The Information needs of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer Research Paper

The Information needs of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer - Research Paper Example To this end, 234 women volunteered but only 180 women served as final subjects. During actual collection of data, packages filled with â€Å"information pamphlet and four self-completed questionnaire† are included for mailing to prospective samples. Survey information are arranged from existing knowledge on breast cancer and related topics, familial health and socioeconomic background, perceptions on the given pamphlet, and intent in utilizing screening (mammography) tests after the exposure to information campaign. The software program of SPSS version 10 is employed for convenient descriptive analysis--organizing data sets according to existing knowledge from socioeconomic and clinical background. More to a point, intentions for undergoing the breast screening examination is divided into positive and negative comment and then treated with t-test to evaluate the relation on gathered response against health knowledge. Moreover, a logistic regression had been utilized to further determine the extent of undertaking the screening test based on current level of knowledge on breast well being.

The Truman Show Essay Example for Free

The Truman Show Essay The Truman Show is a film directed by Peter Weir. It is all about how the public spend too much of their time watching television and how we also like the idea of voyeurism. The film has two main characters Christof and Truman Burbank, the latter being the star of the show, which charters Trumans life, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, all year round. Christof has been filming Truman ever since conception. Truman doesnt know this, and in fact he knows nothing about his real family. Everything around him has been scripted and he is on a film set all the time. He is like Christofs pet, he controls everything Truman does. He controls whom Truman meets and talks to e. g. when Truman sees his father again in the streets and from out of nowhere some people come and take him away, preventing Truman from talking to him. Even the weather is controlled in the Truman Show when Truman attempts to leave the island a storm conveniently starts and only affects his boat and not the island, but when he reaches the end of the shows set the storm comes to a sudden end. The set in question is the second only manmade structure completely visible from space. He chose to pick Truman instead of the other babies in the ward, purely on the basis that Truman was born on the day of the shows launch. This was the first time in history that a television corporation has been able to adopt a baby. Because of this fact the viewers who have watched the programme since then in a way regard Truman as a surrogate child, they eagerly follow his every move. The affection the audience feel for Truman has helped the show to attract billions of viewers worldwide. This is kind of a similar affection as to that of the affection the viewers of the 7 Up television series felt towards the children who starred in the series. This programmes is a good comparison to make to The Truman Show because we follow a group of random seven year olds and every few years we return to the same group and see how they have changed in the way they think and feel, a fly on the wall programme if you will. Also The Truman Show is like a soap opera were we are familiar with all the characters but are also the cliff hangers at end of each programme are interlinked in to the next programme and help to keep the continuous flow of the series. Due to the fact that the show does not sleep. Also we finish this hybrid of modern television with an element of reality T.V. For example the Big Brother series, a show where a group of television producers headhunt the nation for an elite group of contestants to compete for a cash prize. The contestants normally consist of a funny person, a beautiful person, a homosexual, someone of different race to the rest of the group and someone who they know will act as a catalyst in the whole situation, some to upset all the other characters. There is also a connection to The Truman Show because there are multiple camera angles to let the viewer see the contestants every move. Its other appeal is that the environment is that of the classic 1950s America, Everyone knows everyone, everyone likes everyone. Everything about this small fictional town of Seahaven, a small picturesque island an island so perfect that no one has yet found reason to leave. This town is perfect for multiple reasons it could be perfect due to the perfectly manicured lawns, the white clapperboard houses or the picket fences. There is the classic old style grocery store on the corner with its brown paper bag and every worker from the shop assistant to the newspaper retailer quite often gives the American trademark phrase of Have a nice day! Which, quite honestly everyday