Monday, December 30, 2019

Analysis Of Robert Frost s `` Stopping By Woods On A...

Robert Frost was an American poet born on March 26, 1874. Living to the age of eighty eight, Frost was able to become an accomplished poet in his lifetime, creating beautiful works of art through his words. In many of his poems one can find similar themes that discuss intense feelings and ideas about isolation and loneliness in one’s life, such as in â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† and â€Å"Mending Wall†. Each of the following poems discussed will demonstrate that throughout Robert Frost’s poetry one can find an overarching theme of loneliness and isolation for the speaker. As the case with many writers, their inspiration and shared themes between works can be related back to their life events and struggles. In the case of Robert Frost this rings true. â€Å"Born in San Francisco, his mother suffered from broken family and depression, and his father was an alcoholic. (Brown). In addition to this: â€Å"because his father was a violent drun k, Frost as a child witnessed the fury and rage of his father on a regular basis†¦ [to a point where] William became brutal, smashing furniture and yelling. It was not an unusual occurrence for Isabelle to run into the streets with her children to find refuge in the home of a neighbor† (Dreese). These factors could play a key role to the themes of isolation and loneliness in his poetry because they directly reflect the life events of Frost. Growing up with a violent and alcoholic father along with a depressed mother could not be easyShow MoreRelatedRobert Frost : A New England Poet3698 Words   |  15 PagesRobert Lee Frost Known for being a New England poet Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California on March 26th, 1874. Born to a New England father William Prescott Frost Jr. and a Scottish mother Isabelle Moodie who moved to the west coast from Pennsylvania after marriage (Bailey). Both his parents were teachers and poets themselves, but his father later became a journalist with the San Francisco Evening Bulletin (Bailey). Frost spent 12 years of his life growing up in San Francisco, until

Analysis Of Robert Frost s `` Stopping By Woods On A...

Robert Frost was an American poet born on March 26, 1874. Living to the age of eighty eight, Frost was able to become an accomplished poet in his lifetime, creating beautiful works of art through his words. In many of his poems one can find similar themes that discuss intense feelings and ideas about isolation and loneliness in one’s life, such as in â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† and â€Å"Mending Wall†. Each of the following poems discussed will demonstrate that throughout Robert Frost’s poetry one can find an overarching theme of loneliness and isolation for the speaker. As the case with many writers, their inspiration and shared themes between works can be related back to their life events and struggles. In the case of Robert Frost this rings true. â€Å"Born in San Francisco, his mother suffered from broken family and depression, and his father was an alcoholic. (Brown). In addition to this: â€Å"because his father was a violent drun k, Frost as a child witnessed the fury and rage of his father on a regular basis†¦ [to a point where] William became brutal, smashing furniture and yelling. It was not an unusual occurrence for Isabelle to run into the streets with her children to find refuge in the home of a neighbor† (Dreese). These factors could play a key role to the themes of isolation and loneliness in his poetry because they directly reflect the life events of Frost. Growing up with a violent and alcoholic father along with a depressed mother could not be easyShow MoreRelatedRobert Frost : A New England Poet3698 Words   |  15 PagesRobert Lee Frost Known for being a New England poet Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California on March 26th, 1874. Born to a New England father William Prescott Frost Jr. and a Scottish mother Isabelle Moodie who moved to the west coast from Pennsylvania after marriage (Bailey). Both his parents were teachers and poets themselves, but his father later became a journalist with the San Francisco Evening Bulletin (Bailey). Frost spent 12 years of his life growing up in San Francisco, until

Analysis Of Robert Frost s `` Stopping By Woods On A...

Robert Frost was an American poet born on March 26, 1874. Living to the age of eighty eight, Frost was able to become an accomplished poet in his lifetime, creating beautiful works of art through his words. In many of his poems one can find similar themes that discuss intense feelings and ideas about isolation and loneliness in one’s life, such as in â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† and â€Å"Mending Wall†. Each of the following poems discussed will demonstrate that throughout Robert Frost’s poetry one can find an overarching theme of loneliness and isolation for the speaker. As the case with many writers, their inspiration and shared themes between works can be related back to their life events and struggles. In the case of Robert Frost this rings true. â€Å"Born in San Francisco, his mother suffered from broken family and depression, and his father was an alcoholic. (Brown). In addition to this: â€Å"because his father was a violent drun k, Frost as a child witnessed the fury and rage of his father on a regular basis†¦ [to a point where] William became brutal, smashing furniture and yelling. It was not an unusual occurrence for Isabelle to run into the streets with her children to find refuge in the home of a neighbor† (Dreese). These factors could play a key role to the themes of isolation and loneliness in his poetry because they directly reflect the life events of Frost. Growing up with a violent and alcoholic father along with a depressed mother could not be easyShow MoreRelatedRobert Frost : A New England Poet3698 Words   |  15 PagesRobert Lee Frost Known for being a New England poet Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California on March 26th, 1874. Born to a New England father William Prescott Frost Jr. and a Scottish mother Isabelle Moodie who moved to the west coast from Pennsylvania after marriage (Bailey). Both his parents were teachers and poets themselves, but his father later became a journalist with the San Francisco Evening Bulletin (Bailey). Frost spent 12 years of his life growing up in San Francisco, until

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Visual Kei A New Subculture - 1691 Words

Visual Kei is one of the longest lasting subcultures within Tokyo, however, a new subculture trend is visually striking in a far opposite way. It s called Yamanba and it has people at a loss for words. Most are conflicted as to whether this subculture is attractive or a joke. Yamanba dress features vibrantly colored ultra feminine clothing, long teased colored hair with extensions, and bizarre face makeup that will make anyone take a second look. Yamanba is virtually a female only subculture that emerged from the ashes of the ganguro subculture of the mid to late 1990’s. It is a subculture that, similar to its predecessor, has set out to challenge the societal norms of Japanese beauty standards: pale skin, neutral makeup, dark hair. Yamanba females darken their faces to a shade of dark orange and borderline black pigment. Then, they contour it with bright white and shades of pink without the use of evening and blending the skin tone. The dress of Yamanba communicates anarchy a nd protest to the patriarchal society and repressing standard of beauty for women; and to those who wear the Yamanba dress, it communicates freedom of expression and freedom from society s robotic standards of beauty. Yamanba hair is genuinely similar to the American scene style hair. Teased high for volume and complemented with flat ironed straight hair extensions. Yamanba hair is oftentimes curled, often in excess. Even curled, their hair is still excessively long and extremelyShow MoreRelatedThe Real Harajuku1943 Words   |  8 Pagesera], kawaii [cute], punk, ganguro [symbolizes a California girl with bleached hair, dark skin, fake eyelashes, and nails], cosplay [most common name for â€Å"costume players† or those who dress up like Japanes animated characters], hiphop, skater and visual-kei [style of bands]† (Rockers). Their clothing can vary from shades of black to shades of bright colors and from plain fabrics to all kinds of different prints. They also change t heir hairstyles and hair color and they also put on makeup. They trulyRead MoreHeavy Metal Music7270 Words   |  30 Pagesstatus common throughout the history of the genre. In the mid-1970s  Judas Priest  helped spur the genres evolution by discarding much of its  blues  influence;  Motà ¶rhead  introduced a  punk rock  sensibility and an increasing emphasis on speed. Bands in the  New Wave of British Heavy Metal  such as  Iron Maiden  followed in a similar vein. Before the end of the decade, heavy metal had attracted a worldwide following of fans known as metalheads or headbangers. In the 1980s,  glam metal  became a major commercialRead MoreJapanese Street Fashion2780 Words   |  12 Pageswear like kimonos, is their way of making statements about their cultural influences and way of life. Lolita, Kogal, Cosplay, Ganguro are some of the most sought after styles that Japanese youth display on the streets. Lolita is a style with many subcultures, such as Punk Lolita, where chains, beads, lace and wristbands are popular accessories along with pink and peach colors prints. Gothic Lolita focuses on styles emerging from the Victorian age such as dark colors, black make-up, heavy brooches, andRead MoreCaso 07 Hatsune Miku Japanese Virtual Idol Ignites Global Value Co creation8417 Words   |  34 Pagesranked first, ahead of Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber.5 Miku herself, in her live-performance hologram form, was slated to be the opening act for a month of shows in Lady Gaga’s Artpop tour starting in May 2014.6 Miku’s exploding popularity brought with it new business opportunities for the company that created her. As of January 2014, 100,000 copies of the Hatsune Miku software had been sold.7 In addition, Crypton licensed the rights to use Miku’s name and image to publishers, game makers, character goods

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Building Up Brand Awareness in a Social Media Context Free Essays

