Observational research Essay

Observational research, also known as field research, pertains to a research approach that engages in the direct recording of a phenomenon as it occurs in its natural condition (Zechmeister et al. , 2003). This research approach is distinct from the other research methods because it employs a quasi-artificial scenario that is comprised of a number of factors, of which some could be controlled. The capacity to control at least one of the factors in the environment allows the researcher to perform the scientific method that would answer the developed hypothesis. Observational research could be performed using any of the three classified types of observational techniques. The covert type of observational research involves unidentified researchers that directly interact with the study participants and remain undetected until the completion of the investigation. In other cases, the researchers are positioned at a distance from the study participants, yet are still capable of direct observation of the actions and interactions that each of the study participants engages in. One advantage of this type of observational research approach is that the study participants are not required to cooperate with the researcher. The anonymity of the researcher in the scenario provides study participants to freely express themselves and to liberally make decisions without being influenced by the researcher. Unfortunately, it is also possible that certain ethical violations could be related to this type of observational approach, mainly as a form of deception that is associated with the researchers’ anonymity. The overt type of observational research allows the researchers to identify themselves to the study participants. In addition, the researchers are also required to fully disclose the purpose of their investigation to the study participants. One disadvantage that is strongly associated with the overt type of observational research is the impact of the disclosure on the behavior of the study participants during the entire experimental period. It is actually natural for an individual to be watchful of their actions when they are aware that at least one individual is observing their behavior. As such, the study participant exerts effort in projecting the ideal personality that is acceptable to the eyes of the beholder and definitely not reflective of the actual personality of the study participant. However, it should be understood that in this type of observational research approach, there would be no ethical issues related to deception of the study participants because the identity and the goals of the investigator have been disclosed early on. Researcher participation is another observational type of research approach that engages the investigator in the scenario that is being studied. One advantage of this type of observational technique is that the investigator is allowed to directly interact and to directly appreciate an incident that is being studied. Aside from taking notes of the effects and reactions of the study participants, the researcher also interacts with the rest of the scenario and regards himself as another study participant in the investigation. One disadvantage of this observational type is that the investigator may lose track of the goals of his research study because he becomes extremely engrossed in the activities occurring in the study scenario. In the observational study described in this unit, the covert approach was employed, wherein the investigator directly interacted with 50 study participants with their knowledge of his role and his goals in the interaction. In addition, the study participants are unaware that they are being observed in terms of their attitudes and responses to a specific stimulus or setting. The investigator thus chooses to project a smiling stance as he talks to 50 individuals and he takes note of the response of each of the study participants during his exchange with them. The investigator then rates the response of each of the study participants as very friendly, friendly or neutral.

Outline and Evaluate Research Into the Effects of Day Care on Social Development

Belsky and Rovine (1988) conducted a study in order to assess attachment using the strange situation technique. They observed infants who had been receiving 20 hours or more of day care per week before the age of 1. Their findings suggested that, in comparison to children at home, these children were more often insecurely attached. With insecure attachments being associated with poorer social relationships this may be considered a negative effect of day care. The NICHD started a longitudinal study in 1991 to study many aspects of child development. Similarly the NICHD study found that children who were in day care for more than 30 hours a week were 3 times more likely to show behaviour problems when they went to school. By comparing the two studies we can see that the amount of time spent in day care plays an important role in whether or not children showed negative effects. However Violata and Russell’s meta-analysis showed that when time spent in day care exceeds 20 hours a week negative effects become apparent however the NICHD study found this time to be 30 hours therefore the results are contradictory and inconsistent. The EPPE study was a large scale, longitudinal study of the progress and development of 3,000 children in various types of pre-school education across the UK. The results of the EPPE study found that high levels of day care, particularly nursery care in the first 2 years, may elevate the risk of developing anti-social behaviour. To some degree the EPPE study supports the findings of Belsky and Rovine’s study as both found that the age of the child when placed in day care contributed to whether or not it was perceived to have negative implications. However the two studies can only be looked at comparatively to a certain extent as Belsky and Rovine’s study assessed infants under the age of 1 whereas the EPPE study assessed children up to the age of 7. Clarke-Steward et al studied 150 children and found that those who were in day care were consistently more advanced in their social development than children who stayed home with mothers, enabling them to better deal with peer relationships. Likewise, the EPPE study found increased independence and sociability in the children who attended day care. Field (1991) found that the amount of time spent in full-time day care was positively correlated to the number of friends children has once they went to school. However, although these findings suggest that full-time day care had positive effects on the child, the results clash with studies conducted by Belsky and Rovine. This may be due to individual differences of the children assessed in both studies, for example shy children may have appeared insecure when assessed using the strange situation technique by Belsky and Rovine. Moreover the positive correlation shown in Field’s study cannot accurately be used as grounds to state that full-time day care causes children to be more popular as correlation is not causation.

Applying Anthropology Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Applying Anthropology Paper - Essay Example This is an English Second Language (ESL) program designed to increase the English proficiency of Mexican immigrant children so that by the time they reached high school age they could be successful in a unilingual English instructional setting. The other articles (Smith-Hefner) in 1988 and 1989 describes efforts in the Boston area for Khmer children from Cambodia to be provided instruction in their native language as well as English for 3 or 4 years again until they were deemed sufficiently proficient in English to benefit from mainstream unilingual English instruction. The data from the studies showed that language use preferences of both immigrant groups were strongly linked to aspirations of success in mainstream American society. Although they showed some degree of pride in their respective cultural heritages, there was also the realization even among children (implicitly if not consciously) that a high degree of proficiency in English As well as at least some acceptance of American social norms was essential to thriving in their new homeland especially in attaining higher socioeconomic occupations. In the Fuller study the parents of the 4 Mexican heritage children had mixed views of the importance of education, but the children expressed uniformly strong evaluations of it at least on a lip service level. .The 2 girls as time progressed tended to use more English in conversations with adult teachers and with each other as best friends. The 2 boys tended to use more Spanish especially to each other even though they were at least as proficient in English as the girls. This reflects that although they recognized the importance of English fluency in their future endeavors as breadwinners, they were more conscious of maintaining their Mexican heritage in their social relations than the girls. The Smith-Hefner study states that most Khmer parents placed a high value on both the acquisition of English fluency and

Do harsh prison sentences deter reoffending for people convicted of Essay

Do harsh prison sentences deter reoffending for people convicted of drug related offenses - Essay Example ed researcher among those presenting estimates, Herbert Kleber, basically claimed that â€Å"if cocaine were legally available, as alcohol and nicotine are now, the number of cocaine abusers would probably rise to a point somewhere between the number of users of the other two agents, perhaps 20 to 25 million† (MacCoun & Reuter, 2001, 72). This study analyzes and reveals what is known about the effect of harsh prison sentences or the aggressive enforcement levels of drug prohibitions in contemporary America. This study makes two arguments. It is possible that harsh drug penalties could be significantly lessened without substantially escalating use and reoffending but also that legalization could result in considerable escalations in use and reoffending. The two arguments are not conflicting, nor is this study attempting to take up a guarded ‘neutral’ position. Significantly reduced user authorizations may have qualitatively diverse impacts than modifications in the legal position of drug production and sales. To a lot of people, it may appear apparent that reduction of harsh prison sentences or penalties would increase drug use and reoffending. But MacCoun (1993 as cited in MacCoun & Reuter, 2001) claimed that this may not be the case. Similar to the premises of this study, the article enumerated seven different processes by which drug penalties influence drug use and reoffending and analyzed the existing empirical and theoretical literature on each process. Most of these processes put off drug use and reoffending, but hardly any seem to really support it; they are among the numerous accidental outcomes of harsh drug penalties (MacCoun & Reuter, 2001). MacCoun (1993) asserted that lack of knowledge regarding the enormity of each these outcomes- in particular at the legal-illegal threshold—prevented any certain inferences about whether legalization would affect drug use and reoffending, much less the scale of any escalation. But from 1993 thereon, a number of

The importance of living healthy Research Paper

The importance of living healthy - Research Paper Example The diet that one consumes plays a significant role in ensuring healthy living in that certain diet contain substances that assist the promotion of health, as in the case for Mediterranean diets that are found to be a healthier than diets supplemented by additives to ensure that they are healthy (Healy). In this case, living healthy focuses on the issue of nutrition and the diet, that one follows and how well one eats. Therefore, living healthy does not necessarily mean that one eats based on limiting his or her nutritional intake, but is instead based on the consumption of naturally balanced foods that do not require modification in order to meet the nutritional needs of an individual. This is further shown by Mediterranean diets that have been proven to be way healthier as compared to conventional foods taken by diet fanatics. This is because studies show that people consuming diets low in fat do not necessarily mean that one’s diet is healthy; as they were found to be more at risk of heart disease and stroke as compared to those having natural foods as found in the Mediterranean foods (Healy). However, healthy living in terms of dietary intake reveals the need to consume certain foods in moderation, and others as if one’s life depended on it such as fatty fish for constant nutrition and avoidance of red meat. This means that low-fat diets are not beneficial for healthy living, but consumption of fruits and vegetables, as well as lean meats leads to healthy living in regard to nutrition and it has less risk to certain health complications such as strokes and heart attacks. In addition, healthy living in nutrition facilitates the body to be more responsive in relation to one’s physiology in cases of inflammation and insulin insensitivity. This is because a healthy diet contributes to a healthy body that is able to regulate its processes and prevent cardiovascular disease (Dray). Therefore, adding oats in nutrition that are rich in fiber se rves to create a feeling of satisfaction throughout the day, which translates to reduced intake of unhealthy foods. In addition, oats increase the rate of metabolism in the body creating an environment conducive for the burning of fat leading to a healthy body with enhanced aesthetics. This is also as seen in the case of adding avocadoes in the diet, whereby they provide fats to the body in an unsaturated form, which is important in creating a â€Å"quiet hunger†. The quiet hunger is relevant in metabolizing belly fat and providing protein, as well as fiber to the body lading to enhanced health and reduced susceptibility to diseases. In addition, healthy living based on nutrition eliminates vulnerability to certain conditions that have no cure, but are preventable such as cancer. This is evident by consuming foods with broccoli as it has preventive properties against cancer, which cuts back on one’s quality of life (Klein 33). In order to ensure healthy living, it is i mportant to consider exercise, which serves to prolong human life and exercise, just like nutrition, does not mean heavy exercise or one that is prescribed (Thornton and Brunton 12). Instead, it refers to living in an environment that beats conventional convenience, which means that one is pushed towards physical activity by his or her needs in order to run errands that