is perfect in the sense of weather anyway. The parks and public space in this town are also super clean, there is always someone cleaning up these public areas, especially when Truman is around, all the cleaners all have earpieces on, the audience know they have earpieces to keep in contact with the shows headquarters so they can make sure Truman is still following routine, but Truman may believe they are deaf or something. But if this was 1950s America there should be no black Americans socialising with the whites due to integration. This is a sign to the audience that there are modern aspects to this classic 1950s seaside town. The Truman Show has some amazing technology going on, with over 5000 cameras constantly beaming out to the world. These cameras have multiple angles, which allow them to follow Trumans every single move, the camera loves him. These cameras are able to follow his every move thanks to the multiple places were they are hidden. They are hidden for example in the bathroom cabinet when we see him grooming himself every morning, in his mums necklace she moves it to show us what Trumans up to on several occasions, in the cars dashboard we see Truman every morning driving to work, in the bin at work we see him piecing together his first love Lauren Garlands face back together as a collage of articles from beauty magazines for the wife, also last of all we see the cameras in his boat in the mast and boats main cabin watching Christofs attempted assassination on Truman when he tries to sail away to from the island. The camera also seems to cut frequently to the shows viewers, for example, the man who always seems to be in the bath watching The Truman Show, the old ladies with their Truman show cushions and blankets who have to reassure each other that Truman is going to be OK when sailing away to freedom, the security guards eagerly watching the show in anticipation of the first televised conception. There is even a mother who leaves her baby crying in the back room just so she doesnt miss out on any of the programmes. Also, the Truman Show cut to various Truman Show bars around the world, bars that are covered in Truman memorabilia and were Truman Show fans can socialise with other Truman Show fans. These people appear to spend all their time watching the Truman Show, there is a certain sense of privileged voyeurism. They can watch other peoples lives on television without having their lives watched and interfered with, they also may be a little nosey and like to know all about other peoples lives. But with all this technology and overheads you may wonder how the Truman Show manages to cover their finances the answer to this question is answered throughout the film. At the start of the film the director informs us that the show generates the Gross.

Americas New War :: Politics Government Essays

America's New War America is currently at war against some intangible entity called Terrorism. I know that seems like and unnecessary statement of the obvious, but sometimes I feel the need to be reminded of the fact that we are really fighting a war. It is almost laughable how easy it is to avoid thinking about â€Å"America’s New War†. How can a nation go to war without the involvement of its population? The American public is not being asked to unite in support of our troops overseas; there has been no request for sacrifice or conservation of resources. Instead, we are being urged to consume, travel, and go on with our routine lives. According to an article titled, â€Å"Our World War†, by Jonathan Rowe, â€Å"the advertising industry has wracked its clever brains to conjure from the ashes of the World Trade Center an upbeat buying mood† (Adbusters Jan/Feb 2002 no. 39). The world has changed and we are asked to return to life as usual. I find this concern with consumer confidence somehow incongruent with the events that are taking place in Afghanistan right now. The economy is, without a doubt, a defining characteristic of the American way of life, and a weakened economy would jeopardize its stability and security. "’Sept. 11 dealt a very serious blow to the economy, demonstrating the cost of inaction,’ says White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan. New security measures are needed ‘for the sake of the economy and the safety of the American people’" (Ramstack). Our economic stability should be monitored and increased security measures should be taken after an attack like the one on September 11th. However, I feel a lack of concern for the lives that are at stake in the Middle East. I have to question whether our economic status is more important than the thousands of soldiers that are engaged in the war abroad. So much emphasis has been placed on the continuation of the â⠂¬Å"American Dream†, that after the drama of the attack wore off, the American unity and mobilization have been directed towards malls and car dealerships. Maybe someone can explain to me how my next purchase will benefit those sacrificing lives on the front lines.

