Messaging apps Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Messaging apps - Research Paper Example Some of the most common messaging apps that allow users to send free messaging texts, images, photos and free calls over a data connection include Whatsapp, Tango, Viber and iMessage, Skype among others (Olson, 2013). These apps have been a threat to the conventional message carriers considering that they have done away with the fees that people used to pay for the same services. As such, the traditional message carriers have to close shop or innovate better ways to attract customers. Therefore, the use of messaging Apps in sending contents through mobile networks has led to a transformation in the usage of mobile phones, making them ideal gadgets to communicate and receive content in real time. Messaging apps have challenged the incumbent social messaging sites such as Facebook and Alibaba. The apps facilitate chatting and sending of different contents a much better way compared to the conventional methods of sending the same contents. Tango is one of the most commonly used messaging apps. Currently, Tango has over 70 million monthly active users and enables members to send video and voice calls along text messages in real time (Kan 2014). Tango has capitalized on the fact that most of the calls that people make are not answered, especially at nights. As such, the company has come with special services to users that facilitate recording of messages, which are then viewed later after the person wakes up (Kan, 2014). Thus, the company has to store such messages in their servers, where they are accessible to any member with an android device, devices using apple operating system or through any web browser (Kan, 2014). The company plans to start making money by requiring that users pay minimal charges on using special services such as the Tango surprises that allows animations of messages. For instance, users of the Tango Surprises will get a single animation free of charge

Aristotles Account on Happiness Essay Example for Free

Aristotles Account on Happiness Essay In Book X of Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle, he writes about pleasure and happiness. Aristotle makes the point that happiness and pleasure should not be confused with each other. He argues that pleasure is not good, but a good. Pleasure is not a process, and not all pleasures are desirable, so pleasure is not the supreme Good. However, happiness is not a process. It is an activity that serves as an end itself. Aristotle writes that happiness is our highest goal in life. He touches on the idea of contemplation being our highest rational faculties and like happiness, it is an end in itself. This quality is observed in happiness and contemplation, but not in practical activities. A supreme God could spend an entire lifetime only occupied with contemplation, so humans should strive to achieve this activity through happiness. Aristotle writes that all the moral virtues have to do with aspects of human life. These aspects are necessary in life, but only secondary to the godlike act of contemplation. Humans need to act morally, but it is not a quality needed for contemplation. To contemplate means to admire something, or think about something. I believe that to be truly moral, you often have to contemplate your morals and know what you stand for and believe in. I believe that in order to be moral, you must be capable of deep contemplation and reflection. This differs from Aristotles belief that the two are not connected.

Globalisation on the Indian Economy

Globalisation on the Indian Economy Introduction Recent events on the financial markets show how interdependent the world is. Common value should not be forbidden but what about common losses. Who should be responsible for them? Many blame globalisation. But what is globalisation and does the world have any other alternatives to develop? Should we return to the strategies of the past? Or should we continue to live in an age of essential economic revolution? The term globalisation generates constant debates and controversies. But most of those who talk about globalisation are not even aware of its fundamentals. Globalisation is the one specific modality of international integration. Technology has definitely changed the way we live and also the ways in which the business is done. The countries by means of internet connection and enthusiastic workers can have access to unlimited jobs and industries. Lets imagine a picture of a world where all limitations are disappearing. A world where there are no boundaries and where competition can come from anywhere. Thats the world where our future lies. To make this world a healthier place globalisation is going to play a very important role. There are some people in developed world who believe that we must try to turn our back on this novel rapidly changing and integrated world. They also think that the chance to preserve ones living standard is to make a fortress around ones country, stop trading with other countries and depend only on own industries. But at present it is impossible to turn back the waves of globalisation but in doing so we can actually make ourselves worst off. So in my opinion, instead of fearing the future we should embrace it. Globalisation and Structure of Indian Economy Globalisation has been expressed beautifully through a poem by Canadian economist Gerald Helleiner- The poor complain, they always do, but that is just idle chatter. Our system (globalisation) brings reward to all, at least to all who matter. Broadly speaking the term globalisation is an economic process. Even though it is modeled as a way of bringing the world together, globalisation is all about the business community breaking down the remaining barriers to the free flow of its capital around the world. It fundamentally means opening up of any country economy system and its integration among the other economies of the world. It involves liberalism and implementation of economic liberalization policies and reforms to promote the progression of private sector. The word globalisation itself means something new is happening to the world. The world is becoming a Flat and experiencing global practices, values and technologies that are shaping people lives. For India, there are ample confusions about the costs and benefits of globalisation. Data Source Projection: VMW Analytic Services Figure 1: Indian Economy since its Independence at Constant Prices (Projected up to FY 2012)Indias population has already crossed the billion mark; this fact is easy to read but much more difficult to absorb one thousand million people, each of whom sees the world in a slightly or radically different way from the other. Since Indian independence in 1947, the economy of India has increased almost exponentially (Refer Fig. 1). From early 1990s, different governments have adopted inward oriented development strategies i.e. the state encouraging an economy through self sufficiency and a dominant role in the economy via state planning. Forces of demand and supply were not allowed to play a key role in resource allocation. After 1991 balance-of-payments crisis, where foreign currency reserves fell to $1 billion inflation went high to 17%, India laid numbers of stabilization-cum-structural adjustment measures with widespread effects. The main aim was to remerge the Indian economy with the world economy by reducing barriers to trade and investment, and deregulation of a highly bureaucratized economy. The Foreign Direct Investment was also encouraged to reduce the countrys reliance on debt-creating capital inflows, simultaneously renovating Indias ancient technologies and advancing easily into global markets. Figure 2: India GDP growth from 1991 2007Regardless of the unfinished reform agenda, Indias GDP growth (Refer Fig. 2) has increased >9% over the past 3 years, by an average of 5.8% annually during the period 1991-2004. It contributes nearly 2% to world GDP and around 1% to world exports of goods and services (Source: World Development Indicators). Consistent with excellent growth, per capita incomes were doubled from 1990 to 2007 and poverty dropped from 46% in 1986 to 36% in 2000. However, still poverty remains a grave problem. Recently several economists and lobbyists have compared Indian economy with that of Chinese economy but Indias progress path has been significantly different from Chinas. Indeed, it has been also very different from that followed earlier by Japan, Korea and the other Asian giants. Firstly, the recent economic rise in India is largely due to services rather than manufacturing sector. India has became a global player in several services such as IT and business process outsourcing, while its manufacturing sector keep suffering from low productivity. Secondly, the majority of Indias population still relies on agriculture for a living as compared with Asian countries and thirdly, India tried to remain closed to trade in comparison to other developing and emerging countries. Even FDI inflows have also ten folded in last two decades. It has been tripled since 2005 and in 2007 it was around $23 billion (Data Source: Government of India, Ministry of Finance, Economic survey). But India is not yet as present in the Central and Eastern Europe markets as China is. Its share in the European market was 0.7% (2006), almost unchanged from 1990s. However, Chinas share in these markets has increased sharply from 1.3% in 1992 to 5.7% in 2006 (Data Source: OECD). Indian economy has the potential and should make the efforts to move from good growth to rapid constant growth. The problem in India lies in the spurring productivity which is badly affected by the low education and poor health system and also by the petite openness of the Indian economy. Indias weak infrastructure has hurt the booming potential of Indian production. From undependable energy, lacking water supply to bad roads and train conditions, infrastructure shortages have created high business costs across the sectors (Source : OECD, 2007c). Benefits and Costs of Globalisation on Indian Economy Globalisation has been a classical process with ups and downs. Its growth has been largely led by the technological forces in the fields of transport and communication. The flow of trade has been frequent and there are lesser barriers for the people across the geographical boundaries. There are less tax barriers and fewer limitations on fund flows. India is no exception to globalisation. In year 1991, when India was neck-deep in financial deficit, very high inflation (around 17%), balance of payments crisis and low industrial production, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailed India out through significant loans with assistant Structural Adjustment Program (SAP). This led to Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation. Indian Economy has undergone many important reforms in the 1990s. The LPG model has helped the Indian economy to grow rapidly and become internationally competitive. From early 1991, a new epoch has dawned for India and its huge population. This formidable phase of economic evolution has had a wonderful impact on the overall Indias economic development. All major sectors of the economy have improved dramatically and its effects over the last decade can hardly be ignored. Moreover, it has marked the dawn of the real integration of Indias economy into the Worlds economy. Globalisation has created employment bought large investments to India. Indian economy has been on the rise at good rates for the past few years many new prospects have opened up for India. It has highly benefited from economies of scale. The change in global barriers has permitted the companies to profit from the largest cheapest labor market, raw material and technology. Foreign businesses have significantly augmented their investments in Indian industries. The salaries of industrial labor have improved largely; therefore, the lock outs and strikes have declined sharply as labor class is happy. Now days business market has no boundaries and companies can promote their products globally. This has helped the Indian companies to lay hand on global technologies which has certainly increased our living qualities standards. Indian Entrepreneurs has become more aware about their competitors, recent trends and quality of products. The competition between the global companies can be seen in the improve quality of the brands and services to the customer. Presently, we can talk about the story of two Indias: It has the best of times; it has the worst of times. There is bright prosperity, there is high poverty. We have stunning 5 star hotels and near by these big hotels homes without electricity. The following phrase is perfect to describe the situation in India Globalisation gave us everything, globalisation gave us nothing. Although Rajiv Gandhi government, the sixth prime minister of India, introduced some economic reforms between 1985 -1989 but it was the Narasimha Rao government, ninth prime minister of India from 1991-1996, that gave a exact shape and started the novel economic reforms in India. Below are the highlights of some extreme benefits of globalisation on Indian Economy: Figure 3: The sector wise contribution to Indian GDP (Source: MOSPI Statistics (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation)) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate: The rate of increase of Indias real GDP was low during 1980-90 (5.6%) to 1993-2001 (7%). But in the last few years, the GDP annual growth rate in India has been remarkable i.e. 7.5% (2003-2004), 8.5% (2004-2005), 9% (2005-2006) and 9.2% (2006-2007). Present P.M. Dr. Manmohan Singh is certain to have a 10% increase in the GDP for 11th five year plan (2007 2012). In 2006-2007, the sectors contributing highest in GDP growth are Industry sector (26%); Service sector (55%) and Agriculture sector (19%) (Ref Fig. 3). The increase in GDP has in fact helped to increase the foreign exchange reserves from $39 billion (2000-01), $107 billion (2003-04), $145 billion (2005-06), $200 billion (2007-2008) to around $268 billion on 1st February 2011 (Source: IMF). Figure 4: An overview of Indias top cities which contributed heavily in FDI equity inflows. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): Since early 2003, Indias FDI promotion board is officially run by government i.e. Ministries of Economic and Finance. Since then there have been drastic reforms in the rules and regulations of FDI in India. The FDI is now acknowledged as a key driver of development in the country. India is ranked 2nd in international FDI in year 2010 behind 1st ranked China and ahead of Brazil Russia and it will continue to be in the top 5 destinations to draw global investors during 2010-12 (Source: World Investment Prospects Survey 2009-2012 by UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development)). India attracted cumulative FDI equity inflows of $122.68 billion from mid 2000 to end 2010, according to the data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). In October 2010, the FDI inflows were $1,392 million. The figure 4 shows Indias top cities and sectors which attracted the highest FDI inflows in Jan 2008 (Source: DIPP India). The main attractive sectors have been information technology, telecom, services, healthcare and telecommunications. India controls almost 45% of the global outsourcing market with income more than $50 billion. Foreign shareholders are getting good returns in India. The possibility for FDI in India is endless. Foreign investors are offered fair packages of fiscal incentives for exports and industrial investments. Imports and Exports: The general idea of the independence movement in India (year 1940s), led by great M. Gandhi, was based on the dislike for anything foreign, especially the one originating from Britain. The imported goods were burnt on regular basis and everyone believed that everything can be produced home. The belief was that we can be self reliant and self dependent and import of goods can bring the foreign dominance. In 2009, 7 decades later India is ranked 15th in world in terms of import volume and 22nd in the terms of export volume. In 2004 2005 our imports were $107 billion (Ref Table 1), a record increase of around 36% as compared to $79 billion in 2003 2004. The exports also jumped by 24% recording $79 billion as compared to $63 billion the previous fiscal. The oil imports increased by 19% and the import bill zoomed from $21 billion to $29 billion in two fiscal years. Other imports excluding oil were $77 billion in 2004 2005 that is 34% higher than $58 billion in 2003 2004. Poverty: Though globalisation has drastically improved our living standards but still it doesnt have the significant effect in improving the poverty. The 2005 World Bank estimation was that 41% of Indian population live below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day. The figure 5 shows the Indian population living below poverty line from 1973-2000. We can see that since 1973 -1974 (54.9%), Indian population living below the poverty line has improved a lot (26.1% in 1999-2000). Nevertheless, Indian government is still making lots of efforts to remove poverty in rural areas. It is trying to provide more facilities to the poorer. India government Figure 5: Indian population below poverty line. (Source: Planning Commission of India) has still a long way to go to improve the poverty situation of India. Other Benefits: Information Technology (IT) and outsourcing has been given a special status in the growth of Indian economy. The reason may be that the government desires to present India as a technologically advanced nation and to achieve this they must encourage the IT sector. The term special status means that the sector and global / local investors will get many special advantages from the government. Furthermore, the impact of the global economies has influenced the Indian education system over the last few years. Improved educational institutions, high technology colleges, developed schools are the fruits of globalisation. The colleges have implemented the urbanized teaching technologies so that students can be aware of the latest developments. India is in the 4th position in respect to market capitalization with $894 billion after the US ($17,000 billion), Japan ($4800 billion) and China ($1000billion). India will soon cross the trillion $ mark. Even though we have not so far reached the end of history but globalisation has sure took us closer to the end of geography. The globalisation has not always been fair. The cash flow over the last two decades has been very unsymmetrical. For $1 of aid money to poor countries, the rich countries get $10. It has deepened the poverty and inequality. It has affected both the social and political stability among and within states. Capital rights are given more advantages over the labor rights. The trade and finance rule are unfair and this has had mixed effects on rich and poor countries. In India, the main casualties of globalisation are the poverty and the agriculture sector. Here are some costs which India paid because of globalisation: Agriculture Sector: Agriculture has always been the strength of the Indian economy. It plays crucial part by not only in providing food to people, but also supplying of raw material to industries and to export trade. 60% of the Indian population works in agriculture sector and however its contribution in GDP is only 20.6%. India agricultural growth continued to drop down from 4.70% in 1991 to 1% in 2003 (Source: agricoop.nic.in/Agristatistics). The seeds are most important component for farmers. Before globalisation, Indian farmers got seeds from state government institutions. The states were producing their own seeds and they were maintaining the good quality and lower prices for seeds. Even the private seed quality was very good as the seed market was well regulated. But with globalisation, the seed market has been opened to global agribusinesses and more than half of the government processing units have been closed in 2003 due to IMF deregulation guidelines. This had hit the farme rs very badly as due to open market the prices have raised sharply and bad quality seed has made its way to market. Moreover with the devaluation of Indian currency rupee in 1991, more and more farmers were attracted towards export and hence they started producing much more of cash crops like tobacco than traditional crops. Indian farmers are offered zero subsidiaries and very less help from government. The Indian government has taken no significant measures to negotiate with foreign companies to set up technologies for the farmers assistance. All these factors have led to decrease in the income of the farmers and have increased the rural debts. In 2000, the farmer suicides were registered to 12% of total suicides in the country. Industry: The globalisation has raised a high competition between the foreign companies and domestic companies. As the foreign products being better, people prefer to buy them instead of Indian ones. This has reduced significantly the amount of profit for Indian companies. The new technology has reduced the requirement of labor and thus resulted in job losses. No doubt that the effects have been both positive as well as negative but the Indian government should make such economic policies related to industries that are beneficial and not harmful. Human trafficking and increase in diseases like HIV are also the very high cost paid for globalisation. And the pity is that womens and childrens are among the most exposed to it. Conclusions Globalisation has provided India the opportunity to grow substantially. Though through globalisation all the economies are linked together and crisis in one have drastic effect on the others and recent events have confirmed so. Though India sailed through the crisis without being too affected due to its balanced and resilient macro structures but it has surely given India a wake up call to focus on the challenges and opportunities to shape its developing economy. Nevertheless, globalisation has definitely helped India to become a better economy, improve and unleash it potential. It has the ability and skills to adapt and change according to the flow of global market. In my opinion, for the betterment and the bright future of India it is imperative that India should go out and face this globalising world. I am certain that India of 2025 will be a different place. It will be much more leading force in the world economy, than it was 25 years ago or even at the start of the 21st century.

