Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Many Bosses Both Young And Elderly Can Attest To The Fact

Many bosses both young and elderly can attest to the fact that their first experiences weren t welcoming immediately after they assumed their new positions in among the most sensitive offices within a given organization. The journey to the leadership of every boss originates from different occasions which culminate to various challenges in the process. For instance, some professionals become managers through promotion as an appreciation of their good performance in their previous positions within the organization. Others become managers through a recruitment process for the top positions of any organization seeking to replace their former fired, resigned, promoted, transferred or dead bosses newly from outside the enterprises (Beach,†¦show more content†¦As a result, the newly suited managers would be aware of what awaits them and what is expected of them. Additionally, the top managers should also guide and advise the newly recruited or promoted bosses in addressing any ari sing issues in their first days of their leadership. The guidance and advice are essential to little work conflicts and better performance. In the case, the boss to the new manager immediately started relieving some of the authorities that he had granted to her without any considerations owing to the current allegations of meekness and unfitness for the task. It was very unprofessional and demoralizing to casually discharge the newly promoted manager off her duties based on a single mistake that deserved a warning rather than a dismissal. It was very clear that the newly promoted manager was younger and less experienced compared to the affected employee, which was excusable and expected an instance of respect in giving commands to many in similar condition. Therefore, the top boss needed to collect the new manager by advising and guiding her that age difference does not compromise the powers of a manager. In other words, he needed to let her understand that it doesn’t matter who holds the title but what is at stake especially when it concerns an employee performance.Show MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pageslikewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initialRead MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 PagesThe Power of Management Capitol 1. New Management for Business Growth in a Demanding Economy Text  © The McGraw−Hill Companies, 2004 3 the strong business growth of pacesetter companies in the United States and throughout the world? How can companies renew and sustain those factors in the face of the business slowdowns and major fluctuations that challenge the longterm continuation of profitable earnings? As we continue to experience the twenty-first century’s economic, social, and politicalRead MoreHuman Resources Management150900 Words   |  604 Pagesa career field. ââ€"  ââ€"  ââ€"  ââ€"  ââ€"  3 HR TRANSITIONS HR Management Contributes to Organizational Success More effective management of human resources (HR) increasingly is being seen as positively affecting performance in organizations, both large and small. A joint venture between General Electric and a Japanese company, GE Fanuc is a manufacturer of factory automation and control products. Headquartered in Virginia with 1,500 employees, the HR department primarily performed administrativeRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesShortage of Skilled Labor? 14 Why Do Organizations Lay Off Employees during Shortages? 15 How Do Organizations Balance Labor Supply? 15 Issues Contingent Workers Create for HRM 16 Continuous Improvement Programs 18 Work Process Engineering 19 How HRM Can Support Improvement Programs 19 How HRM Assists in Work Process Engineering 19 Chapter 2 Fundamentals of Strategic HRM 28 Learning Outcomes 28 Introduction 30 Why Is HRM Important to an Organization? 30 DID YOU KNOW?: A Management Recap 31 The StrategicRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesorganization. By thoroughly explaining, analyzing and exploring organization theory the book increases the understanding of a field that in recent years has become ever more fragmented. Organization theory is central to managing, organizing and reflecting on both formal and informal structures, and in this respect you will find this book timely, interesting and valuable. Peter Holdt Christensen, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark McAuley et al.’s book is thought-provoking, witty and highly

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Australia Hotel Industry Staff Turnover Rate Essay

How Much Does Labour Turnover Cost? A Study of Australian Four- and Five-Star Hotels Abstract Purpose: Employee turnover is a significant challenge for Human Resource Management (HRM) strategies and organisational performance. This study presents findings drawn from an extensive survey of labour turnover in the Australian accommodation sector. A particular focus is placed on turnover rates and costs. Design/methodology/approach: Based on labour turnover literature and an industry panel, an online survey was designed and distributed to four- and five-star hotels across Australia. Human Resource Managers from 64 hotels participated in the survey, providing a representative sample and a response rate of 29 percent. Findings and†¦show more content†¦The study represents a timely investigation into the issues surrounding turnover and identifies the ameliorating role that HRM might play. Labour Turnover ‘Culture’ in the Hospitality Industry Employee turnover as a research stream can be traced back to the work of March and Simon (1958) that was primarily based upon the level of job satisfaction and organisational commitment. Other theorists such as Mobley (1977), Price (1977) and Price and Mueller (1986) identified a range of other variables such as pay, communication, social integration, routinisation, role overload, promotional opportunity, training, supervisor and co-worker support, and distributive justice as having a significant impact upon turnover. 4 How does the hotel and hospitality industry envisage labour turnover? It is the voluntary or involuntary exiting of staff from the employment in a hotel. A prominent feature of the hospitality industry is that it is labour intensive but experiences high levels of labour turnover (Birdir, 2002; Brien, 2004). For instance, data from the United States suggest a voluntary turnover rate in the leisure and hospitality industry of 52.2%, with accommodation and food being the highest in the hospitality sector, compared to an average of 23.4% across all industries (The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006). Though debate varies, suggested reasons for this high turnoverShow MoreRelatedThe Role of HR Functions in Strategy Formulation1532 Words   |  7 Pagesthe hospitality industry. Gautam (2005) explained that the hospitality industry worldwide is the industry with the highest employee turnover. Narrowing down this industry, the hotel industry within hospitality has one of the highest turno ver rates and because strategic human resource management is focused on the efficiency of human capital, the industry must find a way to hire, train and retain skilled employees. 2. Problems and Issues There are many issues within the hotel industry relating to humanRead MoreEnhancing Productivity in the Australian Hotel Industry: the Role of Human Resource Management5857 Words   |  24 Pagesin the Australian Hotel Industry: The Role of Human Resource Management, Research and Practice in Human Resource Management, 1(1), 17-39. Enhancing Productivity in the Australian Hotel Industry: The Role of Human Resource Management Alan R. Nankervis Abstract The Australian hotel industry is at the crossroads. As part of the tourism strategy of the present Federal Government, it is charged with catapulting Australia out of its economic malaise. The industry is, however, constrainedRead MoreThe Size and Economic Impact of the Hospitality and Tourism Industry3276 Words   |  14 PagesSize and Economic Impact of the Hospitality and Tourism industry: Tourism is a massive industry in New Zealand. It has a major consequence on the rest of the economy from the employment it provides to a major percentage of the workforce (9.6% of the total workforce in New Zealand), thereby contributing to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The tourism growth in New Zealand is the outcome of the numerous of options that the hospitality industry offer visitors from all over the world. Some of the choiceRead MoreCompany Overview: Flight Centre in Australia1720 Words   |  7 PagesFlight Centres Company in Australia Name Professor Institution Course Date Flight Centre Company in Australia Identify the various elements of Flight Centres Company in Australia (external and internal environment). Analyse how the environment might influence the companys management style. Introduction Flight Centre Limited engages in travel agency business activities. The organization focuses on the provision of complete travel service for leisure and business travellers in various countriesRead MoreExternal Trends1214 Words   |  5 PagesDecision Making For Hotel amp; Restaurant Managers Define the term environment in this context. We say that strategic managers within organisations must consider environmental influences before arriving at business decisions; discuss what these environmental forces are and how they would impact on the decisions made by strategic management on the future viability of the business. As well as this, do a brief analysis of the 5 forces driving competition in the hospitality industry using Porters modelRead MoreThe Indian Hospitality Report6743 Words   |  27 PagesThe Indian Hospitality Industry Tourism Hospitality in India is based on the Sanskrit adage ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ or ‘guest is god’. The concept was adapted by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India which aims at creating awareness about rich variety of tourism in India. India is currently ranked 12th in the Asia Pacific region and 68th overall in the list of the worlds attractive destinations, according to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2011 by the World Economic Forum (WEF)Read MoreHousekeeping in Hotels: Personnel Turnover, Cultural Diversity, and Safety and Security.3759 Words   |  16 Pages1. Executive Summary. Housekeeping department is extremely important to any hotels. Housekeeping staff play significant roles as well. That is why you need to minimized personal turnover by monetary and non-monetary bonuses, trainings, good schedule, etc. As an option, you may do it by achieving cultural diversity at that particular department. Also cultural diversity will benefit your organization by different ideas from employees with different background. You could satisfy customers from any countryRead MoreEssay on Employee Relations - Case Study Analysis4516 Words   |  19 PagesCase Study: The non-unionised company. Lastly the case study, Cost minimisation and the flexible workforce, this essay will identify types of flexible patterns of work within Hotel Quay, discuss if these patterns of work are being used in a strategic way and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of flexible work at Hotel Quay from the management and employee perspectives. See Appendix III for Case Study: Cost minimisation and the flexible workforce. Outsourcing in electricity generation AccordingRead MoreI Am An Plan Of The Next Year During My Master Of Business Management Program1612 Words   |  7 Pagesspecialized college. In the wake of finishing my BBA i came to Australia for my masters, now i am seeking after MBA from APIC. To the extent my family is concerned i have one sibling who is doing graduation. My dad runs family business and my mom is housewife. To the extent about myself i am benevolent individual, i like to travel. I want to work in a group and i can work for quite a while in any environment. I want to make new companions as in Australia i additionally made my companions in APIC. To the extentRead MoreThe Resort And Spa Sector1809 Words   |  8 PagesThis essay will critically analyse three challenges currently affecting the resort and spa sector in Australia. The aim of this paper is to take a reflective view on each challenge and then formulate recommendations to mitigate problems in the future. The three challenged that will be discussed incl ude, human resource management short-term rentals, and social responsibility. Moving on from this the paper will look at five emerging trend in a fun and idealist way to invoke discussions on the topics