Principles of Professional Practice Essay

Professional education and registration To become a qualified nurse you must be accepted to study at university for a three or four year degree. This education programme is theory and placement based. There is also another route people can take if they have the experience but not all of the qualifications, this is college for a year for then onto university for two years. Nursing students must be fit for practice and be able to demonstrate the requirements of their education. To register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) you need to be able to carry out competences to state that they meet the required skills to be able to practice professionally and safely. NMC (2008) states that you have to recognise your own limits when working and not to practice anything you are not competent in without supervision. However to become a Social Worker requires studying for three years for an undergraduate degree or a two year postgraduate degree. The Social Workers register is â€Å"function based† rather  than qualif ication based. Social Workers must be performing a role rather than hold a specific qualification to be on the register (SSSC, 2011). Social Workers can also be employed before they finish their training. This is very different from Nursing as the requirements to register with the NMC are for you to have completed 2300 hours of clinical practice and 2300 hours of theory based learning. Background disclosure checks are taken before you are accepted to study for either profession. Principles of care professionals The principles of both codes are almost identical in protecting and promoting the rights, choices and beliefs of the patient and service user. NMC (2008) states that the principles of the care professional must consists of providing a high standard of care, acting with integrity, upholding your professionalism, protecting and promoting the health of those in your care and to be open and honest. SSSC (2009) states that Social Workers need to recognise individual differences, being aware of people’s rights, listening to people, sharing power, respecting privacy and dignity and helping the users make informed choices. Codes of conduct Nurses and Social Workers both look after vulnerable people and are regulated by codes of conduct to ensure the patient and service user are getting the best possible care. The Nursing and Midwifery code of conduct exists to set standards, promote education, provide guidance and to set rules that we must adhere to (NMC, 2008). â€Å"We exist to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the public† (NMC, 2008, p1). NMC (2008) states that nurses and midwives must treat every patient as an individual, to be open and kind, respect their dignity and their wishes regarding their care and treatment. The patients and public must be able to trust in nurses to provide a high standard of care, to act lawfully, uphold their professional reputation, be approachable and make the care of the patient their first and primary concern. The SSSC Code of Practice are standards that protect the public and deliver the best possible care to the service users. Vulnerable adults, children and older people rely on the professional skills of the Social Worker who must protect and promote the rights of the service user, respect  each person as an individual, be trustworthy and honest, never to put themselves or others at risk and behave in a way inside and outside of work that would not question their good character (SSSC, 2009). Continuing Professional Development Both these professions expect the same high standards when it comes to education and training. Nursing and Social Work both have requirements for continued professional development and lifelong learning. It is essential that Nurses and Social workers keep a record of their training throughout their careers. To be able to remain working and practicing as a nurse or a midwife you must keep your skills and knowledge up to date through lifelong learning. This requires that nurses complete 450 hours of registered practice along with 35 hours of learning activities every three years along with the annual fee of  £100. Medicines, treatments and equipment are continuously changing so it’s important that nurses keep up to date to ensure that patients are getting the best available care. â€Å"You must take part in appropriate learning and practice activities that maintain and develop you competence and performance† (NMC, 2008 p6). Social Worker’s must undertake â€Å"relevant training to maintain and improve your knowledge and skills and contributing to the learning and development of others† (SSSC, 2009 section 6.8). The requirement of continued learning is fifteen days which can consist of courses, reading and training. Five of these days is focused on working with colleges and other healthcare professionals. Social Workers must register with the SSSC every three years and pay an annual fee of  £30. Framework for clinical governance within the healthcare sector Clinical Governance are codes which sets out best practice and benchmarks of care that everybody must adhere to throughout the UK. NHS and SSSC organisations are accountable to clinical