: Its members collaborate with other investor groups, including the European IIGCC, the Australian/New Zealand IGCC, the Asian AIGCC, UN PRI and UNEP-FI, to support the Strong Climate and Clean Energy Policy among the investors worldwide. Its members also support the policies which promote clean and low carbon fuel sources, improving Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions which happen by transportation activities. INCR members also support research reports which show the investment case for such policies. Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA has proposed an arrangement of noteworthy controls that will lessen air emissions, help the economy and make occupations. Financial specialists have signed letters and met with Congressional staff to guarantee implementation of the Utility Mercury and Air Toxics Standard, the Cross State Air Pollution Rule and the Carbon Pollution Standard for Future Power Plants. The Ceres Roadmap to Sustainability, organizations are relied upon to adjust publicly disclosed arrangement positions on atmosphere and energy issues with the approaches they advocate through their lobbying and political expenditures. Its members bolster a scope of approaches at the state and government level, for example, the Production Tax Credit for renewable vitality, the California AB32 climate and Clean Energy Program and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Ceres makes sure companies and investors follow the strong climate and Clean energy policies in the US and abroad. One of the CEOs of Ceres- Mindy S. Lubber joined U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1995. She joined it as a senior policy advisor and has achieved recognition as a regional administration under President Bill Clinton in 2000. She has also been a president at former National Environmental Law Center. Her efforts include- Organizing waste removal at hazardous waste sites Redevelopment, new jobs and urban revitalization Protection of drinking water supplies (2016 William K. Reilly Award Winners Announced, n.d.). Ceres along with WWF assembled a group of 100 large companies which supported the Paris Climate Agreement. It also supports the Clean Power Plant which was an initiative by Obama administration. Ceres strongly supports Clean Air Act(Business Is Taking Action on LGBT Rights. Will Climate Change Be Next?, n.d.). In the Six Proactive steps that Ceres has made for insurance companies, for addressing the climate change, it mentions about the Greenhouse gas emission, in favor of Federal and International Policies which limit its emissions. It addresses the threat of change in the climate because of carbon pollution (Insurance, n.d.). Laws opposed by Ceres- Ceres mostly works for sustaining the environment and limiting business practices for better future. It supports laws that relate to maintaining environment standards. Therefore, there arent many laws that are being opposed by Ceres. Rather there are a couple of them which are addressed as below. It opposed the Presidents and Congressional Leaders abandoning of Methane rule and the Clean Power Plant. Ceres believes that these laws were made to support the environment. There are many companies that has made an agreement in support of the law. And so, Ceres does not want such laws to get abandoned. It also shows its disagreement with the Presidents two-for-one executive order which requires deletion of two federal regulations against any one issued. Ceres impact on business- Ceres major goal lies in influencing business and its practices which affect environment. It has made many huge contributions which has helped business to follow the standards and become effective in their practices. The contributions by Ceres which impacted companies include- Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), 2003- works on leadership and accomplishments on climate and sustainability of financial firms. Launched the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) for corporate reporting on environment, social and economic performances Launched the Climate Declaration Launched Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) Ceres made an evaluation of its member companies and found that most of them have adopted policies based on International norms and fewer companies have adopted sector-specific policies. In the evaluation, most frequent instituted policies include those related to bribery and corruption and elimination of discrimination along with overall sustainability of environment. Companies which adopted the international standards like International Labor Organization(ILO) and United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), show understanding of sustainability issues and are committed in implementing changes in their business (Corporate Policies and Management Systems, n.d.). Ceres influence on legislative process- Ceres resolved an issue on United Parcel Service (UPS)s Lobbying Disclosure. It laid down points which the BOD of UPS requires to disclose in their report. Indirect lobbying and Grassroots lobbying communication are the points covered under the solution. These points include efforts at the local, state and federal levels. Along with this, we already saw that Ceres has laid down its core 10 principles which are in favor of environmental protection. Business and stakeholders adhere to these aspects and make sure that they are abiding by the rules related to these policies. It tracks shareholders resolutions and considers the following issues: Climate change Carbon asset risk Greenhouse gas emission Water pollution and scarcity Public policy Air pollution methane emission Proxy voting policies Human rights The shareholders make such resolutions. This ensures that they make proper implementation of the laws. On studying the resolutions, the legislatures can make laws that depend upon the environmental standards. Ceres 3-year plan- Ceres has presented a Road map on Sustainability which covers Governance for sustainability, Stakeholder Engagement, Disclosure, Performance: Operation, Supply Chain, Transportation and Logistics, Product and Services, Employees. The Roadmap expectation on corporate policies and management systems measures the extent to which companies embed sustainability into decision-making. Encourage organizations to receive a more expansive