4 Things That Surprised me About Self-Publishing an Academic Book

4 Things That Surprised me About Self-Publishing an Academic Book 4 Things That Surprised me About Self-Publishing an Academic Book Joshua Gans is a Professor of Strategic Management  at the University of Toronto. He has been published  in the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, RAND Journal of Economics, Journal of Economic Perspectives, and more. In this article, he talks about his recent book,  Scholarly Publishing and its Discontents, which looks at the market power of journal publishers. The critical nature of this  subject led him to explore  self-publishing for the first time - an experience which surprised him in more ways than one."This is the 21st Century. Please download the free PDF of this book at joshuagans.com and use the search function. Trust me, it will be easier."And that was that!Self-publishing has offered me unparalleled freedom, and allowed me to disseminate my work as never before. That being said, my sales are not as high as I have achieved before with traditional publishing. Then again, I haven’t commenced any marketing initiatives other than handing out copies and have broken a few â€Å"rules† - like designing my own book cover. But that’s part of the beauty of self-publishing, doing things your way. This time around I’m going to work at my leisure, update the book with new editions when I want, and do things by one set of rules: my own.Scholarly Publishing and its Discontents  is available in  paperback from Amazon!Head to Joshua's website for more.Joshua published his recent book  because he had an idea he wanted to get out there - not necessarily because he was looking to build a fan base of readers. Can you relate? Leave any thoughts, experiences, or any questions for  Joshua in the comments below.

summary exploring prose Essays

summary exploring prose Essays summary exploring prose Essay summary exploring prose Essay Summary of short story Whos Irish Whos Irish by Gish Jen is a short story about a Chinese grandmother living in America. The grandmother lives with her granddaughter Sophie, her daughter Natalie, and her unemployed, Irish son-in-law John. The grandmother always thinks that Sophie is a wild child and she always blames her Irish side and her former baby sitter, Amy. She often said that Sophie is not like the other Chinese girl that she ever saw. She babysits Sophie during the days and believes that she should be spanked, but her daughters Natalie completely disagree about her opinion. She said that in America parents not supposed to spank the child, it gives them low self esteem. Natalie preferred to use words than spanks to changing her daughters misbehavior. Someday the grandmother spanks Sophie because she takes off her clothes again and the spank makes Sophie cried. Sophies changed immediately and obeys the grandmother the next day. But the big problem comes in the playground when Sophies hide in the foxhole and throw a shovel full of sand to her grandmother. The grandmothers get mad and yell at Sophie to come out, but Sophie doesnt want come ut from the hole, she shouted at the grandmother that she hate her, and call her Meanie, the grandmother start to pokes her with a stick. Until its getting dark Sophie still hiding, the grandmother keep poke her until John and Natalie comes and saw what the grandmother have done to their daughter. John wiggles under the structure, into the foxhole to rescue Sophie. As they come to the house, Natalie find out that Sophies skin is full of bruise and her eyes are swollen. Since then, the grandmother is forbidden to see her granddaughter. The grandmother finally moves into her son-in-laws mother, Besss house.

Where are you going, where are you from - Joyce Carol Oats Assignment

Where are you going, where are you from - Joyce Carol Oats - Assignment Example n the two of them, like her mother used to be the same was once and understands what she is going through, and that Connie somehow knows this and so there’s that different level of their relationship as well. Connie’s belief that her mother likes her more also suggests this. What’s more interesting though, and even a little bit disturbing, is the way that Connie reacts to Arnold Friend. Even the first time she saw him Connie was put a bit off center, and I immediately knew that he was going to play some sinister role in the story. I was not disappointed, and the scene where he comes to her house and talks to her, which is most of the story actually, gave me the chills. But at the same time Connie seems to expect things to turn out the way that they do, and there are some sentences in the story that make me wonder if that’s not actually the way she wants it to turn out. For instance, she goes out to the door and flirts with him, and even enjoys his attention, even though he has apparently been stalking her or worse and knows all sorts of things about her. His last name, â€Å"Friend,† makes him somehow seem even more evil than his speech when he talks. The way that he talks and the things that he says definitely play a big role in it, though, because he seems to be just saying things without any real understanding of what they mean beyond knowing that they are the sorts of things that a person like him should say. I almost wonder if he’s supposed to be Satan or something like that, but in the end he seems not quite as evil as that because the tone of the story doesn’t really make it sound like we’re supposed to hate him entirely. He is still a very creepy character, but the way he keeps his promises and doesn’t do anything extremely violent makes me wonder how creepy we’re supposed to find him. I think one of the main things Oates was trying for in this story is to show the confusion and the not always happy things that are involved in

