Psychological And Sociological Effects Of Technology

Psychological Considerations and Sociological Effects There have been many studies done on the negative psychological and sociological effects of technology while some may be true technology has its share of positive effects on society. The advances of technology have aided in the access to information from relatively anywhere. According to Hepburn (2013) â€Å"By the end of 2014, the number of Internet users was expected to be almost 3 billion, two-thirds of whom live in the developing world, and the number of mobile broadband subscriptions was expected to reach 2.3 billion globally† (as cited in Yà ¡Ãƒ ±ez, Okada, Palau2015, p.89). It has become easier to stay connected to family, friends, access personal information, and has improved educational opportunities. Technology is always evolving and changing for the better. â€Å"Mobile technologies and networks are increasingly expanding in their sophistication and capacity, and new applications (software programs) are enhancing the ways in which individuals interact† ( Giota, 2014). Medical Uses Advancements in technology have made it possible for people to access medical information, communicate with their doctor, manage and track diseases, seek help, and maintain anonymity. Technology has facilitated the tracking of medical information, for example, Kaiser Permanente uses a computerized system to store and track patient information. Any doctor in a Kaiser facility can access patient information, ensuring the doctor is retrievingShow MoreRelatedAn Sociological And Psychological Aspects Of The Communication Process1199 Words   |  5 Pagesevaluate the sociological and psychological aspects of modern communication methods. 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Normans Interpersonal Communication in the Movie, On...

Normans Interpersonal Communication in the Movie, On Golden Pond EXAMPLE The movie On Golden Pond is a fantastic vehicle with which to consider six facets of interpersonal communication. The main character of the movie, Norman, provides for a multifaceted study in relationships, both with his self and with others. I have chosen to focus this paper on several aspects of Normans interpersonal communication. On Golden Pond is a fascinating study in the discovery of Normans need to communicate with those he cares about in new ways. Our textbook defines communication being interpersonal when the people involved are contacting each other as persons (4). On Golden Pond is rich with excellent†¦show more content†¦Even though the mail carrier attempts to communicate with Norman, Norman will not let down his guard and connect interpersonally with him. During the movie we learn that Norman is actually quite capable of moving towards the interpersonal side of the communication continuum. Norman develops a friendship with Billy, a teenager staying with Norman and Ethel for a month. Throughout the movie Norman stretches his normally closed communication patterns as he grows to care for Billy. Evidently Norman is able to transcend his old pattern of shutting everyone out. He learns that he must be willing to disclose a bit about himself if he wants a relationship with Billy. Our text defines self presentation as the process of revealing or disclosing ourselves by verbally and nonverbally telling other people something about who we are (233). Normans self-concept is that of a dour old man waiting to die, and this is how he presents himself. He views himself as a patriarch - a man worthy of respect. His inclination and habit is to keep himself hidden away from others. A Johari Window (239-240) would be an interesting tool for analyzing Normans personal presentation and disclosure processes. Our textbook explains the Johari Window as having four kinds of information about your self that play a part in your communicating (240).

What is Judaism according to Heschel Free Essays

According to Rabbi Heschel Judaism was that whenever somebody mentioned the name Judaism, it was like taking about either somebody citing a poem, God the father or someone who lived a spiritual life. Since many people believed that without God everything is impossible, Heschel tried to come out clearly that people need to be strong in faith despite all the difficulties they are going through. He also stressed out that everyone should be able to live peacefully with each other by forgiving one another whenever there is a problem between them. We will write a custom essay sample on What is Judaism according to Heschel? or any similar topic only for you Order Now (Merkel, 1985, p. 2) (Heschel, 1985). The word of God was for everyone no matter what they do, where they come from or whatever language they speak. One way of making people understands the word of God was to write and come out clearly about religious teachings. They were also being taught how to live in harmony and how to confess to one another whenever there is a problem among them. (Merkel, 1985, p. 3) (Heschel, 1985). According to Heschel, Torah’s ways of giving out ideas or explanations about Judaism was like a reflection of what has been happening in our daily lives as it was written in the bible. God the Father also appears as a very bright light to show people that they should believe and have faith in Him all the time. (Merkel, 1985, p. 4) (Heschel, 1985). Heschel join one of the spiritual congregations where he became more spiritual and strong in faith. This attracted very many people as it was a good example of a Jesus follower. It also made many people to listen, understand and believe in the word of God. (Merkel, 1985, p. 5) (Heschel, 1985). Rabbi was so much into Christianity that he could not have time to come together with other people in his congregation. This made the people of his congregation to say that he was over doing the work of Christianity. He also tried to make people have peace, love, and unity and go as far celebrating mass as a sign of commitment to God. . (Merkel, 1985, p. 6) (Heschel, 1985). Everyone was to understand the word of God in the right way and apply in their daily life. This was made to encourage the weak people who were not strong in faith to be able to participate in duties that strengthen their faith. The difficulties that the people of Israel experience on Mount Sinai were a big challenge for them in their life. This is because from there is when man had really believed that God do exist. (Merkel, 1985, p. 7) (Heschel, 1985). He brought the image of God as he appears to Moses on Mount Sinai. This is when Moses’ people had no faith in God and started worshipping other gods. God became angry and appeared to Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments that could guide and make his people believe and trust in God. The Ten Commandments were written so that everyone should believe that all the writings were truly from Jesus but not Moses. (Merkel, 1985, p. 8) (Heschel, 1985). Moses is also portrayed as good leader because he is seen leading his people from Israel to Misery as per instructions given by God. This is when God appeared to him as burning bush when he was looking after the cattle. By then they had no commandments to follow but they still believed in God as their creator and source of inspiration in their life. (Merkel, 1985, p. 9) (Heschel, 1985). As it is seen in the bible that by the time God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, his people had already lost their faith and started worshipping other gods. This made it very difficult for Moses to make all of them believe in the Ten Commandments given the God. It implies that not all Moses’ people accepted the Ten Commandments. That, s why there are always new laws every generation. (Merkel, 1985, p. 10) (Heschel, 1985). Though there were some people who disagreed with Moses as he gave them the Ten Commandments, majority believed on the Ten Commandments that made many generations that comes after them to accept and follow the Ten Commandments as it was meant to strengthen people’s faith in their daily life. (Merkel, 1985, p. 1) (Heschel, 1985). People should be in a position to understand and believe in Jesus’ signs as it was written in the bible. They need to accept that even though they can’t see some of these things happening now, they had already happened before and their fore fathers believed in them. So it’s a big challenge to them to accept the reality of the past. (Merkel, 1985, p. 12) (Heschel , 1985). As it is written in the bible that when Jesus went to Cana and wine got finished during the wedding, He asked for water and turned it into wine for the people who were in the wedding. And also when there was a lot of wind when he was with James and John in a boat, He stopped the wind. These two signs show that God is always there for his people and He will always present in them wherever they go. (Merkel, 1985, p. 13) (Heschel, 1985). It is good to believe in what you understand best than to believe in what you don’t know. This only comes out when you really accept, believe and have faith in the scriptures of the bible. You should be able to relate the scriptures of the bible into your daily life and try to practice them in your life because this is only way to strengthened your faith. Merkel, 1985, p. 14) (Heschel, 1985). Moses was one of the most prominent leaders that God used to show people the right way of life that will remain a remembrance in life to everyone. These are written in the bible so that everyone can understand whatever happened in the past during the reign of their fore fathers. (Merkel, 1985, p. 15) (Heschel, 1985). It is also important to preach or translate the scriptures of the bible according what was written rather than preaching the things which do not exist to people. This is because whatever is being taught now will remain as a history for the coming generations. They should understand that the scriptures of the bible are holy words from God the father but just a normal human being. (Merkel, 1985, p. 16) (Heschel, 1985). God communicated to his people through the scriptures by sending prophets to perform various signs. This can be seen as he ordered Abraham to sacrifice his only son, appearing to Moses as burning bush, saving his disciple from drowning during the strong wind and raising Larus from death after four days. All these events remain as a history to every generation that comes and it will always be there to guide them in their life. (Merkel, 1985, p. 17) (Heschel, 1985). The covenant between God and Moses on Mount Sinai was a sign of an agreement between the people of Israel and God. It made easier for the people of Israel to communicate to God and adored Him as their only savior. So for the people of Israel to communicate to God they had to understand the scripture, translate it and relate to their daily life. Merkel, 1985, p. 18) (Heschel, 1985). The covenant made on Mount Sinai lead to various activities to be performed by man. This is where man had to obey the holy Sunday, do not kill, do not steal, obey their parents so that you can live longer, believe in God all the time and always standing firm to tell truth. Even the people of Israel went as far as fasting in order to strengthen their faith which remained as history to all the coming generations. (Merkel, 1985, p. 19) (Heschel, 19 85). When Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, it does not mean it was the end of everything that God had to give his people. It implies that the door was still open for more teachings in the future. This encourages people to believe and trust in God as their only comforter during the trial moments in their lives. (Merkel, 1985, p. 20) (Heschel, 1985). The bible was not written as book to be read but as scripture to guide people in their lives. It was supposed to be read, understand the meaning of the scriptures and translate and then preach the right words of God to the people. This would inspire many people to read the scriptures of the bible and know the reason why Jesus sacrificed to suffer on their behalf. (Merkel, 1985, p. 21) (Heschel, 1985). As seen that it is very easier for the people to live as God’s people when they both understand the bible very well. Therefore it is good to make people believe in Jesus as their only guidance in life. When you follow the right path that is God’s foot steps, you will find life interesting and encouraging no matter what difficulties you may be going through. It also makes man become a strong Christian which remains as an example to his forth coming generations. (Merkel, 1985, p. 22) (Heschel, 1985). Jesus loves the world so much that he bled and died for the human kind. So it is the work of the man to be able to follow God’s commandments in order to fulfill God’s promises. It does mean that God made it so difficult for the man not to enjoy life but to have good life both in the world and in heaven. That is why Jesus forbids man not to do some of the things in life. It is not a punishment but a lesson to prepare them for both life in the world and the kingdom of God. (Merkel, 1985, p. 23) (Heschel, 1985). Everyone should be able to carry his own cross when it comes to serving God because you will be judged according your own deeds but not on the behalf of someone else. Man must be able to know the scriptures of the bible so that it can able to apply it any time in his or her life. This will also help people to have time worship God because everyone is a position to read and interpret whatever information which is in the bible. Merkel, 1985, p. 24) (Heschel, 1985). Conclusion: Judaism is all about the past events that happened during the reign of the prophets like Moses, Elijah and Abraham. These are the days when God used to communicate to man through prophets. The prophets could see God in visions, signs and symbols then go and communicate to the people according what they have seen in their visions or symbols they had received. They had to exp lain all the details of what God told them. So that is how man communicated to god in older days. How to cite What is Judaism according to Heschel?, Papers

