Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Internet Bullying and the Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Internet Bullying and the Law - Research Paper Example Cyber bullying needs to be restricted by legal rules and regulations because these laws will deter cyber bullying, these laws are in compliance with ethical standards and cyber bullying needs to be stopped because it is hurting the future of the society. One of the main reasons due to which cyber bullying should be recognized as an illegal act is that it will lead to deterring individuals from indulging in such behaviors. Strict cyber cullying laws are required in order punish those who have already committed the act and even those who are planning to indulge in the act. Individuals are rational beings and they make decisions on the basis of costs and benefits associated with a particular act. If an individual feels that the cost of committing a crime is lower than the benefits that can be derived from indulging in that particular act, they are more likely to indulge in the act. If strict laws restricting cyber bullying are put into action, individuals will take these laws and punishments associated with an act before committing the act and are more likely not to indulge in the act (Vito, 2012, p.52). Anti cyber bullying laws should be in place because these laws are completely ethical and in compliance with ethical standards. According to the ethical standard of utilitarianism, those actions should be considered as legal that result in higher number of benefits and lower number of costs as compared to any other action that may be taken in the same scenario. Anti-bullying laws have more benefits to offer to society as compared to costs. Cyber bullying has resulted in several negative consequences for the entire society. For example: a number of suicides have been reported to take place as a result of cyber bullying. The suicide of Megan Meier a 14year old girl has been attributed to cyber bullying as it was figured out that she was publically harassed by others over

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Do Violent Films Cause Violence?

Do Violent Films Cause Violence? Media became a long run from history till present time. The motion picture from cartoons and real life human who acts out in plays and movies has developed a strong impact for the future. Before media made its money to develop better programs, technology and colors, media used black and white color so present their form of creativity in movies for people to enjoy. Those movies are often great examples to show people different life experience such as; social life, educational success, leaderships and other lessons that can be taught. Great lessons were able to be spread all around, and new stories were able to be told and perform. Nevertheless, when other companies see that different media is doing a better job, producing better theme, setting, and acting, they began to compete with one another. In order for the producer to keep high viewers, they start to change genres to capture more attentions. In addition, by doing this, most media and its society changed throughout many years, mo vies became more aggressive, convincing, sexually active, emotional, and very epic that caused most people to be violent. Most of these movies that are advertised in newspaper, channel commercials, side walks, and stores, will often persuade younger kids and teenagers to watch horror films, action movies, and unrealistic dramas that are visible in movies, due to their young age. However, most kids have not realized that at young ages, their minds are easily carried away from excitements, and fun advertisement. This changed most peoples personalities, characteristic in some of the ways other than the positives, such as negative; they happen to be more violent; they show more aggressions, and their body action changes. The different types of genre that inspire young kids and teenagers in many aspects that still exist in movies or novels are; Crime, Detective, Horror, Action, Epic/Myth, Fantasy, Gang-involve, Social Drama, and Thrillers. Most scenes show different kinds of violence, those are; domestic violence, abusive violence, and verbal attack that they use in novels or the movies. This is to show people that its an unhealthy relationship, and because now a day, most people are interested in life-drama theme, so they can relate their problems or issues to their partner. Since there are still domestic/relationship problems that involve in every-day issue, American media make most movies like how most problems are like. Hopefully it might show the person to stop being violent to their partner, because its very wrong, and hurtful, sometimes it might not inspire them to change for the better. Nevertheless, the domestic violence that has been going on, made the author decided to film A History of Vio lence, to support those who are getting hurt (McCarthy, Todd). Most television shows, shows the viewers who happen to be a kid, maybe an adult. Whether watching violent shows or playing video games, it has still given a higher chance to persuade younger kids to change in many perspectives. Their personality changes to becomes aggressive, which becomes very harmful to public, after most influences that people fall into. This also depends on the time span that a person would spend their time on watching, learning, or observing. In an article it mentioned, Exposure to violent electronic media has a larger effect than all but one other well known threat to public health. The only effect slightly larger than the effect of media violence on aggression is that of cigarette smoking on lung cancer, L. Rowel Huesmann, of the University of Michigan, and his colleague Brad Bushman said.. Media has a huge impact and inspiration to most peoples life. There is some type of people who likes to live in a fantasy. By doing this, it draws their attention to watch more their-like type of movies, or films. Then people would place their life in the story of the movie. It has changed many peoples lives, other than its attitude in life, but their views on society have changed as well. Before people started to be as aggressive and violent due to the medias influence, people were able to still communicate, get together, great influence to one another. Now its a lot different, people have strong opinion, their ways of thinking has advance, and their body motion are more complex in society. Everything that use to be once romantic, or lesson-learned, and even compromising, has turned into fights, negative influences, and discriminations, etc. There are still people who watches plays like Romeo and Juliet, but since everything in society is advance, most people expects a better theme running in the movie, therefore they have movies that will show a bit of pornography, or movies that are consider bad ass that were advertise coming soon in 3-D, in the movies theater (Markovitz, Adam). Young teens, should look more into the media fields, and realize that even producing new movies, songs, pictures, etc. there are people who has negative personality, and some that are really nice. Certain companies can be discriminate, and make movies based on making fun of another race, and when young kids watch it, they get influenced. The medias job is to entertain the people, and to entertain them in all sorts of way, and one way is to be funny. But kids did not notice that they got most of the jokes from internet, friends, films, plays, TV shows, etc. It is very true that not only creating movie films, or writing novels that can have an epic story line, influencing people to become more aggressive and violent, but violence in a verbally way. This is because watching movies that are just as scary, just as disgusting, horror, etc can also harm a persons health in many ways. Since most parents try to keep their children protected from other harms, or what their becoming will be in the future, they try not to let them watch too much epic shows. The news once mentioned that, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ children from attending violent films. Nor does it apply to gory movies already out, such as Gremlins and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. But it will alert parents to the content of such films in the future, (Movie violence gets new label) Perhaps, this is the parents way of raising the kids to not get involve with too much of these genre that may affect their life. Yet, as much as violence are mentioned, most media tries to express their art to public, but forming types of theme into the movie performance. In other words, media tries to show audience that being violence isnt the answer, but for kids, they look at another way. Most think its cool to be involved with gang, after watching specific type of movie. Perhaps as a younger kid, they might not feel that its giving them a negative or positive impact in life, but in a way its showing them new things that they never explored or has seen before, which lures them to try. To be surprise, kids see a scene in some movies, where for examples, underage are prohibit to go into legal age bars, so they use nasty body motions, pushing and shoving, thinking its a way to get through them. In the text it mentioned, Some people think the best way to get people into theaters is to show violence. Sometimes different gangs come to theaters because they want to see movies on the first night, and two gangs get together and fight, (Whats behind the black-on-black violence at movie theaters) However, media is only trying to do its part by producing different type of genre/themes that fits most audience to watch, since now a days, most movies arent has interesting as it once use to be. Verbal violence includes profanities that are often being used in films, and every day languages in the streets, when people fight, when they talk, or even for fun. When people watch films, modern times often use a lot of swear words, in scenes where two people are arguing, and get into fights, every sentences are shout out with swear words. When kids and teenager hear it, they think its a term people should use to express their emotions and style of getting nasty with one another. Its not just in the kids, but most grown up adults uses profanities in their language. Most TV shows, like the Maury Show, tries to censor negative words for people to watch at home. But the ones that are actually watching the show live can hear it. Most producers try to eliminate as much negative influence as possible, hoping that it will change the violence within the nation today. The exaggerated mugging and pantomime required for communication between characters on screen impart a histrionic falsity to the most passionate declaration and turn tragedy into melodrama, (Arts in the 1970s: Overview) Lack of communication is one way people cannot get along, then they find ways to hurt each other, whether its body language, getting physical, or verbal violence, but it is definitely a problem that most people experience, even today. In some problems, Directors argues to censorship. Its very understandable when some producer wants to display the negative language out in the films to show what kind of tragedy that is going on at this time. But most people believe that it will only be harmful to the kids, and what that is coming ahead for kids to get influence. In fact, kids rather have swear words indicate in magazines, movies, and even novel. To them, its a sign of entertainments, or genuine moviemaking situations. As public views the censors, they get bored, or mad, because words are being blocked, and it cuts out some other words that are being used in the sentence, and it annoys the audiences. But television shows like Maury Show has different task each day, and some are beneficial for kids, and adults, so if they have negative language spoken in public, then the show becomes very unhealthy for people to watch on the television. Other television shows like Jerry Springer also censor swear words, but there isnt a beneficial lesson that are being taught in the show. One of the reason people calls themselves and the person who is involved in the situation, they go to the show to argue, and then they fight. Has people forgotten that violence does not even solve anything, it only proves to their enemies that oh I beat you, I am the more dominate, or strongest one, Even though movies separate the level rating for specific age to watch, kids are still able to sneak in theater to watch what is not suitable for them, thats how strong media advertise things. It shows a strong persuasive desire to watch their films. Before movies starts, if there are any warning that needs to be given out to public, it would say on film, The pictures distributor include a warning in advertising that this film may be too intense for younger children. (Bronson, Gail, and Ste Hawkins) Yet, most people ignore it, because they do not bother to read it, theyre too excited to watch whats going to be played in the film. If that is the case, where separating ages so that they have their specific level of movies to watch does not help, then it also proves that most people does not respect the safety that is going on. Movies such as the Hang Over, have gotten many kids to gossip about this movie. All parents want their child to be a great student in school, get good education in school, and to come out to be successful. No parents would want their child getting hang over after parties and parties, or might encounter different type of influence that they do not want their child to be hanging around. When drinking, it changes the persons attitude, they will become very aggression, or more emotional about things. In fact it makes the person very convincing and vulnerable. Just like how most kids from middle school, high school, and the adulthood who has seen the movie Hang Over, should have an idea what it is like. Also if most parents has not notice, but the more demand that they have more a child, the m ore it persuades or motivates them to try to do something the parents does not approve, such as drinking, partying, and even gang involvements. In an article it stated that, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦are reporting that parents who steer their kids away from R-rated films usually prevail against peer pressure on kids to drink alcohol. (Study: Parental Guidance on Movies Curbs Drinking) Even so, if most parents that are against it, it still gives the kids an idea to still try. But the kids mind isnt as complex as an adult, so they would not often think about the consequence that they will go through when they get in trouble with drinking. It boost their ability to be much different for a short time span, when a person gets aggressive they rage out of control. Physical fighting are involve with drinking too, some people feel that they get stronger, and unstoppable after they drink, and no one can possible stop them, some just go around looking for trouble to complete their anger or stress. This i s very unhealthy, and they do not need this in their body. Instead of fueling up at bars and then roaming around looking for trouble, potential criminals pass the prime hours for mayhem eating popcorn and watching celluloid villains slay in their stead. (Economists say movie violence might temper the real thing) One of the major issues that are happening in society is that women are being abuse in relationship; it does not necessary means that they are being physically hurt by men, or women, but they are hurt mentally. Violence can be caused in such ways if the men pressure the women to have sex with them, or else they would leave. Most of this problem can be found in movies, to provide people ideas what it is like. But for most of the people, they think its funny, they think its entertaining. Yet, most movie turns on the people into doing it, when movies shows scenes where theres a lot of things going on, it creates a hormones to teenagers and adults into the mood. Media wants the audience to feel like they are being placed in the movie, to know what its like, but when teenagers are watching it, some can be very irresponsible. As for most people, disrespect men would keep their girls around to satisfy them. They would say things that sound convincing and meaningful, to pressure girls to hav e sex with them. When the girl does not, relationship can turn into violent, continuous argument and very abusive. In a magazine it stated, girls often say, its a ridiculous argument to be having because youre never going to solve it. (But seriously) Yet the women insist to stay with the man. Many young children fantasize their life to the story line of the movie, either they wish they could be in their shoe, or they do not want to face reality. Movies portray a strong role for young kid, as their minds are not as settled as older adult. Some kids encounter scenes in the movies where a kid can be the hero if they see a bully, bullying a kid. So when they see that happens in real life, things are often tougher and different from films, but there are kids that try to defend for others, and get into dangerous fight. Unequivocal evidence from a wide variety of studies shows that in the short term exposing children to violence in movies, TV, video games and music increases physical and verbal aggression, and aggressive thoughts and emotions, (Bad influence.[Upfront: news in perspective]) Other times when kids get tempted to do harmful things to females, and much unexpected actions from kids. Perhaps those are times when kids can be the time where they are growing up, and its natural to feel new things, and explore different experience. But some movies consist of scenes where a person can be violently raping a little girl. There can be some psychotic people out there who can be encourage to do that, or be tempted after watching certain films. R-rated movies portray violence and other behaviors deemed inappropriate for children under 17 year of age. (R-rated movies increase likelihood of underage children trying alcohol) Even though these are inappropriate for children underage, these find ways to be difference whether its being violence, fitting in with other groups, and trying to be cool. Watching too much television show can not only turn aggression into violence, but it will affect their education in many ways. There are kids out there, who want to catch up to their episodes, so they sit and watch after every episodes. After watching too much episodes, any sorts of negative or positive impact draws drills into their mind. When they go to school, most that they think about is the television serious they watched all night. When parents want the child to go to sleep, eat, shower, or even do their homework, they refuse to. They will find ways to rebel from their parents into letting them do whatever they want to do. Sometimes if parents gets aggressive, they would either pull the plug from the outlet, take their privileges away from them, the kids would get mad and physical. When they want it bad, they would throw things, break things, and use verbal violence to yell at parents. Perhaps now days, people are more interested in romance series, that also shows more violenc e and sex involved, that keeps them up watching. When you look at the average, todays PG-13 movies are approaching what the R movies looked like in 1992. Todays PG is approaching what PG-13 looked like a decade ago, (Kimberly Thompson). Throughout the media history, motion picture from cartoons and real life human who acts out in plays and movies has developed a strong impact for the future. As modern time uses their form of creativity in movies to show kids what things can possibly be going on in life, it also gives them a bad impact. Nevertheless most movies are suppose to show people different life experience such as; social life, educational success, leaderships and other lessons that can be taught but media and its society changed throughout many years, movies became more aggressive, convincing, sexually active, emotional, and very epic that caused most people to be violent. The advertised in newspaper, channel commercials, side walks, and stores, will often persuade younger kids and teenagers to watch horror films, action movies, and unrealistic dramas that are visible in movies, due to their minor age. However, most kids have not realized that at young ages, their minds are easily carried away from excitement s, and fun advertisement. This changed most peoples personalities, characteristic in some of the ways other than the positives, such as negative; they happen to be more violent; they show more aggressions, and their body action changes.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Marxs Theory of Money and the Theory of Value Essay -- Karl Marx Mone