Analysis of Burns Poem A Red, Red Rose :: Burn Red Red Rose Essays

Analysis of Burn's Poem A Red, Red Rose 'A Red, Red Rose', was first published in 1794 in A Selection of Scots Songs, edited by Peter Urbani. Written in ballad stanzas, the verse - read today as a poem – pieces together conventional ideas and images of love in a way that transcends the "low" or non-literary sources from which the poem is drawn. In it, the speaker compares his love first with a blooming rose in spring and then with a melody "sweetly play'd in tune." If these similes seem the typical fodder for love-song lyricists, the second and third stanzas introduce the subtler and more complex implications of time. In trying to quantify his feelings - and in searching for the perfect metaphor to describe the "eternal" nature of his love - the speaker inevitably comes up against love's greatest limitation, "the sands o' life." This image of the hour-glass forces the reader to reassess of the poem's first and loveliest image: A "red, red rose" is itself an object of an hour, "newly sprung" only "in June" and afterw ard subject to the decay of time. This treatment of time and beauty predicts the work of the later Romantic poets, who took Burns's work as an important influence. 'A Red, Red Rose' is written in four four-line stanzas, or quatrains, consisting of alternating tetrameter and trimeter lines. This means that the first and third lines of each stanza have four stressed syllables, or beats, while the second and fourth lines have three stressed syllables. Quatrains written in this manner are called ballad stanzas. The ballad is a old form of verse adapted for singing or recitation, originating in the days when most poetry existed in spoken rather than written form. The typical subject matter of most ballads reflects folk themes important to common people: love, courage, the mysterious, and the supernatural. Though the ballad is generally rich in musical qualities such as rhythm and repetition, it often portrays both ideas and feelings in overwrought but simplistic terms. The dominant meter of the ballad stanza is iambic, which means the poem's lines are constructed in two-syllable segments, called iambs, in which the first syllable is unstressed and the second is stressed. As an example of iambic meter, consider the following line from the poem with the stresses indicated: That's sweet / ly play'd / in tune.

Use of Symbolism in Cynthia Ozick’s the Shawl:

In The Shawl, Cynthia Ozick uses descriptive details to engage the reader. The story describes the horror of Nazism. The setting of the story is a concentration camp. The three main characters are Rosa, who was a mother of two daughters, Stella who was fourteen and Magda who was fifteen months. The plot of the story surrounds a magic shawl. The shawl is a major part of the complication, climax and resolution of the story. The magic shawl is the only thing the three starving women have keeping them alive and eventually leads to their demise. The plot of The Shawl ends with a camp guard tossing the infant Magda onto an electrified fence. Ozick's use of symbolism is very important to the story. The author uses symbolism abundantly to help the reader envision the setting. In the beginning of the story, Ozick refers to the baby Magda as, â€Å"someone who is already a floating angel† (Jacobs 299). Ozick refers to Magda as an angel throughout the story, â€Å"smooth feathers of hair nearly as yellow as the Star sewn into Rosa's coat† (Jacobs 300). Other symbolism within the story, talks of the shawl as the â€Å"milk of linen† (Jacobs 300). Beyond the concentration camp, outside of the steel fence, â€Å"there were green meadows speckled with dandelions and deep-colored violets: beyond them even father, innocent tiger lilies, tall, lifting their orange bonnets† (Jacobs 301). Past the steel fence was beauty or maybe heaven. , but not the poor conditions of the death camp. Of the three characters in The Shawl, Stella is a flat character. She is only part of the story to allow the author to get to the climax. The climax comes when Stella becomes cold, and takes the shawl for warmth. Again, the author uses symbolism, Stella is cold or cruel. Magda is the most dynamic character. She is presented to us first as a quite baby, who is hungry and does not cry. Magda simply sucks on the shawl. When her shawl is taken, she cries and walks wobbly into the yard. In the yard of the concentration camp, she is picked up and thrown by a guard to her death. Rosa is a flat character, she does not change throughout the story. As the mother of the two girls, she tries to keep her family from their impending death. When Magda is killed, she does not run into the yard, knowing she will be shot. **** There are false statements in this article. Stella is NOT Rosa's daughter, she is her niece. – Megan â€Å"Use of Symbolism in Cynthia Ozick's The Shawl. † 123HelpMe. com. 03 Apr 2010 .

