Saturday, August 31, 2019

The Equal Rights Amendment

The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposal written in 1921 by Alice Paul, who was the founder of the National Woman’s Party. It was designed mainly to invalidate many state and federal laws that she felt discriminated against women; its central underlying principle was that sex should not determine the legal rights of American men or women. This proposed amendment to the U. S. Constitution stated that â€Å"Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex† and also that â€Å"the Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. The amendment was first introduced to Congress in 1923, soon after women in the United States had been given the right to vote. The U. S. Senate finally approved it 49 years later, in March 1972. It was then submitted to the state legislatures for ratification within seven years but, despite a deadline extension to June 1982, was not ratified by the required majority votes from 38 states. It would have become the 27th Amendment to the Constitution. Even though the ERA gained ratification of 30 states within one year of its approval by the Senate, escalating intense opposition from conservative religious and political organizations brought the ratification to a standstill. The main objections to the ERA were based on fears that women would lose privileges and protections such as exemption from compulsory military service and combat duty and economic support from husbands for themselves and their children. Among the opponents to the ERA, was a woman by the name of Phyllis Schlafly, a St. Louisan known for her opposition to the women’s liberation movement. She earned a law degree from Washington University and earned a master’s degree in political science from Harvard University. She worked as a researcher for several Congressmen in Washington, D. C. , and ran unsuccessfully for Congress herself in 1952 and 1970. She was largely opposed to the ERA as she believed that the amendment would require women to serve in combat, and because it would also take away legal rights of wives and would negatively influence family life. Schlafly also argued that the amendment would lead to unisex restrooms and the depravation of rights for women to not take a job, to keep her baby, and to be supported by her husband. She became a leading opponent of the ERA through her lobbying organizations such as Stop ERA and Eagle Forum, and by testifying against the ERA before 30 state legislatures. Advocates of the ERA, led primarily by the National Organization for Women (NOW), held that the issue was primarily economic. The position of NOW was that many state and federal laws amounted to sexual discrimination which perpetuated a climate of economic dependence among women and that laws determining child support and job opportunities should be designed for the individual rather than for one sex. Many advocates of the ERA thought that the failure to adopt the proposal as an amendment would cause women to lose many gains and would give a negative attitude to courts and legislators regarding feminist issues. Alice Paul, who I mentioned earlier as a proponent for the ERA, was a national leader of women’s suffrage movement, and founded National Woman’s Party. Public and equal justice for women was the basic entirety of her political goal. She was also involved with the militant wing of the English suffrage movement. She founded what was later to become the National Woman’s Party, which incorporated methods that originated in England to the struggle to pass the suffrage amendment. During WWI, she picketed the White House to protest against a government that she said, promised to make the world safe for democracy while denying half of its citizens the right to vote. Alice and others who were involved in this protest were arrested and imprisoned. She was very proud of the success of her efforts in getting the Nineteenth Amendment ratified in 1920, granting women the right to vote. But for her the ability to vote was not enough to guarantee women’s equal rights and she decided to concentrate her efforts for the ERA. Introduced in 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment finally passed Congress in 1972 but there it stopped as it failed to win ratification. Although it failed to become ratified by congress, currently since 1985 the ERA has been reintroduced into each session of Congress and held in Committee.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Art Critique: Boys in a Pasture vs. Children Wrestling

While the basic nature of art is mimetic, these representations of reality functions to give an account of events and people that needs to be remembered. Art therefore partakes in accounting the history of mankind in relation to nature.Winslow Homer’s painting â€Å"Boys in a Pasture† and Paul Gauguin’s â€Å"Children Wrestling† are a case in point. Both paintings reflect a naturalist framework that depicted the innate and dedicated fondness of children on the natural environment, which at the same time reveals the ideal peace and harmony that both artists try to portray.   Their artistic approaches reflect Henry David Thoreau’s (1992) natural history which principally reflects the significance of the objectives and systems of science in humanity.SimilaritiesAside from the mode of painting which is oil painting in canvass, both painting have similar elements, children and nature.The Boys in a Pasture can be considered to portray Homer’s rem iniscence of his own childhood while at the same time conveying a positive outlook for a brighter future considering that it was painted after the American Civil war.   Homer’s principal source of inspiration for the painting was the American rural scene which depicted the serenity, peace and simplicity of life.In the same vein, Gauguin's painting contained the themes of peace and contentment however set in the ambiance of Brittany.   It also conveys a positive outlook by depicting children playing in nature. It must be noted that wrestling is contextualized as a regional tradition.â€Å"It was the practice for young Breton villagers to participate in wrestling matches after Sunday mass† (Dorra, p92)   Children and children playing are often used as representation of innocence, youthfulness and purity of thoughts vis a vis the corruption of mind that is attributed to maturity.   While Gauguin apparently uses this concept, Homer’s depiction of natural inn ocence was also reflected with his use of daisies which may have been derived from William Wordsworth's ritualistic exultation to youthfulness, â€Å"To the Daisy† of 1802.   (Scoggins, 1966)Finally, both Homer and Gauguin have their figures of persons with averted faces which are not particularly identifiable so that they can more effectively and generally represent a universal concept of children or youth.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Marketing Sop Example Essay

India is said to be the growing economical superpower, which will open a huge opportunity in the Management of Science and Business at the same time making a rational decision of where to land after getting higher education. What kind of a higher education will enhance my knowledge, skill and capabilities to the best? To place myself according to the growing economy of India and to gain the maximum out of it I came to a decision of doing MBA in UK. As UK has always been a good source of in providing world class education, I am eager do my MBA from London School of Business and Finance in UK. I was always been supported by my family for doing something big. They provoked me in dreaming big. My career was taking shape when I was about to complete my Bachelors degree in Commerce. I was always interested in this field. I took a decision of doing MBA in Finance and Marketing. My short-term goal is to place myself as an efficient manager of a renowned organization where I can give a better shape to my skills and capabilities and to be in a process of continuous learning. However, my long-term goal is to set up a firm of my own, where I can put all the innovative ideas that I have. Before that I will have to prepare my self for being efficient in implementing those ideas, which is, indeed, not easy. When it comes of doing MBA in UK it always makes me feel proud. Doing MBA from there will not only provide me with lots of experience but I will also give an international exposure which will be a big plus point for attaining my career goals. It will help me learning things in a diverse environment. It will have positive impact on my life and values. MBA in UK is the best and it gives exposures to new avenues. I am looking forward to join London School of Business and finance (LSBF) and it will be great getting the degree from University of Wales from UK.

Listening Paper Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Listening Paper Assignment - Essay Example The factors that influenced my listening behavior were my concern for the money that seemed going wasted, my angriness, and my intent to know the real cause of the bug. I used problem-oriented supportive response to get through the situation. For example, I talked about the problem that occurred with my phone. I acknowledged the description of the support official about the problem at the start of the discussion. Counter-arguments started when the support official started talking about the reason of the problem. I was most attentive when the support official was explaining the causes behind the connectivity issue. I wanted to know what the support official would say about the issue. I was least interested when he was telling me the cost of the service because at that time I had gotten angry at the situation because the phone was in the period of its warranty and the company should have done the service free of cost in my view. The communication situation got some heat due to inattentive listening, cross talk, and counter-arguments. I learned from the situation that one should listen to the viewpoint of others attentively because things are not always the same as we think about them. For example, in my situation, the problem had occurred because of water input and water damage does not come under warranty cover for cell phones. The five personal goals for becoming a better listener are: to know the exact situation; to avoid misunderstandings; to avoid ineffective communication; to get to the solution within less amount of time and with less arguments; and to build good personal

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Costumer service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Costumer service - Essay Example Researchers have developed different models for quantifying customer service as explained by Kapur (2010). The models are significant since they help the management in identifying problematic areas in quality control. This helps the management to devise strategies to improve on customer service leading to an overall improvement of profitability and performance of the firm (Pang 2007). Most of the models in customer service focus on the concept of service quality gap. If the customer expectations are greater that performance, then the perceived quality is less and the customer is said to be dissatisfied. The current case will take the 4 Gap Model to measure customer service. The 4 Gap Model Research has been conducted in different sectors including banking, telecommunication, repair and maintenance and in insurance concerning the model (Ramsaram- Fowdar 2007). The gap models developed by researches are used to measure the service quality expectations before and after the service. Ther e are five major determinants of service quality in the model are tangibility, reliability, perceptibility, safety and empathy. The use of The 4 Gap model shown below became widespread in the measurement of service quality. The model has received criticism when analyzed from a methodological and conceptual aspect. In spite of this, the model has been used in various researches regarding quality of customer service (Ben-Haim 2006). The basic feature of the model is that it places an emphasis on oversight regarding quality between the customer and the service provider (The Marketing Association of Australia and New Zealand 2011). The

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Project paper and Feasibility Paper Research Proposal

Project paper and Feasibility Paper - Research Proposal Example The primary independent variable is desire for social acceptance because drinking is such an important part of American society and all the social events and celebrations, that teenagers just can’t separate themselves from it and thus begin drinking at an early age and become victims of accidental injuries and death when they drive after drinking. The primary dependent variable is underage drinking, which is a cause of increasing concern amongst American socialists and policy makers, considering its alarming effects on teenagers health, their academic and occupational performance, sexual behaviors, and most importantly the increasing number of traffic accidents. According to statistics published by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2007, 31 percent of young drivers (between the ages of 15 and 20) who were killed in traffic accidents had blood alcohol concentrations of 001g/dl. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol is the most commonly abused drug in the United States (more than illicit drugs and tobacco). The American Medical Association states that approximately 11 million American youth consume alcohol, of which 11 percent are people between the ages 12 to 20. A 2007 survey conducted by the Youth Risk Behavior revealed that approximately 45 percent of all highà ‚  school  students drank some amount of alcohol, of which 26 percent binge drank and 11 percent drove under the influence of alcohol. The primary independent variable causing underage drinking is social acceptance. When teenagers enter college, they experience a new sense of freedom being away from home and they begin interacting with more people and attend more social events. The glamorous way in which drinking is portrayed in advertisements, movies and all media generally, has made drinking an integral part of celebrations and having fun. Thus no social event and teenage party is complete without alcohol and the teens start drinking