Building up brand awareness in a social media context Tag: Social media, brand awareness, micro blog, weibo Nowadays, we live in an era of information and communication bloom, not just locally but also on a global basis, in which each of us venerably is exposed to enormous messages, news reports, commentaries and features from different kinds of medium. Moreover, we not just the passive passengers of the information turmoil, in fact we do proactively participate into the game and become part of what we called social media, which changes the way how we perceive and shape the world around us. There might be many definitions about social media, given the nature and broaden perspectives of it. We will write a custom essay sample on Building Up Brand Awareness in a Social Media Context or any similar topic only for you Order Now According to ESOMAR (The European Society for Opinion and Market Research (ESOMAR), a global association for market, social and opinion researchers. ), social media is defined as â€Å"internet based platforms and technologies that permit users’ interaction and/or facilitate the creation and exchange of user generated content. † Whilst the scope is evolving, the following format is focused and discussed: * Multi-person/group communication and/or collaboration platforms (e. . Twitter) Note: arguably Sina. com might say Weibo is more than Twitter, but to make it simple we quote Weibo here is similar to twitter in some sense. * The urgency of connecting consume thru social media With the emerging of social media and the growing popularity across different regions, we can now keep in touch with each other all the time, share photos and messages simultaneously to thousands or millions, and it’s also allowed brands to interact much more closely to their consumers â₠¬â€œ you and me. Marketing in this way has forever been changed by social media. Marketers can engage with and influence existing and potential consumes through adverts or other format of effective communication tools specifically tailored to that type of person, all based on information the consumer has given out on a voluntary basis. Furthermore, if the instinctive nature of Social network is taken into the consideration which is the networking expansion down to different level, the brand messages received and responded by consumers would cast substantial influence over their peers in the network. One of the key and productive initiatives or requirements for a marketing manager is to increase the awareness that could lead to preference, purchasing motivation or even brand loyalty. With the feature of easy access, speedy and broaden coverage and most important of all, the lower cost of average reach, marketing manager is now equipped a new perspective to market a brand to thousands of consumer, increasing its public awareness through pages and helping to cement the brands image with regular updates, photos, articles and more. * The increasing outreach of social media Social media witnesses its popularity or taking over around the globe in the past few years. Especially in China, a country with growing potential in internet usages and mobile internet, based on the statistics from lt;The 29th China Internet Development Statistics Reportgt; from CNNIC, by the end of Year 2011, the number of internet user in China exceeds 500 million in which one-quarter of net users use microblog(Weibo). Basically, it’s hard to find someone not signed up to one social media page or another, and so it makes sense that companies have set up pages to market their products and services. The first step is to increase the brand awareness over this interactive platform. In short, social media has access to all. On the other hand, many brands in China also rush to build up their corporate microblog to have the first trials of interaction with consumers. According to the statics from Sina. com, till the end of Feb, 2012, totally more than 130,000 companies have set up the official weibo over Sina. com. Interesting thing is that among these companies, around half of them are coming from the dinning, i. e. restaurant, cafe or dining outlets. Not surprisingly, when being asked in the survey about the intentions of stepping into the stage of launching the corporate weibo, 100% of these companies responded that the first priority is brand building, with PR and CRM on the second and the third places to follow respectively. * Interactive way of exchanging brand information flow When communicating the messages, some of the key distinctive features about social media include two-way dialogues, interactive creation and speedy response. In the past, marketing managers frequently use the pre-set messages that fit into different segment to target their consumers. Under these so-call old fashion ways of consumer communication, the messages are fixed and tailed made already, even the marketing managers could modify and even alter some fractions of the messages based on the judging of the change of the different situation. More importantly, this kind communication would be mostly in one direction, regardless the feedback from the receiver. In one way, social media allows users to interact with people and companies like never before, while also acting as an outlet to channel information about people and their opinions. On the other hand, it enables consumers to talk directly to one another, which means, over the social media platform, the topic, the tone, the timing and the frequency of these conversations are now outside the marketing managers’ direct control. As a consequence, marketing managers of today must not just focus on the provision of the traditional messages, they should also understand the way of consumers speak of their mind to shape their discussions in such a way that it is consistent with the company’s strategy and communication paradigm. When marketing managers set up a page on a social media site and people begin to follow it, they can ask these followers their opinions on the company’s products and services. On the very first stage, the information that can be gathered on these topics is invaluable, as it is essentially market research with the real information. Social media is a good platform with the mixed but advanced technology and full scaled of media features that enable instantaneous, real-time communication and applies multi-media formats, such as audio and video mediums. All these, not just coming from local market anymore, it comes with global reach capabilities. An interesting fact reveals that so-called high carihighly educated All this information can easily be put to use in better marketing to customers, helping marketers appeal to their audience in much better ways than before. Promoting a positive image Any social media agency will tell you that keeping your brand image up on your social media page is crucial. Word spreads fast, even faster with social media, so when negative comments are posted about a particular brand on the page it can be swiftly tackled and the problem sorted. Better yet, all of this being public will show other potential customers how your brand deals with problems. Facing off negative comments is great, but don’t forget that positive messages will also be posted. Marketing to the target market Today and in the past, marketing has been done through publications, signs, television and radio adverts. The target markets for these adverts are broad to try and appeal to as many people as possible as easily as possible. While this is still effective, marketing through social media can be targeted towards a much more niche audience. Using the information that users post on their social media profiles, adverts can be made to target from either a broad range of people, all the way down to a specific group. This allows for a greater personalisation of adverts, appealing more towards people who’d ignore the normal adverts. At the opposite end of the scale, setting up adverts to easily avoid users that’d have no interest in the product or service is also possible. How to cite Building Up Brand Awareness in a Social Media Context, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Self Reflection on Leadership Model Development

Question: Discuss about theSelfReflection on Leadership Model Development. Answer: Introduction The self-discovery as well as self-reflection is one of the most important activities for developing the leadership capabilities. Ancient philosophers as well as teachers such as Mohammed, Jesus, Plato, Socrates, Confucius and many others have immensely emphasized on self-awareness as well as reflection for a long time. It is assumed that engaging in self-reflection is highly effective for improve the potential of every individuals leadership performance. A secure perception as well as sense to oneself impressively guides us towards the efficient leadership activities. This article will focus on reflecting my attempt to learn about my leadership abilities as well as improving them. In order to achieve a better leadership I had to focus on understanding myself so that we can lead others with greater comfort and ease. In this aspect I have followed a hierarchical order so as to achieve a distinct leadership style and improve my leadership skills with a proper efficiency. This particula r hierarchical order is depicted below with an evaluated mind map. Figure 1: Mind Map for Leadership Model Development (Source: Created by Author) First of all, in case of developing effective and efficient leadership styles I had to identify the leadership style that will most suit with me. In this context, I had to evaluate various leadership styles so that I can recognize their strength, weaknesses as well as fine intricacy. With this purpose I had studied a lots of leadership styles that are highly popular for their performance and effectiveness. I learned that the most popular leadership styles are Participative, Authoritarian, Laissez-Faire, Transformational as well as Servant leadership styles. I had been also engaged myself to study numerous leadership theories that have been highly popular in various field. I came to know that the most effective leadership theories were Great Man Theory, Trait theory, Behavioral Theories, Participative Leadership Theory, Situational Leadership Theory, Contingency Leadership Theory, Transactional Leadership Theory as well as Transformational Leadership Theory. These particular leadershi p theories have been able to direct me towards most effective leadership traits. In addition to that, I have also attempted to study the relevant application of the theories so that I can evaluate the working styles of the theories and their effectiveness. The attempt of identifying best leadership style for me has been highly influential for enriching my perception regarding the leadership concept. With the earned knowledge and skills, I have been able to identify that the most effective leadership style for me is participative leadership. This particular leadership aims to earn detailed participation from the team members. The leadership styles forces the leaders to support the team member and encourage them to share their opinion continuously for shared success of team. After studying the leadership styles, theories as well as application, I have been focused to reviewing the leadership styles so that I can perceive how effective the leadership style is. The major criterion for reviewing the leadership styles were identification of leadership gaps as well as leadership opportunities. In order to identify gaps in the leadership styles I have emphasized on several major steps, which are reviewing the strategy, identifying the necessary competencies for success as well as identifying the uncovered area. I came to know that the participative leadership is highly dependent on the communication, motivation as well as leaders performance. As the employees are needed to be engaged with the decision making process the communication, motivation as well as leaders management performance play a very important role in the success of leadership. Moreover, in order to identify the leadership opportunities I have focused on several major aspects, which are identifying the scope of better communication, motivation as well as leaders performance. I have been also focused on development of career planning goals in a successful fashion. In order to be successful in career with my leadership skills and attaining proper leadership traits career planning plays a very significant role. In this aspect, I have been focused on several steps, which are highly crucial for attaining a better scope for my leadership abilities. These steps are identification of proper career, reviewing the career path, setting objectives as well as planning to achieve the goals. The proper career has a great significance in applying my leadership traits so that I can highly influence my team performance. In order to contribute in the success of team properly, I needed to evaluate the career path appropriately so that I could attain a most impressive leadership career. The evaluation of the career path will include proper guideline so that I can arrange my activities in an efficient manner. Another major step for developing career plan goals is setting most appropriate objectives. The objectives have very distinct efficacy in order to pave the conduit of our career. In order to achieve these particular goals I have formed a very crucial framework with an extensive planning. These framework or action plan has been focused on guiding each activity with an immense care and scrutiny so that I would achieve the objectives of career planning goals. I have also emphasized on developing the skills that would be most crucial for developing my leadership abilities. In this context, I have attempted to set objectives that would guide me towards the attainment of impressive developing skills. On the basis of these objectives I have been able to develop action plan that is imperative for skill development. The strengths as well as weaknesses of my skills will play a very crucial role in my performance. Considering this fact I have to analyze my competencies to get better idea of my strong abilities. It also helped me to identify the areas that are in dire need of improvement. After implementing the action plan and improving my skills, I have reviewed my leadership style so that I would be able to identify the potential areas that would be most suitable for me. I have been also focused on developing the critical roles so that I can possess unique as well as valuable skills. In order to develop my critical roles I had to identify my strong points in my skills. I needed to review the relevance and applicability of these points in practical world. Moreover, I had undergone rigorous study and technique to enhance these skills in an efficient fashion. This particular self-reflection has been highly useful for providing me a proper self-awareness. The reflective journal has successfully assisted me to commence self-discovery path. The self reflection activities have been true test of perseverance of patience. The reflective journal have been able to enhance my understanding about my skills. It has been able to boost my confidence in a successful manner. Therefore, it is evident that this respective reflective journal has been most vital factor for our success. Bibliography: Avolio, B.J. and Yammarino, F.J. eds., 2013.Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead. Emerald Group Publishing. Chiu, C.C., Owens, B.P. and Tesluk, P.E., 2016. Initiating and Utilizing Shared Leadership in Teams: The Role of Leader Humility, Team Proactive Personality, and Team Performance Capability.The Journal of applied psychology. Clarke, S., 2013. Safety leadership: A metaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ analytic review of transformational and transactional leadership styles as antecedents of safety behaviours.Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology,86(1), pp.22-49. Dinh, J.E., Lord, R.G., Gardner, W.L., Meuser, J.D., Liden, R.C. and Hu, J., 2014. Leadership theory and research in the new millennium: Current theoretical trends and changing perspectives.The Leadership Quarterly,25(1), pp.36-62. Du, S., Swaen, V., Lindgreen, A. and Sen, S., 2013. The roles of leadership styles in corporate social responsibility.Journal of business ethics,114(1), pp.155-169. Komives, S.R. and Wagner, W., 2012.Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of leadership development. John Wiley Sons. Mathieu, C., Neumann, C., Babiak, P. and Hare, R.D., 2015. Corporate psychopathy and the full-range leadership model.Assessment,22(3), pp.267-278. Parkay, F.W., Anctil, E.J. and Hass, G., 2014.Curriculum leadership: Readings for developing quality educational programs. Prentice Hall. Parris, D.L. and Peachey, J.W., 2013. A systematic literature review of servant leadership theory in organizational contexts.Journal of business ethics,113(3), pp.377-393. Reid, J., 2016. The effects of leadership styles and budget participation on job satisfaction and job performance.Asia-Pacific Management Accounting Journal,3(1). Ryan, J.C. and Tipu, S.A., 2013. Leadership effects on innovation propensity: A two-factor full range leadership model.Journal of Business Research,66(10), pp.2116-2129. Tourish, D., 2014. Leadership, more or less? A processual, communication perspective on the role of agency in leadership theory.Leadership,10(1), pp.79-98.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics

Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle argues the highest end is the human good, and claims that the highest end pursued in action is happiness, "What is the highest of all goods pursued in action...most people virtually agree about what the good is, since both the many and the cultivated call it happiness."(1095a15-20 p. 6) Aristotle's argument is flawed when he suggests only human beings with full use of reason (not animals or even small children) can be considered happy because happiness is action in accordance with reason. Aristotle is contradicting himself in that he argues that what sets man apart from animal is reason and the ability to perform actions that only humans can perform. Yet, he is arguing that children to not have reason hence he is basically putting them at the level of animals and proving his own argument faulty.Aristotle's characterization of the human good and happiness and the flaws within it are written as follows:Aristotle argues that there is some ultimate good that is both complete an d self-sufficient, and defines this good as happiness.Detail of The School of Athens by Raffaello Sanzio...He claims every human action aims at some good, and the good that is chosen for its own sake rather than as means to an end is the highest good. However, he does state that we do choose some goods for something else, which in turn makes that end incomplete since "the best good is apparently something complete."(1097a27, p. 14)Aristotle argues that the highest good is happiness, which means living well. He points out that happiness is something that we choose because of itself and is not reliant on anything else. He argues that happiness is complete on its own and is the ultimate end of which we all aim for: "...happiness more than anything else seems complete without qualification, since we always choose...

Monday, November 25, 2019

Get Copies of Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates

Get Copies of Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates Vital records- birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, and divorce decrees- are one of the best resources to help build a family tree.  Once you determine the state where the birth, death, marriage or divorce occurred, select the state from the list below to learn how to get a certified copy of the vital record or where to find free vital records online.   Where to Find U.S. Vital Records A AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansas C CaliforniaCanal ZoneColoradoConnecticut D DelawareDistrict of Columbia F Florida G Georgia H Hawaii I IdahoIllinoisIndianaIowa K KansasKentucky L Louisianna M MaineMarylandMassachusettesMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontana N NebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNew York CityNorth CarolinaNorth Dakota O OhioOklahomaOregon P PennsylvaniaPuerto Rico R Rhode Island S South CarolinaSouth Dakota T TennesseTexas U Utah V VermontVirginiaVirgin Islands W WashingtonWest VirginaWisconsinWyoming Vital records  are one of the best resources for helping you to build your family tree due to their: Completeness- Vital records usually cover a large percentage of the population and include a wide variety of information for linking families.Reliability- Because they are usually created close to the time of the event by someone with personal knowledge of the facts and because most governments have measures in place to try and ensure their accuracy, vital records are a fairly reliable form of genealogical information.Availability- Since they are official documents,  governments have made an effort to preserve vital records with newer records being found in local government offices and older records residing in a variety of record repositories and archives. Why Vital Records May Not Be  Available In the United States, the responsibility for registering vital events is left to the individual states.  Many states, however, did not require birth, death or marriage records to be registered until late into the 1800s, and in some cases not until the early to mid-1900s. While some New England states kept town and county records as early as the 1600s, other states such as Pennsylvania and South Carolina didnt require birth registration until 1906 and 1913, respectively.  Even after registration was required by law, not all  births, marriages and deaths were reported- the  compliance rate may have been as low as 50-60% in earlier years, depending upon the time and place. People living in rural areas often found it an inconvenience to take a day from work to travel many miles to the local registrar. Some people were suspicious of the governments reasons for wanting such information and simply refused to register. Others may have registered the birth of one child, but not others . Registration of births, marriages,  and deaths is much more accepted today, however, with current rates of registration closer to 90-95%. Marriage records, unlike birth and death records, can also usually be found at the county level, and are often available from the date the county was organized (going back into the 1700s in some instances). In some areas, marriage records may also be found at the town level (e.g. New England), the city level (e.g. NYC) or the parish level (e.g. Louisiana).

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Problem Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Problem - Speech or Presentation Example Financial position to increase by less than half: Of course, the recommendation assumes that the stock split will not have effect on the price, but it does have an effect because the price is a factor of the demand and supply in the market. And while perfect information is assumed under Modigliani and Miller argument, the price is supposed to drop. Although this drop in market price cannot be estimated fully as to how much, the increase in financial position with at least the amount of stock that is traded, by undertaking this decision on capital structure, the financial position will increase at least by less than half. Modigliani and Miller proposes that debt policy should not matter, as in a tax-free economy and well-functioning markets, dividing the capital structure between debt and equity will have no effect on the total value of the company. But in the real world where taxes are prevalent, taxes provide tax shield or tax deductions for interest expenses. This gives a firm advantages of utilizing debt for its capital structure. The effect of increasing debt results in what has been called financial leverage. This is apparent in the computation of cost of capital; by computing the relative weights of debt and equity as proportions to the overall capital mix, multiplied by their returns cost of capital is computed. However, the computation is not complete unless the tax deductions for interest expenses, hence the tax rate is subtracted from the return of debt, which is then multiplied to the proportion of debt in the capital structure. Given this, increase in debt, as it gives tax advantages, lowers the cost of capital for the firm. Because of this implication, it seems to be beneficial for financial managers to increase debt in order to decrease the cost of capital for the firm. The cost of capital for the firm has a serious implication

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Study to look at nurses' knowledge of elder abuse in long term care Essay

Study to look at nurses' knowledge of elder abuse in long term care setting - Essay Example Studies have shown that people of all socio-economic, ethnic and religious backgrounds are vulnerable to abuse including countries where the traditional system of family care exists. Furthermore, it is increasingly being seen as an important problem and one that is likely to grow as many countries experience rapidly growing ageing populations. It is predicted that by the year 2025 the global population of those aged 60 years and older will more than double, from 542 million in 1995 to about 1.2 billion (1). Although there is an increasing awareness that some older people are victims of abuse, neglect and mistreatment there is strong evidence to indicate that much abuse goes unrecognized and is hidden from public awareness (3). prompted scientific and governmental activity throughout the world. Although the vast majority of older people enjoy the benefits of family life, there has been a growing awareness, during the past twenty years in particular, that older people are sometimes abused, neglected or mistreated. Progress on building a response to elder abuse has been difficult, however, as the issue is shrouded in secrecy, denial and guilt. It is acknowledged that abuse can occur within the home or care facility (4). Any form of abuse is unacceptable. Nurses have a duty of care to the older people in their care to prevent this from happening. Although nurses who care for older persons can expect to encounter cases of abuse our knowledge of the incidence and cause of such abuse remains limited (5). While the study of elder abuse has much to learn from responses to other forms of adult abuse, it is vital that the abuse of older people is dealt with separately, to ensure clarity when defining and measuring the problem and to help focus responses to abuse. Elder abuse is defined as a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action occurring within any relationship where

Monday, November 18, 2019

Breast Cancer research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Breast Cancer research paper - Essay Example Breast cancers can develop in one or both breasts and are typically classified as either invasive or noninvasive. Non-invasive cancers are also known as in situ cancers because they are confined to a specific site in the body. Invasive cancers have the ability to spread throughout the body. Patients with breast cancer will typically come in for treatment complaining of increased breast pain, unusual lumps felt under the skin, and/or nipple discharge when not lactating. Although these symptoms are often caused by benign, or non-cancerous, processes, it is imperative that an accurate evaluation is made of the patient’s condition to rule out the possibility of cancer. â€Å"In one study, 16 percent of women between ages 40 and 69 came to the doctor with breast complaints over a 10-year period.† (Barton, 1999) It is for this reason that evaluation of breast complaints and screening for breast cancer account for a large proportion of the primary physician’s case load and will remain a significant part of the primary care practice. Although there are an estimated 190,000 women in the United States diagnosed with breast cancer every year, the number of women receiving screening mammography as recommended continues to vary between only 72 and 81 percent. These numbers reflect the number of insured women who receive the recommended care of receiving mammography screening between the ages of 50 and 64 at least every two years, more frequently when additional risk factors have been identified. It goes without saying that uninsured women receive less preventative care. Despite this, breast cancer mortality has declined gradually over the past decade to about 40,000 per year. (Bloom, et. al, 2000) ‘Screening’ is performed when there are no signs or symptoms of illness as a precautionary measure in women with high risk factors or women within the recommended age group. When symptoms are present, such as breast pain, lumps and nipple discharg e, evaluation procedures may require going a bit beyond the simple screening procedures. Even after a history of risk factors has been established and an examination focused on the specific complaint have been completed, ruling at most benign disorders as being the cause of complaint, treatment may still need to take place to remove the issues caused by the benignity. If cancer is suggested following these tests, discussions with the patient regarding diagnostic modalities – imaging, aspiration or biopsy – should be discussed during the office visit. Because breast cancer manifests itself in a variety of ways, differing in histologic, biologic and immunologic characteristics from patient to patient, this clinical evaluation may lead to referral of the patient to more advanced studies. As discussed in the previous section, breast masses can be placed into different categories, many of which are benign. Overall, cancerous lumps differ in many ways from benign lumps. They are much harder than benign masses; they are also fixed and stationary while benign lumps are more movable. Identifying of five risks through nursing assessment Although women with genetic dispositions for breast cancer are typically aware of the risks involved and strive to keep up to date with screening and regular