Monday, December 9, 2019

Pearl the Scarlet Letter free essay sample

This personality described to the reader as, â€Å"a lovely and immortal flower out of the rank luxurious of a guilty passion,† (81) shows both the dark and lights sides to Pearl’s personality. An example of Pearl’s dark side can be seen when walking with Hester. When Pearl is on walks with her mother, she occasionally finds herself surrounded by the curious children of the village. Rather than attempt to make friends with them, she pelts them with stones and violent words. Not only is she out casted for her mother’s actions, but she seems to separate herself from society as well. Pearl’s only ally is her mind, which seems to have a firm grasp on the situation and the world around her, after only 3 years. This chapter develops Pearl both as a character and as a symbol. Pearl is a mischievous and almost unworldly child, whose uncontrollable nature reflects the sinful passion that led to her birth. We will write a custom essay sample on Pearl the Scarlet Letter or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Pearls character is closely tied to her birth, which justifies and makes the unusualness about her very important. Hawthorne states, [Pearl] was worthy to have been brought forth in Eden; worthy to have been left there, to be the plaything of the angels,(83) However, she lacked reference and adaptation to the world into which she was born. (84) Pearl’s nature is questioned by the puritanical views from within the society that she lives. Pearl is a product of pre-marital sex, and this action is thought to be that of the devil. Which then brings to light the question, can something good come from something so bad? Hawthorne’s view on the Puritan society in this chapter hows a major importance when analyzing Hester’s situation. Hawthorne compares the puritan communities treatment of her to God’s treatment of her. He notes God’s view saying, â€Å"Man had marked this womans sin by a scarlet letter, which had such potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her, save it were sinful like herself. (85) Ironically juxtaposed against the Puritans sentence that Hester wear the scarlet letter A is God, [who] as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child, . . . o be finally a blessed soul in heaven! (85) The comparison between the communitys (Puritans) and Gods responses to Hesters extramarital affair is dramatic. Pearl also functions as a constant reminder of Hesters adulterous act. She is, in fact, the personification of that act. Even as a baby, she instinctively reaches for the scarlet letter. Hawthorne says it is the first object of which she seemed aware, and she focuses on the letter in many scenes. She creates her own letter out of moss, sees the letter in the breastplate at Governor Bellinghams mansion, and points at it in the forest scene with Hester and Dimmesdale. As a symbol, Pearl always keeps Hester aware of her sin. Just as Dimmesdale cannot escape to Europe because Chillingworth has cut off his exit, Pearl always keeps Hester aware that there is no escape from her passionate nature. The Puritans would call that nature sinful. (19) In Chapter 6 Hawthornes handling of mirror images has both the goal of representing the passionate side of man, and also the idea that truths can be pictured in mirror images. Hester looks into the black mirror of Pearls eye(86) and she sees a face, fiend-like, full of smiling malice, yet bearing the semblance of features that she had known full well, though seldom with a smile, and never with malice in them. (86) Hawthorne’s style of writing leaves the reader wondering if this mirror image is a version of Hester herself. Pearl and her mother both have a more natural view than Puritan, which makes the question whether Hester’s sin is truly evil. Coming from a more natural and modern point of view people would tend toward saying that Hester is in no way deserving of the punishment she has been deemed. She is used as a public message to all those who have doubt in their mind. When the narrator describes Pearl as an â€Å"outcast,†(56) he understates: Pearl is an â€Å"imp of evil, emblem and product of sin, she had no right among christened infants. †(56) Pearl herself is aware of her difference from others, and when Hester tries to teach her about God, Pearl says, â€Å"I have no Heavenly Father! † Because Pearl is her mother’s constant companion, she, too, is subject to the cruelties of the townspeople. The other children are particularly cruel because they can sense that something is not quite right about Hester and her child. Knowing that she is alone in this world, Pearl creates casts of characters in her imagination to keep her company. This chapter is one of the most important in my mind, bringing to light the contrast of light and dark within Pearl, and the themes of the natural world vs. the puritanical, contrasted with heavy judgment from Hawthorne. Although no serious information pertaining to Hester’s story is given in this chapter, there is a lot to be learned. Ideas that Hawthorne plants in your head during this chapter lead to bigger ideas in the book that help the reader to understand. Pearl and this chapter are both beautiful, vigorous, and graceful.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

The American Economy

Introduction The U.S. economy remains the largest economy in the world despite the fast emerging economies such as China, Japan and India among others. These emerging economies threaten the U.S. economy with regard to losing of its competitive advantage. However, in 2010, the GDP of U.S. was estimated to be at $ 14.7 trillion.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The American Economy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This estimate clearly positions U.S. economy at the frontline. The U.S. economy is also widely known for maintaining high output per capita that enables it to rank at sixth position worldwide. Additionally, the U.S. ranks among the top well recognized countries in trade and commerce. The supremacy of U.S. economy might be strongly drawn from its ability to maintain stable gross domestic product, high levels of research, maintenance of low unemployment levels and high levels of capital investments at the na tional and international level. To understand the economy of U.S. more clearly it will be somewhat prudent to subdivide the economy into subsections for easy comprehension of the economical units. This will further enable one to appreciate the economy in general and more significantly to conquer with suggestions provided to improve the economy as well as coming up with personal opinion. Income and wealth The report released in the beginning of 2008 indicated that the pretax median household income was at the average $50,000 for the year 2007. The median household income ranged from one region to another. For instance, in Maryland it was at $68,000 while for Mississippi was at $36,000. There was an increase of income from 2006 to year 2007 for employees who worked full time. Similar increase was also notable in women. The rising economy was mostly credited to the increasing income from the taxpayers. However, the number of employment dropped significantly in the year 2008 after the n ation faced economic crisis. Retailing This is the major sector of the U.S. economy. The common retailing enterprises in the U.S. include Montgomery, Target, Burger King and Wal-Mart (Landefeld 40).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These firms are mostly concerned with producing consumer goods. These firms frequently raise prices of their products due to the ever-increasing energy and labor costs. This consequently affects the economy and sometimes the government is forced to intervene the operations of such businesses to safeguard consumers. Agriculture The large fertile land and technologically improved methods of crops cultivation have enabled the U.S. economy to produce about a half of the total grains consumed worldwide. The products produced are corn, wheat, cotton, fruits, dairy products, fish, vegetables and poultry among others. Additionally, U.S. is among the few co untries that enjoys subsidies from the government especially in the agricultural sector. This has consequently resulted to more production of agricultural products (Landefeld and Barbara 163). Finance The U.S. posses a number of great stock markets in the world. New York stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange with a capitalization of US$10.1 trillion for the companies listed over there. Another great stock exchange known as NASDAQ is third in the world after Japan’s Tokyo Stock Exchange though it is reported to have a higher trade volume per hour as compared to JTSE. About 3,800 companies have listed their shares with NASDAQ stock exchange. Manufacturing A report produced in 2008 indicates that the manufacturing output of US economy was larger as compared to that of China, India and Brazil when combined. The industrial output for the year 2007 was at $2.69 trillion. Among the industries that contributed to this output include petroleum, steel, automobiles, telecommunica tion, chemicals, electronics, consumer goods, mining , lumber, agricultural manufacturers and aerospace.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The American Economy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In fact, the U.S. is known for being the leading country in manufacturing airplanes. Companies that engage in activities of producing airplanes include Boeing, Lockheed, General Dynamics and Cessna. In spite of the great stake, they hold at the global level, recently US economy faced job losses in the industrial sector. Energy The U.S. is the largest economy well known for consuming high amount of energy. Most of the energy consumed is attained from fossil fuels. On average, 23% of total energy comes from coal, 24% from natural gas, 7.4% from nuclear power, and 6.6% from the renewable hydroelectric energy while 40% of the energy comes from petroleum. In general, transportation sector has been recognized to be largest sector consuming highest level of energy averaging 69% of the total oil used in U.S. Transportation sector mostly consume the oil energy (Landefeld and Barbara 33). International trade The U.S. is the largest nation that participates in the international trade. It imports more products than any other country in the world. It is also renowned to be among the few nations that outsource its’ services. This has led their currency to be in high circulation across the world. More importantly, the US currency has always been used in the international markets as a standard unit of currency for many commodities such as petroleum. Most strong economies such as China hold U.S. currency reserves for investment and international trade purposes. However, U.S. is criticized for having imbalanced international trade as imports are reported to exceed exports. For instance, the imports for the 2008 were at $2.5 trillion while exports were at $1.8 trillion.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Recently, the U.S. economy is said to operate with high public deficit in which most strong economies are threatening to stop holding U.S. dollar reserves. The economic crisis of 2008 had somewhat reduced the trading volume of the U.S. economy as most big companies were incapacitated. In particular, the import volume went down. Government intervention in the economy The government of the U.S. intervene the market in a number of ways. Some direct involvement includes set of rules that guides the market with a view of controlling market prices. Among these rules, include those set for the banking system such as the minimum depository requirement by the Federal Reserve as for all commercial banks. These rules focus on full disclosure for prudent decision making by investors and employees, fraud prevention and more importantly upholding lending to the lower-income section. The government also controls the private sector in a bid to push for social goals. For instance, the U.S. governmen t established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that advocates safe working environment. Other policies established by the government include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration. However, these regulations were seen to make expensive the operation of most business (Barrett 27). These expenses were incurred in establishing labor, consumer and environmental rules. Taxation and government spending Taxation is levied at various levels in the U.S. economy. Majorly, federal government, state government and local government charge the tax. Federal government, state government and local government often collect an average of 40% of the consumers’ income. Taxation forms major part of income for the U.S. economy. The U.S. government expends its finances in several direct services. These services includes provision of national defense, supporting research that leads to innovation of products at the market and running programs tha t help employees improve their skills. The government is also concerned with providing infrastructure such as road construction. Recently, the government increased its spending in the health sector. The U.S. has been having a kind of economy in which expenses exceed revenues. This means the government frequently faces budget deficits that have increased the public debt. The government always gets additional finances from the issue of bonds at the domestic and international market. Emergence of fastest growing economies With this general knowledge of U.S. economy, we will be able to understand on what needs to be done to bring the economy back on track as it is losing its grips economically due to a number of factors. In the recent global economy, countries such as China, India, France, Japan and other Asian and European countries have portrayed strong economic growth that is exerting pressure on the competitiveness of the U.S. economy. In fact, China has astonished the world by be ing able to produce goods and services at the lowest cost. Today china ranks high in exporting its products across the world. U.S. on the contrary is losing its exports to China and Japan (Lieberman 76). Importance of having a good market structure A good analysis of the market would help the U.S. economy pick up again with strong spirit. It is recognized that the economy of a country depends on the output of the industries. If an industry is producing more products then most probably an economy will experience low unemployment levels. This is because the industry will employ more workers. It may also increase employees’ salary due high profits because of massive production. Consequently, there will be a general increase in the level of income. More income will mean more spending and more savings that will lower rate of borrowing from banks and financial institutions. Due to these factors, the level of investment would increase drastically. Indeed, more consumption will induc e some industries to produce more products. Other factors such as technology also need to be put into consideration when it comes to production. Technology was once known to spawn most industries in the U.S. It has helped improve efficiency and effectiveness (Lieberman 36). Therefore, an individual should study the market close to make some informed decisions on how to improve the economy in general. In fact, this is what needed to be done to ensure U.S. does not face continued economic slowdown. Typically, the U.S. economy is a mixed because only a small number of firms are publicly owned while the rest are privately owned. This market is free and only has little intervention from the government. Therefore, the forces of demand and supply of the products that falls under same industry commonly determine prices and quantity to be sold. A graph showing price determination in perfect competitive market This ensures there is competition at the market. Fair competition helps most compa nies to ponder over the most efficient methods of reducing cost of operations with the main reason of selling their products at lower cost as well as making reasonable profit. The competition also forces the companies to produce high quality products that will automatically attract the customers. At the end, this kind of industry will become so efficient at the national level and eventually at the international level. Therefore, it is wise for the government not to interfere with the market operations because it is responsible for monitoring and controlling business operations in the economy. It may only do so at extreme levels especially where few large companies are merging to form monopoly. This mostly happens in an oligopoly market where few firms exist. It has been wise for the U.S. government to avoid large oil companies from both unfair acquisition and merging. It therefore means that perfect competitive market might be the best market that induces price reduction as well as quality improvement. This will later have a strong effect at the global market (Lieberman 115). As far as US economy is concerned, the main question that remains unanswered is whether US market will be able to produce commodities at lower cost as compared to other markets elsewhere in the world. U.S. market particularly failed to produce products at affordable costs worldwide due to its high labor cost. The strength of the U.S. dollar might also explain this scenario if viewed in the light of other currencies such as that of China. High taxes imposed on U.S. goods hikes the level of U.S. products. Therefore, this means a number of steps need to be taken to safeguard US market and economy in general. Of course reducing cost of production is not easy because no worker will accept his wage to be slashed. Research Development investment with aim of improving technology The next thing that will appear to be applicable at the optimization level is all about the technology. The U.S. was f or long known as the leading country concerning technology. Some of the industries that embrace innovation and technology include aerospace, computers and office machineries, communications equipment, medical field, precision and optical equipments. Technology ensures either products or services produced are of high quality. Moreover, since consumers are rationale they will tend to choose products that offer high quality. Eventually, this will differentiate products of one economy from another. In the recent times, fastest growing economies such as India, Taiwan, Singapore and China among others are tending to overtake U.S. though they are still below. Indeed their pace in terms of economical performance is a threat to U.S. economy. Their large part of economical performance is attributed to large investment in RD. For instance, those fastest growing economies such as Ireland, Israel, China and Singapore increased their total investment in RD by 140%. US had an increase of 34% that is a low percentage as compared to its competitors (Hicks 76). Total RD investments: Emerging Economies Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Main Science and Technology Indicators, May 2003.Compiled by the APS Office of Public Affairs Fastest growing economies: china, Singapore, Ireland, Israel, Taiwan In order to deal with issue of technology, emphasis has to be put on the RD. low investment by US economy on the RD predicts that most likely US will lose its competitiveness in the technology field to those upcoming nations. One of the factors leading to this situation is the dropping number of students enrolling for sciences and engineering courses. Statistics indicates that percentage of those enrolling for S and E undergraduate courses declined by 10% as for U.S. citizens while it increased by 25% for foreign students. Graduate institutions: Foreign students outnumber U.S. students Source: National Science Foundation, Graduate Students and Post doctorat es in Science and Engineering: Fall 2001, Tables 8-9. Compiled by the APS Office of Public Affairs. Employment of technology in production methods Being innovative and inventive in the market will merely depend on the level of technical skills available with the labor market. Today world has turn out to embrace technology with the aim of optimization. This means producing quality services and goods at the lowest cost achievable. Therefore, U.S. has to embark on serious research and design to improve its production processes. However, how does technology help? For instance if U.S. is using the same number of labor and the same amount of materials in producing two different types of products then it means increasing production of one kind of product will automatically decrease the production of the other. However, this may not hold true if technology is employed in production methods. A graph showing production of two different types of product Production of product A 1000 units If t he country opts to produce 1000 units of product A then it will be producing zero units of product B. It will also happen the other way round if it chooses to produce 1000 units of product A. With efficient utilization of labor and materials, the production will be optimal and thus the economy will be operating along the possibility production curve. Otherwise, if there is inefficient utilization of the production units then it will operate and below the line. However, if technology is utilized in such production there is possibility of producing beyond the possibility production line. This means using the same amount of materials and labor a country is bound to produce more output. U.S. should fight for efficient economy especially in this era when resources seem to be scarce (Hicks 63). Conclusion The U.S. nation certainly enjoys a strong economy in the light of other nations. Moreover, it has strong military and sophisticated politics that has seen it earn more respect from other countries. However, all the strength depends on the performance of economical sector. For instance, having best politics requires a nation that is endowed with many political scientists who would always ensure best constitution is available to guide the country. These experts are products of best learning institutions. The learning institutions require finances to be established. It also requires enabled parents in terms of finances to take their children to those institutions. Generally, this needs a well off economy. Considering that, other nations are driving their economy so fast an urge has to be induced to improve US economy as well. This needs keen understanding of domestic and global market otherwise the market might spin out of control. The fall of Lehman’s Brothers, Enron and WorldCom should serve as a lesson on how to protect the economy from collapse of such companies that contributes significant economy. The government should protect domestic companies from fore ign competition. Technology should be emphasized in the manufacturing sector to improve the quality of their services as well as offering competitive products at the global market (Barrett 36). Other measures such as encouraging domestic production through subsidies as well as shielding domestic firms from foreign competition should not be left behind. Some unfair market practices such as those oligopolies merging to form monopoly should be discouraged. For instance, it was wise for government to prevent acquisition of Exxon Mobil’s assets in Maine by Irving Energy. Works Cited Barrett, Craig. â€Å"The Next Economy.† Foreign Policy Magazine. September/October 2004. Hicks, Diana. â€Å"Asian countries strengthen their research,† Summer 2004. July 28, 2011. https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-120251197/asian-countries-strengthen-their-research Landefeld, Steven and Barbara, Fraumeni. â€Å"Measuring the New Economy,† March 2001. July 28, 2011. https://apps.be a.gov/scb/pdf/beawide/2001/0301mne.pdf Lieberman, Joseph. â€Å"Offshore Outsourcing and America’s Competitive Edge: Losing in the High Technology RD and Services Sector.† May 2004. Web. This essay on The American Economy was written and submitted by user Savannah Giles to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

How Friends Goes Bad Essay Example

How Friends Goes Bad Essay Example How Friends Goes Bad Essay How Friends Goes Bad Essay The Meselson Stahl Experiment Exist a lot of experiments in life, but I want to write about one specific because is one of the most important in biology, it is called â€Å"Meselson Stahl Experiment†. It was an experiment by Matthew Meselson and Franklin Stahl in 1958. They supported the hypothesis that DNA replication was semiconservative. Semiconservative replication means that when the double stranded DNA helix was replicated, each of the two double stranded DNA helices consisted of one strand coming from the original helix and one newly synthesized.It has been called â€Å"The most beautiful experiment in biology†. The concluded three hypotheses that had been previously proposed for the method of replication of DNA. In the semiconservative hypothesis, proposed by Watson and Crick, the two strands of a DNA molecule separate during replication. Each strand then acts as a template for synthesis of a new strand. The conservative hypothesis proposed that the entire DNA m olecule acted as a template for the synthesis of an entirely new one.According to this model, histone proteins bind to the DNA, revolving the strand and exposing the nucleotide bases for hydrogen bonding. The dispersive hypothesis is exemplified by a model proposed by Max Delbruck, which attempts to solve the problem of unwinding the two strands of the double helix by a mechanism that breaks the DNA backbone every ten nucleotides or so, untwist the molecule, and ataches the old strand to the end of a newly synthesized one.This would synthesize the DNA in short pieces alternating from one strand to the other. Each of these three models makes a different prediction about the distribution of the â€Å"old† DNA in molecules formed after replication. In the conservative hypothesis, after replication, one molecule is the entirely conserved â€Å"old† molecule, and the other is all newly synthesized DNA. The semionservative hypothesis predicts that each molecule after replica tion will contain one old and one new strand.The dispersive model predicts that each strand of each new molecule will contain a mixture of old and new DNA. The results Nitrogen is a major constituent of DNA. 14N is by far the most abundant isotope of nitrogen, but DNA with the heavier (but non-radioactive) 15N isotope is also functional. E. coli were grown for several generations in a medium with 15N. When DNA is extracted from these cells and centrifuged on a salt density gradient, the DNA separates out at the point at which its density equals that of the salt solution.The DNA of the cells grown in 15N medium had a higher density than cells grown in normal 14N medium. After that, E. coli cells with only 15N in their DNA were transferred to a 14N medium and were allowed to divide; the progress of cell division was monitored by measuring the optical density of the cell suspension. In conclusion data from generation one conflict with conservative replication hypothesis. Data from gene ration two conflict with dispersive replication hypothesis. Replication is semiconservative.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Preparing for a Skype Grad School Interview

Preparing for a Skype Grad School Interview For many graduate programs submitting your application is just the first step in seeking admission. Graduate school admissions interviews are common in many fields. Interviews offer an important opportunity let faculty and members of the admissions committee get to know you, beyond your application materials. Interviews, however, are expensive and time-consuming, especially if you are applying to graduate programs that are far from home. Many, if not most, graduate programs expect applicants to pay their own travel expenses.   Because of this, grad school interviews are often described as â€Å"optional.† However, optional or not, it’s in your best interest to make the trip and interview in person. Fortunately, many graduate programs are moving towards conducting interviews by video conferencing via platforms like Skype. Skype interviews permit graduate programs to interview students cheaply and efficiently – and perhaps even squeeze even more applicant intervi ews in than they would in real life. Skype interviews pose special challenges. An interview for admission to graduate study, regardless of whether its on campus or by Skype, means that the admissions committee is interested in you and is your opportunity to demonstrate your fit to the faculty and graduate program. The standard advice about interviews applies, but a Skype interview entails unique challenges. Here are 9 tips to avoid some of the technological and environmental problems that arise during Skype interviews. Share Phone Numbers Share your phone number and have the number for the graduate department or someone on the admissions committee on hand.   Should you have difficulties logging in or other technical problems, such as a malfunctioning computer, you’ll want to be able to contact the admissions committee to let them know that you haven’t forgotten about the interview. Otherwise, they may assume that you are no longer interested in admission or that you are unreliable and therefore not a good fit for the graduate program. Consider Your Background What will the committee see behind you? Pay attention to your background. Posters, signs, photos and art can detract from your professional demeanor. Don’t give professors an opportunity to judge you on anything other than your words and persona. Lighting Choose a well-lighted space. Do not sit with your back to a window or light because only your silhouette will be visible. Avoid harsh overhead light. Place a light in front of you, several feet away. Consider using an additional shade or placing a cloth over the lamp to dilute the light. Camera Placement Sit at a desk.   The camera should be level with your face. Position your laptop atop a stack of books, if needed, but be sure that it is secure. Do not look down into the camera. Sit far enough away that your interviewer can see your shoulders. Look into the camera, not at the image on the screen – and certainly not at yourself. If you look at the image of your interviewers, you’ll appear to be looking away. Challenging as it may seem, try to look at the camera to simulate eye contact. Sound Be sure that the interviewers can hear you. Know where the microphone is located and direct your speech towards it. Speak slowly and pause after the interviewer finishes speaking.   Sometimes video lag can interfere with communication, making it harder to interviewers to understand you or making it appear as if you are interrupting them. Dress Dress for your Skype interview just as you would for an in-person interview. Don’t be tempted to just dress â€Å"on top.† That is, don’t wear sweatpants or pajama pants. Don’t assume that your interviewers will see only the top half of your body. You never know. You might have to stand up to retrieve something and then suffer in embarrassment (and make a poor impression). Reduce Environmental Distractions Keep pets in another room. Leave children with a babysitter or family member – or don’t interview at home. Eliminate any potential sources of background noise, such as barking dogs, crying children, or insensitive roommates. Technological Interruptions Charge your laptop. Preferably, plug it in.   Turn off your cell ringer and any other phone in the vicinity.   Log out of messaging programs, Facebook, and other apps with sound notifications. Mute notifications in Skype. Make sure that you will not be interrupted by any sounds on your computer.   Whatever you hear, your interviewers hear.    Practice Do a practice run with a friend.   How do you look? Sound? Are there any distractions? Are your clothes appropriate and professional? Skype interviews share the same purpose as old fashioned in-person interviews: An opportunity for the graduate admissions committee to get to know you. Preparing for the technological aspects of video interviews can sometimes overshadow the basic interview preparation that will help you learn about the program and put your best foot forward. As you prep, don’t forget to focus on the content of the interview. Prepare responses to common questions that you might be asked as well as questions to ask.   Don’t forget that your interview is also your chance to learn more about the program.   If you’re accepted you’ll spend the next 2 to 6 or more years in graduate school. Be sure that it’s the program for you. Ask questions that are meaningful to you and make the interview work for you.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Career aspiration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Career aspiration - Essay Example My interest is in aviation engineering. Aviation engineers end up airport executives and professional pilots although this branch is also related to airspace development, designing the airport, navigation technologies, and so on. Airspace development is related to planning and designing the airspace. And it is extremely important that it is done in a proper manner in order that military operations are not affected and also so for the easy navigation of commercial airlines. Then there is airport design, which is again important due to several reasons, one being that the design needs to be in accordance with global environmental standards. Aviation engineers in the manufacturing field are generally paid between $17,500 and $54,500 (AvScholars). Their responsibility is toward production; ranging from developing and selecting manufacturing ways to overseeing everyday tasks taking place on the factory floor. They have to intensely research regarding designing, projecting, production and maintenance technologies and functions of various kinds of vehicles that move in sky or space. Also, there is a requirement of manufacturing better aircrafts – lighter and faster, those that comply with the environmental rules and those that do not make too much sound. All this comes under the work of aviation engineers as they are responsible for the design and manufacture of aircrafts. They have to decide which production system will prove to be better for manufacturing in terms of cost. They have to conduct experiments that help in determining the performance properties of the air vehicle that has been designed and this is done through analytical skills. A person definitely needs a proper engineering degree to pursue aviation engineering for which purpose it is extremely necessary that there are highly qualified institutions that cater to the interested people. An undergraduate education in this field is of four years and the graduating students receive a

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Written communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Written communication - Assignment Example gement and worker protection, and employee labor relations, it is my belief that the most important one that I will use in my future career is that of talent management and development. As we studied, an organization or firm is only as successful as the people who work there. In this way, realizing that the appreciation for and development of this talent is the biggest determining factor for whether a firm or organization will succeed or not helps me to place this category as the single most important in terms of HR management. The organization is ultimately made up of people that must be professional, talented, and useful towards achieving the goals that are set before it. In this way, attempting to develop these skills and applying talent management and development skills to the workplace is a way in which the entire human resources management process can itself be made easier. Oftentimes this is misunderstood due to the fact that people think that talent management and development only relates to trying to hire talented people. Yet, the fact of the matter is that hiring talented people is only the first step. If one takes over human resources management from another person, they will be required to not only hire new people from time to time, but most importantly to work with existing employees (Younger 2007). In this way, the most important job that the human resources manager has is working with current employees and helping them to target key areas of development and improve themselves. This level of improvement is what is understood as a win-win situation for both the employer and the employee. This is due to the fact that when the employer spends the resources necessary to train or develop an existing employee, they get the benefit of having a more skilled employee within the firm without the need to hire someone else to perform the same job or function that they have trained the existing employee for. This is one of the most profound ways that

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Role of Mass Media in the 2008 U.S. Elections Essay Example for Free

The Role of Mass Media in the 2008 U.S. Elections Essay The United States of America rejoiced on the outcome of the recently concluded 2008 Presidential Elections which made Former Senator Barack Obama victorious over his political opponent Senator John McCain. The election was considered as one of the most memorable in the history of politics in the United States for it was the first time that an African American won over the dominating White race in the very powerful and elite field in the society. In a society that has a rich history of racisms and discrimination; it is hard to believe that people will allow such event to happen. It just proves that parity among races and ethnicity is almost at hand. The mass media is one of the most important tools that play a significant role in the presidential election that happened last November. Through the mass media, people were able to keep tabs of their candidates if they are winning or losing the race. Media also informed the public of the polls that are being counted in various states all at once. Thus, making the acquisition of relevant and useful information is a lot easier through the use of mass media. They have a duty to inform the public of the recent important events that bear relevance and concern of the people’s daily lives. Media will always play an important part in every election or any important event that will happen, because the media is tasked to record any important events that will shape the contemporary society. Mass Media Mass media has been around for generations and its importance in the society is recognized over the years as it participated in some of the most significant events that shaped the contemporary society to what it is now. Mass media is a collection of tools that is used in mass communication to disseminate vital information and messages that is perceived by the people. Mass communication and mass media are partners in informing, entertaining and educating the public. Mass communication is the process of transmitting messages and information through a medium or a channel to a large and diverse audience or market (Lane). It is a special section of the media intended to use in reaching a very large audience. Mass media is a tool of communication that is utilized in facilitating mass communication. It is composed of eight mass media industries which include Magazines, Newspapers, Books, Recordings, Film, Radio, Television and the Internet (Lane). These eight media industries are grouped in three main categories which are the print, broadcast and digital medium. It is not easy to define and describe the various aspects encompassing the functions and roles of media since it is an industry that is most adaptable to change. The emergence of digital communication technology which is a recent addition to the collection mass media tools, manifests that the media industry adheres to the dynamicity of the modern society. Recently, there are another additions in the collection of mass media tools due to the advancement of human technology which invents and innovates tools and gadgets that are capable of reaching a large audience all at the same time. A cell phone is one of the most wonderful products of technology. Mobile phones or telephones are technically considered as tools for mediated-interpersonal communication. Conventionally, it was only capable of bridging two people together in an exchange of messages. But because of the technology that is responsible for the recent features that are added to the typical mobile phones, some phones nowadays are equipped for internet browsing, radio streaming and camcorders that are classified as tools for mass communication. The media have so many functions that it helped the public in attaining relevant information in an instant. Media also serves other functions in the contemporary society such as informing the public. During the times of war, acquisition of information is very difficult and some of the information obtained by the public is often filtered by the government officials. The government also imposed restrictions to what type of information the media can impart to the public. This process is also known as â€Å"gatekeeping†, which means filtering of information by either the government or the media itself. During these years, media is controlled by the government. When a war has ceased, reconstruction of the casualties and damages caused by the war should follow. In this light, amendments on the governing laws of the government are done and freedom on media activities is provided. However, the freedom that is provided is not absolute, because there are still laws that are being drafter to ensure that freedom abuse by media will not occur. The First Amendment of U. S. Constitution states that â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances† (â€Å"U. S. Constitution: First Amendment† n. p. ). The others functions of the mass media is to entertain and educate its audience. To entertain is to provide leisure to the audience in various forms like programs and advertisements. The media also educates the public in several ways, such as through the programs being broadcasted and through articles that are published by the print media. Mass Media: The Fourth Estate The media is often accused of imposing a culture that is far from reality. It is often criticized by leftists and supporters of the Marxist ideologies and communism which control all the functions and aspects of the state. In communist and socialist countries like China and Russia, respectively, the media serves as a medium wherein the role of the government is emphasized and its intentions are being made clear for the public. However, in democratic countries that allow the media and the press in exercising freedom of speech, they serve a function of fulfilling the important roles of being the fourth estate of the nation. They become the watchdog of the government, â€Å"the guardians of democracy, and defenders of the public interest† (â€Å"The Mass Media as Fourth Estate†). The phrase Fourth Estate is attributed to the 19th century historian Carlyle who expounded Edmund Burke’s statement about the Three Estates of the Parliament. But Carlyle then referred to the reporters in the gallery of which he described that acquired equal powers as the other estates. The press is considered as the Fourth Estate or the fourth power who watches the checks and balances of the three other wings of the government which are the executive, legislative and the judiciary (â€Å"The Mass Media as Fourth Estate†). The media closely watches over the activities of the government officials and public figures ready to expose any of their misconduct and wrongdoings for the public, in order to come up with necessary actions to be imposed against the committed delinquency. As such, the role of the press is to inform the public of the government’s activities and in turn, become the public’s voice in order to express their opinions and stand on the issue. Roles of Media in 2008 U. S. Elections The mass media takes part in every significant event that happens in the society. The mass media is able to record every detail of a particular event. As such, the media has a strong impact on the political landscape of the United States. Media greatly influences the outcome of political events and participates greatly in political decisions. Media played a significant role in the recently concluded 2008 U. S. Presidential Elections. From the first step of choosing the candidates for the political parties in the United States, towards the campaign period and until the Election Day and tallying of votes; the media takes a huge participation. The people have seen how Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hilary Clinton fought over the presidential bet of the Democrat Party. The people were informed of how they debated many times presenting their platforms and ideologies that hopefully would win the hearts of the Democrats and the supporters. It was broadcasted in television and radio and printed in newspapers. The entire world has heard how the critics commented on the huge change that will be brought by the Democratic Party – whoever of the two will make it on the Presidential seat – either Obama will become the first African American president of the United States, or Clinton will emerge as the first female president of the country. The campaign period was put into motions and people have seen how the candidates utilized the various media outfits to gain an advantage over their political opponent. People have witnessed how the candidates infiltrated the different mass media industries to increase their popularity and win over the race. The common tools of political campaigns are the television, radio and newspapers. The faces of the politicians are to be seen everywhere promising political reforms and national development. Even the digital communication technology was also used due to its prevalence and popularity especially to the young people. Even though the utilization of broadcast media increased exponentially, this is the first Presidential election wherein the social networks in the internet such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube were utilized to persuade the electorate (â€Å"Social Media and Presidential Election: Impact of YouTube, MySpace†). The utilization of these tools is new and convenient. First, the use and access of the various social networks is free. As such, this can cut off the costs for the campaign fund. Second, it reaches a large audience because the internet is used by people every now and then. Plus, the social networking in the internet is very popular especially to the young people and that every voting population has a registered account. It is traditionally known that people will turn to the conventional media to acquire information about a candidate and obtain political information pertinent in making their political decisions. But nowadays, people are also turning to internet sites and personal social network accounts to see the views of their friends on who to vote for. The information they find in the internet, especially on social network accounts, are information they find more credible and persuasive (â€Å"Social Media and Presidential Election: Impact of YouTube, MySpace†). There are also discussions pertaining to how media presents and determines the outcome of the Presidential Race. The media greatly influences the people and has a huge tendency to shape the public opinion solely based on their concentration on a particular political candidate. This is why media popularity is considered most important. It is important that you are able to reach people even in the farthest places and make them know the candidates well (â€Å"The Involvement of Mass Media in Political Campaigns†). The voter’s view can also be altered by political advertisements that do not merely focus on the real political issues but only of trivial concerns. This may cause voters to either dislike the candidate or develop sympathy towards them. With the involvement of media, elections often become popularity contests due to the popularity polls that are being shown in the broadcast and print media prior to the actual voting. Commercial advertisements were also used in election campaigns to get the voters to believe and take the position of a particular politician. Politicians have a difficult time in guiding the voters’ opinions due to these particular actions of the mass media (â€Å"The Involvement of Mass Media in Political Campaigns†). Media also plays a significant part in covering the counting and tallying of votes during the Presidential Elections. The coverage of mass media involves two key elements which are news reporting and paid advertising. The combination of the two makes an important and influential factor in the election process. The media looks forward on the election for news and revenues they will gather because the candidates rely mainly on the media to reach the largest number of voters possible (â€Å"Mass Media Coverage of Presidential Election†). The media plays a very powerful and justifiable role during elections. Despite of being accused on focusing not on the main political issues but on the unnecessary personal lives of the candidates and other criticisms thrown against the media, it still performs its duty to the public as the watchdog of the government. Their job is simply to present the truth and detect any misconducts or wrongdoings done by any of the political figures aspiring for a seat. Conclusion Mass media continues to play significant roles and functions in the conventional and contemporary society. Mass media enables people to acquire necessary information in an easy and fast way. Mass media also plays significant roles and functions during elections. They perform their duties from the start of the campaign up to the counting of the electoral votes. The mass media has been an important part in the recently concluded 2008 U. S. Presidential Elections wherein Senator Barack Obama obtained victory and as such, became the first African American president of the United States. The participation of mass media in the campaigns marked the presidential elections. It was the first time that the candidates utilized all the available mass media means just to reach the largest voting population as much as possible. It is undeniable that the mass media will always continue to record history and shape and mold the society. Works Cited Lane, Beth. 29 June 2007. â€Å"What is Mass Media? † Suite101. com. 11 December 2008 http://medialiteracy. suite101. com/article. cfm/what_is_mass_media_. †¢ The article defined mass media and mass communication and examined the recent additions to the mass media industry which is the digital communication technology. â€Å"Mass Media Coverage of Presidential Election†. 19 December 2001. OPPapers. com. 11 December 2008 http://www. oppapers. com/essays/Mass-Media-Coverage-Presidential-Election/22555.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

A Critical Review of F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay

A Critical Review of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a universal and timeless literary masterpiece. Fitzgerald writes the novel during his time, about his time, and showing the bitter deterioration of his time. A combination of the 1920s high society lifestyle and the desperate attempts to reach its illusionary goals through wealth and power creates the essence behind The Great Gatsby. Nick Carraway, the narrator, moves to a quaint neighborhood outside of New York City called West Egg; his distant cousin and his former colleague, Daisy and Tom, live in a physically identical district across the bay called East Egg. The affluent couple quickly exposes Nick to the corrupting effect of wealth and materialism. He often serves as a sophisticated observer at several fashionable parties, yet he remains uninvolved in the hedonistic lifestyle. Jay Gatsby, the man who gives his name to the book, lives in an extraordinary estate adjacent to Nick, where he incessantly welcomes guests to sumptuous parties. Nick develops a fixation and a selfless devotion to Gatsby. Gatsby is a dreamer, absorbed by the past, and Nick reluctantly aids him in attempts to fulfill his ideal. The impractical illusions, in the end, destroy Gatsby and lead Nick to see the ultimate manifestation of corrupt American society. In The Great Gatsby, greed and corruption centralize the theme. Fitzgerald uses the contemporary public as a core of life for his characters. Gatsby’s intent to win a love from his past by the display of lavish possessions results in annihilation. He was doomed from the beginning by his avaricious wishful thinking. Gatsby’s approach to attain his goal was encumbered by immoral mann... ...irrationality. This is the behavior one would expect from new money. Acting as one from an established background, Gatsby remains calm, yet forcibly declares his righteousness. The primary symbolism of the car comes at the end. The car, of wealth and power, causes brutal devastation to each character in different ways. In conclusion, The Great Gatsby is a morally and historically enlightening classic about the moral decline in the 1920s. F. Scott Fitzgerald fabricated brilliant symbolic allusions in every line of writing. The book never loses meaning, for it comes from an unforgettable, real time period in American society. It is recommended for a person of any age, race, or gender who is interested in understanding a peculiar part of what the modern world has become. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby truly captures the essence of American literature.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Jim Hensen’s “The Dark Crystal” Essay

With its â€Å"animatronics† technology, Jim Henson’s 1982 film, The Dark Crystal, in both form and theme depicts key elements of David Leeming’s description of the hero myth’s rites of passage in The World of Myth: An Anthology. As in Leeming’s rites of passage, in this film the protagonist’s heroic experiences lead him to â€Å"wholeness† and â€Å"full individuation† (220). At the formal level, by concealing puppet strings, providing puppets with exceptionally life-like and fluid motions, and creating convincingly vital puppets, Henson’s detail-rich and realistic animatronics technology allows his puppet-hero, Jen, to grow both beyond his filmic father figure, urSu, as well as beyond the confining puppet strings of the traditional puppet master. Thematically, too, Jen experiences the rites of â€Å"[being] born when . . . needed† (218), of being â€Å"call[ed] to adventure† (219), and of being faced with trials and danger (219), that Leeming discusses as making up the passage into individuation. As Leeming describes, heroes are born when the need for them arises; this usually happens during a dark period in the culture’s history (218). In The Dark Crystal, Jen, who belongs to a nearly extinct race known as Gelflings, is born after the Crystal is cracked and a shard of it is lost. As with Leeming’s â€Å"dark period,† the events initiated by the crystal’s shattering mark the end of a period of light; here the thousand years of the green and goodness of the land once maintained by the Crystal become darkness and ugliness once the crystal is shattered. This dark period is also marked by the claiming of the land by the cruel and evil race of Skeksis. Making this period of the hero’s emergence in the film even darker, the Skeksis, in their attempt to avoid fulfillment of the prophecy that a Gelfling would destroy them, begin to kill all of the Gelflings. Ushering in Jen’s position as the hero who is called, the Skeksis kill his family. Sole survivor from his family, Jen is kept safe by a race of gentle mystics, known as the urRu. This trajectory of birth, threat, and protection likewise follows Leeming’s description of the story line of the hero myth because, wherein â€Å"a further dimension is added by the threat to the young hero’s life† (218-19). Also like the traditional hero myth, Jenson’s film traces the experience of the hero’s â€Å"call to adventure.† In this case, typifying the â€Å"wise old man†Ã‚  archetype (219) Leeming discusses, Jen’s mystic master, urSu, sends Jen to find the missing crystal shard and heal the Dark Crystal. As he will wonder throughout the film, Jen responds to his dying master’s assignment by asking, â€Å"How can I? I’m only a Gelfling.† In his anxiety and near refusal to find the shard, Jen represents another element of Leeming’s description of the hero’s experiences: â€Å"it [the quest] usually begins with a call to adventure. . . . Often the hero refuses the summons. We all resist radical change, and the hero. . . is no exception. ‘Who am I’ to perform such a task† (219). As Leeming indicates, this initial refusal of the adventure is meant to show the hero’s lack of wisdom, confidence, or, â₠¬Å"individuation†; the hero is not yet a whole, individuated, wiser and more confident adult. Jen decides to go on his quest outside of the valley of the mystics after his master dies. Additionally, Leeming explains that the hero’s quest is marked by many trials and confrontations with evil monsters (219). While Jen never actually has to fight or destroy any monsters in order to complete his quest–the common expectation for heroic behavior–he does fit Leeming’s definition in his regular escapes from a range of threats, especially the Garthim, beetle-like creatures â€Å"programmed† by the Skeksis to seek out and destroy all Gelflings. Whereas Jen does not actually confront the Garthim, he is often face to face with them before he turns to run for his life. Also, when he does come face to face with the Skeksis, it is not until he is about to destroy them by returning the shard to its place in the dark crystal. Leeming goes on to explain that â€Å"the monsters †¦ are balanced by sources of strength. Heroes are often guided †¦ by a spirit who takes the form of a fairy godmother, a wise old man, or a wise fool.† (219 ). Jen begins his journey alone, but, as the hero myth tradition dictates, he encounters many other beings that help him on his way. Aughra, a wise, witch-like woman who is said to be born from the rocks and trees before time began, in order that they might have an eye with which to see the world. Aughra gives Jen the crystal shard that he is in search of. She also, before saving him from an attack by the Garthim, gives him the insight he needs to realize how important the successful completion of his journey is. Finally, Jen is given an additional â€Å"source of strength† by another surviving Gelfling named Kira. She is joined by a  dog-like creature named Fizgig, his antics and heroics in the film could place him in the role that Leeming refers to as â€Å"the wise fool†. Kira’s ability to communicate with and receive help from the animals in the story, her tendency to trust her intuition, and her harmonious relationship with the natural environment, all play a pinnacle role in Jen’s ability to complete his journey. Ultimately, with these rites of being born in a time of need, of being called to adventure, and of experiencing great trials, as well as with the animatronics technology, Henson’s Jen, like Gepetto’s famous puppet, Pinocchio, experiences the process of individuation, becoming both whole and (almost) wholly human.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity Essay

Education and experience in the secular set-up or the what we call here as Athens wisdom believes differently from the biblical standpoint in whatever aspect of life. Psychology in general, though embraces somewhat a neutral position according to some proponents, is not able to do justice to a balanced view of human behavior and most if not all of the individual’s activities. Indeed, Author Dr. Entwistle (2004) argues about the general tendency to dichotomize or what he said as â€Å"to buy into the dichotomy between the ‘sacred’ and the ‘secular’ which is what seeing Jerusalem and Athens as â€Å"mutually exclusive categories. † From the outset I would like to say my piece regarding the point where Dr. Entwistle is coming from without sounding arrogant in the same vein. He has mentioned a lot about presupposition while at the same time sounds like he doesn’t anything about presuppositions. When he separated â€Å"Jerusalem† and the â€Å"Church† in his book, I immediately detected his lack of background in the realm of biblical theology. At the heart of Christianity or the Church that Dr. Entwistle is referring to, there is no such dichotomy. The Church in every dimension of it (or Christianity as we aptly put it) does not do any separation unless what Christ has separated. Meaning, our premise or presupposition starts with the fact that the Church and Christian spirituality or faith if one would put it simply, stands on the Judaeo-Christian context not a choice between â€Å"Jerusalem† or â€Å"Church. † The fundamental difference lies in the great divide between Christianity and Athens or secular wisdom. It is only between the secular wisdom and biblical knowledge does the Bible place a dichotomy. Let me state what led me to this view: it is because, theologically speaking, biblical authors explicitly wrote in their letters from the Old to the New Testament Scriptures that God has His own laws and statutes through which life in general must be regulated. The same knowledge explicitly and implicitly runs through the fabric of the whole Scripture (Old & New), which means that the presuppositions of all of the Biblical authors, all fall into one primary presupposition: that there is one God, and that this One God has revealed Himself through His laws and statutes. Without the laws of God, man alone, with all of his learning, if they are all apart from the revelation of God, is mere natural or secular. This is the reason that every man ought to know these laws or statutes or biblical principles and only then can he apply these into all aspects of his secular life. This could have been what Dr. Entwistle intended to mean. One cannot come from the opposite side as what Dr. Entwistle had done instead as he hinged the argument from secular to the theological; though he tried to get his ideas from the likes of great men like Dr. A. W. Tozer and others. All those people’s arguments come from biblical presupposition: they have thorough knowledge of the Scriptures that they applied to various realms of life which in turn caused them to spur their readers to do the same. Trying to oppose the standpoint of apologist Tertullian, Dr. Entwistle seemingly misunderstands all of their positions, thus complicating what could have been an uncomplicated and unified stream of thought. The main contributing factors that led me to this viewpoint are my personal study of the Bible, and some works (massive) of Biblical scholars. The following discussion of renewing the mind then is a by-product of my own presupposition derived from the influence of these Biblical Scholars which include contemporary theologians like Dr. Vincent Cheung, Dr. Philip Johnson, and the father of Presuppositional apologetics Cornelius Van Til, to name a few. This thorough discussion of counsel of the wicked (representing secular or Athens wisdom) and the discriminative counsel which embraces all of Judaeo- Christian principles (as all contained in the Bible) captures best the essence of faith-spirituality molded from this basic presupposition. The dichotomy is between what the Bible says all throughout as the Wicked or ungodly counsel versus that of Godly wisdom. Dr. Entwistle unintentionally pursued a trichotomous delineation of Judeao-Christian theological thinking from secular. This is not proper. Discussion Christians know that a big portion of God’s work in their lives is concentrated on renewal of the mind. Our born again experience signaled the beginning of a new life for us rather than, as have been used by many figuratively, the end of our life’s quest for truth. It is the start of an individual’s real life in that it is the time when a person experiences the quickening work of God through His Spirit (Ephesians 2:1-7). Let’s think for a while our past life as portrayed to us in the Bible: 1. ) We were once dead spiritually – in trespasses and sins; 2. ) We once walked (lived our lives) according to the course of this world; 3. ) We once lived our lives (knowingly or unknowingly) controlled by Satan; 4. ) We once behaved in a way that in everything we do, we only fulfill our desires and what – in our minds – looked good and pleasant. Now, knowing that we are naturally (without the saving power of God) unresponsive to God and fully responsive to the things that are not of God, we recognize our great need to be renewed or our minds oriented to the things of God – things that really matter to Him and in this life (Romans 12:1-2). I. Discriminative Counsel. 1. ) Biblical/Godly Counsel – Its Necessity. There is a trend being proliferated in the area of guidance or direction in one’s life. The premise, if looked at the surface, seems to be sound and Biblical. It is somehow taken from the Bible. They are from the book of Proverbs. â€Å"Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety. † – Proverbs 11:14. â€Å"Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established. †Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Proverbs 15:22. These verses, however, when balanced with other portions of the Scripture, do not say that believers should heed suggestions from others without discrimination. Let’s take for example Psalms 1:1-6. â€Å"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, or sin- ners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. † – It says here that the â€Å"blessed man† is he whose delight is in â€Å"the law of the Lord. † – He meditates on it â€Å"day and night† (v. 2). What the Bible calls as â€Å"blessed† are not those who just swallow every information or trends who happen to be around. The blessed man’s â€Å"delight† is in the law of the Lord, and his pleasure to God’s law/word is made evident in his â€Å"meditating† on it â€Å"day and night. † â€Å"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. † – Psalms 1:1-2. On the other hand, this is also a warning. A warning to those who are not careful and would let down their guard with regards to their upholding the habit of meditating or checking everything with the teachings of the Scriptures. When someone starts to entertain the seemingly harmless conventional â€Å"advices† of the world without allowing the Bible (God’s Word) to filter those opinions/suggestions, the lurking danger sets in and the undiscerning is on his way to the wrong direction for he has already given thought to â€Å"ungodly counsel. † He entertained and has given a benefit of the doubt to counsel other than God’s counsel. This is a classic case of God’s word versus Satan’s lies. The enemy succeeded in tempting the first couple – Adam and Eve. â€Å"Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, â€Å"Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. † – Genesis 2:15-17. Going back to our immediate text in Psalms 1:1, let’s try to divide its wordings in three divisions and see what does it say? It says: â€Å"Blessed is the man who does not (1) walk in the counsel of the wicked (2) stand in the way of sinners (3) sit in the seat of mockers. These three expressions are actually three stages of wickedness, or three steps towards spiritual deterioration. They illustrate the progressive stages of wickedness into which one who strays from God enters. According to the Word of God, this is what will happen to people who stray from the sound teachings of the Scriptures – they will go from bad to worse. And note that, with each stage, the ungodly (anybody who ventures on this path is called â€Å"ungodly†) becomes more resolute and his hostility against the counsel of the inspired scriptures and righteousness intensifies (Cheung, 2007).

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Reducing the Military essays

Reducing the Military essays With the end of the Cold War Americas armed forces are too large and expensive to maintain while in an era of peace. The roles of the military has changed, and the United States has come to the conclusion that military might no longer means having the larger force. Politicians have initiated the closure of bases, the reduced production by defense contractors, the decrease in military and civilian personnel. The actions taken to reduce the military has left dwindling numbers, and this must be changed to ensure that the U.S. military continues to be a mighty super power. The idea of a smaller military was not even considered during the Cold War, but today the treat to America is at a all-time low. This has sparked politicians to restructure the forces and reduce the spending needed to maintain those forces. These reductions are based on the budget spending what is not cost effective to the U.S. and the public. The cost cutting needs to be done, without too large of an effect on the employed personnel, whether military or civilian (ORourke, 2). Though the reductions in the forces still needs to be made, careful monitoring of the amounts of The reductions in personnel have gone past the recommended limit set Congress, and have created a greater need for personnel. If a conflict were to happen to day, the U.S. could only send four heavy divisions, compared to the seven sent during the Gulf War. This greatly decreases Americas ability to thwart an attack from several different countries at one time. This idea of sustaining several conflicts at one time has been a major Because the U.S. is the last great superpower, it is a very large target, and when involvement is needed to aid others the forces are diminished the ability to be an effective deterrent. Analysts have seen an increased demand for the continued policing actions that ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Sophie Germain - Pioneer Woman in Mathematics

Sophie Germain - Pioneer Woman in Mathematics Sophie Germaine dedicated herself early to becoming a mathematician, despite family obstacles and lack of precedent. The French Academy of Sciences awarded her a prize for a paper on the patterns produced by vibration. This work was foundational to the applied mathematics used in construction of skyscrapers today, and was important at the time to the new field of mathematical physics, especially to the study of acoustics and elasticity. Known for:First woman not related to a member by marriage to attend Academie des Sciences meetingsFirst woman invited to attend sessions at the Institut de FranceDates: April 1, 1776 - June 27, 1831Occupation: mathematician, number theorist, mathematical physicistAlso Known as: Marie-Sophie Germain, Sophia Germain, Sophie Germaine About Sophie Germain Sophie Germains father was Ambroise-Francois Germain, a wealthy middle class silk merchant and a French politician who served in the Estates Gà ©nà ©ral and later in the Constituent Assembly. He later became a director of the Bank of France. Her mother was Marie-Madeleine Gruguelu, and her sisters, one older and one younger, were named Marie-Madeleine and Angelique-Ambroise. She was known simply as Sophie to avoid confusion with all the Maries in the household. When Sophie Germain was 13, her parents kept her isolated from the turmoil of the French Revolution by keeping her in the house. She fought boredom by reading from her fathers extensive library. She may also have had private tutors during this time. Discovering Mathematics A story told of those years is that Sophie Germain read the story of Archimedes of Syracuse who was reading geometry as he was killed- and she decided to commit her life to a subject that could so absorb ones attention. After discovering geometry, Sophie Germain taught herself mathematics, and also Latin and Greek so that she could read the classical mathematics texts. Her parents opposed her study and tried to stop it, so she studied at night. They took away candles and forbid nighttime fires, even taking her clothes away, all so that she could not read at night. Her response: she smuggled candles, she wrapped herself in her bedclothes. She still found ways to study. Finally the family gave in to her mathematical study. University Study In the eighteenth century in France, a woman was not normally accepted in universities. But the École Polytechnique, where exciting research on mathematics was happening, allowed Sophie Germain to borrow the lecture notes of the universitys professors. She followed a common practice of sending comments to professors, sometimes including original notes on mathematics problems as well. But unlike male students, she used a pseudonym, M. le Blanc- hiding behind a male pseudonym as many women have done to have their ideas taken seriously. Mathematician Beginning this way, Sophie Germain corresponded with many mathematicians and M. le Blanc began to have an impact in turn on them. Two of these mathematicians stand out: Joseph-Louis Lagrange, who soon discovered that le Blanc was a woman and continued the correspondence anyway, and Carl Friedrich Gauss of Germany, who eventually also discovered that hed been exchanging ideas with a woman for three years. Before 1808 Germain mainly worked in number theory. Then she became interested in Chladni figures, patterns produced by vibration. She anonymously entered a paper on the problem into a contest sponsored by the French Academy of Sciences in 1811, and it was the only such paper submitted. The judges found errors, extended the deadline, and she was finally awarded the prize on January 8, 1816. She did not attend the ceremony, though, for fear of the scandal that might result. This work was foundational to the applied mathematics used in construction of skyscrapers today, and was important at the time to the new field of mathematical physics, especially to the study of acoustics and elasticity. In her work on number theory, Sophie Germain made partial progress on a proof of Fermats Last Theorem. For prime exponents less than 100, she showed there could be no solutions relatively prime to the exponent. Acceptance Accepted now into the community of scientists, Sophie Germain was allowed to attend sessions at the Institut de France, the first woman with this privilege. She continued her solo work and her correspondence until she died in 1831 of breast cancer. Carl Friedrich Gauss had lobbied to have an honorary doctorate awarded to Sophie Germain by Gà ¶ttingen University, but she died before it could be awarded. Legacy A school in Paris- LÉcole Sophie Germain- and a street- la rue Germain- honor her memory in Paris today. Certain prime numbers are called Sophie Germain primes. Print Bibliography Bucciarelli, Louis L., and Nancy Dworsky. Sophie Germain: An Essay in the History of the Theory of Elasticity. 1980.Dalmà ©dico, Amy D. Sophie Germain, Scientific American 265: 116-122. 1991.Laubenbacher, Reinhard and David Pengelley. Mathematical Expeditions: Chronicles by the Explorers. 1998.Sophie Germains story is told as part of the story of Fermats Last Theorem, one of five major themes in this volumeOsen, Lynn M. Women in Mathematics. 1975.Perl, Teri, and Analee Nunan. Women and Numbers: Lives of Women Mathematicians Plus Discovery Activities. 1993.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Discussin question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Discussin question - Essay Example The CMS understood that realizing some of these complications might not be avoidable because many patients suffer from illnesses and injuries that the physician could have prevented if the hospital or the physician could have taken suitable precautions. As part of reimbursement rules for â€Å"never events,† Inpatient facilities have focused to enhance the quality of care patients attains during their course or stay in the hospital. For instance, they have focused on decreasing hospital-acquired conditions such as fractures, severe bedsores and certain infections, and preventable medical mistakes such as conducting surgery on the unintended part of the body that should not take place. Inpatient facilities have been forced to fully evaluate and assess a patient once admitted in their facility and record the existence of all conditions that may need care, if the condition developed before admission to the hospital, it is not a never event. Further, they have to establish a law that identifies and reacts to conditions that belong to never events. This is how inpatient facilities have changed the way they handle their patients in order to get reimbursements from the

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Case consruction studies for civil engineering Essay

Case consruction studies for civil engineering - Essay Example Twenty-four others were injured, including 11 first responders eight remained hospitalized, officials said. (FOXNEWS Monday, March 17, 2008). This was just another heart wrecking and most unwelcome accident that happened in the construction industry. In an era of highly advanced science and technology as of now, we expect that deaths caused due to accidents at work sites, should be the least ever but survey reports and statistics show an increase directly proportional to the advancement in science and technology applied in the construction and civil engineering sector worldwide. Statistics from the UK Health and Safety Executive show that on average one or two people are killed every week as a result of construction work. Occupational ill-health, which can accumulate over time, accounts for further loss of life. What is health and safety In simple terms, health and safety is about identifying risks and eliminating or controlling them to prevent accidents and occupational ill-health. Even though it's inevitable that no job is free from any occupational hazards, measures can adopted to minimize the risks by eliminating or controlling the factors that give rise to unnecessary ones. What are the risks Statistics show that people falling from heights and objects falling from heights and strik... onal health problems arise from chemical hazards, such as liquid, dusts, gasses and fumes, or physical hazards such as cold, heat, noise, vibration, ionizing radiation, compressed air, lasers and manual handling. Why are good health and safety processes important Accidents and ill-health have both a human cost and a financial cost. Lost time and materials, higher insurance premiums, compensation claims and possibly legal costs are the most obvious potential impacts. There are also indirect costs in terms of potential damage to reputation which can make it harder for a company to attract business or new employees or for a project to obtain funding. Good health and safety processes demonstrate respect for people whether they are employees, clients or local communities hosting a construction project. Long-term health effects are usually slower to be realized but the costs and long-term implications can be far more significant than accidents and should not be underestimated. Construction has one of the highest rates of accidents and incidences of ill-health of all employment sectors. High risk activities, poor training and inadequate safeguards all contribute. It need not be this way. There are measures that can be taken to minimize the risks. Constructing a health and safety policy and program: This is a simple but effective strategic framework: 1. POLICY 2. ORGANISING 3. PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION 4. MEASURING PERFORMANCE 5. REVIEWING PERFORMANCE Policy Every organization needs to draw up a statement of policy on how it will manage health and safety, including how responsibilities will be allocated. The policy should take into account the nature of the construction activities involved and the size of the organization. Organizing An adequately resourced and

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Report about the museum printing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Report about the museum printing - Essay Example This painting exhibits exception for its realism and sensitive handling of the subjects. The painting is remarkable because it conveys the message of the low class occupied by the rural Africans. The workers are represented by as graceful and majestic figures (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 89). The message of feeling sympathy and respect for the peasants is vividly exhibited in this painting. The art is a sculpture designed and constructed by the Tamil sculptors of the Chola dynasty. The sculptor measures 76.20 by 57.15 by 17.78 cm. The designers completed the sculpture to reflect the Siva as the lord of yoga. The sculpture represents the Indian civilization. The physical appearance resonates with the message of the sculptors that Siva is Supreme Being that represents the source of the cosmic dance. In addition, the sculpture’s representation of the source of dance is evident on the upper right hand of Siva, which holds a drum (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 97). The drum represents a primeval sound at the creation of the earth. The artwork is a painting, which is among the first paintings to be acquired by the Los Angeles County Museum of art. The painting measures 102.07 by 106.83 cm. This painting is best known and it has been often reproduced in the American painting industry. The painting was designed and constructed by George Bellows in 1913. The painting conveys a message of hard work of the homemakers among the low class urbanites (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 114). The blend of various colours ranging from red to orange conveys all aspects of life and integration in early city life. In conclusion, the artworks discussed in this essay successfully convey the intended message to the audience. The Cotton Pickers painting conveys the message of rural African American lifestyle, the Shiva as the Lord of Dance conveys the message of supremacy and source of dance

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Social Networking In Businesses