Competencies for International HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Competencies for International HR - Essay Example Referring to Stroh and Caligiuri (1998), one of the most critical factors for the success of a company is its management of the human assets. The most important issue for HR in global organisations to decide at present is to decide whether they should depend on convergence or divergence. Convergence refers to developing the same basic rules and regulations for all locations, and divergence refers to allowing diversity according to local requirements. As Amstrong (2006) points out, the decision to make a company centralised or decentralised is dependent on a number of factors. These factors are: the extent to which there are well-defined local norms, the degree to which a unit is embedded in the local environment, the flow of resources from parent company to the subsidiary, and the nature of the industry (ibid). Admittedly, one thing becomes evident from this description: HR has an important role to play in this situation. A study in Malcrum(Alexander et al , 2009) with the support of HSBC looked into the role of internal and external communication in the present day international HR. It is found that the purposes in enhancing internal communication for businesses are creating understanding of the company strategy and direction, supporting organisational change, keeping people informed of company news, building company pride, and helping people to live values (ibid). Thus, it becomes evident that the purposes all are linked to HR. The main purpose of internal communication is employee engagement. Then, the study looked into how this internal communication is linked to external communication. In the present day business world, companies undergo rigorous scrutiny from the part of media and governments. That means companies will have to ensure that they practice what they preach. As Alexander et al (2009) states, if a company makes a public statement, it should make sure that the employees are aware of the same, and vice versa. When this point is discussed, it beco mes necessary to point out how a lack of relationships with external media, governments and local communities can be destructive at times. An example is the crisis faced by Shell Oil in Nigeria. To illustrate, it was during 1990s that Shell Petroleum came under heavy fire from the part of international press and local media for alleged environmental pollution of the delta. Noted public figures like Saro-Wiwa raised their concern against the company, and mass agitation began in no time. The company realised that it had little chance for improving its image or to bounce back to its previous glory as it had not cared to keep relationships with international media or the local community. In order to improve its image, the company took the following public relation initiatives. Firstly, it started balancing its business with active citizenship/working in partnership with communities. Secondly, the company decided to position itself as a company that respects human rights and environment. Thirdly, the company started publicising itself as a law-abiding, non-sectarian company. As Turk and Scanlan (1999) reflect, the company decided to propagate what it did for community and environment. Thus, one thing becomes very evident. International HR needs to be able to keep both internal and external

Fish Oil-Fed Mice Have Impaired Resistance to Inuenza Infection Article

Fish Oil-Fed Mice Have Impaired Resistance to Inuenza Infection - Article Example The critique and analysis focuses on feeding animal trials which include in vivo problems of the host with a live agent of infection. Pathogen clearance and host survival are the typical end points analyzed in the studies. Data shows that (n-3) PUFA can both impair and improve the resistance of host to a certain pathogens number. Nevertheless, the information is still limited in depth and breadth. For the pathogens with existing data, published studies numbers generally do not surpass three or two. Emphasis is on defining crucial immunological and microbiological difference s in pathogen-host interactions that assist to explain the published findings incongruity. Researchers believe that straight examination of (n-3) PUFA on the infectious disease of human’s resistance is warranted. From the oils of fish, Omega-3 fatty acids are considered inflammation modulators. This is the action mode for their efficiency and effectiveness against illness of modernity. The diseases include arthritis and rheumatoid. However, there is a downside, because inflammation is a section of response by the immune system, fish oil decreases immunity. The other side of inflammation decrease. For instance, mice fed with oil of fish, have impaired opposition to the infection of influenza. In regard to theietary long-chain PUFA derived from fish oil have been shown to have beneficial effects on chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disorders (1,2) and long-chain PUFA such as eicosapentaenoic acid appear to be most beneficial . A number of studies report that the immunosuppressive effects of PUFA are a result of decreased cytokine production and from reductions in T cell proliferation, activation, and signaling Studies of rodents fed fish oil-enriched diets have shown a reduction in natural killer (NK)4 cell activity (8), decreased lymphocyte proliferation (9,10), and decreased antigen presentation functions. In addition, decreases in ex vivo production of

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Research - Essay Example ............8 6 Methodology....................................................9 7 Analysis...........................................................10 8 References.......................................................12 1. Introduction The main aim of this research is to provide important marketing data to the client which is a company seeking to introduce a new range of ready to eat nutritious meals for fixed budget customers. The client company is planning to launch nutritious food products in United Kingdom market with the students as the main target customer of the product. This nutritious food product features a variety of read to serve meals at an affordable price. Beaver’s Corn Flakes are targeted towards the student population of UK and it is a substituent for the junk food preferred because of low cost. The client is planning to conduct a research for understanding the eating habits of the specific target consumers of their product. On behalf of the client, a resea rch agency is employed to carry out all the necessary research. There are various approaches followed by the marketing company to test the launch methods that have to be adopted for launching the product in UK market. This research will help the client company in understanding the real market conditions and help them in designing an effective strategy for the launch of product. This report is prepared with the purpose of highlighting the methods that are used in research process and the importance of every single method with relevant output for the client. There will be detailed explanation for the research methods used and reason behind using those particular methods for the research. 2. Research Objectives This main purpose of this research is to understand the UK market and the food habits of the potential customers. The research is divided into different stages including consumer research, expert advice from nutrition and diet experts in UK and conducting online research campaig n for the product. The research agency will focus in finding the right methods for promoting Beaver’s Corn Flakes and getting the feedback from the targeted audience. The main objective of conducting this research is to provide important insights of the research and useful data to the client that will guide in marketing and production strategies of the company. One of the most important parts of the research is consumer participation and the inputs from direct targeted customers. The feedback from customers will be taken in form of short surveys and the satisfaction level of the customer from Beaver’s corn flakes and other range of products. It will allow the client to understand the customer’s perspective towards the product and estimate of number of customers that are willing to use this product. Some of the important results obtained from research are: a) Customer awareness of Beaver’s corn flakes product (Including data like age, socio-economic status , sex and location of customer) b) What are the possible challenges in introducing Beaver’s corn flakes and food products in UK market? c) What is the customer satisfaction level and feedback for Beaver’s Corn Flakes? d) What percentage of UK customers are willing to try this new range of nutritious food products from Kellogg’s? 3. Terms of Reference The main aim of the research is to provide information to the client that will help the company in developing a consumer base in UK market for their upcoming nutritious range of food products served as

Developing an Alternative Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 99

Developing an Alternative Strategy - Case Study Example Dubai One has an experienced workforce. After being in existence for a very long time, the subordinates have gained enough experience on how to retain the competitive advantage of the company in the market. The company does not focus on customer relationship management. Instead, it focuses more on the revenues and how to suppress the competitors. This can be used by the competitors to attract the attention of the customers towards their services. The cost structure is not effective. The business model being used by the firm which is based on selling half-hour slots of commercial time to program producers and charging them with a minimum guarantee is not effective and sustainable in the modern market. The internal factor is the most significant for the existence of the business. With the increasing levels of globalization resulting from the liberalization of markets, efficient flow of information and integration of economies, the firm needs to sort out the internal factor if it has to remain competitive. An alternative strategy would be to merge with one of the firms in order to strengthen the company in the market. Through the new firm that would emerge through merging, the company should change its competitive strategies by adopting the new tactics that were used by the private firm. This would strengthen the company’s position in the market. Acquiring new employees who were in the private sector would enhance the company’s chances of privatizing its operations. I think the proposed alternative is the best because it will allow the company to evolve and diversify its operations. At the moment, the company is rigid to changes and relies on its tactics on program producers to retain its competitive edge. However, the new proposal will make the firm use its funds more efficiently through expanding its operations to the untapped market.