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Taxonomy of Three Homo Species

The Taxonomy of Three Homo Species Max Rivera Exploration: Every person today is the same species and genus as each other, Homo sapiens (4). This species of the Homo genus is what is the modern man is considered [JB1]today (4). People were not always of this species however, due to evolution and adaptation. It has been suggested [JB2]that modern humans evolved from a primal human-like species that came from East Africa (2, 6). It was from this primate ancestor that many species of the Homo genus were born, but only one species has survived up to the current day, which is us. Currently there have been fourteen different species of hominin that existed in history including Homo Sapiens (7). So how, genotypically, with regard to [JB3]mitochondrial cytochrome b, and phenotypically, with regards to posture and skeletal structure, do Homo Sapiens relate Homo heidelbergensis, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, andHomo sapiens denisova? Using the NCBI website I will look at how a[JB4] modern human compares to each of these species Humans belong to the family known as the great apes, or Hominidae. This group includes chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, and humans (2). Each of these species has similar traits, including hands and feet, five digits on each hand and foot, being mammals, etc. However, each of these species and genus are different because of their taxonomy. Homo heidelbergensis was an early hominid species that lived around the 700,000 200,000 years ago[JB5] in Europe, Africa, and possibly Asia[JB6]. This species was the first early hominid that was adapted [JB7]to living in colder environments, thanks to their smaller bodes conserving more heat, and their capabilities of being able to control fire. Evidence is seen [JB8]from fire tools and burnt wood sites in Israel. They hunted larger game thanks to their wooden spears which is apparent due to remains of animals at the time being discovered [JB9]with H. heidelbergensis fossils and tools. This species also was the first of the early hominids to use na tural structures as a method of shelter as seen by a site called Terra Amata in France. This species also has been found [JB10]to be the ancestor of both Neanderthals and the modern H. sapiens, which leave people wondering what was the ancestor for H. heidelbergensis (3, 5). Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, or the Neanderthal man, are H. sapiens closest extinct human relative. This can be seen [JB11]due to the certain facial features and that are similar to [JB12]those seen in people today, such as defined cheekbones, big noses, and a noticeable brow above the eyes. Living in Europe and Asia nearly [JB13]400,000 40,000 years ago, this species was able to [JB14]survive in cold and warm conditions due their use of shelters and building of fires. Unlike H. heidelbergensis, the Neanderthal man made and wore clothing and created symbolic objects. Also[JB15] there is evidence that this species would bury their dead, often leaving the bodies with mementos such as flowers making them the ear liest species to bury their dead (8, 9). Homo sapiens denisova, or the Denisova hominid, was only recently discovered through fossils in a cave in Siberia. Only two molars and a piece of a phalange were discovered [JB16]leaving this species physical appearance to remain a mystery morphologically. However, from the DNA evidence, it was found [JB17]that this species split off from Neanderthals nearly[JB18] 600,000 years ago, living in parts of southeast Asia (1, 10). Analysis: After running each of these species through a taxonomy blast sequence, the results were amazing due to the how big each tree was. The results of each blast can be seen [JB19]in the images titled Blast 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Three of the blasts resulted in 10 hits during the blast run, while the remaining three resulted in 50 hits during the blast run. The purpose of this was to observe the difference in result between blast hit results. Blast 1: Homo sapiens neaderthalensis 10 Blast Hits Blast 2: Homo sapiens neaderthalensis 50 Blast Hits Blast 3: Homo sapiens ssp. Denisova 10 Blast Hits Blast 4: Homo sapiens ssp. Denisova 50 Blast Hits Blast 5: Homo heidelbergensis 10 Blast Hits Blast 6: Homo heidelbergensis 50 Blast Hits The results of the blast were what expected, showing a result of how each species of Homo evolved from one common ancestor. Each graph was displayed [JB20]as a radial tree diagram due to it being the most appropriate of the graphs. With the 10 blast [JB21]hit sequence for H. sapiens neanderthalensis only 4 Neanderthal cytochrome b sequences, including the one chosen for the blast, were seen [JB22]whereas in the 50 blast [JB23]hit sequence, 5 Neanderthal sequences appeared. This change in result by the addition of one more Neanderthal sequence was probably due [JB24]to that one new sequence being of a percent identity that was adequate for a 50 blast [JB25]parameter. It possibly did [JB26]not show up in the 10 blast hit results because the identity percentage was not high enough. A similar notion can be seen [JB27]with the H. heidelbergensis. Only one result came up in the 10 blast [JB28]hit, then one more appeared in the results of the 50 blast [JB29]hit run. However, the result did not happen in the H. denisova for either of the blast trials, due to the cytochrome b on two different accessions being the highest identity percentage of the blast results. In correlation to the identity percentage values being very high on each of the blast trails, the E value for each of these graphs was an incredibly low number, being of a value between 1 x 10-4 and 8 x 10-4. These values were at such a low quantity to show how closely related each of the species in the blast were to one another. This was expected [JB30]since each of the species in the blast were of the same genus. Unfortunately, there is no data available to determine through a blast run what the common ancestor of each species is.   Ã‚   Results for seen through the table titled phenotypic comparisons seen below in Table 1. This table looks at the skeletal structure and posture of each of the 3 species in comparison to that of H. sapiens based on their skeletal structure (cranium, spine, ribs, etc.) and their posture (bipedal, arch, alignment, etc.). Species Skeletal Structure and Posture Compared to H. sapiens[JB31] H. heidelbergensis [JB32]Relatively[JB33] short adult males and females (avg[JB34] height: 5 11) Cranial capacity for average adult ~1,100 1,400 cm3 Bipedal due to thick shin bones and leg structure Average height of H. sapiens today is 6 2 (primarily for men). Cranial capacity of H. sapiens in current day is 1,200 1,700 cm3. Bipedal due to long femur bond, arched foot, and big toe being aligned [JB35]skeletally with foot structure. H. sapiens neanderthalensis [JB36] Shorter average size for males and females (avg. height: 5 3) Cranial capacity for average adult ~1200 1750 cm3 Bipedal due to long femur and arch in foot Average height of H. sapiens today is 6 2 (primarily for men). Cranial capacity of H. sapiens in current day is 1,200 1,700 cm3. Bipedal due to long femur bond, arched foot, and big toe being aligned [JB37]skeletally with foot structure. H. sapiens denisova [JB38] Species was discovered [JB39]in 2010, so no data to give facts about the Denisovans except that they are more closely related to Neanderthals than H. sapiens. Not enough data to compare this species to H. sapiens. Evaluation: Through the blast trials and skeletal structural evidence found online, the results that were expected [JB40]from the beginning of the experiment were observed[JB41]. From low E / high identity percentage value for genotypic results, to evolutionary differences in phenotypic traits. With each of the species that were input [JB42]into the NCBI blast run were all of [JB43]the Homo genus, the probability of major differences in genetic distribution would be low. Along with these low values, the identity percentages that were present in the blast run for each cytochrome b species result was high, often with a value 99 or 100%. Genotypically, each species is slightly different from one another, but this is due to said species evolving to better fit their climate and living conditions. Comparing it to the modern H. sapiens it was possible to see slight connections between each of the species (exception the Denisovan man) in terms of body posture (spine curvature) and walking ability (arche d foot and aligned big toe). From research[JB44] it was devised [JB45]how closely related modern humans are to when compared to different Homo species through genotypic and phenotypic comparisons. Works Cited Denisovans Harbour Ancestry from an Unknown Archaic Population, Unrelated to Neanderthals, Page 1. AboveTopSecret.com. NY Times, n.d. Web. 23 May 2016. The Great Apes. The Great Apes. Information Please, 10 Oct. 2000. Web. 23 May 2016. Homo Heidelbergensis. Hominidevolution . Australian Museum, 12 Apr. 2012. Web. 23 May 2016. Homo Sapiens. Human Origins Program. The Smithsonian Institution, n.d. Web. 23 May 2016. McCarthy, Eugene M. Homo Heidelbergensis. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 May 2016. O Neil, Dennis. Evolution of Modern Humans: Early Modern Homo Sapiens. Evolution of Modern Humans: Early Modern Homo Sapiens. N.p., 12 Apr. 1999. Web. 23 May 2016. Scientists Decode DNA of the Oldest Human Ancestor. Jengsos. Jengsos, 05 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 May 2016. Toba Through the Bottleneck and Human Evolution. Andamans. Nature Mag, n.d. Web. 23 May 2016. Walking Upright. Walking Upright. The Smithsonian Institution, n.d. Web. 23 May 2016. Wenz, John. The Other Neanderthal. The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 24 Aug. 2014. Web. 23 May 2016. Grading or Evaluation Rubric Personal engagement This criterion assesses the extent to which the student engages in the exploration and makes it their own. One may recognize personal engagement in different attributes and skills. The student could discuss his or her individual interests. Also, the student could show evidence of independent thinking, creativity or initiative in the design, implementation, or presentation of the investigation. Mark Descriptor Awarded 0 This report does not meet the standards described. 2 1 The student presents limited evidence of personal engagement with the exploration with little independent thinking, initiative, creativity, or insight. The justification submitted by the student for selecting the research question and the topic under investigation does not show personal significance, interest, or curiosity. There is little evidence of personal input and initiative in the designing, implementation, or presentation of the investigation. 2 The proof of personal engagement with the exploration is evident with important independent thinking, initiative, creativity, or insight. The student showed personal significance, interest or curiosity in the justification given for selecting the research question used. The student demonstrates personal input and initiative in the designing, implementation, or presentation of the investigation. Comments on personal engagement: The student showed how the investigation was personal by using several different attributes and skills to achieve the goal. The students personal interests guided the investigation. The student showed independent thinking, creativity, and initiative in the design, implementation, and presentation of the inquiry. Exploration This criterion assesses the extent to which the student sets up the scientific context for the work, tells a clear and focused research question and uses concepts and techniques proper to the Diploma Program level. Where proper, this criterion also assesses awareness of safety, environmental, and ethical considerations. 0 The students report does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below. 4 1-2 The student named the topic of the investigation, and a research question of some relevance is stated but not focused. The background information included is superficial or of limited relevance and does not aid the understanding of the context of the investigation. The method of the inquiry is only proper to discuss the research question to a very limited extent since it takes into consideration few of the significant factors that may influence the relevance, reliability, and sufficiency of the collected data. 1. Independent variable not listed 2. Dependent variable not listed 3. Controls not listed 4. Hypothesis not presented (If , then , because ) 5. Materials specified, but incomplete 6. Procedure specified, but incomplete The report shows evidence of limited awareness of the significant safety, ethical or environmental issues that are relevant to the method of the investigation* 3-4 The student named the topic of the investigation and described a relevant but not fully focused research question. The background information included is proper and pertinent and aids the understanding of the context of the inquiry. The method of the investigation is proper to discuss the research question but has limitations since it takes into consideration only some of the significant factors that may influence the relevance, reliability, and sufficiency of the collected data. 1. Independent variable considered 2. Dependent variable considered 3. Controls showed and considered 4. Hypothesis presented in incorrect format (If -, then -, because -) 5. Materials not specified completely 6. Procedure not specified completely The report shows evidence of some awareness of the significant safety, ethical or environmental issues that are relevant to the method of the investigation* 5-6 The student named the topic of the investigation and described a relevant and fully focused research question. The background information included is entirely proper and pertinent and enhances the understanding of the context of the inquiry. The method of the inquiry is highly proper to discuss the research question because it takes into consideration all, or most, of the significant factors that may influence the relevance, reliability, and sufficiency of the collected data. 1. Independent variable named 2. Dependent variable named 3. Controls shown 4. Hypothesis presented in correct format (If , then , because ) 5. Detailed materials listed 6. Detailed procedure listed The report shows evidence of full awareness of the significant safety, ethical or environmental issues that are relevant to the method of the investigation* Comments on exploration: The student set up the scientific context for the work, telling a clear and focused research question and using concepts and techniques proper to the program. The student considered and were aware of safety, environmental, and ethical considerations. Student did not list a hypothesis, but the report alludes to the hypothesis. Deeper development of background information would improve the report. Analysis This criterion assesses the extent to which the students report offers evidence that the student has selected, recorded, processed, and interpreted the data in ways that are relevant to the research question and can support a conclusion. 0 The students report does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below 5 1-2 The report includes insufficient relevant raw data to support a valid conclusion to the research question. The student carried out some basic data processing, but it is either too inaccurate or too inadequate to lead to a valid conclusion. The report shows evidence of little consideration of the impact of measurement uncertainty in the analysis. The student incorrectly or insufficiently interpreted the processed data so that the conclusion is invalid or very incomplete (Lacking statistical analysis) 3-4 The report includes relevant but incomplete quantitative and qualitative raw data that could support a simple or partially valid conclusion to the research question. The student carried out proper, and enough data that could lead to a broadly valid conclusion, but there are significant inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the processing. The report shows evidence of some consideration of the impact of measurement uncertainty in the analysis. The student processed the data so that a broadly valid but incomplete or limited conclusion to the research question to allow a conclusion (Statistical analysis were proper mean, median, mode, Chi-square, T-test, other) 5-6 The report includes enough relevant quantitative and raw qualitative data that could support an accurate and valid conclusion to the research question. The student carried out proper and sufficient information processing with the accuracy needed to enable a reader to reach a conclusion to the research question fully consistent with the experimental data. The report shows evidence of full and proper consideration of the impact of measurement uncertainty in the analysis. The student correctly interpreted the processed data so that one can deduce a completely valid and detailed conclusion to the research question (Statistical analysis where proper mean, median, mode, Chi-square, T-test, other) Comments on Analysis: The students report offers evidence that the student selected, recorded, processed, and interpreted the data in ways that are relevant to the research question and can support a conclusion. More detailed statistical analysis would improve the report. Evaluation This criterion assesses the extent to which the students report offers evidence of evaluation of the investigation and the results of the research question and the current scientific context. 0 The students report does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below. 5 1-2 The student outlined a conclusion which is not relevant to the research question or has no support by the data presented. The conclusion makes a superficial comparison to the current scientific context. The student outlined the strengths and weaknesses of the investigation, such as limitations of the data and sources of error, but restricts the information shown to an account of the practical or procedural issues faced. The student has outlined very few realistic and relevant suggestions for the improvement and extension of the investigation. 3-4 The student describes a conclusion which is pertinent to the research question and supported by the data presented. The student describes a conclusion which makes some relevant comparison to the current scientific context. The student describes the strengths and weaknesses of the investigation, such as limitations of the data and sources of error, and offer evidence of some awareness of the methodological issues* involved in showing the conclusion. The student has described some realistic and relevant suggestions for the improvement and extension of the investigation. 5-6 The student describes and justifies a definite conclusion which is entirely relevant to the research question and fully supported by the data presented. The student correctly describes a conclusion and justifies it through relevant comparison to the current scientific context. The student discusses strengths and weaknesses of the investigation, such as limitations of the data and sources of error, and offers evidence of a clear understanding of the methodological issues involved in setting up the conclusion. The student has discussed practical and relevant suggestions for the improvement and extension of the investigation. Comments on evaluation: The students report offers evidence of evaluation of the investigation and the results of the research question and the current scientific context. An in-depth discussion and application of statistical analysis would improve report. Communication This criterion assesses whether the student presents and reports the investigation in a way that supports effective communication of the focus, process, and outcomes. 0 The students report does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below. 3 1-2 The presentation of the investigation is unclear, making it difficult to understand the focus, process, and outcomes. The report is not well structured and is unclear: the necessary information on focus, process and the student either presented the results in an inconsistent or disorganized manner or are missing. The student obscures an understanding of the focus, process, and outcomes of the investigation by the presence of inappropriate or irrelevant information. There are many errors in the use of subject-specific terminology and conventions**. Sources not properly cited and/or Works Cited page missing, not following Modern Language Association (MLA) style guidance. 3-4 The presentation of the investigation is clear. Any errors do not hamper understanding of the focus, process, and outcomes. The report is well structured and definite: the necessary information on focus, process and the results are present and presented in a coherent way. The report is relevant and concise thereby helping a ready understanding of the focus, process, and outcomes of the investigation. The use of subject-specific terminology and conventions is proper and correct. Any errors do not hamper understanding**. Sources properly cited and Works Cited page included, following Modern Language Association (MLA) style guidance. Comments on Communication: The student presented and reported the results of the investigation in a way that supports effective communication of the focus, process, and outcomes while having some errors in the correct format and MLA style guidance. Marks achieved 19 Numeric grade (based on 100%) 79.2 IB Marks Grade 5 * One should apply this indicator only when proper to the investigation. ** For example, incorrect/missing labeling of graphs, tables, images; use of units, decimal places, referencing and citations. Conversion from marks to percentage Pre-lab report 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 8.4 16.6 25.0 33.4