Social Networking In Businesses Gaining the trust and friendships of your customers is crucial in the business world today. But how do you get your new or growing businesss name out there and trusted by your customers? Social Networking may be able to help with that. These organizations can help you develop the trust that ultimately creates influence among your customers(Safko 21). There are however some people who dont know what social networking for businesses is, social networking occurs when a group of like-minded people interact online to share interests or concerns, collaborate, give and seek advice, and offer one another assistance or support(Lindsell-Roberts 4). From photo sharing to just keeping up with contacts, social networking is starting to show up in businesses everywhere. Is it really helping, or are these large and small businesses just jumping on the bandwagon? There is a vast amount of different companies and organizations that connect billions of people every day such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Fast Pitch!, and Twitter. All of these organizations offer almost the same service but they all vary in many ways. These aforementioned forms of social media/networks arent the only kinds that are usual in businesses. There are a million ways a professional can get their business into a social network, and known to the social media. Some of the major well known social networks are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Fast Pitch!. First I am going to talk about these well known and commonly used services and how they help and some of the ways you can use them. Every day millions of people log into Facebook to connect with millions of other people, all these people talk to each other, if you have one hundred connections on Facebook, and each of those connections has one hundred connections, youll be two links away from ten thousand connections. If each of those ten thousand connections has 100 connections, youll be three links away from one million connections (Lindsell-Roberts 1). Users over the age of 30 are starting to use Facebook, many of these users speak their political beliefs and speak freely to other users with the same beliefs. That being said, these users are highly valuable when using a Facebook profile for your business because these people can all see what the other person has to share on their profile. They can offer advertisement of your business through just word of mouth to over millions of people in a single day. Businesses can also utilize Facebook to advertise, for example, with the election going on for the next presi dent the candidates are advertising their campaign in posts and blogs to win over votes of the users they attract with these advertisements. You can also use Facebook to target consumers specific to a certain geographic location. Another social network businesses can utilize is called Fast Pitch!. This company is more specific to the business realm and offer more particular tools for professionals in businesses, Fast Pitch! makes it easier for the professionals to network using a profile displaying what they do, what they sell, and what makes their company unique (Safko 451-452). Fast Pitch! gives companies the ability to share ideas and collaborate through virtual trade shows. They do this by using live video chats or two way video calls using Skype or Voip. Fast Pitch! also gives you the ability to publish content such as press releases, news, videos, and podcasts. Fast Pitch! also has a system that automatically targets the audience the user is trying to reach ensuring that their posts are viewed by the target audience (Safko 52). Along with that feature there is tool that allows the user to gauge the success of their business using statistics of their business. Fast Pitch! is mainly for professionals in b usinesses as a marketing technique. Fast Pitch! can also be for those seeking employment. Fast Pitch! doesnt keep inactive profiles around, they delete the profiles that arent being used so there is only active profiles making searches and collaboration and just the entire network run a lot smoother. LinkedIn is another online network that businesses can utilize to gain the trust of consumers and other businesses to expand growth. This network uses a technique called degrees, connections are rated in degrees, meaning direct connections are first degree connections, users listed as connections on that users profile are second degree connections and so forth (Safko 458). There are also features on LinkedIn where users can ask questions and get answers from other users and businesses. In addition to answering those questions they can also offer resolutions and recommendations. On one account a linked in user made a profit of one hundred thousand dollars annually while spending only seven thousand annually searching through LinkedIn. Another popular form of social media is blogging, and this includes micro-blogging. Blogging is all about what you feel like you want to say. It can be from voicing your opinion to support your beliefs all the way to updating information. Blogs are read by millions of people each day and are shared with just about everybody they know depending on how relevant they think that blog is to how they feel and if it is something they feel should be shared with their community. Micro-blogging is almost the same as blogging but it is shortened to fewer than 200 characters. Micro-blogs are popular due to the fact that they are short and to the point, giving readers a full understanding in a small easy to read text. Twitter is a popular micro-blog. Twitter gives users the ability to follow other users they feel have the same connection in beliefs or just have the same general liking of certain subjects. With twitter users are able to share their current activity or state of mind with friends an d strangers (Safko 538). Twitter is majorly helpful to businesses and has been given the title word of mouth engine by Chris Winfield. Twitter is capable of updating users about the people they are following through the website, RSS feeds, mobile texts messages, or email. Twitter can also work with other social networking cites, updating users through Facebook. Twitter gives businesses a way to receive feedback about their products or services through a market with no fees. Twitter is for everyone, including entrepreneurs to fortune 500 companies. Twitter is a huge network with simple commands that keep everyone using it connected in some sort of way. When a user sees a post, he or she can share that post by reposting it on their own profile, allowing every one of their followers to see it and repost it themselves. One key example of use of twitter is when NASA found water ice on mars with the Phoenix Mars Lander; they used twitter to share the news of this new found discovery. Another account of the use of twitter in business was in February of 2010. A man by the name of Chris Hughes launched his own canvas bag company called Artifact Bag Co: In 2010, after a year of quietly following Michael Williams style bog, A Continuous Lean, Hughes spotted a tweet about of set of chairs that the blogger thought looked cool but were overpriced. Turns out, Hughes had won those exact chairs on eBay, and he commented on the post. Then he crossed his fingers, hoping Williams would take a few seconds to click through to the Artifacts website. Within an hour, Williams pivotal tweet came: This waxed canvas lunch bag is nice-looking (with a link to the item). Soon the fashion press came calling, and after the tote was featured in A Continuous Leans holiday buying guide, Hughes found himself with a more than 400-unit backlog that took six months to whittle down, even with the help of contract workers (Wang 54) This is just another small example of how quickly one tweet can help expand your business exponentially. Chris Hughes states that social media can be easily abused and only properly works if you use thought capital. Though capital includes presenting the product or services to the public in an appealing manner. This is basically how you would present the product in an online storefront, or E-commerce. Other non-traditional services one may look at for the growth of their business through social media include Ning, and online gaming. Ning is another social network but it differs from your typical idea of social network that already has a large network pre-established that you join, Ning gives the user the opportunity to design their own network on the internet and allows other users to join your private social network. Users can make their own profile for different networks, allowing a user to have a profile on more than one network all linked together. Ning allows the user to customize their own network to their specific needs, As the Ning web site puts it, the Ning platform is the software equivalent of Home Depot. Unlike other services that offer a one-size-fits all offering, your social network on Ning runs on a programmable platform (Safko 464). This ultimately gives the user full control of their personal social network. So as far as how Ning can be used, it all depends on ho w you want to implement it into your business. Anyone can use Ning and create their own social networks, such as musicians, to give fans updates and tour dates and post contests. Online gaming is a very unique and original way to reach consumers and advertise your product or services. Some may not see the potential of advertising through online gaming: Many people tend to view online video games as an activity with no business value- a waste of time in which only teenagers participate. However when you have fifty thousand to eight million people in the same place with the same interests in a trusted network, a business opportunity exists(Safko 321) If you take a look at new video games that are coming out, they advertise their new products in this particular field because their main consumers are already using their platform, or consol. Video game developers are not the only ones who can and do advertise in an online gaming environment, Barack Obama had his campaign for presidency advertised on Xbox Live, a popular online gaming network. He bought his advertising to be placed in a popular game called Burnout Paradise. With social networking your business depends on the people that you dont have a relationship established yet, meaning that the people you know the least are the people that are helping your business grow by sharing what they know about to other people they know and expanding your business growth. Yes these relationships with people you know the least can be established by the consumers and the strong relationships you have with other people, but these people already have an established connection with your business and therefore are not contributing to growth of social capital. Scott Goodson, author of Uprising states that the old way of marketing- Pitching a product to the largest possible audience through mass media- is dying. He argues that the best way to reach people is to look for topics and causes around which they are already gathering and align ones brand with those topics(Stanford Social Innovation Review 15). The way I feel about Goodsons idea is, yes it helps, but you hav e to use social media to gather this information of topics and ideas that consumers look at. Secondly in order for a business to get these topics and ideas of a new brand know to the general public, they must make their new product well known and have an honest established connection between the product/services and the consumer. This day in age, social may be the fastest way to establish a connection with those consumers that you know the least through the consumers you already have an established connection with. Social networking can exponentially help any business, large or small. Word of mouth through any sort of followers on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or any online blog will get your business known to millions of people in different geographical locations. Online social networking is not the only way to get your business in a social network though; traditional conferences and trade shows are still just as effective. Trade shows and conferences arent the only place you can advertise your business through word of mouth. Other places may include restaurants, a get together like a cocktail party, you can pretty much get your business into a social network through word of mouth just about anywhere you are likely to meet people. All it takes is just a little friendly talking, then those people start talking to other people whom talk to other people they know which can drastically increase business and revenue. Not only can social networking get your business name out to those customers that normally would be hard to reach out to, but it can also help someone seeking employment in businesses or help a business find applicants. Some years ago, but including today, job hunters would pour through the classified ads in the newspapers, especially on Sunday mornings, hoping to catch a glimpse of something for which they might remotely qualify (Lindsell-Roberts 43). In todays society the task of seeking employment is not as daunting, you can just do a Google search for something in your field of expertise and you will find a never ending list of businesses seeking applicants and new hires. These businesses use social networks to list openings and positions available to reach out to those who wouldnt normally have known about their business otherwise. Social networking may not be for every business as far as marketing though, many times social networking may not show any signs of helping your business. These tactics dont replace the traditional face to face kind of business, although reaching out to new customers is always good, and a lot of the time social networks are the best way to reach those outside of your geographic location. But how do those people know what kind of business you offer? This tactic involves a lot of dedication to your website or online profile including update, events, sales, offers, and customer service. With social networking your business depends on the people that you dont have a relationship established with yet, meaning that the people you know the least are the people that are helping your business grow by sharing what they know about your business, to other people they know, expanding your business growth. The relationship you have with already established consumers doesnt really help expand your social capital, these connections dont really take your business name further out to those you havent reached yet. Scott Goodson, author of Uprising states that the old way of marketing- Pitching a product to the largest possible audience through mass media- is dying. He argues that the best way to reach people is to look for topics and causes around which they are already gathering and align ones brand with those topics(Manzo 15). The way I feel about Goodsons idea is, yes it helps, but you have to use social media to gather this information of topics and ideas that consumers look at . Secondly in order for a business to get these topics and ideas of a new brand know to the general public, they must make their new product well known and have an honest established connection between the product/services and the consumer. This day in age, social may be the fastest way to establish a connection with those consumers that you know the least through the consumers you already have an established connection with. I believe social networking in businesses has already been in use, but online social networking has majorly played a key role in expanding current businesses and helping small beginner businesses start out. The social media plays a big role in consumers opinions in todays society. Most consumers read reviews that other consumers post in all of these social networks and base their opinion of these businesses off of the majority of what other consumers say about that business. That being said social networks have absolutely helped the growth and take off of many businesses. At the same time it also depends on what kind of business operation you run. Customer support is a key necessity in businesses using social networks. If you dont maintain a good rapport with your consumers then your business can build a bad reputation over a social network which can cause terrible business. For those businesses with good a rapport then this technique would be a good investment to help increase reven ue. So in conclusion social networks have helped businesses grow and establish connections between consumers and other businesses.