Liberty is the true path to morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Liberty is the true path to morality - Essay Example This in itself can lead to deeper and more profound questions and analyses'. As society's collective morality can be influenced by a variety of factors, some of which could be considered arbitrary and fleeting. Examples of such factors could be the media and those with strong political influence. By allowing the state to enforce morality, a number of questions must be answered. First and foremost, in what manner do these moral laws relate to the Constitution and the right of individual freedom People have free will and the right to choose for themselves, to choose their own morality and ethics and their own way of life, as long as no one is harmed. Another question to address is the reasoning that the morals that are being enforced by law based upon Those writing law can consciously or unconsciously provide their own interpretation of morality in the legal doctrine. Milsted writes, "Democracy represents the people in the middle. The government represents the immoral as well as the moral. Thus, we can expect the government to be more moral than half the population and more immoral that the other half "(Milsted). It also should not be forgotten that law is not magic. Moral norm, which becomes a part of law, needs to be provided into the real life. Practice has shown that perso nal morality laws are general ineffective and can have very unpleasant sequels. "The war on drugs has led to higher crime, broken families, increased poverty, the clogging of the court system, the funding of international terrorism and higher taxes. Furthermore, the laws against prostitution have led to an increase in the abuse of women and the spread of deadly sexually transmitted diseases" (Milsted 2005). Lord Devlin in an essay entitled, Introduction... Practice has shown that personal morality laws are general ineffective and can have very unpleasant sequels.   â€Å"The war on drugs has led to higher crime, broken families, increased poverty, the clogging of the court system, the funding of international terrorism and higher taxes.   Furthermore, the laws against prostitution have led to an increase in the abuse of women and the spread of deadly sexually transmitted diseases† (Milsted 2005).     Lord Devlin in an essay entitled, Introduction to Law and Morality, is quoted as saying that a society requires a public morality.   â€Å"A society is created by a sort of community of ideas, not only political ideas but ideas about the way the members of the society should behave and govern their lives† (2001).   The institution of marriage was used as an example of this, in that a society has to choose whether they will govern themselves by the rules of monogamy or polygamy, as the society can not have both.   Lord Devlin takes this example even further by stating that the institution of marriage would be damaged by morally accepting adultery, but that this is not a crime and should not be, yet the public and government should be compelled to protect itself and its valued institutions, such as marriage.   A look at paternalism allows for a greater analysis of the role that morality should have within the legal system.   Paternalism is the institution of laws that are meant to keep individuals from harming themselves, i.e., the use of drugs, gun laws, euthanasia, etc.  

Burjeel hospital ( abu dhabi ) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Burjeel hospital ( abu dhabi ) - Research Paper Example Developments within the standards of the healthcare domain of the country have been one of the major aspects, which must be duly considered for deriving positive outcomes. The standard, which has been practiced within the healthcare industry of the nation, is identified to remain at par with the prevailing healthcare issues in the global business sector (Alhyas, Nielsen, Dawoud & Majeed, 2013). The number of chronic disease prevailing within the country i.e. the UAE is noted to be an ever increasing trend in recent years, which further demands for extensive development of the sector in terms of delivering effective healthcare services to the people of the country. In order to acquire more in-depth understanding about the topic of the research, Burjeel Hospital of the UAE has been taken into concern for discussion (Burjeel Hospital, 2015). Thus, with this concern, the research paper intends to develop a marketing plan for the healthcare organization i.e. Burjeel Hospital, which is operating in the nation for several years. The aim of the plan will be to ensure long-term sustainability and attain competitive advantage as compared to others operating within the overall healthcare sector of the nation. The healthcare organization chosen for this particular research study is Burjeel Hospital operating in the region of Abu Dhabi of the UAE. Notably, this particular healthcare organization is one of the biggest and most prestigious healthcare organizations operating in the nation. Apart from the effectiveness of the healthcare services being provided to the patients, the hospital is also known for its grandeur and magnificence in terms of infrastructural development. The management of the healthcare unit not only believed in the deliverance of quality healthcare services to the end users, but also offering the same in cost-effective manner. The organization also ensures providing world-class facilities to the customers based on which they could be cured as early as