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Notre Dame University Football Dynasty Essay -- essays research papers

Waking up the Echoes Throughout College Football's extensive 138 year history, there has been debate over which football team is the greatest dynasty. Many dynasties throughout the nation have the ability to be titled 'the greatest'. Nevertheless, the University of Notre Dame is undeniably the best overall College Football dynasty, when one considers not only statistics but also tradition, heart, and dedication. Notre Dame?s exceptional dynasty has many attributing factors throughout its history. These factors range from the greatest coaches and players to the contagious Irish spirit. No matter what ethnic background a Notre Dame man comes from, the minute he steps out onto 'Rockne's house'(Notre Dame Stadium), he automatically becomes one of the Fighting Irish. It is a telling act that throughout Notre Dame's history, and increasingly in recent years, many players, coaches, and fans have made the university their home purely because of their preference to be in the midst of a community of learning wher e belief is not merely tolerated, but in fact is celebrated. Notre Dame?s football history has not only been legendary but memorable. From their extraordinary hall of fame coaches to their historic rivalries, not one person can forget the Fighting Irish. During this Irish History, their dynasty could not have been ?Rock?-solid (referring to Knute Rockne who built Notre Dame Stadium) without outstanding coaches. With thirteen national titles, Notre Dame has more football championships than any other university or college in history. The thirty remarkable coaches include the greatest in Notre Dame?s history: Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian, and Lou Holtz. The program has the highest total winning percentage, higher tha... ...s come and go, football?s greatest players and coaches yield their places in history, Nevertheless, the years fail to dim the ?glory-days? won by the Irish. The University of Notre Dame has proven itself as the best overall dynasty by its ability to persevere and prepare to bounce back under pressure. The remarkable history of the Fighting Irish will always be treasured by their fans and shows the heritage of the Irish spirit. Notre Dame?s young team for the upcoming season (2008) may lack experience but also has more potential for growth, flexibility and magnitude. Based on current statistics and facts, Notre Dame is proving its ability to come back and achieve greatness once again. No matter what the scores or numbers show or ?whether the odds be great or small, Notre Dame will win overall? as long as the spirit of dedication and perseverance continues to thrive.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Alchemy vs Chemistry Essay

Some people think that chemistry is just about mixing things up and experimenting in test tubes and explosions. Actually chemistry studies everything around us and how they change, for example it tells what your body is made out of. We study chemistry in biology, geology, engineering, and even physics. Chemistry is the science of matter, and how it changes and its chemical reactions, it’s also called as the central science ( the main one) because it connects physics with other sciences. Chemistry is important because it explains the world around you, it explains how food changes when you cook it and how it rots. Chemical reactions occur when you breathe, eat, or even setting down watching the T.V. Chemistry was discovered by a Greek man called Leucippus in the fifth century BC. He came up with the idea that the world was made up of atoms or voids. His student Democritus further refined this idea of the atom and improver the theory so it can make more sense. On the other hand m any people did not believe in chemistry and Democritus’ theory. Alchemy, it’s a form of chemistry that was studied in the middle ages, which was concentrating about trying to change a normal metal into gold. It’s the power to change or create things in a way which seems mysterious and magical. It also involves the discovery of panacea, and the proportions of the elixir of immortality and living forever. Aristotle was another Greek philosopher who had a completely different theory than the one with the atoms. He though that all matters are made up of four elements and they are: Air, Fire, Water and Earth. By physically manipulating the proportions of the elements, matter can be changed from one to another. This idea was known as transmutation, and the main goal of it is to transfer ordinary metal into gold. Aristotle did not have a proof for his theory However, because he was trusted and respected this idea has been for 2000 years even though they were wrong, and still until now there are some people who believe in alchemy and alchemists still exist. Some people think that chemistry and alchemy are the same, but they are different in many ways. First of all, alchemy rely a lot on the spiritual connections to the four elements and they are fire, water, earth and air while chemistry is a lot more logical, factual and scientific based. Second of all, chemistry is considered as science, while alchemy is not. Third of all, chemistry is more famous than alchemy and it’s a part of our modern society and we are used to it. Finally, chemistry makes more sense than alchemy and it does not risk our lives looking for the elixir like alchemy. Chemistry and alchemy does not only have differen ces, they also have some similarities. First of all, they all began as alchemy in the seventeenth century in the medieval Europe. Second of all, the both involve the natural elements which are now arranged on a periodic table. Third of all, they were both considered as science back then because people didn’t know who is right and who is wrong so they used them both as science. Finally, back in time the churches were against both of them because they thought that they used magic and proportions which what they are totally against.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Rhe general information Essays