way to deal with recognizing and speaking with stakeholders, including engagement on a more extensive topic. The disclosure segment layout the attributes of a way to deal with revelation that meets the new and rising difficulties on corporate sustainability. The operation segment enhances sustainability across their operations, including building and facilities management, water management, the elimination of waste and respect for human rights. Sustainable supply chain performance expects establishing supplier policies and endorsing industry codes or practices containing explicit references to social and environmental standards. Transportation and logistics include reducing transportation impacts which are focused on the architecture of the transportation network, including distances traveled; and specific transportation modes, including the sustainability credentials of the energy sources used. This section also looks at business travel and commuting practices and the role that companies can take in shaping employee behavior. Sustainable solutions for products and services should be that they are marketed and delivered in a sustainable way. Proper communication of the usage and consumption pattern. Improved recruitment and retention rates, employee morale and productivity, and lower healthcare costs should be crucial for companys employees in order for sustainable performance (The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability Ceres, n.d.). Ceres aims at transferring the way corporations integrate environmental and social risks into their decision-making. By 2020 Ceres wants major companies which re its members to attain these standards. The areas in which more companies should come forward include Product and Services and Supply Chain. Ceres looks forward in making greater attempts at helping companies in achieving the goals of sustainable environmental business practices. Mind-Map: Ceres an organization works majorly in line with the International Laws on Environmental protection. It supports U.S. laws as well about certain policies. Ceres helps implementation of the following laws of Unites States Federal Environmental Statutes- Clean air act Clean water act Emergency planning and community right to know act Energy policy act National environmental policy act Resources conservation and recovery act References (n.d.). Retrieved from 2016 William K. Reilly Award Winners Announced: http://www.american.edu/spa/cep/news/2016_Reilly_Award_Winners.cfm Business Is Taking Action on LGBT Rights. Will Climate Change Be Next? (n.d.). Retrieved from Business Is Taking Action on LGBT Rights. Will Climate Change Be Next? Ceres: https://www.ceres.org/press/press-clips/business-is-taking-action-on-lgbt-rights.-will-climate-change-be-next Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES). (2016, november 24). Retrieved from Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Coalition-for-Environmentally-Responsible-Economies Corporate Policies and Management Systems. (n.d.). Retrieved from Corporate Policies and Management Systems Ceres: https://www.ceres.org/roadmap-assessment/about/roadmap-expectations/governance-for-sustainability/policies-and-management-systems Insurance. (n.d.). Retrieved from Insurance-Ceres: https://www.ceres.org/industry-initiatives/insurance The Ceres Principles . (n.d.). Retrieved from The Ceres Principles- Ceres: https://www.ceres.org/about-us/our-history/ceres-principles The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability Ceres. (n.d.). Retrieved from The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability Ceres: https://www.ceres.org/roadmap-assessment

First Impressions in Bernard Shaw’s play The Devil’s Disciple Essay

Bernard Shaw’s play â€Å"The Devil’s Disciple† is set in 1777 when the American War of British Independence was at its height. Richard Dudgeon is the main character in this production and he begins as a ‘black sheep’ in a family of self-righteous puritans. Richard has entitled himself â€Å"The Devil’s Disciple†. In the first Act of the play, Richard’s father has died and this starts the reading of his will. During this scene we get a lot of the other characters views on Richard before we meet him. It seems that almost everyone apart from Essie (Richard’s cousin). Everyone finds it hard to talk about him as if it is against the rules, e.g. Judith Anderson says to Essie, â€Å"Dick Dudgeon! Essie: do you wish to be a really respectable and grateful girl, and to make a place for yourself here by steady and good conduct?† †Then you must never mention the name of Richard Dudgeon – never think even about him. He is a bad man†. This suggests that Judith believes even thinking about Richard could mean you were becoming a bad person yourself. However, we find out later that she has never actually met Richard Dudgeon, so is only saying this from what she has heard. Whilst Mrs Dudgeon and Mr Anderson are talking at the very beginning of the scene, Mrs Dudgeon also expresses her view of Richard. She says, â€Å"Let it be a warning to him. He may end that way himself, the wicked, dissolute, godless—â€Å" This shows us that he is even hated by his own mother. From all of the views shown in the early stages of the first act about Richard, we get the impression that he is a terrible person, with no respect or cares for anyone else. Even when we meet Richard, our opinions as an audience don’t change greatly, he shows himself as quite arrogant and sarcastic. How... ... a fool. Judith: Like a hero. I think that Shaw made us change our opinion of Richard in the context of the story that he is telling because it shows us how even the ‘worst’ people among us can change, or that these people are not so bad after all, just covering up their true selves until the time is right. Anderson (whilst talking to the British soldiers) says, â€Å"Sir: it is in the hour of trial that a man finds his true profession. This foolish young man [placing his hand on Richard's shoulder] boasted himself the Devil's Disciple, but when the hour of trial came to him, he found that it was his destiny to suffer and be faithful to the death. I thought myself a decent minister of the gospel of peace, but when the hour of trial came to me, I found that it was my destiny to be a man of action and that my place was amid the thunder of the captains and the shouting.†