Monday, August 26, 2019

How might the development of professional learning communities enhance Essay

How might the development of professional learning communities enhance teaching and learning in Design and Technology in the primary school - Essay Example All these characteristics ensure that a professional demonstrates expertise and dominance over his or her trade. Thus, professionalisation became a common trend among different occupations, and one that has received great attention from sociologists (Wueste, 1997). Whilst professionalisation is generally accepted as an important direction among occupations, it has received various criticism coming from different angles. Andrew Abbott’s main critic about the notion of professionalism are particular claims of theorists that â€Å"the evolution of professions are unidirectional; that the development of individual professions does not depend on that of others; that what professions do—the work as well as the requisit expertise—is less important than how they are orgnised to do it; that professions are homogeneous units; and that the process of professionalisation does not change over time† (Wueste, 1997, p. 8). Related to the last element identified by Abbot, another major critcism relies on the manner that professionalism is instituted. A number of occupations have developed higher levels of training and standards of practice to enhance their claims to professional status. However, Wilensky (1964) said that many of the se groups rested on a knowledge base which was either too general and vague, or too narrow. Their knowledge base was weak and not directly used by them. Professionalism is further complicated by copmeting modes of institutionalising expertise, such as commodification and beurocratic organization (Wuestes, 1997). Thus, a more preferred term was used by Etzioni (1969) to classify these occupations: semi-professionals. The field of education has been historically in constant threat of de-professionalisation (Bottery & Wright, 2000), and teachers may be seen as being prime examples of what Etzioni (1969) call as semi-professionals. Much of the issues are traced to how the educational

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Senior Class Gift Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Senior Class Gift - Essay Example Finally, in September 2006 the Young Alumni Trustee was named but the reorganization had left the members of the Senior Class Gift Committee with no clear responsibility The Young Alumni Trustee is a position on the Board of Trustees that is granted to a graduating senior each year. The successful program had been in effect since 1996 and each member that is awarded the position serves a three-year term. By April 2006, the selection committee had settled on two finalists, Cathleen Doan and Brian Levin. The winner was to be announced at commencement ceremonies on May 20. On April 25, 2006, students received an e-mail re-opening the application process and encouraging students to reapply. The selection committee justified their actions based on low student interest and lack of diversity among the applicants. Doan and Levin were still considered finalists, but Laurie Musgrove, Vice President of University Advancement, said they were seeing if "other students should be joining them as finalists". Robin Warde, Interim Director of Alumni Relations, said the concern was the small number of original student applicants. Warde noted that only 5 members of the class of 2006 had been interviewed and said, "something different needed to be done". It was apparent that the board had been remiss in addressing this problem sooner. According to Warde, they had been concerned over lack of participation in previous years. Musgrove and Warde, however, waited until the finalists had been selected to make the last minute changes. Musgrove had some misgivings and expressed the "wish that timing could be different". She continued to encourage Doan and Levin to stay in the process and viewed their withdrawal with "disappointment and dismay". Before commencement ceremonies, the Board of Trustees took control of the nominating process after overriding the previous decisions made by the nominating board. President Ronald Machtley and BOT Chairman Thomas Taylor headed the new selection committee. No winner was announced at that time. In September 2006, the Bryant University Board of Trustees (BOT) named Saddi Williams as the 2006 Young Alumnus Trustee at their annual meeting during Homecoming Weekend. The BOT also established the Bryant Senior Advisory Council (BSA), a 30 member committee comprised of students that will be the pool for next year's applicants. Warde has made a commitment to working with students all year and promoting a wide representation on the BSA. The controversy that began in April 2006 had not gone away by September. The creation of the BSA created another debate over the Senior Class Gift program. During the summer of 2006, Shannon Maldonando and I (Amr Zawawi) worked to develop a "comprehensive plan for the 2007 Senior Class Gift". However, on September 22, 2006 the President's office released a press statement that said, "The Bryant Senior Advisory Council shall also act as a core group to engage the senior class in developing a plan for their class gift". This resulted in confusion and further divisiveness surrounding the role of Moldanado and I in the gift selection process. The controversial changes that began in April 2006 had continued to linger and in attempting to correct past problems resulted in creating new controversies. Summer Plans The Senior Class Gift Committee had made a decision to begin working on the project at the earliest possible date. We all

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Business Management And Leadership - Planning (U2DB) Essay

Business Management And Leadership - Planning (U2DB) - Essay Example Reachable goals are summarized to be specific, simple, significant, strategic, measurable, rational, tangible, written, shared, and consistent with your values. It is important for an organization to follow these guidelines. In line with this, United Way of America (2008) sets â€Å"three 10-year goals† specifying what their primary goal mentioned above: First, cut down the number of drop out students; second, cut down the number of families who have unstable incomes; and third, increase the percentage of healthy Americans in giving them access to health care benefits. These goals conform to the simple yet straightforward keys to succeed in their attempts to promulgate the cause of the organization. The United Way of America is an organization rapidly growing because they tap all the important sectors in the communities to help them reach their goals. â€Å"So we bring together people from all across the community–government, business, faith groups, nonprofits, the labor movement, ordinary citizens–to tackle the issues† (United Way of America, 2008). The organization knows how significant it is if peoples from all walks of life are able to help one another. It is not just the monetary aspect that can help achieving changing the lives of many. For United Way of America it takes the whole America to help its peoples to come up with solutions, and act out to win their

Friday, August 23, 2019

Congressional Earmarks Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Congressional Earmarks - Research Paper Example Soft earmarks are those earmarking processes that allow the congressmen to be able to allocate this money, without having to conform to any legal binding. This leaves a big loophole in the budgeting process, and the congressmen are able to take advantage of this and therefore make it difficult for any process to be utilized to hinder this. As Williamson (2009) argues, since the main problem as seen is the fact that there is no clear legislation regarding the issue, the only solution that would offer a firm solution, would be one that would make it possible for this process to be controlled by the law. Having another body to control this process, will only add another layer of corruption and inconvenience, and will therefore never help. Since the American democracy is built around the constitution and the rule of law, embedding this issue in the law would be the only way to have a successful system, which will be able to make sure that earmarking is not abused by the members of

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Student Survival Guide Essay Example for Free

