Wednesday, October 30, 2019

The Creature in the book The Animalinside Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Creature in the book The Animalinside - Essay Example The combination of the images and the accompanying text take a reader through the experiences of the dog encountered. Since there is an outstanding harmony between the images and the text, the book stands on its own as an exemplary cultural event. The accompanying texts help the reader understand the journey undertaken by the dog as well as its future intentions when it is freed from the box. This paper will present a critical analysis of the meaning of the images in the book. The book titled The Animalinside comprises of 14 brief monologues accompanied by 14 outstanding images. A close analysis of the history of the book reveals that all the13 images are coming after the first one was painted in relevance to the first text. The first text came out as an inspiration of Neumann’s two-dimensional creature. The creature has features that make readers view it as a dog, although it tends to be in a leading position in a limited three-dimensional space. The creature highlighted in t he images does not qualify to be a human being. It has outstanding similarities to a dog but has not visible front legs (Ehrenreich 19). The texts accompanying the images reveal Krasznahorkai’s expertise in the use of language, which surpasses the normal skill of telling a story. The accompanying text is highly powerful and readers need to be keen to understand the meaning. After Neumann had produced his first image, Krasznahorkai developed the first accompanying text. In response, Neumann developed 13 more images that Krasznahorkai responded with accompanying the text. The book represents a multimedia collaboration combining expertise from art and literature. Krasznahorkai developed his text in prose form and focused on the creature depicted by Neumann (Pinker 187). The writer began by highlighting that the creature was willing to get out of the bondage in which he existed. Krasznahorkai helps the reader have a direct connection to the mind of the creature.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Charles Perrault Bio Essay Example for Free

Charles Perrault Bio Essay Charles Perrault is a famous French poet and author recognized for writing the Mother Goose fairy tales. He was the seventh child from his father Pierre Perrault and mother Paquette Le Clerc, born on January 12 of 1628 in Paris, France and then died and indefinite death which means it is undefined that was on May 16, 1703. He was a Roman Catholic. He married Marie Guichon in 1672 when she was nineteen years old, with her he had three children and when delivering the third one Marie passed while giving birth in 1678, which left them to be married for only six years. After her death Perrault never remarried. Career wise Perrault didn’t start out as a poet; he was actually a lawyer who was in charge of royal buildings in 1660. Perrault also took a huge share in the making of the Academy of Sciences and the renewal of the Academy of Painting. But then later on he worked in the Academic Franà §aise where he played an important role of literacy disagreement as many know today had to do with the clash between the Ancients and the Moderns, to which Charles coincided with the Moderns. Perrault then decided he was going to spend the rest of his lifetime promoting the education of literature and the arts. Where then he started to become a well-known as a poet with stories such as â€Å"Red Riding Hood†, â€Å"Puss in Boots†, â€Å"Cinderella†, and â€Å"Donkeyskin†. â€Å"Donkeyskin† is a famous French literacy and was republished by Perrault in 1697 with a little help from Andrew Lang another popular poet. â€Å"Donkeyskin† was the French version of Cinderella. There are plenty of versions of â€Å"Donkeyskin† but Perrault’s is the most well-known and made him popular.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Flaming on the Internet :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Flaming on the Internet You're sitting in front of your computer, checking your email like you do everyday. This time, however, you get an email from someone whose name you don't recognize. Your curious nature getting the best of you, you click on it and see this: Guess what! I'm a woman, and I'm sending you e-mail. I must be able to use a computer. I also do not take a herd of women into the restroom with me. Women do not do that. Men just like to think that we do. Who do you think you are exactly? Guess what! I know exactly what you are. You are a pitiful, pathetic excuse for a piece of poor white trailer trash man whose angry because he's an ignorant, chauvinist little prick who can not bribe a decent, intelligent woman into coming within a mile of him and has to resort to cheap, stupid whores to keep him company. What exactly is "this"? It's a flame, of course, courtesy of "Flaming on the 'Net." Susan Herring in her essay entitled "Bringing Familiar Baggage to the New Frontier" defines flaming as "'the expression of strong, negative emotion,' use of 'derogatory, obscene, or inappropriate language', and 'personal insults'" (149). The flame shown above is only one of several different types that are exchanged over the Internet. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Net is growing at the estimated rate of two million novices each month (Sandberg). Thus, the potential increase in flaming as more and more people log on is obviously a problem. However, are there any benefits to this phenomenon? As the debate rages on, my opinion on the matter is that flaming is not the action one should take because it is more harmful than not. On the one hand, the argument stands that flaming does indeed prove itself as an asset. One such instance is to curb scammers. Scammers view the Internet as a cheap avenue to reach millions of people and, by misleading them, making money off of their deception. For example, companies throughout the globe sell their products over the Internet. Not everyone, however, is able to discern which company is reputable and which is not, which allows for an individual to be "taken in" by a great offer.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

How does John Steinbeck use language in different ways in “Of mice and men?” Essay

John Steinbeck uses language in different ways throughout the story. It creates imagery and helps you understand the story even better. Also it indicates differences in characters and the setting of the story. Steinbeck uses non-standard English for dialogue. Lennie is portrayed to be a slow childish character; he acts like a child asking George lots of questions about there ‘dream’. Lennie repeats this quite a lot â€Å"George how longs it gonna be till we get the rabbits?† This is Lennies dream to have rabbits, and Steinbeck repeats this dream it’s a kind of rhythm throughout the book. Also Lennie is more of a listener he doesn’t speak much to other characters apart from George unless he has too. He asks George frequently to â€Å"tell† him â€Å"about that place† where they are planning to move to when they have enough money, Lennie listens to George as though he was a parent or guardian and gets excited while George tell him. This gives us the impression that George looks after Lennie and keeps him safe. Steinbeck makes George seem rather parent like. George is a talker, he tells the story of him and Lennie moving away to a place of there own often to Lennie. We get the impression that George sometimes gets rather sick of Lennie as he repeats things and asks George to tell him â€Å"the story† we can see this by â€Å"I jus’ tol’ you, jus’ las’ night† this is wrote in an American way of speaking, he uses imagery as when you read this you say it to yourself in your head and you can imagine the way George is speaking. Also George seems to swear quite a lot and mainly towards Lennie where he calls him a â€Å"crazy bastard† this use of profanity and pronunciation portrays George to be rather uneducated, we can expect this as Steinbeck was a farm labourer for a time. The story was set in the 1930’s black people where very disrespected and used for slaves in these days. Also they wouldn’t be referred to as ‘black people’ it would be much more racial as we can see from what they call Crooks â€Å"nigger†. When crooks addresses Slim he calls him â€Å"Mr slim† none of the other characters address him in this way, this shows us that he has respect for Slim and that he believes Slim is a man of importance rather like the boss. Slim is portrayed to be â€Å"almighty† we get the impression that Slim is looked up to by the other men, they respect him and when they need answers or advice it is usually Slim to whom they turn to. As when Curley and Lennie fight it is Slim who everyone turns to. George asks him â€Å"Slim will we get canned now?† This shows he has power and the men believe he can take authority in situations like this. Steinbeck makes the characters dialogue very brief and it lacks detail they say what is necessary without detail, whereas when Steinbeck is describing a character or a place he uses descriptive language and Standard English, also he uses American dialect for certain words. Throughout the book there is few long sentences he uses short sentences. The way he describes places and characters is very different to the dialogue, he uses imagery in both but in different ways in dialogue he uses the shortening of words and there simple ways to help us imagine, whereas in his exposition he describes things in much detail and uses colours effectively. Also for certain words he uses an American dialect to replace them.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

What action can the Commission take against the UK? Does the UK have any defences that it can rely on?

Introduction The European Commission is required to ensure that all Member States comply with EU law and thereby seek out any infringements that are taking place. If necessary, the Commission may bring an end to such infringements by commencing proceedings in the European Court of Justice (ECJ); Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen. Such proceedings are brought under Articles 258, 259 and 260 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) (previously Articles 226, 277 and 228 of the European Community (EC)). In the instant scenario, the Commission has decided to take action against the UK under Article 258 TFEU for failing to fulfill its obligations under the Treaty. This is being done on the grounds that the UK has failed to implement the new Directive (the Directive), adopted by the Council of Europe, that was to be implemented by all Member States by the 1 February 2014. Article 258 states; â€Å"If the Commission considers that a Member State had failed to fulfill an obligation under the Treaties, it shall deliver a reasoned opinion on the matter after giving the State concerned the opportunity to submit its observations†. The UK will therefore have an opportunity to raise any defenses within the time that has been specified by the Commission. If the UK fails to submit its observations, the Commission may then bring the matter before the ECJ as shown in Commission v United Kingdom. Here, it was held by the ECJ that; â€Å"assuming the Commission’s submissions are correct, it is not for the Court to give such an interpretation with the aim of correcting Article 2(1) of the Thirteenth Directive†. This case demonstrates that even if the Commission does take action against the UK, this does not mean that the ECJ will intervene. As pointed out by Haynes; â€Å"the Court has over the years been somewhat inconsistent in terms of the degree of interventionism in which it is prepared to engage in order to protect and p reserve the integrity of Community legislation and to iron out those inconsistencies that inevitably creep in.† Despite this, it is up to the Commission to decide whether infringement proceedings ought to be commenced; Alfons Lutticke GmbH v Commission. The Commission thus plays an important role in launching infringement proceedings against Member States and is capable of taking â€Å"whatever action it deems appropriate in response to either a complaint or indications of infringements which it detects itself.† An investigatory process will first be undertaken, which will then be followed by a letter of formal notice that will be served upon the Member State. Once a letter of formal notice has been served upon the Member State, where necessary, a referral to the ECJ will then be made. The procedure that has been established under Article 258 TFEU consists of two phases; pre-litigation and litigation. The intention of the pre-litigation phase is to provide a Member Stat e with the opportunity to comply with the Treaty requirements or provide a justification of its reasons for not doing so; Commision v France. Therefore, the Commission is capable of using the pre-litigation phase as a tool to persuade the UK to comply with the Directive. If the Commission is unsuccessful in persuading the UK to comply with the Directive, the pre-litigation phase will be used as a means of defining the subject-matter of the dispute; Joined Cases 142/80 and 143/80 Essevi and Salengo. It will then be up to the ECJ to determine whether the UK has breached its duties under the Treaty; Germany v Commission. In communicating with the UK on its infringement, it is likely that the Commission will use the EU Pilot that was established as a means of communication between the Commission and Member States. If the EU Pilot fails to resolve the dispute, the Commission may instigate infringement proceedings by giving the UK the opportunity to submit its observations. This is done b y issuing a letter of formal notice; Commission v Austria. The UK will consequently have the chance to submit its reasons for not implementing the Directive as shown in Commission v Portugal. Accordingly, it will thus be argued that there was pressure on parliamentary time and that the Directive will be implemented shortly. The UK will also be able to put forward its observations on Portugal’s non-implementation of the Directive and the fact that it is very early to bring an enforcement action against the UK. If the Commission does not agree with the UK’s response and the UK has not made any attempt to implement the Directive, the Commission may follow this up with a reasoned Opinion, which may then lead to an action before the ECJ; Commission v Germany. The Commission, in its reasoned Opinion, will set out the action it requires the UK to take in order to comply with the Directive and the reasons why it thinks the UK has failed to fulfil one of its Treaty obligations; Commission v Italy. Whilst the time limit that is to be laid down will be based upon a number of different factors, including the urgency of the matter, it is likely that the UK will have around 60 days to respond to the reasoned Opinion. This is intended to give the UK an opportunity to comply or put forward its right of defence as illustrated in Commission v Luxembourg. If the UK does not comply with the reasoned Opinion, the Commission will be capable of deciding whether the matter should be brought before the ECJ. The ECJ will not be concerned with the nature or seriousness of the infringement; Commission v Netherlands, but instead whether there has been a failure to fulfil obligations; Commission v Italy and the burden of proof will be on the Commission. Given that there has been a failure by the UK to fulfil its Treaty obligations under the new Directive, the ECJ will find that there has been an infringement. Although the UK may be able to put forward a defence that the Direc tive will be implemented shortly, it is doubtful that this will suffice as there is very little chances that defences to infringement are successful; Commission v Germany and Commission v Austria. Nor will the UK be able to argue that there has been pressure on Parliamentary time since it was evidenced in Commission v Spain that Member States may not plead that situations or practices existing in its internal legal order have caused the infringement as this will not justify a failure to comply with obligations under EU law. Nevertheless, in Commission v Italy Italy was able to rely on force majeure to justify non-compliance when it encountered temporary insuperable difficulties preventing it from compliance. Pressure on parliamentary time is not likely to be considered a temporary insuperable difficult. Furthermore, the fact that Portugal has failed to implement the Directive will be irrelevant as it was made clear in the Commission v France case that a Member State cannot rely on a possible infringement of the Treaties by another Member State to justify its own infringement. Since the UK has contended that it will implement the Directive shortly, it is likely that the principle of sincere loyalty (Article 4(3) TFEU) will apply. This principle demonstrates that Member States shall act in good faith by co-operating and providing the Commission will the relevant information it requests; Commission v Luxembourg. 2. Does Mr Steymann have any legal right to pursue the matter himself in EU Law? Mr Steymann will not be able to bring an action to the ECJ on the basis that his interests have been harmed by the UK’s failure to implement the Directive; Star Fruit Co. v Commission. However, he will have two options available to him. He can either make a complaint to the Commission, which might result in the Commission initiating proceedings under Article 258 TFEU, or he can bring proceedings in the UK courts under the principle of direct effect. Once a complaint is received by the Commission, a decision will then be made as to whether proceedings ought to be initiated against the UK. In making this decision, the Commission will insist on its discretionary power to determine whether it is worth commencing proceedings. In Commission v Greece a complaint was made to the Commission, which resulted in proceedings being commenced. The Commission, in its reasoned Opinion, established that there was an interest in bringing proceedings and the action was deemed admissible in so far as it concerned the subject matter of the dispute. EU law infringements may also be challenged before national courts, through the principle of direct effect. As such, Mr Steymann may be able to pursue the matter himself the UK courts he if can demonstrate that the Directive has direct effect and that there exists an appropriate remedy. Once the UK implements the Directive, Mr Steyman will most likely sell more gas boilers as he appears to be disadvantaged by the fact that the UK has failed to implement the new Directive. It will be more expensive to manufacture the equipment in the UK in compliance with EU law, which will prevent UK manufacturers from being able to sell the boilers at a much lower price. The principle of direct effect allows Member States to be challenged at national level by litigants seeking to rely on the direct effect of EU law. Mr Steymann will therefore be capable of taking advantage of the direct effect principle, which enables individuals to immediately invoke a European provision before a national or European court as highlighted in Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen. As the consequence in the instant scenario is between an individual and the State, Mr Steymann will be able to invoke the European provision through vertical direct effect. For a Directive to have direct effect, nonetheless, the obligations must be clear, precise and unconditional. This was identified in Van Duyn v Home Office it was h eld by the Court of Justice that Article 3 (1) of the Residence and Public Policy, Security and Health Directive 54/221 was sufficiently precise to be capable of having direct effect, despite the fact that the scope of public policy and public security would require determination by the Court. Therefore, it is likely that the Directive on the environmental performance of gas boilers will be capable of having direct effect if it is shown to be clear and precise as enunciated in Defrenne v Sabena. It may also be deemed ‘unconditional’ on the basis that Member States are obliged to manufacture gas boilers in accordance with the provisions in the Directive; Van Gend en Loos v Administratie der Belastingen. However, if the Directive is subject to additional measures, then it will not be capable of having direct effect; Costa v ENEL. Overall, it seems as though the Commission has the ability to bring an end to the UK’s infringements of EU law by commencing proceedings in the European Court of Justice. As there has been a failure by the UK to fulfil its treaty obligations, it is likely that the Commission will be successful in taking action against the UK. Nevertheless, the UK will still be able to put forward a number of defences, though it is unlikely that these will prove to be a success. Since the UK has made it clear that the Directive will be implemented shortly, the principle of sincere loyalty will most likely apply. Mr Steymann also has a legal right to pursue the matter himself through the national courts under the principle of direct effect. Before doing so, however, it would be appropriate for him to make a complaint to the Commission as this could then lead to the initiation of proceedings. In bringing the action himself, Mr Steymann will be required to show that the Directive has direct effect and that there is an appropriate remedy available. Bibliography Books D Chalmers and G Davies. European Union Law: Cases and Materials, (London: Cambridge University Press, 2010). S Anderson. The Enforcement of EU Law: The Role of the European Commission, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012). S Weatherill. Cases and Materials on EU Law, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012). Journals EUR-Lex. ‘Document 12008E258’ (2008) [27 July, 2014]. Europa. ‘The Direct Effect of European Law’ (2010) [27 July, 2014]. European Commission. ‘Infringements of EU Law’ (2010) European Commission Application of EU Law, [27 July, 2014]. R Haynes. ‘Case C-582/08 Commission v United Kingdom’ (2010) De Voil Indirect Tax Intelligence, Volume 12 Issue 173. R Rawlings. ‘Engaged Elites: Citizen Action and Institutional Attitudes in Commission Enforcement’ (2006) European Law Journal, Volume 6, Issue 4, 447. R White and A Dashwood. ‘Enforcement Actions under Articles 169 and 170 EEC’ (1989) European Law Review, Volume 14, 388-389. S Enchelmaier. ‘Always at Your Service (Within Limits): The ECJ’s Case Law on Article 56 TFEU (2006-11)’ (2011) European Law Review, Volume 36, No 5, 623. Legislation Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) Case Law Alfons Lutticke GmbH v Commission Case 48/65, [1962] ECR 501 Commission v Austria Case 10/10, [2011] ECR I-5389 Commission v Austria Case 194/01, [2004] ECR I-4579 Commision v France Case 159/94, [1997] ECR I-5815, para 103 Commission v France Case 232/78, [1979] ECR 2729 Commission v Germany Case 191/95, [1998] ECR I-5449, para 44 Commission v Germany Case 74/91, [1992] ECR I-5437 Commission v Greece Case 240/86, [1988] ECR 1835 Commission v Italy Case 289/94, [1996] ECR I-4405, para 16 Commission v Italy Case 78/00, [2001] ECR I-8195, point 65 Commission v Italy Case 101/84, [1985] ECR 2629 Commission v Luxembourg Case 473-93, [1996] ECR I-3207, para 19 Commission v Luxembourg Case 490/09, [2005] ECR I-9811 Commission v Netherlands Case 359/93, [1995] ECR I-157, para 15 Commission v Portugal Case 20/09, [2011] ECR I-2637 Commission v Spain Case 195/02, [2004] ECR I-7857 Commission v United Kingdom Case C-582/08, (15 July, 2010) Costa v ENELCase 6/64 [1964] ECR 593 Defrenne v Sabena Case 43/75 1976 ECR 455 Germany v Commission T-258/06, [2010] ECR II-02027, para 153 Joined Cases 142/80 and 143/80 Essevi and Salengo [1981] ECR 1413, para 15 Star Fruit Co. v Commission Case 247/87, [1989] ECR 291 Van Duyn v Home Office Case 41/74 [1975] Ch 358 ECJ Van Gend en Loos v Administratie der Belastingen Case 26/62 [1963] ECR 1 Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen Case 1953, [1953] ECR 1

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How to Become a Technical Support Engineer

How to Become a Technical Support Engineer With almost every industry and company going as digital as possible these days, technical problem solvers are in high perpetual demand. This is where professionals like technical support engineers come in. What Does a Technical Support Engineer Do?Technical support engineers (sometimes also called information technology/IT technical support engineers) serve as tech gurus for a company. They might work with external users (like customers or clients) or internal users (like employees). IT technical support engineers use their expertise about various tech and computer systems to help troubleshoot issues, or maintain day-to-day operations. Their tasks may include:Designing computer systems to meet particular needs for a companyProviding support for customers or clients in person, via phone, or via computerProviding support for employees in person, via phone, or via computerMonitoring day-to-day performance of tech systemsTraining people how to use various systemsDiagnosing and troublesho oting tech problemsHelping companies implement new hardware or software systemsTechnical support engineers can be found virtually anywhere there is tech. These professionals can work in any industry, as there are jobs available in both the private and public sectors.What Skills Do Technical Support Engineers Have?Technical support engineers need to have strong tech backgrounds, of course, but they’ll also need a diverse skill set to find a job along that career path- a mix of hard and soft skills.Tech SkillsTechnical support engineers need a strong set of hard tech skills, and a strong basis in current technology. Depending on the job itself, they may need to have hands-on experience with specific kinds of hardware, software, applications, and systems.Customer ServiceThis role is a service job, no matter whether an engineer is working with colleagues at his or her company, or actual customers or clients. A strong sense of customer service is a major asset, as the engineer wil l be helping and coaching people of varying tech expertise, and helping make sure their technology is running as it should. Patience is a major asset here.CommunicationPart of the technical support engineer’s job is breaking down complex technological concepts so that they can be understood by a lay person who may be using the technology without understanding the sophisticated logic and engineering behind it. Being comfortable with translating concepts for different audiences, being able to present information clearly and articulately, and feeling comfortable with back-and-forth conversations are all essential to the role. Listening skills are also very important here, given that the technical support engineer often needs to diagnose what’s wrong, and how to fix it.Problem SolvingTechnical support engineers are, by nature, problem solvers. They help others use technology to do work more efficiently, and they ensure that the technology is working correctly. Companies de pend on their technical support team to come up with solutions to make sure that everything is running smoothly, tech-wise. That can mean coming up with creative solutions to tricky problems on the fly, as well as implementing best practices overall to ensure that problems won’t recur.FlexibilityTech problems don’t just happen from 9 to 5 on non-holiday weekdays. Technical support engineers may be on call at odd times, or be called in when there’s a crisis, regardless of time. If you’re not open to an â€Å"all hands on deck† situation when it comes to your hours, this might not be the best tech job for you.Tech-SavvinessThis may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s crucial to be up on the current technology and methods. The hot apps and systems a year ago might not be the best option now, and companies typically want their tech support team to be as current as possible on tech trends and processes. Being a quick, adaptable learner when it comes to new tech is key for a technical support engineer.Project ManagementThe technical support engineer may be called upon to manage larger projects, like making system changes or implementing new hardware/software. This means having the management and organizational skills to shepherd a project from start to finish, involving the necessary people, sticking to a schedule, and (if applicable) staying on budget. [via Pinterest/ProSyn]What Education Do Technical Support Engineers Need?While the basic education requirements can vary depending on the industry and the company, a technical support engineer typically needs a four-year degree in engineering, computer science, or a similar technical discipline. Experience may be able to trump a degree in some circumstances, but a two-year degree in information technology, computer science, or computer engineering is a bare minimum.How Much Do Technical Support Engineers Get Paid?This can be a pretty lucrative field, if you have the skills to go for it. According to PayScale, the median salary for a technical support engineer is $60,674 per year. This can vary according to experience and location, as well as areas of specialty and expertise.What’s the Outlook for Technical Support Engineers?This is a field that will continue to grow for the foreseeable future, as technology grows ever more sophisticated, and companies need qualified professionals to support it. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the field will grow by at least 12% by 2024, faster than average for all jobs.If you have strong tech skills and a passion for helping people solve problems, this can be a great career path for you. As a technical support engineer, you’ll never run out of challenges, and it’s a path that will keep you right on the cutting edge.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Whatever Example

Whatever Example Whatever – Essay Example Management MANAGEMENT Functions of Management The major functions of management are planning, leading, organizing, and controlling. Planning involves the setting of goals and objectives, as well as determining the appropriate strategy for achieving these objectives (Robbins & Coulter, 2014). In this case, managers should be aware of external and internal conditions affecting the organization. In the organizing function, the manager is involved in developing the structure of the organization, as well as allocating appropriate human resources to ensure that all future objectives can be accomplished. The organizational structure consists of the framework used in coordinating the organization’s efforts, which the manager oversees. The third function of management is leading, which involves influencing employees towards achieving the organization’s goals and objectives. To effectively perform this function, the manager is required to communicate effectively, motivate subordi nates, and use their power effectively. Managers who lead effectively increase their employees’ enthusiasm in achieving these objectives. Finally, the manager also performs the controlling function, which involves making sure that the performance of their organization and employees does not deviate from set objectives and standards (Robbins & Coulter, 2014). In this case, the manager should establish performance standards, use these standards to compare against actual performance, and take necessary corrective action. Ethics in Management Ethical behavior is an essential aspect of management because managers hold authoritative positions, which make them accountable for their subordinates’ ethical conduct. As such, the manager’s ethical conduct must set an example for their subordinates. In deciding whether to provide the job applicant with insider information, the manager should not share the information because it is against the employer’s and PMI’s code of professional conduct, especially since it is not honest or fair to other applicants (PMI, 2012). Moreover, this decision is not free from external influence, while there are other alternatives like helping the applicant prepare for the interview. Finally, giving the information will not be beneficial to all concerned, while giving the information will not look like a good decision when made public. Global Managers Managers should understand the global environment because competitors, investors, suppliers, and markets can be anywhere across the globe (DomiÃŒ nguez, 2011). The manager will have to take advantage of business opportunities wherever they are, thus must be aware of the global environment to benefit from the opportunities. This awareness allows managers to enter new profitable markets and obtain resources from global markets at lower costs than may be possible domestically. In addition, this awareness ensures that managers understand the repercussions of global economic fluctuations, new competitors, and product shortages that could negatively influence the organization’s ability to access resources or markets. Therefore, the 21st century manager must understand the global forces that affect their business and their ability to appropriately respond to these forces (DomiÃŒ nguez, 2011). Management Impact Managers can use the 8D process in the workplace with the aim of process improvement, especially when a client issues the organization with a corrective action. This approach involves the inclusion of process experts in a team that is tasked with resolving the problem, description of the problem from the client’s perspective and statement of actual issues, and identification of action to prevent further complaints from clients (QAS, 2014). Further, the team undertakes root cause verification to identify whether the problem is caused by the method, employee, materials, or machines, as well as implementation of the corrective action. Finally, the team is required to verify the corrective action, take preventive actions against future incidents, and congratulate the team on a job well done (QAS, 2014). References DomiÃŒ nguez, A. L. (2011). Global management: Strategy, challenges, and uncertainties. New York: Nova Science Publishers PMI. (2012). PMI Ethical Decision-Making Framework. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from Project Management Institute: pmi.org/~/media/PDF/Ethics/Ethical%20Decision%20Making%20Framework%20-%20FINAL.ashx Quality Assurance Solutions. (2014). 8D Problem Solving. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from Basic Tools for Process Improvement : quality-assurance-solutions.com/8D-Problem-Solving.html Robbins, S. P., & Coulter, M. K. (2014). Management. Boston: Pearson

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Note or Notice

Note or Notice Note or Notice Note or Notice By Maeve Maddox A reader wonders if there is a significant difference of connotation between the verbs â€Å"to note† and â€Å"to notice.† The question arose as he tried to decide between the following sentences to express the inner dialogue of a character: Rory noted that the CEO never asked for details. Rory noticed that the CEO never asked for details. Note, as both noun and verb, has been in the language since the Middle Ages. The earliest meaning of the noun was â€Å"a sign or symbol used in writing.† An early meaning of â€Å"to note† was â€Å"to put down a mark.† Eventually, the verb acquired additional meanings such as â€Å"to observe, to take notice of, to consider or study carefully.† Current usage includes these meanings as well as others, such as â€Å"to become aware of,† â€Å"to be struck by,† and â€Å"to put down in writing.† Notice in the sense of â€Å"to give notice of something† existed in the 15th century, but notice as a verb to mean â€Å"to take notice† didn’t come along until the 17th century, at which time it was rejected as an unnecessary Scotticism or Americanism for the phrase â€Å"to take notice.† The 1763 Universal Dictionary of the English Language included this caveat: â€Å"Notice should not be used as a verb.† Writing a little later (1789), another commentator observed that some English writers were using notice as a verb, but that it was â€Å"better† to avoid it. In regard to the reader’s question, I can offer only a personal reaction to the difference between the two sentences: Rory noted that the CEO never asked for details. Rory noticed that the CEO never asked for details. To me, the use of noted in the first sentence suggests that Rory is keeping track of the CEO’s behavior for some purpose, whereas noticed implies that Rory has merely observed the behavior in passing and is not trying to discern any particular significance in it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:60 Synonyms for â€Å"Walk†Body Parts as Tools of Measurement10 Tips About How to Write a Caption

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Chapter 11 Reorganization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chapter 11 Reorganization - Research Paper Example e essential for the sake of an organization and among them, business and pricing strategies are some of them, which have its own significance and importance. It is important for an entity to timely manage their operational strategies (Marianne H. Marchand, 2010). Organizations have to consider numerous things before their physical existence in an industry. Financial bankruptcy is one of the most important aspects from the viewpoint of an organization. Financial bankruptcy is usually referred as Re-organization which comes under the ambit of Chapter-11. Re-organization is basically a term specifically designed to revive a company which is financially in trouble. A re-organization usually involves the restatement of the asset and liabilities of the company as far as maintaining the repayments are concerned. The main perspective of this assignment is to select an organization which re-organized its operations in a given time period and the company which has been taken into account for t he same is General Motors (GM). There are number of questions that needed to be completed and answer here accordingly. General Motors Company, commonly known as GM, is an American multinational corporation with its headquartering located in Detroit, Michigan, United States (US). It manufactures, design, market and distribute their products in different markets of the world and sells financial services. General Motors’ (GM) produces vehicles in different countries of the world like 37 countries. The shares of the company are actively trading in the NYSE and other financial markets as well, and it is found in the automotive sector of the industry in particular. It is important stance for the investors to makeover things accordingly. GM holds around 20% stake in the IMM, and a 96% stake in the GM Korea. The company has a number of Joint Ventures including FAW-GM in particular. The company has more than 200,000 employees working in the company and it has a business preposition in around

National Museum of the American Indian (The Smithsonian Institution, Term Paper

National Museum of the American Indian (The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.) - Term Paper Example as the past were key aspects of the design concept: â€Å"it needed to be a living museum, neither formal nor quiet, located in close proximity to nature.† The location which was chosen for the museum contained a stream, and this natural feature, along with the directions of the street outside and the natural north, south, east and west directions were taken into account. This is because native Indian culture places high value on harmony between all aspects of human life and the natural world and even more radically: â€Å"the grounds surrounding the building are considered an extension of the building and a vital part of the museum as a whole.†2 The Seattle born architect, Johnpaul Jones, who is of Choctaw, Cherokee and Welsh heritage, consulted with a widely drawn group of native elders and they decided very early that the building and surrounding area would be different from the neoclassical or modernist museum styles: â€Å"The museum doesn’t have a straight line in it, and is meant to look as though wind and water carved its curves†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 3 These curved external walls are the first feature to strike the visitor who arrives on foot: â€Å"Theres a monumental new presence rising above the elm trees on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., - and its not like anything else youll see there. Its as if a vision from an ancient cliff city of the desert Southwest - five stories worth of honey-colored limestone, rough hewn as if by the wind yet flowing like a river of curving cantilevered walls - had been plopped down at the back door of the U.S. Capitol.†4 The site was examined by the native elders, who identified a central point and buried a secret object there. This spot now lies at the centre of the domed Potomac atrium which lies to the east of the entrance area. The entrance was not located to face the Mall, but instead it looks east towards the rising sun and, incidentally, towards the U.S. Capitol. The stream was honoured with the creation of a fountain and a

Friday, October 18, 2019

Trade Policy of Qatar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Trade Policy of Qatar - Essay Example Qatar’s economy has been growing in strength and resilience overtime and in fact it happens to be one of the fast growing and most dynamic economies of the world. The GDP of Qatar registered an impressive growth of 33.8 percent in the year 2005 (Qatar Economic Review 2006). The rapidly growing oil and gas sector is the cornerstone of Qatar’s economy and is contributing immensely to the target of reshaping the national economy through diversification. Though it is true to say that the overall economic strength of Qatar is primarily dependent on the oil revenues, the share and contribution of the LPG in the national growth has definitely increased in the past few years. In the year 2005, the total share of oil and natural gas in the domestic GDP was 60 percent (Qatar Economic Review 2006).  Ã‚  Ã‚   In terms of GDP growth, Qatar had performed unbelievably positively, recording an average growth of 19.9 percent in the period 2001-2005 (Qatar Economic Review 2006). The fu ndamental reasons that lie behind the formidable economic growth of Qatar are an exceptional growth in the exports of LNG, crude and petrochemical related products. This factor has been further bolstered by the rise in the prices of crude in the international markets. In the year 2005, the oil and natural gas industry recorded an overall growth of 46.3 percent (Qatar Economic Review 2006). In contrast, the non-oil sector augmented by 18.8 percent (Qatar Economic Review 2006). In the year 1999, the GDP of Qatar was QR 45.1 billion (Qatar Economic Review 2006).

Cardiovascular Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cardiovascular Disease - Essay Example According to Kantrowitz and Wingert (2006), a few years back, heart diseases were considered to be the concern of men alone, and women, especially those below 50years did not have to worry about cardiovascular diseases. However, recent studies have demonstrated that both men and women, especially women after menopause and men after 55years of age are a greater risk of cardiovascular accidents (Kantrowitz and Wingert, 2006). It is estimated that 50-70 million Americans have cardiovascular problems and according to Noonan (2005), cardiovascular events was responsible for the deaths of 260,000 American men in year 2000 alone. It is therefore regarded as the nation's no 1 killer (Underwood, 2005). Many risk factors are associated with cardiovascular disease; most can be managed, but some cannot. The aging process and hereditary predisposition are risk factors that cannot be altered. Until age 50 men are at greater risk than women of developing heart disease, though once a woman enters menopause, her risk triples (Kannel, 1997). According to the American Heart Association (AHA), increasing age is a major risk of cardiovascular diseases; they report that over 83% of people who die of heart problems are 65 or older. Mae gender and genetic predisposition are two other risk factors that cannot be altered. ... disease includes specific therapy for any underlying causes and may include Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (e.g., captopril, enalapril, lisinopril), beta-blockers (e.g., propranolol), blood thinners (e.g., aspirin, warfarin), the combination of hydralazine and isosorbide dinitrate, digitalis, nitroglycerin, and diuretics. Also, surgical procedures such as angioplasty, bypass surgery, valve replacement, pacemaker installation, and heart transplantation, are common treatment options (Gluckman et al, 2004). According to Underwood (2005), Mounting evidences point to the fact that chronic emotional states such as stress, anxiety, hostility, depression or childhood trauma and loneliness play very important roles in the cause of cardiovascular diseases. These factors are appearing to be as potent or even stronger than the conventionally established cardiovascular risks, such as smoking, diabetes etc. It is believed that emotional states affect behavior. For instance, depressed, angry people are less likely to stick with diet and exercise regimens and are more likely to smoke. In one study, the most hostile subjects consumed 600 more daily calories than the least hostile. Also, such negative emotions can have direct effects, too, by provoking the stress response of the classic fight-or-flight mechanism. The body releases stress hormones, such as cortisol and epinephrine (adrenaline). In response, blood pressure and blood-glucose levels increase, while chemical changes in the blood enhance th e clotting reaction to help heal wounds. In the short term, these are survival mechanisms. But over the long haul, chronic high blood pressure and elevated glucose damage blood vessels (Underwood, 2005). High blood cholesterol is also one of the major predisposing factors

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Week 7 Lab Work LR$W Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 7 Lab Work LR$W - Research Paper Example The first is stage is the organization stage. It entails preparing to look into the case and delve into the evidence, how to sort and classify it. For the case study, we need to prepare an extended outline (Webley 12). The second and subsequent stage is the research stage. In the research stage, we look into the facts that pertain to the case and classify them accordingly. We identify the issue then research the issues one at a time and familiarize ourselves with the area of law that caters for the case. In this case, we research the events of the night, the basis of allegations and their substantiality. We then consider the legal implications and likely outcomes of any stances we take(Webley 14). This is stage has done in the next paragraph of this paper. The third stage is analysis. In analysis, we make a write-up of the facts arrived at and document a solid conclusion in light of the evidence and facts against the balance of the law (Putman 166) The accused has been in a 10 – year stormy relationship with Elizabeth Steward which has had a history of domestic violence. During a violent electrical storm after a bout of drinking and argument, he dragged her outside and tied her to the lightening pole and told her â€Å"I will fix you. You are gonna fry†. (Putman, 117) The states claim is baseless as Mr. Jones was drunk and angry therefore was not in total control of himself or his actions. He also did not wield the said weapon. Lightening that did not strike was therefore like a weapon he never had. (Putman,

Community Service Component Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Community Service Component - Research Paper Example It will enable students understand South African culture in a more affluent way. They will also see the difference between American contemporary art and South African art through a lecture presentation at the end of each show focusing on the history of South Africa. Feedback cards will be availed at the end of each show to verify if this project is productive. If successful, other institutions might want to prepare for the same project in various parts of America and Africa. Context The audience will include faculty, staff and students of Indiana State University while the University Gallery will host the show. This art show will enable Students to learn beyond their own culture. The show will enable students of Indiana State University to learn the differences and similarities of South African culture and their own culture. From this project, faculty, students and staff can learn about the background of South African culture before attempting to study in that country, go for a holid ay in, initiate a project in that country or even taking an employment opportunity in South Africa. This is a knowledge based art show and it will offer an opportunity for students to interact with the various artists invited to perform in the show. The lectures given during the show will focus on the background of the country, the various tribes of the country, and the cultures of the dominant tribes. The University gallery has an amazing room for art shows and will be perfect for this project. Community Connections In order to hold the art show, there will be need for manpower to keep an eye to every action taken during the hours of operation. This will ensure there is no logistical, operational and administrative problem. They will introduce artists to the audience before every performance, they will direct the audience on where to sit and on what to expect at the beginning of performances and lectures as well as keep an eye on every art work presented at the show. This will ensu re the pieces of art are not vandalized or stolen. I will need help in arranging the gallery and setting it up for the show. This help will come from my colleagues in class. After the show, cleaners will be required to clean the gallery in preparation for the next event. Budget African art pieces are expensive; therefore funds will be needed to buy these pieces of art. This works of art can be found in various auditoriums in the United States of America or in African States. Shipping these pieces of art is a challenge and requires lots of money and therefore, the best way to get these artifacts is buying them in America. A fund raiser will be needed in order to get the required amount of money. Fundraiser cards will be printed and distributed to all students of Indiana State University to help in raising the required funds. The department of History will be the major sponsor of the event. Outreach and Promotion Flyers will be given to all students of Indiana State University adverti sing the event. Posters will be printed and displayed all over the University premises advertising the venue of the art show. The official website for the department of History of Indiana State University will be used to advertise the event. The website will have an article describing the event, its objectives, the time and place of the event. Examples of various South African artworks will be displayed in posters and the department of History library. Radio will also be used to advertise the event. It will insist that the event is only for students of

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Week 7 Lab Work LR$W Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 7 Lab Work LR$W - Research Paper Example The first is stage is the organization stage. It entails preparing to look into the case and delve into the evidence, how to sort and classify it. For the case study, we need to prepare an extended outline (Webley 12). The second and subsequent stage is the research stage. In the research stage, we look into the facts that pertain to the case and classify them accordingly. We identify the issue then research the issues one at a time and familiarize ourselves with the area of law that caters for the case. In this case, we research the events of the night, the basis of allegations and their substantiality. We then consider the legal implications and likely outcomes of any stances we take(Webley 14). This is stage has done in the next paragraph of this paper. The third stage is analysis. In analysis, we make a write-up of the facts arrived at and document a solid conclusion in light of the evidence and facts against the balance of the law (Putman 166) The accused has been in a 10 – year stormy relationship with Elizabeth Steward which has had a history of domestic violence. During a violent electrical storm after a bout of drinking and argument, he dragged her outside and tied her to the lightening pole and told her â€Å"I will fix you. You are gonna fry†. (Putman, 117) The states claim is baseless as Mr. Jones was drunk and angry therefore was not in total control of himself or his actions. He also did not wield the said weapon. Lightening that did not strike was therefore like a weapon he never had. (Putman,

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Writing for the English Major Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Writing for the English Major - Essay Example For the author, lying is an everyday thing: a part of life so to speak, as we do not tell blunt truths to everyone to maintain correct social structures and to prevent negative feelings that can permeate in relationships. Mundane greetings like â€Å"Howdy do?† and mundane answers like â€Å"I’m fine† are considered lies because those are not honest answers, as well as â€Å"silent lies† like not answering questions for the benefit of society, because it might hurt someone’s feelings. People nowadays, he says do not put importance on lying as much as before, according to the author. Slippery Slope arguments happen when the argument suggests that one thing will lead to another. Slippery Slope is represented here in the scenario where the lady committed a silent lie, and that would lead to her nephew’s death, suggesting that silent lies can actually lead to deaths. In that scene, there was a lady who was accused by the author to have committed a lie by â€Å"simply keeping still and concealing the truth† (Twain, 1885). She â€Å"lied† because she did not want to tell the hospital about the incompetence of their nurse, thinking that she may hurt the feelings of the nurse. Thus, the nurse got the job of taking care of the lady’s nephew, putting the nephew at risk because of the incompetence of the nurse. This is a fallacy. First, a lie is a false statement delivered deliberately (Encarta, 2010). With this definition, technically in this situation, no one told a lie. This is because the lady kept silent. Of course, her silence meant differently but it was not a lie at all. It was deliberate but it never meant to deceive people into believing that the nurse was incompetent. She knew that the nurse was incompetent, sure, but not telling people about it does not constitute to lying. False Authority happens when the author asks the audiences to agree with him simply based on his assertion as a writer.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Cmn 277 Essay Example for Free

Cmn 277 Essay Frequency of cause: how many times you have been exposed into message a. Cumulative (more than one time) multiple b. Non-cumulative (base on taking one) 6. Nature of outcome a. Cognitive (do with fighting against what we believe) b. Affective (do with emotion or feeling) c. Behavioral (perform) EX. The table is soft, but I think it is hard (cognitive); â€Å"I don’t like tables any more† (affective); I will not buy it. (Behavioral) 3) Phases of effects research: research topics, theories, and typical research in the direct effects era, limited effects era, and conditional effects era 1. Direct effects era Research topics and theories a. Looking at political propaganda b. Media perceived to be influential c. EX. â€Å"Hypodermic needle† and â€Å"magic bullet† theories (media are powerful) Research: research focus on content of media; little research on media effects 2. Limited effects era Research topics and theories a. Why are media not powerful? b. Ex. Selective exposure and selective retention theories Typical research: survey and content analysis 3. Conditional effects era Research topics and theories a. Looking for more subtle effects b. Looking for conditions when effects may occur Typical research: broadened range of methods B) Research Methods Overview 1) Basic problems in media effects research 1. Problems of exposure: when someone consume the message, different level of exposure. 2. Problems of measurement 3. Problems of causality (you like to try everything) 2) Causal models: basic one-way model, supplemental models, and alternative causal models 1. Basic one-way model X- cause, independent (nature) Y- effect, dependent (depend on X) X Y 2. Supplement causal models The basic is right, but maybe two or more ways . Multiple causes model X X Y X b. Mutual causation model X Y c. Intervening model (not directly) X Z Y 3. Alternative causal models One-way model here is false a. Reverse causation model X Y b. Third-factor model X Y Z 3) Data collection methods: description, advantages, and disadvantages of content analysis, surveys, and experiments 1. Content analysis Numerical description of media a. Advantages Ident ifies what is in the media message that starts in message b. Disadvantages By itself, cannot demonstrate cause and effect . Surveys Asking representative sample, external validity a. Advantages 1) Representative sample of people 2) Measures naturally occurring events b. Disadvantages 1) Limited to questions 2) Cannot measure time order 3. Experiments Expose people to something: measure effects, internal, validity a. Advantages 1) Can observe/manipulate events 2) Can observe time order b. Disadvantages 1) Often uses limited sample of people 2) Artificial setting and situations C) Uses and Gratifications Theories 1) Uses and Gratifications defined and the uses and gratifications model 1. Defined What happens before and during media exposure helps determine the effects of exposure 2. Model Psychological forces: individual, what you believe Social forces: outside influence, from others or†¦ (Both happen at the same time) Reasons for exposure conditions of exposure: what do you feel media effects Example: Desire to vote correctly Professor urges you to engage in political process 2) Some reasons for media exposure (list of common media gratifications) 1. Surveillance Try to learn something, figure something out 2. Entertainment Look for to prove your mood 3. Interpersonal activity 1) You want to watch famous people, so you watch the TV show (2) You watch TV show, you want to talk to others about it. 4. Para social interaction We keep the relationship (you watch Opera, you believe her because she tells you what to do) 5. Personal Identity You watch TV show to improve yourself and expand your knowledge in the fields you are interested in. The similarity is between you and c haracters. D) Cultivation Theory 1) Constructed nature of social reality 1. The mind begins as a blank slate 2. Our reality is constructed for us by social interactions and institutions 3. Part of the reality we construct is based on television reality 4. Television reality is wrong 2) Television reality: what is wrong with it; the consistency of the patterns Entertainment television presents a distorted view of America and the world. 62% characters are male People under 18 are only 1/3 of actual People over 65 are only 1/5 of actual Crime is 10 times as common as actual Medical and criminal justice workers many times as common as actual 3% of TV characters are responsible for an older adult 3) The Cultivation process: parts of the process 1. Where attitudes come from Belief 1 Belief 2 attitude judgment Belief 3 EX. Beliefs and attitude toward police officers Police use brutality Police protect people Police abuse power 2. The cultivation model Viewer’s exposure to TV demographics 1) Exposure to TV demographics a. Who is on Television b. What they do and what happens to them 2) Viewers’ beliefs about people, places, and other social phenomena a. Who is out there in the world b. What they do and what happens to them 3) Views’ attitudes a. Based on beliefs about people, places, and other social phenomena b. We infer importance status, and relative social place; we make judgments c. Mainstreaming process 4) Further specifications 1. When does Cultivation not occur? a. When direct experience differs from TV b. When people view critically c. When the TV message is not uniform 2. When is cultivation most likely to occur? a. When the message resonate with direct experience b. When 5) Cultivation research: Content analyses and surveys 1. Content analysis of television 2. Survey research a. Exposure to TV b. Beliefs c. Attitudes 6) Criticisms of the theory 1. Difficult to establish causality 2. Too broad E) General Media Effects Theories 1) Social Learning 1. Overview We can learn behavior by watching other’s behavior 2. How it works a. Basic model: Attention to performance of behavior b. Important conditions 1) Identification with model 2) Model rewards/consequences 3) Situational motivations The situation should be the same c. Categorizing the theory 1) Causes change 2) Individual-level 3) Long-term 4) Non-cumulative (only need to see performance once) 5) Behavioral focus 2) Excitation Transfer 1. Overview The excitement we get from media content can exaggerate our feelings 2. How it works 1) Physiological arousal (transfer) Media content can be arousal Expose to arousing content 2) Exaggeration comes from misunderstanding the cause of arousal. 3) Categorizing the theory 1. Causes change 2. Individual level 3. Short-term 4. Non-cumulative 5. Affective focus 3) Exemplification A lot of times we see examples of people in news, we think about the represent issue, use the examples to judge issues. 1. How it works 1) People understand issues in terms of effect on other people 2) News stories supply examples of people and situations (exemplars); often extreme causes. ) People treat exemplars as typical cases 4) Exemplars are often easy to recall when a. No firm impression of actual situation b. Example created emotional reaction 5) Process Exposure to examples in News 6) Net effect: extreme, incorrect beliefs and judgments about social issues 2. Categorizing the theory 1) Causes change 2) Individual-level 3) Long-term 4) Non-cumulative 5) Cognitive focus 4) Dese nsitization a. The more you see bother the content, the less it bother you (content that used to bother you). b. How it works 1) Applies to affect-producing content 2) Basic model Repeated exposure 3) Outcome can be affected or behavior change c. Categorizing the theory 1) Causes change 2) Individual-level 3) Long-term 4) Cumulative 5) Affective focus (first) 5) Catharsis Not very supported, but very interesting media provide opportunity for us to add up emotions. (Media content lets us imagine away negative feelings) 1. How it works 1) We have negative experience 2) Media provide venue for fantasizing 3) Basic model Negative feelings 2. Categorizing the theory 1) Causes change 2) Individual-level 3) Short-term 4) Non-cumulative 5) Affective focus ) Reinforcement Some media content encourage us to stay as we are (media reinforces what we already think, feel and do) 1. How it works 1) Builds from 2 basic observations a. Not everyone reacts to media content b. Many people already behave as suggested by content 2) Basic model Exposure to content 2. Categorizing the theory (does not cause change) 1) Reinforces 2) Individual-level 3) Long-term 4) Non-cumulative 5) Cognitive/affective/behavioral focus F) Media Violence and Aggression 1) Basic models of violence effects 1. Exposure to violence in media Exposure Exposure Exposure 2. Exposure to violence in media 2) The research: content analysis, experiments, and survey studies 1. Content analysis (1) Count of violent acts Six percent of all TV shows have violence and have six hours (2) Perpetrators Good guys commit violence 3) Consequences (terrible) 70% of violent acts down, half of them show no harm or no pain. 4% content 2. Survey studies (1) One-time How much violence can you observe? Generally conducted on Children Ask teacher to measure the aggression in Children Ask children how much TV they watch Lots of TV= lots of aggression (2) Over-time 1961: increased exposure=increased aggression 1971: increased exposure=increased aggression Being exposed to violence= aggressive behavior (causal nature) 3. Experiment Field experiments: outcomes based on previous experience Look at previous behavior, control predict Violent is related to aggressive Trying to find out what people are doing naturally Less control 3) Criticisms of the research Causal model cannot show relationship with certainty Why is there so much violence? Easily produced Easily understood G) Sexually Explicit Content ) Issues in sexually explicit content research: the basic categorization scheme, kinds of dependent variables, ethical concerns 1. The basic categorization scheme (1) Sexually violent a. Sex involves in movies (2) Nonviolent degrading More or less can teach bad things for male and female relationship (3) Nonviolent non-degrading Love, equal power between (4) Nudity It is not real about sex (5) Child por nography 2. Kinds of dependent variables (1) Arousal What people will be like when show something? (2) Beliefs What people think about the sexual content? (3) Attitudes (4) Behavior What’s your sexual activity? Take safe or not? 3. Ethical concerns People do the content worries about 2) Effects of non-violent sexually explicit content: degrading and non-degrading content 3) Effects of sexual violence: what makes sexual violence different than other violence, typical sexual violence content types and exposure effects We only see it in media Typical sexual violence content types: the outcome 4) Criticisms of the research Hard to do this experiment H) Race in Crime News 1) Theoretical approaches to possible effects 2) Race and crime news: how various racial groups are depicted 3) Explaining differences in news coverage I) Mass Media and Gender 1) Theoretical approaches to possible effects 2) Remember audience differences 3) Entertainment media and advertising: content patterns, the role of media producers, research on effects of exposure to body images J) Media Media and Health 1) Theoretical approaches to possible effects 2) Representations of mental disorders 3) Representations of physicians: current and past 4) Entertainment-Education 5) Media Obesity: characteristics of common portrayals (of food and people), nutritional knowledge K) Public Opinion 1) Public opinion defined 2) Spiral of Silence ) Criticisms of Spiral of Silence We need more research, dont work very well in the USA. L) Agenda Setting, Priming, ; Framing 1) The agenda setting effect: the public agenda, the media agenda, how the media communicate the importance of issues, the basic model 2) Agenda setting research: survey research at one time, survey research over time, and experiments 3) Conditions that affect when agenda settin g happens: individual differences and issue obtrusiveness 4) Issue priming: the priming effect and research Use the issue to judge the leaders 5) Framing: the news framing effect Does take in account what it said. M) Mass Media and Presidential Elections 1) Relationship between candidates and journalists 2) Patterson’s Game Schema Theory a) Hypothesis: general thesis and model b) Opposing approaches to elections: how journalists and voters approach elections c) Effects of this disparity d) Why this has occurred e) Strengths and weaknesses (criticisms) of the theory N) Effects of Internet Use 1) Internet use affects quality of interactions 2) Internet use replaces interpersonal communication 3) Internet use replaces traditional mass media People dont have recourses to do multiple things. You dont know when someone watching you. Internet people can get really diversity information III. Discussion section content since examination #1 A) Sex Roles on Television and Stereotype Threat B) Video game and music video findings C) Voter turnout trends and campaigns Important thing to know who tends to vote. Education level, race graphics Why? Old people are home, and others. VEP is better than the VAP Learn about the candidates and decide how you to vote Watch the news and look for issue information about the conditdates Want to decide how to vote I don’t want to become a police officer Viewer’s attitudes Viewer’s beliefs Performance of behavior Learning of behavior Exaggeration of feelings Arousal Examples used in beliefs and judgment about issues Recall of examples Acceptance of depicted behavior Reduced emotional response Perform Reduction of original feelings Various releases of feelings Exposure to others acting out feelings Predisposition reinforcement Aggressiveness Aggressiveness Social learning Aggressiveness Excitation transfer Aggressiveness Desensitization Fear

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Religious Identity In Different Cultures Sociology Essay

Religious Identity In Different Cultures Sociology Essay We argue that it is possible to empirically test some of the postulates of the classical distinction between an intrinsic and an extrinsic religious orientation: we investigated how people perceive the difference between an individual and a social religious identity, between a central versus a peripheral religiosity, and which are the different motives effectively underlying these different forms of religious identity. Using an ecological measure based on four types of participants self-categorization, results from a longitudinal study across six countries provided a new framework for interpreting religious identity. In particular, religious identity was mainly categorized at a social level by European respondents, whereas nonwestern respondents mostly rated it at an individual level; religious identity was perceived as equally central at the individual and social levels of categorization. Last, we compared the strength of different identity motives underlying these different forms o f religious identity. In the conclusions, we discuss the importance of investigating the different ways of being religious, and how they differ according to the specific experience of religiosity in a particular national context. Keywords: religious identity; identity motives; religious orientation; cross-cultural. The Categorization of Religious Identity in Different Cultures Is there a single form of the religious sentiment? This question was the first interrogation of Allports seminal book The individual and his Religion (1950, p.3): it is clear even in everyday life experience that individuals differ radically from one another in their ways of being religious and that each person endorses the religious identity with a different accent. Some years later, Allport and Ross (1967) developed the well-known distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientations. In this framework, the intrinsic orientation is typical of an individual who lives religiosity as something personal, mainly consisting of private expression, central in life and satisfying the individual need for meaning; on the other hand, the extrinsic oriented individual mainly lives the social aspect of religiosity, considering religion as something peripheral in his/her existence and that responds to social needs, such as the need for belonging or for high social status. Even if it has been widely used, many scholars pointed out the weakness if this definition and the debate on how to define religious identity is still open. Here, we focus on two parts, which we investigated in a cross-cultural study of late adolescents. The first aspect concerns the level of categorization of religious identity: in the intrinsic orientation, religiosity is personal and endorsed at an individual level, whereas the extrinsic type is mainly associated with a social level and thus with group belonging. Does this distinction correspond to real life experience of religious identity? Is it possible to distinguish between an individual (or personal) versus a social (group belonging) religious identity? The second aspect deals with the structure of identity: for an intrinsic orientated individual, religious identity is central and of primary importance, while it is peripheral and superficially endorsed in the extrinsic one. Does the distinction between individual and social religious identity entail a difference between a central versus a peripheral religious identity? In sum, this empirical study investigated in an ecologic framework if some people perceive their own religious identity as an individual characteristic, whereas others as a group belonging, and the implications of this difference for the understanding of religious identity. The Level of Categorization of Religious Identity: Individual and Social Religious Self According to the delineation of the religious orientations provided by Allport and Ross (1967), some people live religiosity as something personally chosen and individually endorsed, whereas other people live religiosity mainly as a belonging to a social group. In the literature, research into religiosity sometimes consider the individual aspect of religion, for example solitary personal prayer (e.g. Fincham, Lambert, Beach, 2010), while at other times consider the social side of religiosity, for example the feeling of belonging to a group and the commitment toward this group (e.g. Vekuyten Yildiz, 2010). Cohen, Hall, Koenig, and Meador (2005) argued that the importance of social aspects in religion can be viewed as a cultural characterization of certain religious denominations (see also Cohen, Siegel, Rozin, 2003; Hall, Meador, Koenig, 2008); for example, the emphasis on communitarian aspects (praying together, feeling a sense of belonging) is stronger in certain denominations, whereas in other denominations the emphasis is more on individual religiosity (e.g. beliefs, conversion, personal prayer). Another possible explanation for the different emphasis put on the individual versus social side of religiosity can be found in general culture: the differences between individualistic and collectivistic cultures might also affect differences in religious identity (Triandis, 1995). The six countries included in the present study all have a Christian historical background (paired with Islam in Lebanon), but they differ in levels of individualism and collectivism (Triandis, 1995). Thus, we explored the question about the individual or social characterization of religious identity in a large sample of different cultures, allowing to compare between individualistic and collectivistic countries. To our knowledge, no study to date has investigated with an ecologic approach what people actually feel about their religious identity. A first purpose in the present study is to look at what people say when they think about their religious identity. In particular, we proposed to look at four possible levels of categorization, drawing on self- categorization theory (Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher, Wetherell, 1987): an individual level, a relational level, a small group level and a large group level. We expected that some people perceive their own religious identity mainly as a personal characteristic, whereas others perceive it as a group belonging, etc. Therefore, we examined which level of categorization people associate their religious identity with if directly asked, without any sort of priming (e.g. without influence by instructions or by item formulation). The Structure of Identity: Central and Peripheral Religious Self The question about the centrality of religiosity in the individual self is assuming growing importance in the literature. In fact, it is argued that the individual differences in centrality of the religious self may also result in different degrees of integration of religion in life, and thus to different outcomes (Pargament, 2002). According to Allport and Ross (1967) theorization, intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity imply a different degree of centrality of religion in the individuals life: the intrinsic orientation entails centrality in life, i.e. subjective importance of religion, and it is seen as a more mature form of religiosity, whereas in the extrinsic form religiosity is a more peripheral part of life. Given that the authors consider intrinsic form of religiosity mainly as individual religiosity, they also assume that the individual religious self is more central than the social (extrinsic) religious self, which is seen as more peripheral. Nevertheless, this clear-cut opposition is questioned from many parts (e.g. Pargament, 1992; Burris, 1994). Flere and Lavric (2007) argued that intrinsic religious orientation is a culturally specific American Protestant concept and concluded that it is time for scholars to approach the question of the authenticity [italics added] of non-intrinsic religious orientation, including social extrinsic orientation not just as sociability, but as a legitimate path for achieving grace and salvation (p. 529). Therefore, we argue that research into the perceived centrality of different types of religious selves would gain clarity by being investigated cross-culturally, comparing across cultures the perceived importance of religiosity in the individual, relational or social self. In the present study, we investigated the centrality measured as perceived subjective importance of religious self in identity in a cross-cultural sample from six nations, including both western and nonwestern countries. We examined if people who define their religious identity more in terms of individual versus relational versus social self also show different degrees of centrality of that religious identity. According to the evidence provided by Cohen and colleagues (2005), and Flere and Lavric (2007), the social aspects of religiosity can be perceived equally important as the individual aspects by the person herself; thus, we expected to observe equivalent degrees of centrality at all levels of categorization. The Present Study This study is based on secondary analysis of a data set of a broader longitudinal study into culture and identity (Becker, Vignoles, Owe, Brown, Smith, Easterbrook, et al., 2012). For the purpose of the present research, we examined six different cultural contexts: three European countries from different parts of Europe (UK, Belgium, Italy) and three non European countries, specifically a Middle East country (Lebanon), one in East Asia (Philippines) and one in sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia). These countries represent six very different cultural contexts in which religious identity can develop, with varying levels of individualism and collectivism (Triandis, 1995): the UK, Italy and Belgium have similar high rates for individualism, while Lebanon, Philippines and Ethiopia are all collectivistic countries (Hofstede, 2001). We hypothesized that in all these contexts people can perceive their religious identity at different levels of categorization, with implications for the centrality of religious identity and for the motives underlying each type of religious self. In the previous sections of this paper, we accounted for the distinction between individual and social religious self; then we exposed the centrality or non centrality of religious identity and the multiplicity of motives that can be at the basis of religious identity. The study reflects this pattern and provides answers to three research questions: (1) Are there individuals who categorize their religious identity as individual and others who categorize their identity as relational or social? Our hypothesis, following Cohen at al. (2005), was that participants define their religious identity both as individual and as social. (2) Is the individual religious self the most central religious identity? Our hypothesis, consistent with Cohen et al. (2005) and Flere and Lavric (2007) findings that both individual and social motives can have the same importance in religious identity, was that, irrespective of culture, the perceived centrality of religious identity is equivalent at the individ ual, relational and group level of identity. Method Participants. Participants were a subsample of the broader research project, constituted by secondary school students in the UK, Belgium, Italy, Lebanon, Philippines, and Ethiopia. A total of 1,793 participants took part in the study. The mean age was 17.5 (SD 1.1); 257 were residents in the UK, 194 in Belgium, 187 in Italy, 300 in Lebanon, 250 in Ethiopia, and 300 in the Philippines. Demographic information regarding age, gender, general religiosity (mean rates for How important is religion to you?, from 1 not at all to 5 extremely) and religious belonging in each national sample are presented in Table 1. Table 1. Participants Characteristics and Religious Belonging by Sample. Sample Belgium Ethiopia Italy Lebanon Philippines UK Mean Age (sd) 17.7(1.1) 18.1(1.0) 18.1(0.8) 17.3(0.5) 17.9(1.3) 17.1(0.8) % Female 57 45 61 46 66 75 Religiosity (1-5) 2.14 4.77 2.69 3.73 4.03 1.92 % Christian 45.4 97.1 77.8 34 89.3 34.1 % Muslim 6.0 1.2 1.6 61.3 0.7 0.8 % Other 1.2 3.8 2.0 8.7 2.4 % no relig. belonging 46.6 1.6 16.8 2.7 1.3 61 Procedure. The research was introduced as a study about opinions, thoughts and feelings; participants were recruited through schools and were not compensated in any way. As the present study is based on secondary analysis, the research team members who supervised the completion of the questionnaire were unaware of the researchs aim, so participants were not influenced about religion/religiosity. A questionnaire was filled out at the beginning of the school year (time 1) and, after a period of approximately six months, another questionnaire was completed (time 2). In nations where this was an ethical requirement, parental consent was obtained in advance. Measures. Measures were included within a larger questionnaire concerning identity construction and cultural orientation (see Becker et al, 2012; Owe et. al, 2012). The questionnaires were administered in English in UK and Philippines, and they were translated from English into French (Belgium), Italian (Italy), Arabic (Lebanon) and Amharic (Ethiopia) in each country. Independent back-translations were made by bilinguals who were not familiar with the research topic and hypotheses. Ambiguities and inconsistencies were identified and resolved by discussion, adjusting the translations. Only the measures relevant to this article are described here. Generation of identity aspects. First, participants were asked to generate freely ten answers to the question Who are you? (hereafter, these answers will be referred to as identity aspects), using an adapted version of the Twenty Statements Test (TST, Kuhn McPartland, 1954, see Becker et al., 2012). This part of the questionnaire was located at the very beginning of the questionnaire, so that responses would be constrained as little as possible by theoretical expectations or demand characteristics. The ten aspects generated by respondents at time 1 were re-presented at time 2 and participants re-evaluated them after the time lag. Self-categorization of identity aspects. (Vignoles et al., 2006). Participants were asked to indicate for each identity aspect the category that best fitted their identity aspect, by circling a letter (possible choices: I, for individual characteristic, R, for relationship with someone, SM, for belonging to a small group, LG, for belonging to a large group). We adopted four categories in order to maximize the ecological approach and let respondents choose between more than a dichotomous alternative. Identity centrality. (Vignoles et al. 2006). A question measured the perceived centrality of each identity aspect within participants subjective identity structures (How important is each of these things in defining who you are?; scale anchors were 0 = not at all important, 10 = extremely important). The same item was answered both at time 1 and at time 2. Identity motives. (Vignoles et al., 2006). Participants were asked to rate each of their identity aspects on the six identity motives. The questions measured the association of each identity aspect with feelings of self-esteem (How much does each of these things make you see yourself positively?), distinctiveness (How much do you feel that each of these things distinguishes you-in any sense-from other people?), belonging (How much does each of these things make you feel you belong-that you are include among or accepted by people who matter for you?), efficacy (How much does each of these things make you feel competent and capable?), continuity (How much does each of these things give you a sense of continuity-between past, present and future-in your life?), meaning (How much does each of these things give you the sense that your life is meaningful?). Scale anchors were 0 = not at all, 10 = extremely. Results After collecting data, we read all the identity aspects and selected the identity aspects referring to religion, coding them as 1 and all other aspects as 0. All the aspects that mentioned God, Religion, belonging to religious organizations, etc. were coded as religious identity aspects. Examples are: Christian, Religious, God fearing, Member of the Church, etc. The percentage of people who mentioned at least one religious identity aspect in each country were: Ethiopia 47%, Philippines 33%, Italy 13%, Belgium 9%, Lebanon 7%, UK 6%. Most of the following analyses, except where indicated, were conducted selecting only participants religious identity aspects. Self-categorization of religious identity aspects. The questionnaire item, as described before, allowed to choose between individual characteristic, relationship with someone, belonging to a small group and belonging to a large group. The percentages of selected categories differed in each country sample. As we can see in Figure 1, European participants mainly categorized their religious identity aspects as group belonging, while non-European participants labeled their religious identity aspects as individual characteristic in the majority of cases; relationship with someone and small group were chosen by a minority of respondents. A Chi-square test indicated significant differences between countries, à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡2 (15, 232) = 47.981, p We then checked if the differences in categorization were connected to general culture. We tested if it was a general tendency of western respondents to define all their identity aspects as group belongings, but we found that this categorization is specific to religious identity aspects: a Chi-square test conducted on all identity aspects of the European samples indicated a significant difference of categorization between religious and non religious identity aspects, à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡2 (3, 1) = 33.645, p Figure1. Figure 1. Percentages of self-categorization of religious identity aspects in each sample. Centrality of religious identity in the different levels of categorization. We tested the hypothesis that religious identity aspects would be perceived as more central (i.e. rated as more important) in an individual religious self (aspects labeled as individual characteristic) than in a relational (aspects labeled as relation with someone) or social religious self (aspects labeled as small group belonging or large group belonging). However, the ANOVA comparing the means of the four groups revealed no significant differences in the centrality of the religious identity aspects (F (3,202) = 1.61, p = .189). Mean centrality for each level of categorization is reported in Figure 2. Thus, all levels of categorization of religious identity are associated to the same degree of importance for the person who endorses one of them. Figure 2. Mean identity centrality of the religious self by level of categorization. Numbers in parentheses report standard deviations. Centrality was significantly different between countries (F (5,202) = 6.40, p Discussion Our aim was to explore different forms of religious identity in different countries. The study measured the occurrence of religious identity with an ecological procedure, where participants freely generated aspects of their identities. In countries with a higher mean religiosity, a higher number of participants listed a religious identity aspect in their identity. We first investigated the level of self-categorization (Turner et al., 1987) that participants choose for the religious aspects of their identity. Interesting between-country differences were observed: most Western participants rated their religious identity as group belonging, whereas nonwestern participants rated it as individual characteristic. This pattern does not match the traditional individualist-collectivist distinction (Triandis, 1995), and it cannot be explained by general culture (as tested by the comparison with other, non-religious, identity aspects of the same participants), but probably reflects something mo re specifically connected with religious traditions and habits. These results are in line with Cohen et al. (2005) and add to the existing theory the specification that the importance of social versus individual aspects of religious identity varies not only by religious denomination but also by the specific experience of religiosity in a specific national context. It could be, for example, that in Western countries, where religion is not so widespread, people who experience religiosity necessarily have this experience by means of affiliation with a particular group. On the contrary, in countries in which religion is more widespread, individuals can live a religious experience individually and without entering a specific group. The second aim of our study was to compare religious identity centrality at different levels of categorization: literature about intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation suggests that a more personal level of categorization would coincide with a more central (i.e. perceived as important) religious identity (Allport Ross, 1967). However, we predicted, following Cohen et al. (2005) and Flere and Lavric (2007) that the perceived importance of religious identity should be the same for individual, relational, and social religious identity. In support of this hypothesis, there were no significant differences in the mean rates of identity centrality at the four levels of self-categorization. Thus, this disconfirms the distinction between an extrinsic religiosity that is peripheral and based on group belonging, and an intrinsic religiosity that is central and pertains to an individual level. In fact, both individual level and group level religious identity have the characteristic of ce ntrality that was a prerogative of the sole intrinsic orientation. Conclusions and Implications A first implication of these findings is the irrelevance of a distinction between a first class (real, authentic, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) and a second class (peripheral, instrumental,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) religious identity reflecting the personal-social distinction. In fact, even if it is possible to differentiate between different levels of religious identity and to distinguish between a more personal religious identity associated with sense of meaning and a more social religious identity associated with need for belonging (as can be predicted by the traditional intrinsic-extrinsic distinction), each type of religious identity is central for the individual who lives it. Thus, we agree with Flere and Lavric (2007) that the authentic religious expression cannot be confined into the intrinsic-individual orientation but should also include the importance, for the individual, of social and relational aspects of religious identity. A limitation of this study lays in the theoretical opposition between individual and social self: even if it was a necessary option for a first disentanglement of the different ways of being religious, we think that the two selves are not alternative and that an individual could have both a salient individual religious self and a salient social religious self. Indeed, some recent studies combining the two levels measuring at the same time the individual and social side of religious identity show promising findings (see for example, Brambilla, Manzi, Regalia, 2011; Verkuyten Yildiz, 2010). What should also be further explored, is the impact of the minority or majority status of religious groups in a given country on the individual perception of religious identity. In fact, the unexpected observation, in our sample, of the prevalence of self-categorization of religious identity as a group level identity among the western participants, elicits new questions. The impact of different denominations has already been investigated (e.g. Toosi, Ambady, 2010), but less is known about the influence of religious history of each country: it could be the case that in more secularized countries the religious identity is connected to belonging to a specific group, whereas in more religious nations individuals can practice their religion as something ordinary, pertaining to the majority of people (see also Gebauer et al, 2012; Sedikides Gebauer, 2010). Another aspect of possible influence is the interconnection between peoples religious identity and the way in which they enter in con tact with a religious tradition, for example their religious group/community and its specific practices (attendance of services, solitary prayer, volunteering for an association, etc.) and, before, the transmission of faith within family (see for example Assor, Cohen-Malayev, Kaplan, Friedman, 2005).

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Life and Sensibility of Jane Austen :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Life and Sensibility of Jane Austen        Ã‚   Jane Austen has often been considered a woman who led a narrow, inhibited life and who rarely traveled. These assertions are far from the truth. Jane Austen traveled more than most women of her time and was quite involved in the lives of her brothers, so much that it often interfered with her writing. Like most writers, Jane drew on her experiences and her dreams for the future and incorporated them into her writing. Her characters reflect the people around her; the main characters reflect parts of herself. In Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park, Elinor Dashwood, Elizabeth Bennet, and Fanny Price all reflect aspects of Jane Austen and dreams she had that were never fulfilled.    Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, the sixth of seven children, to a rector and his wife. Jane was raised among books and began reading and writing at an early age. Her brother Henry said "her reading started very early," and it was difficult to say "at what age she was not intimately acquainted with the merits and defects of the best essays and novels in the English language" (Tomalin 67). Her earliest works date to age twelve, although she most likely wrote pieces before then. Her family often read Shakespeare together in the evenings. Her mother enjoyed writing verse and often wrote poetry to celebrate happy occasions. Jane grew up with an appreciation for writing and literature.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The biographies about Jane Austen describe the facts of her life in a step-by-step manner. They tend to be repetitive since she did not leave behind a rich fabric of day-to-day life. Yet Jane Austen is known not because of the factual details of her life; she is not remembered two hundred years after her death because she had six siblings and was a wonderful aunt to her nieces and nephews. Rather, Jane Austen is remembered because of what she wrote, her "ouvre." Only through reading her literature does one get a taste of the real Jane Austen, the Jane Austen who dreamed and made plans for the future that failed to materialize. Therefore, I have attempted to describe the life of Jane Austen by interpreting her novels and picking three main characters who I feel most closely serve as her alter ego. A writer writes from his or her own experiences; only by analyzing Jane Austen's characters do we get an understanding of the true author.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Ethics Paper (Google)

Individual Paper Google: The Quest to Balance Privacy with Profits Amanda Green MGT 308 Professor Vidal March 19, 2013 Background Since its birth over a decade ago, Google has been on the cutting edge of internet technological innovation, and more recently, consumer electronics and productivity tools. Many faithful Google users praise the company for the ease of use of their products, and for the number of free virtual products the company offers (Google. com, Google+, Gmail, Google Docs, Chrome, Youtube etc†¦).In order for Google to offer a variety of â€Å"free† virtual products, they must sell ad space to other companies to be featured within Google products, such as their free search engine Google. com. In 2000, Google introduced a new way to capitalize on its advertising revenues by using a different way of selling ad space, AdWords. With this method of advertising, companies only pay when a user actually clicks on their advertisement. The users’ searches can also be tracked and advertisements related to the search words will be displayed to the user.Methods like this are both profitable for the company and for Google because it allows the ads to better reach the target audience. Although from a corporate point of view this method seems ideal, some users have taken a great concern with how their personal internet patterns are being used to Google’s advantage, thus causing a user privacy conflict. Although some users are comfortable with this method, in the past few years, Google’s privacy policy issue has been placed under an ethical spotlight, and the company continues to face many challenges not only with consumers, but also with government regulations.Great Power; Greater Responsibility? Being one of the most valuable brands in the world, Google has an inherent responsibility to use their power to improve the lives of their many stake holders. These stake holders include employees, investors, advertisers, and most import antly their consumers. Because of their unique work environment, Google employees seem to be a pleased stakeholder group. Google has gone above and beyond many companies to create an unmatched work environment and benefits for their employees.With many perks such as a massage every other week, free gourmet lunches, an outdoor volleyball court, roller hockey, tuition reimbursement, bring your pet to work, and discounts on solar panels, it is obvious that Google is a place anyone would aspire to work at. But a happy employee does not necessarily mean a happy consumer. Google profits from user satisfaction and loyalty to their services and products. Recently this user satisfaction has been over shadowed by user doubt and concern. In fact, 52 percent of Google users have some concerns about their privacy on the site.The user privacy policy Google currently has in place is thought, by many users, to be confusing and is often times over looked. This privacy statement explains to users tha t their personal information is tracked and collected by Google. On the other hand, some consumers feel that use of their personal information is a small price to pay in exchange for using their superior services. Perhaps, in the case of their customer stakeholders, Google needs to look at the privacy issue from an ethical point of view rather than a profitable point of view.Google should go above and beyond to insure consumer privacy and understanding, rather than using a passive method. Given their large amount of resources it seems reasonable that Google should create a privacy policy that all of its users can fully understand. An increased corporate transparency will create more trust and loyalty in Google and their products and services. If the users are happy then a domino effect will be created and advertisers will keep and strong faith and trust in Google, as will their investors.The Balance between Consumer Privacy and Corporate Profitability Due to a rapidly developing tec hnological world, many tech companies are being faced with issues concerning consumer privacy and safety. With every advance in technology there comes a risk. In Google’s case, they have been able to collect consumer information, most of the time without the consumers’ knowledge, and use it to their advantage in selling ad space to advertisers. Google holds strong that this information is kept confidential and over time becomes anonymous.Although Google does take its users privacy seriously, some users still think it is unethical for Google to use their personal information and internet browsing habits for profit. Perhaps, one of the best ways Google could work to create a balance between privacy and profit is to allow users easy access to the information that Google has collected about them. This way users could know exactly what information is being used my Google for advertisement profits.If a consumer is uncomfortable with this, they could opt out of using Googleâ €™s services. Google could also provide a service in which consumers could pay a low monthly fee to insure that their personal information and internet activity is not tracked or collected by Google. In any situation, Google should continue to contribute large amounts of their resources to security innovation, in order to insure that users’ personal information is kept safe from computer hackers. Effects of Government Internet Privacy RegulationAs Google experienced in China, government regulations can be detrimental to not only their profits, but a contradiction to Google’s key principles. When Google was forced by the Chinese government to censor certain internet sites, Google felt this was against their key principles. So in 2012 Google decided to provide a warning for users when a search term might encounter censorship. The Chinese government did not approve of this, so Google moved on to Hong Kong and lost their major market share of Chinese internet users.The Third Party Doctrine and the United States Patriot Act is a governmental issue that has caused weariness for users. Under the Patriot Act, the U. S. government could, by law, subpoena the personal information Google has collected about its users, even though Google assures its users that their information is kept confidential. Other governmental policies Google is facing are privacy audits done by the FTC. These audits could actually prove to be a positive opportunity for Google to improve on their privacy controls and regain faith of their users.In order for Google to comply with new and future government regulations, they must be flexible and find ways to insure user privacy and safety before it becomes an issue, as it has in the past couple of years. Conclusion: Although Google has been under an ethical spot light in recent years, they should continue to use their innovative resources to provide consumers with cutting edge services and products. The privacy policy changes they s hould make will challenge the ways they have been conducting business the past two decades.However, it will be essential that Google takes ethical steps to regain faith, trust and loyalty of their consumers. In the rapidly changing world of technology, Google will need to find ethical ways to be ahead of the game, rather than bending and pushing the internet privacy rules. References Sawayda J. (2012). Google: The Quest to Balance Privacy with Profits. Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative. Retrieved from http://danielsethics. mgt. unm. edu/