Period of Baroque Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Period of Baroque - Essay Example Renaissance, through its new ideology and reform, resulted with a variety of styles. The idea of individualism and freedom of artistic creations influenced Michelangelo in a different manner. He was, in a way opposite of Leonardo. He was emotional and inward oriented. While painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he described the creation of the universe in his own way. He represented God as an old man with bears, most probably because of the humanism. Also, the humanism of Renaissance allowed him to represent a naked man, together with God, in same size. Renaissance was a start of reform and it was a return to classical values. In opened a new viewpoint in terms of ideology and style. After Renaissance, Baroque period have started. The artistic center moved from Florence to Rome. The reconstruction and redecoration of Rome gave rise to different artistic ideas and styles. One of the features of Baroque which distinguished it from Renaissance period is that it was international. Baroque style spread all through Europe, it was also accepted in Russia and passed into the New World. Caracci and Andrea Pozzo became famous with their ceiling frescoes and Caravaggio with his style, his way of representing figures and use of light etc. The paintings on ceilings in Baroque period differed from Renaissance. In this period the paintings became more elaborate and variety of images created an allegory in a way, representing the glorification of the miracles. There were flying figures on ceilings. and everything took place above us. Therefore the perspective moved from walls to ceilings and scientific reality gave its place to illusion and movement. The Baroque period had its own way of representing naturalism and reality. Michelangelo Merisi Da is better known as Caravaggio and he was an Italian baroque painter. His works portrayed saints and other biblical figures as plain ordinary people. Little is known about his early life but one might assume from his painting that he was a very catholic person with good morals. But actually this is not the case- His fame came when he unveiled his three life size paintings narrating the life of Saint Matthew in 1600. At that time his life was filled with notorious violence. It is said that a full transcript of his trial pending and police records would fill several pages. Several of these violent incidences almost ended in his death. He was later ordered to quit Rome after one of his alliances was killed during a violent accident. He wanted to paint saints and biblical figures

Reading response papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading response papers - Essay Example Merit is key factor for gaining status and even kings have to prove themselves to remain in that position. They place less importance on metals like gold, silver, iron etc. but extensively use their fertile land for cereal crops etc. Their main wealth is under sized live stocks which they value and also use them as trade exchange. They conduct all their public and private business being armed. They believe in monogamy but chiefs can take more wives so as to strengthen tribal power. The feuds and friendships come as legacy. They have different punishment for varying crimes. They welcome all invited and uninvited guests with same fervour. Gaul, Chatti, Uspi, Tencteri etc. were tribes which initially resided across the rivers and mountains but are now considered within the Germania boundary. Chhatti men do not cut their hair and beard till and wear iron ring as a mark of servitude till they kill a man to repay the debt to their parents. Freedom of Germany is paramount to all Germans which they ensure by being constantly prepared for