Student Survival Guide Essay To survive my academic career at University of Phoenix, many things will help me while going through the program. This Survival Guide will remind me about: the general Internet skills needed to be successful, how to use my student website and the University Library resources, how to set up and achieve my goals, how to uphold academic honesty, how to manage my time wisely, how to foster my reading comprehension and retention, and how to adapt my work habits to fit my personality. General Internet Skills. The University of Phoenix Associates Level Material: Appendix D (2012) states, there are four different forums with different purposes where discussions take place: Main, Chat Room, Course Materials and an Individual Forum. Main Forum Used for class discussion, Discussion Questions, and to reply to discussion questions Only instructor posts new threads Under Questions thread for each week, post general questions that could benefit the entire class regarding an assignment Use a professional tone Chat Room. students can create new threads or messages and reply to other messages discussion about things not related to an assignment or discussion question use a more casual tone Course Materials Forum only instructors can post in this forum syllabus, weekly assignments, and course information is posted here reading links or other materials will be posted here Individual Forum private messages between me and my instructor about my grade or specific questions about my assignment use profession communication. Keeping my audience in mind allows me to use the correct tone and wording when communicating with others in writing. When performing research for a writing assignment or for use in a forum, looking for unbiased work, a peer reviewed source, one that cannot be changed by the public, has an author, or ends in . edu or . gov are likely to be reputable and worth reading. Reading the synopsis of a webpage will help to determine if the work is politically biased or if it will pertain to the assignment. Validated resources should always be used. University of Phoenix and University Library Resources. While taking courses through University of Phoenix I am given access to my Student Website where all of my classes will be held and where I can use the school’s resources. Many different resources are available under the Library tab: Technological Tools Available University Library Library services Research/peer reviewed material Ask a librarian Useful links Reference and citation generator APA information Grammar and writing guides Center for Writing Excellence Writing and style guidelines Tutorials and guides Submit a paper for review WritePoint Plagiarism Checker. Center for Mathematics Excellence Building math confidence Live tutoring Phoenix Career Services Job Market Research Explore jobs in particular geographical areas Search jobs by type of work, employer, or degrees Career plan Career Interests Profiler Competencies Work culture preferences Reasoning aptitude Resume builder Upload current resume Create new resume Import resume from LinkedIn Career resources Exploring careers Career profile videos Executing your job search Job search tips Advice for employees looking to change careers Marketing yourself Interviewing Interview Preparation video  Resumes and Cover Letters Sample resumes and cover letters Managing your Career Employment partners More resources are available, but these are ones I can see myself using. In the Center for Writing Excellence, the most useful resources are WritePoint, Plagiarism Checker, and the resource and citation generator. The features of Phoenix Career Services will be useful when looking for a job, creating a resume, or needing career advice. Conducting research using the University Library can save time since all of the items have already been verified and are from reliable resources. Tutoring and activities to refresh my math skills prior to taking a math class are available in the Center for Mathematics Excellence. Setting and Achieving Goals The Phoenix Career Services Career Plan home page has a list of my long-term goals with due dates. To meet those goals, short-term goals must be met, and this page must be reviewed often and necessary changes made in order to keep realistic deadlines. Using the SMART goals system: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Frame; will ensure my goals are things that will be achieved. Creating exact goals with specific details, measurable progress, attainability, relevance, and a time frame will help reach my goals. (Chapter 4, Page 102, Carter, Bishop, Kravits, 2011) Obstacles may force me to reevaluate my goal deadlines to verify they are still attainable. Long-term goals can be flexible, but should never vanish completely. A degree from University of Phoenix will allow me many opportunities when looking for a job. Upholding Academic Honesty To uphold academic honesty I need to review the Student Code of Academic Integrity at least once a year or if there are changes to it. A violation of the Student Code of Academic Integrity could have severe consequences including expulsion from school, depending on the severity of the dishonest action. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, double-dipping or dovetailing, fabrication of information, unauthorized assistance, copyright infringement, misrepresentation, and collusion are all academically dishonest. (University of Phoenix, 2011) I can avoid academic dishonesty by citing every resource I use, submitting my work to the Plagiarism Checker, and making sure my work is no more than 20% copied information. Managing Time Wisely Awareness of how much time is spent on different activities throughout the day and adjusting those activities accordingly, can allow me to effectively manage my time. Keeping a diary of activities for a couple of days every few months will allow me see how much time is spent doing certain activities, and can help me shift time from one activity to another. Caring for my family will always be my first priority. Since I am not working outside of the home, school is my second priority. Allowing myself time to de-stress and relax is important, but needs to be kept to a minimum so I am not spending hours on end playing games or reading Facebook. Fostering Reading Comprehension and Retention Using the SQ3R method in all of my academic reading assignments will enhance my reading comprehension. (Chapter 7, Page 191, Carter, Bishop, Kravits, 2011) â€Å"SQ3R is an acronym for survey, question, read, recite, and review. † (Chapter 7, Page 190, Carter, Bishop, Kravits, 2011) Surveying reading assignments allows me to look for bold words and headings which I can write my questions about. (Chapter 7, Pages 191-192, Carter, Bishop, Kravits, 2011) Finding the main idea of what I am reading, prioritizing key points, and highlighting information that stands out will help during the review phase. (Chapter 7, Page 196, Carter, Bishop, Kravits, 2011) Reciting the answers to the questions I raised will help me commit the information to memory. (Chapter 7, Page 197, Carter, Bishop, Kravits, 2011) Reviewing my questions and answers, summarizing the highlighted portions, and quizzing myself on different aspects of the material during the review phase will also be helpful. (Chapter 7, Page 198, Carter, Bishop, Kravits, 2011) Another study technique is using flashcards so I can memorize important information, especially vocabulary words or historical dates. Using study skill that work with my multiple intelligences can be helpful. Moving around while reviewing flashcards, listening to music while reading, or cutting and pasting material I have read into documents with similar ideas could all be advantageous to my studying skills. (Chapter 7, Page 204, Carter, Bishop, Kravits, 2011) When highlighting I should avoid over marking and use a regular pen or pencil instead of a highlighter. (Chapter 7, Page 205, Carter, Bishop, Kravits, 2011) Making notes in the margins will help master content. (Chapter 7, Page 206, Carter, Bishop, Kravits, 2011) Adapting Work Habits to Fit My Personality Located in the Phoenix Career Services tab on the Library page are items to survey different areas of my personality: career interests, personal competencies, work culture preferences, and reasoning aptitude. Knowledge of my personal competencies can be advantageous in all aspects of my life. I am one to follow instructions, to cooperate, and to adhere to values. University of Phoenix’s My Career Plan page defines following directions as â€Å"appropriately follows instructions from others without unnecessarily challenging authority; follows procedures and policies; keeps to schedules; arrives punctually for work and meetings; demonstrates commitment to the organization; complies with legal obligations and safety requirements of the role. â€Å" (University of Phoenix, 2013) I do not like to be late no matter what. I thrive when there are policies, procedures and schedules to follow. I do what I am asked, remain organized, and confirm compliance with any laws when necessary. Defined on University of Phoenix’s My Career Plan someone who cooperates â€Å"shows respect for the views and contributions of other team members; shows empathy; listens, supports and cares for others; consults others and shares information and expertise with them; builds team spirit and reconciles conflict; adapts to the team and fits in well. † (University of Phoenix, 2013) Working as a team where I can share information with others respectfully, support each other’s ideas and expertise, and have an environment that is well designed with all the necessary resources in order for me to do my job well are also part of my personality. (University of Phoenix, 2013) Adhering to values means I do not change what I believe in or who I am, but University of Phoenix’s My Career Plan defines adhering to values as â€Å"upholds ethics and values; demonstrates integrity; promotes and defends equal opportunities, builds diverse teams; encourages organizational and individual responsibility towards the community and the environment. † (University of Phoenix, 2013) My reasoning aptitude page says, â€Å"Your profile shows you could work well in careers that use both cognitive abilities and practical skills. You may be attracted to practical work or to analytical work, or to careers that allows you to combine practical skills and thinking. † (University of Phoenix, 2013) I love having challenges in my career, and learning new skills or trying new tasks. Conclusion This Survival Guide provides information for continued success throughout my academic career at University of Phoenix. Keeping my goals up-to-date with deadlines will ensure that I meet my long-term goals, and do not lose sight of what I have set out to accomplish. I will review my goals and this guide often as a reminder of everything available to me for my success. References Appendix D. (2013). University of Phoenix: Associate Level Material, Version 10(Unknown), , 1. Carter, C. , Bishop, J. , Kravits, S. L. (2011). Keys to Effective Learning: Study Skills and Habits for Success (6th ed. ). Boston, MA: Pearson. University of Phoenix. (2011). Student Code of Academic Integrity. Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/studentdocuments/uophx/academic_integrity. htm University of Phoenix. (2013). Phoenix Career Services: My Career Plan: Career Competencies. Retrieved from.

Whistle Blowing Essay Example for Free

Whistle Blowing Essay The challenger disaster that took place in January 28 has led to the explosion of the shuttle itself and the death of all the crew members including the chosen teacher. A real disaster that occurred due to some wrong decisions and overriding some important information from professional employees within the company is considered a real catastrophe. Applying pressure on senior management team of the company that has developed the rocket in order to change their opinion about launching can be considered to be another catastrophe. All these misjudgment actions from the NASA team and the Morton Thiokol team have lead to the challenger real crisis. Whistle blowing A whistle blower is a person who reveals some wrong actions done by his employer or the company he works for in an investigation or to some authority and in some cases to public and press. This is mainly the case of Boisjoly who reveled during the commission investigation all the information he had regarding the problems that they discovered within the shuttle and the way the NASA reacted towards the problem and the way Morton Thiokol ignored the problem and refused to scrub the launch and went with the launch that caused the explosion of the challenger and the death of the seven crew members. Whistle blowers are heroes in the eyes of some people and they are betrayers in the eyes of other. From here rises the conflict of whistle blowers. Looking at the whole idea of whistle blowing we can easily say that this act has its harms and its benefits. Concerning benefits this would be the end of the any wrongdoing by any employer, management team or employees and this means consequences of wrong acts would be eliminated. As for the weakness or the harm of such practice it would cause terminations for the employee who performed the whistle blowing act, the work environment if he continued would be hard because the employer and the fellow employees will always think of him as the betrayer who took the secrets of the company publicly. Conclusion Challenger exploded 73 seconds after its launch and this means that the problem was massive and it needed to be addressed. People watching the launch and families who lost beloved ones needed to know what really happened and who was responsible for their great loss. Children who were watching their teacher joining the crew needed to know what the reason that this person died was. From all what preceded the truth should have appeared and the company should not treated Boisjoly a whistle blower because he showed the world what really happened and didn’t take into consideration the image of the company in the eyes of people and government. Failing to produce quality products and putting lives on the edge is not something that can be ignored and from here we can easily say that whistle blowers are heroes and not betrayers. Question 1:Do you regard Boisjoly as a disloyal employee or a heroic whistle blower? Why? Boisjoly in my opinion is not a disloyal employee. Although I agree to the saying that secrets of work should not be announced to anybody outside the company but is mainly when there is something regarding progress and success key elements and not wrongdoings that causes problems. In the case of challenger, seven people died from the explosion. The company was aware of the problem and they decided to ignore it and go on with the launch of the challenger. Boisjoly reported the problem and tried to convince the Morton Thiokol to scrub the launch but NASA had their way to convince the management to ignore everything and launch challenger. This led to the crisis. Families of the crew who died on challenger had the right to know what happened and this is what Boisjoly did and this is not betrayal but showing the truth behind a crisis. What he did also will definitely help the company make sure not ignore problems and solve them first in order not to reach this situation again. Question 2: Did Morton Thiokol treat Boisjoly fairly? Why or why not?  Explain We can easily say that the company was not fair in the way they treated Boisjoly after what happened and they have blamed him for the situation the company was facing. The environment they made him work within where he was looked at as a betrayal who took the secrets of the company out to the public and press was hard for him. They did not feel that what they did caused a disaster and they need to take responsibility for their actions. They only felt betrayed by Boisjoly and this is unfair by all means. They have treated him in a way that led to his resignation at the end because the work environment was no longer acceptable for him. Question 3: what if anything, ought Morton Thiokol managers have done differently? Explain Looking at the problem and the disaster that occurred due to some wrongdoing from the management team of Morton Thiokol we can say that they should have considered their engineers report, they should have scrub the launch of the challenger and not accept the pressure that NASA performed on the management team to ignore the report and go on with launching. If they have done so they would have been able to overcome the disaster, solve the problem and launch challenger on latter date. The management team failed to take the right decision.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