Linguistics and Language Essay Example for Free

Linguistics and Language Essay The term dialect (from the ancient Greek word dialektos, discourse, from dia, through + lego, I speak) is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the languages speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors, such as social class. [2] A dialect that is associated with a particular social class can be termed a sociolect, a dialect that is associated with a particular ethnic group can be termed as ethnolect, and a regional dialect may be termed a regiolect or topolect. The other usage refers to a language that is socially subordinate to a regional or national standard language, often historically cognate to the standard, but not a variety of it or in any other sense derived from it. Dialect: This is a complex and often misunderstood concept. For linguists, a dialect is the collection of attributes (phonetic, phonological, syntactic, morphological, and semantic) that make one group of speakers noticeably different from another group of speakers of the same language. COMMON SOURCES OF MISUNDERSTANDING: 1) DIALECT is NOT a negative term for linguists. . Often times, for example, we hear people refer to non-standard varieties of English as dialects, usually to say something bad about the non-standard variety (and thus about the people who speak it). This happened quite a bit during last years ebonics controversy. But, the term dialect refers to ANY variety of a language. Thus, by definition, we all speak a dialect of our native language. 2) DIALECT is NOT synonymous with accent. Accent is only a part of dialectal variation. Non-linguists often think accents define a dialect (or that accents alone identify people as non-native or foreign language speakers). Also, non-linguists tend to think that its always the other people that have an accent. So, what is accent? 3) ACCENT: This term refers to phonological variation, i. e.variation in pronunciation Thus, if we talk about a Southern Accent; were talking about a generalized property of English pronunciation in the Southern part of the US. But, Southern dialects have more than particular phonological properties. Accent is thus about pronunciation, while dialect is a broader term encompassing syntactic, morphological, and semantic properties as well. A final note on accent. WE ALL HAVE ONE! There is no such thing as a person who speaks without an accent. This is not an exercise in political correctness, by the way. It is a fact. In sum, a dialect is a particular variety of a language, and we all have a dialect. Accent refers to the phonology of a given dialect. Since we all have a dialect, we all have an accent. Idiolect: Another term that we must be familiar with is idiolect. Whats an idiolect? you ask, on the edge of your seat. An idiolect is simply the technical term we use to refer to the variety of language spoken by each individual speaker of the language. Just as there is variation among groups of speakers of a language, there is variation from speaker to speaker. No two speakers of a language speak identically. Each speaks her or his own particular variety of that language. Each thus speaks her or his own idiolect. Role of Dialect: Language says a lot about our identity. Americans, Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans all speak differently. When we meet somebody from a different part of the country, they may use different words, sounds or grammatical structures. A dialect is a variety of language that is characteristic of a certain area. For instance, in the Northern Cape, people refer to older people as grootmense and paper as pampier whereas in Pretoria they are called oumense and papier. If you hear colored people from Cape Town speaking Afrikaans, they sound different to Afrikaans spoken elsewhere. People from Natal speak English in different ways to people from Johannesburg etc. So often, the way we speak says a lot about where we are from, who we are and what we care about. So studying dialects is one way of validating peoples identities and ways of life. Characteristics of Dialect: There are ten characteristics of dialect. 1. Dialect can be identified by variation of grammar. 2. Dialect can be identified by variation of vocabulary. 3. Dialect can be identified by variation of prosody. 4. Dialect can be identified by variation of sentence structure. 5. Dialect can be identified by variation of figures of speech. 6. Variance of parent language by social class of speakers. 7. Variance of parent language by region inhabited by speakers. 8. Likely will not have its own written literature. 9. Likely speakers will not have state or nation of their own. 10. Likely region-specific for speakers. Difference between Dialect and Register: To describe differences we have to first understand these two terms separately. What is Dialect? A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary, especially a variety of speech differing from the standard literary language or speech pattern of the culture in which it exists: Cockney is a dialect of English. What is Register? In linguistics, a register is a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. For example, when speaking in a formal setting, an English speaker may be more likely to adhere more closely to prescribed grammar, pronounce words ending in -ing with a velar nasal instead of an alveolar nasal (e.g. walking, not walkin'), choose more formal words (e. g. father vs. dad, child vs. kid, etc. ), and refrain from using contractions such as aint, than when speaking in an informal setting. Now it is time to differentiate both terms. A dialect is a variety of language used by different speech communities, whereas register is a variety of language associated with peoples occupation. Register is to do with variation in language use connected with topic matter. Ones dialect shows who (or what) he/she is, while ones register shows what he/she is doing. Dialect is a special form of speaking belonging to a group. Register is a linguistic term used to describe changing how one talks based on the situation. 1. Dialect: a local variety of a language*, usually understood by speakers of other dialects of the same language, often without a standardized grammar or spelling, used mostly for non-formal purposes in a local community or among people coming from the same community but living in another community than that they came from. There is often no consensus if such a local language variety is a dialect or a language. The choice is usually taken on the basis of political or conventional criteria and never on linguistic ones. 2. A speech register: a way of speaking or writing including vocabulary, syntax and pronunciation (or spelling) chosen by individuals to express themselves depending on the circumstances they speak: high register (formal occasions like parliamentary speech, official documents, celebrations), low register (informal occasions, conversations among family or friends group). There are also many in-between registers and specialized occasions like religious services, sport events, and so on. An individual may choose his dialect as a speech register for informal occasions, and a standardized language of a larger social unit on formal occasions (often called diglossia). Register: In linguistics, one of many styles or varieties of language determined by such factors as social occasion, purpose, and audience, also called stylistic variation. More generally, register is used to indicate degrees of formality in language use. The different registers or language styles that we use are sometimes called codes. According to a linguist Robert MacNeil (1989) the example of Register is; It fascinates me how differently we all speak in different circumstances. We have levels of formality, as in our clothing. There are very formal occasions, often requiring written English: the job application or the letter to the editorthe dark-suit, serious-tie language, with everything pressed and the lint brushed off. There is our less formal out-in-the-world languagea more comfortable suit, but still respectable. There is language for close friends in the evenings, on weekendsblue-jeans-and-sweat-shirt language, when it’s good to get the tie off. There is family language, even more relaxed, full of grammatical short cuts, family slang, echoes of old jokes that have become intimate shorthandthe language of pajamas and uncombed hair. Finally, there is the language with no clothes on; the talk of couplesmurmurs, sighs, gruntslanguage at its least self-conscious, open, vulnerable, and primitive. Role of Register: Its chief importance is social. It signals the kind of interaction the speaker wants, or acceptance/no acceptance of the kind of interaction expected in any situation. For instance, level of formality is a major aspect of English register. Highly formal register can signal authority, disapproval, unfriendliness. Informal register can signal various things: genuine friendliness; a fake attempt to come across as friendly; or even deliberate disrespect if the other speaker expects formal register. Choice of register can also signal social class, in areas where this is still an issue. Higher classes tend to use a more formal register in ordinary conversation. Understanding the difference between register and grammar is important, as many speakers confuse the two: particularly in thinking that only formal register is correct grammar. This can lead to major errors of register: for instance, the highly formal It is I is only correct in the most formal register, and using it under any other circumstances will make a speaker sound a pompous idiot to most speakers. Characteristics/ Features of Register: 1) Language Styles Every native speaker is normally in command of several different language styles, sometimes called registers, which are varied according to the topic under discussion, the formality of the occasion, and the medium used (speech, writing, or sign). Adapting language to suit the topic is a fairly straightforward matter. Many activities have a specialized vocabulary. If you are playing a ball game, you need to know that zero is a duck in cricket, love in tennis, and nil in soccer. If you have a drink with friends in a pub, you need to know greetings such as: Cheers! Heres to your good health! Other types of variation are less clear-cut. The same person might utter any of the following three sentences, depending on the circumstances: I should be grateful if you would make less noise. Please be quiet. Shut up! Here the utterances range from a high or formal style, down to a low or informal oneand the choice of a high or low style is partly a matter of politeness. (Jean Aitcheson, Teach You Linguistics. Hodder, 2003) 2) Participants in an Exchange Like variation in our manner of dress, stylistic variations in language cannot be judged as appropriate or not without reference to the participants in the interchange (i. e. , speaker and listener or reader and writer). For example, you would not speak to a 5-year-old child, an intimate friend, and a professor using the same style of speech. Using the term eleemosynary charitable would probably be inappropriate for the child and the friend, while using number one urinate would probably be inappropriate for the friend and the professor. (Frank Parker and Kathryn Riley, Linguistics for Non-Linguists, 3rd ed. Ellyn Bacon, 1999) 3) Register Features Register features are core lexical and grammatical characteristics found to some extent in almost all texts and registers. . . . Any linguistic feature having a functional or conventional association can be distributed in a way that distinguishes among registers. Such features come from many linguistic classes, including: phonological features (pauses, intonation patterns), tense and aspect markers, pronouns and pro-verbs, questions, nominal forms (nouns, nominalizations, gerunds), passive constructions, dependent clauses (complement clauses, relative clauses, adverbial subordination), prepositional phrases, adjectives, adverbs, measures of lexical specificity (once-occurring words, type-token ratio), lexical classes (hedges, emphatics, discourse particles, stance markers), modals, specialized verb classes (speech act verbs, mental process verbs), reduced forms (contractions, that-deletions), co-ordination, negation, and grammatical devices for structuring information (clefts, extra position). A comprehensive linguistic analysis of a register requires consideration of a representative selection of linguistic features. Analyses of these register features are necessarily quantitative, because the associated register distinctions are based on differences in the relative distribution of linguistic features. (Douglas Biber Dimensions of Register Variation: A Cross-Linguistic Comparison. Cambridge University Press, 1995) Sociolinguistics: (Wikipedia) â€Å"Sociolinguistics is the descriptive study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used, and the effects of language use on society. Sociolinguistics differs from sociology of language in that the focus of sociolinguistics is the effect of the society on the language, while the sociology of language focuses on languages effect on the society. Sociolinguistics overlaps to a considerable degree with pragmatics. It is historically closely related to linguistic anthropology and the distinction between the two fields has even been questioned recently. It also studies how language varieties differ between groups separated by certain social variables, e. g. , ethnicity, religion, status, gender, level of education, age, etc. , and how creation and adherence to these rules is used to categorize individuals in social or socioeconomic classes. As the usage of a language varies from place to place; language usage also varies among social classes, and it is these sociolect that sociolinguistics studies. † Sociolinguistics is the study of how language serves and is shaped by the social nature of human beings. In its broadest conception, sociolinguistics analyzes the many and diverse ways in which language and society entwine. This vast field of inquiry requires and combines insights from a number of disciplines, including linguistics, sociology, psychology and anthropology. Sociolinguistics examines the interplay of language and society, with language as the starting point. Variation is the key concept, applied to language itself and to its use. The basic premise of sociolinguistics is that language is variable and changing. As a result, language is not homogeneous — not for the individual user and not within or among groups of speakers who use the same language. By studying written records, sociolinguists also examine how language and society have interacted in the past. For example, they have tabulated the frequency of the singular pronoun thou and its replacement you in dated hand-written or printed documents and correlated changes in frequency with changes in class structure in 16th and 17th century England. This is historical sociolinguistics: the study of relationship between changes in society and changes in language over a period of time. Branches of sociolinguistics: Sociolinguistics can be defined broadly or narrowly Broad: branch of linguistics studying those properties of language which require reference to social, including contextual, factors in their explanation Narrow: seeks to explain patterned co-variation of language and society; seeks rules to account for that variation. Some traditions of sociolinguistic investigation: 1) Linguistic variation: (sociolinguistics proper): focuses on the linguistic variable that correlates with social differences. Unit of study is language itself considered a part of linguistics. 2) Ethnography of speaking: emphasis on various aspects of context that are involved in differing interpretations of language use. Unit of analysis is not language itself but rather the users of language: the speech community generally considered part of sociology or anthropology. 3) Language planning (also applied sociolinguistics, sociology of language): emphasis on practical aspects of this study. Much about language contact issues and language use in education.