Marx's Theory of Money and the Theory of Value The most important point to emerge from Marx's theory of money is the idea that money is a form of value. The difficulty with this idea is that we are more familiar with money itself than with value in other forms. But value does appear in forms other than money. For example, the balance sheet of a capitalist firm estimates the value of goods in process and of fixed capital which has not yet been depreciated, as well as the value of inventories of finished commodities awaiting sale. Each of these aggregations of commodities has a value, usually expressed as the equivalent of a certain amount of money, but it is clear that neither goods in process nor fixed capital is money. Marx views the value of commodities in this sense as analytically prior to money; money can be explained according to Marx only on the basis of an understanding of the value of commodities. Marx follows Smith in regarding value as the property of exchangeability of commodities. In a society where exchange is common, products come to have a dual character as use values and as values. They have two powers: first, to satisfy particular human needs and wants; and second, to exchange for other products. This second power can be thought of quantitatively, as an amount of exchangeability or command over other commodities. The classical economists viewed value as a real, though socially determined, entity, with its own laws of conservation and motion. Value in this sense bears the same relation to commodities as mass bears to physical objects. It is not surprising that in societies where exchange is widespread value takes on an independent form as money, as an expression of general exchangeability. Value is a central social reality for people; they constantly think and talk about it directly or indirectly; they want some way to transfer it directly among themselves, separate from particular commodities. This is, I think, what we mean by "money." It is the social expression of value separated from the concrete particularity of any use value. With this emergence of money as the social expression of value, money stands, in opposition to commodities, as the abstract always stands in opposition to the particular. We will see value in two forms: as particular commodities, and as money. It is crucial to recognize that this development is latent... ...ever, for the theory that currency is nothing more than the representative of a certain quantity of gold. There were always some limits within which the "dollar" or the "pound" could fluctuate in value relative to gold. What laws governed these movements? The general equivalent theory in the form Marx presents it does not explicitly answer this question. A second group of questions which troubled early- nineteenth- century monetary theorists concerns the laws which govern the depreciation, usually in times of war. of inconvertible paper money issued by the state. Examples of this phenomenon Include the depreciations of the greenback dollar in the United States during the Civil War, and of the paper pound issued by the British during the Napoleonic wars. Ricardo and later quantity theorists used this phenomenon of depreciation as a strong argument for their thesis that the value of money depends on its quantity. For these writers the depreciation of paper money was just a particular example of the tendency for any form of money to depreciate when its quantity becomes larger relative to the needs of circulation. Marx's discussion of this question is very clear and convincing.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Assessment of Developmental Stages of a Child