How to Promote Tourism

How to Promote Tourism In the 1960s, internet was used to applying computers for sharing information on research and development in scientific and military fields. In 1962 a global network of computers was proposed by Licklider of MIT. The developing progress of using internet continued till 1991 when Tim Berners Lee proposed the concept of HTML .With the advent of the web browser, the internet has grown to become a information supplier and in the recent years a commercialization tool. The origin of the commercial use of internet mostly contained of vendors providing basic networking products, and basic internet services. Nowadays Internet is used as an global information infrastructure for supporting other commercial services (Baggio, 2007; Wu, 2010).In the last decades the performance of organizations and their competing way have influenced by internet (Porter, 1993). On the other hand internet has created a new economic environment for doing business, providing rapid communication of information, access ible globally and negligible cost (Rayman-Bacchus Molina, 2001). Internet provides a great deal of information directly accessible at low costs on prices, products and gain opportunities. The efficiency of internet has been increased by the multiplication of infomediaries offering easier access to the information, the creation of shopbots comparing prices or selecting sites according different choice criteria(Smith Brynjolfsson, 2001). Tourism and internet Tourism is particularly adapted to highlight the nature of the upheavals implied by the development of internet in service activities and it was one of the primal industries applying internet and electronic commerce (Buhalis, 1998; Oconnor Frew, 2008). Internet has enabled tourism industry to broadcast tourism and travel related information to customers all around the world , in a direct, cost minimizing , and time effective way(Buhalis, 1998; Inkpen Board, 1998; Poon, 1993; Sheldon, 1997). The era of mass communication has transformed the tourist gaze( Rayman-Bacchus and Molina 2001 p.592).The develpoment of the internet empowered the new tourist who is becoming knowledgeable and is seeking exceptional value for money and time. Internet is not only a source of information but also an important vector of transactions. Online sales is growing considerably in tourism industry (Jeong Ohand Mary, 2003; Weber, Murphy, Schegg, Murphy, 2005).The number of online sales is increasing dramatically with a large number of successful online booking platforms in the different areas of tourism such as transportation, accommodation, package deals or regional offers(Gratzer, Werthner, Winiwarter, 2004) and most tourism organizations such as hotels, airlines, and travel agencies have applied internet technologies as part of their marketing and communication strategies (Buhalis Law, 2008). The result of an European study about the use of internet in tourism showed that the use of internet for marketing purpose is more common in touism industry comparing with other industries. Finding showed that among tourism related industries, air travels and hotels apply internet marketing more than others. More than one in three tourist enterprise in Europe( or twice as many as in other sectors combined) sell their products online and this share is increasingly rapidly (European Commission 2003). Internet marketing is suitable for tourism services because of their intangibility as well as high price, risk, and involvement levels. By online searches, travelers can access to more in-depth materials and deeper content compared with conventional promotional agents(Govers FM, 2003). Internet is the most popular channel to research information, find the best price and reservation for travelers (Laudon Traver, 2001). Countries use internet to promote tourism to gain advantages such as (Buhalis Law, 2008) : Enhancement in the competitiveness and performance of tourism industry businesses ,creating opportunity for selling tourism product to potential tourists , displaying information at electronic speed, Distribution costs are decreased and an increasing proportion of internet users are buying online and tourism will gain a larger and larger share of online customer market.(Lu Lu, 2004), Direct communication is created between tourism suppliers and tourists for purchasing services and also requesting information. As a result travel suppliers can understand each customers needs, and therefore target each customer individually and deliver tailor-made products(Buhalis Law 2008). It is needless to say that it is essential that in order to obtain competitive advantage, a tourism enterprise/destination must use IT well before its competitors otherwise it would not be able to achieve any competitive advantage. For example American Hospital Supply made an innovative use of online order entry t erminals before its competitors and captured lions share of market (Eraqi, 2006). Several tourism organizations/destinations have exploited IT in their pursuit of competitive advantage. It is, however, not necessary that a tourism organization/destination achieving competitive edge will always sustain it because their competitors can copy IT easily and quickly and new IT capabilities are also available to every competitor in the market(OBrien, 1992). However, tourist business sector managers need to align IT strategies to their business strategies and take the dimensions of e-quality into consideration such as performance, features, reliability, durability, serviceability, conformance, perceived quality and aesthetics (Madu Madu, 2002) when making decision related to the use of IT for effective tourism strategic marketing(Eraqi, 2009) Tourism organization/destination management must understand that IT is only a tool and competitive advantage can only be achieved via creative and in novative use of that tool (Morrison et. al. 2000; Fuchs 2004). In addition to these advantages , it is suggested that public agencies involved in tourism development also are increasingly using the internet. These agencies use internet to promote the attractions of their respective nations, enhancing the economic benefits by :hypertext links to commercial service providers, varying degrees of interactivity ; and 3) accessibility in multiple languages( Rayman-Bacchus and Molina 2001). Chalwon Kim (2004) did a research to recognize problems and solutions related electronic commerce in the tourism industry in Korea. Inform. The findings showed that benefits of e-commerce from the view point of cutomers are : providing easy access to information on tourism services, providing better information on tourism services and providing convenience for customers. This research suggested that security of the e-commerce system and user-friendly web interface are the two key factors for successful tourism e-commerce practice Representation of tourism place in the internet In the tourism industry creation and promotion of destination images is the specific aspect of place representation. A destination image is the picture which those promoting a country-government travel bureaus, airlines, hotels, service industries, and travel companies- wish to portray to outsiders, particularly foreign tourists(Jenkins, 1999). The destination image reflects how the promoter views the country and what aspects of its people, landscape, and culture they wish to recognize. In tourism industry promoters ary to present positive of the countrys history and attractions, to attract visitors. Guide books, brochures, maps and websites are the products using by promoters to entice visitors(Price, 2008).Because of the popularity of using internet as the primary information source, among tourists ,travel information mediums, such as travel websites are important destination image indicators. The number of tourists that use internet to find destination information is increasing dr amatically . In the other hand internet has become the major information source for traveler (Doolin, Burgess, Cooper, 2002; Gursoy McCleary, 2004; Price, 2008; Wiig). A website looks to be a major tool to conduct business in the tourism field( and, probably, it will be the only one in the future) tool to conduct business in the tourism field (Doolin, et al., 2002). Jackson and Purcell (1997 p. 220) note that the internet allows users (i.e. tourism companies) to present information to their target audience without an intermediary to censor or structure the data in either content or form. In their analysis of the websites of states once part of Yugoslavia, they found that the states used symbolic imagery and text to strengthen the users perceptions of place (Purcell,1997 p.235).So tourism providers need to understand how to maximize the persuasiveness of their websites. In the other hand the principal role of destination website is affecting travel- related decision making, convert ing potential tourists to real visitors . Because of high competition among travel and hospitality , market leaders and followers should differentiate their websites by developing creative measures to attract and satisfy customers (Pastore, 2001). Pastore (2001) noted that leading travel companies have been absorbing online customers, gaining purchase decisions and building a satisfying experience , so creating customer loyalty and repeat purchase intention. It is essential for tourism companies to use new technological development and fullest potential of internet by continuously redesigning their websites ,creating ease of use and more personalization(Baloglu Pekcan, 2006; Connolly, Olsen, Moore, 1998). Because of high rate of competition among tourism industry, importance of website design as a marketing medium is becoming increasingly important . Web should not be only considered as an communication channel for decreasing physical interaction but also as an advertising medium(Rowley, 2004). Effective web design leads t o attract, entice, and retain the online traveler(D. Kim, Morrison, Taylor, Lee, 2004). There are some factors which, contributes to the proliferation of travel on the internet including: making websites easy to use, improving the tourism website information, improving the functionality of travel sites like advance check in, printing of flight status check and using the software that has designed to anticipate users wants based on their travel history and preferences (Transportation Group International, L.C.,2002). Doolin, Burgess, and Cooper (2002, p. 557) state thatthe internet, which offers global reach and multimedia capability, is an increasingly important means of promoting and distributing tourist information. Destination websites have developed to market and promote local, regional, or national destinations(Blain, Levy, Ritchie, 2005; Palmer McCole, 2000).After introducing first travel websites in the mid-1990s (Blain, et al., 2005), gaining these benefits were expected including: increasing market share, absorbing new customers, retaining more customers and increasing customer satisfaction (Sussmann Baker, 1996). Destination websites have been and continue to be challenged online particularly with regard to their level of sophistication, quality of websites, diversity of travel websites, as well as online marketing and promotion (Hudson Lang, 2002). The result of a study done by Choi, Wong and Fesenmaier (2006) revealed that design of destination websites, promotional strategies and customer relationship management programs have effects on success of web-marketing strategies. Tourism websites use online marketing in different capacities. For instance ,Hudson and Lang(2002) stated however ease of use factor that enables visitors navigate quickly through websites ,has noticed only in few tourism website designs. Another example is that some destination websites are still use elementary level of website features, without style and elegance , displaying information in a brochure-like mode, and low level of interaction ( Wang Fesenmaier, 2006). For instance destination websites should have deep information mostly regarding to attractions, shopping, restaurants, accommodation, and directions. It is worth considering that some tourism websites have advanced and effective features compare with their competitors. Interactivity , personalization, e-commerce related capabilities , and recommendation capabilities are some ways to increase the level of sophistication of travel websites (Wang Fesenmaier,2006). Furthermore, the content of tourism destination websites is particularly important because it directly influences the perceived image of the destination and creates a virtual experience for the consumer (Cooper 2002, p. 157). When visitors are new to the website and destination, experience and judgments made from surfing the website influence the overall image of the destination and the decision making process of whether or not to travel to the destination. If the destination image portrayed on the website is not satisfactory or the website is not well-designed and contains insufficient information, travellers are less likely to form a good impression towards a destination which, in turn, negatively influences the decision making process. There is a relationship between a positive experience and judgment formed through interaction with the destinaqtion website and actual visiting (Bar, Neta, Linz, 2006; Borkenau Liebler, 1992; Kenny, Horner, Kashy, Chu, 1992; Zebrowitz Collins, 1997). For example Wu (2010) analyzed 61 local tourism government websites in China and evaluated the effectiveness of the local tourism e-government with content analysis from the following aspects: website usage, administrative agencies, administration affairs, information service, administration service online and website design. The research suggested some improvements for the tourism government including: providing electronic map, connect telephone and multi media for download, building bbs or forum for advice, improving declare online for tourism practitioners and sett ing up feedback mechanism, making the website more attractive to enhance the usage efficiency. Website design It is important to indentify which factors lead to the success of a website. Web design is a key factor for the website success (Flavian, Gurrea, Orà ºs, 2009) and it is necessary for companies to compete in the extremely competitive World Wide Web (Liang Lai, 2002; Ranganathan Ganapathy, 2002; Tan Wei, 2007). The website designing has been studied from different points of view(Childers, Carr, Peck, Carson, 2001; Hoque Lohse, 1999; S. Kim Stoel, 2004; Liang Lai, 2002).Web designing is the process of creating an artefact with structure of form which is planned, artistic, purposeful, and useful(cato 2001 ,p.3). A successful website is the attractive, trustworthy, dependable, and reliable for customers (Liu Arnett, 2000). From a consumer point of view , all these characteristics should be considered in website designing in order to increase online visits or purchase intensions (cato 2001). Following this concept Flavian (2009) did a research to identify website aspects that in fluence users perceptions and behaviours from a marketing point of view .An extensive literature review was developed emphasising the special role that web design could play in the interaction user-interface. Besides, the methodology related to benchmarking allows firms to know the best practices and to learn some key lessons for developing their business online. The research proposed a guidelines for the development of successful e-commerce websites. Appearance ,Navigation, Content and Shopping process are the key aspects that shoud be considered in order to improve e-commerce websites. In the guidelines some tools have introduced for each aspect . Guidelines are basis for development of websites but some website