Employability as Educational Performance Indicator

Employability as Educational Performance Indicator Definition of Employability Employability has been used as a performance indicator for higher education institutions (Smith et al, 2000) and represents a form of work specific (pro) active adaptability that consists of three dimensions: career identity, personal adaptability and social and human capital (Fugate et al, 2004). At the same time, Knight and Yorke (2004) have put forward the four broad and interlocking components of USEM account of employability: Understanding (of the subject discipline) Skilful practices in context Efficacy beliefs Meta-cognition Nabi (2003) mentioned that employability is about graduates possessing an appropriate level of skills and attributes, and being able to use them to gain and remain in appropriate employment. From a human resource development view, employability is a concept that emerged through the 1990s along with a growing perception among employees that they cannot count on their employers for long-term employment. Employability is a promise to employees that they will have the skills to find new jobs quickly if their jobs end unexpectedly (Baruch, 2001). Prior to this, Harvey (2001) has defined employability in various ways from individual and institutional perspectives. Individual employability is defined as graduates being able to demonstrate the attributes to obtain jobs. Commonly, institutional employability relates to the employment rates of the university graduates. However, Harvey argued that employment outcomes of graduates are not an indicator of institutional employability. He presented an employability-development model shown in Figure 1. The model illustrated a multi-perspectives view of employability with all related stake-holders. Employability and Higher Education: Key issues Despite the burgeoning research on employability and availability of a wide range of models purporting to explain it, employability itself remains a contentious concept open to a ‘plethora of micro-interpretations (Harvey, 2003). This can make the task of curriculum development particularly difficult. [p5] The growing importance of employability According to McNair (2003), graduate employability has become a more important issue for institutions. This is: because of the changing nature of the graduate labour market, mass participation in HE, pressures on student finance, competition to recruit students and expectations of students, employers, parents and government (expressed in quality audit and league tables). On a broader level, it has been noted that higher education, through the generation and dissemination of knowledge, directly impacts economic competitiveness on a national and international level (Brown et al, 2003; CIHE, 2003; UUK, 2007; DIUS, 2008). The significance of the UK HE system to the wider economy has been generally acknowledged since the Robbins Report was published in 1963. However, this relationship has been made more explicit in recent years and it was with the publication of the Dearing Report (1997) that the connection found prominent expression. Dearing strongly expressed the need for a globally competitive economy containing highly skilled, highly trained and highly motivated graduates who could perform effectively on the worlds stage. This coupled with the further development of human-capital theory (Becker, 1975), which asserts that one role of government is to provide and nurture conditions which will increase the pool of skilled labour, has created a fertile forum for the discourse of ‘employability to flourish. The changing nature of the graduate-labour market Dearing (1997) stated that ‘learning should be increasingly responsive to employment needs and include the development of general skills, widely valued in employment; however, the labour market is changing dramatically and at a much faster pace than in the past. Emerging markets and rapid expansion of the knowledge economy means that the same set of employability skills which were in demand ten or even five years ago may not be required in the evolving graduate-employment market. Employers are increasingly seeking flexible recruits who can work effectively in the ‘de-layered, down-sized, information-technology driven and innovative organisations in existence today (Harvey et al, 1997: 1). Employers are seeking people who can do more than just respond to change, they need those who can lead change. McNair (2003) comments on the speed of labour-market development and notes that a higher percentage of the workforce is employed in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), a trend also reflected in graduate-employment statistics. While this may offer opportunities to gain early responsibility in less structured and hierarchical work environments, graduates need to have the skills to create rewarding graduate roles role in what Purcell and Elias (2004) refer to as ‘niche-graduate occupations. Niche-graduate occupations are those: where the majority of incumbents are not graduates, but within which there are stable or growing specialist niches that require higher education skills and knowledge (Purcell and Elias, 2003: 5). Students therefore need to be equipped with skills which enable them to ‘grow jobs to graduate level. HE has been criticised by some as being too slow to recognise the changing nature of the labour market and is producing graduates who are ill equipped to deal with the realities of graduate employment (CBI, 2006). Government policy to widen participation in HE, aiming to increase the proportion of 18-30 year olds to 50 per cent by 2010, will no doubt have a significant impact on the supply of graduates in the labour market. According to Elias and Purcell (2004) participation rates in UK HE almost doubled in the decade 1991-2001, from 1.2 million students to 2.1 million. Such rapid expansion has raised concerns that the increase in the number of highly qualified individuals may not be coupled with an equivalent rise in demand for their skills and qualifications (Brown and Hesketh, 2004; Brynin, 2002; Keep and Mayhew, 1996, 1999 in Elias and Purcell, 2004). While Elias and Purcell (2004) conclude that the expansion of HE at the end of the twentieth century has been primarily positive, Purcell et al (2005: 16) express concern that ‘the fit between the supply of graduates and employers demand for their knowledge and skills clearly falls some way short of ideal. There are mixed reports about whether demand for graduates will be affected by increasing participation in higher education. The supply of graduates has been steadily rising and there