The significance of milestones Milestones are usually grouped together in five major areas which are to be assessed during the growth and development of a child. They are: physical growth, cognitive development, language development, and sensory and motor development. The assessment of the physical development of a child is very important during the growth and development of a child from infancy to adolescence and also the later years, it helps in that it allows the parents of the child as well as health care workers to see if there are any abnormalities in the child during this period of time.The assessment of the cognitive development of the child is also very important in order to detect if the child has any difficulties in learning, grasping and understanding concepts such as dyslexia. Social and emotional development should also be assessed in order to see how well the child can interact with peers and other persons in order to determine if the child has or will have a phobia in the later years of his or her development.The study was conducted in the presence of a nine year old child where in all the following areas of development were observed physical development, cognitive development, and social and emotional development. The reason why this specific age was selected was because it would have provided more opportunity for the researcher to observe and assess the different areas of development vastly and on a wider scale. Letters were sent to the parents of the child explaining the reason of the research and the different areas that were being observed.The researcher presented herself in a modest way so that the child would feel a sense of comfort while under observation. The study was conducted over a four day period where the following findings were observed. Day One On day one the area of focus was physical development. The writer started out by assessing Amanda (not her real name) who is nine years old, she weighs ninety pounds and measures 4feet 9i nches. Being that she is nine years old, she has passed the some of her milestones which includes sitting up and rolling over.The researcher also asked the parents of the child other questions such as; at what age did she start creeping? At what age did she start creeping? At what age she began sitting up on her own? Among a host of other questions pertaining to her growth and development physically. This was to find out if the child had any physical disabilities during her earlier stages of growing and developing. The writer further went on to investigate how much the child could follow instructions. As a result the child was then asked to get dressed both formally and informally.The instructions were followed accordingly. She was able to dress herself properly; this allowed the researcher to see how well the child can follow instructions when given. She is able to understand, analyze and follow the directions when given. After looking at how the child followed instructions in rega rds to getting dressed, the researcher went on to observe how the child manipulated objects. This was done by placing the child in an area where different types of objects were present. She was able to differentiate between shapes and the objects that were present.Jigsaw puzzles were solved, shapes were recognized and the child was able to identify other objects in and around the play area. This indicated that the child while at play displayed great sensory motor skills and can use them effectively; she also seems to be well alert and has a great sense of humor she also seems to deal with different types of situations how they ought to be dealt with. Day Two On day two the researcher’s main area of focus was on cognitive development, this area of focus is mainly linked to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development focuses on four stages. They are: sensory motor, pre operations, concrete operations and formal operations . Piaget observed that cognitive development refers to changes that occur in an individual’s cognitive structure, ability to process from childhood to adulthood. Piaget went on to state that at this stage (concrete operations 7-11), the child should be able to; conceptualize effectively, solve problems easily and create logics based on his or her cognitive experiences.The child observed was able to have discussions on a more logical basis and gave positive responses. The child was able to sit with the researcher and have discussions about her life as a little girl. She was asked different questions such as; what she would like to become in the future? How big would she like her house to be? What type of car would she like to own? Among others, she gave positive responses and seems to be well prepared for her future.She gave response such as; â€Å"I would like to become a doctor and have my own business running different from my career such as a super market or a toy store f or little kids, I would also like to own a three story house with two Toyota motor vehicles and my house is going to be surrounded by some big pit bull dogs and will be under twenty four hour security protection†. The researcher noted how effective the child was able to use the English language. She speaks the English Language fluently for a child her age.Many factors though is said to have contributed to this as the mother recalls that during her pregnancy, she read a lot. The child is provided with the proper printed resources and education friendly. The child is also provided with games that will enhance her memory she has both printed and electronically inclined games to enhance her memory. This type of environment enables her to gain the knowledge and necessary skills required to be able to: 1) reason effectively, 2) solve problems effectively, 3)explore the environment. 4) have a good memory.The child was always corrected whenever she makes a mistake. Hence, the child ha s a full advantage of how to speak English language as to Creole which is dominant in her community. In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development the child has passed the first two stages which are sensory motor (stage one) and pre operations (stage two). The child is presently at the concrete operations which she is almost completed all the activities that are to be done at this stage effectively. Day Three and Four The area of focus on days three and four were social and emotional development.Social and emotional development is a very important aspect of development in a child’s life. It is normally harder to pinpoint than other signs of development such as physical development. This area emphasizes many skills that increase self-awareness and self-regulation The researcher observed the child while she was interacting with some of her friends that came over to her house, since this was the most convenient to the researcher as well as to the child. Based on the observa tions the child seems to have communicated well and had no difficulty responding and interacting with her peers.At play the child seemed to be enthused and played well with her friends. She seemed to be the leader of everything they did in their peer group and was always quick to correct her friends whenever any of them made any mistakes. This is a clear indication that Amanda has no difficulties when interacting with her peers, and also seem to have pleasure during interaction with others. During meal time, the researcher had the opportunity to sit with the family for a few minutes to observe Amanda at meal time.She seems to have good etiquettes and knows how to conduct herself when she is around the table and was correcting her smaller sister when she did not conform to the table rules. She was also sharing with her parents what her teacher taught her at school about do’s and don’ts while sitting around the table at meal time. She was able to maneuver the knife and f ork properly and she was enthused in sharing some of the family traditions and norms that were passed down to her by her family with the researcher she also gave her view point on them when asked.She seems to have good communicating skills and enjoys interaction with her peers, family and also with others. When interacting with her friend she explained to them that she does not like to be shouted at also whenever her mother talks to her in a rough manner he goes to sit by herself and appears to be sad. Whenever her father comes in from work she normally runs to him and gives him a big hug. This shows that the child is emotionally attached to her parents.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Multinational Corporation (Mnc) or Multinational Enterprise (Mne)