designers without considering visitors needs , only notice to challenges of technology, designing sophisticated websites (Zhang 2005). Industry experts and consultants have proposed different frameworks and guidelines for designing commercial websites , but there is no uni fied view on its key characteristics .The key characteristics of commercial websites can be divided to design and content. Information, features and offering services by website consist content, while the way of presenting content to customers refers to website design(Huizingh, 2000). Buying process can be divided to two stages: information evaluation and information search. Purchase decision process is affected by the content of website. The website information should be sufficient for decision making, but not too much , resulting in information overload (Taylor Joudrey, 2004). Users should be allowed locate and select merchandise that best satisfies their needs. Not only information content but also navigation tools influences the usefulness of websites. Navigation toolslike search engines help users to locate merchandise and related information in a website (Krug, 2005).For example users of Cdnow.com can search based on the song title, album title and artist name. Before final purchase decision , consumers tend to evaluate of alternatives. Online shopping creates the opportunity to comparison of alternatives. Decision aids have positive influence on online purchase decisions .Some websites like Excite and My Simon offer decision aids , helping users for making product-price comparisons. For instance in Dells web site (www.dell.com) , consumer custom build a computer and compare prices for different computer configurations. Another example is Priceline website which offers calender as a decision aid. Decision aids can be useful in tourism destination websites. For instance destination website n can offer tools for trip-price comparisons based on different accommodations etc. Another significant different between traditional retailing and online selling is related to the extent of interaction between customer and seller. Commercial websites should serve electronic interactivity by means of email and frequently asked questions (FAQs),answering qu estions about products and services or payment. However consumers visit websites with FAQ more than websites without it, FAQ section and interactive email are not seen in many websites. Traditional FAQ sections helped users a little ,offering no assistance and information), flexible interactioninterface, etc(Yang, 2009). Despite of internet technical developments Such as electronic signatures ,Security of the transactions is one of the common concern in online shopping . Since perceived security have direct effect on online buying intention , some commercial websites offer telephonic transactions or checks and individual accounts (Grabner-Kraeuter, 2002). As it mentioned above website design affects on attracting , sustaining and retaining the interest of a customer at a site. The design have the same importance that content have. Ease of navigation, page download time and improving the visual appeal of websites by using multimedia are the principals should take into consideration for website designing. Out of these factors , ease of the navigation is the most important one(Srikant Yang, 2001).Today websites are becoming more complex and users have difficulties to find desired information, spending too much time ,surfing webs(Kilfoil, et al.). To reduce the amount of irrelevant information and infor mation overload , the common used tool is site map. The website information structure is defined by map, helping users to adjust the scope of their search. Some websites offer personalized sitemap which helps visitors navigation (Toolan Kusmerick, 2002). The other tool that websites can add to help users finding information is search toolbar. Despite the popularity of search toolbars, irrelevant and not sufficient information may be resulted(Han Kamber, 2006). The third solution to prevent overload and unwanted information is intelligent navigation aid tools, dividing to recommendation systems and adaptive website techniques . Some recommendation systems are collaborative filtering, content-based recommenders, utility-based recommenders, knowledge based recommenders, and demographic recommenders (Guttman, Moukas, Maes, 1998; Rich, 1979; Towle Quinn, 2000). Other one is adaptive website.The word adaptive refers to the ability of the website or tool to change its behavior based on the way it is used(Schafer, Konstan, Riedi, 1999).Two ways for building adaptive websites are: improving the website design as a whole or providing personalized navigation aid for individual visitors (Spiliopoulou Pohle, 2001). In the past information quality or usability have been considered as the most influential aspect of tourism websites for perusing visitors but now new strategies are needed to use website as a persuasive tool (H. Kim Fesenmaier, 2008). Figure 2.4 shows the progress of technology design(Fogg, et al., 2002). Foggs (2002) noted that it is important to understand how persuasive design of destination websites can be used to support conversion rates (converting site viewers to site users and moderate users to heavy users)and to create favorable images of destinations. The website that successfully persuade travel information searchers elicit a click-though (the desired outcome), which gives the website a second opportunity to interact with the searcher . When they first view the websites homepage, searchers automatically evaluate the website in terms of relevance and usefulness to their trip planning task. Make Technology Persuasive Make Technology Usable Make Technology Functional Figure 2.4 Progress of Technology Design Persuasion is the principal role of destination websites and it is important to understand how to use website design to create favorable images of destination and convert more site viewers to customers .Design of the website can increase persuasiveness in order to influence Internet users beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes in the manner desired by Internet marketers (Fogg, et al., 2001). Zhang and von Dran (2002)(P. Zhang von Dran, 2002) extended Herzbergs dual structure model to an online context to investigate hygiene andmotivating factors in Web design. In accordance with Herzberg, Zhang and von Dran(2002) argued that websites should necessarily include hygiene factors to avoid user dissatisfaction, while motivating factors can be employed on an added-value basis to optimize user satisfaction and enjoyment. And collection), while additional features like credibility, fun/entertainment, visual attractiveness, multimedia, etc are persuasive factors since they enhance the experienc e affectively. Websites should always incorporate hygiene factors like like informativeness and usability, while additional elements (trustworthiness, inspiration, involvement, and reciprocity) of destination websites should be considered persuasive variables(Y. Zhang Hiltz, 2003). By contrast, good examples of a motivating factor are, multimedia features (virtual tour, podcast, etc.) that enhance website visitors satisfaction with their experience and motivate their return to the site. The absence of these features would not necessarily lead to dissatisfaction with the website, as long as hygiene factors are provided (Zhang 2000). Kim (2008) studied the persuasive design of destination websites, proposing a conceptual model of first impression formation toward tourism destination websites .The influence of informativeness, usability, inspiration, involvement ,trustworthiness and reciprocity on tourists first impression were analyzed in this study. In the other word the purpose of the study was to investigate what persuasive design characteristics influence the formation of first impression toward destination websites. Result showed that informativeness is the most effective factor Perceived Persuasiveness. Destination websites must be informative and useful. In most cases, trip planners, however, tend to infer anticipated quality of information through website design. Thus, design of destination websites must be supportive for the contents. Certainly, informativeness must be conveyed, but a website that does not create a favourable impression at the beginning is typically not given a further chance to demonstr ate its value. informativeness, inspiration and involvement have direct effects on a first impression, and impression is directly related to an intention to use the website for trip planning. These results suggest that the Limited Completion Group of trip planners is more influenced by the visual attractiveness of Web design and their choice of website is accordingly based on the extent of a destination websites purely aesthetic appeal. In contrast, the Full Completion Group of trip planners is more likely to be influenced by the utility of destination websites. In other words, the more functional benefits the websites seem to provide, the more favorable their impression will be. This study identified six underlying dimensions of persuasiveness in destination websites, but it did not investigate the website elements that correspond to respective dimension of persuasiveness. Baggio, R. (2007). The web graph of a tourism system. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 379(2), 727-734. Baloglu, S., Pekcan, Y. (2006). The website design and internet site marketing practices of upscale and luxury hotels in Turkey. Tourism Management, 27(1), 171-176. Bar, M., Neta, M., Linz, H. (2006). Very first impressions. Emotion, 6(2), 269-278. Blain, C., Levy, S., Ritchie, J. (2005). Destination branding: Insights and practices from destination management organizations. Journal of Travel Research, 43(4), 328. Borkenau, P., Liebler, A. (1992). Trait inferences: Sources of validity at zero acquaintance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62(4), 645-657. Buhalis, D. (1998). Strategic use of information technologies in the tourism industry. Tourism Management, 19(5), 409-421. Buhalis, D., Law, R. (2008). Progress in information technology and tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the InternetThe state of eTourism research. Tourism Management, 29(4), 609-623. Childers, T., Carr, C., Peck, J., Carson, S. (2001). Hedonic and utilitarian motivations for online retail shopping behavior. Journal of Retailing, 77(4), 511-535. Connolly, D., Olsen, M., Moore, R. (1998). The Internet as a distribution channel. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 39(4), 42. Doolin, B., Burgess, L., Cooper, J. (2002). Evaluating the use of the Web for tourism marketing: a case study from New Zealand. Tourism Management, 23(5), 557-561. Eraqi, M. (2006). IT as a means for enhancing competitive advantage. ANATOLIA-ANKARA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH-, 17(1), 25. Eraqi, M. (2009). Integrated quality management and sustainability for enhancing the competitiveness of tourism in Egypt. International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 5(1), 14-28. Flavian, C., Gurrea, R., Orà ºs, C. (2009). Web design: a key factor for the website success. Journal of Systems and Information Technology, 11(2), 168-184. Fogg, B., Marshall, J., Laraki, O., Osipovich, A., Varma, C., Fang, N., et al. (2001). What makes Web sites credible?: a report on a large quantitative study. Fogg, B., Soohoo, C., Danielson, D., Marable, L., Stanford, J., Tauber, E. (2002). How do people evaluate a web sites credibility. Govers, R., FM, G. (2003). Deconstructing destination image in the information age. Information Technology # 38; Tourism, 6(1), 13-29. Grabner-Kraeuter, S. (2002). The role of consumers trust in online-shopping. Journal of Business Ethics, 39(1), 43-50. Gratzer, M., Werthner, H., Winiwarter, W. (2004). Electronic business in tourism. International Journal of Electronic Business, 2(5), 450-459. Gursoy, D., McCleary, K. (2004). Travelers prior knowledge and its impact on their information search behavior. Journal of Hospitality Tourism Research, 28(1), 66. Guttman, R., Moukas, A., Maes, P. (1998). Agent-mediated electronic commerce: A survey. The Knowledge Engineering Review, 13(02), 147-159. Han, J., Kamber, M. (2006). Data mining: concepts and techniques: Morgan Kaufmann. Hoque, A., Lohse, G. (1999). An information search cost perspective for designing interfaces for electronic commerce. Journal of Marketing Research, 36(3), 387-394. Howe, W. (2004). A brief history of the Internet: An anecdotal history of the people and communities that brought about the Internet and the Web. Retrieved June, 26, 2005. Hudson, S., Lang, N. (2002). A destination case study of marketing tourism online: Banff, Canada. Journal of vacation Marketing, 8(2), 155. Huizingh, E. (2000). The content and design of web sites: an empirical study. Information and Management, 37(3), 123-134. Inkpen, G., Board, A. N. T. (1998). Information technology for travel and tourism: Longman Harlow. Jenkins, O. (1999). Understanding and measuring tourist destination images. International Journal of Tourism Research, 1(1), 1-15. Jeong, M., Ohand Mary, H. (2003). Conceptualizing web site quality and its consequences in the lodging industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 22(2), 161-175. Kenny, D., Horner, C., Kashy, D., Chu, L. (1992). Consensus at zero acquaintance: Replication, behavioral cues, and stability. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62(1), 88-97. Kilfoil, M., Ghorbani, A., Xing, W., Lei, Z., Lu, J., Zhang, J., et al. Toward an adaptive web: The state of the art and science. Kim, D., Morrison, A., Taylor, S., Lee, J. (2004). An Exploratory Study of the Roles and Effectiveness of Advertising Channels: Printed vs. Internet in Marketing Hotels. Tourism of the Art, 2, 27-30. Kim, H., Fesenmaier, D. (2008). Persuasive design of destination web sites: An analysis of first impression. Journal of Travel Research, 47(1), 3. Kim, S., Stoel, L. (2004). Apparel retailers: website quality dimensions and satisfaction. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 11(2), 109-117. Krug, S. (2005). Dont Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to the Web: New Riders Publishing Thousand Oaks, CA, USA. Laudon, K., Traver, C. (2001). E-Commerce: Business. Technology. Society: Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc. Boston, MA, USA. Liang, T., Lai, H. (2002). Effect of store design on consumer purchases: an empirical study of on-line bookstores. Information Management, 39(6), 431-444. Liu, C., Arnett, K. (2000). Exploring the factors associated with Web site success in the context of electronic commerce. Information Management, 38(1), 23-33. Lu, J., Lu, Z. (2004). Development, distribution and evaluation of online tourism services in China. Electronic Commerce Research, 4(3), 221-239. Madu, C., Madu, A. (2002). Dimensions of e-quality. International Journal of Quality reliability management, 19(3), 246-258. OBrien, J. (1992). Management Information Systems: A Managerial End-User Perspective: McGraw-Hill Professional. Oconnor, P., Frew, A. (2008). Evaluating electronic channels of distribution in the hotel sector: A Delphi study. Journal of Information Technology Tourism, 3(34), 177. Palmer, A., McCole, P. (2000). The role of electronic commerce in creating virtual tourism destination marketing organisations. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12(3), 198-204. Pastore, M. (2001). Online travel market largely avoids economic slowdown. CyberAtlas. com, 23. Poon, A. (1993). Tourism, technology and competitive strategies: CAB international Wallingford. Porter, M. (1993). Technology and competitive advantage. Journal of Business Strategy, 5(3), 60-78. Price, W. (2008). The representatio