The House Of The Seven Gables

The House Of The Seven Gables- Hawthornes Personal Essay ReflectionsNathanial Hawthorne. Considered to be one of the greatest American writers of the 19thcentury. But did you know that he hated portraits, and it is now thought that he was amild manic-depressive? Born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804. A decendant of along puritan line of Hathornes. His ancestry included his great-great grandfather, JohnHathorne who was a judge at the Salem witch trials 112 years before Nathanial was born. Judge John Hathorne charged many with the crime of witchcraft,and condemned them totheir deaths. Nathanial was embaressed by this and changed the spelling of his last namefrom Hathorne to Hawthorne. Alot of his family history, life experiences and where helived influenced his writing greatly. Hawthorne had a cousin, Susannah Ingersoll. When he was young, in Salem, hewould frequently visit her in her mansion, she lived there alone. The house had a secretstaircase and once had seven gables. This house, Nathanial visited in his youth, was hisinspiration for the house in his book The House Of The Seven Gables. The story of TheHouse Of The Seven Gables streches over two centuries. Its the classic scenario of tworival families, in this case the Pyncheons ( weathly aristocratic puritans) and the Maules ( humbler paupers). The story of these two families begins with Matthew Maule, whoowned a certain amount of land and built himself a hut to live in, in this new puritansettlement. Maule was a hard working but obscure man, who was stubborn and protectedwhat was his. His rival arrived at the settlement about 30 to 40 years after Maule hadbeen there. Colonel Pyncheon, an ambicious and determined man, had a high position inthe town. It was said that Colonel Pyncheon was very much for the execution of thosewho practiced witchcraft, and it was also said that he very strongly sought thecondemnation of Matthew Maule for being a wizard. Pyncheon did manage to haveMaule executed but not before Maule placed a curse on Pyncheon and his decendants. These were Maules exact words : God, God will give him blood to drink !Many of the characters in the book were influenced by actual people in andduring Nathanials life. For example : Colonel Pyncheon was based on The ReverendWentworth Upham, a Minister and mayor of Salem. He wrote the books : Lectures onWithcraft and History of Witchcraft and Salem Village. The Maule name was derivedfrom Thomas Maule, a Quaker merchant living in Salem at the time of the trials. InNathanials American Notebooks he records that his great great grandfather JudgeHathorne, the judge in the witch trials, injured a neighbor named English once, whonever forgave him. Yet Englishs daughter married Hathornes son. In the same way, thedecendants of the Pyncheons and the Maules finally unite in marraige at the end of thestory. The Pyncheon and the Maule who get married at the end are Phoebe and Holgrave. Phoebe is a smiling, public young woman. Holgrave is a kind artist ( daguerreotypist )and is also the last desendant of Thomas Maule ( this is revealed at the end of the story).Itis believed that his cousin, Susannah Ingersoll, was who he had in mind when creatingthe character of Miss Hepzibah Pyncheon. There is also evidence that Hawthorne hadhimself in mind when creating the character of Holgrave, and of his wife,Sophia PeabodyHawthorne, when creating Phoebe.***( Include other examples of the evidence thatsuggests this)***Ever since Hawthorne decided to become a writer he was determined to be asuccess. He wrote for many years but none of his publications drew the attentionHawthorne wanted. At the time he wrote the House of the Seven Gables, he had justfinished with The Scarlett Letter which had won him much fame. At this timeHawthorne was preoocupied with his worth in Americas literary marketplace. Hepromised his publishers and friends that his next book would have a prosperous clo se,which meant something along the lines of a happy ending which did not come naturallyto Hawthorne. He found himself in a tight spot when trying to end the book, which tookhim several months to write. I believe it did the story more harm than good, becausewhile reading the final chapter, The Departure, it felt as though the seriousness andmany of the true significances of parts of the story werent there anymore. As though hejust ended the story that way to please the audience ( with a happy ending, everyonebecomes rich and moves onto a country house, Holgrave and Phoebe get married,and thebad guy Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon just dies.). Hawthorne was a very insightful, yet confusing man. Some would even say hypocriticalbecause he would criticize or claim something and in the end, praise what he critisizedand claim the opposite of what he originally said. I, on the other hand wouldnt say hewas a hypocrite, rather he was mysterious, not letting anyone know his true intentions butjust let ting them interpret things their own way. He incorporated this into much of hiswriting, also. In The House Of The Seven Gables Hawthorne gives us alot of details andsymbols but he never really tells us what they mean, leaving them to our owninterpretations. English

... And Justice For All free essay sample

Metallica And Justice For All Tales of rage and war await you in your nearest music store. Before Metallica rocked MTV with their over-played hit Enter Sandman, they introduced their new bass player Jason Newsted, originally from Flotsam And Jetsam, with the blistering classic album And Justice For All. The album explodes with the haunting, apocalyptic melodies of Blackened, which gives a different environmental view with powerful lyrics like Blackened is the end/Winter it will send/Throwing all you see/Into obscurity Termination, expiration, cancellation-human race See our mother/Put to death/See our mother die. Following are some more optimistic little ditties: And Justice For All about our deteriorating court system, Eye of The Beholder about how censors enjoy twisting words against you (Freedom of choice is made for you my friend/ Freedom of speech is words that they will bend/Freedom no longer frees you), and One which is a tribute to the classic anti-war novel, Johnny Got His Gun, about a war casualty being kept alive by a life-support machine. We will write a custom essay sample on And Justice For All or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Some of the other songs meanings have evaded me slightly. The Shortest Straw is a little too repetitive for my liking. Harvester Of Sorrow and The Frayed Ends of Sanity contain classic Metallica topics: death and insanity respectively. Following Frayed Ends is an instrumental tribute to their late bass player Cliff Burton, who was killed in a bus crash in Europe in 1986. It is called To Live is to Die, which contains their last Burton-esque bass solo. The last song on the album is a hateful song called Dyers Eve about child abuse. Dyers Eve surpasses the power of Blackened with words such as Dear Mother, Dear Father /You clipped my wings before I learned to fly/Unspoiled, unspoken/Ive outgrown that f**king lullaby Innocence torn from me without your shelter, and blisteringly fast riffs. Unlike their self-titled release, And Justice For All is not for the meek or the mild- mannered. For those who like their metal hard and fast, but with enough talent and intelligence to balance the noise, this album is for you. There are no songs like Enter Sandman on this, so for those who were introduced to Metallicas lighter material, consider yourself warned. This album is harsh, violent, and brutal, but then again, so is life. . Review by K. L., Old Orchard Beach, ME

The eNotes Blog Literatures Top 10Lovers

Literatures Top 10Lovers You didnt think we here at would let Valentines Day go by unnoticed did you? As soon as we came down off our sugar highs, we began composing our list of favorites. Here, by demand and consensus, are ten of Cupids best pairings (at least in literature). 10. Petrarch and Laura.   AhhLaurathe original woman on a pedestal. In 1327, Petrarch, then a priest, left the church after catching sight of the beautiful Laura. Some scholars doubt that she actually existed, but others are certain she was indeed a real person. Real or imaginary, the speaker of the sonnets penned by the lovelorn Petrarch is doomed to forever seek her love, and to be forever denied her embrace.   Sniff. 9.   Dante and Beatrice. Sure, your man may say hell go to hell and back for you, but Dante here (at least the character of Dante) actually did it for his beloved Beatrice. (Maybe the box of Whitmans and the choice of two mangled cards left at the Walgreens at 10 am Valentines Day morning needs to be rethought next year). 8. Don Quixote and Dulcinea. If your man wont go to hell for you, will he at least take on giant, vicious windmills? Hmmm? Well, will he? No? Okay, then he falls short of the chivalry of Don Quixote. Despite the Dons heroic effort,  his love interest, Dulcinea, remains unimpressed by his overtures. Whats a fella gotta do? 7.   Cyrano and Roxanne. How about patience? Your man got any of that?   Cyrano writes letters for his friend, Christian, to Roxanne,  even though Cyrano himself is in love her. Mortally wounded, Christian confesses to Roxanne that, in fact, it is Cyranos eloquence with which she has fallen in love. For the next fifteen years, Roxanne hides away in a convent until she finally allows Cyrano to read the last letter and realizes the truth. 6.  Lady Chatterley and Gamekeeper Mellors. First, youll need a gamekeeper. Or a pool boy will do in a pinch. Be sure to gather up lots of wildflowers to weave through his chest hair (not sure how the guy pictured here got the part). Then have him memorize this line: Perhaps only people who are capable of real togetherness have that look of being alone in the universe. The others have a certain stickiness, they stick to the mass. 5.   Stanley and Stella. Steaming up the streets of New Orleans are one of literatures most passionate couples, Stanley and Stella, in Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire. Their animal-like lust for each other is something to behold. And then behold some more. 4.   Heathcliff and Catherine. If brooding loners do it for you, then youll want to find yourself a windy moor and practice shouting things like, Oh God! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul! 3.   Paris and Helen. Secretly wish men would start wars over you? Then youll want to revisit The Iliad and remind your husband or significant other that some men will build a gigantic horse for cryin out loud, just to storm a city and get their woman, and the least he could do is just go to the store and get the milk already. 2.   Rhett Butler and Scarlett OHara. Sometimes, relationships need spark to burn, and thats just what you get between Scarlett and Rhett. Plus, if you are a procrastinator  like me, youll want to commit this quote to memory:  Ã‚  I cant let him go. I cant. There must be some way to bring him back. Oh, I cant think about this now! Ill go crazy if I do! Ill think about it tomorrow. But I must think about it. I must think about it. What is there to do? What is there that matters? Tara! Home. Ill go home. And Ill think of some way to get him back. After alltomorrow is another day! 1. Elizabeth and Darcy. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth gets to keep the best parts of herself. Darcy gets to keep the best parts of himself. They learn to reform the worser parts, resolve their differences, and live happily ever after. With lots and lots of money.