Structure And Function Of Biomolecules Biology Essay

Structure And Function Of Biomolecules Biology Essay All Biomolecules have certain functions and these molecules all have a unique structure which is why they function in these ways. These molecules are known collectively as macromolecules, these molecules are grouped into four main categories which each have there own structure. These structures are the key to the macromolecules functions as each of them do a specific task in the body. Macromolecules are grouped into carbohydrates, nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. In most cases macromolecules are polymers, which is a long molecule which are made by linking together a large number of small, similar compounds called monomers. Polymers are formed by a dehydration reaction, this happens by the -OH group being removed from one monomer, and a hydrogen atom (H) is removed from the other monomer, then the polymer is formed (as shown in Figure 1). This reaction is also used in the linking of fatty acids to glycerol in lipids. This reaction is referred to as a condensation or dehydration reaction, because the reaction produces a water molecule from the -OH and -H groups removed, and for each monomer that is added a water molecule is given off. The opposite reaction is the hydrolysis reaction which breaks down polymer to there respective monomers. Water is added to the macromolecule splitting the bonds between the monomers and the -OH and -H are attached to form the monomers (as in Figure 2). Carbohydrates are a group of molecules made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a molar ratio 1:2:1. Carbohydrates have a general formula of (CH2O)n, where n is the number of carbon atoms. These carbohydrates contain a lot of carbon-hydrogen bonds, which releases energy when oxidation occurs, as carbohydrates are well suited for energy storage. Sugars are some of the most important energy sources and they exist in several different forms, such as monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides are the simplest of carbohydrates, they may contain as few as three carbons but the ones that have a key role in energy storage have six carbons. Disaccharides serve as transport molecules in plants and provide nutrition in animals; they are used by plants for transporting glucose around the plant as disaccharides are not easily metabolised, but disaccharides are usually consumed by humans and animals. Polysaccharides provide energy storage, such as starch consists entirely o f ÃŽÂ ±-glucose molecules linked in a long chain. Cellulose is a structural polysaccharide which also consists of glucose linked in long chains, but these molecules are ÃŽÂ ²-glucose. Carbohydrates are used as a source of energy for processes in the body such as muscle movement (Raven et al 2008). Proteins Proteins are linear polymers made up of a combination of 20 different amino acids, which contain amino group (-NH2) as well as an acidic carboxyl group (-COOH). The specific order of amino acids determines the proteins structure and function. The amino and acid carboxyl group go through a dehydration reaction to form a peptide bond which joins the amino acids together to form proteins. Proteins have many different functions which are placed into seven categories; Enzyme catalysis, Support, Defence, Motion, Transport, Regulation and Storage. Enzyme catalysis is when enzymes which are globular proteins with a three-dimensional shape that fit around some molecules to facilitate chemical reactions (Raven et al 2008). Support proteins fibres play a structural role, these fibres include keratin in hair fibrin in blood clots and collagen which forms the matrix of skin, ligaments, tendons, and bones, and is the most abundant protein in a vertebrate body (Raven et al 2008). Defence proteins a re globular and use there shape to recognise foreign microbes and cancer cells, these cell-surface receptors are from the core of the bodys endocrine and immune system (Raven et al 2008). Muscles contract through the sliding motion of two kinds of protein filaments: actin and myosin (Raven et al 2008). A variety of globular proteins transport small molecules and ions. The transport protein Haemoglobin, for example, transports oxygen in the blood stream (Raven et al 2008). Small proteins called hormones serve as intercellular messengers in animals. Proteins also play many regulatory roles within the cell-turning on and shutting off genes during development (Raven et al 2008). Calcium and iron are stored by binding as ions to storage proteins (Raven et al 2008). Lipids Lipids are varied in structure and function, most of them are non soluble in water. Lipids have a very high proportion of nonpolar carbon-hydrogen bonds; so long chain lipids cannot fold up like a protein to sequester their nonpolar portions away from the surrounding aqueous environment. Lipids are hydrophobic so when they are exposed to water there hydrophilic (polar) sections of the lipids cluster together while the hydrophobic (nonpolar) sections gather together with the inside the polar sections to stay away from the water. Fats and oils are a type of lipid which are formed from glycerol and three fatty acids. Fatty acids are long chain hydrocarbons with a carboxylic acid (COOH) at one end. Fats and oils, also known as triglycerides, can be saturated where the fatty acids contain at least one carbon to carbon double bond or they can be unsaturated which means there are no double bonds. Phospholipids are also lipids and they are composed of a polar head, a phosphate group, glycero l, and two fatty acids. Phospholipids form the cell membranes and they use the previously mentioned method for holding together cells. The hydrophobic heads gather towards the water inside and outside the cell forming the membrane, which certain molecules can go through to get inside or outside the cell. Nucleic Acids Nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides and each nucleotide is made up of a sugar, a base and a phosphate group. Nucleic acids are the information carrying devices of each cell containing the code for all proteins. There are two main forms of nucleic acid which are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). Unique among macromolecules, nucleic acids are able to serve as a template to produce a perfect replicate of it. DNA is usually found in the nucleus of cells, which contains the genetic information necessary to build specific organisms (Raven et al 2008). Cells use RNA to read the DNAs encoded information and to direct the creation of the proteins. RNA and DNA are similar in structure and consist of duplicate copies of parts of DNA. The duplicates serve as a blueprint specifying the amino acid sequences of the proteins. In addition to serving as subunits of DNA and RNA, nucleotide bases play other critical roles in the life of a cell. For example adenine is a key co mponent of the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of a cell (Raven et al 2008). Two other important nucleotide-containing molecules are nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). These molecules function as electron carriers in a variety of cellular processes (Raven et al 2008). So Biomolecules have certain functions which they carry out in the body because of there unique structures. These structures are unique as they contain certain bonds between molecules which are all formed in similar reactions. But the four groups of macromolecules are formed in similar reactions, dehydration and hydrolysis reactions, but they all act in different ways.