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Everyday Use Essay -- Literary Analysis, Alice Walker

The characters in â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker serve as a comparison between how family heritage and traditions are viewed. Walker illustrates that heritage is represented not by the possession of items or how they look, but buy how they are used, how one’s attitude is, and how they go about a daily lifestyle. Every memory or tradition in â€Å"Everyday Use† strengthens the separation in the relationship between Dee and her mother, the narrator, which involves different views on their family heritage. Mrs. Johnson, the mother, is described as, â€Å"a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands† (6). She tells some of her capabilities including, â€Å"I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man. . .I can work outside all day, breaking ice to get water for washing; I can eat pork liver cooked over the open fire minutes after it comes steaming from the hog† (6). This description informs readers that Mrs. Johnson has learned all the ways and traditions of her ancestors and knows how to survive from day to day. She and Maggie’s lives in the small home represent a simple, unsophisticated way of life. Dee, on the other hand is described as, â€Å"[light-skinned], with nicer hair and a fuller figure† who â€Å"wanted nice things† and â€Å"had a style of her own† (7). The clothes Dee wears and the phrases she uses to greet her mother and sister show that she has no real understanding of her background and where she comes from. Th is shows Dee to be materialistic, complex, and lead a life where heritage is looked upon as a trend and not for what it really represents. Although neither Maggie nor Mrs. Johnson are very well educated they show an understanding of where they come from. Mrs. Johnson and the community raised money to send Dee to a school... ...cause she had been â€Å"savin ‘em for long enough with nobody using ‘em† (12). After Dee gets the picture she walks out of the house and tells her mother â€Å"You just don’t understand. . .Your heritage. . .† (13). Dee is in fact the one who does not understand. Dee thinks of heritage to be as tangible as hanging the quilt on her wall or using the churn as a decoration for her table. Her mother, on the other hand, knows about traditions and heritage. Using the quilts would put the memories of their ancestors to everyday use. â€Å"Everyday Use† shows readers that heritage and culture is not speaking in a foreign language, wearing different clothes, or the changing of one’s name. One’s heritage and culture is taught and learned through generations, not just picked up. Walker illustrates that a person who truly has heritage and culture makes use of it every day of their life.

Monday, August 19, 2019

COMPARISONOF MILITARY LEADERSHIP THROUGHOUT THE AGES Essay -- essays r

COMPARISONOF MILITARY LEADERSHIP THROUGHOUT THE AGES No leader should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no leader should fight a battle simply out of pique. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life. Hence the enlightened leader is heedful, and the good leader is full of caution. - Sun Tzu Introduction Tommy Franks, general of the American Army states that soldeirs should have a high competance in their workplace, are caring, direct to their peers and sub-ordinates, hard and tough in all conditions, thoughtful to the people of all and most importantly a leader. He states â€Å"You would have to be a coward if you were a commander and you were not afraid for your men†. Understanding that statement leadership is not the same in all levels. Majors and Leuitenant Colenels are not leading a section into battle, but on the flip side you don’t see a lance corporal moving battalions stragecally over the battlefield. This is the fact that leaders of all levels sometimes forget, that everyone in the army is a leader of some respect. Although there are obviously many inspiring leaders, although the following leaders chosen have different appraoaches to the way that they led their country. These leaders show the way that you can bring a country from strength to strength with leadership skills. These include the up and down life of Sadaam Hussein, Triumph and loss of Adolf Hitler, the coming from nothing to the conquering Napoleon and finally the comparison of the great to the poor leaders. This essay will enlighten the issues of leadership of well known leaders and compare them with the text leader from the Australian point of veiw. It will also bring current leaders into a perspective to compare them with the leaders of yesteryear and provide an argument where they may have gone wrong. What is a leader? Australian Defence force definiton of leadership is; leadership is the continuous influencing and directing of men in tasks which they accomplish their willing obedience, confidence, respect and loyalty in the manner urged by the leader. Qualities of leadership involve leading by example with the use of the following traits; Motivation, Courage – physical and moral, Decisiveness, Responsibility, iniative, integrity, judgement, knowledge, loyalty, selflessness ... ...e and has no integrity. Saddam did show a lot of initative though, ordering his armies into neighbouring countries and conquering them. On the other hand Napoleon and Alexander the Great are very similar in their leadership traits. This is because Napolean studied many battles of Alexander and moulded himself to act like the leaders of that era. Alexander was the break through of technology with the long bow and cavalry, where as Napoleon proved Sun Tzu 1963, The Art of War (translated by S. Griffith), Oxford University Press, London, p. 10 Most influential people of the world dor 2003. 2030 9th Jan 2004 Channel 10 as above Leadership Theory and Practice - green as above Small Unit leadership Ritter, S. and Riverspit, W. 2002, War on Iraq – What team Bush doesn’t want you to know, Context Books, New York p. 5 Harris, B. 2003, URL: www.moreorless.au.com/killers/hussein.htm Ritter, Brevic, M 1999, Warfare: Alexander the Great, Digital Attack p. 2 URL:http://www.pvv.ntnu.no/~madsb/home/war/alex/ General Failings URL:http://www.insead.fr/mauborgne/newsppracticles/FT/FT%20General%20Failings%20061202.htm as above as above as above as above as above Brevik as above as above Brevic