A  multinational corporation  (MNC) or  multinational enterprise  (MNE)[1]  is a  corporation  enterprise that manages  production  or deliversservices  in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an  international corporation. The  International Labour Organization  (ILO) has defined[citation needed]  an MNC as a corporation that has its management headquarters in one country, known as the  home country, and operates in several other countries, known as  host countries. Some multinational corporations are very big, with budgets that exceed some nations'  gross domestic products  (GDPs). Multinational corporations can have a powerful influence in local economies, and even the  world economy, and play an important role in  international relations  and  globalization. Apple Inc. formerly  Apple Computer, Inc. is an American  multinational corporation  that designs and sells  consumer electronics,  computer software, and  personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products are the  Macintosh  line of computers, the  iPod, the  iPhone  and the  iPad. Its software includes the  Mac OS X  operating system; the  iTunes  media browser; the  iLife  suite of multimedia and creativity software; the iWork  suite of productivity software;  Aperture, a professional photography package;  Final Cut Studio, a suite of professional audio and film-industry software products;  Logic Studio, a suite of music production tools; the  Safari  web browser; and  iOS, a mobile operating system. As of July 2011, Apple has 357  retail stores  in ten countries, and an  online store. It has been the  largest publicly traded company in the world by market capitalization,[7][8]  swapping spots with  ExxonMobil, and the largest technology company in the world by revenue and profit. [9]  As of September 24, 2011, the company had 60,400 permanent full-time employees and 2,900 temporary full-time employees worldwide; its worldwide annual sales totalled $65. 23 billion, growing to $108. 249 billion in 2011. Fortune  magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008, and in the world from 2008 to 2011. 10][11][12][13]  However, the company has received  widespread criticism  for its contractors' labor, and for its environmental and business practices. [14][15] Established on April 1, 1976 in  Cupertino, California, and incorporated January 3, 1977,[16]  the company was named Apple Computer, Inc. for its first 30 years. The word â€Å"Computer† was removed from its name on January 9, 2007,[17]  as its traditional focus on personal computers shifted towards  consumer electronics. [18] 1976–1980: The early years Apple was established on April 1, 1976 by  Steve Jobs,  Steve Wozniak, and  Ronald Wayne,[1]  to sell the  Apple I  personal computer kit. They were hand-built by Wozniak[19][20]  and first shown to the public at the  Homebrew Computer Club. [21]  The Apple I was sold as a  motherboard  (with  CPU,RAM, and basic textual-video chips)—less than what is today considered a complete personal computer. [22]  The Apple I went on sale in July 1976 and was market-priced at $666. 66 Apple was incorporated January 3, 1977[16]  without Wayne, who sold his share of the company back to Jobs and Wozniak for $800. Multi-millionaire  Mike Markkula  provided essential business expertise and funding of $250,000 during the incorporation of Apple. [ By the end of the 1970s, Apple had a staff of computer designers and a production line. The company introduced the ill-fated  Apple III  in May 1980 in an attempt to compete with  IBM  and  Microsoft  in the business and corporate computing market. [35] Jobs and several Apple employees including  Jef Raskin  visited  Xerox PARC  in December 1979 to see the  Xerox Alto. Xerox granted Apple engineers three days of access to the PARC facilities in return for the option to buy 100,000 shares (800,000 split-adjusted shares) of Apple at the pre-IPO price of $10 a share. [36]  Jobs was immediately convinced that all future computers would use a graphical user interface (GUI), and development of a GUI began for the  Apple Lisa. [37] When Apple went public, it generated more capital than any IPO since  Ford Motor Company  in 1956 and instantly created more millionaires (about 300) than any company in history. In 1984, Apple next launched the Macintosh. Its debut was announced by the now famous $1. 5 milliontelevision commercial â€Å"1984†. It was directed by  Ridley Scott, aired during the third quarter of  Super Bowl XVIIIon January 22, 1984,[39]  and is now considered a watershed event for Apple's success[40]  and a â€Å"masterpiece†. [41][42] In 1985 a power struggle developed between Jobs and CEO  John Sculley, who had been hired two years earlier. [45]  The Apple board of directors instructed Sculley to â€Å"contain† Jobs and limit his ability to launch expensive forays into untested products. Jobs resigned from Apple and founded  NeXT Inc. the same year. [46] 1986–1993: Rise and fall Having learned several painful lessons after introducing the bulky  Macintosh Portable  in 1989, Apple introduced the  PowerBook  in 1991. The Macintosh Portable was designed to be just as powerful as a desktop Macintosh, but weighed 7. 5 kilograms (17  lb) with a 12-hour battery life. The same year, Apple introduced  System 7, a major upgrade to the operating system, which added color to the interface and introduced new networking capabilities. It remained the architectural basis for  Mac OS  until 2001. During this time Apple experimented with a number of other failed consumer targeted products including  digital cameras,  portable CD audio players,  speakers,  video consoles, and  TV appliances. Enormous resources were also invested in the problem-plagued  Newton divisionbased on John Sculley's unrealistic market forecasts. [citation needed]  Ultimately, all of this proved too-little-too-late for Apple as their market share and stock prices continued to slide. [citation needed] 1994–1997: Attempts at reinvention In 1996, Michael Spindler was replaced by  Gil Amelio  as CEO. Gil Amelio made many changes at Apple, including extensive layoffs. [54]  After multiple failed attempts to improve Mac OS, first with the  Taligent  project, then later with  Copland  and  Gershwin, Amelio chose to purchase  NeXT  and its  NeXTSTEP  operating system, bringing Steve Jobs back to Apple as an advisor. [55]  On July 9, 1997, Gil Amelio was ousted by the board of directors after overseeing a three-year record-low stock price and crippling financial losses. Jobs became the interim CEO and began restructuring the company's product line. 1998–2005: Return to profitability On August 15, 1998, Apple introduced a new all-in-one computer reminiscent of the  Macintosh 128K: the  iMac. The iMac design team was led by  Jonathan Ive, who would later design the  iPod  and the  iPhone. [59][60]  The iMac featured modern technology and a unique design, and sold almost 800,000 units in its first five months. [61] On May 19, 2001, Apple opened the first official  Apple Retail Stores  in Virginia and California. 69]Later on July 9 they bought Spruce Technologies, a  DVD authoring  company. On October 23 of the same year, Apple announced the  iPod  portable  digital audio player, and started selling it on November 10. The product was phenomenally successful  Ã¢â‚¬â€ over 100 million units were sold within six years. [70][71 2007–2011: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad Delivering his keynote speech at the  Macworl d Expo  on January 9, 2007, Jobs announced that Apple Computer, Inc. would from that point on be known as Apple Inc. because computers were no longer the main focus of the company, which had shifted its emphasis to mobile electronic devices. The event also saw the announcement of the  iPhone  and the  Apple TV. [83]  The following day, Apple shares hit $97. 80, an all-time high at that point. In May, Apple's share price passed the $100 mark. [84] In October 2010, Apple shares hit an all-time high, eclipsing $300. [98]  Additionally, on October 20, Apple updated their  MacBook Air  laptop,iLife  suite of applications, and unveiled  Mac OS X Lion, the latest installment in  their Mac OS X operating system. 99]  On January 6, 2011, the company opened their  Mac App Store, a digital software distribution platform, similar to the existing iOS App Store. [100]  Apple was featured in the documentary  Something Ventured  which premiered in 2011. 2011–p resent: Post–Steve Jobs era On January 17, 2011, Jobs announced in an internal Apple memo that he would take another medical leave of absence, for an indefinite period, to allow him to focus on his health. Chief operating officer  Tim Cook  took up Jobs' day-to-day operations at Apple, although Jobs would still remain â€Å"involved in major strategic decisions for the company. [101]  Apple became the most valuable consumer-facing brand in the world. [102] On October 4, 2011, Apple announced the  iPhone 4S, which includes an improved camera with 1080p video recording, a dual core A5 chip capable of 7 times faster graphics than the A4, an â€Å"intelligent software assistant† named  Siri, and cloud-sourced data with  iCloud. [110][111]One day later, on October 5, 2011, Apple announced that Jobs had died, marking the end of an era for Apple Inc. [ —————————————— ——- Culture Corporate Apple was one of several highly successful companies founded in the 1970s that bucked the traditional notions of what a  corporate cultureshould look like in organizational hierarchy (flat versus tall, casual versus formal attire, etc. ). Other highly successful firms with similar cultural aspects from the same period include  Southwest Airlines  and  Microsoft. Originally, the company stood in opposition to staid competitors like  IBM  by default, thanks to the influence of its founders; Steve Jobs often walked around the office barefoot even after Apple was a  Fortune 500  company. By the time of the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"1984† TV ad, this trait had become a key way the company attempted to differentiate itself from its competitors. [142] Users Apple's brand's loyalty is considered unusual for any product. At one time,  Apple evangelists  were actively engaged by the company, but this was after the phenomenon was already firmly established. Apple evangelist  Guy Kawasaki  has called the brand fanaticism â€Å"something that was stumbled upon†. [154]  Apple has, however, supported the continuing existence of a network of  Mac User Groups  in most major and many minor centers of population where Mac computers are available. Mac users would meet at the European  Apple Expo  and the San Francisco  Macworld Conference & Expo  trade shows where Apple traditionally introduced new products each year to the industry and public until Apple pulled out of both events. While the conferences continue, Apple does not have official representation there. Mac developers, in turn, continue to gather at the annual AppleWorldwide Developers Conference. ————————————————- Corporate affairs During the Mac's early history Apple generally refused to adopt prevailing industry standards for hardware, instead creating their own. [161]This trend was largely reversed in the late 1990s beginning with Apple's adoption of the  PCI  bus in the  7500/8500/9500  Power Macs. Apple has since adopted  USB,  AGP,  HyperTransport,  Wi-Fi, and other industry standards in its computers and was in some cases a leader in the adoption of standards such as USB. [162]  FireWire  is an Apple-originated standard that has seen widespread industry adoption after it was standardized as  IEEE 1394. [163] Headquarters Apple Inc. s world corporate headquarters are located in the middle of  Silicon Valley, at 1-6  Infinite Loop,  Cupertino, California. This Apple campus has six buildings that total 850,000 square feet (79,000 m2) and was built in 1993 by Sobrato Development Cos. [167] ———————————â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Finance In its fiscal year ending in September 2011, Apple Inc. hit new heights financially with $108 billion in revenues increased significantly from $65 billion in 2010 and nearly $82 billion available in cash reserve, but the market share decreased to 15 percent from 16. 6 percent. [219]

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Light and its Affect on Sleep essays

Light and its Affect on Sleep essays A good nights sleep is desired by nearly everyone. It has been learned by researchers that healthier sleep habits can promote work efficiency, better mood, and improved memory. Certain factors and circumstances need to be present or absent in order for one to obtain a good nights sleep. One important factor is light. Light has been known to affect people in both psychological and physical ways. Doctors recommend it in the morning, and say that individuals need to have daily exposure to bright and natural sunlight for at least 30 minutes. The exposure to light stimulates the brain and prepares an individual for the day ahead. However, lights are disruptive at night, and do not allow the brain to properly go into a full state of sleep. Psychology Professor Ralph Mistlberger has been studying the effects of light on sleep, and believes that light influences the neural activity, but that there are times of the day when people can't be exposed to light, night time being one of them (Simon Fraser News, May 18, 2000, Vol. 18, No. 2). Researchers also say sudden exposure to light can upset a sleeping individual's 'body clock,' even if sleep continues uninterrupted (Science, (1998; 279:1358-1360). This leaves one feeling tired in the morning, and unable to carry out the days objectives in a successful manner. In a study of circadian maladaption by Todd S. Horowitz, Brian E. Cade, Jeremy M. Wolfe, and Charles A. Czeisler, keeping out as much light as possible while sleeping was found to contribute to the achievement of a healthy sleep and work schedule. This will ultimately lead to better performance at work during the day. We will conduct an experiment in an attempt to prove our hypothesis that any type of light, either continuous or flashing, during sleep is detrimental and will produce a negative effect later in the day. ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