were 258,000 graduates in 1997 compared with 319,000 in 2007 (HESA, 2007). Despite rising numbers leaving HE, according to DIUS (2008), demand for graduates remains high and the latest report by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR 2007) suggests that the number of graduate vacancies increased by 15.1 per cent in 2007. Both DIUS and AGR do however raise concerns about the mismatch between what employers are looking for and the skills graduates possess (see Chapter 2 for a more detailed analysis of skills). Despite much controversy about the impact of increasing student numbers, it is indisputable that graduates are facing a changing, more competitive labour market and they need to be prepared accordingly. The changing nature of the higher education landscape Beyond pressures facing graduates in the labour market, universities are facing increasing demands to account for what they do and prospective students and parents are becoming discerning ‘customers when shopping for the most suitable HEI (McNair, 2003). Given the importance of employability in the equation, institutions cannot overlook the significance of developing this aspect of provision. Allison et al (2002) allude to the pressures facing HEIs as evidenced by the publication of increasing numbers of performance indicators and guidance documents such as the QAA Code of Practice for Careers Education, Information and Guidance (2001) and the Harris Review of Careers Services (2001). Yorke and Knight (2002: 4) have expressed some concern about the way in which statistics on employment rates used in league tables can distract HEIs from the important task of enhancing employability. They state that: once employment rates become an institutional performance indicator (HEFCE, 2001), there is a pernicious backwash as institutions seek to ‘improve their scores since they know that these scores will end up in the so-called ‘league tables published in the press. Consequently: there is a danger that maximising the score will command more institutional attention than fulfilling the educational aim of enhancing employability. Higher Education in the UK has gone through considerable change during the last two decades. The move from an elitist system to one of mass participation has been highly significant. Shelley (2005) indicates that the number of 18-30 year olds in HE rose from 12 per cent in the 1980s to 43 per cent by 2002. This he points out has not been matched with commensurate levels of funding and between 1977 and 1997 government expenditure per student fell by 40 per cent. In recent years however funding levels have improved with HEFCE announcing a figure of  £6,706 million in recurrent funding for 2006-07 to universities and colleges in England (HEFCE, 2006). Increased funding levels have led to systems of accountability being put in place. These in turn have led to the development of managerial practices intended to promote new efficiency and customer-focused, customer-led policy frameworks which should ensure success in a new competitive market. In the eyes of commentators such as Bekhradnia (2005) the last decade has seen a mixture of successes and failures of managerial initiatives. For some commentators (e.g. Brown and Lauder, 1999; Green, 1993) these policy directives coupled with the emphasis placed on the contribution of HE to the global economy has led to the ‘marketisation and the ‘commodification of HE and its teaching. Brown and Lauder (1999) contend that there has been a movement towards a ‘neo-Fordist approach to HE in which teaching and learning is now emulating the Fordist manufacturing processes of the early twentieth century. This concept was characterised by the production assembly line ‘just-in-time unitisation production methods of manufacturing industries. For HE this manifests itself in several ways which Brown and Lauder describe as: learner organisations with emphasis on ‘numerical flexibility (i.e. outcome-related education and cost-driven agendas), mass production of standardised products (i.e. modularisation/unitisation of curricula), and emphasis on quality systems to ensure standardisation which result in a bland mechanistic experience of learning. [p9] Given the apparent consensus among the key stakeholders about which skills are important and on the need to address employability in HE, it seems strange that there is so little commonality in approaches taken by universities to enhance employability. There remains considerable debate on how best enhancement of employability can be achieved, and indeed the extent to which HE can influence this aspect of student development. In an extensive review of HE provision, Little (2004: 4) concludes that while there is: international concern that higher education should enhance graduate employability, there is little evidence of systematic thinking about how best to do it, let alone any model that can be badged as ‘best practice and adopted wholesale. Developing a common understanding of how to enhance employability is a highly complex issue, although Knight (2001) believes government and others persist in treating it in much the same way as ‘innovation, as ‘something simple, to be planned, delivered and evaluated (Knight, 2001 cited in Lees, 2002: 1). Attempting to form a coordinated and holistic approach to skill development, government has introduced many programmes and initiatives to promote skill development and these seem to have had some impact. The DfEE Higher Education Projects Fund 1998-2000, for example, included projects to develop key and transferable skills and Harvey, Locke and Morey (2002) have reviewed the trends in institutions approaches to embedding employability. They note that there has been a shift in HE from developing the specific employability skills within specialist modules to a more holistic approach where institutions are embedding employability and skills throughout the curriculum. They present examples of employability initiatives from different HEIs which were highly varied and based on differing philosophies. Perhaps it is inevitable that institutions and even individual departments and academics will vary widely in their approaches to developing employability as they will be operating in the context of their own frame of reference about education, and will be dealing with students who will vary hugely in their ability and ambitions. However, it is clear from the research on employability skills that the attributes which employers value and educators recognise as important are very similar, and there is hope that such consensus in thinking can contribute to a more coherent approach to curriculum development.