Corporate performance, abnormal profits and sectoral differences Essay

Corporate performance, abnormal profits and sectoral differences - Essay Example Whereas some people consider the quantity of firms assets as an indicator of its performance, economists use different approaches such the efficiency in which firm or industry utilize its resources to generate income. Firms operating in the same industry exhibit dissimilar performance while even firms operating under different industries have depicted similar performance trends (Rumelt, 1991, p.179). Therefore, it is not clear as to what exactly determines performance of the firms since some people thinks that directors of the company and the environmental conditions play a significant role in firm performance. One of the key determinants of firm’s performance is the level of resource endowment. Firms are endowed with different resources and this could result to improved performance of the company regardless of the industry in which it operates (Rosenzweig, 2007, p.11). Firms with large resource base enjoy economies of scale to due to large scale production. Therefore, those f irms are able to offer their products at a reduced price compared to their competitors who may be experiencing diseconomies of production. Furthermore such firms are able to use most efficient techniques in their operations as a result of intensive research and innovations. Another determinant of the performance of company is its market position. Firms which have differentiated products are able to enjoy significant market returns by influencing prices of the products as the market leaders. Customer loyalty to specific brand may result to some companies performing better than others in the same industry (Lecture 4, 2012). The market leaders usually set prices for the commodities while others just follow the decisions of the market leaders. Therefore, if firms are operating in an industry with differentiated products, then their performance will vary significantly depending on their position in the market in terms of market share. Some people use total assets as a measure of performa nce of the company hence, companies with vast resources are considered most successful. However, in Rumelt (1991, p.181) comparing economic profits of different firms operating in the same industry has shown that different firms with large resource base are not necessarily the best performing. Even firms with fewer resources have exhibited higher profit ratios to resources used. Economic profits in relation to resource used to generate the profit can better provide a comparison of performances of different firms across the industries (McGahan, and Porter, 1997, p.27). Regardless of the industry in the firm is operating, the level of their performances can be determined in relation to how much benefits can be obtained from the capital employed. The firm managers make probabilistic decisions. For example, the production activities are all based on the prediction of the market. However, in reality things changes and what was anticipated may never come to pass. Therefore, the performanc e of firm will depend on extent in which the predicted events match with real occurrences (Lecture 4, 2012). Sometimes, the managers have no control over the events that occur hence they influence much the performance of the firm. According to Hawawini, Subramanian and Verdin (2001, p.30), the Industry in which a firm belongs affects the overall performance of a company. Some industries are much specialized such as pharmaceuticals and engineering firms. Other

Reed supermarket case analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reed supermarket analysis - Case Study Example However, as the case highlights Reed Supermarkets is facing stiff competition from newer entrants which because of their nimbleness and ability to offer steep discounts (at a discount 1 to 5% from the prices at Reeds) combined with better management of logistics have ensured that the market share of Reed Supermarkets (currently at 14%) is steadily eroding. The point to note is that Reed Supermarkets has positioned itself to cater to quality conscious customer rather than cost a conscious customer which makes for eminent business sense given the demographics of Columbus where the number of people earning more than the national average income is high. Further, Reeds scores heavily in the quality index of consumer perceptions (consistently averaging around 8.3%) whereas it scores lower in the price index (averaging around 4.3%). This is the crucial aspect of the case i.e. Reeds is perceived as a place to get high quality goods but not at an attractive price. Though a combination of high quality and low price is something that is a bit of a paradox, the fact that other retailers have been able to wean away the cost conscious consumers with their discounts and bigger floor areas means that Reeds needs to seriously rethink its strategy as it is faced with the problem of holding on to its market share and worse, losing ground to other retail ers as well. The suggestion that is being offered is that Reeds can stock different varieties of products at all price bands and also ensure economies of scale which other retailers seem to be doing. In this way, it would be able to cater to all segments of consumers as well as derive savings in costs that accrue from leveraging upon economies of scale. As the statistics point out, price is the major determinant which is followed by range of products and location and ease of shopping. If Reeds is able to circumvent these factors, then it would be in a position to

Findings and Analysis Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Findings and Analysis - Dissertation Example Fig. 4.1 Key Themes The findings and analysis shall also include basic information on employees of B&M and their views on how they think management of B&M can improve on recruitment and selection process in the future and how management can retain workers who come into the company. 4.2 PRESENTATION AND DESCRIPTION OF RESULTS/FINDINGS Background Information on the Company and Workers B&M is a non profit organisation that offers free advice on issues relating to housing, money, debt, and welfare benefits services to the members of community. The company is located in London. It has been operating for more than forty (40) years and has been supported by the government such as The Home Office, City Council, and Community Initiative; Local Housing Association and Charity donations. The company recruits both paid and unpaid workers from the community and it has been run by voluntary committee of Management. The size of the organisation is very small consisting of operation manager, money a dvisor, debt advisor, administrator and volunteers to deliver the service. The sample for the interview was made up of five out of six workers of the company who were all females. ... On the role of workers in the company, all two (2) student-workers are trainee case workers. One (1) fulltime worker is a case worker, one (1) is a senior case worker and the other one (1) is the operations manager of the company. All participants acknowledged that their roles were very important in the running of the company. Among the five workers interviewed, the two student-workers have worked in the company for three and four months respectively. All the three full time workers have worked in B&M for three years. It was however revealed that the operations manager has over twenty years of experience working in similar work set up. Recruitment and Selection Methods and Processes used by B&M Recruitment as the recruitment is the process of identifying and hiring best-qualified candidate (from within or outside of an organization) for a job vacancy, in a most timely and cost effective manner (www.businessdictionary.com). When a company recruits from among its existing workers, we s ay they are practicing internal recruitment. On the other hand, when the company involves people who are outside its staff base in the recruitment, it is said to be undertaking external method of recruitment. Because of the staff size of B&M, the organisation uses external recruitment and selection method exclusively to get applicants to apply for vacancies. The mode of advertisement for vacancies, according to participants was mainly through the use of local community newspaper and university career employability. Reasons given by fulltime workers on why the organisation uses of community newspaper was that the organisation did not have enough funds to run expensive and wide range advertisement. It was also