Rhe general information Essays Rhe general information Essay Rhe general information Essay Average age of the passengers of TITANIC was 29.88 years old. Considering the fact that 25% of the passengers were younger than 21 (1st quartile) and only 25% of passengers were older than 39 (100% the 3rd quartile), half of the passengers age was between 21 and 39 (3rd quartile 1st quartile), which indicates that the population of TITANIC was quite young.  The range of the age was pretty wide (79.833), since the youngest baby was 0.167 and the oldest was 80. Therefore, even though the majority of passengers were young, each category of ages from 0 to 80 had some representatives.  General equilibrium of the age (mean) is greater than the median, which means that the whole tendency of the age goes rightward, resulting in positive skewness (rightward skewed distribution). As we can see in bar chart below, there is a high frequency in ages 20 and 30, resulting in an asymmetry distribution. Age 80 in this case is an outlier; its value is too high with respect to the other ages. There was only one person who was 80, out of 1309 passengers. The kurtosis index is low (0.14) suggesting a hypo-normal (more flat) distribution relative to a normal distribution. In other words, the data have a flat top near the mean rather than a sharp peak.  1.2. Gender  The data inferred that there were more males than females on TITANIC. More than half of the population of TITANIC was male compared to only about 40% of the passengers who were female. The minimum ticket price was 0 which means that some passengers did not pay anything for the trip. Average ticket price was about 33 dollars which is quite low considering the most expensive fare was 512 dollars. That is because 75% of the passengers (3rd quartile) bought the ticket below the price of 31.27 dollars, 25% of them (the rest) paid from 32 dollars to 512 dollars. One of the main reasons the mean is not an appropriate measure is its sensitivity to extreme values. This is certainly the case with our data which comprises some extreme prices. Therefore, we can see the outlier (512) in the box plot which is way higher compared to the mean of the ticket fare. This means that a very select clientele paid extremely much, perhaps being offered the appropriate luxury. Additionally the distribution is asymmetric, rightward (positive) skewed because the mean is greater than the median; general equilibrium is much higher the middle number. Upper limit is quite wide since, 3rd quartile is high, respectively 1st quartile is only 7 dollars. As we can see in Histogram above, the majority of the passengers bought their ticket under the 50 dollars threshold. Between 32 dollars and 512 dollars ticket, many of them sold by price about 200-250 dollars. In fact only 4 people got the 512 dollar ticket out of 1309 passengers. As a result, most of the passengers on TITANIC had comparatively cheap tickets, even though a select few enjoyed the luxury travel that an expensive ticket bought them. Below, heres a more representative Histogram of fares, one in which we have purposely omitted these luxury ticket prices, and we have increased the number of classes: We found out that there was a difference in the prices of those who survived, namely they paid more for their tickets. However, we cannot infer that survival depended on the ticket price because of the high variability of those who survived. The maximum price paid by a survivor was 512 while the maximum paid by a non-survivor was 263. This doesnt tell us much except that all 4 people who paid the extreme amount of 512 survived.  On average, the survivors paid more than double for their prices but again, the average was influenced heavily by the outliers. Conclusion By making a simple analysis of the general information of TITANIC, we were able to describe the population of the ship in terms of several variables. To summarize, the population was relatively young, more than half of them were males who did not pay too much for their tickets. This fits with the stereotype of the poor young man, in his 20s, looking for a new life in the land of the dreams. Unfortunately, survival ratio from TITANIC was not very high, only slightly less than 40% of the passengers were able to further pursue their dreams.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Tnb-Financial Analysis Essay Example

Tnb Tnb-Financial Analysis Paper Tnb-Financial Analysis Paper INTRODUCTION OF CORPORATION PROFILE3 TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD FINANCIAL ANALYSIS 1998-2007 i)PROFITABILITY RATIOS AND SALES REVENUE5 ii)LEVERAGE MANAGEMENT 9 iii)EARNINGS PER SHARE11 iv)LIQUIDITY RATIOS12 v) FIXED ASSET TURNOVER15 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY17 REFERENCE18 APPENDIX 1: RAW DATA APPENDIX 2: ANNUAL REPORT 1998-2007 INTRODUCTION OF CORPORATION PROFILE Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) is the largest utility company in Malaysia. It is also the largest power company in Southest Asia with RM65 billion worth of assets serving over six million customers throughout Peninsular Malaysia and the eastern state of Sabah. Its core activities are generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. TNB is the only Malaysian energy company to rank among the top 50 energy companies in Asia in 2006 (based on the Platts’s survey of the top 250 Global Energy Companies) while internationally it is ranked as 168th. TNB was formed in 1990 by the Electricity Supply Successor Company Act 1990, as the successor of the National Electricity Board of the States of Malaya (Lembaga Letrik Negara Tanah Melayu). It was listed on the Bursa Saham Securities Berhad in the year 1990. TNB Group currently has a complete power supply system generating capacity of about 11,200 MW. In Peninsular Malaysia, TNB contributes to 55 percent of the total industry capacity through six thermal stations and three major hydroelectric schemes. It also manages the transmission network i. e. National Grid which links TNB power stations and IPPs to the distribution network. The National Grid is linked via 132kV HVAC and 300 kV HVDC interconnection to Thailand and 230kV cables to Singapore. TNB’s distribution network is managed through a comprehensive distribution system; customer service centres and calls management centres. Through its subsidiaries, TNB is also involves in the manufacturing of transformer, high voltage switchgears and cables, provision of professional consultancy services, architectural, civil and electrical engineering works and services, repair and maintenance, research and development and project management services. TNB also offers higher education through its university – University Tenaga Malaysia (Uniten). The Group mission is â€Å"We Are Committed to Excellence in Our Products and Services† FINANCIAL ANALYSIS (1998 – 2007) The purpose of this chapter will cover the analysis of financial statement from year 1998 to 2007 of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to help evaluate the operating performance and financial positions. Operating performance analysis focuses on how well the organization is matching revenues and expenses or expenditures while financial position analysis focuses on how well positioned the organization is to pay its bills. The Groups principal activities are generating, transmitting, distributing, operating and selling electricity . Other activities include repairing, testing and maintaining power plants, providing engineering, procurement and construction services for power plants related products, assembling and manufacturing high voltage switchgears, coal mining and trading . Operations are carried out in Malaysia, Mauritius, Pakistan, India and Indonesia. Profitability Ratio And Sales Revenue Profitability ratio has increased tremendously from a negative 28% in 1998 to a positive 18% in 2007. This shows how well TNB is performing by analyzing profit earned relative to sales, total assets and net worth. The Group recorded a 14. per cent growth in revenue to RM23,320. 4 million in FY2007 from RM20,384. 2 million in FY2006 and 110 per cent growth in revenue from RM11,075. 6 million in FY1998. This can be seen in a staggered rise and was driven by various factors such as the implementation of the new tariff structure which took effect in the middle of Y2006, foreign exchange translation gains and a 5. 3 per cent increase in electricity demand. This is also reflected by higher electricity sales which increased by RM2. 7 billion or 13. 6% and cost savings. EBITDA increased to 37. 6 per cent compared to 35. per cent last year while net profit increased by 90. 9 per cent from RM2,126. 9 million (Y2006) to RM4,061. 1 (Y2007) million which is almost double the amount; and also a huge increase from a loss of RM3,093. 9 in Y1998. TABLE 1:TNB PROFITABILITY RATIOS 1998 2007 Ratio/Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007 NET PROFIT MARGIN-0. 280. 070. 100. 150. 060. 060. 050. 070. 100. 17 ROA-0. 070. 020. 030. 040. 020. 020. 010. 020. 030. 06 ROE-0. 240. 060. 090. 130. 050. 070. 050. 080. 110. 17 TABLE 2: TNB CHANGES IN SALES REVENUE 1998 – 2007 RM/Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007 Sales Revenue (RM million)11075. 6011716. 1013220. 00 13,951. 80 15375. 1016457. 8017712. 1018326. 4019707. 4022384. 00 FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3 FIGURE 4 Leverage Management Apart from registering its highest profit ever, the Group has for the past reduced its loan from RM27. 1 billion in Y2006 to RM23. 9 billion in Y2007. For the past 3 years, a major restructuring of loan has been done. As we can see of RM32. 4 billion in Y2004 to RM23. 9 billion in Y2007, reflecting a RM8. 5 billion or 26. 2 per cent reduction. During the same period, TNB has managed to collect RM553 million from major delinquent debtors and also eduction in theft. Due to the various cost management initiatives undertaken by the Management, the Company has realised around RM2. 4 billion in terms of value creation since 2004. TNB also saw increasing foreign investors’ interest in its shares, when foreign shareholding reached 28. 4 per cent in May 2007; it’s highest since the Company’s privati sation. Given the continued strong financial outcomes, the Company is poised to undertake appropriate growth opportunities within its core business areas. TABLE 5: TNB LEVERAGE MANAGEMENT RATIO 1998 2007 Ratio/Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007 DEBT RATIO0. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 6 DEBT-TO-EQUITY2. 22. 41. 91. 72. 12. 22. 21. 861. 40. 78 FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6 Earnings Per Share During the year 2007, the Board announced a dividend policy for the purpose of providing stable and sustainable dividends to shareholders while maintaining an efficient capital structure and ensuring sufficient funding for future growth. Under this policy, TNB will distribute 40-60 per cent of the Company’s annual free cash flow as dividends. As such, the Board of Directors is recommending a final gross dividend of 16. sen per ordinary share less income tax of 26 per cent to shareholders of the Company. Together with the interim dividend of RM632 million, the total dividend declared for this Financial Year amounts to an estimated RM1,154. 5 million. From track record Y1998 to Y2007, Y2007 has the highest payout. This change of a negative EPS of 99. 8 sen in Y1998 to a turnaround posit ive 94. 9sen in Y2007 (an 81% increase compare to Y2006 of 52. 5sen). TABLE 6 : CHANGES IN EPS 1998 2007 Ratio/Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007 EPS-99. 824. 942. 967. 830. 734. 126. 132. 052. 594. 9 FIGURE 7 Liquidity Ratio The current ratio can give a sense of the efficiency of a companys operating cycle or its ability to turn its product into cash. It measures a companys ability to pay short-term obligations. Liquidity ratios measure the short-term ability of the entity to pay its maturing obligations and to meet unexpected needs for cash. As per the above calculation, current ratio and quick ration for TNB decrease from year 1998 to 2000 but increase from 2000 to 2007. The increase in both current and quick ratios from 2000 to 2007 indicates improvement in liquidity (Current ratio from 0. 5 times in 2000 increased to 1. times in 2007; quick ration from 0. 4 times in 2000 to 1. 2 in 2007). The current ratio means for every dollar of current liabilities, in year 2007, TNB has $1. 50 of current assets compare to 1998 which has only $0. 80. While for quick ratio, TNB performed quite well too. Ratio increased from year 2000 to 2007. The peak was in year 2004 with the quick ratio of 1. 4. The company is â €˜cash rich’ and able to pay off short-term obligations without relying on the sale of inventories. TABLE 4: TNB LIQUIDITY RATIO 1998 2007 Ratio/Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007 CURRENT RATIO0. 0. 70. 50. 70. 80. 91. 71. 21. 41. 5 QUICK RATIO0. 60. 50. 40. 60. 60. 51. 411. 11. 2 FIGURE 8 FIGURE9 Fixed Assets Turnover Assets management ratios measure how effectively TNB is managing its assets. Fixed assets turnover ratio for the company is increasing from the year 1999 to 2007, from 0. 27 to 0. 41, 51% improvement over 9 years of business operation. Over the 9 years TNB’s total assets turnover ratio increased from 0. 25 times in 1999 to 0. 34 times in 2007. This indicates that the company is generating sufficient volume of business given its total assets investment. Sales increased, some assets were sold, or a combination of these steps had been taken. TABLE 3: TNB ASSET MANAGEMENT RATIOS 1998 – 2007 Ratio/Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007 FIXED-ASSET TURNOVER0. 280. 270. 290. 290. 300. 320. 330. 350. 370. 41 TOTAL ASSET TURNOVER0. 260. 250. 260. 260. 270. 270. 280. 300. 310. 34 FIGURE 10 FIGURE 11 Executive Summary In summary, it can be seen that Tenaga Nasional Berhad has increased its performance quite steadily for the past ten years. It has managed to improve its performance from losses to steady growth of earnings and profit. It has done by steadily increasing its tariff, earnings from foreign exchange translation gains and increase in electricity demand. Tenaga Nasional Berhad are also able to manage its debt by decreasing it quite considerably. The company managed to collect its debt from major delinquent debtors and also reduction in theft. Though its total revenue increases, there is large escalation in total operating cost. This in turns has resulted into slight decrease of its profit margin. It has shift its operation towards fuel- fix in order to reduce the cost of coal usage and also maximizing its gas and hydro usage from its multi-fuel plants. The rising coal price has increase the total fuel cost. However its foreign exchange gain and continued effort in cost management has increased its pre tax profit. TNB would need to resort to the capital market to finance its capital expenditure requirements due to increases in operating cost and requirement to enhance its electricity supply reliability. TNB also has plans to further increase its tariff in 2008 due to the increasing cost i. e. the increase in the selling price of independent power plant (IPP) where it purchases some of its energy requirement This has lead to a lot of debate in the government and also its consumer. There are pressures for TNB to review its current contract with the various IPP to ensure that TNB will be able to fully benefit and earn a profit from its agreement with them. It remains to be seen if TNB will do so despite pressure from its consumer to not increase the tariff. In conclusion, TNB should be able to sustain its current growth and further increase if profit. However TNB must be mindful of its operational cost in order for it to sustain its profit. REFERENCE ?Tenaga Nasional Berhad Annual Reports 1999-2007 ?www. tnb. com. my ?http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Tenaga_Nasional