Italian versus American Christmas Essay

Merry Christmas or Buon Natale! Let us all celebrate the birth of Christ. It is that time of year when family and friends come together to rejoice for the savior is born. It is when we the love is most felt between family and friends and even strangers. The voices of carolers add to the festivities of the season (Miles 359). The Christmas tradition takes its roots from Christianity. This is also the reason behind the non-celebration of Christmas in some countries, especially those which are non-Christian. Nevertheless, there are places like the United States and Italy where Christmas traditions are observed for the purpose of celebration, which transcends religious customs (Miles 359). As traditions dictate, Italians take turns drawing out a wrapped gift from an ornamental bowl which is called the urn of fate (Miles 359). As most Americans are Christians, holidays are encouraged during this time of year. This includes the tremendous amount of gift – giving and shopping (Barnett 144). Italians decorate their homes during Christmas time with a ceppo (tree of light) or l’albero di natale, their version of the traditional Christmas tree (Miles 359). It is a wooden frame shaped like a pyramid. Resembling a ladder it is formed by several layers of wooden shelves as support. The presepe is placed at the bottom of the ceppo. Candies, fruits and other presents occupy the upper shelves. The ceppo is adorned with miniature pennants, gilt pine cones and colored paper. Candles are placed on it and further topped by either a doll or a star to complete the look. The origin of the manger scene was in Italy. This is the reason why it has been an important part of the Italian Christmas tradition. Italian homes decorate their presepe or nativity scene as elaborately as they can afford it. Americans, on the other part of the globe adorn their homes with wreaths, mistletoes and Christmas trees too. The streets of New Mexico are lined with luminaires or candles in a bag full of sand during Christmas time. Houses with flat roof are also adorned with these. These serve to light the way for the newborn child. In Washington D. C., the first national living Christmas tree was planted way back in the year 1924. From then on, it has been the tradition of the President of the United States to turn on the ceremonial lights at Christmas. Going around with a star is characteristic of an Alaskan Christmas. A large star made out of bright colored paper is carried by boys and girls as they go door to door on Christmas day. They even bring lanterns on poles with them as they sing carols. Hospitable neighbors let them in for refreshments as young and old gather in observance of this joyful occasion at this time of the year (Barnett 144). If the Italians have their Babbo Natale, Americans know him to be Santa Claus. He is known in the United States as the fat man on red robe and black boots, riding on his sleigh. He slides down the chimney to leave his presents to the nice kids at Christmas time. Gift giving in Italy happens on the la festa dell’ Epifania or the Epiphany which falls on the 6th of January. Babbo Natale makes his rounds on la vigilia di natale or Christmas Eve. In other parts of the region, he is known as La Befana, an Italian folk character. The gift – giver of Christmas gifts in other areas is believed to be St. Lucia. On other places, he is known to be Gesu’ Bambino or the Child Jesus (Miles 359 – 360). The United States is a cultural melting pot indeed. In this part of the world, different customs and traditions blend in harmony. It is during Christmas time when this cultural diversity is very much evident. Nevertheless, the combination of different cultures eventually produced a distinctly American taste although traces of diverse roots of these traditions are somehow still evident. The most common among these influences are British in origin. The Americans find a way to make Santa Claus feel at home. This is the reason why they created homes for him across the country. In one of the villages at Torrington, Connecticut, one can find a real life Santa, along with his elves. At Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, New York a permanent home for Santa Claus was designed by Arto Monaco. This house replaced the reindeer for a blacksmith. It even has a post office and a chapel in its overall design. Every year, about 100,000 people visits the Monaco designed Santa home (Barnett 144). Italian kids are not out reciting poems around the neighborhood, they lovingly write letters to their parents during Christmas while American kids list the things they would love to receive as presents from Santa Claus (Miles 359; Barnett 144). The holiday season does not start and end on the 25th of December as far as the Italian calendar is concerned. The Italians practice certain customs and traditions to mark this season. On la vigilia di natale or Christmas Eve, an elaborate meal called the pronzo delta vigilia is served. Here seafood soup or stew, fish, cannoli (Italian pastry) and other treats are served but no meat included. When il natale (Christmas) falls, the whole family feast with panettone or the Christmas cake together with other meals (Miles 359). Potatoes, meat, onions and beans are boiled over campfires for a Christmas feast at New Mexico. To cup the meal, buns, breads and donuts are served with coffee. Polish Americans have their own unique holiday tradition. On the morning of Christmas Eve, no meat is served. However, when the first star appears over Wigiliais, meat can already be served for dinner. The main features of the meal are sweet meats made from poppy seeds and honey, various fish, mushroom, cabbage and beetroot soup. The head of the house gives out an oplatek which is an oblong wafer. The nativity scene is imprinted on this oplatek. A piece of the oplatek is broken off as each family member including their friends who are present exchange wishes for one another. As tradition dictates, there is a place set especially for Mary and his son in case they come in search for a place to stay for the night. Hay is spread on the floor and under the tablecloth reminiscent of the manger where Christ the savior was born (Barnett 144). Carolers singing Christmas hymns provide entertainment in America. As compared to their fellow Americans, Hungarian Americans place a high premium on church services and carols during Christmas Eve. On this day, they gather around the Christmas tree as they do their gift giving when the first star of the evening appears. Right after the gift giving seasonal foods are served. The rest of the family feasts on poppy seed, walnuts, biscuits, topped with aniseed, caraway or sesame seeds and dumplings. The Italian version of this is the Zampognari and Pifferai. Flute players and bagpipers from the Abruzzi Mountains of Rome are dressed in sheepskin vests, dark cloaks, white stockings and knee – high breeches. They travel all the way to religious shrines to entertain the crowd (Barnett 144). We may not speak one language, we may not share one religion, we may not observe the same ritual but December 25 means the same thing for all of us. It is the day when the savior was born. It is the day when the promise of salvation was made flesh. On that night at a manger in Bethlehem, Jesus came to the world. In all humility, he lived his life on earth. In this light, let us remember that while there is nothing wrong with extravagant celebrations during Christmas, there is a much deeper meaning behind all these trappings. There is more to the food served and the gifts given and received. It is the birth of Christ, and this is the perfect reason to celebrate. In all certainty, wherever in the world you are in at Christmas time, whichever way you celebrate it, one truth remains the same, it is the most wonderful time of the year (Maloney NP). Works Cited Barnett, James Harwood. The American Christmas: A Study in National Culture. New Hampshire: Ayer Publishing, 1976. â€Å"Christmas in United States. † 2008. TheHolidaySpot. com. Retrieved February 21, 2008, from http://www.theholidayspot.com/

equal right for women essays

equal right for women essays EQUAL RIGHTS FOR WOMEN- WELL NOT IN THE AD WORLD Women have demanded equal rights for themselves in all aspects of their lives- in the voting system, in business and even in the home. Yet they are consistently bombarded by stereotypes through the media, which reflect them as not being intellectually, and emotionally equal to men. The role most women play in adverts has not improved much over the years. If you think of all the adverts you see in one day, how many women are shown as being unattractive? The main reason for eight out of twelve women being in adverts is so that their bodies can be used to help sell the product. The odd advert that does show an ordinary looking woman is one advertising something unromantic like a washing-up powder. Women in most adverts are represented as having blonde hair, being between the age of 20 and 30 and exceedingly slim and attractive. This promotes the ideology that women should be blonde, young, slim and attractive. As images like this are constantly being shown to us, most women feel pressurized to conform to them. As the single woman has became readily accepted in the society, producers now tend to show more women as being single. More women have active roles in adverts now, so they no longer just sit/ stand there looking pretty whilst having no apparent connection with the product. They are now actually shown doing something for instance using the product, with the help of a male (of course) if it's a complicated technical product e.g. in big car ads. In most adverts women are no longer shown in the kitchen, they are usually shown outdoors, and then are mostly either in the local supermarket as in the surf adverts or in a scenic place like in some deodorant adverts. This is done to show that women still do most of the housework and that they are more in touch with nature and are therefore more delicate then men. Adverts do not tend to show women as having a specific occup ...

Ethical Issues at the Radiology Department

Ethical Issues at the Radiology Department Introduction Being a radiographer means being very cautious and careful with instructions. It is especially important to follow the existing code of ethics once a patient and a radiographer do not speak the same language.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Ethical Issues at the Radiology Department specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Since the radiographer was not concerned with the fact that the patient could not speak English properly, the former broke the principles of radiography ethics by conducting a procedure that could harm the patient in the case study provided. History The case of ethics in radiography, which is discussed below, is quite simple. According to the case details, an elderly (56-year-old) Asian woman, who had a feeding (nasogastric) tube implanted, was admitted into a hospital. In the hospital, she underwent a computer tomography on her brain. Due to the specifics of her condition (a feeding tube ), she had to have her chest and abdomen checked with X-rays every day for more than fifteen days, which is considered inacceptable due to exposure to great doses of radiation and the following negative effects on the functioning of the organs. Since the radiographer was aware of the threat that the procedure poses to people, it was imperative that the procedure should have been carried out less frequently or that the patient should have given a written consent for the radiography to be carried out. It seems that the procedure was not obligatory in the given case, since the patient supposedly felt well and did not need an urgent examination, yet the standard daily examination of the tube was still desirable (Duncan Warwick, 2011, para. 9). In order to avoid the threat of disclosing the patient’s personal data, including her name, it will be required that the patient should be nicknamed in order to address her without revealing her identity. The patient will be referred to as Xiu in the process of the case analysis and discussion.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Patient Consent The patient’s consent is, in fact, one of the key issues in the study. First and most obvious, the case study in question never mentions that the informed consent was obtained in the first place. Indeed, according to the details of the study, the patient has not been provided with the explanations concerning the procedure. More to the point, since the patient was unable to give an informed consent in English, it is impossible to figure out if the patient actually understood what she was told; neither is it possible to define whether the radiographers actually received the confirmation for the procedure to take place. The case description is admittedly obscure when it touches upon the discussion of the specifics of the procedure between the radiograph ers and the patient’ it can be suspected that there was no informed consent retrieved at all. Ethical Dilemma The ethical dilemma faced by the radiographer in the given case is, in fact, very complicated. On the one hand, it is imperative that the informed consent of the patient should be obtained before the procedure is started. Performing radiography on a patient, who does not speak English and, therefore, is most likely to be unaware of the possible negative consequences of the radiography, seems unethical. Hence, it was obviously required that a translator should have been invited as the radiographer’s assistant. On the other hand, radiography is one of the procedures that must be carried out regularly; therefore, it was imperative that the patient should undergo the procedure as prescribed by the doctor. Hence, the radiographer faced a difficult choice between making sure that the feeding tube, which the patient’s life depended on, was in order, and prevent ing the patient from receiving an additional dose of radiation. The issue of informed consent, therefore, though doubtlessly relating directly to the case, is not the key ethical issue in it. It is the factor determining the impossibility of retrieving informed consent from the patient that matters in defining the ethical paradox in the given case.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Ethical Issues at the Radiology Department specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To be more exact, the ethical concern in the case with Xiu can be defined as performing an urgent procedure on a patient, when it is clear that they do not understand what is happening due to the language barrier. It is obvious that in the environment specified above, the patient is practically unable to give their informed consent (Seiden, Galvan Lamm, 2006); therefore, the two ethical concerns (i.e., Xiu’s unawareness of the procedure consequences and the absence of her informed consent) should be included in the case. After all, the Code of conduct and ethics published by the Society of Radiographers specifies that a radiographer must satisfy themselves â€Å"that the appropriate informed consent has been gained prior to undertaking any examination or procedure and follow the SCoR guidelines in Consent to imaging and radiotherapy treatment examinations: an ethical perspective and good practice guide for the radiography workforce† (The Society of Radiographers, 2008, p. 6). Hence, both the principles of consent and communication (The Society of Radiographers, 2008, p. 5) were challenged in this case. Handling of Ethical Dilemma Though quite questionable, the decision made by radiographers seems quite adequate. Indeed, the negative effects of an excessive radiography session are considerably less threatening than the possible problems with the nasogastric tube and the following impossibility for Xiu to obtain food (Lamont, 2011). Despite the adequacy of the choice made by the radiographers, one still must address the issue of informed consent and the handling of the essential information related to the patient. Technically, the breach of the healthcare ethics is still evident, seeing that little to no investigation concerning the procedures that the patient had undergone by that time was conducted. According to the existing Code of practice for radiographers (2007), making sure that the radiography session complies with the prescriptions provided by the doctor is obligatory:Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Radiographers should not carry out a procedure that may be considered dangerous without first confirming instructions for the procedure with the person authorized who has made the request, and satisfying themselves that the instructions contain no error† (Australia Institute of Radiography, 2007, p. 3) Learning Outcomes The case study under consideration offers a lot to learn. It shows how flexible and resourceful a radiographer must be in order to facilitate the provision of the medical services of the finest quality and the protection of the patients from the possible threats to their health. More to the point, the study gives the information concerning the possible issues that a radiographer may face with a non English speaking patient. Consequently, the study encourages a radiographer to act more cautiously and make sure that the actions to be carried out comply with the existing instructions, as well as with the healthcare ethical principles. Finally, and most importantly , the case study makes a very valid point concerning the issue of informed consent. It is a very clever way of reminding a radiographer about the workplace ethics. What may seem a legitimate step in addressing the patient’s disorder and maintaining the patient’s safety may finally turn out to be a faulty move that will lead to drastic consequences. In a wider sense, the aforementioned piece of advice can be interpreted as a suggestion to be extremely cautious when it comes to retrieving any kind of information from non English speaking patients. It is obvious that, had the patient provided the radiographer with the related information, i.e., the fact that she had already had two brain computer tomographies and experienced fifteen radiographies in a row by that point, the radiography would have not been carried out. Therefore, the very fact that the patient did not speak English should have been a warning sign for the radiographer. The study, therefore, offers an import ant lesson in carrying out a specific procedure on a patient, who is unaware of what is going on due to the language issues. It is essential that the patient should know what is going on and what medical procedure they are going to undergo; thus, a patient will be able to inform the radiographer on the details that may conflict with the procedure in question and trigger major complexities. Conclusion Having a range of responsibilities and bound by the existing ethical code, a radiographer must be very careful in their work. It is essential to make sure that the procedures conducted meet the requirements and comply with the current medical standards. In addition, a radiographer must be able to communicate with the patient in order to avoid making harm to the latter. Once a patient and a radiographer understand each other, the amount of mistakes and misconceptions will be reduced to nil. Reference List Australia Institute of Radiography. (2007). Guidelines for professional conduct for radiographers, radiation therapists and sonographers. Melbourne, AU: Australia Institute of Radiography. Web. Duncan, K. Warwick, R. (2011). X-ray confirmation of nasogastric tube placement: documentation in patient notes. The Royal College of Radiologists. Web. Lamont, T. (2011). Checking placement of nasogastric feeding tubes in adults (interpretation of X ray images): summary of a safety report from the National Patient Safety Agency. The British Medical Journal, 342, 1–4. Web. Seiden, S. C., Galvan, C. Lamm, R. (2006). Role of medical students in preventing patient harm and enhancing patient safety. Quality and Safety in Healthcare, 15(4), 272–276. The Society of Radiographers. (2008). Code of conduct and ethics. London, UK: The Society of Radiographers.

Service Sector Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Service Sector Marketing - Assignment Example This definition can be linked to the activities of Leith Agency. A similar definition was offered by Collins and Payne (1991) when the researchers stated that "services are any primary or complementary activity that does not directly. Produce a physical product - that is, the non-goods part of the transaction between customer and provider". This paper therefore, addresses four important questions within the service marketing literature focusing on the case Leith Agency. The traditional marketing mix originated from the marketing of goods for consumer markets and consists of the well known 4P's: Price, Promotion, Place, and Product. The marketing mix approach has been criticized for being incomplete, because it does not bear in mind customer-needs and it industrial marketing (Bitner, 1995, Gronroos, 1990; Gummesson, 1997). Judd (1997) proposes the fifth element as People and takes thereby the human resource factor into account. Booms and Bitner (1981) on their part created 7P's by adding Participants, Physical Evidence, and Process to the original 4P's. The first P-The product refers to as the service and satisfaction offered by Leith Agency to their customers. Here these are the various forms of advertisement refered to as creative output they offer. The second P-The price of the service is the compensation they received in the form of a fee or 15% commission while the place is the office location were exchange takes place. At Leith Agency, the Edinburgh and London offices are the place. The fourth element refers to as Promotion. At Leith Agency, they use both above the line and below the line strategies. Corporate brand building through sponsors. Here the marketing budget are kept at a minimum In the marketing mix literature, the last three elements were added to take care of the service dimension of the product service mix continuum. No wonder, many commentators have refered to the additional three Ps as the Service Ps. This position was supported by Payne & Clark (1995) who proposed one minor modification which leads to their expanded marketing mix for services. Figure 1The 7P's Model Source: Payne and Clark, 1995 Delivering services is characterized by processes. This is actually due to the in-separation of production and consumption of services. Processes are the functional attributes of services which refers to how services are delivered. On the other hand, the service product is the technical quality, and refers to what is delivered. At Leith Agency, this will be the different advertisement options they offer their client, while the processes will be the different media through which the adverts get to the customers. That is the tasks, customers interaction, etc. The consideration of processes in the service marketing mix is justified and crucial to Leith Agency because it includes procedures, tasks, activities and operations which are of importance for the interaction between the service provider (Leith Agency)

Capstone Experience (Supply Chain) 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Capstone Experience (Supply Chain) 2 - Assignment Example In most of the cases the targeted editors who are allowed to put information on to Wikipedia are experts in a particular field and this tends make the content reliable. Any vandalism or incorrect information is immediately removed from the site. Involving the target customer has enabled Wikipedia to obtain a lot of information on various topics. By involving the targeted users and allowing them to contribute, Wikipedia has been able to obtain over 30 million articles in 280 languages (Thompson, 2005). This has made it to be one of the widely used sources of information. Involving the target customers has also enabled it to get the information free of charge in most cases since the majority of the contributors are volunteers (BBC, 2012). In order to allow for the involvement of the customers in the supply chain, Wikipedia has relied on technology to facilitate the interaction. The Web 2.0 Technology has played a major part as it has been used to allow editing of the information by the customers (Anderson, 2007). The other client side technologies that have been used by the site include Ajax, Java script, YUI library, Adobe Flex, and Dojo tool

Business to Business Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business to Business Marketing - Essay Example TCL needs to review its marketing mix strategies in order to have a competitive advantage in the market and make its business sustainable in future. The various changes in the marketing mix strategies that could be helpful for TCL to achieve its objectives are as mentioned below: 2.1 Product Strategy For every marketing strategy of a company the starting point is its product. One cannot set the price or plan for the distribution system of the product without having the knowledge about what product they are offering. Product here refers to both products and services which the company has in offer (Gitman, & McDaniel, 2008, p.295). TCL is a SME which is engaged in the business of providing wide range of services to its clients. Their product or service offerings include mainly four services. They are Media Services, Advertising and Marketing Services. Apart from having its own production unit, TCL also outsources most of its production to another company namely, ‘PJW Media Produc tion’. Hence TCL has a wide variety of products and services in its offerings. Now since TCL is a small business unit with limited workforce its product strategy would be more effective if it concentrates on having a small product line. After narrowing down its product line, TCL should develop the products or services which are highly specialised in nature. It would help TCL to ensure that it provides its customers a service package which is unique in nature (Brock, et al., n.d.). Hence it would be beneficial for TCL to gradually cut down on its product line and concentrate more on those services which are profitable to them and have competitive advantage over its... TCL is a completely service based company situated in Cambridge. The company is running a small business and has a limiting workforce. The recent economic condition had an adverse effect on the performances of the company. The sales revenue of the company has gone down significantly. TCL should look into this issue seriously and various reforms are necessary for the sustainable development of the company in future. Firstly it needs to address its marketing mix strategy. Regarding the product strategy, TCL should think of reducing its wide range of services and concentrate on specialising some of its core services which they are specialised at. Next regarding its pricing strategy, TCL must be flexible in its pricing strategy to cater to the current expectations of its clients. The company should utilise its website to a greater effect for the promotion of its business. Since TCL is a core service agency, public relationships are vital for its development and growth. Developing strong relationships with its clients and forming a strong business network is quite necessary for TCL. Next, the company should think of structuring and developing an effective sales force to boost up its sales and creating strong relationships with its clients. Hence, TCL’s current primary focus would be retaining its existing clients and adding up new clients to its customer base.

Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Government - Essay Example 2012 Republican Party of Texas (2012), Republican Party mission is to promote conservative philosophy of government by promoting conservative principles and providing the infrastructure through which the people sharing conservative values participate in the political system (3-5). On the other hand, Texas Democrats believe in democratic government that serves all the citizens indiscriminately. Considering the issues of protecting life, the Republicans believe that human life begins from fertilization to natural death while Democratic party believe that the product of joined egg and sperm has no independent status or rights. Republican Party of Texas also supports the legal marriage and moral commitment between a natural man and a natural woman unlike the Democratic Party that is opposed to other attempts to deny the freedom of same sex marriage (Sevilla Web). Additionally, Republicans consider that America is a nation under God and founded on Judeo-Christian principle but the Democrats recognize that no Texan should not be forced to live under religious doctrines to which they do not subscribe. Moreover, by looking at the school choice, the Republicans encourage maximum freedom of choice in public, private, or parochial education while Democrats oppose private school vouchers in all forms and strengthen state oversight of homeschools (â€Å"2012 Texas Democratic Party† 3-6). Republicans also oppose sex education other than abstinence until marriage while Democrats support effective, comprehensive age appropriate sex education program. Regarding health care, Republicans urge the passage of a reform that results in a more affordable healthcare including tort reform and urges immediate appeal of the â€Å"Obamacare’ while Democrats believe that health care is a right and supports the right of women to acquire contraception. In addition, Parental Rights on Education shows differences in ideologies where the Republicans assert that parents have the right and

Ilich Ramirez Sanchez aka Carlos the jackal Essay

Ilich Ramirez Sanchez aka Carlos the jackal - Essay Example While in Cuba, he was trained in urban guerilla tactics, usage of automatic weapons, explosives and sabotage (Pons, 2001)?. In 1970, Sanchez traveled to a guerilla training camp run by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Amman, Jordan. This would form the basis of much of Sanchez's activities and terrorist ideology, which was rooted in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. While training, he was given the pseudonym â€Å"Carlos† by PFLP spokesman Bassam Abu-Sharif. The Guardian newspaper in Britain gave him the moniker â€Å"The Jackal† after police found a copy of Frederick Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal in his abandoned apartment following his assassination of French intelligence agents (Hamm, 2007)?. Carlos the Jackal has freelanced for Saddam Hussein, Moammar Qaddafi, Marshal Tito, the Italian Red Brigade, the Spanish Basque ETA and the secret services of several Soviet bloc nations. Carlos the Jackal was arrested by an American and French coaliti on effort in Khartoum, Sudan, following an operation on his groin. He is now serving a life sentence in Le Sante maximum security prison in Paris, France. Stated purposes In a 1999 interview with New York Press, Sanchez made two main statements regarding his personal beliefs ?(Haden-Guest, 1999)?. The first is with reference to mainly secular terrorist attacks; that revolutionary development is a barometer of social injustice, and is a permanent cycle. The second one is that the political effects from the growing disparity between rich and poor inevitably results in violently increasing revolutionary backlash. He made the second statement specifically with the then-dominant United States in mind. Carlos the Jackal also stated that the majority of his terrorist attacks were done â€Å"in the name of Palestinian liberation and revolution† (Cody, 2010)?. In 1998, a will he wrote entitled En Cas de Mon Deces was released to the media. In that will, he stated that for every day th at he spends in jail, one American or Zionist should be killed (Haden-Guest, 1999)?. Current terrorist and other political/social operations Since Carlos the Jackal is currently incarcerated and serving a life sentence, the focus of this section is on his and his affiliates' actions prior to his capture in 1994. Sanchez is most well known for the 1975 kidnapping of over 60 hostages, eleven of which were OPEC oil ministers at the OPEC headquarters in Vienna, Austria (Cody, 2010; Haden-Guest, 1999; â€Å"What's up with the notorious terrorist Carlos the Jackal?,† 2002)?. In this instance, the Jackal and his PFLP cohorts were responsible for three deaths: an Austrian police officer, and two low-ranking members of the ministers' delegations. The OPEC kidnapping was done under the orders of PFLP faction leader Dr. Wadih Haddad. The order was to ransom most of the ministers for money that the PFLP needed. However, the oil ministers for Saudi Arabia and Iran, Ahmed Zaki al-Yamani an d Jamshid Amouzegar, were to be killed, as the two countries at the time did not support the proposal to raise oil prices. Besides that, Saudi Arabia and Iran were deemed by the PFLP as not supportive enough of the Palestinian cause (â€Å"What's up with the notorious terrorist Carlos the Jackal?,† 2002)?. In Sanchez's own words, Saudi Arabia was not paying their â€Å"revolutionary tax† (Haden-Guest, 1999). Upon the successful kidnapping of the OPEC ministers, Sanchez and the PFLP terrorists flew to Algeria with the hostages. All of the hostages were released upon payment of ransom.

The historical pedigree of globalisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The historical pedigree of globalisation - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that for many, globalization has been a defining characteristic, or even the defining characteristic, of the post-war period. However, as we will see, it is not so easy to rope off globalization as an exclusively post-war, or even exclusively modern phenomenon. Furthermore, it has been a Eurocentric phenomenon, as reinforced by Marxist and Classical Liberal theories, with the Eastern peoples merely the passive objects in the story. For many scholars in recent centuries, the global narrative since Columbus reached the Americas in 1492 has been one of the steady growth of Western power and influence across the world, culminating in a Western dominance of a globalized economy after the Second World War. Such theories have also worked on the assumption that Europe, uniquely, always had the potential to take the lead on the global stage, and to develop further and faster than other regions, largely because of its native urge towards a Capitalist economy, and liberal institutions. We shall see that this is not only not the full picture, but that it is a deeply flawed and misleading picture. Globalisation is not new, but Western dominance in globalizing processes is new. While Eurocentric theories were once the norm in academic discourse, they have undergone serious challenges in recent decades. Edward Said’s â€Å"Orientalism† shook historians’ complacency about the European boundaries of their work.... Notably, Abu-Lughod (1989) argued for the centrality of the Middle East in world history and global exchange, while Gunder Frank (1998) posited the importance of East and Southeast Asia in truly global trading networks. Notions of globalisation which played up the importance of the Western world were generally focused on the post-1945 era, but much of the above literature has rethought globalisation as a much longer-term phenomenon, as well as one which started in the East. A key reason why Western scholars were long unable to recognise that globalisation predated the 20th century was that they have long viewed it in terms of the rise of Western Capitalism. As Hobson (2007) points out, none of the leading economies between 500 and 1800 CE were Western. Globalisation in past centuries was largely fuelled by the wealth and communications of industries and markets that stretched across Asia, and China and India stand out as particularly important global players for much of recorded hist ory. In the 18th century, China accounted for an astonishing 25% of the world’s population, compared to 20% today (Flynn and Giraldez 2006, p. 239), and when European merchants first moved East in search of new opportunities, they should not be regarded as the first signs of an emerging European dominance, but rather as an attempt by a less economically productive region to gain footholds in the trade with the world’s economic powerhouse. Hobson (2007) maintains that China maintained a dominant role in the global economy even later than suggested by Gunder Frank. He states that it continued to outstrip Britain in its share of world manufacturing input

Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Government - Essay Example 2012 Republican Party of Texas (2012), Republican Party mission is to promote conservative philosophy of government by promoting conservative principles and providing the infrastructure through which the people sharing conservative values participate in the political system (3-5). On the other hand, Texas Democrats believe in democratic government that serves all the citizens indiscriminately. Considering the issues of protecting life, the Republicans believe that human life begins from fertilization to natural death while Democratic party believe that the product of joined egg and sperm has no independent status or rights. Republican Party of Texas also supports the legal marriage and moral commitment between a natural man and a natural woman unlike the Democratic Party that is opposed to other attempts to deny the freedom of same sex marriage (Sevilla Web). Additionally, Republicans consider that America is a nation under God and founded on Judeo-Christian principle but the Democrats recognize that no Texan should not be forced to live under religious doctrines to which they do not subscribe. Moreover, by looking at the school choice, the Republicans encourage maximum freedom of choice in public, private, or parochial education while Democrats oppose private school vouchers in all forms and strengthen state oversight of homeschools (â€Å"2012 Texas Democratic Party† 3-6). Republicans also oppose sex education other than abstinence until marriage while Democrats support effective, comprehensive age appropriate sex education program. Regarding health care, Republicans urge the passage of a reform that results in a more affordable healthcare including tort reform and urges immediate appeal of the â€Å"Obamacare’ while Democrats believe that health care is a right and supports the right of women to acquire contraception. In addition, Parental Rights on Education shows differences in ideologies where the Republicans assert that parents have the right and

The historical pedigree of globalisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The historical pedigree of globalisation - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that for many, globalization has been a defining characteristic, or even the defining characteristic, of the post-war period. However, as we will see, it is not so easy to rope off globalization as an exclusively post-war, or even exclusively modern phenomenon. Furthermore, it has been a Eurocentric phenomenon, as reinforced by Marxist and Classical Liberal theories, with the Eastern peoples merely the passive objects in the story. For many scholars in recent centuries, the global narrative since Columbus reached the Americas in 1492 has been one of the steady growth of Western power and influence across the world, culminating in a Western dominance of a globalized economy after the Second World War. Such theories have also worked on the assumption that Europe, uniquely, always had the potential to take the lead on the global stage, and to develop further and faster than other regions, largely because of its native urge towards a Capitalist economy, and liberal institutions. We shall see that this is not only not the full picture, but that it is a deeply flawed and misleading picture. Globalisation is not new, but Western dominance in globalizing processes is new. While Eurocentric theories were once the norm in academic discourse, they have undergone serious challenges in recent decades. Edward Said’s â€Å"Orientalism† shook historians’ complacency about the European boundaries of their work.... Notably, Abu-Lughod (1989) argued for the centrality of the Middle East in world history and global exchange, while Gunder Frank (1998) posited the importance of East and Southeast Asia in truly global trading networks. Notions of globalisation which played up the importance of the Western world were generally focused on the post-1945 era, but much of the above literature has rethought globalisation as a much longer-term phenomenon, as well as one which started in the East. A key reason why Western scholars were long unable to recognise that globalisation predated the 20th century was that they have long viewed it in terms of the rise of Western Capitalism. As Hobson (2007) points out, none of the leading economies between 500 and 1800 CE were Western. Globalisation in past centuries was largely fuelled by the wealth and communications of industries and markets that stretched across Asia, and China and India stand out as particularly important global players for much of recorded hist ory. In the 18th century, China accounted for an astonishing 25% of the world’s population, compared to 20% today (Flynn and Giraldez 2006, p. 239), and when European merchants first moved East in search of new opportunities, they should not be regarded as the first signs of an emerging European dominance, but rather as an attempt by a less economically productive region to gain footholds in the trade with the world’s economic powerhouse. Hobson (2007) maintains that China maintained a dominant role in the global economy even later than suggested by Gunder Frank. He states that it continued to outstrip Britain in its share of world manufacturing input

Information Gathering Obu Essay Example for Free

Information Gathering Obu Essay Every Research Report requires information as the basis for analysis. Information sources can be categorised as either primary or secondary data. There is no requirement for you to collect primary data within your Research Report; it is wholly acceptable to undertake your Research Report using only secondary data. The difference between primary and secondary data is identified below. Primary data is original data that has been collected by a researcher by whatever means appropriate in the answer of a specific research question. . e. it has been collected specifically for the Research Report. Examples of primary data include questionnaires, interviews, e-mail contacts and surveys. If you decide to collect primary data as part of your research work, then you should state and justify the following: ? The data collection techniques you intend to use e. g. questionnaires, interviews. ? Your sample size and an outline of your sampling strategy. ? The method you will use to select your sample and the likely response rate. If you intend to collect primary data from staff within your chosen organisation you must obtain permission to do this from a senior member of staff within the organisation. You should do this as early as possible during your Research Report, since if you are denied access to your desired information sources you may have to reconsider how to meet your project objectives and research questions. Secondary data is data that has been collected by others for their own purposes, but which may be used by a researcher for his or her different purposes. Examples of secondary data include reference material, books, CD ROMs and financial statements. You should always evaluate the appropriateness and relevance of secondary data sources. Information included in internet sources may not be reliable from an academic perspective and may not be appropriate for use in your Research Report. If you decide to use secondary data as part of your research work, you should state and justify your choice to do so. Where you use published secondary data you must provide precise references using the Harvard Referencing System. This is discussed in more detail in the following section. You must retain all of the information that you collected during your project work until you have received official notification of your RAP grade from Oxford Brookes University. This includes any questionnaire responses, copies of financial statements, extracts from journals, reports, magazines etc. Oxford Brookes University may wish to ask you to provide additional evidence of your information gathering following the marking of your Research and Analysis project.

Analysis of the Business Cycle in the Economy

Analysis of the Business Cycle in the Economy One of the most difficult subjects in economics in the business cycle or the pattern of contraction and expansion seen in the overall economy, this is a major factor that will effect the profit and sales performance of all companies to an extent. On average business productivity in EC has expanded at a rate of 3% per year in terms of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP). During an expansion in the business cycle, the real GDP can increase to a rate of 5-6% or even more and during a recession it can decline for an extended period. During the years the economy is growing – output, income, and employment are increasing. In other words, the trend in business and general economic activity is upward. But there are fluctuations around what we might call the ‘growth-path’ line. We have terms for the periods when business activity have temporarily pulls us below our upward growth-path, and others for periods when business activity moves with, or in excess of, our normal growth –path. We call the former recessions or depression and the latter expansions or booms. During the boom period employment level is up as are expectations, sales and profits and imports. During this period high risk investments will be undertaken and may inefficient firms will be able to operate, as margins are high. This will subsequently lead to shortage of resources (supply-side effects), this occurs at the highest point. In figures 1.1 the coloured line represents the long-term ‘growth-path’ around which the economic activity fluctuates, moving in some consistent pattern from expansion to recession and back again. This was one of the reasons why UK did not join the Single Currency, as to ensure EMU succeeds in the long-term; all participating member states must operate at the same stage of the business cycle. The Phillips curve illustrates the short-term trade off between inflation and unemployment. The trade of between unemployment and inflation is temporary as government microeconomic policies can in the short-term exploit a trade-off between them using various policy instruments, such as public spending and taxation. Therefore, the government can influence the combination of inflation and unemployment the economy experiences. Therefore, the Phillips curve is critical in the understanding of the business cycle, via measurements such as rate of unemployment or the production of goods and services. When real GDP grows rapidly, business is good. During such periods of economic expansions, businesses will have excess demand and profits are growing. However, when real GDP is declining during a recession, demand is slow and most companies record declining sales and profits. The term business cycle is somewhat misleading, as it would suggest that the fluctuations within the economy follows a regular and predictable pattern. However, fluctuations are not at all regular and very difficult to forecast. If we examine the real GDP within the UK between 1971 and 2004 and define a recession as occurring when GDP declines for two or more successive quarters, then we would see that the UK economy has experienced four recessions since 1971. Recessions can occur quite close together as in the 70’s, but sometime the economy can go one for many years with a recession, as is the case in UK, where we have not suffered a recession since 1991. Real GDP is the most commonly used measure for monitoring changes within a countries economy, as it provides a broad measurement of economic activity. â€Å"Real GDP measures the value of all final goods and services produced within a given period of time.†[1] Changes in the economy’s output of goods and services are strongly correlated with changes in the economy’s utilisation of its labour force. Therefore, when real GDP decreases the rate of unemployment increases. This is not every uncommon as companies will decide to make a smaller quantity of goods, and make redundancies, and this in turn will raise the level of unemployment in the economy. There are two main classes of factors that offer an explanation on business cycles. The first are internal and those occur from actual changes within the economy, for example, changes in stocks. The second is external, and there are factors outside the control of the economy, for example, rise in oil prices, conflict in Iraq etc. Examples of explanations are: Fluctuations in the money supply – when money supply increase at a faster rate then GDP the rate of interest is low and spending increases. Therefore the economy goes into a boom. The increase in demand subsequently results in both firms and individuals wanting more money and therefore, interest rates rise and this reduces investment and consumptions and the economy goes into a recession. This is a Monetarists explanation for business cycles. Stop-go cycles/Political cycles – Government stimulate growth and employment in the economy and this in turn increase demand. This reflationary action results in expansion in the economy and then the government may be concern about inflationary pressures and as a result adopt a deflationary policies, like increase in taxation. This will lead the economy back into a recession. Keynesian cycles – A rise in exports will raise national income by a multiple amount. This will cause investment to increase and subsequently generate more national income. This will reach a point when the economy will experience supply-side shortages like labour and this in turn will mean income grows more slowly then investment will decrease (leading to a recession). Demand and supply-side shocks – caused by unforeseen shocks such as the global financial crisis in 1997 resulting in decreased demand for goods and services across the globe. Real Business Cycle Theory – â€Å"explains cyclical shocks in terms of spurts and starts in technological advance.†[2]Innovations in technologies like MP3, MP4 players, HD Digital Televisions, etc causes an increase in productivity and subsequently higher real wages and more willingness to participate in the labour market. Seasonal work patterns within the leisure and tourism industry is a prime example of cycles that are generated by rational economic agents, hence, the term ‘real’ factors. Other examples or real factors affecting the real business cycle would be bad weather, increase regulation for CO2 emissions, terms of trade, energy prices and oil price fluctuations. Those factors do not require money supply and Keynesian cycles (amongst others discussed earlier) to explain the existences of why business cycles exist. Demand and supply shocks as discussed above and natural disasters like the Tsunami also can have comparable effects to the technology s hocks analysed in real business cycle theory. Real Business Cycle Theory (RBC) The notion of Real Business Cycle (RBC) evolves from a macroeconomic viewpoint that attributes the fluctuations in terms of economic recessions and booms to productivity (GDP) that is as a direct result of random occurrences across the global. This school of thought argues against any form of government intervention via the use of monetary or fiscal policy instruments such as money supply, taxation, government spending etc, to bring the economy out of a recession or control an economy during a period of rapid growth in a boom. The RBC believes the level of GDP will maximise utility at any one time. RBC models are seen as an extension of a neoclassical growth model Therefore, RBC theorists believe that the business cycle is ‘real’ and not a result of market failures, but a reflection of efficient works of the economy. Various criticisms of real business cycle theory has come to light in recent times and also as a result of the research conducted by Kydland and Prescott (Econometrica 1982), who modelled economic variability as â€Å"real† business cycles with efficient markets. This study failed to recognise the impact of any government intervention via monetary policy upon the business cycle, underestimates the existence of market inefficiencies and the role of unemployment (as discussed via the Phillips Curve). Therefore, it is clear that the economic debate on whether business cycles are ‘real’ or a function of cyclical movements is still very much alive. Importance of Business Cycle within EMU The important role of business cycle can be illustrated by the example of the Euro. The introduction of economic and monetary union across 11 of the 15 member states of the European Union is an interesting economic experiment. It has been driven by a political aspiration to create a unified trading block to rival any other trading block in the world. To ensure EMU succeeds in the long-term all participating member states must operate at the same stage of the economic cycle. Reaching that stage will represent the greatest threat to EMU. A very rough way to assess the similarity of the business cycle is to look at the correlation coefficient for annual changes in Gross Domestic Products (GDP) for pairs of countries. Using data from OECD for the period 1971-2000 for Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Finland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Ireland, it appears that only France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Portugal and Italy with correlation ranging between 0.83 (France/Belgium) to 0.47 (Italy/Spain) have similarity in business cycle. The Finland business cycle is closest to France (0.49), Belgium (0.43) and Spain (o.41), but distant from Germany (0.005) and Netherlands (0.19). In this sample, the country that is indeed not well integrated into a common European business cycle is Ireland. The Irish economy is closest to that of Netherlands (0.32), Finland (0.32) and most distant from Italy (-0.02). The Irish business cycle has a negative relationship to that of the Italian. This suggests that when Italy is experiencing a boom Ireland will be in a recession or steady economic growth. The Irish economy is the acid test of whether or not the Euro works. Most members are coming out of a recession whereas Ireland is in a state of boom. Aust. Fra. Ger Italy Nether Spain Ire Bel. Fin Lux. Port. Aust. 1 Fra. 0.71 1 Ger 0.65 0.61 1 Italy 0.57 0.71 0.57 1 Nether 0.63 0.63 0.71 0.54 1 Spain 0.67 0.74 0.47 0.46 0.61 1 Ire 0.12 0.21 0.14 -0.02 0.32 0.28 1 Bel 0.67 0.83 0.63 0.75 0.68 0.74 0.23 1 Fin 0.26 0.49 0.00 0.39 0.19 0.41 0.32 0.43 1 Lux 0.30 0.34 0.41 0.31 0.49 0.40 0.13 0.42 0.12 1 Port 0.74 0.82 0.63 0.69 0.51 0.67 0.17 0.73 0.37 0.34 1 Source: OECD Economic Outlook December 1998 July 1991, Own calculation of correlation matrix The subject of business cycle and real business cycle still has many questions to answer; the primary is what is the principal source of cyclical movements in GDP of an economy? Are the fluctuations in GDP caused by technology or are the movements in GDP due to government interventions via monetary and fiscal policy implementations? Those are critical questions, and the answers to which would serve as a great benefit to both firms and governments. It would provide firms at a microeconomic level a greater ability to accurately forecast business cycles and hence, consolidate there profits, and government in estimating the resulting welfare costs of a shift in macroeconomic policy like increase public spending, lower taxation, lower interest rates etc. In my opinion the dominant view of a business cycle is still one that is caused by a change in monetary policy and not just as a result of ‘real’ factors like technological innovation or political events like war or trade disputes. We believe that those real events do play some part in the fluctuations around the business cycle but business cycles are still primarily caused as a result of fluctuations in economic activity such as employment and production as measured by GDP. OECD Economic Outlook December 1998 July 1991 Mankiw, N.G. and Taylor, M.P. (2006) Economics, Thomson Learning McAleese, D., (2004) Economics for Business Third Edition, FT Prentice Hall Grant, S.J., (2000) Stanlake’s Introductory Economics 7th Edition, Longman Stanlake G.F, (2000) Macroeconomics: An Introduction, Longman Group UK Greenaway, David; Shaw, G.K., Macroeconomics Theory and Policy in the UK Second Edition (1991), Basil Blackwell. Dornbusch, Rudiger; Fischer, Stanley, Macroeconomics Fifth Edition (1990) McGraw-Hill International Editions Footnotes [1] Gregory, M. and Taylor, M.P. (2006) [2] McAleese, D. (2004)

Slave Narratives :: American America History

Slave Narratives The Middle Passage was almost inconceivable. Hundreds upon hundreds of Africans were abducted from their homes to go on boats to America. They were stacked like books on shelves in order to bring enough Negros for a profitable slave trade. The life on the boats on the way to the New World was so bad that the Africans preferred death to their gruesome future. The conditions on the boats were hellish. The slaves on the ships were packed like sardines and chained together. Among the gripping words that Olaudah Equiano, a slave abducted when he was just eleven years old, used to describe the Middle passage are hopeless, low, brutal, and wretched. The temperature in the disease- infested rooms was inconceivable. There was no fresh air for the Negro inhabitants. The feeling of shock and isolation only added to the sorrow and horror of the situation. Alexander Falconbridge, a surgeon aboard these slave ships, recalled that the "hot floor was covered with blood and mucus. It was like a slaughter-house." The sickening stench was great due to the loathsome filth from the pestilential heat. As Olaudah Equiano said, "sleep was the only [temporary] refuge." The dejection and despair of the circumstances caused many people to bitterly cry, shriek, and groan in inconceivable horror and fear. The savage cruelty of the slave traders and boat crew was ter rifying. The Negros were deprived of food and health treatments, and due to the crammed conditions this caused great waves of sickness and disease. These ships created an absolute hellish existence for the abandoned Africans aboard them. Although describable, the anguish of these people cannot be fully understood. The African's, due to these excruciating conditions, were completely and utterly terrified. During the slave trades, the noise and clamor was so frightening that many slaves attempted at running away in the tumult. On the boats, many people tried to jump overboard. Attempted suicide usually just increased the despair of the situation. Negros were punished for any attempt at escape or purposeful personal harm. If one did not eat, they were flogged until they ate the disgusting food. The slave traders expressed brutal cruelty to the slaves aboard the ships. They treated the Negros as if they were imported typical goods. They spent the least amount of effort and money in making the conditions aboard the boats tolerable in order to ensure a higher profitable outcome.

Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest in the Decade of the World’s Indigenous Populations :: Essays Papers

Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest in the Decade of the World’s Indigenous Populations Introduction On 1 January 1994, the Mayan peoples of Chiapas, Mexico participated in an armed uprising in protest of the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Following a strong trend of harassment, and mistreatment of Mexico’s indigenous populations, the implementation of NAFTA all but abolished the land claims of Mexico’s Indians. The Zapatista uprising, as it has been termed, brought global attention to the indigenous human rights violations in Mexico, and consequently, a strong interest in the plight of the world’s indigenous peoples resulted in the global community. In a 1994 U.N. orchestrated commission on the rights of the world’s indigenous populations, it was concluded that an increase in international cooperation for the solution of problems faced by indigenous peoples was necessary for improvement of their condition across such areas as environment and natural resources, health, education, and human rights. As a result, the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights declared the years 1995-2004 to be the Decade of the World’s Indigenous Populations. The theme of the decade was to be â€Å"partnership in action†, and the main objectives were to strengthen the role of the international community in enforcing international human rights treaties, to promote the discovery of viable solutions to Indigenous-State conflicts through mediation, discussion, and cooperation, and to draft a declaration of the rights of indigenous people. In this paper, I will analyze the amount of progress that has been made in the Native American condition in relation to U.S. government cooperation with the First Nations, with a specific focus on the tribes of the Pacific Northwest. I will begin with a brief, but comprehensive history of U.S.-Native American relations, with a focus on U.S. government policy. Next, I will conduct a case study of the Pacific Northwest, specifically dealing with how the global pressure of the Decade has impacted treaty negotiations and multi-lateral cooperation in the fishing industry, forest service, and tribal gaming. I will then discuss parallels that can be drawn from the cooperation of Maori tribes with the government of New Zealand in the last decade. Finally, I will discuss the unmet needs for the improvement of the indigenous condition, and conclude with an evaluation of the relative progress the Decade has had specifically in the United States, and more generally in the global community. A History of U.

Differences in Programming Language

  Answer: The significance of the programming knowledge for the company is very great since the correct choice will ensure proper connectivity, accessibility, ease of maintenance and the complexity of the software (Vine, 2005). Certain broad requirements can be obtained from the transcript of the conversation between Hugh McBride of McBride Financial Services and Abram LaBelle of Smith Systems Consulting who discussed the computer network needed for McBride’s planned offices. By programming language, we mean the set of instructions that are written and called a program and the computer processor carries out the instructions. The significance of the programming is felt on the development and maintenance cost, ease of use, easy availability of the application from different points, speed of access, features that can be provided in the application.A programming language such as Visual Basic is quite easy to learn and implement but the language does not allows for complex comput ations such as forecasting, gathering information, creating reports, etc. To perform complex operations, algorithms would have to be used and programming languages such as C++, C#, and others are very much suited. But the cost of development and maintenance would be significantly higher. These languages are called as OOPS – Object Oriented Programming Languages and they write the code around the data that has to be processed. In a majority of the cases, OOPS applications run on dedicated Intranets or WANs.The other set of programming languages are the web based languages such as Java, .NET, HTML, PHP, etc. These languages allow the application to be web based and the software used is usually freely downloadable. Another set of programming languages are centred around Unix and Linux operating systems. These are usually open source but very complex and requires a dedicated teams of developers and maintenance personnel (O'Brien, et all, 2005).2. Differences in Web Based and WANà ¢â‚¬â„¢s programming languages.Answer: There are two broad requirements, one is the website that customers, sales staff and brokers would be using and the other is the backend application that the staff would be using to complete their accounting and other tasks. The first possibilities is having a WAN that will have dedicated terminals, which can be placed in all the required areas. The terminal will be directly connected to a central server and since it is dedicated, only the Intranet of McBride Financial Services can be accessed. This kind of a system can be seen in ATMs’ and would require the application to be written in C++, have the user interface written in Delphi or other front end languages.The system would be connected to a powerful database that would be able to handle hundreds of connection requests. Systems written in C++ are very stable, crashing of the system is very rare, system response is very fast and most important since it is a dedicated Intranet, hacking is not possible and can be immediately detected. But the development cost of such systems is huge, it becomes very complex, in house software programmers are required and software programming is not a core business area of McBride Financial Services. Another alternative is to have a web based system that is written in Java or .NET. These systems also requires expensive programming but after the software is implemented, it can be easily maintained by lesser expensive teams who are not skilled enough for programming but can set right small bugs and maintain the database.The case also requires a powerful database into which information can be uploaded and downloaded as required. In both possibilities, the database would remain same and only the call procedures would be different. Since security is a major concern, very strict authentication should be forced. For each connection request, the IP number of the computer should be verified and this can be done through web-based languages. Cookies should not be stored in the client computer and this prevents the possibility of another person getting information from public computers (Turban, et all, 2002).  3. Recommendation for the applicationAnswer: A web-based system is recommended since such a system can be accessed from anywhere in the world. A system written in Java or .NET can be implemented. Such programming languages can be easily maintained and less expensive and the work of maintenance can be outsourced as per the standard industry practice where back office operations are outsourced to reliable parties at lower costs. The database can be either Oracle or IBM WebSphere since both have connectivity to the Internet and are web servers. Such servers have the optimum speed and there are lesser instances of slow speeds. Customers can access the application from cyber cafes, K Mart and other department stores and view the choices for financial plans.An online calculator can be provided that will calculate the a mount, premium, interest rates, etc. and customers can also provide their personal information. By using 128 bit encryption for authentication as used by PayPal, the chances of hackers getting into the system are very remote and this system can be stored in a central server. Employees will log into another server which will fetch data from the customers server and carry out their tasks. A robust gateway can be provided between the two servers and this further reduces hacking possibilities.To prevent the chances of crashes and data loss, it is recommended that day to day records be cached in mirror servers and this data can be written either dynamically or once in 12 hours. In the case of system crashes, data can be recovered from the mirror servers. To further prevent data loss, tape backups can be taken periodically and stored in Storage Area Networks. By providing such a system, customers and even staff can access the system from anywhere and use secure login and authentication. I f there is an unusually high suspicious activity in the network, then this can be seen as a hacking attempt and the system can be stopped either manually or through programs. Web based application will ensure that all the requirements are met (Olson, 2006).   

Impact of Social Networking Websites on Business

IMPACT OF SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES ON BUSINESS | Asheri George MatembeleApril 16, 2013| Table of Contents Abstract2 Introduction3 Literature Review3 Comparison of Social Networking Websites5 Benefits of using social network websites for business6 How to Use Social Networking Websites for Business8 Problems Associated with Social Networking Websites10 Conclusion10 References11 AbstractA social networking website is a social structure build-up of individuals or organizations called â€Å"nodes†, which are connected by one or more specific types of mutuality, such as friendship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike relationships of beliefs, knowledge, prestige and information. This paper focuses on social networking websites and their impact on business. It aims to identify opportunities and ways to be effective as promoters of businesses to Internet users all over the world, 24 hours and 7 days, creating unlimited possibilities for advertising potential.This paper revi ews the best social networking websites currently used as well as examples of ways in which business can use these types of websites to expand their target markets. This article also gives insight about the threats and challenges associated with social networking websites, as well as things for businesses to watch out for if they determine to use these types of websites. Social networking websites will continue to shape the ways in which businesses collaborate and communicate, both inside and outside of enterprise.Introduction A social networking website consists of a social structure build-up of individuals or organizations called â€Å"nodes†, connected by one or more specific types of mutuality, such as friendship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike relationships of beliefs, knowledge, prestige and information (McLaughlin, 2012). This paper focuses on social networking websites and their impact on business. It aims to identify opportunities and ways to be effecti ve as promoters of businesses to internet users.Social media are a platform for business visibility. Keywords create a marketing buzz. The most relevant social networking websites currently used are reviewed first and ways in which businesses can use these types of websites to expand their target markets considered next. Some of the threats and challenges associated with social networking websites as well as red flags for businesses to watch out are then discussed. Literature Review – What is Social Networking Website?A social networking website is an online service or website filled with millions of individuals who are seeking to meet other people, to gather and share first-hand information and their experiences about golfing, gardening, cooking, developing friendships or professional alliances, seeking employment, marketing such as advertising, get customer’s feedbacks and even groups sharing information. It is an online service, website or platform that focuses on b uilding and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities.Social Network Services are also increasingly attracting the attention of academic and industry researchers intrigued by their affordances and reach. – Facebook Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, while he was a student at Harvard in 2004 and originally called thefacebook and that domain was registered by someone else back in 1997. The general concept was to digitize the legendary freshman-year â€Å"Facebook,† and allow students not only to gawk at one another’s photos but also to flirt, network, interact.Eventually, the web site moved beyond college to everyone and nearly 1 billion people have a Facebook profile. Facebook users can create a profile page that shows their friends and networks information about them-selves. The choice to include a profile in a network means that everyone within that network can view the profile. The profile typically includes Friends, Friends from other Networks, Information, Status, Notes, Groups, Likes, Photos, Videos and The Wall which is the major feature of Facebook. – Google+Google+ is basically Google's latest attempt at creating a social network. Unlike with Facebook where uploading a post will show up on user’s profile for all of user’s friends to see, Google+ lets users do things a little differently. Circles, Sparks, Hangouts, Instant Upload and Huddle are major features of Google+. The concept of Circles is user can have a family Circle, a BFF Circle, a co-workers Circle, and even an â€Å"Epic bros† Circle. Sparks is a feature that lets users select certain areas, interests or hobbies that user particularly like.Google+ Hangouts are quick video â€Å"conferences† that enabling broadcasters to go live with friends and fans, for around the world to see. Instant upload which lets users take a photo and instantly upload it to a priva te album in the cloud server. Huddle is one of the best features of Google+ is Huddle, which lets users coordinate with friends and family in real-time. * Twitter? Twitter was started out as a micro-blogging website has quickly grown into a social messaging platform and one of the top social networks in the world that allows users answer the question, â€Å"What are users doing? by sending short text messages 140 characters in length, called â€Å"tweets†, to their friends, or â€Å"followers†. Twitter is phenomenon that transcends social networking to provide an outlet for news, trends, buzz, and chat among many other uses. Twitter is a combination of various forms of communication such as email, instant messenger, VOIP like as Skype, Blogs and distribute content rapidly on the web through RSS feeds. – LinkedIn LinkedIn is a social networking website designed specifically for the business community with over 120 million members which were officially launched i n May 2003.A LinkedIn member’s profile page, which emphasizes their working experiences and education background, has professional network news feeds and a limited number of customizable modules. Network members are also known as â€Å"connections† and unlike other social networking websites such as Facebook or Twitter. LinkedIn needs connections to have a pre-existing relationship. The members of can seek for jobs, join groups, research companies, and network with members of their network. Companies can post information about the company and career opportunities listings on company pages.Companies can also establish the connection with LinkedIn members for recruiting purposes. – MySpace MySpace is a popular online social networking website that composed of personal profiles aimed for mostly at a younger membership. It is extremely popular with teenagers and young adults. It allows users to post images of their self, blog about their ideas and concerns, and post comments on other users’ profiles. MySpace included features such as chat rooms, forums, classified ads, newsgroups and a venue for sharing videos or music like as other online social networking websites.A MySpace profile can be a very important connection to fans of celebrities because MySpace was originally founded as a venue for aspiring musicians and bands to share music and concert dates. The variety of details included in the profile is submitted voluntarily by users. MySpace is easy to use for anyone to submit profile information, even if they have lack of online experience. Comparison of Social Networking Websites There are several different social networking websites and hard to decide which are best for the business. Following figures and tables will give insight to choose suitable one for business somehow.Figure 1: Number of registered users on Major Social Networking Websites According â€Å"Figure: 1†, vast amount of users are registered in Facebook. Goog le+ and Twitter has only 25% of number of Facebook’s registered users. Businesses can be reached many targeted users on the Facebook easily more than other social networking websites. Figure 2: Percentage of Gender distribution by major social networking websites Benefits of using social network websites for business Businesses are getting insight about the benefits of using social networking websites to retain and attract customers.They began to see that their competitors are taking many advantages because of using social networking efforts, they quickly followed suit. Nowadays most of the businesses can be found on asocial networking websites. They are communicating with their customers and clients via social networking websites. They are updating their information or statuses and occasionally acting like they are a part of community. For some people, interacting with businesses on social networking websites gives them an opportunity to experience first-hand how that compan y deals with the public.Most people are becoming accustomed to receiving customer support via a social network. Social networking websites can break the barriers of customer contact significantly so that businesses are using social networks to help their marketing campaigns. For businesses that are willing to shoulder the load, this new medium represents an opportunity in order to keep in touch with customers and update them constantly about companies’ information. This represents are an unprecedented opportunity for businesses which are willing to add values and engaging with customers.The benefits of social networking for business cannot be underestimated as it becomes a crucial component to business. The benefits of using social networking for business are as follows: – Online Presence and Branding Business can create their profile in social networking sites and allows people to see their brand or products and get awareness from user that their business exists. They can post valuable content to those web sites to attract the users. – Customer Service and Engagement Social networking provides a channel for business to interact with their customers and enables customers to provide feedback on the marketing message quickly.It provides as a useful tool to have a direct conversation with their customer base and see patterns of customer’s feedback. It also gives company a platform to be creative in using different social media tools to engage their customers and gain their loyalty to the business. – Lower Cost/Free Advertising Businesses can advertise their products and services for free or at lower costs when they make full use of social networking sites. Social networking sites can be used as a media which help companies find new customers and break the barriers of customer contact. – Find Business Partners or EmployeesAt social networking sites, businesses can find out new business partners, employees, other brands and even their competitor. Businesses can send out messages to notify people they are hiring or accepting applications and they can use these social networking sites to seek out employees. How to Use Social Networking Websites for Business Businesses can establish and maintain business relationships with colleagues and their customers on social networking websites. Some firms are taking it further still and using social networking sites to actively promote themselves and their businesses.Businesses have a number of ways to develop unique advertising methods on each social networking websites and those websites offer several avenues such as the banner ad advertising, creating a profile and page or creating events and groups. * Banner Ad Advertising? Banner Ad advertising is a most popular and majority of advertising method on the Internet. Most of social networking websites have that kind of advertising method and running on every web page which a user must access to view messages, comm ents, and others’ profiles.Often these ads are animated or still images, making them users to see and click on them. eMarketer reported that the global revenue of banner ad advertising from social networks is expected to reach $10 billion by 2013. Figure 3: Social Networking Websites’ Ad Revenues Internationally Figure 4: Percentage Change of Social Networking Websites’ Ad Revenues Internationally – Creating a Profile and Page Many companies have profiles on social networking websites and the information on a profile reflect on those businesses.Therefore they post or upload about their services or products so that users may view them and engaging for clients. This would be a way to keep in touch with their customers for businesses. At the companies’ profile, the user could post concerns, comments, and ideas while viewing blogs on product updates. Companies can review the likes, interests and expressed needs of their customer base from profiles. The y can also use this information to determine how customers’ profile characteristics fit into their marketing targets. Creating groups and Events Another way to use social networking websites is the creation of groups or events according company’s product or service. Moreover, the business can create a group of people who like or interest the product and open discussion forums so that users can share about their experience with the products. Most of the social networking websites are allowed users to create events and those events could be sponsored by the company. The social networking website’s users are partically doing the advertising for the company. Problems Associated with Social Networking WebsitesMost of the businesses concern about privacy and security issues in social networking websites. This is the majority problem since the purpose of social networking websites is for public for personal reasons, a person’s whose privacy is compromised suffer s much distress. Increasing of hacking the account is also another problem suffered by social networking websites. Even though it is a problem, can be protected by user reducing the amount of their personal information they post on the internet. Some of social networking websites services do not agree security is not a major problem.Although many social networking websites have enhanced their security and privacy system, much remains out in the open for regular predators to harm and affect the lives of others. The purpose of visiting social networking websites for most of the people is for their personal reasons or for leisure. So that businesses should realize how to be contributing about their information among users with lack of risk and beware of the personal space of the users. Conclusion Social networking websites are becoming popular among current generation.Even there are many opportunities as well as challenges of social networking websites for business. Most important step for any business is to create a policy of using social networking websites. Businesses are struggling with rapidly developing of technology. Technology is constantly changing the way of doing business at internet and businesses should be aware of these changes. It is in the best interests of a company to know what social networking websites are suitable to its References Daniel Nations, The Top Social Networking Sites, AUG 12, 2012, from http://webtrends. about. om/od/socialnetworking/a/ social_network. htm Darren McLaughlin, Benefits Of Social Networking Websites For Business, AUG 20, 2012, from http://mosthostserver. com/? p=5118 Google+: A Basic Cheatsheet for Marketers, AUG 19, 2012, from http://www. sociableblog. com/2011/10/04/googlepl us-cheatsheet-for-marketers/ Jennifer Bergen, Google+: What is it, and how do I get it? , AUG 15, 2012, from http://www. geek. com/articles/mobile/google-what- is-it-and-how-do-i-get-it-20110628/ Part of the Internet acronyms and lingo glossary , LinkedIn, AUG 15, 2012, from http://whatis. techtarget. om/definition/LinkedIn Part of the Internet applications glossary, MySpace, AUG 17, 2012, from http://whatis. techtarget. com/definition/MySpace Using social networking sites for business marketing: Advantages and disadvantages, AUG 25, 2012, from http://brooger. com/using-social- networking-sites-for-business-marketing- advantages-and-disadvantages/ What is Facebook? , AUG 12, 2012, from http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-facebook. htm What Is Social Networking? , AUG 12, 2012, from http://www. brickmarketing. com/what-is-social- networking. htm What is Twitter? , AUG 15, 2012, from http://mashable. com/what-is-twitter/