Rules Of The Game English Literature Essay

Rules Of The Game English Literature Essay The main topic in this short story is the communicational barriers between mothers and daughters of different nationalities. All stories that make up the novel are related to this idea of not being able to communicate. First of all, it is hard enough to communicate with ones parents because of the generational gap, but for Waverly it is even more difficult to communicate with her mother because they have been raised in different countries, in different cultures. First of all, at the beginning of the novel there is a little introduction that covers all the themes that the novel deals with. It is the story of a woman who left China accompanied by a swan with dreams and hopes for a better life and when she finally arrived to the United States of America, she was deprived of the swan and was left with a single feather. The woman now whishes she could give her daughter that feather and teach her her meaning. I think that this introduction is the summary of the whole novel, and a good way to understand Rules of the Game. Here we can see that the introduction to the novel raises the issue of the linguistic and cultural barrier that exists between each immigrant mother and her American-born daughter. In this story, the daughter does not realize how lucky she is because she does not know her mothers story. It is impossible for the daughter to understand her mother because she does not know her past. Moreover, the mother actually wants to teach her daughter about her past so that she can learn from it, but her wish is not granted because even though she wants to do it, she is reluctant to do so because she is afraid that her daughter might not understand her or might think that everything she says is nonsense. At the same time that she fears that her daughter will not care about it, she is also fearful that she will not leave a mark in the world. And as we see in the story Rules of the Game, this also happens with the mother in Rules of the Game, Lindo, and her daughter, Waverly. Lindo wishes to teach Waverly everything she knows. Moreover, Lindo wants her daughter to have everything that she didnt have growing up in China. That is the reason why she teaches her daughter the art of invisible strength which is actually self-control. Lindo learns this lesson, and the importance of self-control in a very hard way, as we can see in her tale in The Joy Luck Club, and she gives Waverly all her knowledge even though, by teaching her, she is actually giving her the power to defeat her. Lindo teaches Waverly how to keep things to herself and use them when she needs them. And as we can see, Waverly actually uses this to her advantage throughout the story, to get her mother to let her compete and also to win chess games. The power that Waverly thinks the art of invisible strength has is very well depicted in this quote: I learned why it is essential in the endgame to have a foresight, a mathematical understanding of all possible moves, and patience; all weaknesses and advantages become evident to a strong adversary and are obscured to a tiring opponent I discovered that for the whole game one must gather invisible strengths and see the endgame before the game begins. I also found out why I should never reveal why to others. A little knowledge withheld is a great advantage one should store for future use. That is the power of chess. It is a game of secrets in which one must show and never tell. However, the main problem is that Waverly thinks that her intelligence is everything that she needs to be good at chess. It will be later on in her life that she learns that invisible strength was a very big part in her winning those games. When Waverly is little she has no concern for Chinese culture and she thinks that everything that comes from China is not useful in America. However, even if she does not realize that she is learning from her mother she actually is, and moreover, her mothers teachings have a big impact in her life. On the other hand, there is also a different theme in this story, which is the need of American-born children to separate themselves from the Chinese culture that their parents represent and to have a more separate American identity. The cultural differences make Waverly misunderstand her mothers pride in her achievements as pride in herself. But most importantly she wants chess to be a part of her own identity, separate from that of her mother and therefore, separate from Chinese culture. This is easily seen in her infuriating when her mother tries to advice her on how to play chess even though she apparently does not know anything about chess: Next time win more, lose less. Ma, its not how many pieces you lose, I said. Sometimes you need to lose pieces to get ahead. Better to lose less, see if you really need. Nevertheless, in the end, Waverly is able to win all those games, not only because of her aptitude but also because of her mothers teaching of invisible strength. As we can see in the following quotation, Waverly uses the wind as a metaphor for this invisible strength: Blow from the South, it murmured. The wind leaves no trail. I saw a clear path, the traps to avoid. The crowd rustled. Shh! Shh! said the corners of the room. The wind blew stronger. Throw sand from the East to distract him. The knight came forward ready for the sacrifice. The wind hissed, louder and louder. Blow, blow, blow. He cannot see. He is blind now. Make him lean lean away from the wind so he is easier to knock down. She, as it has already been said, thinks of the invisible strength as the wind, thus aligning herself with the same element her mother had identified with when facing her arranged marriage in China as we can see in the story Red Candle. So it is actually because of her mothers Chinese culture that she gets to be a chess champion. Furthermore, the way Waverly uses this metaphor is very similar to what we think of as Chinese imagery. Lindo is not the only source of Chiniseness that Waverly is exposed to, but also Lao Pao uses a lot of Chinese imagery when he is teaching Waverly to play chess. Another example of the fact that Waverly sees her mother, who represents Chinese culture, as something to reject and fight is that she depicts her mother as an actual opponent. The struggle for control between Waverly and her mother is symbolized in the dreamlike chess game at the end of Rules of the Game. Waverlys opponent in this game is two angry black slits. When Waverly confronts her mother during their shopping expedition, Lindos eyes turn into dangerous black slits. In the final line of the story, Waverly thinks, I closed my eyes and pondered my next move. Waverly does this in an attempt to break from the Chinese culture and trying to achieve an identity of her own, separate from that of her family, and, especially, her mother. Aside from the issue of linguistic and cultural barriers, and the need for a separate identity for the second generation, another important theme that this story deals with is storytelling. In the introduction of the novel, Tan uses a very short story in which we find the little tale that we mentioned before and which we may even consider it as a fairy tale. This brief introduction to the novel, like the feather that the introductions main character owns, symbolizes the importance of knowing the past to learn from it, and the only way to do it is by telling past experiences so that other people might learn from them. By stating this, all significance is given to storytelling. Additionally, storytelling acquires even more relevance for the children of Chinese immigrants, who are neither fully Chinese nor American and seek their identity in those stories. The oral tradition of the Chinese culture is like Russian matriuska dolls or a spiral case, as there is always a story embedded on another which is told from one person to another and thus there is no end to it. In this case, the introduction is a story in itself about a woman who is immigrating to America; this story has a fairy tale inside: the story of the duck stretching its neck to become a goose and instead became a swan. The mothers in the novel, by telling tales are ensuring that their story, the people in it, and their culture will not die with them, all those things will pass onto following generations, starting with their daughters. They also achieve the goal of making their daughters feel like they belong somewhere. When Lindo tells Waverly stories she is ensuring that she will be remembered by her daughter, and that she will pass on to her all her knowledge. Aside from this we should also make clear that circularity is a main characteristic of storytelling and also of this short story too. At the beginning of the short story, Lindo tells Waverly that strongest wind cannot be seen, and at the end of the short story we get the same sentence strongest wind cannot be seen even though this time it is Waverly who imagines her mother saying this. Therefore we can see how circularity and storytelling shape this short story. It is important to add that various narrators throughout the novel dwell on the idea of not being able to translate ideas, feelings, or cultural concepts from one language to the other. Mothers and daughters do not share the same language and therefore communication becomes only possible with the translation of Chinese into English, or vice versa. Thus the whole meaning that they want to pass onto the other person is lost in translation, their intentions might be misinterpreted. The mothers in this novel choose storytelling as their way of communicating due to the fact that neither the daughters speak much Chinese nor the mothers much English; there is an evident language barrier that they overcome by telling stories that they can all understand and from where they can simply get the moral. For example, Waverly remembers that her mother told her the story of a careless girl who ran into a crowded street and was crushed by a cab. So, as we can see storytelling in this case is being us ed as a cautionary tale. Moreover, Lindo does not explain explicitly the importance of self-control, but she actually uses a metaphor, the wind, to teach Waverly about this. And we can also see that because of the lack of communication, Waverly misinterprets her mother, and thinks she is giving herself credit for her daughters achievements. In conclusion,

Morality in O’Brien’s Going After Cacciato Essay -- Going After Caccia

Morality in O’Brien’s Going After Cacciato  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Going After Cacciato, by Tim O'Brien, is a book that presents many problems in understanding. Simply trying to figure out what is real and what is fantasy and where they combine can be quite a strain on the reader. Yet even more clouded and ambiguous are the larger moral questions raised in this book. There are many so-called "war crimes" or atrocities in this book, ranging from killing a water buffalo to fragging the commanding officer. Yet they are dealt with in an almost offhanded way. They seem to become simply the moral landscape upon which a greater drama is played-- i.e. the drama of running away from war, seeking peace in Paris. This journey after Cacciato turns into a morality play, the road Westward metaphor. As Dennis Vannatta explains, "The desire to flee may have begun as a reaction to fear, but by the time the squad has reached Paris, Paul has nurtured and cultivated it until it has become a political, moral, and philosophical statement" (245). But what abo ut the atrocities going on all the time? How could they be ignored in the face of this larger drama? As Milton J. Bates puts it, although Going After Cacciato is "not atrocity-based in the manner of much Vietnam War autobiography and fiction, [it does] record incidents in which Vietnamese civilians are beaten or killed and have their livestock and homes destroyed" (270). This book has an almost offhanded-like way of dealing with these My Lai-like atrocities. Why? What's going on here? Well, one thing that one must take into consideration is the author's aim. As quoted by Timothy J. Lomperis at a conference, O'Brien has said, "'For me, the purpose of writing fiction is to explore moral quandaries. The... ...ving dreamed a marvelous dream, I urge you to step boldly into it, to join your dream and to live it" (O'Brien 284). Thoughts lead to actions. But dreaming is also doing. The act of imagination can sometimes have more power than any technological weapon. It is imaginations that stop wars. It is art fulfilling its role in society. It is art that brings the moral issues. It is art that makes us human.    Works Cited Bates, Milton J. "Tim O'Brien's Myth of Courage." Modern Fiction Studies 33.2 (Summer 1987): 263-279. Lomperis, Timothy J. "Down the Slippery Slope: Tensions Between Fact and Fiction." Interpretive Critique. O'Brien, Tim. Going After Cacciato. New York: Dell, 1978. Vannatta, Dennis. "Theme and Structure in Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato." Modern Fiction Studies 28.2 (Summer 1982): 242-246.                  

Erik Erikson Stages of Human Development Essay

Erik Erikson stages of human development with a particular approach of the Identity crisis of adolescence and implications for youth policy and practice. Erik Erikson`s developmental stages: The Adolescence Identity Crisis approach. â€Å"They say is human to experience a long childhood, but is also civilised to have an even longer childhood as it leads the person to achieve more technical and mental abilities known as virtuoso; at the same time it can also leave a long residue of immaturity and emotional confusion† (Erikson, 1994- Erik Hamburger Erikson, 1902-1994). In the collected works there was a researcher who spent a lot of time studying about human development and his name was Erik Erikson; most of Erikson`s work is based on real life situations such as the war and human depression which could influence the behaviour of one person, the author believed that the culture one individual lives in is also influencing their behaviour as an example of such arguments is Erikson`s study Sioux Indians investigated in a reservation. Erikson argued that the human behaviour is influenced by the body interactions, by the human mind and the overall cultural influences (Marcia, 1966). Erikson developed a theory which states that there are eight major stages in the human development dividing the adulthood developmental stages into young adults, middle age adults and older adults experience. The first stage Erikson described is the Infancy starting from birth up to 18 months also called the Oral Sensory stage and the main concept of the stage is emphasising the importance of love and care given to an infant by their mother as well as the visual contact and touch as the forms of communication and emotional exchange; this stage is also known as â€Å"Trust versus Mistrust† which stands for the infant`s basic needs accomplishment as when the infant`s needs are fulfilled by the mother as the role model the child will form trust and confidence where as if the basic needs such as visual contact are not offered by the mother it can lead the infant to develop mistrust in the closest person due to the lack of positive communication (Oswalt, 1995-2012). The second stage starts at 2 and continues up to 4 years old is also known as the â€Å"Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt† which stands for the fact that the child is actually asking if their person is ok and accepted by the others due to the fact that he starts to explore the close environment and gains motor abilities; at this stage the children are developing their first interests and the parents still play a fundamental role in encouraging and supporting the child`s autonomy and independency skills (Erikson, 1970). The third stage is also known as the Preschool stage â€Å"Initiative versus Guilt† starting at 4 until the child reaches 5 years old and although is a short stage the child development is significant as they start to master the nearest environment by achieving basic learning skills of life for instance the child learns that the things are falling down and not up. At this stage the child develops a certain level of independency and courage but at the same time they can develop some negative behaviour such as frustration, rudeness or aggressive intentions (Erikson, 1993). Between 5 and 12 years old is the stage of â€Å"Industry versus Inferiority† when the child is asking if they have a place in the world and becomes more aware of the fact that they are individuals, become more responsible, start to share more and to cooperate better in certain situations as they understand the meaning and sense of life to a deeper extend, at the same time the child discovers new talents and interests (Erikson, 1980). The fifth stage is the Adolescence starting at 13 up to 19 years old also known as â€Å"Identity versus Role Confusion† which stands for the crisis the teenager might experience when identifying their own personality; it is the most critical period as it could influence the person` s life as it is characterised by confusion in most cases, it will be critically appreciated in the last part of the essay. The sixth stage is the young adulthood starting at 20 up to 40 years old also called â€Å"Intimacy versus Isolation†, period governed by the conflict of love. Although, at this stage the identity crisis is coming to an end, the young adult can isolate because of the intimacy need and the fear of being rejected by the groups, overall the stage refers to the person`s need of finding the right partner for life (Erikson, 1990). The middle adulthood starts at 40 up to 64 years and is also known as â€Å"Generativity versus Stagnation† and is characterised by the adult intention and concern of helping and guiding the younger generation so the main focus of the adult is to contribute towards society development by offering support to the new generation (Erikson, 1980). The last stage described by Erikson is called the late adulthood starting at 65 till death also known as the â€Å"Ego Integrity versus Despair† when the adult is meditating upon their life events and what they have achieved throughout the life, if they realise that their life has been successfully will form integrity if not it can lead to despair and the feeling of failure (Erikson, 1980). One of the Erikson`s most talked stages of human development is the Adolescence which main focus is the teenager`s concern about how they look, how they are interpreted and accepted by their peers, friends and groups (Marcia, 1976). Erikson claims that in the late stage of adolescence the teenager develops a sexual identity which will define them as a person for their future life; the teenager makes a transition from the child to adult life which will actually mark their future roles in the society. The first stage of the transition is marked by the confusion of who the teenager wants to become, who they are at the moment and how will they be accepted by the society as an example of such uncertainty is the teenager`s preoccupation to fit into small jobs, they will try different roles such as babysitting or catering assistants until they will decide what they want to become in the future. Erikson claimed that eventually the teenager achieves a sense of identity but before that there is a crisis and a confusion stage which influences the teenager`s future decisions and interests; the period is critic as it can lead the teenager into bad groups, drugs, violence and other dangers since they are really confused and easy influenced so the parents must support and guide them towards the right path (Marcia, 1980). Erikson believes the transition is marked by the identity crisis which makes the stage unique as it becomes a synthesis of earlier stages and a kind of anticipation for the adulthood life as the youth stage is a bridge between child and adult experience (Fletcher and Branen, 2009). The stage is a radical change in terms of puberty, ability to search and find own life directions, awareness development of the society meanings and roles; the teenager is challenged to establish boundaries for themselves and this is when their identity crisis becomes hard to deal with, but Erikson believes the society will help and guide the adolescent to find their own way by offering different experiences which will impact the teenager`s interests and will define who they want to become as adults(Erikson, 1980). The theorist claims the identity crisis might be prolonged for some individuals due to the society and because it takes time to achieve certain life skills, personal interests and form a clear overview of the adult life, so there is no exact deadline for the teenager to create a life strategy, but Erikson thinks that by the age of 18 to 20 the adolescent must know their own interests and head to a certain direction in life gaining a psychological and social stability (Fletcher and Branen, 2009). Finally, Erikson thinks that the major impact and influence on a teenager identity crisis is the sociological environment the person lives in and the youth culture existing in that specific society, although the youth culture might be particular from a country to another or from a race to another, overall the youth policy needs to be SMART which stands for systematic, measurable, achievable, reliable and time related so that it will help the teenager to establish their own direction more clearly and investigate the opportunities they might have within the adult world (Kail and Cavanaugh, 2004).The way a teenager experiences the transition period impacts the future psychological, sociological and youth developmental skills, so Erikson believes it is fundamental what kind of â€Å"tools† the society and mostly the youth environment offers to the adolescent so they can choose from and establish their future path in terms of career opportunities, personality definition and overall place in the society (Oswalt, 1995-2012). As the essay showed, Erikson made a comprehensive induction in the human developmental stages emphasising the meaning and role of each stage; the infancy is governed by the love and care offered by the mother to the child, as the child grows up they become more independent and, have bigger autonomy but yet they are uncertain about their place in the world as the second stage described, at the age of preschool the child learns the basic skills and define their ego in order to become more responsible with own interests and talents towards the fourth stage. The fifth stage is governed by confusion as is the adolescence identity crisis when the teenager decides their future path, as a young adult the person will be interested in making a family and ensure they are loved; the middle age adult will be concerned in offering guidance, support and advice to the new generation of children but towards the late adult stage we saw that the retired person is concerned about their life events and motivated to meditate upon their life cycle. References: Elkind, D. (2004). Erik Erikson`s Eight Ages of Men. Module III Teaching Supplemental Handouts. Erikson, E. (1970). Reflections on the dissent of contemporary youth. International Journal of Psychoanalysis. 51 (11-12). Erikson, E. (1980). Identity and Life Cycle. New York: WW Norton and Company. Erikson, E. (1993). Childhood and Society. New York: WW Norton and Company, 242. Erikson, E. (1994). Biography: Lecture Notes and Ego Psychologists. PSY (345). Kail, R. and Cavanaugh, J. C. (2004). Human Development: a life span view (3rd Edition). Belmont CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 16. Marcia, J. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego identity statuses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 3 (551-558). Marcia, J. E. (1976). Identity six years after: a follow-up study. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 5 (145-160). Marcia, J. E. (1980). Identity in Adolescence. Handbook of Adolescent Psychology. New York: Wiley. Oswalt, A. (1995-2012). Erik Erikson and self identity. Edited by Zupa nick Psychology Department MSW.

Critical analysis of the recent developments in the world

Critical analysis of the recent developments in the world Introduction The different schools of thought in the field of political science denote that the world is a global stage on which the actors advance their activities. It is important to note that the world is not merely a stage, but a complex stage that is marked by complex actions from the states who are the major actors in the global stage, as well as other players.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Critical analysis of the recent developments in the world specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This paper explores the critical developments that have taken place in the world over the past few years. Of greater essence in the paper is bringing out the factors that have shaped these developments and the use of theoretical foundations in the field of political science to paint a picture of the future developments and incidences in the global stage. Overview of the recent historical incidences in the world The develop ments at the global stage from the beginning of the 20th century to the present time depict critical developments in the political and economic realms. The past five years have seen the rise in the scale of global trade, growth in the issue of democracy and human rights that features in the global political uprisings across the Arab region, the increased scale of competition in national politics based on the dimensions of opinions on the events taking place on the global stage, the expansion of individual country capacities in technology, and the widening debate about the issue of economic development relative to the subject of environmental sustainability. These developments are still eminent in the contemporary globalized political environment and they continue to influence the course of events in the modern globalized society. Critical analysis of the recent developments in the world As observed in the introductory note, the developments in the world largely denote aspects of com petition, as well as the aspects of cooperation in dealing with the emerging issues at the global stage. The recent developments in the world are a pointer to the fact that both the tendencies of realism and idealism are evident in the interaction within and among the players on the global stage. However, the most important thing to note is that the world is confronted with a lot of political and economic issues. The past five years have seen a heightened scale of restlessness across the Arab Region. Beginning with the revolution in Libya, followed by the revolution in Egypt, Libya and the recent developments in Syria, it is evident that concerns about democracy and the reconsideration of the systems and forms of governance have taken root in global politics.Advertising Looking for critical writing on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is important to note that the Arab region has been marked with conflicts for a long time. However, the series of revolts in the Arab region and the resultant ousting of the longstanding political leaders and governments in the countries that witnessed the revolution is an important marker when it comes to the issues of democracy and the increase in the demand for political participation (Doyle, 2013). A close observation of the revolutions that have been taking place in the Arab region reveals a similarity of a number of revolutionary features. The first feature revolves around the issue of autocracy and the elongated period of political leadership by a single individual. The second thing about the political unrest in the Arab world is the limited space for political participation and the question of human rights and democracy. The third aspect of similarity, which largely features in the grievances of the rebels, is the deterioration of the standards of life due to the interconnectedness of the economic policies and political decisions (Twair Twair, 2011). These developments are likened to the need for the expansion of the democratic and participatory environment in the Arab region. However, it is important to note that the uprising in the Arab spring towards the end of the first decade of the 20th century has elicited a debate among the commentators in the field of political science. There are those people who are of the view that these developments are externally influenced and do not represent the growth in the principles of democracy and participatory governance in the Arab region. This is justified by the intense support of the revolution from the Western world. They point to the continued struggle in most countries even after the change of political regimes. However, there are those people who view the uprising as an important mark or a pointer to the need for the countries in the Arab world to deploy the principles of democracy and participatory governance in their political landscape. These proponents derive th eir argument from the fact that most of the countries in the Arab world still embrace authoritarian rules in governance, which deprives the citizens of their rights to participate in matters that directly affect them. However, the whole matter points to the heightened question about the desirable models of governance and the justifications of these models (Romdhani, 2013).Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Critical analysis of the recent developments in the world specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In close relation to the political uprising in the Arab Spring is the issue of intense party politics in the United States and Europe. The recent past has seen an accumulation of competition in the political landscape of the United States and the European Union. Tracing it from the beginning of the 21st century, it can be argued that the political that the intensity of the political landscape marked by intensive par ty politics is a reflector of the challenges that are facing nations and the diversity of approaches to deal with these challenges. An example that can be given here is the highest scale of competition that has been witnessed in the past two general elections in the United States. In these elections, the election of political leaders was largely based on the policy structures and ideologies of the parties; the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The campaigns largely revolved around the opinions and plans of the parties to deal with the emergent challenges like terrorism, the economic problems, as well as the structuring of foreign relations between the United States and other countries in the world (Haynes, Hough, Malik Pettiford, 2012). According to Haynes et al. (2012), the scale of politics in the European Union in the past five years has continued to dwell on issues of policy and support based on the support of parties based on the proposed strategies of dealing with th e contemporary challenges in the world. This happens in the larger political body in Europe: the European Union parliament, as well as within individual countries where the lobbying for political support is based on the assessment of pros and cons of the proposed mechanisms of dealing with the problems, especially on individual countries. Therefore, it is worthwhile to argue that the modern global political economy is confronted with serious challenges, whose solutions largely lie in the political decisions that are made by individual countries. It is critical to point out that nations often adopt protectionism mechanism, with the political sides that offer the best options of protectionism receiving massive support and favor from the citizens.Advertising Looking for critical writing on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The turmoil in the global economy, marked by the crisis in the Eurozone and the recession that began in the United States is also another development that cannot be ignored. The worst inflationary pressures that were witnessed from 2008 to 2010 and the financial crisis in Europe are critical pointers to the failure of economic policies. It also depicts the impacts of economic connectedness that is being embraced by economic globalization. One critical thing that comes out of this is that economic globalization can be disastrous if countries do not sieve their economic policies, even as they choose to embrace economic regionalism. It is also evident that politics play a greater role when it comes to the issue of economic progress of states within the international context. The Eurozone crisis is a problem that began in the individual countries, yet it has had immense economic impacts on the performance of the economies of other countries in the region and the world. The cons of polit ical and economic globalization are being reflected in the contemporary economic problems (Agnoletto, 2013). Future pointers to the contemporary developments in the world Most people are of the opinion that the future state of politics in the world will be immensely affected by the contemporary issues that are being confronted by states. The political support and continuity of dominance of the United States in global politics and its relations with other nations will be largely shaped by the nature of the steps that it takes when confronting the political developments in other regions of the world. An example is the resounding issue of Syrian where there has been an intense debate about the role of the United States in protecting the innocent citizens of Syria. Though the United States has called for direct intervention to protect the interests of the innocent citizens, the issue has been marked by divisive politics and the caution against such action by the so called, â€Å"enemie s of the Westernization and extended capitalism†. The ability of the United States to sustain its influence and dominance in the global political stage in the near future will depend on its ability to lobby for support through the change of its approaches in international politics. The most important is the suppression of the issue of direct intervention and the fostering of diplomacy in dealing with the issues that emerge in international politics. Enmity between the United States and other countries is bound to arise if the United States continues with the support of sides, instead of taking a pacified approach when responding to critical political developments in other regions of the world (Sprusansky, 2013). The other area in which the United States is bound to lose competence in is the area of economic dominance due to the recurrent economic problems facing the country. Based on the pace at which the other countries of the world are coming up economically, the United Stat es is bound to lose its position in terms of being the leading country in terms of the size of the economy and the volume of trade in the global economy. The position is bound to be taken by countries like China and other Asian tigers, whose economic policies seem to receive favor in most regions of the world (van der Putten Shulong, 2012). References Agnoletto, S. (2013). Periodic crises in capitalism: Pathological or restorative? Science Society, 77(4), 459-485. doi:10.1521/siso.2013. Doyle, N. (2013). The New Arab revolutions that shook the world. Islam Christian-Muslim Relations, 24(4), 538-540. Haynes, J., Hough, P., Malik, S., Pettiford, L. (2012). World politics: International relations and globalisation in the 21st century. London, UK: Routledge. Romdhani, O. (2013). The next revolution. World Affairs, 176(4), 89-96. Sprusansky, D. (2013). Its image tarnished and relevance in Arab World diminished, U.S. must look to Iran. Washington Report On Middle East Affairs, 32(8), 26-27. Twair, P., Twair, S. (2011). Arab revolutions debunk myth that only the west can handle democracy. Washington Report On Middle East Affairs, 30(4), 52-53. van der Putten, F., Shulong, C. (2012). China, Europe and international security: Interests, roles, and prospects. New York, NY: Routledge.