The Marx Brothers :: Research Papers

The Marx Brothers In his book entitled Creating Minds, Howard Gardner (1993) engaged in a thorough study of creativity. He did this by studying the lives of exceptional creators in seven different domains in search of trends that could be readily identified and, perhaps, even help to paint a clearer picture of what the ingredients for creativity are. After examining these creators' lives he came to some conclusions based on the trends he identified and formed a model of creativity. In order to test both his model and his findings, it is necessary to extend the search (and study) beyond his initial seven great creators. In doing this it becomes possible to refute or add credence to his conclusions. This extension also allows for further questions to be asked. During the reading of Creating Minds I happened upon an interesting thought: Could Gardner's model for creative individuals be applied to the study of a creative group? Furthermore, would a group show similar trends in their creative development? If I was going to attempt to answer this question I decided I would have to qualify what a creative group was. I defined a creative group as a group of individuals producing a single creative work. The creativity of this work must be a result of the combination of the individuals' strengths being pooled (as equally as possible) to produce an output that could not have been produced by any of the individuals on their own. The group would be analogous to Gardner's individual creator, and the group's combination of mental talents would parallel the individual creator's personal array of intellectual strengths. Having defined what a creative group was, it became necessary to ask perhaps an even more important question: Could such a group exist? If so, could an example be found? The answer to both questions, I decided, was yes. But who? My ponderings on this subject invariably brought me to the Marx Brothers, kings of comedy. My Method In his study Gardner had followed the lives of his chosen creators and examined the progression of their works as a function of the creator and his or her surroundings. It would be difficult to treat the progression of a group in precisely the same manner. If I chose to treat the group as a single unit and reported on its progress and surroundings, the workings of its component creators could be lost.

Self Introductory Speech

Tewyner Hall Speech 101 Ms. Walton Introductory Speech Jan. 28, 2013 Interrupted at Eighteen â€Å"Where do you see yourself in ten years;† is what my 11th grade teacher asked me. I didn’t have the slightest idea as to where I’d be in ten years; I only knew where I didn’t want to be. Unlike, all of my friends at the time I was the only one out of the group that didn’t want to become an adult; this was something that I was secretly afraid of. My dream of staying with my parents for the rest of my life was abruptly shattered at the age of 18 when I found out that I was pregnant.I was on the fast track to adulthood, something I had tried so hard to avoid. When my teacher asked me where I saw myself in ten years, I could only think about where I absolutely didn’t want be. I sat at my desk and pictured myself living with my parents pregnant with a â€Å"hip baby†. I can remember feeling an immediate chill of disappointment and disguiess at the thought of allowing myself to stoop to such circumstances. As a child my father told me that being pregnant, unwed and living with your parents is one of the most embarrassing and disappointing acts that you could commit towards yourself and your parents.Society often stereotyped pregnant unwed mothers as easy, gullible girls that couldn’t keep their legs closed. I did not want to be categorized that way I was too smart for that. I wanted to reside within the comfort of my parents’ home childless of course, and continue to do whatever they told me to do for the rest of my life. I knew exactly where I didn’t want to be yet, I was unsure of where I was going. My teenage years were the best years of my life.I had a large bedroom with wall to wall plush carpet, a bed fit for a princess, a white vanity set for all of my nail polish, a television and a spectacular view of the front and back of the house. I didn’t have to pay any bills or buy food. I had a p art time job, a driver license, a car, I was cute and semi- popular. My parents were proud of me. Life was good. I couldn’t understand why teenagers wanted to grow up so fast. When I was seventeen I told my mother that I didn’t want to turn 18 she laughed and said â€Å"The only way you can prevent yourself from turning 18 is if you die at 17†.I was afraid of not being good enough I didn’t think that I was smart enough to be an adult. