Benefits Of Reading Books Essay

I’ve found that no matter what I read, the act of reading every day has helped me in nearly every aspect of my life. Here are a few of my favorite ways that reading has improved my quality of life, and will definitely improve yours. 1. Mental Stimulation Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progressof (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer’s and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power. Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so the phrase â€Å"use it or lose it† is particularly apt when it comes to your mind. Doing puzzles and playing games such as chess have also been found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation. 2. Stress Reduction No matter how much stress you have at work, in your personal relationships, or countless other issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great story. A well-written novel can transport you to other realms, while an engaging article will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to relax. 3. Knowledge Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information, and you never know when it might come in handy. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are to tackle any challenge you’ll ever face. Additionally, here’s a bit of food for thought: should you ever find yourself in dire circumstances, remember that although you might lose everything else—your job, your possessions, your money, even your health—knowledge can never be taken from you. 4. Vocabulary Expansion This goes with the above topic: the more you read, the more words you gain exposure to, and they’ll inevitably make their way into your everyday vocabulary. Being articulate and well-spoken is of great help in any profession, and knowing that you can speak to higher-ups with self-confidence can be an enormous boost to your self-esteem. It could even  aid in your career, as those who are well-read, well-spoken, and knowledgeable on a variety of topics tend to get promotions more quickly (and more often) than those with smaller vocabularies and lack of awareness of literature, scientific breakthroughs, and global events. Reading books is also vital for learning new languages, as non-native speakers gain exposure to words used in context, which will ameliorate their own speaking and writing fluency. 5. Memory Improvement When you read a book, you have to remember an assortment of characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history, and nuances, as well as the various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way through every story. That’s a fair bit to remember, but brains are marvellous things and can remember these things with relative ease. Amazingly enough, every new memory you create forges new synapses (brain pathways)and strengthens existing ones, which assists in short-term memory recall as well as stabilizing moods. How cool is that? 6. Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills Have you ever read an amazing mystery novel, and solved the mystery yourself before finishing the book? If so, you were able to put critical and analytical thinking to work by taking note of all the details provided and sorting them out to determine â€Å"whodunnit†. That same ability to analyze details also comes in handy when it comes to critiquing the plot; determining whether it was a well-written piece, if the characters were properly developed, if the storyline ran smoothly, etc. Should you ever have an opportunity to discuss the book with others, you’ll be able to state your opinions clearly, as you’ve taken the time to really consider all the aspects involved. 7. Improved Focus and Concentration In our internet-crazed world, attention is drawn in a million different directions at once as we multi-task through every day. In a single 5-minute span, the average person will divide their time between working on a task, checking email, chatting with a couple of people (via gchat, skype, etc.), keeping an eye on twitter, monitoring their smartphone, and interacting with co-workers. This type of ADD-like behaviour causes stress levels to rise, andlowers our productivity. When you read a book, all of your attention is  focused on the story—the rest of the world just falls away, and you can immerse yourself in every fine detail you’re absorbing. Try reading for 15-20 minutes before work (i.e. on your morning commute, if you take public transit), and you’ll be surprised at how much more focused you are once you get to the office. 8. Better Writing Skills This goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of your vocabulary: exposure to published, well-written work has a noted effect on one’s own writing, as observing the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles of other authors will invariably influence your own work. In the same way that musicians influence one another, and painters use techniques established by previous masters, so do writers learn how to craft prose by reading the works of others. 9. Tranquility In addition to the relaxation that accompanies reading a good book, it’s possible that the subject you read about can bring about immense inner peace and tranquility. Reading spiritual texts can lower blood pressure and bring about an immense sense of calm, while reading self-help books has been shown to help people suffering from certain mood disorders and mild mental illnesses. 10. Free Entertainment Though many of us like to buy books so we can annotate them and dog-ear pages for future reference, they can be quite pricey. For low-budget entertainment, you can visit your local library and bask in the glory of the countless tomes available there for free. Libraries have books on every subject imaginable, and since they rotate their stock and constantly get new books, you’ll never run out of reading materials.

Do Young People Today Make Good Use of Their Leisure Time?

Leisure time can be well spent in many different ways. One popular option among the young is playing video games and watching television. While other activities like sports,social gathering and reading are available to them,many people feel that they spend too much time on these indoor games and screens and prefer them to be more active. In this essay,I will discuss my view on the issue to get positive results out of free time. Nowadays, younger generation has greater choices of leisure facilities than previous one. Among such facilities are television and video games.Some social experts and families are concerned about health of teenage overindulge on these activities. This is supported by some reports that sitting too long in front of television could lead to problems of eyes and back. On the other hand, some medical experts believe that some video games can improve the dexterity of the player and this could help his or her future career like operating doctor or pilot. In addition, watching television keeps young audience inform about what happens around locally as well as globally. Related article: How Teenagers Spend Their TimeThat would enhance teenagers' inquisitive mind and encourage them to keep eyes on challenging local and international issues. While such benefit is welcomed, there also are dangers of exposing them to violence, crimes and explicit scenes on some television series which can have negative impact on younger personalities. Alternatively, there are many activities which have positive results in term of social, physical and educational values. For example, walking, jogging and trekking in a recreational park improve their physical strength and give an opportunity to observe nature and environment.Furthermore, spending time with family, relatives and friends outdoor enriches their social lives. As a result, they would be more interactive and responsible socially. Finally, one could simply be entertained by reading at home or playing some music. In conclusion, how much time should we spend on each activity during extra time is debatable. Each ha s its own merit so long as individual does not involve excessively. In my opinion, young and adult alike should choose sensibly on type of activity and time spent to get most benefits out of their free time.

Case study of the Image Cafe

Case study of the Image Cafe Image Cafà © was founded by Clarence Wooten in 1998. Prior to that he was also a founded of Envision Designs while he was an undergraduate in 1991 and Metamorphosis Studios in 1994 with co-founder Andre Forde. However, the three company did not really last long. In 1998, Metamorphosis Studios had sold to Medisolv, Inc and Image Cafà © was acquired by Network Solution after sever months of market launch (Clarence Wooten, Jr., 2005). About Clarence Wooten, Jr. Clarence Wooten had a big dream since childhood. His dream is to get rich someday. His childhood hobby was playing with computer games. He was so obsessed with computer that his parents banned him at the age of 14 (Kathryn F, Spinelli, 2004: 33-40). At the age of 18, he attended college to study architecture in Catonsville Community College. During that time he believes that by taking up architecture courses can satisfy his creative instincts. In the early 1990s, many professional architects went back to school to upgrade them selves due to the recession. At that point of time, he manages to learn from the senior architects. After the first two failure of his business, he realised that he did not really understand anything about finance after he read the stories from Fred Smith, Reginald Lewis and Bill Gates. This had inspired him to upgrade himself with a business administration and finance. In 1998, he was graduated with B.S. in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University (Kathryn F, Spinelli, 2004: 33-40). Clarence Wooten, Jr. Venture Spirit Clarence Wooten started Envision Design which was his first business while he enrolled for Catonsville Community College. The type of service he was offering was using form and cardboard to model out a proposed building. The company did not perform well during that time and eventually closed down (Kathryn F, Spinelli, 2004: 33-40). In 1994, Clarence Wooten started his second company Metamorphosis Studios with his co-founded Andre Forde by focusing on spec ial effects and multimedia presentations. Their first customer is Bingwa, an educational software company. However, Bingwa require Metamorphosis Studios to relocate to Princeton, New Jersey and worked for Bingwa. After a thought Clarence Wooten and Andre Forde turned down the offer as they know they are heading for something big (Kathryn F, Spinelli, 2004: 33-40). Metamorphosis Studios was not a successful project too, in 1998 Metamorphosis Studios was acquired by MediSolv, Inc (Clarence Wooten, Jr., 2005). In early 1998, Clarence Wooten started his third company Image Cafà ©. Back in 1995, internet service began to grow. Many companies had started to create their own companies website in order to promote their products and services over the World Wide Web. However, during that time, many companies do not have their own expertise to create a website. Clarence Wooten knew that this is an opportunity and started Image Cafà © to help companies by design their website to promote their products and services over the web (Kathryn F, Spinelli, 2004: 33-40). At the start of Image Cafà ©, Clarence Wooten went around to search for capital in order to start his business. What Clarence Wooten wants was $300,000 capital based on $3 million valuation. In total he received $110,000 from 10 different investors. Image Cafà © website was ready to launch after four month of preparation. However, at that point of time, Clarence Wooten had utilised the cash during the launch. He went back to the existing investors to ask for additional $150,000 in form of bridge loan. This time, Clarence Wooten expects to raise $3million at $10 million valuation (Kathryn F, Spinelli, 2004: 33-40).

Classical Realism and Liberal Internationalism Essay

Classical Realism and Liberal Internationalism - Essay Example Taking a look at the recent revolutions and uprising against the sitting governments in Libya, there have been calls for the interventions of foreign military support to the rebels. Proponents of this notion have been calling for the involvement of the United States to support the rebels with their military, as this would spread liberalism and save lives. It would provide an equal ground against the government, which had the disposal of the military in the country to deal with the rebels and seize the revolution. It can be observed that the revolution had an effect of bringing political chaos to both ends, as well as destruction to the nation’s wellbeing for a long period of time. Advocates of both interventions do not seem to fully comprehend the use of force in contributing to political order as in the first place the scenarios happening were created by the absence of a strong state to instil liberal norms, strong government institutions and a sense of nationalism to the cit izens. Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi was ready to kill Libyans; the same people he says love him but have a funny way of showing him as he refers to the rebels wanting him out of power. Humanitarians called for the intervention of the United States military to stop Gaddafi from killing his own people who were revolting against him. The successful overthrowing of his government was followed by elections in July 2012. A General National Congress was voted in and a political coalition widely regarded as the liberal option. accorded power, the National Forces Alliance having won 39 seats over the Justice and Construction party affiliated to a Muslim Brotherhood with 17 seats nationwide. I will rationally argue that classical realists’ works such as Morgenthau and Thucydides remain foundational texts for international relation scholars and are cited more frequently than their counterparts in the disciplines of social sciences. This can be attributed to the fact that international relations are still young in its field and feels the need to justify itself intellectually. It shows the need and resolve to have lucid, defensible readings of text that build reliable bridges between realism and the problems that will be of interests to the scholars in the contemporary world such as those formulating liberal internationalism. I will argue that internationa

MHE503 Survey of Emergency and Disaster Mgt Module 2 Case Essay

MHE503 Survey of Emergency and Disaster Mgt Module 2 Case - Essay Example FBI: months before the actual attack, there had been a reported suspicion on two Middle Eastern Men training in one of the US flight schools. It has been observed that they're being too much concern about fast learning procedures had been a practical reason for the suspicion of the agency.2 Then again, this call has not been well recognized by the government as a possible threat to the nation's security. These particular calls for possible alarm appeared to have no specific and strong evidences of being true, taking them into consideration could have been a better choice for the government as putting the little suspicions together was practically a good reason for them to search through the individuals were suspected to have connections with Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. The reports after the attack noted that there were possible calls and secret movements within the government agencies during the pre-attack dates. ... One particular truth that might have enveloped the lack of concentration and attention that the government had on the possible case of an arising attack against the safety of US may have not been given careful concern practically because of the compartmentalization of the major agencies governing the safety of the country.4 Likely, even though the government administration of US poses to be centralized and mainly controlled by a main unit, it could be noted that only a few are really interconnected towards each other. Here are some other considerations that could have been given attention to: Many agents in both CIA and FBI do not have an idea about each other. Hence, even though they are interconnected by a particular system, there is no personal linkage that served their agencies. Because of this, it is quite hard to deal with the increased emergence of possible suspected matters that are noted to have a great imposing threat to the nation's security and protection. 5Because of this, it could be noted that getting to the people who know something about the situation was not that easy to accomplish between the different teams within the agencies working within a certain case. Besides that, being naive over the major things that happened before the attack may be correlated to the self belief that Americans have that the Al Qaeda would not take the risk to attack the nation since they though these Middle Eastern individuals believe that the nation's security is established well and that they would be feared by it. No matter, the surprise attack made a good fulfilment of the plan. 6Apparently, the American government failed to recognize the fact that these Middle Eastern Individuals are known for their commitment to their

The impact of our race and ethnicity on our identity Essay

The impact of our race and ethnicity on our identity - Essay Example As Peter Schuck and Rogers Smith argue, American citizenship has never been exclusively "consensual." There has always been an interpretive imbalance between John Locke's "individualistic liberalism," which has been the attributed conceptual cornerstone of the American Revolution, and the less-acknowledged influence of "Atlantic republicanism" that underlies that of an American empire. Zora Neale Hurston developed into an avid reader and an attentive listener, a fan of myth, legend, and local lore. In Eatonville, where everyone is some shade of black, Zora is no different from anyone else. The white people she meets in Eatonville differ from her only insofar as they do not live there. As Barbara Johnson points out, the Zora of Eatonville disappears in Jacksonville and becomes a colored girl. "The acquisition of color is a loss of identity," Johnson writes. Moreover, color seems not to be "fixed" but a "function of motion" from Eatonville to Jacksonville. Although Johnson is writing primarily about How It Feels to Be Colored Me, published in 1928, her comments are equally valid for Dust Tracks, since Hurston reuses, revising only slightly, many of the same passages from her earlier work. Hurston's sense of separation from her warm and safe familial life and her subsequent departure from Eatonville to Jacksonville begin a lifetime of wandering from and returning to her roots. Although Zora returns to Eatonville after her father's second marriage, she is never able to return to her mother's home; it has become simply a house. Zora's knock-down, drag-out fight with her stepmother, whom she never forgives for usurping her mother's place, emphasizes Hurston's displacement from her home and family. In one sense, however, her alienation precipitates her journey from Eatonville to Washington, D.C., and later to New York City to gain education and a better life. This journey echoes that of many Negroes who moved from the black belt of the South to the North. Hurston's journey repeats in a way the migration by slaves to gain life and freedom, followed by subsequent migrations made by Blacks to find work in northern factories and to improve life for themselves and their children. The plot development of Hurston's autobiography, then, owes much to a black tradition, going back to slave narratives and to early black autobiographies. The toll of substance use and abuse among black males, noted by social scientists since the earliest decades of this century, continues to waylay many men's struggle to effectively parent. Over a decade ago, Robert Staples explained that among black people, abuse of both drugs and alcohol are a product of an exploitative economy that offers minimum wages, little employment, and a lack of educational opportunities. Since then, the economy has become more distressing for working-class and poor black Americans, and these men's accounts seem to confirm Staples' analysis. For many black men, he argued, substance use and

CLA L3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CLA L3 - Essay Example It depicts a desperate means of maintaining the status quo and ensuring that the prophecy does not come to pass (Gervais & Henrich, 2010). Rhea, the wife of Cronus, is very appalled. Therefore, she conceals her sixth pregnancy from Cronus and give birth to Zeus in a secretive manner. She then gave up Zeus for safekeeping by Gae, who hides the baby Zeus in Dicte cave and other god attend to Zeus. Gervais and Henrich (2010) posit that the section shows a conspiracy of the gods, Gae and Rhea, which brings a sharp twist to Cronus plan to maintain power. In the power struggle, there must be a collusion by the trusted people around the ruler to orchestrate the ruler’s fall. Surprisingly, Zeus grew into adulthood with a motive to take revenge on his father for the misdeeds. The first plan Zeus does is to set his siblings at Tartarus as well as three Cyclopes together with other three Hekatoncheires. All the prisoners Cronus had imprisoned come out gun blazing to finish him. The Cyclopes then taught Zeus how to maximize his energy and use it in the battle. Eventually, Zeus and his allies lead a war against the Titans that ends with Zeus becoming the ruler of Olympus after imprisoning most of the male Titans. Clearly, Cronus overthrow happens just as predicted. LaMothe (2009) agrees that the other gods play a very important role in wedging war and effecting the eventual fall of Cronus. LaMothe, R. (2009). The Clash of Gods: Changes in a Patients Use of God Representations. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis And Dynamic Psychiatry, 37(1), 73-84.

Directors responsibility Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Directors responsibility - Coursework Example Another notable aspect is that the board acts as the epicentre of the organization and it links the investors and the individuals responsible for implementing the policies that make their respective organizations tick as well as ensuring accountability. Thus, corporate governance in this case refers to â€Å"rigorous supervision of the management of a company; it means ensuring that business is done competently, with integrity and with due regard for the interests of all stakeholders,† (Institute of Directors, 2014). Simply put, the Institute of Directors (2014) also posits to the effect that corporate governance relates to a combination of the following factors: legislation, non-legislative codes, self-regulation and best practice, structure, culture, and board competency. The operations of various organizations especially in the UK are guided by the legal framework obtaining in that particular country. Such laws are designed to protect the interests of different stakeholders with an interest in a business entity. McGregor (2000) aptly suggests that that corporate governance is practiced at different levels and the law is specifically designed to protect the interests of all the stakeholders involved. Duplessis (1999) concurs with this assertion when he states that the law overrides all individual interests. In as far as Company law is concerned in UK, it can be seen that the board of AstraZeneca acted in accordance to the laws. According to Company Law Solutions Limited (n.d), â€Å"the directors have such powers as are conferred on them by the articles of the company which are especially based on the Model Articles (companies registered post 1.10.2009.† This is promulgated by the Company’s Act 2006 which further stipulates that â€Å" the business of the company shall be managed by the directors who may exercise all the powers of the company....†

New technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

New technology - Essay Example It is also a transition from the static HTML pages to dynamic web pages that are organized and it is based on serving the web application to users. It is no longer a ‘medium’ that people visit. Information can easily flow in and out of the web services. There are various forms in which the people use this technology. Some of the frequently used applications of web2.0 technology include Blogs and Wikis, IM Chat, tagging, RSS Feeds, Google Maps and Google Docs. Photos and video sharing and social networking are the web 2.0 tools, social office suites and podcasts. Through this technology people can create websites that look like and act as desktop programs. Thus people use this technology mostly for creating their own blogs, for social networking and video and photo sharing. Blogs is the short form of weblogs and is more like a personal diary which people maintain on the internet (Gill 2004). The act of adding an entry or updating the blog is called ‘blogging’ and the one who writes blogs is known as a ‘blogger’. Sometimes blogs are characterized by their technology like Blogger, Greymatter, LiveJournal, Manila, Movable Type, or UserLand. Bolggers write about topics that matter to them and they invite comments on their postings. The contact details of the blogger is also provide so anyone interested can exchange personal emails instead of posting messages that can be read by all visitors to the blog. The posts on the blog are permanent and only the author who owns it can edit it. The Primary characteristics of a blog include: Blogging started as a pastime in America but has now evolved and is used as a platform for various purposes. Most bloggers are young and have one author whose purpose is to express personal content. Not all bloggers give their true identification on the blogs and hence it serves to maintain anonymity

Librarian PHP Essay Example for Free

Librarian PHP Essay A. Introduction A Library System is a software use to catalog, to track circulation and to have an inventory of the library’s assets. It often contains many thousands of books that are available in the library. This uses computer-based system to keep a record of the books and the transaction that took place. A computer- based library system allows for: * Quick and easy searching for books * Easy printing out of book list/ labels * Automatic warning letters for borrowers who have not yet returned books. The major goal of this study is to create an effective Library System that will meet the needs of the users. The researchers selected the Pasig City Elementary School Library as its subject for system proposal. An interview is conducted to observe transactions happening in that library. During gathering period, the group noticed that they are still using logbooks for filing and recording. It reaches to our knowledge that a one librarian suffers much without a computer- based system. In fact, a librarian stated that if there will be a system to be created for the library, it has to be something with swipe feature so it will display all information immediately. Furthermore, with this information gathered, a computer- based library system will be generated with the use of all the data disclosed to the researchers. B. Objective of the Study General Objective: * To create an effective system out of all information gathered during interview at Pasig City Elementary School Library Specific Objectives: * To be able to make a system that will lessen the work of the librarian * To be able to make a system that will help users for a quick and easy access with the needed information in the library * To be able to meet the needs of the users * To have an easy access with the library * To have a smooth transaction in the library * To avoid miscomputations of penalties for late book returnees C. Statement of the Problem The researchers found out that the library doesn’t have a Computer-Based System. They use logbooks to file all information needed in the library. The librarian is having a hard time cataloging and filing the books every now and then adding to the burdens is the utilization of different and separate logbooks for borrowers, visitors and attendees. Without computer-Based System, the one in-charge is having a hardship organizing borrowing transactions especially, when it comes to accommodating many students at a time. It was further revealed that there are times they lose some information of the students because of not having a system. These are the problems of the current system that would be addressed by our proposed system. D. Scope and Limitation Scopes The researchers will generate a system with the following scopes: * A system with a swipe feature that can display all information needed * A system that can organize/catalog books * A system with password for security * A system with that will give quick and easy access for the users * It has a comprehensible interface. Limitations * It cannot accommodate many users at a time. * This is slight time consuming in encoding/ cataloging. E. Importance of the Study The necessity of using the Library System is to help a lot more the librarians. It will lessen the time of librarian in writing all information of the students in the logbooks. All he had to do is to create a database that supports the system. This will also lessen his time printing out booklist/labels, receipt, etc. This also gives an automatic warning letters for borrowers who forgot to returned books on time. It will also avoid miscomputations of penalties for late book returnees. This study will improve the skills of the researchers in generating a system. F. Conceptual Framework The researchers will create a computer-based library system to meet the needs of the librarians. The group will try their very best to come up with the best system with the help of their instructors using PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) as the programming language and Wampserver as the database. Through the information gathered the proponent will try its o G. Definition of terms * Computer- based Library System It is the software used to catalog, track circulation (where appropriate) and inventory a librarys assets. * PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) It is a server-side scripting language designed for web development but also used as a general-purpose programming language. * Wampserver It is a web development platform on Windows allowing you to create dynamic web applications with Apache2, PHP and MySQL. * Software It is a general term for the various kinds of programs used to operate computers and related devices. * Inventory It’s an itemized catalog or list of tangible goods or property, or the intangible attributes or qualities * Catalog It also serves as an inventory or bookkeeping of whats in the library. * Database It is a collection of data that is organized so that its contents can easily be accessed, managed, and updated.

The Success Of Ebay

The Success Of Ebay eBay.Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides online marketplaces for the sale of goods and services, online payment services, and online communication offerings to a diverse community of individuals and businesses in the United States and internationally. The company operates in three segments: eBay Marketplace, Payments, and Communications.   The eBay Marketplaces segment provides infrastructure to enable online commerce in a variety of formats, including the traditional auction platform; and its other online platforms, such as Rent.com, Shopping.com and Marktplaats.nl. Its services include trust and safety programs; feedback forum; safe harbor program; eBay standard purchase protection program; customer support; tools and services; and My eBay, which permits users to receive a report of their eBay activity that includes bidding, selling, account balances, favourite categories, and recent feedback, as well as About Me, which provides users to create their own personal home page. The Payments segment delivers a product for small businesses, online merchants, and individuals that enables them to send and receive payments online. Its services include joining the network, verification of its PayPals account holders, withdrawing money, and trust and safety programs. The Communications segment enables voice over Internet protocol calls between Skype users, as well as provides connectivity to traditional fixed-line and mobile telephones. It offers its software in 23 languages. The company also offers online apartment rental services and comparison shopping resource service, as well as provides an Internet payment platform that allows merchants to authorize, process, and manage online payments. eBay, Inc. was founded by Pierre M. Omidyar in 1995 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.   What is eBays business strategy? How successful has it been? What are the problems that eBay is currently facing? The business strategy of eBay is to generate revenue from the fees and commissions associated with its charged to the site to exchange products. The revenue is generated by the people who use the eBay site. This view has been supported in the work of Laudon (2009, pp.308-309). eBay also collects revenue from direct advertising as well as from various service providers, such as PayPal that increase the ease and speed of eBay transactions ( The wikinvest, 2010). eBay also build on its existing strengths and increase its choice of customized shopping experiences and new monetization models. Properties such as eBay Express, ProStores, eBay Stores, and Shopping.com give eBay entry into the market for new, in-season products (The eBay Inc, Annual Report, 2009). eBays growth strategy focuses on expansion in geography and scope and on continuing innovation to enhance the variety and appeal of products on its sites. This view has been supported in the work of Laudon (2009, pp.308-309). eBay is now begun developing tools and services that promote e-commerce anywhere on the web. eBay is also having discussion with MySpace to allow eBay listing on MySpace pages. The eBay companys plan has been very successful by economies of scale of eBay due to its large supply of buyers and sellers (Kevin Dickson, 2009). Having a large number of active users as they do, they are able to protect themselves from new entrants to the industry. This retains their market share and provides them with a strong foundation for successful business. eBay is very successful, whereby the company has been profitable and had attracted more than 233 million users by 2006 It has operations in 32 countries. In 2005, eBay users listed 1.8 billion items in auctions. This caused about $50 billion dollars exchanging hands (Catherine Holahand 2007). One of the most successful parts of the company is that it is fully automated. This significantly reduces costs to eBay, keeping net income high. According to Danny Vogeley, 2005 states that, current problems that eBay facing now is based on analysts report that sales growth have dropped from 40 percent annually to 23 percent. New users are no longer joining the site at the same rate they used to join, and there are many of eBays top sellers arent concerned in adding voice calls to their sales models. eBay also has faced is a rising number of buyers who have been defrauded by sellers (Albert, Miriam R, 2002). Customer service is one more problem for eBay and it is mostly due to the size of the eBay company. eBay experiences basically two types of customers, sellers and buyers. Often the need of one customer is not the same as the need of the other (The eBay Inc, 2010). The next problems that eBay is currently facing are resistance by some of its top sellers to its operation of a VoIP service Skype, a aggressive threat to the online auction marketplace in Asia by Yahoo, and maintaining the honesty and integrity of its auction service in the face of tremendous growth and expansion (Jeffrey S, 2006). How is eBay trying to solve these problems? Are these good solutions? Are there any other solutions that eBay should consider? In order eBay to solve these problems, they are trying to improve its sites user experience to keep its loyal customer base happy. It is reducing the clutter of its web page design, especially the home page, which has been described as one of the most confusing and cluttered in the industry. This view has been supported in the work of Laudon (2009, pp.308-309). eBay is looking to improve product search result and give buyers more guidance in finding the product they are looking for without having to scour through hundreds or might be thousand of listing. eBay also increasingly focused on providing a traditional retail experience or small seller in order to have great income as a result (Nikole Cruise, 2009). The solutions is eBay try to include a great expansion. Growth rates have been hindered by the increase in seller fees, however, these loses have been covered by the expansion into other countries. This view has been supported in the work of Laudon (2009, pp.308-309). Joseph. T. Sinclair (2007, pp.62) states that eBay has added extra measures of protection. For example, eBay will give extra protection to those buyers that purchase a vehicle on their sites. eBay has also entered into a number of relationships with major competitors such as Yahoo! and Google. Other than that, eBay is banking on PayPal to become the standard payment technique for online transaction (Evan Schwartz, 2001). This has allowed its eBays customers to buy and sell goods and receive payments easily. This has increased the user base of eBays customers. To remain in touch with its customers, eBay has started a program called Voices which brings buyers and sellers together 10 times a year at corporate headquarters (Josh Catone, 2008). This program allows users to talk to management and discuss what the users like and dislike about eBay and make suggestions. eBay has tried to build a channel of communication between customers (Charles  M.  Mayo, 2010) . It enables customers to discuss tips on how to sell and purchase items. It is also creating a component of the website where people can discuss items that people collect and trade. Using these ideas can help to decrease the number of fraudulent transactions. This view has been supported in the work of Laudon (2009, pp.308-309). eBay is now also looking to improve product search result and give buyers more guidance in finding the products they are looking for without having to scour through hundreds of listing. The solutions that eBay has come up with to resolve various problems seem to be effective. eBay believes that the most vital task of the company is to keep customers happy (Annalee Newitz, 2007). eBay is trying to maintain the selling capabilities of the merchants on eBay as well as the confidence of its customers. An extra solution that eBay have to consider includes helping to avoid fraudulent purchases (Tri Bros Broda, 2006). eBay could act as a mediator between the two parties. It could set rules stating that the purchaser must pay the amount of the item to eBay. Once the item has been sent to the purchaser, the payment will then be forwarded to the seller. What people, organization, and technology factors play a role in eBays response to its problems? People factors that play a role in eBays problems include the company employs and manage diverse kinds of people. The company employs around 15,500 employees. Whereby, the employees of the company have different background and each had different job experiences in the past. Such is done by the company because they believe that these people can give them a unbiased in organization (The eBay Inc, 1998). This makes the company flexible to different kinds of situation to this problem. The next People factor that plays a role in eBays problems is the employees at eBay are extremely well taken care of, and this is an area of pride for the company (Kevin Dickson, 2009). With out a large force of human capital eBay would not be able to function. The focus on employee satisfaction and attitudes is important to achieve the success of the company. People factors include recognizing that there are problems in the company and coming up with the solutions to the problems. People in eBay has to figure out how allocate its 8000 full time workers as eBay purchases new technologies and programs that will be used on the website and that will need support (The eBay Inc, 2010). People will have to talk to buyers and sellers to determine if the companys new services are satisfying the demands of the users. Organizational responsibilities factor play a role in the planning process because an organization is responsible for providing stakeholders with profit or value first and foremost. (Sarah Ganly, 2010). The benefit to the stakeholder to play a role in the decisions of the planning process because the ultimate goal of most businesses is to provide value Organization factors in eBay include having enough employees to carry out the changes to the company. It must be made sure that the organizations business strategy is customized to satisfy new and emerging demands (The eBay Inc, 2009). The organization also needs to have enough finances to fund the purchase of the new programs and services that it may use to respond to the problems (Catherine Holahan, 2007). Within the organization factors eBay has made many advances to aid in their growth. Three operating segments have been designed within the company to handle the commonly used marketplaces, along with the additions of payments and communications (Kevin Dickson, 2009). Marketplaces are made up through the use of eBay auction listings, fixed price listings, as well as the additions of their other online platforms, Half.com, Rent.com, Shopping.com and StubHub. In Technology factors include offered new innovations in the technological sector and introduced new concepts with regards to eBay site (Ina Steiner, 2010). Seeing as, technology rapidly changes the company makes sure they are updated to what is happening and they can adjust to these changes. The company makes sure that the products they have are updated with regards to technology and if new technologies emerge they can compete with these products. eBay summarized its ongoing site operations and underscored its success in scaling to process ever-growing global demand and rolling out advanced features and functions while lowering costs (The eBay Inc, 2001). The company also described its next generation software architecture, which is designed to increase productivity and trading speed as well as allow for greater flexibility in adding new businesses Technology factors include the element and programs that will be run by eBay such as PayPal, Half.com, Shopping.com and Skype. EBay will most likely have to also increase storage space to accommodate the new programs (Kevin Dickson, 2009). EBay will have to develop the technologies and have the programs written that will power eBays new Ad Context program that will compete with Googles Ad Sense program that runs contextual online ads based on keywords that are searched in the website. Will eBay be successful in the long run? Why or why not? Yes, eBay will be successful in the long run. eBay is the worlds largest online auction website (The Buzzle Online, 2010). eBay will stay successful as long as another e-commerce site does not start up that offers better security and seller/buyer service. Their business strategy has already proven to be extremely effective, and they are currently the dominant player in the online marketplace business. As the effort that eBay facing may limit its future growth and expansion, they should always be able to keep at least their current levels of business and resulting profit margins (The Channel Advisor, 2010). In the ways to make eBay to successful in long run, eBay will have to design ways of attracting new buyers to the website so that transactions can continue to take place (Jack Goldstein, 2009). eBay has been investing greatly in VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), but at the moment VOIP is not of necessity considered a mainstream service. This view has been supported in the work of Laudon (2009, pp.308-309). eBay needs to find ways of making this service more obtainable not just to its current users but to people in general. eBay can work with computer manufacturers and supply financial investment to have VOIP technology installed into computers. Beside this, eBay has a large market space spanning dozens of countries. This maintains a large base for customers to sell their products easily and effectively. eBay is trying to apply more interactivity with the purchase of Skype, so that customers and sellers can communicate two-way (Catherine Holahan, 2007). eBay provides a high level of price transparency, the simplicity to which customers can find out prices in a market (Philipp Maier, 2005). eBay has recognised that it is more profitable to work with competitors such as Yahoo! and Google. The ensuing that eBay now shows has generated a source of revenue. Conclusion eBay has always done very well in focusing its companys goals and has been fast in grabbing into opportunities. eBays business model demanded that their viewers needed to be many thousands of consumers, and there should be a balance between buyers and sellers. They actively worked balance the number of buyers with the number of sellers. Envisioning success, they designed their Web site to make it easy for many simultaneous buyers to find items to buy, and for sellers to offer items for sale. They provided sellers with a safe, reliable means to collect what they were owed, while also providing the buyer with a similar safe, reliable means to ensure that what they bought was just as the seller had represented it.   The eBay company should try to branch out to other business opportunities. The company can try to have a personal buying and selling business wherein a company has a visible branch that buys and sells different products and services. Customers who have known the company for a long time will be the first customers of the company in this effort. eBay gives a whole new meaning to the word middle man business. It does this by providing extra ordinary tools to sellers which, lets the seller target their products to the buyers. It also provides buyers with wonderful search tools, to get to the products they are looking for. eBay has made a very powerful platform for both sellers and buyers by being seamless and invisible but at the same time facilitating Customer to Customer relationship.

Comparing Poems Salome, Hitcher, On My First Sonne and The Man He Kille

Comparing Poems Salome, Hitcher, On My First Sonne and The Man He Killed The poems, Salome, Hitcher, On My First Sonne and The Man He Killed all have similar themes. The menacing and threatening ideas that the poets used are all based around death. However, each poem has a different perspective on the word with different motives and emotions. The Man He Killed is about a man who talks of the experience he had of shooting someone and the regrets he has for it. He feels guilty, as he has no conceivable explanation for shooting the man. He talks of the similarities he and his foe had such as 'He thought he'd 'list, perhaps, Off hand like - just as I.' The use of hesitation and repetition show the threatening side of the story. It is almost as if he himself is trying to construct an image in his mind as not to make himself look or feel guilty or censurable. The use of colloquialism makes the image even more menacing as we do not understand greatly of this man. Originally, it could be perceived as an old man who regrets his actions in the past. It however, could also be seen as a man who enjoyed killing but must come up with an excuse to the reasons for killing him. 'My foe of course he was, that's clear enough, although.' The poem "Hitcher" has a character that expresses violence in a completely different manner. The poem is a monologue where the speaker casually admits to possibly murdering an innocent hitchhiker. The speaker tells us that he has been taking time off work - faking illness and not answering his phone. Being threatened with the sack, he goes in to work again and gets a lift to his hired car. As he drives out of L... ...he spot. Both of the poems are confusing and surreal as Hitcher is about the idea of jealousness compared to Salome, which is about the idea of hatred. Both The Man He Killed and On My First Sonne are menacing in a different way. They both are about guilt and empathy. The Man he Killed is a dramatic monologue of a man confessing to murder whereas On My First Sonne is an elegy to his Son. In On My First Sonne the man is desperate for the reason why his son was taken and feels pain and rage. When compared to The Man He Killed, he is looking for the reason for why he shot him but feels neither pain nor anger. All the poems show menacing and threatening ideas but are not all based around violence. The poets use technical methods to hide a story. They do this by using repetition of words, hesitations and enjambment.

Christianity Essay -- Religion Behavior Papers

Christianity Humans love to think of themselves as fundamentally selfless, conscience-driven individuals, while, in Robert Wright's eyes, "we are all self-promoters and social climbers" (Wright 313). Wright explains all altruistic behaviors as a part of a "shameless ploy" by our genes to ensure the perpetuation of the invaluable genetic code (212). His assertion that human altruism is really fundamentally self-serving in nature is intriguing in light of many of the hallowed conceptions we tend to have regarding our own innate kindness towards each other. Viewed under the microscope of Christian morality, which demands that its followers perform good deeds without drawing attention to them, Wright's notion of altruism initially appears to present a serious conflict of interest for the faithful. Upon closer examination, however, several deep-seated similarities emerge between the two doctrines, leading one to conclude that Wright's selfish notion of altruism does less to disprove or disparage C hristian ideals than it does to make Christianity look, genetically speaking, "natural." Wright spends a considerable amount of time exploring human altruism--a universal trait that appears, prima facie, to have no genetic benefit. Wright uses the example of "selfless" honeypot ants, sterile workers that hang from the ceilings of their colony's underground nest, their abdomens turgid with food. These "living storage bins" survive solely to aid their kind in the event of a dry spell, at which time they can provide nourishment for their kin (213). Initially, the plight of these sterile workers appears hopeless and ultimately futile, a kind of "evolutionary suicide" (157). However, if we stop to consider the relatives that this... ...st contribution to genetic proliferation," and are, in essence, involuntary tendencies designed specifically to increase our offspring, while Christian values of goodness and righteousness are really actions performed in order to reach the promise of the next life, how can we praise (or blame) anything we do (340)? If we are all motivated by similar forces, with religions like Christianity re-affirming these inclinations, it would seem that we are merely going through the motions and are not really responsible for our actions. Not only that, but Christianity now appears not as a divine and beautiful covenant of love, but a calculated complement to pre-existing forces, throwing the very notion of spirituality as incorruptible and free of the baseness of human nature asunder and introducing a whole new strain of doubt and suspicion into the values we hold so dear.

The Impact Of Television Essay examples -- essays research papers fc

The Impact Of Television   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the beginning, there have been mixed reactions to television and it was E.B. White who wrote "I believe that television is going to be the test of the modern world, and in this new opportunity to see beyond the range of our own vision, we shall discover either a new and unbearable disturbance of the general peace or a saving radiance in the sky. We shall stand or fall by television, of that I am sure." (Murray 7) White was correct, it would either be beneficial or detrimental to society. Ever since the first television station was licensed in 1941, our lives have been effected by the presence of television. However, this effect is not for the negative since it is used from simple means of entertainment to a widely used, invaluable, source of information. It is also an excellent aid in preparing children for school and assisting in educating children after they have begun school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every day millions of people turn to their televisions as a form of escape from the pressures and stress of day to day life. The television, to them, serves the purpose of entertaining them for a half hour or an hour at a time. This is the purpose of sitcoms, such as the popular NBC produced shows Friends and Fraiser, each appealing to different audiences, but both comedy bases for purposes of entertaining. Humor is not the only approach used in television entertainment. Shows, such as NYPD Blue, use thick plot lines and heavy drama to draw the viewer in. Entertaining society through this media has become a multibillion dollar industry. Top movies like Jurassic Park, which grossed 390 million dollars, bring millions of people to movie theater, which are basically large televisions, for the soul purpose of entertainment. Movies are not restricted only to theaters since they are available on video cassette and even broadcasted into millions of homes each day. The privilege of television as entertainment should be used, but not abused. For instance, watching six hours of television every night, stopping only to eat and sleep does not promote and active lifestyle, however, on the other end of the spectrum, never watching any television does not expose a person to a vast array of entertainment and information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Television is able to show different roles in society and therefore people are able to better u... ...more educational and informative programs for children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Society has been effected and will continue to be effected, not only by television, but by media in general. Television is a constant form of entertainment and excellent source of information that is assessable by millions of people. The education content in children television is beneficial to preschoolers and students alike. However, television has been the blame for many of societies faults because it is easy to contribute it to violence and a social lack of initiative. Television is such a small part of a much larger picture and its benefits far outweigh its faults. The idea of television as an informative and education media must be embraced in the future to receive its full benefits. Even the thought of a society without television is incomprehensible to many. Bibliography "Background Information: The Impact of Television on Children's Education." Http://haas.berkely.edu/~atham/background.html (October 21, 1996) Murray, John P. "Children and Television Violence." Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy, 4, No. 3 (1995), 7-14 "Top 50 Movies, 1993." The World Almanac and Book of Facts. 1995

Sociology Paper on Society

Sociology Final Exam Paper Sociology Paper on Society â€Å"Human beings are fascinated with the world in which they live, and they aspire to develop ways to explain their experiences. People appear to have always felt this fascination-along with the intense desire to unravel the world’s mysteries-for people in ancient times also attempted to explain their worlds†(Henslin 8). Sociology is about understanding how people act as a society and how we, as people, treat our fellow human beings.The symbolic interactionist perspective, also known as symbolic interactionism, directs sociologists to consider the symbols and details of everyday life, figuring out what these symbols mean, and how people interact with each other. Although symbolic interactionism traces its origins to Max Weber's assertion that individuals act according to their interpretation of the meaning of their world, the American philosopher George H. Mead introduced this perspective to American sociology in t he 1920s.According to the symbolic interactionist perspective, people attach meanings to symbols, and then they act according to their subjective interpretation of these symbols. Verbal conversations, in which spoken words serve as the main symbols, make this subjective interpretation especially evident. The words have a certain meaning for the â€Å"sender,† and, during effective communication, they hopefully have the same meaning for the â€Å"receiver†. Words are not static things and they require intention and interpretation.Conversation is an interaction of symbols between individuals who constantly interpret the world around them. Of course, anything can serve as a symbol as long as it refers to something beyond itself. Think of applying symbolic interactionism to the American institution of marriage, the symbols may include wedding bands, vows of life-long commitment, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a Church ceremony, and flowers. American society attaches general meanings to these symbols, but people also maintain their own perceptions of what these and other symbols mean.For example, one of the spouses may see their circular wedding rings as symbolizing never ending love, while the other may see them as a just a financial expense. Bad communication can result from differences in the perception of the same events and symbols. Critics claim that symbolic interactionism neglects the macro level of social interpretation, which is the big picture. In other words, symbolic interactionists may miss the larger issues of society by focusing too closely on the size of the diamond in the wedding ring rather than the quality of the marriage.The perspective also receives criticism for slighting the influence of social norms and institutions on individual interactions. According to the functionalist perspective, also called functionalism, each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society's functioning as a whole. The government , or state, provides education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keep itself running. That is, the family is dependent upon the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so that they can raise and support their own families.In the process, the children become law-abiding, taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state. On the other hand, Functionalists believe that society is held together by social consensus, or cohesion, in which members of the society agree upon, and work together to achieve, what is best for society as a whole. Emile Durkheim suggested that social consensus takes one of two forms, one being Mechanical Solidarity, which is a form of social cohesion that arises when people in a society maintain similar values and beliefs and engage in similar types of work.Mechanical solidarity most commonly occurs in traditional, simple societies such as those in which everyone herds cattle or farms. The Amish societ y exemplifies mechanical solidarity. In contrast, the other being Organic solidarity, which is a form of social cohesion that arises when the people in a society are interdependent, but hold to varying values and beliefs and engage in varying types of work. Organic solidarity most commonly occurs in industrialized, more immense societies such as those in large American cities like New York City.The functionalist perspective achieved its greatest popularity among American sociologists in the 1940s and 1950s. While European functionalists originally focused on explaining the inner workings of social order, American functionalists focused on discovering the functions of human behavior. Among these American functionalist sociologists is Robert Merton, who divides human functions into two types, manifest functions are intentional and obvious. The manifest function of attending a church or synagogue, for instance, is to worship as part of a religious community.With common sense, manifest functions become easily apparent. A sociological approach in functionalism is the consideration of the relationship between the functions of smaller parts and the functions of the whole. Functionalism has received criticism for neglecting the negative functions of an event such as divorce. Critics of this perspective also claim that the perspective justifies the status quo and complacency on the part of society's members. Functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even when such change may benefit them.Instead, functionalism sees active social change as undesirable because the various parts of society will compensate naturally for any problems that may arise. The conflict perspective, which originated primarily out of Karl Marx's writings on class struggles, presents society in a different light than the functionalist and symbolic interactionist perspectives. While these latter perspectives focus on the positive aspects of so ciety that contribute to its stability, the conflict perspective focuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever-changing nature of society.Unlike functionalists who defend the status quo, avoid social change, and believe people cooperate to effect social order, conflict theorists challenge the status quo, encourage social change, and believe rich and powerful people have more control of society than the poor and the weak. Conflict theorists, for example, feel that society should have a more equal balance to it, meaning if the rich have more money than less fortunate people, they should share the wealth. American sociologists in the 1940s and 1950s generally ignored the conflict perspective in favor of the functionalist.They also expanded Marx's idea that the key conflict in society was strictly economic. Today, conflict theorists find social conflict between any groups in which the potential for inequality exists, such as racial, gender, religious, political, and economic. Conflict t heorists note that unequal groups usually have conflicting values and agendas, causing them to compete against one another. This constant competition between groups forms the notion of how our society as a whole is constantly changing.Men, especially in today’s society, are seen as the more important and intelligent gender while woman are seen as the warm, caring, and responsible gender. â€Å"As examination of the work women did before beginning car sales show that most had traditional women’s careers, such as teaching, waitressing, social work, retail sales, and secretarial jobs. These occupations primarily involved service to others and paid low wages†(Henslin 205). This is especially true in the United States, in which many states have low wages for women and higher wages for men.Men tend to have a job that requires strength and knowledge, whereas women are classified as either the stay at home, nurturing mother, or the waitress or secretary like how Helene Lawson discussed in, Down to Earth Sociology. The supposed fundamental differences between sexes have historically been used as an argument against equal rights, notably in the opposition to women's suffrage. More recently Neuro-scientific researchers have claimed that essential differences between the male and female brain have been uncovered, evidenced by neuro-imaging that suggests differing brain structures.The differences are how women and men tend to act, and how they act differently in society, therefore society views them differently and discriminates. However, the research is not as clear as it may first appear, no participant of a study can be isolated from the affects of socialization. The widely held belief that male and female brains function in different ways is based upon the conclusions of a small minority of studies, conclusions usually dismissed. Sociologists have relied upon the notion of a universal, innate, human nature, a nature that includes gender divisions, in society.Our society is patriarchal, our institutions, our traditions, our everyday lives, are filled with examples of men in positions of authority over women. You are born and take your father’s surname. You marry, and tradition holds that a father gives away his daughter to become the wife of a man whose name she shall adopt. Until very recently, it is the man in a relationship who holds financial control, and the woman who takes the responsibility for the home and the children.When a woman goes out to work she earns, on average, usually less than her male counterpart, is less likely to receive a promotion, and is likely to receive a smaller pension. If a woman is a wife and/or mother, she will also, on average, continue to take responsibility for the home and the family in addition to her paid employment. The decisions made on our behalf by representatives in unions, councils, and governments that are made predominantly by men. Despite the now higher proportion of femal e law graduates to their male counterparts, our legal system remains dominated by men.Equality differences can even be seen at birth, where male babies are described as being smart and strong, and the female babies are often given pink clothing, and referred to as cute, warm. To when they grow up, being a female baby, beauty is important, â€Å"Its sad but true that grade school teachers tend to judge their pupils largely on the basis of their looks†(Henslin 344). These associations, implicit in our society, have deep implications when it comes to gender equality.Research has demonstrated that when equally qualified men and women apply for identical jobs, the gender associations of the vacancy is a key factor in determining who will be successful, women therefore are at a disadvantage in many areas of employment from the outset, as the attributes of a successful worker are typically seen as masculine, while a woman may be perfectly suited to the role in question, her talents are far less likely to be recognized than they would be in a man.Feminism, which is the idea of equality between men and women, has become more prevalent because of the fact that women are being treated more as sex symbols than people in advertisements and in society in general, in the U. S. Feminism is a misconception, when thought of as women are better then men so they should have more rights, it is mainly just equality. The feminist’s just want to have, â€Å"equal rights within the current political and social structure†(Tuana 1).Feminists had movements dating back to the sixties, that were against inequality between genders, â€Å"The National Organization for Women forms in 1966, petitioning to stop sex segregation of want ads and one year later to request federally funded childcare centers†(Tuana 1). Women and men function as human beings in the U. S and in society in general and should be treated as equals, not discriminated because of one’s sex. Social stratification in American Society is not clearly defined or determined, nevertheless social scientists has developed a socio-economic stratification of the American society.Americans believe in a three-class society, the rich, poor and the middle class and most Americans consider themselves as middle class. In reality American society is more diverse and there is an extensive difference among people. The basic determinants that make social class are wealth, education, income and occupation. Some sociologists have divided the American society in six distinct categories including: rich or the upper class, upper middle class, lower middle class, lower class and poor and under class.It is believed that the people who belong to the same social class share similar social positions, similar ways of thinking and life styles, others oppose this idea and believe that we cannot generalize characteristic of the people to one another. Social class creates a hierarchy for the people of e ach class, as a way of identifying which level each person falls in. One of the indications of the social class in America is income in terms of either individual or household and is one of the most important indicators of social class. Most students from working-class homes who are striving to better their situations in life become discouraged at the many obstacles in their paths†(Henslin 383). Families who have two income earners are in a better position for their children to succeed in school. Per capita income, which means the amount of money allocated to each individual member, is also another important determinant in social stratification. It can be said the families who have fewer members are in a better position.Another indication in social stratification is education in which there is a relation with the occupation and income. Higher education means that one needs money and to pay tuition, so it is clear that most of the time the families who are better off can afford a better education for their children, they can pay for better schools and private schools, colleges and universities. As the result there is connection between money and education for a higher chance to succeed.One of the most prominent features of social class is culture, people of the same social class tend to have similar ways of behavior even though this behavior and culture is not something fixed. There is diversity inside the same social group as well. One of the important terms in American culture and literature is the concept of Social Status. Another important characteristic of American social class is achieved status rather than the described statues, it means that regardless of his or her original statues, one can become rich and successful and climb the social ladder.But in reality this idealistic view cannot be completely true, many people of color are still suffering the racial prejudices and as a result they cannot have the proper education and a good occupation whi ch is perhaps the most important class component. These people have lower income and the cycle will continue to the later generations. Despite the existing injustice and inequalities, America is considered land of opportunity. Thought this belief is exaggerated, Americans have improved their economic situation with their hard working and persistence. Despite what sociologists call a â€Å"deficit of cultural capital,† through determined hard work, native ability, and perseverance some members of the working class manage to attain social mobility†(Henslin 383). The different social classes can define one’s income, occupation, and the kind of friends one would make, usually these classes do not mix socially, the upper classes will not mingle with lower middle classes and middle classes tend not to associate with low/poor classes.From the sociological perspectives, regarding symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and conflict theory, to feminism and gender equality , to social stratification, these similar aspects of sociology define how we as humans perceive each other and how society is structured into different classes and how gender plays a important role in society. Sociology has different perspectives from each sociologist, ranging from Max Weber to Durkheim to Frazier to Karl Marx. Society works on a basis of how each member of it chooses to act, and how the certain classes interact with each other and form us, as human beings. Similar essay: Our Changing Society

Marketing and New Communications Technologies

CHAPTER 1 1)Briefly compare and contrast the concepts of needs, wants, and demands, giving an example of each. Discuss how these concepts relate to marketing practices. Needs are states of deprivation. For examples, physical needs for food, clothing, warmth, and safety; social needs for belonging and affection; and individual needs for knowledge and self-expression. Wants are the form that needs take as they are shaped by cultural and individual personality. For example, an American needs food but wants a Big Mac, french fries, and a soft drink.Demands is wants backed by buying power. For example, given their wants anfd resources, people demand products with benefits that add up to the most value and satisfaction. Outstanding marketing companies go to great lengths to learn about and understand their customers’ needs, wants, and demands. They conduct consumer research and analyze mountains of customer data. 2)In a short essay, discuss the challenges and advantages that new com munications technologies have created for marketers.The new communications technologies has provided marketers with exciting new ways to learn about and track customers and create products and services tailored to individual customer needs. It’s helping marketers communicate with customers in large group or one-to-one. Marketers also can create their own detailed customer databases and use them to target individual customers with offers designed to meet their specific needs. For example, by using the Internet, a direct marketer can tap into online data service to learn anything from what car you drive to what you read to what flavor of ice cream you prefer.

Ray Bradbury Comparative Paper Essay

Ray Bradbury, well-known American author, playwright, and poet, created his success on no more than his high school diploma. He did, however, learn many valuable lessons in life which he incorporates in his works. Ray Bradbury uses figurative language such as irony, personification, and imagery to artistically present his vision of life’s morals. Bradbury’s use of irony in his pieces establishes how mankind commonly contradicts himself. In â€Å"The Veldt†, George and Lydia hear screams that â€Å"sound familiar† but ignore them. The couple also finds their wallet and scarf and disregards how these items were chewed and covered in blood when they found them. George and Lydia receive their last clue when they enter the nursery and see the lions in the background feasting on an unknown prey. â€Å"They’ve just been eating†¦ [but they] don’t know what. † Ray Bradbury turns these foreshadowing events into irony when the parents are killed by the lions. It is ironic that they have seen the lions devouring something, saw the wallet and scarf, and heard the screams but do not realize that they were the lion’s meal and it was their screams that they heard and the scarf and wallet were chewed by the lions and covered in their own blood. Bradbury also uses irony in the â€Å"Happiness Machine. † Leo Auffmann created a machine which he claimed brought happiness to the occupant. He convinced his wife to â€Å"try it on† but when she got out she shouted, â€Å"It lies, that Sadness Machine. † This is ironic because what Leo thought was a Happiness Machine is really a Sadness Machine. Leo then finds that true happiness cannot be created by a machine but is found in the heart of his family. In â€Å"There Will Come Soft Rains†, the house reads a poem to the emptiness where a family once was. The poem explains how nature â€Å"would not mind†¦if mankind perished utterly. † It is ironic because the poem is warning the family how the war will destroy them but nature will continue on when that is exactly what has happened. The family has been killed and the house soon after dies but the sun continues to rise and set as if nothing has happened. Personification is another common literary device in Bradbury’s work. It is most prominent in â€Å"There Will Come Soft Rains. † Bradbury describes the house with human like qualities in how it defends itself against the fire which is also personified. The house â€Å"quivered at each sound† and is described as the attic being the brain and the exposed oak beams as â€Å"its bare skeleton† and all of â€Å"its nerves revealed. † The fire was personified when it â€Å"fed upon Picassos and Matisses†¦ [and] lay in beds, stood in windows. † Bradbury also described the fire as being â€Å"clever† as it attacked â€Å"the attic brain† and â€Å"rushed back into every closet and felt of the clothes hung there. † Bradbury also uses personification in â€Å"The Foghorn. † He gives the foghorn human-like characteristics when relating it to the monster. The foghorn made a â€Å"great deep cry† that vibrated in the â€Å"throat of the tower† as the â€Å"light, switching its tail,† shone bright in the distance. Bradbury continues to use personification in â€Å"The Veldt. † The nursery that Wendy and Peter spend most of their time in is described with human-like qualities. The walls changed from blankness to the veldt with a â€Å"purr† and â€Å"reproduced to the final pebble and bit of straw. † It is further personified when the room itself kills the parents. Bradbury also frequently uses imagery in his work. In â€Å"The Pedestrian†, he described the highways as â€Å"only dry riverbeds† empty of vehicles. Bradbury also points out the â€Å"tomblike buildings† and â€Å"gray phantoms† along the sides of the road. These vivid descriptions allow the reader to feel the loneliness and absence of life in the city and its streets. The imagery in â€Å"The Pedestrian† sets the mood and describes the setting. â€Å"The Foghorn† portrays another source of imagery. Bradbury makes the reader visualize the â€Å"long grey lawn of the sea stretching away into nothing and nowhere† with his descriptive vocabulary. He describes how the â€Å"stone tower† emitted a light that flashed red and white out to the â€Å"lonely ships† â€Å"in the cold water far from land. † This makes the reader understand how secluded McDunn and Johnny were out at the lighthouse and intensifies the oddness of the appearance of the sea monster. Imagery is also present when McDunn explains to Johnny how the monster â€Å"hid away in the Deeps. † The way he describes the â€Å"Deeps† makes it all seem magical yet realistic. Bradbury continues to use imagery in â€Å"The Happiness Machine. † Towards the end of the short story, Leo discovers a real happiness machine. When he describes this â€Å"machine,† he makes the reader visualize a pleasant and warm home filled with joy. This example of imagery contrasts how Bradbury typically uses his words to display desolation and despair. Ray Bradbury expresses similar patterns in his work by using irony, personification, and imagery. He writes with these three types of figurative language in different ways in all of his pieces of work. Bradbury takes common techniques of writing and makes them his own by using them in a certain way to present his ideas in a unique style.

Elizabeth and Akbar: the Religion of the Ruler

Kenneth Wolfe: â€Å"Elizabeth and Akbar: The Religion of the Ruler† Kenneth Wolfe states that in 1530, the people of the country would follow their rulers religion in order to bring peace. This brought conflict among the country dividing it into states. How important was following your rulers religion? Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) and Emperor Abu-ul-Fath Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar of Muhgal India (1534-1606) answer that question. Elizabeth and Akbar, once in power, were determined to bring peace among their country by being the foundation of their country. They used their militaries to take control. Elizabeth was born Protestant and had several struggles throughout her lifetime; her being a â€Å"bastard† and the deatyhs of her loved ones. Elizabeth invented a â€Å"Religious Settlement† that made England a Protestant country. Elizabeth tried to make a church that was both a doctrine and had appearance of the religions. Queen Elizabeth was able to resist a religious civil war unlike many other countries, and her sister. Elizabeth became fondly remembered through her religious settlements and skills creating loyalty towards her and is remembered by all England’s generations. The Mughal Emperor Akbar also experienced a troubled youth. His tutor taught him â€Å"universal peace† which is what he followed when he came into power. Akbar was a brutal warrior, but also known to be very spiritual. He was known to be â€Å"powerful, magnetic, and inspiring†. After Akbar inherited the Mughal Empire it expanded from all of north and central India which consisted of Muslim and Hindu people. Akbar needed a large army to contain his empire. He was known to be a skilled military leader and married Hindu princesses. He began to end taxing, and enslaving Hindu’s as they made their pilgrimage to the many shrines of India. And in 1564 he stopped taxing all Islamic countries. Akbar’s religion began to change as he began to make pilgrimages to his shrine every year and even built a new capital, Fatephur-Sikri. Akbar ended up having 3 sons, predicted by Shakih Salim and named to first after him. Akbar was deeply religious by nature and experienced a â€Å"ecstasy† during a royal hunt. In 1582 Akbar invented the â€Å"Divine Faith† which made the people dedicate their life and honor to Akbar. Akbar’s leading civil and military appointees are known as mansabdars. They were loyal to the ruler and were assigned revenue. Akbar later divided his empire into 12 large provinces which were lead by a governor. This helped keep order among the Mughal Empire. Akbar’s religious changes and mahzar caused a revolt which he was able to control. He respected the non-Muslims by â€Å"universal peace†. The Mughal Empire lasted long due to the fact that Muslims do not rule over Hindu’s and vice-versa (universal peace). Elizabeth and Akbar were able to retain power by respecting all their countries religions and by bring peace. I would have to agree with Kenneth Wolfe at the fact that Elizabeth and Akbar both retained power by using peace. Although, I believe Elizabeth had contained her country better then Akbar because she did not favor any religion even though she was Protestant. Akbar, although he was Muslim, favored the Hindus. Queen Elizabeth did a better job by containing religious civil wars unlike Akbar who had a revolt. I believe over all that both Elizabeth and Akbar did a great job ruling and bringing religious peace among their country.

Human Resource Management (case study) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Resource Management (case study) - Essay Example Moreover, the furniture will be standardized and customer’s requirements will not be met because it can probably increase the cost. However, the company is not in a position to cope up with any unplanned change because it can’t afford any changes in the production process and the design of product due to the excessive cost of implementing the changes. Question 2: Based on your evaluation of the strategy approached by each organization what would be the most likely HR strategy? Answer: The working conditions and job descriptions will be fixed and rigid. The job descriptions will cover clearly defined tasks and responsibilities with no room for flexibility. The job duties will give little or no room for career progression to the employees because the tasks will require specialization in one specific area and the employees will not be able to learn new skills and abilities. The chances for training and development are extremely limited because the furniture is manufactured on basic standards which don’t require updating the skills. As a result, the performance appraisal will be done on efficiency and effectiveness of the employees. In other words, the employees will be evaluated on the quantity of items produced irrespective of quality. The wages of front line employees will be based on number of items produced each hour and bonus/rewards can be expected on overproduction. The salary structure of the employees will be competitive and company will pay at/below the industry standards. Efforts will be made to recruit cheap labors and the jobs of highly paid workers will be unsecured so that cost can be minimized and the supervisors will ensure that labor productivity is enhanced and employees don’t sit idle. Overall, a short term profit making approach is adopted. Question 3: Is this approach of linking Porter’s competitive strategy to HR strategy has its limitations? Evaluate what you consider these limitations can be. Answer: the porter’s competitive strategy is very generic and its approach is very limited and narrow. Porter says that the company should follow only one strategy at a time so that it doesn’t lose focus. On one hand, Benchill & Sons uses tight cost control to reduce prices but on the other hand, it needs to change its policies with the changing trends in the market and the economy. For e.g. the company can go for technological advancement or may be it can purchase raw materials form cheap countries like china or India, in order to reduce cost. However, this approach is very practical for non-profit organizations because their sources are limited but for benevolent owners this approach is not good for the reputation of the company. On the other hand, for profit making companies, the background of entrepreneur, the nature of industry, competitors, buying patterns of customers, technology and minimum standards set by ISO are important factors to consider before adopting any competit ive strategy. The best employment practice is to ensure better utilization of resources while not exploiting the workers, maintaining a fair quality standard and using relationship marketing approach to ensure repeat sales in order to beat the competitors. SPEKE FURNISHINGS Question 1: evaluate which of the Porter’

The American City Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The American City Business - Assignment Example Among the states, each has a unique legal system implemented except Louisiana that is based on English Common Law. The American population is approximately 307 million people. The population comprises of major ethnic groups coming all over the world (Chicago Business Journal 98). The foreign policy implemented in the United States in ways the country interacts with other foreign nations. Standard of interaction is set in organizations, corporations, and citizens as an individual. The United States has set goals regarding foreign policy. Such is stated in the Agenda on the Foreign policy of the US Department of State. The goals ascertain building a sustainable democracy. The prosperous life to benefit the people of America, as well as the international community. From the Foreign affairs House committee, export controls are some of the jurisdictions. Such mention the proper use of nuclear technology and measures are taken to safeguard business associated with America abroad. Agreement s on international commodity, education, and protection offered to American citizens abroad are stated on the policy. Moreover, the foreign policy faced lots of criticism both domestically and abroad as well praise in other regions. The said policy gets consent and advice of US Senate. The president has a role to negotiate treaties regarding foreign nations. Treaties are implemented upon ratification from two-thirds of the Senate. The president is the commander in chief of the United States Armed forces. He/she have authority over armed forces. However, the Congress only has the power to declare war. The foreign affairs docket is headed by United States Secretary as foreign minister. He /She has a role in conducting diplomacy. The president appoints both Secretary of the state as well as Ambassadors upon advice and consent from the Senate. Moreover, the Congress has the authority of regulating commerce with foreign countries (Chicago Business Journal 98).