Sports in The Man Who Would Be King essays

Sports in The Man Who Would Be King essays The Man Who Would Be King and Lagaan are films that are set in the period of the Victorian Empire, which was when the British Empire was expanding most rapidly due to the need to obtain resources for rapid commercial and industrial development. The British therefore wielded great influence globally through expansion and was the most prominent empire ever in history. Hence the British had the image of great superiority, with almost God-like presence power. This is supported by Peachy and Danny who sets off for the distant land of Kafiristan, "where no white man has ever been since Alexander the Great," to seek for wealth and power. Also, they want to become kings. "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Our two heroes similarly show a tendency to destroy every culture that gets in their way, akin to the effects of British colonial endeavors. However, The Man Who Would Be King also deliberately contrasts with the prototypical heroes of the empire films as well. The movie mythicizes and undermines the loyalist and imperialist ideologies of the Victorian Empire through its ironic critique of imperialism by the showing of Peachy and Danny greedily lusting for power. The natives in The Man Who Would Be King undermine the integrity of the British and the progress of civilization through polo, a game of the English. The hand of progress can already be seen in Kafiristan since polo was already in existence even before the arrival of Peachy and Danny. However, the game of polo is undermined when a human skull is replaced by a ball, introducing a barbaric aspect to polo. The image of the superiority of the Britons was also undermined in Lagaan during the game when the Indians no longer needed to pay astronomical taxes to the Britons after they won. By not paying taxes, the Briton's iron fist on the Indians was loosened, giving the Indians a chance to take charge of their resources, instead of giving it to Br...

Marketing Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Research - Essay Example Moreover, it gives the researchers and designers the ability to open-up innovative, creative, and new outcomes or results but not necessarily the product. The information derived from these designs is helpful in the improvement of the artistic nature of a particular product, and the eventual improved marketability and value. This is because people have preferences of new designs that have not been redundant and common within the marketing spectrum. Within a company, this product value-addition is not only valuable, but also necessary. Exploratory designs encompass a wide range of application. For instance, it may be used in drawing both informal sketching and formal drafting during the process of mechanical design. Notably, there are five hypotheses focused on the types of drawings, their necessity in problem solving and relation, preferable research designs, methodologies of collecting data and selection of a subject. It should help to derive a definitive conclusion selectively putt ing in concern that, the deductions it makes do not necessarily imply a problem solution (Zikmund & Babin 135). This research design, majorly rely on secondary research. This include informal discussions with employees, consumers, competitors and management; data and literature review and more formal approaches like focus groups, projective methods, in-depth interviews, pilot and case studies. It also applies the use of internet in carrying out research (Creswell & Clark 100). This allows for research methods, which are highly interactive in nature. Feeds like RSS, provide updated information, leading search engine results can be sent to researchers by electronic mails through Google alerts and comprehensive search results are obtained over long periods using Google trends. Results from exploratory research provide valuable and penetrating analysis of a particular situation. However, it may not be helpful in decision-making, qualitative nature of explanatory design often fails to an swer questions; ‘how often’ and /or ‘how many’; thus, it is likely to present errors when generalized (Grinnell & Unrau 42). Exploratory research include among others, social exploratory research, which tend to study how people interact within the setting under question and what meanings their actions portray and the issues that concern them (Zikmund & Babin 35). The objective here is to learn and try to find out social phenomena with no definite expectations. Exploratory research is majorly applied at preliminary stages of problems or an issue at hand. Its other feature is applied research in administration, which concerns the necessity of flexibility in handling and dealing with the problem (Muller 57). Moreover, there are data limits and the imperative decision-making. Field research and case studies are also among other research methodologies, which fall under exploratory research designs. Exploratory research helps in gathering preliminary information that is useful in defining a problem and making hypotheses suggestions. Since it involves description, it describes things like the market potentiality for a product or the demographics and consumer attitude. Hypotheses are tested about the cause-effect relationship. This helps in determining which variable might cause a certain behavior (Hague 183). Correct definition of a problem is highly critical in any company.

Gangs in America Why are they so out of control Essay

Gangs in America Why are they so out of control - Essay Example Gang problem in New York and California have been a long persisting issue. When comparing to others states in the US, juveniles and young adults joining gangs in these states are quite noteworthy. Notably, in majority cases, the common cause for participating in gang violence has been concentrated on sourcing money through illegal means within a short-term period. To be mentioned in this regards, California accounts for low rate of employment and low education standards that in turn substantiates the motives of young people getting involved in gang violence to suffice their economic requirements. However, in the case of New York, the motive has been identified to be more social and persisting as a trend among the youngsters (Sherwell, 2013). Concerning the legal issues associated with gang crimes, the foremost concern arises regarding social security of the community people. To be noted, as guns and other life-threatening weapons become readily available among criminals and gang memb ers, social security is hindered in the community, raising risks of domestic terrorism and various other crimes. In addition, young members of the society are also likely to become more vulnerable to gangs, hampering the stability of the society as well as its legal system at large, which will be a long-term challenge (Greenfield, 2012). To counter the issues raised by gang crimes in the society, legal authorities in New York and in California have been taking major decisions through courts, which in turn have imposed massive impressions on the nature and trends of gang violence in these states. Correspondingly, a direct influence of these court decisions can be witnessed on the strategies taken to demoralize gang involvements amid the society. For instance, the government in the US has taken effective and useful steps to reduce the crime in the nation, empowering law enforcers (Richard, 1999).

Research on music application users Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research on music application users - Essay Example We all have to keep in mind that even if the type of research would move us to know our participants better, we must remain objective at all times. Also, we need to work closely as a group because all of us need to communicate clearly our ideas. The research project gave us important lessons that helped us grow as students. The first thing that the group decided upon was the types of research methods we were going to use for the project. Every member researched on different research methods and presented the pros and cons of each method. We deliberated and came up with ethnographic research that involves survey and questionnaires. It was important for us to determine the value of each method and assess whether we would be able to get the result we needed using the methods aforementioned. First, we looked at the advantages of using interview for research. We realized that this method is time-consuming but yields quality data since we can ask open-ended questions. There was so much inf ormation that can be extracted using interview. Nevertheless, the group leader took the initiative in properly briefing us on how to conduct an interview for Research purposes. Another essential fact about interview method is that the interviewer must be skilled in conducting an interview. At times the answers can get personal but the listener must not be biased at all. Also, we must not ask leading questions because the subject must express his/her opinions freely. So if I am an avid Itune user, then I must not let the subject know about this. In ethnographic research, we must understand the value of the users. The first principle is that every person has a different background and value system. This could definitely influence their attitude towards a product or service. Some users value affordability while others prefer easy accessibility. There are also many users who prefer to use services that associated with strong brands like Apple’s Itunes. The behavior of users can a lso help marketers forecast some innovations in product design. While many users love the features of Zune, it cannot be applied on non Mac OS laptop or PCs. Knowing consumer’s preferences and behaviors are extremely important when designing products. First, designers can make decisions on what they should or should not include in creating a product. Once a product is launched and used by consumers, then various feedbacks can useful for improving the product’s characteristics. Nowadays, one way of having leverage is increasing customer satisfaction and that means continuous innovation. Some businesses frown upon criticism, because of this they lose a great opportunity to learn from their market. Due to the research we conducted, the answers given to us revealed the usability of applications and services that marketers should take note of. Indeed, we can say that even if our research was simple, it provided very relevant data for designers of music applications. Persona l Contribution Every team member has their personal contribution that eventually led to a successful project. The first challenge that the group must overcome was organizing meetings. I was assigned to schedule the said meetings which was overwhelming at the at the beginning. I had to consider that each member had different priorities and schedule so a meeting must be scheduled based on everyone’s free time. Since I was the contact person, I have to keep track of all their messages and completely relay the information to the whole group. During meetings, all the tasks are delegated so we can start working on our share of tasks. We communicated in any means possible –mobile phone, Facebook, e-mail and quick meetings. Such effort