governance for continuously keeping an eye on their employees to ensure that high standards of care is given. Clinical governance does not only focus on patients care but also quality improvements, leadership, information and staff focus. Focusing on these elements insure that high standards is being met and past mistakes are not repeated (RNC 2013). Ethical issues and professional boundaries Nurses and Social Workers face ethical issues everyday throughout their working lives and they are educated to understand these. Professionals must be sure to never judge other peoples morals, values, religious or cultural beliefs and individual choices. Professionals also need to have an understanding of social diversity and oppression with mental health, disability, race and colour. The two schools of ethics which are important for professionals are Deontology and Teleology. Deontology highlights that laws and rules govern behaviour and people should keep them out of duty to society however this duty can be challenged if someone’s personal beliefs are in conflict with duties that’s being asked of them. Teleology discusses that the greater good for the greater number is more important than the action. For example euthanasia would be classed as deonotolgy as euthanasia is regarded as murder or manslaughter and would be punishable under law whereas teleology would see it as ending unbearable suffering for the greater good (NHS choices, 2012). It is essential to keep up to date with current discussions, trends and debates as this enables professionals to make informed decisions based on objectively rather than their emotions. Nurses and Social Workers must keep clear professional boundaries at all times with patients under their care by refusing gifts, favours, to give and receive money, hospitality, and to maintain clear sexual boundaries at all times. Parameters that occur within professional practice Nurses, Midwives and Social Workers are all responsible and professionally accountable to their employer and are also accountable in law for their actions as people rely on them. They are not only accountable for their own actions but also the students under their supervision. If any of these professionals breach any term of their job description then they must be accountable and to be able to explain their actions. â€Å"As a professional, you are personally accountable for actions and omissions in your practice,  and must always be able to justify your decisions† (NMC, 2008 p2). SSSC (2009) states that you must meet the required standards of practice, work in a lawful, safe effective way. Professionals must be responsible for knowing their own limitations and abilities within their practice and must not carry out tasks they are not competent in. They must not practice anything they are not competent in and if it hasn’t been signed off (NMC, 2008). SSSC (2009) states that must seek assistance if Social Worker’s feel they cannot carry out any aspect of your work. Professionals must refer to another member of the multidisciplinary team when it’s in the best interest of their patients and service users. Professionals must recognise and respect the roles of other professionals and work in partnership with them to ensure the best possible care is given. The role of a professional supervisor is to oversee training and to agree that you are competent in that task. New employees go through an induction, training and supervision. Students and newly qualified staff receive a mentor to guide them through their learning. â€Å"You must make sure that everyone you are responsible for is supervised and supported† (NMC, 2008 p5). SSSC (2009) states that Employers have a key role in supporting students and newly qualified Social Workers as this is to meet the requirements with the Post Registration Training and Learning (PRTL) and ensure staff feel supported. Conclusion Both professions are similar in the way they look after and support their patients and service users. Therefore are regulated by similar codes of conduct and expect the same high standards of care, education and training. References NHS choices (2012) Euthanasia and assisted suicide. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/euthanasiaandassistedsuicide/Pages/Introduction.aspx Accessed on 26/11/13 NMC (2008) The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. London: Nursing and Midwifery Council RNC (2013) Clinical governance. Available at: http://www.rcn.org.uk/development/practice/clinical_governance Accessed on 26/11/13 SSSC (2009) Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers and Employers. Dundee: Scottish Social Services Council. SSSC (2011) What is Registration? Available at: http://www.sssc.uk.com/Applying-for-registration/what-is-registration.html Accessed on: 26/10/13

Peter Paul Rubens