International competiveness and innovation Essay

International competiveness and innovation - Essay Example Globalisation is considered to be one of the most important events of the modern civilisation. It has brought major developments in the human activities as well in the thought process. This has made their thought process more liberal and innovative. People are using their innovative mind as a tool for economic and social enhancement. Innovation is a common trait among scientists and entrepreneurs who use this trait to bring social, technological and economic developments. Innovation refers to the creation of new ideas, concepts, thoughts that can be further be used for growth and developments. Primarily, innovation is categorized into two major types i.e. radical and incremental. Radical innovation involves the performance improvements of product or services and incremental innovation results in bringing improvements in production process like efficiency, cost-effectiveness etc (Urabe, Child and Kagono, 1998, p.4). Innovation is one of the core features of modern society and technolo gical improvement is a major outcome of this feature that boosts the growth of an economy. The changing technological system has influenced the entire structure of an economy. Modern technological system has led to upgradating international trade and business causing enhancement of economic parameters. Moreover, with the technological developments, many new industries have been evolving to meet the latest of population. On the other hand, the existing organisations also aim to implement latest technologies for shaping their performance for gaining an upper hand and sustainable competitive advantage in the market. Constant technological innovation has become an important criterion for social and economic development and due to this, proper awareness among the entire population is inevitable. People have to realize the importance of basic sciences as it develops a foundation for being innovative, creative and productive. R&D programs are initiated by the organisations seeking technolo gical developments and performance enhancements. 2. Collaborations and Alliances The business environment of the modern world is characterised by highly turbulent phases. With the advent of globalisation firms are increasingly trying to reach out to new consumer markets. Collaboration and alliances are largely used as a tool by business organizations to enter new markets. This strategy has largely been used by the airlines industries to form mega consortiums so as to gain strategic advantage. An example in this regard is the airline industry which has used collaborations and alliances for research and development activities. The major players in the American and European airline market which are dominating the global aerospace industry have used collaborations to enhance the level of research and development activities. In spite of the advantages of a strategy of collaboration and alliances, ‘spillover’ effects are also associated with this strategy. The ‘spillove r’ effect has largely been observed in technology intensive industry segments like biotechnology. However, the analysis of literature reveals considerable difference in the nature of ‘spillover’ in the aerospace industry with patents and licensing being the most prominent difference between the two sets of industries. Difference in demand and supply dynamics also generates considerable differences. The main sources of ‘spillovers’

A Gambling Addict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Gambling Addict - Essay Example Ultimately, it invades, undermines and often destroys everything that is meaningful id a person’s life. This paper will seek to address the social concern that gambling addicts present to their livelihood and to those close to him as well as the steps that most often result to one being a compulsive gambler. Moreover, this paper will endeavour to correct popular myths and misconceptions which have been associated with gambling. In pursuance of this, it trails the life of Harry, a responsible family man who at first was an occasional gambler and together with his wife engaged in gambling for fun. however, after a couple of wins and exposure to several predisposing factors ended being a compulsive gambler and in the process causing a lot of pain to his family but subsequently being able to overcome the ugly addiction that gambling can turn out into being. Harry was a normal plain John, newly wed to his longtime girlfriend a few months now passed. He worked with behaviorally impa ired adolescent boys. In this field, the support staff was dominated by males who usually had a background that included at some level, participation in competitive sports. Such men were supposedly more equipped to deal with the rough nature of clients involved. It was in this world that he was first introduced to the world of sports gambling. The circumstances were that a colleague would pick up a bookie sheet (a form containing a list of all the available games that could be bet on during a particular day) and bring it to work. Initially, he only looked at college and professional football that were played on the weekends. This, however, did not produce the winnings he imagined. His gambling eventually became a daily, if not a twice daily habit. A Popular belief is that gambling is a choice and therefore a result of a lack of willpower, on the contrary, gambling is a disease like any other and it can affect anyone, even those with strong moral character. In the beginning, Harry pa rticipated with his wife in the ‘fun’ of gambling. The very occasional wins were encouraging and euphoric. As he began to delve deeper into the gambling and more loses, however, as an occasional gambler would do, she got bored of the loses and began to see less pleasure in the hobby and ceased gambling all the same. In fact, she encouraged Harry to get out of the practice. But then the compulsion was too great for him, while she quit, Harry’s compulsion could not allow him. He was growing into a compulsive gambler, no longer being the one making the decision but the impulse of gambling. He began to spend a large portion of his salary on gambling, and this created a strain on the marriage. His wife was a certified teacher and made a considerable amount of money working with students who were emotionally and behaviorally impaired in a private educational setting. In one year, according to their tax returns, they earned nearly $60,000, nevertheless, they had to file for bankruptcy on several occasions. The bank account could not keep up with the mounting losses. This caused a strain in their financial lives and affected their relationship more and more. This was against the widely believed perception that addiction was a victimless activity, as on the contrary, the negative effects of the gambling problem trickle down to the immediate family of the addict and to those dear to him. Harry’s ambition in life became the same as other compulsive gamblers, to get his money back. He always believed that he was going to win big. Be persistent- that was his thought pattern. He was now in the second step in the evolution of gambling addiction, that’s the, losing phase. Harry was losing money and he was trying to recoup his loses by

Housing Pre and Post Recession Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Housing Pre and Post Recession - Lab Report Example From figure 1, we see that the data starts off from the middle of a recession in 1982. It lasted only till the 4th quarter of the year. The percentage of GDP growth since then rose sharply until the 2nd quarter of 1982 and then started gradually moderating. The ensuing period was characterized by some volatility until the 1st quarter of 1991 from where the GDP growth dipped sharply and the second recession initiated. This recession also lasted only for two quarters. The decade of the 1990s marked a steady climb in the GDP growth rate and signs of the next recession were observed only in the first quarter of 2000 since when it started decreasing rapidly. This third recession lasted from the 1st quarter of 2001 to the last quarter of the same year. There was a small climb in terms of GDP growth since then until 2007. From the last quarter of 2007 the recent recession set in and it lasted for seven quarters making it the longest recession in the time horizon under consideration. Figure 1 Housing Starts Turning to the Housing markets, we start by looking at housing starts in Figure 2. Interestingly, apart from a steady dip a few quarters ahead of the current recession, inter-temporal movements in housing starts have been moderately stable. The recessions do not seem to have affected housing starts to any considerable extents and we find only small dips in the first two recessions. Strangely during the third recession, we find that housing starts actually increased. However, it can also be seen from the graph that housing starts exhibit a marked decline from around the 3rd quarter of 2005 onwards well into the recent recession. Figure 2 Average real housing prices The next housing market indicator considered is the real average housing price. As can be seen from figure 3, housing prices exhibit smooth but evident cyclical movements. Comparing these movements with figure 1 reveals that in terms of trends the housing price movements particularly in the latter half of the time horizon match those of the real GDP growth although real GDP volatility is considerably higher. The peaks and the troughs in the average housing price time plots are clearly distinguishable and there are substantially lesser reversals making the series a lot smoother. Although resemblances in trend are not so clear in the quarters before 2000, since then the GDP growth and housing prices seem to follow very similar patterns. Figure 3 Months’ supply Finally, in figure 4 below, we look at movements in months’ supply of housing across the duration considered. In between the first two recessions here, the series seems to have been substantially volatile though stably so, around a mean of 2. Thereon, the movements of the series have been relatively less volatile. Figure 4 We see from the figure that months’ supply has declined in periods subsequent to the 1st, 2nd and 4th recessions. After the 1982 recession, housing supply exhibits a small decline in the ge neral trend although it as mentioned earlier fluctuated around an average. A more pronounced decline in the series occurred following the 2nd recession in 1991. The strong declining trend during this phase continued on through the onset of the third recession. There was a surge in early 2005 reflecting what we know now as the gradually forming housing bubble. The series attained its maximum halfway into the fourth recession. The housing supply series seems to reflect a lagged

I want to buy health insurance by myself Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

I want to buy health insurance by myself - Essay Example Thus, this factor underlines the case importance of medical cover, which comes in a variety of programs for an individual to make a choice. As students, we also need to plan for any misfortune, since we cannot tell of future occurrences. However, what happens when you cannot rely on a program meant to help you in case of a misfortune? Does such a program guarantee you a safe future? While acknowledging the Oklahoma Christian University Administration’s noble intentions in their medical cover program, this expose posit that the cover does not meet its intended purpose and hence the administration should allow students to arrange for their own cover. The initial purpose of any health insurance, or a medical cover, is to ensure that there was proper care of an individual’s body and health. In this regard, a medical cover should be a permanent arrangement that we can all rely on and avail at the appropriate time in case of a serious health disorder. In this regard, an individual’s health is at risk once the medical cover is not dependable. Case in point, our University’s medical cover is not one of the reliable. For instance, a colleague became sick, while in school, and we had to dig deep into our pockets and arrange for an ambulance, which took him to the hospital. This is despite the fact the colleague had paid for medical cover in the University. Thus, the failure of the University to meet such basic costs underlines the undependable nature of the medical cover. At this instance, we pause and ask the question of what would have been the consequence of us not raising money for the ambulance. This can only m ean that the investable would have happened. While medical cover should keep you insured against serious illnesses, our University cover does not cover even the most of basic illnesses like vision and teeth. We all know that