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Sugar :: social issues

Sugar Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Although a lot of people do not realize that every single gram of sugar decreases the healthiness of the product by a large percent. From the moment infants first taste lactose in the milk, humans seem to find sweetness alluring. The refined sucrose we usually call â€Å"sugar† is very popular product on the market. Even though this product considered very unhealthy and sometimes harmful, I think it still plays its role and still make the world spin. It gives people a lot of energy; it gives us joy and happiness. But in this world, everything has its consequence. After the joy and after the happiness comes diabetes, tooth decay, excess body fat. It’s really hard to believe that something so sweet can produce that kind of damage. So how did sugar became such an important commodity in our community and the rest of the world? Sugar is one of the oldest and best documented of all of the medieval commodities. Exactly what form, quality and price this commodity achieved could be variable enough to create material for disagreement whenever the product is discussed. What we do know is that it was much more widespread than is commonly believed. The discovery of sugarcane, from which sugar, as it is known today, is derived, dates back unknown thousands of years. It is thought to have originated in New Guinea, and was spread along routes to Southeast Asia and India. The process known for creating sugar, by pressing out the juice and then boiling it into crystals, was developed in India around 500 BC. In 510 BC, hungry soldiers of the Emperor Darius were near the river Indus, when they discovered some "reeds which produce honey without bees". Evidently this early contact with the Asian sources of sugar cane made no great impression, so it was left to be re-discovered in 327 BC by Alexander the Great, who spread it's culture through Persia and introduced it in the Mediterranean. This was the beginning of one of the best documented products of the Middle Ages. The sugar wasn’t cultivated in Europe until the Middle Ages. Arabs traders were first to bring sugar to Spain. Christopher Columbus’s voyage to America was the way sugarcane made it to North America. It was a gift from him to â€Å"West Indians†. There this plant found a great environment to spread in. Sugar :: social issues Sugar Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Although a lot of people do not realize that every single gram of sugar decreases the healthiness of the product by a large percent. From the moment infants first taste lactose in the milk, humans seem to find sweetness alluring. The refined sucrose we usually call â€Å"sugar† is very popular product on the market. Even though this product considered very unhealthy and sometimes harmful, I think it still plays its role and still make the world spin. It gives people a lot of energy; it gives us joy and happiness. But in this world, everything has its consequence. After the joy and after the happiness comes diabetes, tooth decay, excess body fat. It’s really hard to believe that something so sweet can produce that kind of damage. So how did sugar became such an important commodity in our community and the rest of the world? Sugar is one of the oldest and best documented of all of the medieval commodities. Exactly what form, quality and price this commodity achieved could be variable enough to create material for disagreement whenever the product is discussed. What we do know is that it was much more widespread than is commonly believed. The discovery of sugarcane, from which sugar, as it is known today, is derived, dates back unknown thousands of years. It is thought to have originated in New Guinea, and was spread along routes to Southeast Asia and India. The process known for creating sugar, by pressing out the juice and then boiling it into crystals, was developed in India around 500 BC. In 510 BC, hungry soldiers of the Emperor Darius were near the river Indus, when they discovered some "reeds which produce honey without bees". Evidently this early contact with the Asian sources of sugar cane made no great impression, so it was left to be re-discovered in 327 BC by Alexander the Great, who spread it's culture through Persia and introduced it in the Mediterranean. This was the beginning of one of the best documented products of the Middle Ages. The sugar wasn’t cultivated in Europe until the Middle Ages. Arabs traders were first to bring sugar to Spain. Christopher Columbus’s voyage to America was the way sugarcane made it to North America. It was a gift from him to â€Å"West Indians†. There this plant found a great environment to spread in.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Shild critical thinking questions Essay

Describe and give examples of changes in your child’s exploratory or problem solving behavior from 8 through 18 months and categorize them according to Piagetian and information processing theories. Note that 8 months is included, so you’ll need to use the time-line to look back at 8 months for examples. Starting at 8 months my child has already gone through the first 3 sub stages of Piaget’s six sub stages of the sensorimotor stage. Simple reflexes was demonstrated while feeding, first habits and primary circular reactions where shown when studying things while looking at them and not touching. Secondary circular reactions happened when playing with toys like a rattle. Coordination of secondary circular reactions were seen when you would try to find a toy that was hidden, and even if the spot was changed would still look and find it under another toy. An example of the tertiary circular reactions was when in the bath he would push his toys under water and watch how the further he pushed down the higher they would pop back up. For the beginnings of thought he now seems interested in dancing or singing along to music, and will respond to it. Information processing approach I can categorize the finding of the hidden toy as the encoding, storage and retrieval, because initially he could not find it, then could find it but not if you changed the location, and then finally could find it no matter where you hid it. Analyze your baby’s temperament in more detail at 18 months than you did at 8 months. How would you describe your baby in terms of the five aspects of temperament utilized by the Virtual Child program (activity, sociability, emotionality, aggressiveness vs. cooperativeness, and self control)? Has @NAME’s temperament been stable over the first 18 months? A blurb defining and providing examples of the five aspects of temperament is provided at 12 months, but you should seek out further explanations of temperament from your textbook. Explain how the concept of goodness of fit (also discussed in the blurb on infant temperament) applies to your interactions with your child. When looking at the 5 aspects of temperament Sebastian has been pretty much  stable over the first 18 months. When it comes to activity he has been very active, but still sleeping a good amount of time that gives him enough energy. Loves to spend time outside adventuring, but can also have calm time. Sociability has been a bit of a struggle, because he is very attached and doesn’t like new people until he is given time to warm up to them. He is a very cooperative child, actually being more so than he should be for his age, and gets along well with the other children at the daycare. Emotionality I think he is more an emotional child, as when he gets upset when says we have to part he gets rather upset, but will calm down after the event. Self-control I haven’t really seen any examples on so far, so I’m not sure how to answer that. When it comes to goodness of fit, I go along with his moods and behaviors. I wont force him one way or another to do something that d oes not suit him. Regardless of that though, it doesn’t mean I’m lax on things like rules. Were you surprised by anything in the developmental assessment at 19 months? That is, does your perception of your child’s physical, cognitive, language and social development differ from that of the developmental examiner? Give specific examples. If you were not surprised, write instead about some aspects of your child’s development that need the most work. I was not real surprised by any aspects of development. From the choices I chose I expected my child to be advanced in the cognitive aspects. I also had the feeling he was going to be overly attached which is something that really needs to be worked on because his sociability is lacking greatly because of it with people like adults and those older than him, but with other children his age he is fine. He should also work on speaking more.

Friday, August 16, 2019

A Scholar Word

I admit that there are pros and cons of the activity but the negative side outweighs the positive. Voter's education is a big help for the community especially for the first time voters. We couldn't deny the fact that this community service including the youth profiling are beneficial for our society. But, Just like what Vive said, there are negative sides of the story First, instead of having our summer Job and summer class or even on-the-Job training, we are subdued by this activity.The community service will only take a few days or even hours of our time, but that could also be a time for rest after work or after school or even a time for our family after a long strenuous semester. But that won't happen because any of the statement above is not an excuse of not taking the community service. We are scholars, not robots, we also have a life to live. Second, the reason why we are in this scholarship is because somehow, some of us could not afford the whole tuition of the program we c hoose, for short we are not that rich.That's why spending even a few peso on our account without it being reimbursed is a big deal for us. Third, the way of grouping us is somehow a good thing because it teaches us owe to socialize with different kinds of people but the problem is throwing these group of people in an unknown barraging that even the Google map could not locate is like throwing scavengers in a remote island waiting to be devoured by sharks and beasts.And lastly, the common issue of all is that maybe the reason why we haven't hugged this community service unlike the other activities that we greatly enjoyed is that the foundation of this activity, starting from the orientation, is not right, not proper. Being yelled at the very first meeting is not a great way to start anything and it's a bit degrading for us scholars. We represent the youth that's why we a loud and active, and restraining us from doing so is improper and unprofessional especially if not all of us are i nvolve in the noisy rumble.This is an intellectual criticism, hope you won't take it personally. I am not speaking in the voice of a selfish, self righteous and self centered scholar, but rather I'm speaking in the voice of those unuttered cries of the scholars who are afraid to speak out what's in their mind with the fear of losing their scholarship. This is not a complain, this is a reflection. A Scholar Word By Babying

Federal Government of the United States Essay

Introduction In the American political system Federalism is a basic Structural feature that has mostly generated a great deal of conflict throughout political history America. It involves the governments multiple layers with shared powers amongst them and the unique powers to varieties of the levels of the government (Wood Gordon, 1995). The most three important levels of American federalism are the federal or national government, the states, and the local governments (cities, counties, townships). In the world most of the political systems are unitary systems, but in the system of American it is system of divided government (Wood Gordon, 1995). In the history American Federalism it has evolved over the course. In the time at different points, the boundaries and balance between the state and national government have changed substantially. In the recent time, the main role of the national government dramatically expanded, and it always to expand in the twenty-first century. Provide three (3) examples of how federalism has evolved from its origins to the American political system in place today. In the American political system three examples of federalism that has evolved from its origins are federalism, unitary, and confederate. Federalism almost is a way of nations organizing so that two or more government levels will have formal authority over the people and same area.  In the Unitary system all the power resides in the central government in which most of the governments are today and confederate, most of the power is in the hands of it components and the national government is weak (Wood Gordon, 1995). Over the two centuries the federal system has changed and it’s why the American federalism system is at the center of important battles over the policy (John E. Finn, 2007). Mostly Federalism decentralizes our policies and politics. The powers of overlapping between the two levels government demonstrate the tension with national and states government over who should control the policy and power. Most of the American states are also policy innovators being responsible for new ideas, many reforms, and new policies that are why we stand by till today (John E. Finn, 2007). Examine three to five (3-5) factors that have allowed the concept of federalism to shape American political behavior. In federalism the political system respect to bureaucracy, based upon promoted enculturation of honor, democracy in government within the citizens, the political leaders, and the American society. By the awareness of the people the process increased and regularized by the liberty and civil rights. American citizens seek free will from the governments and Constitutional security of justice. In the American federal system the political parties free to have support conflicting political agenda, free will to voice out, ideas, and ideologies. While the liberals go with the democrats the group of conservative support the Republicans. The Democrats and Republicans represent the main political parties of American along with minor independent parties. The American governments cultivate federalism, by demanding of reforms the citizens of America also contribute in shaping up political changes. Although legislators look upon amendment of Constitution and creation of laws, the citizens have their voices heard and participate. In the whole time, the voting attitude of Americans demonstrated changes. For example, Solid South in the part of Southern states used to be solid supports of Democrats but it was politically divided over time (Maier, Pauline, 2010).In the maintain of consistency the Constitution of US obligate the state and federal governments. With the ruling of democratic, the American federal government also allows amendments of the Constitution as called by the political changes and condition. In the system of US  Constitution the State governments have powers to create and maintain policies but the federal government oversees any policy to ensure agreement. Some time the power conflicts of authority become foreseeable due to nationwide applicability of the Constitution of US. (Maier, Pauline, 2010). Discuss at least two (2) factors that illustrate how the relationship between the states and the U.S. federal government influences the creation of American policies overall. In making of policies of America, constitution amendments through popular vote of the people or state governments may seek ratification of the policy. Through congress the federal government may conclude if votes of American states will be needed on proposed amendments. Like the groups of special interest, state legislatures can also lobby the federal legislatures (Maier, Pauline, 2010). Federalism reflected in state judiciary systems and also reflected in national judiciary system. For example, the laws of state enforce driving safety and speed rules in conformity to policies of federal government to ensure not to lose the highway federal budget privileges (Maier, Pauline, 2010). The power of the State government are mainly geared on the dealings and working of the state but on the other side the power of federal government are mainly after the dealings of the nation in general so that that it may cover some states affairs. In the system of Constitution of US, the State governments have their own constitution but also it abide and obliged with the Constitution of US. Under the valuable concept of federalism system the state and federal governments work hand in hand for the USA (Maier, Pauline, 2010). References: 1. Wood, Gordon, (1995). The Republic of America, 1775-1786. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 2. John E. Finn (2007). â€Å"Bill of Rights and Civil Liberties Part II: Lecture 5: The Constitutional and Court Interpretation†. The Teaching Company. pp. 51–60 3. Maier, Pauline (2010). Ratification : the Constitutional debate by the people 1787–1788. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 977-0-654-88844-76 p.22.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

A Farewell to Arms †Existentialism Essay

Ernest Hemingway’s ‘A Farewell to Arms’ explores notions surrounding both love and war. However it is not a love story, and nor is it a war story. It is a combination of both that allows for Hemingway to discuss what he is truly interested in: Existentialism. Existentialism is a philosophy that developed from the concept that there is no inherent meaning in life. However, we can create meaning. A Farewell to Arms is an exploration of this, but more than that, it’s an exploration of the reality of this in that; meaning in life doesn’t last forever, and when it’s gone, it leaves us with no logic and no hope, just nothingness. Hemingway uses his protagonist Frederic Henry to support his existentialist views. He does this, firstly by creating meaning in Frederic’s life. Hemingway creates Catherine for him. Their love is only a game at first, Frederic admits â€Å"God knows [he] had not wanted to fall in love with anyone. † However, it becomes so much more than that. Towards the end of the novel, if Catherine isn’t with him he â€Å"[hasn’t] a thing in the world†. Hemingway makes a point of foreshadowing this inevitable fact early on, when we are privy to Frederick’s thoughts as he contemplates that â€Å"It was a long time since [he] had written to the States and [he] knew [he] should write but [he] had let it go so long that it was almost impossible to write now. † Throughout the book, the people he associates with; Rinaldi, the men in his regiment, everyone, they all disappear. Finally, he’s left with Catherine, and their unborn baby. Other than them, he has no one. If they were to leave, he would be left alienated. Hemingway was not interested in the love story, or the war story. He was merely interested in communicating his views on the world to his readers. Predominantly, he was interested in communicating his views on existentialism. He was interested in what he considered to be reality. In reality, people die. In reality, our loved ones leave us, and in reality, when that happens there is no meaning, no logic and no hope. Hemingway demonstrates this through the climactic, yet painfully dismal ending to his piece. In bringing about the possibility that Catherine, Frederic’s only meaning in life, could die, he creates a springboard for discussing his philosophical views through Frederic. This forces us, as an audience, to contemplate upon his contention; â€Å"That was what you did. You died. You did not know what it was about. You never had time to learn. They threw you in and told you the rules and the first time they caught you off base they killed you†¦ they killed you in the end. You could count on that. † Hemingway uses his protagonist to establish this, and through Frederic’s reaction to Catherine’s death, he reveals to us the truth within his philosophy. It’s a point that is slowly built up to within A Farewell to Arms, but it’s one that hits Hemingway’s audience with a sounding resonance. The last line to his novel conveys the perfect, dismal imagery of a man with nothing left; a man who has â€Å"left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain†. Throughout the whole novel ‘rain’ has symbolised loss and grief. It leaves a strong impression, making it the final last word of the novel, Frederic having now lost the last thing that made his life worthwhile. Hemingway’s entire novel is a lead up to this one point on existentialism. The world has no inherent meaning. We can create meaning within it, and any meaning that is within it has been created by us. However on the flip side of that, when the meaning that we have created is gone, there is nothing left for us to fall back on. When that meaning is gone, we’re left staring into an abyss. A Farewell to Arms is not a love story, and it’s not a war story either. It’s a comment upon the actuality of, and the nature of, existentialism as a prevailing philosophy. By creating Frederic and the characters around him, Hemingway demonstrates the logic of this theory, and he shows how when a man loses everything that he has created himself, in his life, in the end there is no more meaning, there is no logic, no hope. In the end, there is really nothing left, but the rain. Kaitlin Cushing.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Advertising and the construction of Violent White Masculinity Essay

The article â€Å"Advertising and the construction of Violent White Masculinity† points to the controversy of violence and media. It emphasizes that the mainstream debate about media and violence does not emphasis or analyze the most important aspect, namely gender. Katz states that the media illustrates a wrong image of individuals committing crime by calling them ‘youth’ crimes or ‘kids’ love. He believes however that the reason why crime is committed 90% by males is due to the masculinity emphasized in our society. He also mentions that there is lack of attention on criminals from majority groups such as Whites but an emphasis by crime conducted by minority groups. The article suggests that research has avoided to explicitly specify the relationship between masculinity and violent behavior by white men has been avoided in research.Katz believes to be able to illustrate some ways to display the hegemonic construction of masculinity that is present i n mainstream magazine ads and how these ads help to normalize violent male behavior. Katz suggests that one way violence is normalized is through the movie industry which shows white males engaging in violent actions without being depicted as villains. Moreover, they are regarded as heroes. The boom of the movie industry collided with the instability that was created economically for the White middle-class population. The heroes of the movie industry served as role models enabling the male white population to gain stability with masculine power through size and strength. According to Katz the physical body was the only way to obtain dominance and control for those who did not have economic resources to achieve manhood. Katz mentions another way our society tries to normalize violence in the white middle class, namely through advertisements. As Katz writes the ads are full of depictions of dangerous looking men. He points out the bidirectional relationship between advertisements and other socially accepted events such as sports and movies. Advertisements are filled with dangerous looking violent sports men or movie stars and on the other hand the movies or sports events display ads containing the same violent men, enhancing the impact these ads have on the white middle class. The other reason why the media exhibits the violent man is due to the decline of gender differences. Differences between males and females became more rigid. Men needed a way to differ from women, this was possible with becoming more identical with violent behavior. This is where violence becomes justified especially  against women as only a means to represent masculinity.Katz examines further the nature of ads regarding violence and masculinity. As he writes there are specific premises that are represented in ads about masculinity and violence. The first one is the notion that violence is genetically programmed male behavior. This notion is justified by ads showing historical events that were lead by powerful and violent and dangerous men. Some ads also show scenarios that involve violence against other ethnic groups or women. The second premise is concerned with the military and sports that are another source of masculinity. Uniformed soldiers and players are used in different kinds of ads. Using athletes or soldiers for these products, advertising creates the idea that using the advertised products will not decrease masculinity. The third point is the identification of muscularity with masculinity. Muscles are equated masculinity and power. Physical fitness becomes a major way for white men to keep their masculinity. Finally there is the notion of heroic actions being equal to violent masculinity. Movies play a very important role in illustrating this equation. One other significant point is that movies no only justify violence but also glorify violence.