Economic Impact Of Marijuana Legalization Economics Essay

Economic Impact Of Marijuana Legalization Economics Essay Drug dealers in America have mastered the concept of supply and demand. They have identified their target audience and are doing an incredible job at keeping competition down. They rapidly work towards a monopoly in their respective areas. They even keep ahead of the game by obtaining the best product at the lowest price before hiking up the price to potential buyers. They are running an underground gold mine and the government hasnt been getting a penny of the proceeds. In fact, the government and taxpayers spend between 20 and 25 billion dollars a year (Osler, 2012), on prosecuting dealers and incarcerating those who possess marijuana. But facts are facts and this is how America works. It may be for this reason that voters in Washington and Colorado decided to legalize marijuana. On November 7, 2012, state legislators in both Washington and Colorado passed an initiative and an amendment, respectively, to allow for the possession, distribution, and private recreational use of cannabis. From an economic perspective, there would be numerous benefits to legalizing marijuana. The states expect to see a rapid decline in arrests for marijuana possession, saving money from the reduced need for law enforcement for marijuana prohibition. This proves to potentially save Colorado alone an average of $40.1 million, (Stiffler, 2012), in costs associated with incarceration. Not only will the economic impact of legalization of marijuana help save the government on law enforcement expenses, but it will also encompass the possibility of large sums of revenue from the market supply and demand of the newly legalized product, generating an impressive profit from sales tax. As a new industry emerges within the workforce, desperately needed employment opportunities will arise across the country, stimulating the economy by initially providing 4,200 new jobs (Fottrell, 2012). It will also help upsurge our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as more goods will be produced and retailed. The economic impact of the legalization of marijuana covers many aspects of the economy. In Mark Oslers U.S. Should Honor States New Pot Laws CNN.com, Osler discusses the conflict that arises from a state passing a law that contradicts a federal law. He examines the sides of both the proponents and opponents to the federal government cracking down on drug use in Colorado and Washington. Osler goes in depth about how the federalists support the States and want the government to leave them alone to govern their states how they choose, and how the moralists would like to see the federal government enforce the federal narcotics laws despite the voters decisions in the states. The article also analyses how harder drugs deliver a lesser punishment than more minor drugs and how drug laws in the past have done little to permanently curb drug use. Amendment 64 would produce $60 million in new revenue and savings for Colorado, by Christopher Stiffler, presents a systematic approach to how the government will benefit from the passing of the amendment. The article discusses the various ways that the legalization of marijuana will positively affect the economy and also describes in detail the how tax revenue will be generated and utilized to benefit Colorado. Stiffler also focuses on the details of the amendment itself and how a shift in governmental thinking can save millions of taxpayer dollars. Quentin Fottrells How to Invest in Legalized Marijuana, describes the rapidly growing market demand for marijuana and marijuana related products. He gives descriptions of several marijuana centered companies and offers his opinion on the direction of the economy. Fottrell also mentions how the marijuana market is spreading over to other industries and explains the benefits and pitfalls of investing in marijuana related stock. Unperturbed Puffery, by B.A., is an article that focuses on the likelihood of the Obama administration to enforce federal laws in Colorado and Washington. B.A. takes a strong stance on the issue and sides with the federalists who prefer a hands-off approach from the federal government. The articles examines the costs related to incarcerating people with marijuana related charges and concludes with mentioning how the government should have more important issues to tend to than marijuana possession. Mike Moffatts Would Marijuana Legalization Increase the Demand for Marijuana?, answers a readers question about the demand for marijuana if it becomes legal. Moffatt consults the experts to form an opinion on the issue. The experts seem to believe overall that demand will increase unless the price goes up too much, in which case it will stay the same. The article also mentions how the legalization of the drug may have the opposite effect because the allure of marijuana comes in part from the fact that it is illegal. Moffatt also looks at other countries experiences with the legalization of marijuana and concludes that legal or not, people will continue to use it. Should Governments Legalize and Tax Marijuana? by Mike Moffatt discusses the economics of drug dealers and compares their profits to potential profits that the government could make by legalizing marijuana. He breaks down the profit percentage from street sales and considers a shift from street profit to governmental tax revenues. Moffatt also considers the health of the consumers and educational benefits that can arise from the legalization of marijuana. C. Whitakers The Economic Effects of Legalizing Marijuana, takes a look at the business aspect of legalizing marijuana. The article discusses how the underground business can become legal and even how former underground drug dealers can get off welfare and become legal entrepreneurs. Whitaker also examines the economic impact of the marijuana and how a lowered price would allow for funds to be spent elsewhere in the economy. Whitaker claims in the article that the legalization of marijuana will help put an end to poverty by creating business opportunity for drug pushers and will also save money for prisons everywhere. As stated before, the economic impact of illegal marijuana comes at an expense to us all. This expense is obtained from the costs associated with cracking down on those who are buying and selling drugs, prosecuting them in the courts, and providing food and shelter for them in jail cells. According to Mark Osler, the amount that has gone towards these efforts has been between 20 and 25 billion dollars a year for the past decade (Osler, 2012). When breaking these figures down, it is revealed that, 12.4% of federal prisoners convicted on drug charges were locked up for marijuana offenses. Thats about 11,630 people, at an average cost of $25,500 to $26,000 per person per year (B.A., 2012). Multiplying these figures yields a result of more than 290 million spent annually on jailing inmates, at the federal level, who were caught with marijuana. In the grand scheme of things, this is quite a sum of money that could be allocated towards other things. A reporter for The Economist says that, Prosecuting people for marijuana offenses is a waste of resources (B.A., 2012). The reporters sentiment is understood based on the fact that, Four out of Five of the 1.64 million people arrested for drug violations were accused of possession, and half of those arrests were for carrying what were often very small amounts of marijuana (Osler, 2012). When comparing the effects of marijuana, a schedule 1 narcotic, and the effects of cocaine and opium, schedule 2 narcotics (less offensive), (Osler, 2012), it makes little sense that a substance that has no known scientific death toll, cancer causing side effects, or even evidence of being an addictive substance should cause so many people to be put behind bars at tax payers expense. This is one reason why voters have decided to make marijuana legal in Washington and Colorado. The expense of police in Colorado alone shows substantial potential governmental savings. According to Christopher Stiffler and Colorados direct budget costs for enforcing marijuana prohibition, $40.1 million is spent annually enforcing marijuana prohibition, (Stiffler, 2012). This is seen in the chart below, (Stiffler 2012). Colorados direct budget costs for enforcing marijuana prohibition Agency Total spending Percent spent enforcing prohibition Amount spent enforcing prohibition Police $82,676,491 4.41 $3,646,033 Judicial $340,243,578 7 $23,817,050 Corrections $634,934,029 2 $12,698,681 Total $40.1 million As explained on a state and national level, legalizing marijuana has a very positive effect on the police expense, potentially creating a notable amount of revenue from savings alone. Not only are expenses a detriment from illegal marijuana; but forgone profit is a negative effect as well. An economist named Stephen T. Easton conducted a study using data from Canada to calculate the amount of tax revenue that legalizing marijuana could bring to the government (Moffatt, 2012). The study showed that the average price of .5 grams of marijuana sold for $8.60 on the street with a production cost of only $1.70. (Moffatt, 2012) These figures would amount to a $6.90 profit for drug dealers. Any survivor of an ECON 5003 course would know that with a profit like this, competition would be intense. What keeps these drug dealers with a local monopoly is the fact that the possession and distribution of marijuana is illegal and subject to serious jail time. This risk factor is what keeps others from trying to get in on the action. This also keeps supply restricted and demand high for the product, leaving drug dealers with hefty profits at the expense of the government. Now that marijuana has been legalized, it is expected that the demand for marijuana will increase. With the risk factor gone, far more people will engage in recreational activities involving marijuana. Drug dealers will no longer make as much profit due to the fact that anyone can potentially sell marijuana. With a larger supply, the prices from the once exclusive drug market will drop drastically resulting in a price much closer to the cost of production. With marijuana being legal, there will be government run distributers who will, based on basic supply and demand modules, offer the drug at a much lower base price. However, because marijuana will be closely regulated much like tobacco and alcohol, the taxes from licensing and distribution will drive the total purchase price up and revenue will rival that of current day drug dealers. When transferring the profit once enjoyed by drug dealers to the U.S. government in the form of taxes and distribution costs, and leaving transportation and marketing issues behind, the government would end up with revenue of $7 per .5 grams of marijuana, (Moffatt, 2012) With the collection of tax on each marijuana cigarette and again leaving transportation and marketing issues behind, this adds up to over a $2 billion profit, (Moffatt, 2012). Without the legalization of marijuana, the street price of marijuana will stay the same because there is a very limited and risky to purchase supply. The distributors or drug dealers enjoy a relatively stable quantity demanded because of this unchanging price. Now that marijuana has been legalized, the demand will increase due to the fact that consumers no longer have a risk in purchasing marijuana. Looking at a supply demand curve, Figure 1 shows the effect that legalizing marijuana would have. With the demand curve increasing in order to stay with equilibrium, the price equilibrium would increase. Figure 1: Effect of Legalizing Marijuana Although legalizing marijuana has great potential of increasing tax revenue, a sense of morality is likely to appear due to the perceived negative effect of health throughout the population. With this in mind the government can either decrease consumption by raising taxes or increase it by dropping taxes. Figure 2 shows the effect if taxes are increased and consumption of marijuana is decreased. Figure 2: Increase in Marijuana Tax As shown by the graph, if marijuana taxes are increased, the supply curve would shift to the left. The quantity supplied would decrease from Q*1 to Q*2. This shift in supply changes the equilibrium from E1 to E2 and the price is increased from P*1 to P*2. Increasing taxes too much can have a negative effect because if taxes get too high marijuana growers will want to sell in the black market to avoid the high taxes. In addition to law enforcement expenses and forgone profit, another aspect that illegal marijuana hinders is the emergence of a new industry and job opportunities across America. With the legalization of marijuana comes a plethora of career options and job opportunities. Also, those who were previously victims of incarceration from the distribution of cannabis can now possibly start a legal profitable business. One such business that has already taken off is the medical marijuana industry. According to Quentin Fottrell from Market Watch, the medical marijuana industry is, estimated to be worth about $1.7 billion as of 2011, (Fottrell, 2012). In Colorado alone, sales topped $181 million in 2010, and the business employed 4,200 state-licensed workers, (Fottrell, 2012). The new marijuana industry spans from medical producers, to agricultural-equipment firms, dispensaries, vaporizers, and even edible goods. Producers are now able to ship the drugs out to the customers, as drug trafficking is no longer be illegal. This is one of the many ways new jobs are being created. The marijuana industry will also raise our Gross Domestic Product because it can be grown and sold here in the USA. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Illicit drugs accounted for 1% of the worlds GDP, (Whitaker, 2009). One percent doesnt sound like much at all, but this 1% is higher than 88% of all countries GDPs in the world (Whitaker, 2009). People participating in the marijuana industry would not only have a stable source of income, but also a legal source that would be taxed. From the consumers perspective, the legalization of marijuana could mean lower prices. Since there will be countless ways for purchasing legal marijuana, more competition will arise which will result in decreased prices for the consumer. Consumers will no longer have to pay such a high price resulting in an increase in their available funds that they can invest, putting money directly back into the economy. The newly legalized marijuana market also creates investment opportunities. Medbox (OTN:MDBX) [has] an OTC stock with a $45 million market cap, (Fottrell, 2012). Medical Marijuana (OTN:MJNA), [has] an OTC stock with a $69 million market cap, (Fottrell, 2012). And Cannabis Science in Colorado Springs, Colo. (OTN;CBIS), [has] an OTC stock with a $41 million market cap, (Fottrell, 2012). These new investment opportunities encourage investors to feed into the economy and stimulate the free market. As old products are losing ground, this new market is rapidly gaining appeal and helping the economy every step of the way. In conclusion, the legalization of marijuana brings up an interesting opportunity for the government.   If they become the suppliers of the good, they can produce on the true supply or marginal cost curve and then replace the cost of arresting and fighting dealers with marijuana revenue. A great deal of tax payer money goes into catching those who buy or sell illegal drugs on the black market, prosecuting them in court, and housing them in jail. These costs seem particularly exorbitant when dealing with the drug marijuana, as it is widely used, and is likely no more harmful than currently legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol. When looking at marijuanas effect on the economy as a whole, the positive and lucrative impact cannot be ignored. From the creation of new job opportunities, to the abundant new supply of revenue, and even the savings incurred from removing prohibition, it is clear that the economic impact created by the legalization of marijuana is beneficial to us all.