I Am a Ponarvian :: Personal Narrative Essays

I Am a Ponarvian Some of you have already scoured the dictionary in vain for a definition of the word "Ponarvian." One of my greatest ambitions is to get this word safely into Websters where it belongs. Until that happy time, the following definition will have to do: PONARV (PO narv) n. [acronym] A project of no apparent redeeming value. Hence, Ponarvian: one who pursues such projects. It is my contention that not some, but MOST of the greatest human triumphs in art, science, and technology have their root in the humble ponarv. All ponarvians, whatever their age, are children who simply like to play. If you ask them to justify their behavior, they will be unable to do so, or will provide what can only be described as a playful response. Basically, they just can't help it. They like to play. Throughout history, all great ponarvians have been surrounded by suffocating masses of anti-ponarvians. The anti-ponarvian is a gloomy person who divides the world into work and play, and who sees play as a regrettable lapse in the vital and unceasing pursuit of work. They define work as an activity which leads DIRECTLY to something valuable, and the only things they value are those things like food and shelter which enable them to survive long enough to procreate and produce more workers. To an anti-ponarvian, play is like sleep, a biological necessity which interferes with work and should therefore be minimized. They love to recite the fable of the grasshopper and the ant but never stop to consider that this story was written by an ant. They are the early birds: up at the crack of dawn, catching worms. Poets and pure mathematicians are ponarvians by definition. Mathematicians are sometimes forgiven by the anti-ponarvian masses because the equations they drop to one side in their foolish pursuit of elegant theorems and pleasing symmetries can be used to build factories which produce canons which can then be used to level factories (canons and factories are "useful"). But poets are eternally damned in the eyes of the anti-ponarvians because, after all, there is no money to made in poetry. It is one of nature's greatest ironies that these very poets and mathematicians so despised by the anti-ponarvians, these idle dreamers and crackpot inventors, are the very source of all the gadgetry and innovation which anti-ponarvians hold in such high esteem. I Am a Ponarvian :: Personal Narrative Essays I Am a Ponarvian Some of you have already scoured the dictionary in vain for a definition of the word "Ponarvian." One of my greatest ambitions is to get this word safely into Websters where it belongs. Until that happy time, the following definition will have to do: PONARV (PO narv) n. [acronym] A project of no apparent redeeming value. Hence, Ponarvian: one who pursues such projects. It is my contention that not some, but MOST of the greatest human triumphs in art, science, and technology have their root in the humble ponarv. All ponarvians, whatever their age, are children who simply like to play. If you ask them to justify their behavior, they will be unable to do so, or will provide what can only be described as a playful response. Basically, they just can't help it. They like to play. Throughout history, all great ponarvians have been surrounded by suffocating masses of anti-ponarvians. The anti-ponarvian is a gloomy person who divides the world into work and play, and who sees play as a regrettable lapse in the vital and unceasing pursuit of work. They define work as an activity which leads DIRECTLY to something valuable, and the only things they value are those things like food and shelter which enable them to survive long enough to procreate and produce more workers. To an anti-ponarvian, play is like sleep, a biological necessity which interferes with work and should therefore be minimized. They love to recite the fable of the grasshopper and the ant but never stop to consider that this story was written by an ant. They are the early birds: up at the crack of dawn, catching worms. Poets and pure mathematicians are ponarvians by definition. Mathematicians are sometimes forgiven by the anti-ponarvian masses because the equations they drop to one side in their foolish pursuit of elegant theorems and pleasing symmetries can be used to build factories which produce canons which can then be used to level factories (canons and factories are "useful"). But poets are eternally damned in the eyes of the anti-ponarvians because, after all, there is no money to made in poetry. It is one of nature's greatest ironies that these very poets and mathematicians so despised by the anti-ponarvians, these idle dreamers and crackpot inventors, are the very source of all the gadgetry and innovation which anti-ponarvians hold in such high esteem.