How a style guide can transform your organisations documents

How a style guide can transform your organisations documents Why you need a style guide Whats one thing you can do to transform everything you write at work? In fact, not just what you write: what your colleagues write too – even everyone in your entire organisation. Better still, as well as improving the emails, reports, letters, proposals and other documents you all produce, it can overhaul everyones experience of writing. So what is this magical act? Well, its taking the time to think about style. (And no, I dont mean what to wear on casual Friday.) Specifically, working with a style guide. Defining style And what is a style guide? In short, its the go-to reference for writing within a particular industry, organisation or publication. It outlines how to write the key documents in whatever arena it covers, touching on tone of voice, key terms, formatting and (sometimes) design. Style guides are particularly great at coming to the rescue on any questions that dont have an easy black-and-white, right-or-wrong answer. This would include things like whether to put one or two spaces after a full stop, how to punctuate bullet points, using US or UK spelling and how to style your company name in running text. (And hasnt every workplace or department temporarily ground to a halt at some point, as factions gathered to fight over such a matter?) When a question can be answered only in shades of grey, someone needs to make a style choice. Theyll decide that – for example – theyll always use one space after a full stop, US spelling and an initial capital for their company name. And then everyone at the company will always do it that way. Style guides are the norm in the publishing world. But youll find them in all kinds of fields, including law, medicine, academia, government – and increasingly in business too. Do you need one? Is a style guide right for you and your company? Yes, probably. That may seem like a bold statement (I dont know you, after all). But its a safe guess, because a style guide can help people at almost every level of almost any organisation. For example, if youre a team leader who spends too much time editing colleagues documents and emails before youre happy with them, a style guide can help. If youre the head of marketing and frustrated that the tone of voice in your companys external documents is at odds with your brand, a style guide can help. And if you find yourself heading to Google again and again over the same sort of questions – you may have guessed already. Yes, a style guide could definitely help. What style can do for you So, what benefits can a style guide bring? Well, it can help to settle office arguments. But it can do much more than that. When everyone has the same reference point, the key benefit is consistency. And for a companys or organisations written output – whether thats documents, webpages, letters, emails or all of the above – this is vital. Small inconsistencies in spelling, formatting or tone may not seem like a big deal. But they can niggle at the people reading them – even if those people dont realise quite why. Page by page, or screen by screen, those little irregularities chip away at their confidence in your company. How about that overstretched team leader? Consistencys important for them too. After all, it could mean the difference between needing just 20 minutes to sign off their teams work or several hours and another late night at the office. And its not just the time – its the decisions themselves. With no authority giving a casting vote on style matters, the poor team leader is left to decide every time. That can be exhausting. Research suggests we have capacity for only a limited number of decisions a day, even the seemingly tiny ones. So, finding ways to bypass some of them means preserving a valuable resource: your mental energy. This saving naturally extends to every person writing within the organisation – which, in the age of email, is probably almost everyone. With just one handy reference to check, all are saved from falling into a potential black hole of online searching. Pick a guide (not any guide) But how do you go about choosing the style guide for your organisation? You can choose to use someone elses, such as the highly regarded, informed and eloquent guides of The Economist and Guardian. As long as everyone at your workplace knows which one theyre supposed to check, this can work. However, the best style guides are effective because theyre relevant: everything in them applies to the work that people at the organisation actually do. For most of us, that doesnt include writing articles for the Guardian. When you try to bend someone elses guidance to your needs, you can find yourself stuck with a lot of information thats of little use to you. (For example, the Guardians guide includes a curiously detailed entry on canal boats, and how narrowboats differ from barges.) Meanwhile, youll probably also be missing areas you do need. So you might want to refine your search. For a more business-focused book, you could look no further than our own. We produced The Write Stuff as a universal guide to help people write at work. Thats why it includes sections on writing for the web and for a global audience, tips for clear writing and getting the best from email. Plus, of course, our take on those tricky style issues. Its designed to answer the kinds of questions that youre likely to face at work. You can download it for yourself here. Build your own The ultimate answer is to develop your own guide, purpose-built for your organisation. But how do you go about this? You dont have to start from scratch. Instead, start by looking at whats already out there to see what could be covered, then adapt it to fit as needed. Then pin down the questions that crop up repeatedly in your department or company. Which decisions have to be made over and over again? Which words and terms cause problems or dispute? Is the company name formatted in too many different ways? What tone of voice are you hoping to encourage? What values best sum up your company ethos? How can this be reflected in your writing choices? Gather examples to illustrate all these points – youll need to include these. Create a list, then ask other people to look at the list and add their own ideas. Keep in mind that this isnt a place to catalogue everyones personal punctuation bugbears or to explain complex grammatical issues. (The latter might require training; the former may be best reserved for a personal blog.) Remember that youre aiming to end up with a useful resource for quick reference. Making it work Clearly, even the best guide will do little good if no one uses it or even knows it exists. So bring your colleagues into the process early on: ask them for their thoughts on drafts and for feedback on the finished article. Theyre more likely to take it to their hearts if they dont feel like its merely the product of one persons mission. When its published, consider having a launch event to get people on board and enthusiastic – you could even combine the launch with training. And make the guide easy to find. A searchable online version is good, as long as its not buried on your intranet. But if you really want to encourage people to thumb through it regularly, go old-school and put a hard copy on everyones desk. We can help Even for a seasoned editor, all this can sound like a daunting task. If it does to you, thats OK. You can enlist some experienced help. Weve worked with many clients to create guides that are a perfect fit for their company. Starting with The Write Stuff as a basis, we work directly with them to see what we need to add (or subtract). For example, one client added a section on how to write for PowerPoint. Another cut Writing for a global audience and added guidance on referencing and bibliographies. And whatever additions or subtractions make sense for your team or organisation, by consulting every step of the way we can create the reference that is exactly what you need. If youd like to talk to us about developing the right guide for your company, get in touch. Finding the answers Writing at work comes with all kinds of challenges. It involves hundreds of tiny decisions along the way and – as weve said before – theres no one authority on high to tell us whats correct in the widest sense. The good news is that that doesnt really matter. Within the cosier confines of your daily working life – and with the right book on your desk – you can still have all the answers you really need in one place. If you feel its time for you to settle on a style for your team or organisation, dont forget you can download our guide, The Write Stuff, here. And if youd like to talk to us about helping to develop one tailor-made for you, get in touch. Image credit: Eric Isselee / Shutterstock

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Bopomofo Chinese Phonetic System

Bopomofo Chinese Phonetic System Chinese characters can be a major stumbling block for students of Mandarin. There are thousands of characters and the only way to learn their meaning and pronunciation is by rote. Fortunately, there are phonetic systems that aid in the study of Chinese characters. The phonetics are used in textbooks and dictionaries so that students can begin associating sounds and meanings with specific characters. Pinyin The most common phonetic system is Pinyin. It is used to teach Mainland Chinese school children, and it is also widely used by foreigners learning Mandarin as a second language. Pinyin is a Romanization system. It uses the Roman alphabet to represent the sounds of spoken Mandarin. The familiar letters make Pinyin look easy. However, many of the Pinyin pronunciations are quite different from the English alphabet. For example, the Pinyin c is pronounced with a ts sound. Bopomofo Pinyin is certainly not the only phonetic system for Mandarin. There are other Romanization systems, and then there is Zhuyin Fuhao, otherwise known as Bopomofo. Zhuyin Fuhao uses symbols which are based on Chinese characters to represent the sounds of spoken Mandarin. These are the same sounds which are represented by Pinyin, and in fact there is a one-to-one correspondence between Pinyin and Zhuyin Fuhao. The first four symbols of Zhuyin Fuhao are bo po mo fo (pronounced buh puh muh fuh), which gives the common name Bopomofo – sometimes shortened to bopomo. Bopomofo is used in Taiwan to teach school children, and it is also a popular input method for writing Chinese characters on computers and handheld devices such as cell phones. Children’s books and teaching materials in Taiwan almost always have Bopomofo symbols printed next to the Chinese characters. It is also used in dictionaries. Advantages of Bopomofo Bopomofo symbols are based on Chinese characters, and in some cases they are identical. Learning Bopomofo, therefore, gives Mandarin students a head start to reading and writing Chinese. Sometimes students who start learning Mandarin Chinese with Pinyin become too dependent on it, and once characters are introduced they are at a loss.   Another important advantage to Bopomofo is its status as an independent phonetic system. Unlike Pinyin or other Romanization systems, Bopomofo symbols cannot be confused with other pronunciations. The main disadvantage to Romanization is that students often have preconceived ideas about the pronunciation of the Roman alphabet. For example, the Pinyin letter â€Å"q† has a â€Å"ch† sound, and it can take some effort to make this association. On the other hand, the Bopomofo symbol ã„‘ is not associated with any other sound than its Mandarin pronunciation. Computer Input Computer keyboards with Zhuyin Fuhao symbols are available. This makes it fast and efficient to input Chinese characters using a Chinese Character IME (Input Method Editor) like the one included with Windows XP. The Bopomofo input method can be used with or without tone marks. Characters are input by spelling the sound, followed by either the tone mark or the space bar. A list of candidate characters appears. Once a character is selected from this list, another list of commonly used characters may pop up. Only In Taiwan Zhuyin Fuhao was developed in the early 20th century. In the 1950s, Mainland China switched over to Pinyin as its official phonetic system, although some dictionaries from the Mainland still include Zhuyin Fuhao symbols. Taiwan continues to use Bopomofo for teaching school children. Taiwanese teaching material aimed at foreigners usually uses Pinyin, but there are a few publications for adults which use Bopomofo. Zhuyin Fuhao is also used for some of Taiwans Aboriginal languages. Bopomofo and Pinyin Comparison Table Zhuyin Pinyin b p m f d t n l g k h j q x zh ch sh r z c s a o e ai ei ao ou an en ang eng er i u u

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Read the attached case and write a legal brief of the case Study