PHIL 201 Study Guide Essay Example for Free

PHIL 201 Study Guide Essay View and take notes on the presentation, â€Å"An Overview of Issues in Contemporary Justification, Part 1. † What are 3 characteristics of a person’s noetic structure? The sum total of everything that person believes It recognizes the differing degress of certainty, firmness, and conviction with which people hold their beliefs. Characterized by how beliefs are related together. Explain coherentism and the 3 problems with it. Coherentism: All beliefs fall into one category. No beliefs are more foundational than the others. Problems: Circularity: How do I justify my belief in P? It coheres with Q. Isolation Problem: Coherentism isolates my beliefs from the external world. Plurality: It is possible to have 2 coherent systems that are logically incompatible. Read chapter 4 of Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous, â€Å"Foundationalism. † As you do, consider the following questions and points: What is the root idea of foundationalism? Each of us holds a set of beliefs basically or immediately while we hold other beliefs non basically or mediately. Why would one adopt a foundationalist approach to justification? Because they are epistemic engies of our noetic structures, imparting to all of our non-basic beliefs, while not themselves requiring justification from any other beliefs – this support goes just one way. What is the regress argument? Taking for granted the general reliability of your conscious faculties, and indeed must take them for granted. What are the 3 basic components of foundationalism? Basic or immediate beliefs- Form the bedrock of what all we believe undergirding everything else we are justified in believing. Mediate or non-basic beliefs- Everything else we believe Basing Relation- Specifies how the epistemic merit of our basic beliefs is to be transferred to out non-basic beliefs. What are the characteristics of strong foundationalism? Specifically explain: The 3 conditions for a basic belief. Must be self-evidently true: those we see to be true immediately, without the benefit of deliberation or argument, merely when we understand the term of the claim in question. Must be Incorrigible: The belief in question is one that is impossible to believe and be mistaken about. Evident to the Senses The means by which basic beliefs support non-basic beliefs. Entailment is the only logical relation that preserves certainty. If one starts with self-evidently true starting points and accepts only what can be validly derived from the same, one thereby insures that one’s entire set of beliefs is untainted and error free. Four â€Å"additional† features of foundationalism. One cannot claim to have knowledge simply by asserting that one knows One must be inwardly cognizant that one’s claims to knowledge is genuine. One must be prepared to show that this is the case. What are the main problems with foundationalism? Note: This section can be challenging; try to understand the main points raised; don’t be concerned about all the details except as a way to understand the following main points: Problems: One’s beliefs in the reliability of one’s senses or memory or consciousness; none of these beliefs is either self evident or incorrigible or evident to the senses, yet they are held as properly basic by virtually everyone. Any acceptance of supposedly pure and certain basic beliefs makes use of various background assumptions or information that compromises their certainty and undermines their basicality. Why only these conditions for a basic belief? Claims that foundationalism solves the regress argument fail (the arbitrariness of stopping points). Other means of supporting beliefs than just deduction/induction (best explanation, retroduction, concurrence, etc. ). The security vs. content problem. The strict demands for four unimpeachable certainty leave one with so small a set of basic beliefs that they can’t possibly bear the heavy weight of all we believe. Other problems (excessive individualism, access requirements, noetic effects of sin). Pg 95. What are the similarities and differences between strong and modest foundationalism? Specifically: What is primae facie certainty? One’s foundational beliefs are not necessarily immune to any conceivable doubt they can be overridden but they are perfectly acceptable unless one has a good reason for thinking they have been undermined. Four of Reid’s contingent truths. The thoughts of which I am conscience are thoughts of a being I call myself. Those things really happened which I distinctly remember. Those things really do exist which we distinctly perceive by our senses, and are what we perceive them to be. What is to be will probably be like what has been in similar circumstances. Reid’s reliabilism of first principles. For our evidence concerning reliability would have to include deliverances of the faculties whose reliability we are accumulating evidence for. On behalf of his foundational principles, they can be correctly identified by their accompanying marks or signs. If someone persists in requesting additional assurances over and above the usual marks accompanying properly based beliefs, then the person holding such beliefs can only respond with genuine bewilderment. Two weaknesses with modest foundationalism. Reid may have underestimated the capacity for thinkers of sound mind and sincere will to disagree about alleged, philosophical first principles. The belief in God can be held in a basic belief. Alvin Plantinga’s belief in God as properly basic. The belief can be justifiably held in the manner of a first principle, that is w/out the benefit of argumentative support. Terms Make sure you can explain the following terms and concepts: Indefeasible- Not able to be lost, annulled, or overturned. Retroduction- A king of reasoning from the best explanation. It is reducible neither to induction or deduction. Concurrence- Observations that cumulate in his belief. Necessary First Principles- They are self-evidently justified, being believed merely upon being understood. Must have these. Contingent First Principles- Not self-evidently justified. Dependent upon something. Doxastic Assumption- A theory that a belief is justified if it coheres with other beliefs.

Supply And Demand Chain In Music Industries Marketing Essay

Supply And Demand Chain In Music Industries Marketing Essay Since the inception of humankind, music has been significant to civilization of human race providing various advantages physically and mentally to every person involved in making or listening of music and tasting pleasure in doing so. Prior to 19th century, musical pursuit suggests attending live performances and playing of music instruments by people on their own at home. A soaring percentage of people involved in playing and singing by themselves and rest went to see the live performances in concert halls, taverns and music halls. During this era, the only way of recording music was on paper with support of some pre-programmed mechanical devices to play notes. This clearly shows that there was demand for devices which will help in developing and recording the music and can be easily distributed at listeners place. Before moving towards the process of recording and distribution of music let see how music-making is being categorised by society. Society has differentiated music making in two types i.e. classical music and popular/pop music. The classical music consists of well trained musician and pop music consists of untrained populace. The classical music suggest three large periods of music i.e. (Baroque, classical and romantic) where as popular music can be any modern day contemporary music. The basic difference between the classical music and pop music is classical music is also known as art providing entertainment whereas later only provides entertainment. Classical music has greater musical complexity and it is appreciated by older generation while pop music lacks the structural complexity for multiple structural layers but have universal appeal. Factor governing buyer behaviour Information on consumers potential behaviour becomes a strategic resource enabling promoters to anticipate competitors, improving the fit between supply and demand of music in the digital environment Quality Uncertainty Cultural goods are experiential goods in the sense that their quality may not be learned or measured even after consumption. There are no suitable parameters to make a claim regarding an unsatisfactory music album. When the quality is uncertain, people prefer what other people prefer. This represents the second feature of consumption in the cultural industries the presence of socio-network effects. Cultural-dependence Represents a way of fulfilling desires identified with highly valued life styles by consuming cultural goods, people express who they are and the social groups they belong. Demand Reversal Phenomenon Once too many people participate in a particular fashion, it ceases to be attractive, and the trend reverses. In this sense, the consumption process is cyclical, and the consumer segments may be influenced by the dynamics of fashion. This reversal process may also be repeated, such as when an anthology of Beatles songs, after being first fashionable, and then less attractive, may once again become valued as classics, experiencing repeated streams of consumption. Demographic factors Classical Music Willing to pay more for Interested in better sound quality Buy records as a package: not just music but notes, lyrics and cover art. Enjoy live concerts Prefer subscriptions than daily tickets Popular Music More interested in convenience Need flexible medium to listen Comparatively more fascinated discovering new music and artists Curious about the new phenomenon Consumer use music in two ways i.e. they own the product in the form of a CD/ DVD or use as a service, and listen to radio station or online. The listening of songs through radio station also used as promotional channel where the awareness is created and consumer is tempted to be the owner of the product. The market can be largely grouped into two segments: music owner and casual listener. It is possible for a consumer to be a part of both the segments i.e. customer being casual listener for some music and music owner for other kinds of music. When the casual listener is converted into music owner the profit starts coming in. Internet being a two-way interactive tool gives benefit to sales channel for downloading music as it is also used as a promotional channel. Consumer analysis suggests that adolescents and college going student perceived buying of CDs/DVDs as expensive. This perception exists due to mass piracy and copying, devaluing the commercial value of music and other reason being there is only one or two good value songs on the CDs/DVDs. The easy accessibility of technologies (MP3 player), digital downloading and CD/DVD writing has given power to consumer in-turn changing their buying behaviour. The music industry has drastically transformed in the last couple of decades, all credit goes to the increasing penetration of strong broadband connection, which provides convenient service to music lovers to download or buy the MP3 tracks or any music via internet. This technological change in music industry has adversely affected the traditional chain of high street music specialists. But in turn has resulted into heavy selling of physical music and DVD music online. This activity also lays the foundation for promoting digital downloads as well as the stealing of music illegally from the web. T he illegal downloading of music is the current major problem faced by the members dealing in music industry and the owners of the music. Downloading music illegally has not only started devaluing the value of music for entire generation of youth but also affecting the content owners in terms of their financial returns which is decreasing day-by-day. A huge challenges also faced by the retailers as there is a rapid ranges of price deflation due to free downloading of music by the new generation of consumers. While essential modifications are taking place in the music and video retailing as well as major upsetting among the specialist players, they are being provoked by the swift escalation of technology set up in the consumers place. With the influx of broadband connection there is a mass increase in the ownership for iPods and MP3 players. Other reasons for growth in online sales are due to the moving of supermarkets from food to non-food categories creating and continuing the huge impact. Thus, in this environment the challenges for retailers are to find different ways to cater their consumers for retaining their expected profitability which will help them to survive in this tough competition. On the whole, the music industry is facing an enormous challenge. A few of the most popular artists have an undersized product life cycle as the temperament of the industry has changed. Then alongside is the modern technology and broadband letting consumers to obtain classical and popular music at superior quality for free or diminutive cost during exchange of the MP3 tracks or file sharing. According to music recording companies and their representatives the massive and regular use of this method for obtaining classical and popular music has been a major setback for recording companies as this being the reason to their declining sales and profitability. Members and followers of the file sharing partly blames the commercial desire of the recording companies and indicate towards the comparatively great prices of DVDs, CDs and recorded music as the most important reason of consumers looking out for new and other choices. When we talk about technology it is clear that modern technology is here and will be upgraded time to time will become even more sophisticated in future. Numerous artists have problems and fail to get their music heard because of the governance of the quick buck super marketing of the present trim of top acts. Internet is the useful tool for the performers and artists and may offer useful resources for delivering their music to their follower all over the world. No matter what the point is? The music industry will counter the challenge of encountering the changed market place and how they act in response to such difficulties is going to be critical in their success and prolong development of music industry. Implications to Supply chain, Publisher and Demand chain The Music industry consist of performers/artists, labels/publisher, producers, manufacturer, engineers, marketing agencies. To realize all the arguments affecting each members of the supply chain, recording companies and demand chain it is important to know how music industry operates. It is huge and complex industry. In real meaning, a performer or an artist, is undersigned in a contract by the record companies to create an album or tracks. Then recording company pay or may pay for the produced albums to market it or manufacture the CDs which will be distributed all over the world. In return, the revenue is generated by the sale of the albums which covers all the cost incurred on producing the CDs and thus the income is passed to each member involved in the process. The music company are therefore smashing their business in search of providing a variety of music to meet the various range of tang of the consumer. For doing this, it is very important to manage the product portfolio sensitively as any action taken will have an adverse effect on cash flow. The music company has to ensure that there is a sufficient cash flow in the business to manage its liabilities. Almost every main record company will highlight the fact that they have dozens of other company that has set up under it or they have bought them. For example, The Universal Music Group owns: Jazz recording company Verve Classical recording company Deutsche Gramophone Apart from this the labels also has different companies under them which distribute conventional pop and rock material. Therefore, the market is dominated by five major companies sharing 75% of the total sales of recorded music all across the world. But to the fact, there are dozens of other labels and companies which are reputed as a individual entity but may have been under taken or set up by their parents company over the years. (Source: IFPI, Market Share of the Music Industry, 2008) The Problem The problem centres on several issues: Increase in piracy has affected the record labels severely as they experience a worst in declining sales. If sales are not official the artists are not bound to receive any royalty income from the sale of the music. The complexity of modern technology is also responsible in making of fake CDs which is again affecting the market of the music industry. Some artists struggle to get into mainstream as they are not signed by the major labels; they opt for the internet as it is potential source of getting their music to mass audience. Due to decline of CD sales physically, retailers of all size are facing the heat. Some smaller size retailers are complaining the difficulty they face in competing the larger stores as they have the advantage of providing the songs through downloaded music. The effects of music piracy has created the dispute for the record industry as it claims that piracy generates further sales but recording company wants to protect their monopoly powers by keeping the artificial prices high, and thus affecting the customer base. Other Problems The other aspects of music industries are also affected by the changing market in the music world. The method used by music lovers to purchase music is also going under drastic change as there is development in new forms of media entertainment i.e. DVDs and videos. Companies selling music have also come to provisions with the impact of changes taking place in the market. Amazon coming in on-line retailing made other companies like HMV, Virgin and Tower Records, which are the three major retailers to face the competition. Amazon also created the impact by providing the features like speedy delivery times and extensive range of stocks through global access. Digital distribution saviour of supply and demand chain in music industries The RIAA (Recording Industry Association America) forced Napster and other peer-to-peer companies to closed music sharing business with the help of severe legal process. The commotion was temporarily stopped but it clearly suggested that there is a need of such crucial products and services which will help in understanding the customers tastes and will meet their actual requirement. The basic objective was to re-organize the traditional supply chain for the survival and this was only possible by inculcating various digital distribution strategies. The content creators, content developers and marketers and retailers/ distributors are the three major players for the current supply chain in the music industry. Composers, lyricists, and artists are the part of content creators. The music publishing and record companies are included in content developers which are central to the industry. s are the They not only procure the musical rights, recognise and develop performing artists, record music in studios but also produce and distribute the music, advertise and promote music through various channels. The distributors consist of large national retail chains and recording company. 85% of sales come from record companies and larger national retail chains which are owned by retail outlets and are also high compared to record clubs and mail orders and online retailers which only account for 12% and 1 % respectively. In recent years, there has been a significant shift in the market share from unaccounted music to P2P music sites as the record companies have had a significant influence on the demand as well as the supply chain. Cost Breakdown of digital distribution (Source: Alternate digital distribution, G. Premkumar, 2003) The above cost structure proposes latent opportunities to develop the efficiency of current supply chain. The above table provides the breakdown of the costs involved using averages from various published sources. From this the royalty to composers/artists account to 12% as manufacturing cost is only 5% of total cost and costs such as labour, rent, and local inventory of retail outlet account for 35%. Meantime, the costs involved in retail outlets also account for 35% of selling price. The operating profits ranges from 4%-6% of sales in relation of price markdown and after writing off the inventory. An additional cost of 20% is absorbed in promotion and advertisement. The breakdown of these cost facts disclosed 25% of variable cost is comparatively small to fixed cost which is 75%. This is important because 60%-80% of music labels are meant to be flopped and they fail to cover the fixed cost. Most of the consumers do not realize that there is natural risk in this business and the suc cessful labels do only compensate the losses. Alternate strategies for Digital Distribution Distributing music digitally through supply chain can have a variety of strategies. The three major members of the supply chain are content creators/artists, recording companies and retailers. In order to ensure the success of digital distribution, multiple marketing and social issues must be solved instead of technological issues. Due to other restraint, concentrating only on supply chain will may or may not give the solution which can be implemented. Six different strategies given below are the suggestion for distributing music digitally. Recording company-retailer-customer Some consumer support this strategy as it suggests flexibility to produce modified CDs without altering the packaging CDs. This strategy introduce consumer to new artists also gives quality experience of music. This strategy is categorized into three stages as per changes taking place in the market. The primary stage consists of developing customized CDs and it advances to second stage where the assembling of CDs is done overcoming the in-store inventory problems. In the third stage, this strategy provides inventory less in-store and help consumer to recognize types of music they want, different artists, and can also create CDs. Due to inherent cost efficiency in this strategy, it provides benefits to Retail store operations. This strategy also helps recording companies to protect their copyrights. Record company-customer This strategy of direct distribution take advantage of eliminated retailers as it reduces the cost of retail operations for distributing music. Thus creating potential market for digital distribution between recording company and customer. Record company-intermediary-customer This strategy is also called one-stop shop. The consumer can get their music by visiting multiple sites at one place. Music from multiple recording companies is consolidated at one place by intermediary and this gives consumer to buy their favourite music at one place. Online retailers like Amazon.com can generate extra sales revenue by providing quick search facility and good system network to download music. Artist-customer This strategy creates the most efficient supply chain by eliminating the intermediaries and save cost in every aspect for music industries for distributing music. Although this strategy suggest expenses for artists in terms of direct advertising and maintaining the cost of the web site. It is also important to address other issues for the success of this chain. Artist-intermediary-customer In this strategy, an intermediary combines the artists and offers them services to minimise their search and information problems related to consumers also does expand the market reach for the artist. The intermediaries creates online communities with similar music interest also offers services like online reviews and provides email alerts to consumer for new releases and concerts. Thus they add value to this strategy. Audio-on-demand (AOD) This option helps consumer to create their own playlist of their favourite songs and can listen as per their convenience through internet radio stations. This strategy uses simple subscription model for delivering the music to consumer. A consumer can change their playlist as per their choices during the subscription period this will help consumer to get rid of old and few songs considering the ownership model. (Source: Alternate digital distribution strategies, G. Premkumar, 2003) Comparison of distribution strategies (Source: Alternate digital distribution strategies, G. Premkumar, 2003) It is thus necessary to educate the people about negative effects of piracy and protecting the copyrights. This is also critical for keeping the music industry healthy and flow of income and royalty to artists will encourage them to create new music portable devices. Internet radio stations require two-way connection with each consumer compared to broadcasting radio which will creates load on server and system infrastructure. These problems will be solved in future with the help of surplus bandwidth. Future of Music Distribution The above table provide the summary of merit and demerits of each distribution channels for stakeholder, artists, labels and publishers, retailers and consumers. Although it will be enticed to say which strategy is going to succeed in future, it is obvious that quite of them will survive in their own niche markets. The absolute victory of every channel depends on their relative features. A single feature that will induce the reformation of the industry is the dominance between the artists, publisher, retailers and consumers. As formerly stated, some of the big labels and publisher not only have control of creation, marketing, and distribution of MP3,CDs, DVDs dominating the market but also have substantial control on the artists. Boost in consumer power to copy the music files from P2P file sharing sites, which was abandoned because of legal actions taken by recording companies followed the closure of P2P music sites. But the impact of action taken by RIAAs did not stop launching of many new P2P music sites. Due to the risk of breaching copyrights, artists have started supporting the point of labels and publishers related to digital distribution of music. The above table suggest that the situation for retailers is on risk in future, they need to diversify their services to on-line retailing. E.g. ARKIV.com, NAXOS. Looking at the future of music industry the recording companies will influence the most to each distribution strategy as they will have proper control on incentives and disincentives for consumer to operate one strategy or the other. Various business models can work all together to give absolute supple to consumer when music is accessible digitally. As a matter of fact, the business model adapted by Naxos, MuiscNet is the mixture of strategies recording company-intermediary-customer and audio on demand which gives ownership and listening features to consumers. Conclusion The information given above provides opportunities for re-engineering the traditional supply chain by digitizing the music. The negative impact on members of supply chain, publisher and demand chain due to the illegal copying and downloading of music can be solved with the use of six digital distribution strategies. These six distribution strategies were investigated in terms of cost structure and the relative roles of stakeholders for the music industry. The major problems linked to the successfully implementation of each strategies were discovered and explicated. 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