Revolutionary Mexican Women Essay -- Essays Papers

Revolutionary Mexican Women The picture of pre-revolutionary Mexican women was of a woman who had to lived her life constantly in the male shadow. These women were consumed by family life, marriage, and the Catholic Church, and lived silently behind their dominant male counterparts (Soto 31-32). In 1884 (prior to the revolution) the government passed the Mexican Civil Code. It dramatically restricted women's rights at home and at work (Bush and Mumme 351). Soto states that the code "sustains an almost incredible inequality between the conditions of husband and wife, restricts in an exaggerated and arbitrary manner those rights due the woman, and†¦erases and nullifies her personality" (qtd. Bush and Mumme 351). The code was just one of the many inequalities women and other ethnic, economic, political, or religious minorities suffered under the regime of Porfirio Diaz (Bush and Mumme 351). When the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920 arose to fight against the discrimination that Diaz incorporated into his regime, women began to find a place for themselves. It gave them the chance to control their own fate and live more public lives successfully (Soto 31-32). Mexican women were essential to the revolution in a number of ways. They were involved in politics, were strong advocates for the causes they believed in, and participated in life on the battlefields. The female political figures were probably the most important and influential women in the Mexican Revolution. They were prominent political activists, thinkers, writers, figures, role models, and were fearless in their pursuit of their goals, often resulting in jail terms. Both upper and lower class women managed to get high in the ranks of politics despite the ... ...of the female spirit. They took on core positions that were not traditional and excelled in many predominantly male-dominated roles. Mexican women were revolutionary in the way they stretched the boundaries of gender roles and reversed many stereotypes. Sources: Arrizon, Alicia. "Soldaderas and the Staging of the Mexican Revolution." The Drama Review. 42.1 (1998). 90-113. Bush, Diane Mitsch and Stephen P. Muume. "Gender and the Mexican Revolution." Women and Revolution in Africa, Asia, and the New World. Columbia: University of South Carolina, 1994. 343-365. Macias, Anna. "Women and the Mexican Revolution 1910-1920." Americas (Acad. of Am. Franciscan Hist.) 1980. 37(1): 53-82. Soto, Shirlene. Emergence of Modern Mexican Woman: Her Participatrion in Revolution and Struggle for Equality, 1910-1940. Denver, CO: Ardern Press, Inc., 1990. 31-66.