Monday, November 4, 2019

The Marketing Practice For Unsigned Independent Artists And Their Essay

The Marketing Practice For Unsigned Independent Artists And Their Music - Essay Example However, McCarthy (1987) prefers a more explicit explanation ÃŽ ¿f the marketing mix, suggesting that the mix is "a set ÃŽ ¿f controllable variables which the organization puts together to satisfy a target group." A representative marketing mix involves a product provided at a price, combined with some level ÃŽ ¿f promotion to attract potential customers, along with a way (a "place") to meet those customers (McCarthy, 1987). In service marketing, McColl-Kennedy and Kiel (2003) identify three extended elements for marketers. In addition to the traditional 4 Ps, McColl-Kennedy and Kiel (2003) stress the core role ÃŽ ¿f people in a service industry, including both employees and customers or potential customers. Additionally, the service process and physical evidence take on additional importance in service industries. All process can produce best results for the marketing of unsigned independent artists and their music. Kotler defines the product as a combination ÃŽ ¿f goods and service s (Kotler et al, 2001). Given the service focus ÃŽ ¿f their work, McColl-Kennedy, and Kiel (2003) define a product more generally. They term a product merely as a bundle ÃŽ ¿f attributes--some tangible, some intangible--offered to a buyer by a seller.Marketing and management theorists agree on the simple concept ÃŽ ¿f price.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Career in Hospitality Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Career in Hospitality Industry - Essay Example The history of amusement parks dates back to the 16th century. These places were started in Medieval Europe with the name "Pleasure Gardens" and provided live entertainment, dancing, games, fireworks and few rides. Today, the oldest operating amusement park in one of those pleasure gardens named 'Bakken' which was started in the year 1583 in Copenhagen. Amusement parks started getting great popularity in the late 19th century. The world's first modern amusement park 'Paul Boynton's Water Chutes' was started in the year 1893. After that, a large number of theme parks were opened in Europe and United States and the industry flourished. The great depression of 1935 and second world was a great blow to the industry. By the end of the World War II, varieties of amusement parks have already started to boom. Today's theme parks enjoy a good popularity and are located throughout the world in almost all countries with diversified themes and features. This industry today is highly dependable on the technological development, which has provided various sophisticated rides and other entertainment options. The amusement park industry provides opportunity to interact with people of highly diversified cultures than any other. ... Exposure in diversified areas Good growth potential Good working condition Decent compensation package Exposure to diversified cultures The amusement park industry provides opportunity to interact with people of highly diversified cultures than any other. This exposure and learning will be asset that will accompany me throughout my career in this field. Dynamic Environment This industry is the most dynamic among all of the hospitality industries. It has to change according to the peoples interests and had always changes with the development in the field of Science & Technology. Since I have interest in learning new thing and hate a stagnated environment, I decided that the amusement park industry will be the best suited for my career and preferred his over the others. Exposure to other areas of Hospitality Industry Amusement parks also provide facilities such as restaurants, hotels, travel assistance, etc. One of the reasons for choosing this industry among the others in the hospitality industry is that working in amusement parks provides exposure also in the areas of ride operations, admissions, food services, retail, entertainment and guest relation. Exposure to High End Technology The major attraction in the amusement parks is the rides. Today's rides are intensely technology driven and highly sophisticated. Since I have interest in the field of Science & Technology, this industry became my first preference to make my career among the others. Based on all these aspects, I had decided to make my career in the Amusement park industry. To enter into any industry, it requires a good knowledge and understanding of the industry. And also a lot of work needs to be done

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Review on Data impediments to empirical work on health insurance Article

Review on Data impediments to empirical work on health insurance markets paper - Article Example it is found out that majority of the publicly available sources of data, that is commonly used by researchers are to carry out their study on the health insurance market shares, is unreliable. These data sources are said to portray great variability over the years and are relative to both a rational prior and to the inconsistency demonstrated in the health sectors discharge data. These data sources assume merger activities from specialized and from high professional findings. Their unreliability to the studying competition in the health insurance sector is revealed in their character to omit significant components of the market. Such omitted components may include the self-insured health plans. The article considers the private insurance industry that plays a more significant role in the health care sector in the United States. A large number of individuals in U.S purchase private insurance plans. Another significant number of individuals are covered through Medicaid while they are still enrolled in the private plans. The article compared the elderly people in U.S to the nonelderly. It was revealed that majority of the nonelderly individuals opt for the private insurance plans while 95 % of the elderly people are enrolled to the Medicare. Although a few numbers of the nonelderly are enrolled to the Medicaid, they are also found to have enrolled into the private plans. Only a quarter of the elderly people opt for the private insurance plans (Leemore et al. 11). According to this paper, the antitrust analysts and researchers cannot generate an accurate empirical analysis of competition in the health insurance industry through the use of a readily available market share data. These differences in shares and the concentration reported within different data sources would force researchers to choose among the competing data sets. The doubtfully high unpredictability within the data sets suggests

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Ethics in Information Technology Essay Example for Free