Read the attached and write a legal brief of the - Case Study Example s motion, the District court suppressed the data obtained through GpS while the vehicle was parked at Jones’s residence but accepted the remaining data on the ground that Jones had no reasonable expectation of privacy on public streets. The D.C Circuit reversed the conviction on the ground that warrantless use of GpS violated the Fourth Amendment. Government approached the Supreme Court. A. Rule: The Fourth Amendment provides that â€Å"the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizure, shall not be violated†. The government’s claim that a search has not occurred is rejected because in Katz v. United States (1967), the Court observed that â€Å"the Fourth Amendment protects people, not places†, and found violation in the attachment of an eavesdropping device to a public telephone. B. Application: Though the Fourth Amendment jurisprudence was mainly tied to common-law trespass till the second half of 20th century, it deviated after that and started protecting the privacy of people, not places. The vehicle comes under â€Å"effect† as provided in Fourth Amendment, and it is not an â€Å"open field† as claimed by the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Business logistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business logistics - Essay Example Zara’s contribution to the European fashion market sales account for a staggering two-thirds of Inditex’ total 9002 Million Euro, of which net profit was 1002 Million Euro.   1.1 THE EXISTING PROCESS AND LOGISTICS OF ZARA A team of designers in Zara is charged with the responsibility of spotting emerging trends in response to consumer demands. Valuable feedback from consumers is received from Store Managers also. The information collected by them on design, outlook and demand is transmitted through a wireless network. These inputs are used by the design Management team to develop the latest products for Zara,  (Sull, and  Turconi, 2008). ... The whole process of design and cutting takes about 10 days. After the prototypes are produced, they undergo a decision process wherein the management decides which of them will go into commercial production. This decision is made on the basis of a special algorithm and the conditions and demands in the market. Generally only about 40% of the prototypes become commercial products for customers. They are then returned to the manufacturing centers to enter the production chain, checked for quality control, and packaging,  (Sullivan, 2005). The ready material is moved to the automated distribution centre in  Arteixo, which is the main Distribution Centre with no storage facility. Logistics models assist the management in assessing the number of batches that should be delivered to the stores twice a week through shipments, which makes sure that the stores are not overloaded and are delivered as per their demands. A fleet of trucks reach out to places with overnight distances and char tered cargo flights are used for larger distances. The company squeezed its shipping models and decided to go with air cargo, so that flights can organize outbound consignment of all company products with return journey loaded with raw materials and half-finished products, (Burt, Dawson, and  Larke, 2003). Fig1: Complete Operations chain of Zara Fashions    Fig2: Outline of operations at Zara SECTION 2   This section presents the  advantages  /  disadvantages, SWOT, PEST analysis of Zara and evaluation of current operations and logistics at Zara.   2.1 Strategic Advantages Being different from traditional retails, its does not outsources its  operations  or products

Dieting in America and Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dieting in America and Obesity - Essay Example "The evidence from observational studies is conflicting: some studies have shown weight loss to be associated with increased mortality, but this could be because differentiation was not made between intentional and unintentional weight loss. Mechanistic hypotheses can be raised for both beneficial and harmful effects of weight loss." (Ryan) Therefore, the medical, psychological and social risks of obesity and dieting offer an important point of comparison between the two and there are various views on this question. Analyzing the risks involved in obesity, it becomes lucid that there are numerous diseases and health risks caused by obesity which include hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancers, gall bladder disease, glucose intolerance, respiratory diseases, osteoarthritis etc. However, it is important realize these risks in the context of the social and psychological aspects, along with the medical aspects. "Despite the risks related to obesity, it is a mistake to exaggerate those risks.

Write an essay by solving the last three question

Write an by solving the last three question - Essay Example found that Wonderful Stores (WS) committed breach of contract when it cancelled its advertised â€Å"Wonderful January sale Bargains Galore; Rolex Watches  £80†¦Ã¢â‚¬  thus to settle the issue, the following questions must be resolved on appeal: (1) whether the advertisement was an invitation to treat and not an offer; (2) assuming that it was an offer, it was a bilateral offer and not a unilateral offer; (3) assuming further that it was a unilateral offer, no obligation arise as Simon has not accepted the offer at the time it was revoked on Saturday evening’s advertisement. Would the appeal of WS prosper? The appeal will not prosper. Advertisements are legitimate business strategies implemented by sellers to induce buyers to patronize its products however advertisements are mere invitations to treat. To ripen into a contract, bids must first be made to commence negotiation then the seller will consider the bid and thereafter accept it if deemed appropriate. Thus, the stages to constitute a valid contract must be complied with—initial offer, negotiation and acceptance. The indication of a price tag in an advertisement or even put on display on the shop window is of no moment. It does not qualify as a valid offer of sale but simply an invitation to treat which is not demandable until an offer was accepted. This is anchored on the fact that the store that advertised the product may not have sufficient inventory to sell to all those who would want to procure or avail of the products. In the case of WS, it stated in its advertisement that sale shall be made on a â€Å"first come, first served† basis thus the eventuality that it would run out of inventory is not present. The consumers are put on notice that the products are limited thus those interested to buy were encouraged to fall in line—sale would be made until supply last. WS has made an offer thereby creating a valid and enforceable contract. Therefore WS is obliged to sell to those who have complied with the

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The causes and consequences of low motivation of teens and possible Research Paper

The causes and consequences of low motivation of teens and possible interventions - Research Paper Example Sociologists have come up with several theories for explaining low motivation among high school students. There are also more practical reasons based on the political, economic and social conditions of the locality and country inhabited by the student. This essay will look into three aspects of low motivation among teens, namely causes, consequences and possible interventions. One of the major areas of deficiency that leads to low motivation among pupils is the way education systems are set up. For example, one of the lesser acknowledged reasons for low motivation in the classroom are inadequacy on part of instructors to prepare students for a class. Surveys reveal that many students do not understand the rationale for studying a particular subject and don't comprehend why they are attending classes on the subject. This will make them disinterested and prevent them from fully exploring ideas within the subject. But a bigger reason for student low motivation is â€Å"low self-efficac y† induced by poorly designed instructional programs. As researchers assert, â€Å"instructional programs designed to identify and label students who are lacking in the reading areas of decoding, fluency and comprehension have led to intensely negative perceptions about students' abilities even as the programs strive to correct their reading deficiencies...Others argue that the school curriculum can lead to low motivation by stifling children's choice in reading and continually setting limits on reading, which can permanently affect how students see themselves as readers. Whatever the origin, low motivation can seriously hinder a student's progress within the language arts classroom. (Seglem, 2006, p.76) Another cause for low motivation among highschoolers is their tendency to experiment with recreational drugs. There is also a correlation between early drug abuse and dysfunctional family background. Hence, drug abuse itself can be seen as a consequence of another social prob lem, namely broken homes. These days school playgrounds have become places of drug retailing and drug consumption. Research based on American schools has found that â€Å"Drug use increases as the grade level increases. Many students become involved in using illegal substances because of peer pressure and others due to an emotional need. A feeling for need fulfillment may propel adolescents into the destructive behavior of substance abuse.† (Vanderjagt, 2001, p.39) The atmosphere within the family, and especially the values transmitted from parents to children can play an important role in the motivation levels of teenagers. Adolescence is when individuals rebel from parental values and social norms and try to form an identity of their own – a process referred to by psychologists as 'individuation'. Teenagers face a lot of internal conflict, as their early parental molding comes into conflict with divergent set of values acquired from peers and society during adolescen ce. This leads to a period of uncertainly and personality re-adjustment, which resolves itself into a stable state by the end of adolescence. But if the home atmosphere, especially the relationship between parents is strained or broken, it can leave a lasting negative impact on the formative

Students with disabilities in extracurricular athletics Essay

Students with disabilities in extracurricular athletics - Essay Example te in extracurricular activities is denying them the same opportunities as the other students to grow emotionally and to develop social skills such as leadership skills. Additionally, it puts them at a higher risk to be physically and physiologically unhealthy than the other students. This implies that they are likely to have heath issues that arise from not having physical activity such as diabetes, obesity and heart complications. To deal this discrepancy, the GAO recommends that the United States Department of Education Clarify and communicate the roles and responsibilities for enforcing section 504 of the rehabilitation Act of 1973. GAO explains that the Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has the responsibility of enforcing the section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal law and is geared towards protecting individuals with disabilities in all types of schools, private and public. As a result, the GAO reports the implementation of section 504 is not a choice for the OCR and must be implemented strictly as it has to deal with serious human rights issues. Section 504 first of all requires the schools to provide to the students with disability facilities that are similar or equivalent to the facilities that the students who do not have any disability have. To begin with, it rewires that every school district should have a committee made of experts and professionals who understand various disability issues including mental and emotional disabilities. These members of such a committee should also have a clear understanding of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 especially section 504. They must also have a more understanding of the procedures of classifying various disabilities. This is necessary in order to make sure that the students are not wrongly classified and therefore have them to end up in the wrong groups. In this regard, schools are supposed to be very careful not only in the ways they treat students

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The causes and consequences of low motivation of teens and possible Research Paper

The causes and consequences of low motivation of teens and possible interventions - Research Paper Example Sociologists have come up with several theories for explaining low motivation among high school students. There are also more practical reasons based on the political, economic and social conditions of the locality and country inhabited by the student. This essay will look into three aspects of low motivation among teens, namely causes, consequences and possible interventions. One of the major areas of deficiency that leads to low motivation among pupils is the way education systems are set up. For example, one of the lesser acknowledged reasons for low motivation in the classroom are inadequacy on part of instructors to prepare students for a class. Surveys reveal that many students do not understand the rationale for studying a particular subject and don't comprehend why they are attending classes on the subject. This will make them disinterested and prevent them from fully exploring ideas within the subject. But a bigger reason for student low motivation is â€Å"low self-efficac y† induced by poorly designed instructional programs. As researchers assert, â€Å"instructional programs designed to identify and label students who are lacking in the reading areas of decoding, fluency and comprehension have led to intensely negative perceptions about students' abilities even as the programs strive to correct their reading deficiencies...Others argue that the school curriculum can lead to low motivation by stifling children's choice in reading and continually setting limits on reading, which can permanently affect how students see themselves as readers. Whatever the origin, low motivation can seriously hinder a student's progress within the language arts classroom. (Seglem, 2006, p.76) Another cause for low motivation among highschoolers is their tendency to experiment with recreational drugs. There is also a correlation between early drug abuse and dysfunctional family background. Hence, drug abuse itself can be seen as a consequence of another social prob lem, namely broken homes. These days school playgrounds have become places of drug retailing and drug consumption. Research based on American schools has found that â€Å"Drug use increases as the grade level increases. Many students become involved in using illegal substances because of peer pressure and others due to an emotional need. A feeling for need fulfillment may propel adolescents into the destructive behavior of substance abuse.† (Vanderjagt, 2001, p.39) The atmosphere within the family, and especially the values transmitted from parents to children can play an important role in the motivation levels of teenagers. Adolescence is when individuals rebel from parental values and social norms and try to form an identity of their own – a process referred to by psychologists as 'individuation'. Teenagers face a lot of internal conflict, as their early parental molding comes into conflict with divergent set of values acquired from peers and society during adolescen ce. This leads to a period of uncertainly and personality re-adjustment, which resolves itself into a stable state by the end of adolescence. But if the home atmosphere, especially the relationship between parents is strained or broken, it can leave a lasting negative impact on the formative