The QWERTY Phenomenon and the Game of Cricket :: Typing Technology Key Board Essays

The QWERTY Phenomenon and the Game of Cricket In "Darwin's Dangerous Idea", Dennett describes the QWERTY phenomena in biological and cultural evolution as an example of how "mere historical happenstance... restrict[s] our options" (6:131). Economists add a value judgment to this description, some using QWERTY as an example of market failure and inefficiency. However, the evolution of QWERTY, like cricket, follows rules that are enigmatic at first glance. Economists do not pursue the analogy with evolution and, as a result, do not detect the fundamental change in the system of production that rewrote the rules of efficiency. A historical retracing disentangles the reasons for QWERTY's continued dominance of keyboard systems. The integration of parts in the system of production demanded compatibility: the efficiency of the whole above the efficiency of the individual. QWERTY: Rise to fame In the first row of letters on your keyboard, the first six keys spell out a nonsensical string, QWERTY, that gives this layout its name. In the nineteenth century, it was found that if two adjacent keys on a typewriter were struck too quickly in succession, the type bars would jam. The alphabetical arrangement of keys proved to be problematic as it placed many commonly-used letters close together. Spacing these letters apart resulted in the somewhat arbitrary re-arrangement we see today. Given that computers have gotten rid of this mechanical problem, why does QWERTY continue to dominate keyboards around the world? First, a quick history. In the second half of the nineteenth century, typewriters with a variety of key layouts competed for commercial success, and the first to achieve it used QWERTY. Diamond argues, however, that the role the keyboard played in the typewriter's success was incidental rather than instrumental, crediting instead other advantageous components that the machine boasted, such as type bars, an inked ribbon, and a cylindrical paper carriage (2). But as this typewriter became more widely used in offices, more new users chose to train to touch-type using the QWERTY layout. As people climbed on the bandwagon, QWERTY experienced decreasing costs of selection: it became more likely to be picked over other key layouts (1). The "wrong" answer? Early dominance meant not only that QWERTY became the standard, but that it stayed that way too. The layout became locked in by the quasi-irreversibility of investments in training touch-typists and in equipment, and by the high costs of conversion (1). In fact, numerous attempts to implement improvements to the layout have met with failure.

Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart - How Things Fall Apart :: Things Fall Apart essays

How Things Fall Apart      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There was a man who dreamed as a child of being well known and respected throughout his village and neighboring villages. This man, Okonko, worked hard at his goal, and he achieved it. Okonko, a man with great strength and personality, had achieved his goal to become rich and famous, a privilege that was unseen before in his family. Although Okonko reached his goal at an early age, his life began to Fall Apart when tragic episodes took place.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One can see that Okonko's life first began to fall apart when Ikemefuna, a captive who stayed at Okonko's home, was killed. Okonko had thought of Ikemefuna as one of his own sons. He was deeply saddened when he was killed. One can see the effects on Okonko from that event. First Okonko was unable to sleep for the following three days. He also kept on getting drunk, and that was a sign that he was depressed. This incident also had a long-term effect on Okonko. From then on his family would look at him as if it were his fault that Ikemefuna is dead. This episode can be seen as an event where Okonko looses some faith from his family. This corresponds to Okonko loosing faith in his father.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another important occurrence where one can see that Okonko's life falls apart was when he was thrown out of the clan for a few years. From this episode one can see that Okonko's hopes dreams have begun to fall apart. His hopes of being a rich and popular individual had drifted away with this upsetting incident. Okonko had no longer had his farm or animals. Also Okonko lost faith with most of his friends. This goes to show that Okonko lost faith with his friends, like his father lost faith with his.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another episode that showed the downfall in Okonko's life was when Nwoye, his oldest and favorite son, converted to the white mans religion, Christianity. To Okonko this was very upsetting because Nwoye was his eldest son, and Okonko had the greatest expectations for him. When news came to him that Nwoye was among the white men, one could have foreseen that only no good was coming to Okonko after that.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By glancing at Okonko's life, one could see that the title Things Fall

Comparative Advantages and Disadvantages

With China being a market of more than 1. 3 billion people, competition for this newly emerging market Is rich. The following brands are omitting In the Chinese market. 1. 3 National comparative advantage The theory of comparative advantage propagated by the classical economist David Richard proposes that a country attractiveness to foreign investment is determined by its inherent natural factors such as land, natural resources, labor, and the size of the local population.Michael Porter's Diamond of National Advantage extends the theory to propose that a nation can create new advanced factor endowments such as skilled labor, a strong technology and knowledge base, government support, and ultra. Kicker uses Porter's model here to determine the national comparative advantage. 1. 3. 1 Factor conditions China can offer quality products because of its comparatively cheap labor. China has become the location of choice for global manufacturing. This is usually attributed to its low wages.Ch inese factory workers today earn 50 cents to $2 an hour and often work long shifts, getting minimal time off for weekends and holidays. [Prosperity, 2005] Competitive Labor: China's workers are not Just inexpensive but literate, hard irking, already reasonably skilled and desperate to be trained. There is also a sizable and growing cadre of university-educated technologists and professionals. For example, China is now graduating 330,000 engineers and scientists annually, as compared with 398,622 for the United States [Prosperity, 2005].Abundant resources: Apart from competent and cheap human resources, China also boasts of huge natural resources. All the raw materials required for producing Kicker are easily available in China at very competitive prices. 1. 3. 2 Demand Conditions The demand for car audio is increasing rapidly in China, as already noted in a previous chapter. The demand has increased steadily, however, not from Kicker's current target market, which is the higher inco me earning group.The demand for Kicker products will stagnate if it does not lower its price to suit the needs of the upcoming middle class group. Growing market populations: China offers a huge market population of 1. 3 billion people. As seen earlier, the middle class car purchasing group, which is Kicker's new target group, is increasing phenomenally wing to national growth. 1. 3. 3 Related and Supporting Industries Kicker sources most of its raw materials from China, who are suppliers of global standard raw materials.Kicker can benefit from the existence of its support industries in China. 1. 3. 4 Firm Strategy, Structure, and Rivalry Kicker is not a single player in the market. This is good because the existence of competition ensures that there is sufficient motivation for product innovation. It also indicates that the demand for foreign car audio exists in the market and has the potential to expand. All the factors together indicate that the time is ripe for Kicker to begin i ts operations in China. . 3. 5 Government attitude towards FED / foreign firms The biggest advantage for China is its open policies on foreign direct investments. China is attracting multinational companies by improving relevant policies to attract multinationals to invest in China [China's Absorption of Foreign Investment, n. D. ]. The efforts are paying off well, as indicated earlier, the phenomenal increase of over 142% in foreign direct investment from 1999 to 2003.

CV: software professional Essay

To achieve excellence in working as a software professional offering solutions to business using the best available technology where my analytical abilities , programming quest are used to maximum for growth of the organisation and to grow with the organisation. Professional Qualification: Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Regional Engg. College, Durgapur, India(1992-96). Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications from MCA APEL,India (1996-97). Professional Summary: A Web applications developer with over 5 years experience in software development, primarily using Java related technologies. Have been involved in requirement gathering, system analysis, design and development phases of software development life cycle. Technical strengths include distributed application architecture design, object-oriented analysis and coding (Java), database design and coding, and general dynamic web programming(EJB, Servlets, JSP, XML) I am a good team player possessing Excellent Communication and Inter-personal skills, and a quick learner. Developed an Order Entry System for providing our customers an online application to search and order more 22,000 products offered. Multi-tier architecture was implemented for developing this enterprise level application to guarantee reliable and secure service. WebLogic was used as the application server and Oracle as our database. EJB2. 0 was the middle tier between the front end and the backend Oracle database. 4. Project Title : eOrgMan Environment : JAVA, JSP, Oracle, JavaScript, HTML Role : Coding, design and testing. Description : Java based web-enabled Organizational Management software to facilitate easy day-to-day maintenance of any organization of any size. Some of its features include Time-Management of employees, Leave Management, Salary Calculator, Query based employee information, Sales Tracking system etc. Any specialized function of an organization can be customized for tracking, supports for Product/Project Management, and Bug Tracking system for Software organizations. 5. Project Title : Business Transaction Maintenance and & Report Mailing System Environment : JAVA, JSP, Oracle Role : Design and coding. Description : The project keeps track of all the business transactions of PolyCab Cables such as Introduction letter, Enquiry, Quotation, Orders, Bills and Payments. Daily each representative reports the status of the proposed projects,pending quotations, orders and payments to the branch office and the branch office in turn sends this consolidated weekly report to head office through mail. Reports are generated to estimate the total sales of a cable representative wise, dealer wise, cable wise and about the payments receivable. 6. Project Title : Time Reporting and Tracking System Environment : JAVA, JSP, Oracle Role : Coding. Description : The Time Report and Tracking System Project is WEB-based to allow flexible reporting and data extraction .

Poland Spring’s Advertisement Campaign Failure Essay

Poland Spring’s recent advertisement puts its viewers in a serene natural environment; a nice sunny day overlooking a crystal clear spring on a green field. In the center of this field is a giant plastic bottle, one that is â€Å"environmentally friendly.† The bottle is praised and pointed out for using â€Å"less plastic,† â€Å"less paper,† and the very important â€Å"dye-free cap.† The bottle is called the â€Å"Eco-Shaped bottle† and is designed to have less impact on the earth. The entire scene is under the giant caption that tells of how Poland Spring is doing â€Å"less† to the environment. The company is selling water in a disposable plastic bottle yet the advertisement seems to be trying to convince people that by consuming their disposable product they are some how helping the environment; that because they drink Poland Spring water they are doing â€Å"less to the environment. This advertising strategy however is not uncommon. According to Julia B. Corbett â€Å" ‘green advertising’ has focused on ads that promote environmental sensitivity toward†¦ a corporate image of environmental sensitivity† (Corbett 148). The recent ad campaign may seen to be about Poland Spring’s new â€Å"Eco-Shaped† bottle, but it is really about diverting attention from the pollution the bottle generates to instead creating a pro-environmental view of the company and its product. The Eco-Shaped bottle by Poland Spring is marketed with a few selling points the company points out directly in their advertisement. The bottle uses â€Å"30% less plastic†, â€Å"less paper† and a â€Å"dye-free cap†. These improvements are  better for the environment then the original bottle used by Poland Spring. However the problem lies in the fact that the product is still harmful to the environment. Last time I checked less of a bad thing is still a bad thing. According a recent article by Hope Molinaro, the California Department of Conservation (CDOC) stated, â€Å"in California, more than a billion plastic water bottles wind up in the trash each year† and that total is only the amount of bottles in the state of California (Molinaro, 64). The total amount equates to 3 million empty water bottles per day disposed of in just one state (Molinaro, 64). That large amount of plastic has many detrimental effects to the environment. The materials used to make the bottles consist of a tremendous amount of resources and are difficult to dispose of if not recycled. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence to make the claim that a good portion of the plastic bottle waste generated in the United States is produced by the Poland Spring Company. Not only is the plastic filling our landfills, but there is evidence that the water bottle company is polluting its own town. According to a 2008 study of pollution demographics of Androscoggin County in Maine, where Poland Spring’s headquarters is located, the particulate matter is 62% higher there than the United States average (Unknown). It’s also 61% higher then the state of Maine’s average particulate matter found (Unknown). Particulate matter is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets. Particle pollution is made up of a number of components, including acids (such as nitrates and sulfates), organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles. Poland Spring’s advertisement does not show any of this particulate matter when depicting how green and lush the springs it gets its water from are. One aspect of the Poland Spring’s advertisement that I find different and contradictory to traditional green thinking is that in the ad the plastic Poland Spring water bottle, is shown in nature. Normally when a plastic water bottle is found laying in a field or any natural setting for that matter, it is viewed upon as pollution. In this ad the bottle is sitting in nature and is supposed to be appealing to the human eye. The bottle is shown in a way that it blends into the natural setting and tries to convince people that it almost belongs there, in the midst of nature; that the  unnatural belongs with the natural. It is easy to relate the bottle as being positive to the environment however as it blends in with the incredible sunrise in the background on a beautiful day with a clear sky. The bottle is featured sitting in a field where the growth of the field is doing outstanding and there is not one dead or even one imperfectly grown plant. The land is doing so well it is almost portrayed as being happy and at peace with a giant, unnatural, plastic water bottle sticking out of it. This scene does not just occur in the ad however as pollution is a huge issue when there is a â€Å"disposable† factor to the product. A second contradiction in the ad is that Poland Spring is a water bottle company whose ad features more lush, green field then the body of water in which their product comes from. The ad is trying to make the product fall into the American consumers mind as a green product hence the green field is more affective then a view of the lake or spring containing the water Poland Spring is selling. Poland Spring is really trying to hammer in the point that it’s product is green and eco-friendly, and the more green in the picture the more green the consumer sees. Contradiction number three this ad uses is the slogan that titles it. In the current green revolution sweeping across America the constant theme is doing more for the environment. Under Poland Springs fancy, flower-laden font reads the words â€Å"doing less†. This is a clear indication that Poland Spring is not being beneficial to the environment by saying they are â€Å"doing less† harm to the planet we live on. Over the serene sunset, over laying the clear blue sky, and lush green field, lies an admission of pollution and guilt by the company. Poland Spring’s methods however are not so uncommon in today’s advertising market. Many advertising campaigns are seen now featuring nature in one way or another and one of the more common ways to do this is through and advertisements backdrop. According to Julia B. Corbett, â€Å"Using nature merely as a backdrop whether in the form of wild animals, mountain vistas or sparkling rivers-is the most common use of the natural world in advertisements.† (Corbett 150) So when Poland Spring sets it’s water bottle in the green field, with little purple flowers swaying in the wind, the peaceful sunset over looking the bluest clear sky the world has to offer,  followed by beautiful green hills rolling off to the distance there is a purpose to it. The purpose according to Julia could be that the company is trying to promote a â€Å"corporate image of environmental responsibility.†(Corbett 148) This is very well one if not the main initiative of the advertisement and it is even so less of an advertisement as it is a rebuttal. Recently, as our country starts to become more â€Å"green† and environmentally aware, there has been some recent campaigns against the consumption of bottled water. One major campaign against bottled water has been â€Å"Think outside the bottle†. Even the mayor of Miami, Manny Diaz along with a dozen or so mayors, is calling on municipal governments to phase out bottled-water purchases in a resolution to be presented at the U.S. Mayors Conference (Barnes). Poland Spring is trying to distract the average consumer from believing the hype that the bottle are bad for the environment and tries to prove that they are doing something about it. Poland Spring’s advertisement is focusing on green aspects of its product and is trying to make the company appear to have a green initiative, however the Poland Spring’s target audience is not the hardcore environmentalist. Any person who puts some research into what they buy and cares about the environment is going to know that consumption of disposable plastic water bottles is not going to help the environment. The ad however does target the average consumer who does sort of care about the environment but does not research into what they consume. A consumer might see the recent anti-water bottle campaigns and generate a negative view of the disposable, plastic water bottles that Poland Spring sells. That is why Poland Spring’s ad was created in the first place, to turn the average consumer’s view of the water bottle and the Poland Spring Company from a negative one to a positive one. In times of environmental awareness that the United States is currently facing, many unenvironmentally friendly companies are finding it harder and harder to promote sales for their products. Poland Spring is no different in that respect but tries a different approach that is gaining in popularity, green advertising. Poland Spring uses nature to show a pristine and beautiful backdrop for their hazardous product. The ad is focusing on deterring the public’s view of Poland Spring from environmentally damaging  to environmentally caring. As shady and undermining the ad is to not only the people but the earth its self, the ad creates a pro-environmental image of a company that does not practice what is preaches. Works Cited Barnes, Tayler. â€Å"Anti Bottled Water Campaign Enlists Mayors to Cause.† Corporate Accountability International. Miami Herald. Web. 07 Nov. 2011. . Corbett, Julia B. †Faint†Green: Advertising and the Natural World.† Communicating Nature: How We Create and Understand Environmental Messages. Island, 2005. Web. Molinaro, Hope. â€Å"Plastic Water Bottles Go to Waste, Says Calif. Conservation Agency.† Plastics Engineering 59.7 (2003): 64-. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 7 Nov. 2011. Unknown. Poland Spring Pollution Indexes. Raw data. Androscoggin County. CLRSreach.com