Peter Paul Rubens was the painter of the first part of the Seventeenth Century in Catholic Europe. How he became so is an interesting story. Rubens was educated to be a humanist but like all great artists choose his profession for himself. The combination of first rate classical education with innate visual genius made for an unprecedented combination in an artist, which is what made him so great. It has been said that no artist has ever been as well educated as Rubens. After training with three minor artists in Antwerp.Rubens set off for Italy to complete his education; a position at the court of the Duke of Mantua was quickly accepted and he stayed in Italy for eight years. His job was to travel to all the major artistic collections, especially Rome and Venice painting copies of famous works of art, especially paintings of beautiful women, for the Duke's collection. He was also sent to Spain where he had an opportunity to study the enormous collection of Titian masterworks in the R oyal Collection in Madrid.Copying the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance especially and the recently unearthed sculptures of classical antiquity, Rubens sketched and painted and encompassed all that was best in Italian and Classical art. Rubens combined the lessons of Antique Sculpture with the vaunting ambition of the High Renaissance giants in an unprecedented way. He used the lessons of sculpture as a composition model but insisted that flesh should look like flesh in a painting thus developing his breakthrough approach to the naked body.In this he never forgot the earthy luminous realism of the old Netherlandish tradition of the fifteenth and sixteenth century used by Van Eyck, Van Weyden, and Breughel. You won't appreciate Rubens, the master of the female nude, until you consider that he was the greatest influence on French painting from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. The fact that Watteau, Fragonard, Delacroix, and Renoir were among Rubens’ loyal follower s attests to his great influence.Rubens was to develop a phenomenal ability to analyze the different styles of painting and sculpture and then synthesize them into whatever his clients and patrons wanted. His clients included just about every Catholic monarch, as well as Catholic leaning Protestants like King Charles I of England, and every major religious order in Western Europe. Not to mention every wealthy connoisseur of painting in Europe at the time. To satisfy an ever growing demand, Rubens opened the largest art workshop Europe has ever seen.He would paint an small initial oil sketch which, when approved and contracted, would be given over to one or more of his students to paint the full length canvas. Finally, Rubens would add the finishing touches to the works and sign them. Thus he became both a teacher and a hugely successful businessman. Fame was for Rubens something that went beyond material worldly success; he sought above all to bring the blessings of humanistic reaso n to bear on the Europe riven by religious and dynastic wars.In 1609, because he spoke several languages and was so well educated, Rubens was appointed court painter to the Archduke Albert and his wife the Infanta of Spain named Isabella, the Spanish Viceroys in the Netherlands. Isabella later became his close confidant and sent him on important diplomatic missions to Spain, Holland, and England. Rubens went to England to negotiate a peace treaty with the King of England and Spain and while he was there he became a favorite of the court of King Charles I, as did his most brilliant student, Anthony Van Dyck, in the next decade.When Rubens retired from public life he wrote about ripping off the golden chain that had bound him to the courts of Europe. In his last years he remarried to a young beautiful wife, retired to his estate, and he painted some of the most astonishing paintings he had ever painted. Peace, harmony, abundance, and love these are the great themes of Rubens and his a ge. His works exhibit and illustrate these qualities so well. I have not begun to express to you the brilliance of Peter Paul Rubens; he is just such a great artist that there is too much to say about him.

The Oil Business in America

The Oil Business in America Free Online Research Papers Over the past few years a very big topic that has come up in the news and in a lot of conversations is Oil. The definition of Crude Oil is the mixture of naturally occurring hydrocarbons that is refined into diesel, gasoline, heating oil, jet fuel, kerosene, and literally thousands of other products called petrochemicals. Crude oils are named according to their contents and origins, and classified according to their per unit weight (specific gravity). Heavier crudes yield more heat upon burning, but have lower API gravity and market price in comparison to light (or sweet) crudes.(business dictionary) Another definition of crude oil is a naturally-occurring substance found in certain rock formations in the earth. It is a dark, sticky liquid which, scientifically speaking, is classified as a hydrocarbon. This means, it is a compound containing carbon and hydrogen, with or without non-metallic elements such as oxygen and sulfur. Crude oil is highly flammable and can be burned to create energy. Along with its sister hydrocarbon, natural gas, derivatives from crude oil make an excellent fuel.