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Case study Paul Price Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case study Paul Price - Essay Example For instance, Tefal Actifry sold the good to Paul Price by description. The good was therefore implied to correspond to the accorded descriptions by Tefal Actifry. The failure resulted into the breach of the implied terms in section 13 of the Sale of Good Act 1979. Section 14 provides that business people ensure that their goods are of satisfactory fit and quality for their purpose. Tefal Actifry although described the good as satisfactory and safe, the good turned out to be disastrous, however, and other similar goods sold to other consumers proved of good quality and safety (Stewart 1998). Therefore if Tefal Actifry had included a clause limiting their liability, this is the point where it would have relied on the clause to avoid complications with the buyer, Paul Price. Paul price should be aware that when one buys a good, he or she enters into a contract with the seller. The goods purchased must be as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. The buyer, Paul Price, is provided with different protections when purchasing a good under contract law. Paul Price should be aware that he got into a contract with Tefal Actifry immediately he accepted and paid for the good. There may be concurrent liability for the manufacturer in the law of tort should goods which are faulty result into any significant harm or injury to the buyer, his or her property, but the buyer’s primary rights under the contract of sale lies with the retailer (Mark 2003). According to the Sale of Goods Act 1979, there are four major protections accorded to the buyer: the seller must possess the right of sale over the good (section 12), the goods that are sold with descriptions have to correspond to the given descriptions (section 13), the good sold must have a quality that is satisfactory enough (section 14), and in section 15, all goods sold by a sample must correspond to the quality of the sample. Paul Price should be aware of the above and observe with sound mind any bre ach of those protection and sue where necessary because Tefan Actifry is liable to the breach of any of those four provisions (Van 2001). Paul Price should know that the mentioned protections are statutory implied terms. Therefore the Sale of Goods Act will have to put those terms into contract of the goods sold regardless of what the agreed terms and conditions of the sale that the parties have agreed on themselves. The buyer, Paul Price, should be informed that a contract is just for provided goods sold. It is a transfer ownership of the goods sold for the money exchanged. Therefore if the seller, Tefal Actifry, breaches any of the provided terms, the statutory rights of the buyer, Paul Price, then the buyer is entitled to a remedy (Mark 2003). Therefore, Paul Price is entitled to a remedy by Tefal Actifry because of the breach of Paul’s statutory right provided in section 13 that the goods sold by description have to meet correspond to the given description. Tefal Actifry gave description of his good during the sale and it turned out otherwise, therefore he is liable to the damages that resulted from the good contrary to what he gave as the description during the sale (Stewart 1998). Tefal Actifry stated during the sale of the Actifry that â€Å"

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Leadership Member Exchange Theory