Technology and HRM- A Better way of Managing your HR

Introductionâ€Å"Human† is the most essential and integral part of a society. The society comprises of all sorts of aspects related to life. These different aspects may include business, social work, entertainment, cultural traditions, family life and many more. These aspects are linked together in a connected system and they revolve around the main subject of all these aspects i.e. human.Business is the most important aspect of the system as the economy of the system is dependant on it. For businesses, human is the biggest asset of all and therefore it needs to be managed. Businesses at either private or public level have requirement of managing there human resources which comes under the vast field of Human Resource Management (HRM).The concept of HRM goes long way back in the 19th century. It has undergone various transitional phases since then and has improved. The birth of innovative technological methods and tools has given a spark to HRM by facilitating it and taking i t to an entirely different and better level then it was 100 years back.The implementation of the technology has improved the standards of businesses and its different sectors. It has enabled managers for better supervision of the employees, has raised performance and has inculcated elements of scrutiny, supervision, administration and better management all over.Hence, technology has become part and parcel of HRM. The maximum utilization and application of technology in HRM have yielded better results. As there is further advancement every now and then in technology, it can be assured that the future holds positive scope for HRM.This paper would highlight how HRM and technology are interlinked with each other. Apart from that it would show how technology has proved effective in various sectors specifically public sector and what upcoming there are in future.HRM As established before, humans are the greatest asset of an organization. These individuals contribute towards the accomplish ment of organizational goals and therefore they need to be planned, controlled, hired, fired, performance monitored and many other functions. All of these functions are performed for the achievement of organizational goals.The various functions that need to be covered under HRM include:Identification of staffing needs and methods i.e. whether to go for subcontracting or hiring of employees. This would give a layout as to what type and number of employees are required†¢ Recruitment, selection and training of the employees who undergo the screening process to be part of organization. The pool of skill is attracted, selected and polished to gain better performance.†¢ Compensation and benefits to employees in exchange of their services to organization†¢ Performance management which should highlight performance standards, ensure that these standards are met and if not then resolution of performance issues†¢ Ensuring that employees activities conform with organizationa l regulations and policies†¢ Maintaining employee records and policiesThese are the main activities that come under HRM department. In a nutshell, HRM department has to conduct job analysis which would further include Human Resource Planning as to what type and how many employees are required, then on this basis recruitment and selection would be conducted to get the best employees, these employees would be polished by training and would be compensated by salary and benefits, maintaining performance standards, ensuring that employees meet the various organizational regulations and health safety standards.Role of Technology in HRMThe summarized explanation of HRM and its purposes and functions reveal that there is lot of activities that needs to be performed by this department. The effective and efficient HRM has reached to complex stages. Question now arises is that how does technology helps in accomplishments of these purposes and performance of these functions?Technology has not only brought revolution but technology itself has revolutionized and improved then what it used to be at its initiation. Technology has proved an effective blessing in the managerial setup as it has come up with tools that have changed the working of employees, the roles undertaken by them and how they get their work done. Similarly, HRM is facilitated as the HR manager has found tons of utilization of technology for performance of HRM functions.Technology and HRM together combine to form processes and systems that are termed as HR Technology or Human Resource Management System. The combination deals as to merge HR activities and functions with technology tools in form of different data processing and software.The main software in this case is Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software which is standardized software. Through this software a database is established with integration of various kinds of information. This database has Human Resource Module which has given an edge t o HRM.HRM requires keeping of records of employees. This has been enabled by HRM system as it has provided with different databases and system through which all past record, activity of employee, his skills, performances and all other relevant information can be stored and accessed to easily.Technology has enabled high automation of the processes and data. This has been achieved by use of mainframe computers and client servers. All this technology is capital sensitive and requires high amount of investment but as the technology improved and there came client servers and Application Service Provider which have given businesses an ease.There are various applications of HRM systems in relevance to HRM functions. There is a payroll module which as an automated payroll system. It supervises the employee’s monthly record, his attendance, taxes, deductions and all other payroll activities. All this is automated and after all the rapid calculations the final amount of pay is deduced. Apart from that there is work time system which facilitates to establish standard work time, gather work time information of every employee and his efforts. There is also benefits administration module which checks the degree of employee performance has contribution and accordingly decides on compensation, insurances, allowances and other benefits.There is an HRM module which covers various activities and aspect of the human resource management cycle from its initial level of applying of an employee to his retirement. This module keeps records of applicants, capabilities and skills, then the selection, training and compensation management.Apart from that most famous application of technology for HRM is the online recruitment system. Through this organizations advertise their vacancies and requirements to attract potential candidates to apply. There is also a Learning Management Software which comes under the training module which is used to cater to the training of employees to see how they improve and develop more towards organizational goals (HR Management, 2010).The above are some of the main applications of technology in the field of HRM. There are many other applications as well which have helped organizations to standardize and improve their HRM departments. Businesses from all the different sectors have utilized the technological aids for their assistance and have yielded more effective and efficient results. Technology and HRM are therefore part and parcel and it is necessary for any organization to adopt innovative technological measures and methods to reap good fruit for its HRM as HRM is the main heart core function of the entire organization.HR Technology in different sectors HRM and Technology, or HR Technology is utilized in different sectors across the globe. Though it has different scope and dimensions which vary from country to country but nevertheless we see HR technology being used in one way or another in different components of these secto rs.The main two sectors classified are known as private and public sectors. In simple terms private sector includes business operated by an individual without the state interference and control for profit. In contrast public sector is controlled by the government state and includes services for the citizens. In both sectors we see that HR technology has its dynamics and applications. A special emphasis would be laid on public sector.Private Sector In private sectors there come many educational institutes, health centers, services industry, businesses and many others that are run for profit as well as the well being of the citizens. We see that in all these components of private sectors there is a need to supply of human resources and also important is that these human resources should be managed in form of proper training and other managerial activities. In all of these components, HR technology is witnessed.The first requirement for them is human resource. For this they advertise f or recruitment of the potential candidates through online recruitment methods. After this the CVs and resumes of the applicants are gathered online and scrutinized. HR technology helps feeding in the criteria for hiring online and then these CVs are arranged according to this criterion in chronological order. This facilitates selection stage. The mails are generated through this system automatically to the selected candidates. Then these candidates undergo training modules through different learning software which they apply. The record of their compensation and benefits is maintained in form of payroll modules. An entire HRM module is also there which covers all the activities from step 1 to last step.Public Sector As discussed earlier, public sector involves government i.e. it is services provided by the government. Public sector has varying components from nation to nation. Commonly, every state includes military, police, education, healthcare, society services, public education and public roads and transits.In all these components of the public sector there is a need of proper human resources to run these areas and these human resources need to be managed. HRM is seen in the form of government plans for proper execution and setup of HR plans. The most important of these components undoubtedly is health sector which requires highest expenditure on human resources.The human resource in health sector is in the form of administrative and managerial staff, doctors, specialists and lower medical staff. There is software available for health sector. This software performs various HR activities. The software provide various HR solutions in the form of user defined answers to the medical problems as well as it provides integration of the entire HRM system in form of HR solutions, Staff Scheduling, Payroll and covers the entire stages from hire to retire.There are many different examples that can be quoted here such as SAP Environment, Health and Safety Management. This ensures that the Environment, Health and Safety standards are followed properly by the HR and that they comply with it. There are other examples such as Quadrant HR which is also a tool with integrated HR solutions for health care.The use of this HR technology has improved the health sector and has eased the managerial problems. Through this, the chances of errors in staffing and payroll have decreased and also it has reduced operational expenditure for governments.There are other examples as well which show how HR technology has helped the Public Sector. There are public sector organizations on various levels such as provincial, national or international levels that require HRM systems. They require some regulatory standards and develop systems and processes through which these standards can be followed. Apart from that there is need of all the HR activities of managing records of employees, payroll, scheduling, benefit administration and all other related HR work.For this pur pose a company PeopleSoft has an HRMS for public sector. This HRMS has enabled the compliance with the regulatory standards and has also fulfilled all other requirements in form of Human Resources, Benefits Administration FSA System, Payroll, Payroll Interface applications and Human Resource Budgeting. Apart from that, their latest release includes a more advanced Web Client and an integrated Online Analytical Processing (The Free Library, 1997).These are few examples which show that how effective the use of technology can prove if the technology is used effectively. HRM and technology work together and together they create a positive impact that is not only flourishing the public sector but all other sectors where there is always application of HR technology.These facts show that the future holds prosperous prospects for HR technology in all the fields of a nation as there will always be a need of human resources and their effective management. The next section of the paper will sh ed some more light on the future prospects of HR technology.Future of HR TechnologyThe future of HR technology can without doubt be said is good because the conditions around the globe are changing rapidly. The companies must have flexible operating tools at hand to cope up with these changes.Technology offers the element of flexibility and change to the HRM in form of technologically capable adaptive tools and HRM systems. These systems not only offer effective results but also capability to take on these changes and challenges. But there is always a room of improvement which can be made in HR technology as well.Improvements can be brought in the form of implementation of better technology by the time. Whenever there is launch of a new technological package which can be helpful to the companies, they must explore it and try to implement it in a way that would facilitate the HR activities.There can be launch of further tools such as Talent Management tools, Strategic HR planning too ls, outsourcing components, better payroll systems, online recruitment system, HRM systems, HR modules and overall an entire HR package.The future of HR technology would have to come up with tools that entail the entire business strategy and accordingly formulate an HR strategy so that it is made sure that organizational goals and HR activities are aligned. This can be possible by developing HRM systems whose processes are not only measurable but they also take it to the entirely different and better level of sophistication.The future of HR technology focuses on bringing together business and believes in the formation of more integrated functionality. There are components like portals, business intelligence (BI) and talent. These components would solely not be very effective, but if they are integrated, their combined effect would yield good results. There must be specific attention towards talent management along with portals and business intelligence which would enhance the future scope of HR technology for the globe (Systematic HR, 2006).There are future projects on hand which incorporate the use of technology to enhance the HRM. The effective implementation of these projects would guarantee success of HR technology in future.Conclusion Human is the basic element of the universe and it is around him that the Earth revolves. Human is a part of society which is part of economy which further is part of the country. Business is the most important aspect of the system as the economy of the system is dependant on it. Hence human is the main resource through which businesses operate, societies flourish, economies prosper and countries improve.Therefore there is requirement of managing the human resources which comes under the vast field of Human Resource Management (HRM). The infusion of HRM with technology has improved the standards of businesses and its different sectors. It has enabled managers for better supervision of the employees, has raised performance and has inculcated elements of scrutiny, supervision, administration and better management all over.There are many HR activities which start from advertising online for recruitment, selection, training, compensation, benefits and many more. Technology has facilitated in the form of many different technological tools such as online recruitment, payroll module, training module, benefit administration, HRM system, HR module and many more.There are many other applications as well which have helped organizations to standardize and improve their HRM departments. Businesses from all the different sectors have utilized the technological aids for their assistance and have yielded more effective and efficient results. Technology and HRM are therefore part and parcel and it is necessary for any organization to adopt innovative technological measures and methods to reap good fruit for its HRM as HRM is the main heart core function of the entire organization. The application of these technological aids has not only facilitated HR activities but has also yielded effective and efficient results.HRM and Technology, or HR Technology is utilized in different sectors across the globe. The main two sectors are public and private. In components such as military, police, education, healthcare, society services, public education and public roads and transits there is wide range of technological application and aids that we witness for facilitation of HR activities.These facts show that the future holds prosperous prospects for HR technology in all the fields of a nation as there will always be a need of human resources and their effective management. The improved and new technological aids in future can even further widen the horizon of HR technology in the form of innovative tools such as talent management, business intelligence and many others.ReferencesHR Management. (July, 2010). Technology Aids the Human Touch.   Retrieved on July 22, 2010, from, http://www.hrmreport.com/article /Technology-aids-the-human-touch/Systematic HR. (June, 2006). The future of HR Technology. Retrieved on July 22, 2010, from, http://systematichr.com/?p=439The Free Library. (1997). PeopleSoft Delivers HRMS for Public Sector Release 7.   Retrieved on July 22, 2010, from, http://www.thefreelibrary.com/PeopleSoft+Delivers+HRMS+for+Public+Sector+Release+7-a020064725