(OPEC) Oil is the lifeblood of America’s economy. Currently, it supplies more than 40% of our total energy demands and more than 99% of the fuel we use in our cars and trucks. The Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy focuses on two important concerns over oil an immediate readiness to respond to oil supply disruptions and keeping America’s oil fields producing in the future. In the event the United States is confronted with a serious disruption in oil supplies, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve can provide an emergency supply of crude oil. The oil is stockpiled in underground salt caverns along the Gulf of Mexico coastline. President Bush has ordered the Reserve to be filled to its full 700 million barrel capacity by 2005. The Department of Energy also maintains an emergency supply of heating oil for consumers in the Northeast who depend on this fuel for much of their heating needs. Two million barrels are stored in commercial terminals and can be released quickly should severe weather or other emergencies create life-threatening fuel shortages. One way to prevent an oil supply disruption is to ensure our domestic production of oil is maintained. Remaining U.S. oil fields are becoming increasingly costly to produce because much of the easy-to-find oil has already been recovered. Yet, for every barrel of oil that flows from U.S. fields, nearly two barrels remain in the ground. Better technology is needed to find and produce much of this â€Å"left-behind† oil, and DOE’s Fossil Energy program, through its National Petroleum Technology Office, is developing new exploration, drilling and production processes that can keep U.S. oil fields producing for well into the future.(USDE) That section states that even though our oil fields are being drained there is still oil in them that we cannot get too. With new inventions and new ways of drilling we will be able to get the rest of the oil that is being left in the oil fields. There is no real energy source that has affected our whole existence with such an impact that crude oil has had. Oil was formed over millions of years from dead plants and animals that lived in the oceans before the dinosaurs and some is from the dinosaurs. This is why it is called a nonrenewable resource because it takes an extremely long time to be made. So when we run through the oil that is in the ground now, we will not have any until another few millions of years from now. In every aspect of life there is a rise a peak and a fall right now we are at a peak, we will never be able to extract the same amount again. And because of this and the fall or drop when we run out we will have no cars no planes, nothing that is propelled by oil or a off product of oil. The all American alternative to oil is Hemp which can be grown on American farms. However, it was banned in the United States in 1937. â€Å"Everything now done by fossil fuels can be done cheaper and better with renewable natural resources grown on American soil by American farmers. For more than 12,000 years before it was banned in 1937, the world’s number one natural resource for food, fiber, fuel and natural oil was hemp.†(hempfarm.org)If we can grow something that is equal to oil and is all natural and reusable, why not. It comes down to politics if it is a truly equal alternative. Hemp is also known as weed, or marijuana. It can be made by boiling it until the needed nutrients are taken out. â€Å"The answer has been available for thousands of years. We can either burn clean hemp biomass fuel to boil water and make the steam that turns the turbines that give us our electricity, or we can burn oil and coal and pretend that nuclear power is Clean Energy†.â₠¬ (hempfarm.org) The only thing in question would be is making a drug legal going to make things worse or better over all. The answer we will never know unless we try it. However it should not be illegal for the farmers who are growing it for the government to sell as a natural alternative to oil. The same goes for natural gas. If we were to convert everything from oil based gas to natural gas, everything would be a whole lot better. In fact if each country had its own way of producing an equivalent resource to oil it would change the crisis we are in currently. Instead of oil ruining the world and shutting down plants it would have minimal effects on the world as a whole. And even though many politicians now are pushing to legalize hemp and put a tax on it; which in turn with the selling of that and collection of taxes from it the United States could receive billions of dollars more a year; and even with that tax hemp would still be much cheaper than oil is now and much safer for the environment. There are many different things that when the time comes we will be forced to have to use, even if there is a strong opposition to it. Another thing that is bad about oil is the danger to and the effects it has on the environment. For example the transportation of oil is very dangerous because of the high chances of an oil spill from oil tankers traveling across the oceans. There is a part of the government that was made specifically for instances like this called the EPA the Environmental Protection Agency. In the case of an oil spill the EPA seeks to prevent, prepare for, and respond to oil spills that occur in and around inland waters of the United States. EPA is the lead federal response agency for oil spills occurring in inland waters, and the U.S. Coast Guard is the lead response agency for spills in coastal waters and deepwater ports.