The Leadership Member Exchange Theory There are different leadership theories that have been proposed. Some of these are the leadership member exchange theory, transformational leadership theory, path-goal theory and situational approach theory. In this paper the above four theories will be studied in seeking to help the students have a deeper insight into the leadership styles and where they are best applied. Leadership-member exchange theory Also known as LMX or vertical dyad linkage theory it seeks to describe how leaders in groups are able to maintain their position by having tacit exchange agreements with their subordinates. Through the special relationship with the leader the in-group members have access to high levels of responsibility, are influential in decision making and are also able to access resources. However, the members of in-group pay for this privilege by working hard, being committed to task objectives and also share more administrative duties. In addition, these members are also expected to show loyalty and commitment to their leader. On the other hand, the members of out-group have little responsibility, have little influence in decision-making and find it hard to access the resources. The LMX process according to House (1971) has three stages and starts when one joins the group. The first one is the role taking where the member joins the teams and the leader examines his or her capabilities. It is then that the leader decides whether to give this member an opportunity or not. Knox and Inkster (1968) argue that during this stage it becomes important for the leader and the member to lay down a foundation on rules of engagement. The tacit agreement takes pace in the second phase where the informal arrangement takes place between the leader and the member. The role is created for this member, which also comes with benefits. In return this member is supposed to pay by being dedicated and being loyal. Linville, Fischer and Salovey (1989) observe that at this stage trust building is pivotal. As such if the leader feels betrayed he or she is likely to demote the member to the out-group. This stage also involves other factors such as relationships and the similarity with the leader. A member who has similarity is likely to have positive relationships according to this theory. Similarly, in the case where the leader and the member are of same gender this relationship is also likely to be positive as this informal arrangement is often built on respect. More over, this relationship is likely to be affected by culture and race. According to Lippman (1982) the third process in LMX theory is routinization. It is in this phase that a continuous social exchange between the two parties is established. This relationship is built on trust and there is a tendency to find a member of senior teams having similarity with their leader. Maas, Ceccarelli and Rudin (1996) add that the members are reasonable, sensitive, empathetic and are able to follow the idea of their leader. On the contrary the members of the out-group have opposite characteristics. In particular, they are likely to be aggressive, sarcastic and egocentric. Lippman (1982) describes the in-group members as having more confidence, more involved, communicative and being more dependable. In addition, these members go beyond their formal job description and as such the leader reciprocates by expanding their role. The members of the outer group are less compatible with the leader and just report to work, carry out the responsibilities given and go back home. Ainslie (1974) is of the opinion that under this theory the member of the in-group is more productive owing to this social exchange with their leader. Indeed, under LMX there is likely to be less workers turnover, more positive performance, more positive performance evaluations, more promotions, greater participation and support for the leaders vision and positive job attitude (Ainslie, 1975). This theory has strength as those who contribute more are able to enjoy more benefits than new members of the out-group. It identifies the dyadic relationship and underlines the importance of effective leader member exchanges. However, the leaders need to be careful on whom they allow in the in-group and should only bed one on the work performance only. This should not be based on race, ethnicity, sex or religion. The critics of this find it unfair as the members are treated unequally. Transformational leadership According to this theory transformational leadership is a process that changes people. It entails dealing with the emotions, values, standards, ethics and long-term goals. The followers motives and needs are satisfied by having a visionary leadership. The two parties are bound together in a transformations process. According to Bass (1990) the leaders transform the followers through: Making them aware of the importance and the value of the task. Making the followers understand the importance of focusing on the organizational goals rather than individual interest Activating their high-order needs In his argument Bass (1990) finds that charisma is necessary as it helps to invoke positive and strong emotions. In addition, it also causes the followers to identify with the leaders. Charisma is defined as a personality characteristic and gives the holder superhuman powers. It is only possessed by a few and is often regarded to have divine origin. The writer further argues that authentic transformational leadership is based on idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, inspirational stimulation and individualized consideration (Ainsworth, 1963). The idealized influence describes the leaders who have strong role models characteristics. The followers are happy to identify and emulate these leaders. Through inspirational motivation the leaders communicate their high expectations to their followers. They followers become inspired and become a part of the organizations goal and vision. On the other hand, through the concept of intellectual stimulation the followers are made to be mo re creative and innovative (Graen Cashman, 1975). This is achieved by the leader giving them the right platform where they challenge their own beliefs and values. The followers are also able to question the values of their leader. By individual consideration the leaders provide an enabling climate in which they listen and address the individual concerns raised by their followers (Granovetter, 1973). This also based on the three moral aspects which include The moral character of the leader The ethical values in the leaders vision. This may either be accepted or rejected by the followers. The level of the morality of social ethical processes that the followers and the leader use. However, Burn (1978) looks at transformational leadership as a prowess in which the leaders and followers are engaged in the mutual process of uplifting, motivating others and lifting up the morality. This theory assumes that a leader who has a high moral position is likely to attract a following. It could also be argued that the leaders appeal to the higher ideals and values which the followers are highly attached to. The followers have a shared background on social values and this encourages them to collaborate rather than each following his or her individual interests. It could be argued that leaders who promote this leadership invoke motivation and instill sense of identity and meaning to the workers. According to a research by Bennis and Nanus the leaders had a clear vision of the future of their establishments (Ainsorth, 1978). In addition, they were social architects and motivated the workers by building trust. This is possible through making a clear position and standing by it. As Bailey (1985) puts it the leaders use creative deployment of self through positive self regard. According to North House (2007) the theory has been well researched since 1970s and shares similar idea with the expectations of the society. Moreover, this theory treats leadership as a process which takes place between the leaders and the followers. A big emphasis is also is put on the followers needs vales and morals. The cons of this theory are that the leader seems to work on his or her own and does not allow input from the followers. It is also elitist and undemocratic and is not likely to work where the decision making is supposed to be a shared responsibility. The four constructs; inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, idealized influence and intellectual stimulation are hard to measure. These constructs are also similar to each other and is hard to make out their difference. A questionnaire ideal for this theory Not at all once in while sometimes Fairly Often Frequently 0 1 2 3 4 Idealized influence (attributes) I go beyond self interest for the good of the group ___ Idealized influence (behaviors) I consider the moral and ethical consequences of decisions ____ Inspirational motivation I talk optimistically about the future ____ Intellectual stimulation I re-examine critical assumptions to question whether they are appropriate ____ Individualized consideration I help others to develop their strengths ____ Situational leadership The leader need not rely on transactional and transformational methods only and the best cause of action that leader has to take depends on situational factors. Some of the factors likely to affect the situational decisions include motivation and the capability of followers. Yukl (1989) identifies six variables. The subordinate effort is concerned with the motivation and the effort put. The subordinate ability and clarity is concerned with followers understanding their role and how to do it. The organization of work is important and looks at how the work is structured and also the utilization of resources. The other variable is the cooperation and the cohesiveness of the group. The availability of resources and support is also important. Finally, Yukl also cites external condition as the sixth variable and defines the need to collaborate with other groups. Tannerbaum and Schmidt (1958) found out that the forces in the situation, in the leader and the followers as the forces leading to the leaders action. Similar sentiments were shared by Maier (1963) who observed that leaders need to look at the possibility of the followers agreeing with certain a decision and also the importance of carrying out that task. As such the leader is encouraged to take a certain action to avoid the implication of failing to do so. According to this style the leader is meant to come up with the style of leadership depending on the willingness and the commitment of the follower in performing a particular task. Directing This becomes necessary where there is low competence and commitment from the follower. The leader is not highly concerned with the relationship between him or her and the follower but makes sure the tasks are carried out. This also becomes necessary as the incompetence is corrected by the role the leader plays. Take for instance a situation where instead of the leader taking a directing role, he or she seeks to find out the reason why the follower is not motivated and why he or she is not capable of carrying out a particular task. This could leave some work undone as the leader will refrain from assigning duties which he feels the follower cannot perform well. The followers also end up having low confidence which affects their output. Coaching This applies when the follower has some competence or is over confident on his or her capabilities. Telling such followers what to do may de-motivate them and resistance is likely to result. This makes the leader to look for an alternative on how to work, clarify and explain decisions. This calls for the leader to spend time listening and advising where he or she feels necessary. The follower is able to refine his or her skills through this coaching. Supporting This is necessary when the follower can do the job but is not putting in enough commitment. This case differs from the above cases as the leader is not concerned with showing the follower what to do. It also becomes important for the leader to engage with the follower to identify the reasons why he or she is refusing to cooperate. Motivation becomes the key to improving the followers performance. The leaders should take time listening and praising the follower whenever he or she makes an achievement. Delegating This according to Hersey and Blanchard (1999) is applicable when the follower is highly competent, is highly committed, is motivated and is able and willing to carry out the various tasks assigned. The follower should be left alone to go on with the delegated duties although a distant eye from the leader is necessary. This is necessary in order to monitor how the follower is progressing. Although the followers do not need support and frequent praise it is recommended for the leader to occasionally recognize their efforts. Normative model According to Vroom and Yetton (1973), decision on acceptance increases commitment and participation increase decision acceptance. The decision quality helps in selecting the best alternative and is applicable when there are several alternatives. This becomes necessary when there are serious consequences for not doing so. The decision acceptance on the other hand is concerned with the acceptance of the decisions the leader makes. Leaders should focus more on decision acceptance than decision quality. Vroom and Yetton (1973) came up with five different decision procedures. The first one is when the leader knows information and then makes the decision alone. The second one is when he or she obtains the information from the followers and then makes the decision alone. These two are autocratic and the followers are sidelined in the decision making. The leader may also opt to share the problem with the followers individually. He or she then listens for their input and makes the decision al one. Alternatively the leader shares the problem with the followers but this time as a group. He then notes down their ideas but makes the decision alone. These two procedures are consultative and the participation of the followers is valued. Finally the leader may shares the problem with the group and the decision is arrived at through consensus. However there are situational factors that are likely to affect these five alternatives. The first two methods are not recommended when the followers possess useful information. In addition, this it is not also recommended when the decision quality is pivotal. When the leader sees decision quality as vital but the members do not then group based decision making should be avoided. This is necessary in avoid the implication of the bad decision making where a consensus solution is arrived at. On the contrary, if the leader feels he or she lacks the right skills and information to handle an unstructured problem a collective a decision arrived through consensus becomes appropriate. Similarly, when the decision acceptance is important and the followers are likely to resist an autocratic decision a leader then the first two methods where the leader sources information from them and then makes the decision are inappropriate. When decision masking is highly valued and the members are unlikely to acceptance each others idea then it is in-appropriate to use the autocratic methods or share the problem with them individually. This is because the differences are unable to be resolved if these methods are used. When the decision quality is not essential but decision acceptance is paramount then a group based decision becomes a must to avoid disgruntled followers. The same case applies when the decision quality is of essence and the followers consent with this. Path-Goal Theory The theory was inspired by Mark G. Evans from the expectancy theory. The perception of the degree to which a particular will result to a certain outcome is important (Dawes, 1996). The leaders behavior should be source of inspiration to the subordinates and should also be able to motivate them. The theory is based on the idea that the leaders should offer encouragement and support to their followers. This is ensured by rewarding the followers. The leader should also clarify the path to the subordinates so they can make a choice on their own. The leader should also remove the hurdles which stand on the followers paths. It is also worthy to point out that the leaders may opt to take a limited or full approach in supporting the members. For instance, the leader may give directions or offer hints. House and Mitchell (1974) argue that under this theory four leadership styles can be found. Directive leadership The leader guides the followers appropriately and directs them what to do. This may also entail offering them time-lines on the duties to be carried out and when. This is also recommended where the task given to the members is unstructured. As such the followers are likely to find it hard understanding the role required Participative leadership The leaders also consult with their followers before arriving at a decision. This becomes even more important when the insight from the members is likely to be invaluable. Supportive leadership In increasing the followers work performance it is necessary to show concern for their welfare. The leader should also create a friendly working environment and this is especially recommended where the work is stressful. Achievement-oriented leadership The leader sets challenging goals in work and for self-improvement. In such an instance, the leader sets high standards which the followers are encouraged to attain. The leader also places a lot of faith in their ability to perform the tasks assigned. When the role is complex this method becomes appropriate. The leaders are meant to show the way which the members are expected to follow. The leadership should have foresight and should be able to see the way of achieving goals in future. The followers depend on the leader for the guidance. It also worth mentioning that this theory assumes that the leaders change their leadership styles according to contextual factors. The theory proposes two contingency variables; environment and follower characteristics (Evans, 1970). These variables affect the behavior outcome relationship. The environmental factors determine the type of leader behavior which is appropriate. This is necessary in order to maximize the follower performance. On the other hand, the follower characteristics are concerned with the locus of control, perceived ability and experience (Deci, 1971). These four styles are receptive to the needs of the followers and adapt towards the prevailing situation making the leader to be more effective.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

To Be Someone, To Belong:The Black Womyns Experience in Rastafari :: essays papers

"To Be Someone, To Belong":The Black Womyn's Experience in Rastafari Introduction Upon seeing various Jamaican films and listening to various reggae artists, a constant question running through my mind was,"Where are all the womyn?"In all of the films it seemed as though there were virtually no womyn in Jamaica, and those that were there were only on the periphery, not playing a main role in everyday life. Those films that depicted the Rastafarian way of life seemed to show no womyn in them either. I was somewhat confused about the seeming absence of womyn, and it forced me to question their role in Jamaican and Rastafarian society. My questions regarding this issue were pushed further when a friend of mine returned home from Jamaica and expressed the same kinds of concerns. She said that during the few weeks she spent there she had seen maybe a dozen or two dozen Jamaican womyn altogether. As I moved further into my studies of Rastafarianism and reggae music, I noticed how gendered the language in both the religious tenets and music lyrics was. As a western womyn, this was peculiar to me. As you can notice, I don't even write the word"womyn"with the"man"in it. I find it insulting that my identity should be bound up in that of the opposite sex. I am entrenched in the world of political correctness and gender neutrality. However, reggae music and other rhetorical pieces of literature from Rastafari do not contain the same element of neutral gender identity as the United States has been moving towards. Rather, much of it is framed in a male or masculinist language. This implanted a few suspicions within me about the possibility of Rastafarianism being somewhat patriarchal, but, I was at first unwilling to accept the idea. I felt that this was impossible due to the fact that Rastafarianism was such a socially conscious movement dealing with the horrors of oppression and ex ploitation of blacks. However, it seems as though the impossible is possible, or at least mostly possible, and traditional Rastafarianism enforces rules and cultural norms that keep womyn in the subordinate, domesticated realm of everyday life. Yet, in the last thirty years or so, those rules and norms have been slowly challenged by a new generation of Rastafarian womyn who no longer accept their inferior position and are demanding greater equality. These womyn, some of whom turn to reggae to promote their own socially conscious ideas, symbolize the growing consciousness of womyn in Jamaica and other majority world countries who have experienced centuries of oppression.