Ethics in Information Technology Essay Chad White (2009) discussed that by the end of 2008, retailers have been sending a record breaking number of promotional emails. The main question is, is this increase worth the price of all the negative consequences of such campaign? Cassar (2009) said that people had less money to spend in 2008 and that they view the internet as a deal seeking venue but not actually purchase online. There are a lot of costs associated with even simple system messages like, â€Å"You have items left in your cart. † Doubling the sending of these emails over the holiday period can cause some serious irritation, too, as the company can easily be marked as spam because of these emails that are being sent at least twice daily by some. Before actually spending out the money for these promotional mails, it might be better if the companies spend the extra cost in promotion by helping the customers save more, for instance, they can offer a promotional coupon or free shipping. Noguchi (2008) said that email has become too time-consuming for people that instead of aiding to get things accomplished, email has become a distraction from work being done. In another article, Noguchi (2008) said that family can be reasons for email overload as some members of the family love sending pictures, videos and all other stuff they can think of to every email address they have on file. These things can get really distracting especially at work. Suggestions to resolve this dilemma: a person can always limit messages in his mailbox, do not open personal emails at work, mark emails requiring action, use spam blockers, be alert on the proper subject headings (Asiado 2010). The key is being organized (Asiado 2010). Schaper (2009) said that one way to avoid email overload is taking a break from emails even once a week. In fact, his research showed one Chicago based company is implementing this exact same rule. They understand that email is important and necessary to business but it can just be toxic, hence this policy. Glenn (2008) said that there is practically no privacy at work. Everything done by an employee on a work computer can easily be seen by his employer as everything is saved in the company’s hard drive. There is only one suggestion to resolve this: avoid using work computer to do incriminating acts against your own person or another. References: Asiado, T. (2010). Tips How to Reduce Email Overflow at Work. Suite101. Retrieved, 14 July 2010, from http://businessmanagement. suite101. com/article. cfm/tips-to-reduce-email-overflow-at-work Cassar, K. (2009). Little Holiday Cheer Ahead for Online Retail. neilsenwire. Retrieved, 14 July 2010, from http://blog. nielsen. com/nielsenwire/consumer/little-holiday-cheer-ahead-for-online-retail/ Glenn, H. (2008). E-mail at Work: Tips to Keep You out of Trouble. npr. org. Retrieved, 14 July 2010, from http://www. npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=91604666 Noguchi, Y. (2008). Help! Family Spam is Crowding My Inbox! npr. org. Retrieved, 14 July 2010, from http://www. npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=91402876 Noguchi, Y. (2008). Make it Stop! Crushed by Too Many E-Mails. npr. org. Retrieved, 14 July 2010, from http://www. npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=91366853 Schaper, D. (2009). An E-Mail Vacation: Taking Fridays Off. npr. org. Retrieved, 14 July 2010, from http://www. npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=91724075 White, C. (2009). Email Volume Sets New Records During Holidays. mediapost. com. Retrieved, 14 July 2010, from http://www. mediapost. com/publications/? fa=Articles. showArticleart_aid=98215

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Criticism of a Social Group

Criticism of a Social Group The intergroup sensitivity effect occurs when people perceive criticism of a social group they belong to. Group members evaluation of the criticism depends largely on the source of the message. According to social identity theory outgroup members are typically evaluated less positively than ingroup members because people are motivated to perceive their group (and themselves) as more favorable than a reference group. Applying this ingroup preference to intergroup criticisms; outgroup critics are evaluated less positively than ingroup critics, and their comments arouse greater sensitivity than do the same comments made by an ingroup member. Since ingroup members receive more positive appraisal, their criticisms are perceived as more constructive, provoke less sensitivity, and are agreed with more. Research by Hornsey and Imani (2003) supported the intergroup sensitivity effect by revealing that ingroup critics were met with less defensiveness than were outgroup critics, regardless of t he amount of experience they had with the ingroup. The black sheep effect is another phenomenon related to social identity. When ingroup member deviate from the defining norms of the group they threaten the image of the group. One goal of group membership is positive distinctiveness; to be distinct from a reference group in a more positive way. When ingroup members deviate from norms that define the group they threaten the positive distinctiveness of the group. These individuals are then negatively evaluated. The black sheep effect refers to more negative evaluations of ingroup deviants compared to outgroup members, deviant or otherwise. Outgroup deviants cannot threaten the positive distinctiveness of the group like an ingroup member can. Groups may have a tendency to agree on more extreme positions than those held by individuals through a process called group polarization. Often this occurs following group discussion. Two theories may account for this phenomenon, social comparison theory (SCT) and persuasive arguments theory (PAT). According to SCT, people are motivated to evaluate and present themselves positively, in order to do this an individual must be continually processing information about how other people present themselves and adjust their self-presentations accordingly. People also want to be perceived to be better than average so they present themselves in a more favorable light. When all members of a group engage in this comparing process the result is a shift in a direction of perceived greater value. To do this people engage in removal of pluralistic ignorance, where they present their views as compromises between the ideal and the desire to not be too deviant from the group. People then tend to shift towards the ideal position, leading to group polarization. The bandwagon effect, or one-upmanship, also occurs because people want to be different and distinct from other people in their group in a more favorable direction. This happens when people infer the norm of the group, then shift their respo nse to a more ideal position. The persuasive arguments theory (PAT) suggests that an individuals choice or position on an issue is a function of the number and persuasiveness of pro and con arguments that that person recalls from memory when formulating their position. Discussion causes polarization because it provides persuasive arguments to the individual. These arguments tend to be evaluated on their validity and novelty. A meta-analysis by Isenberg (1986) suggested that, while there is evidence for both SCT and PAT as mediators of group polarization, PAT tends to have a stronger effect. While both may occur simultaneously, there is evidence that they are two conceptually independent processes. One of the primary ways that individuals maintain independence from norms associated with social groups is through social support. Allen (1975) proposed that social support serves to provide an assessment of physical and social reality. Under situations of conformity (experimentally manipulated by consensus on an incorrect answer) social support encourages individuals to express responses inconsistent with those of the group. Social support counteracts negative social factors related to dissent by reducing anxiety related to potential rejection, and reducing the perception that the group will make negative dispositional attributions about the dissenter. On a cognitive basis, social support helps nonconformity by simply breaking the expectation of group consensus, by cognitively restructuring the meaning of a given stimulus, and by reassuring the dissenting person that they have not lost touch with reality. Nonconformity aided by social support is enhanced by previous social contact w ith the supporter, and occur whether the supporter is an ingroup or outgroup member (as long as the conformity issue is not related to the salient social identity. The effectiveness of minority influence relies on a number of factors. According to Moscovici Faucheux (1972) one of the main factors is consistency of the message. People are motivated to seek consistency in their social world and it is easier to persuade individuals of the legitimacy of ones view on issues when the message is consistent, particularly when the answer is unknown (e.g. how to fix  the economy). Moscovici also suggests that rigid minorities tend to have a less direct influence than more flexible minorities, which may imply that Palin needs to portray her views as more moderate. Alvaro and Crano (1997) suggest that indirect minority influence may be effective at changing attitudes. In an effort to effect popular opinion about highly contested and core political issues (e.g. abortion rights) she ought to target an associated, less contentious issue (e.g. sex education in public schools). In order for her to have any success at indirect influence however, she needs to present herself as an ingroup member. She might focus on her identity as a woman, a mother, cite a long familial American heritage or any other potential cross-cutting categories. She will have more success if she portrays herself as more similar to the majority of Americans. Old fashioned prejudice may be characterized as overt prejudice where discrimination is obvious and public. Modern prejudice can be conceptualized as aversive racism (Gaertner Dovidio, 1986) which is characterized by ambivalence between feelings and beliefs associated with a egalitarian value system and unacknowledged negative feelings and beliefs about African Americans. For most Americans an egalitarian value system is important to the self-concept, demanding a nonprejudiced self-image. This is the result of sympathy for victims of past injustices leading to support of public policies that promote racial equality. However, negative attitudes toward African Americans are still pervasive. These feelings and beliefs may be derived from a historical and contemporary culturally racist contexts (creating uneasiness or discomfort). They may be biases derived from cognitive mechanisms that contribute to the development of stereotypes. They may also develop from any combination of historic al stereotypes, institutional racism, need for self-esteem, or economic competition. As opposed to the direct link between old fashioned racism and acts of prejudice, aversive racism has more complex antecedents for expression of prejudice. When there is weak, ambiguous or conflicting normative structure defining appropriate interaction or if a prejudiced response can be rationalized or justified through attribution to some factor other than race, actsof prejudice are more likely to occur. When there is clearly appropriate normative structure and a prejudiced response cannot be rationalized acts of prejudice are less likely to occur. Deindividuation effects have classically been described as anti-normative behavior stemming from decreased self-awareness and decreased self-evaluation, occurring when the presence and identity of a group supersede individual identity. Specific antecedents of deindividuation effects were proposed by Zimbardo (1969), which included anonymity, sensory overload, novel situations, loss of individual responsibility and substance abuse. Zimbardo proposed that deindividuation effects manifested as behaviors that were violations of norms and largely characterized as antisocial. Diener (1980) further elaborated on the effect as decreased self-awareness by an individual, making them responsive to external stimulus over internal monitoring and planning. It is important to note that these classical conceptions of deindividuation effects largely as an individual process, rather than a group process. A more contemporary model that challenges classical conceptualizations of deindividuation is the social identity perspective on deindividuation effects (SIDE; Reicher et al., 1995). The SIDE model proposes that deindividuation effects fall into one of two categories; (a) cognitive effects and (b) strategic effects, depending on whether the self or other group members are anonymous. Cognitive effects are believed to occur in relation to others being anonymous or identifiable. When group members are anonymous the individual has a tendency to perceive indicators of group membership, making social identity and group norms salient, however when other group members are identifiable, individual identity becomes salient, decreasing the power of group norms. In contrast, strategic effects occur when the self is either anonymous or identifiable to the group. They are named as such because rather than being involved in perception of social identity, they are involved in displaying social identi ty. Studies suggested that when an individual was anonymous they expressed more punishable than unpunishable ingroup norms, when they were identifiable, they expressed more unpunishable than punishable ingroup norms. When identity is available to an ingroup, individuals express group norms in an effort to enhance social identity, but when identity is available to an outgroup, individuals are less expressive of group norms, possibly for fear of retribution. The SIDE model suggests that crowd behaviors related to anonymity rarely result from deindividuated states, rather that behaviors were context dependant and consistent with group norms.