(EPA) When countries are at war, one country may decide to dump gallons of oil into the other country’s oceans. Terrorists may cause an oil spill because they will dump oil into a country’s ocean. Many terrorists will do this because they are trying to get the country’s attention, or they are trying to make a point to a country. Seabirds are strongly affected by oil spills. A seabird may get covered in the oil. The thick black oil is too heavy for the birds to fly, so they attempt to clean themselves. The bird then eats the oil to clean its feathers and poisons itself. If workers have found sea birds that are not dead because of oil, they will take the birds to a cleaning center or captivity where they are kept in a facility because they can not live in the wild on their own. Animals that are in captivity because of an oil spill will be cleaned by professionals and volunteers. When a bird is in captivity, the oil will be flushed from its eyes, intestines, and feathers. The bird will be examined for any more injuries like broken bones, and it will take a medicine to prevent any more damage. And not just birds are affected every animal in the ocean is affected in one way or another. The future of the world still dependent on oil looks very bleak and dreary, there has got to be another way, there is other ways it just all depends on us as people to change it before it gets too bad. Research Papers on The Oil Business in AmericaBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfPETSTEL analysis of IndiaGenetic EngineeringRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanDefinition of Export QuotasTwilight of the UAWMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Business Writing 101

Business Writing 101 Business Writing 101 Business Writing 101 By Ali Hale The term â€Å"business writing† covers any piece of writing produced in a business context. I’ll focus here on documents that are produced for internal use (such as memos and plans), and reports aimed at clients. Most jobs today involve a significant amount of writing, especially as you rise up the corporate ladder. Many of us find writing business documents a daunting process – and often procrastinate over it. This article should help you to gain confidence and to know where to start and how to progress. As with any forms of writing, your business writing will benefit if you follow the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing and publishing). Planning Your Business Writing Whatever the piece of writing you’re faced with – whether it’s an email to shareholders or a complex report – you should write a plan before you begin. In some cases, that plan will be very brief, perhaps a list of bullet points that you want to cover in your email. For longer documents, your plan may include: facts that you need to check or look up; a list of people whose input is required; the titles of sections or subsections; a list of illustrations or diagrams required. Having a plan means that you can â€Å"chunk† a large project into manageable sections. This is a good way to avoid feeling overwhelmed or stuck on your business writing. Structure Most companies will produce similar types of document on a regular basis. For example, a software company might produce an annual report to shareholders, a monthly newsletter for clients, and a new user guide each time a new software module is released. For each of these documents, your company should have a standard template. This not only saves a lot of work in formatting a new document each time – it provides you with a structure. If no templates exist (which is common if you are a member of a very small company, or if you work for yourself) use a previous example of the same type of document to create a template. When you have to come up with a structure from scratch, consider these possibilities: 1. Chronological Structure Some documents, especially short ones, are best structured chronologically (in order of time). A good example would be a work plan, stating what needs to be done each week for the next quarter. 2. Alphabetical Structure If you need to create a document which involves a large number of separate items, consider ordering it alphabetically (A – Z). This applies particularly to glossaries of terms. 3. Topic Structure In many cases, documents are best split into different topics or areas. For example, a Frequent Asked Questions page for your website could be divided into â€Å"about us†, â€Å"complaints† and â€Å"delivery†, with each section containing several questions related to that topic. Longer Business Documents When you produce a long and complex document such as a report, you should provide an overview at the start. This is often known as an â€Å"executive summary†. (You may also hear it called an â€Å"abstract†, â€Å"synopsis† or â€Å"overview†.) Here’s a ficticious example of an executive summary in a report by â€Å"Big Brother Corp† for their client â€Å"WidgetInc†. Note that a real executive summary would be longer and more detailed: The main objective of this report is to provide a detailed analysis of WidgetInc’s customer demographics. This was done using standard industry procedures (primarily telephone surveys of randomly-selected customers). Big Brother Corp found that 89% of WidgetInc’s customers are aged under 25, and that 63% are male. It is recommended that WidgetInc targets this segment by advertising on popular game and video websites. As well as providing an executive summary, long documents require: A table of contents Clearly-labelled sections and subsections, normally using a numbered structure Business Language and Style All business materials should be written in a clear, formal, professional way – but without using technical jargon or buzzwords. â€Å"Clear†, â€Å"formal† and â€Å"professional† means that you should avoid: Vague or ambiguous statements Jokes, humor, anecdotes and clichà ©s Unsubstantiated facts Slang or potentially offensive language You should also take care over your grammar, punctuation and spelling. Use your company’s style guide when you’re unsure about a particular point of language, layout or style. If a style guide doesn’t exist, create one. A couple of examples illustrating what you might include are: The word government should not be capitalized, unless it starts a sentence All titles, headings and subheadings should be in Title Case (You might decide differently on those points – the organization I worked for used sentence cases for titles, headings and subheadings, following the Guardian newspaper’s style guide.) Avoid padding out your document with impressive-sounding words that don’t say anything. Your writing should be concise and to the point – it shouldn’t involve waffling. In many cases, you will also include a title page, diagrams, appendices, footnotes and other supporting material. Using the Passive Voice The passive voice is used to avoid attributing an action to a specific subject (person or group). For example: The data was analyzed according to our protocols. Rather than: Joe analyzed the data according to our protocols.. In this case, it is probably appropriate to use the passive voice: the reader of the report is unlikely to need to know who analyzed the data – they just want to know that this was done. BusinessWriting.com suggests: Use passive voice when you do not know the actor, you want to hide the identity of the actor, or the actor is not important to the meaning of the sentence. However, the current trend in business writing is to use the passive voice sparingly, especially when communicating with customers. It can make a piece of business writing less engaging, and it can also seem evasive. Business Emails Much of the writing which you do during the business day will be in the form of emails. Many of these will be simple and straightforward, and you won’t necessarily need to plan them in detail. Even for short emails, you should: Write a clear subject line Write a clear subject line – and don’t forget to change the subject line if you’re replying to an email and introducing a different topic. Start with the person’s name, as you would with a letter – it can seem rude or abrupt to launch straight into the body of the email. Sign off with an appropriate closing such as â€Å"Best regards† or â€Å"Warm regards† and your name. In formal contexts where you are not already acquainted with the recipient, use â€Å"Yours sincerely† (or, if you don’t know the name of the recipient, â€Å"Yours faithfully†). Spell-check your email – errors don’t just make you look unprofessional, they can cause confusion, and waste time and resources. Be careful not to use jargon or acronyms unless you’re certain the recipient will understand them. This is particularly important for external communications, eg. with clients, customers or the media. Be familiar with basic email etiquette. Longer emails Keep your emails as succinct as possible, and consider sending an attachment or link to a webpage if you have a lot of information to convey. A good way to structure an email and to make it easy for the recipient to take in all the information is to use bold subheadings to separate sections on different topics. For example: Delivery dates We expect one article (text and image) to be delivered each week, by Wednesday noon. Images Please supply all images as .bmp files. They should be 600px by 400px, and should have a resolution of 300dpi or higher. Payment Invoice bob@widgetsinc.com on completion of work. If you’re sending a lengthy email, you may want to put a one- or two-line summary at the top. It’s also a good idea to make it very clear at the end of your email what action you want. State this clearly, and as a list if appropriate. For example: Could you please email me with: The latest date from Project X Your drafted report on Project Y The times and dates which you would be available to meet next week Remember that, even if your business writing is in the form of an email, you should be professional, polite and ensure that you have provided all the information which the recipient is likely to need. Check Out Other Articles from The Writing 101 Series: The Writing Process Creative Writing 101 Story Writing 101 Letter Writing 101 Business Writing 101 Freelance Writing 101 Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Incorrect Pronunciations That You Should AvoidEmail Etiquette5 Ways to Reduce Use of Prepositions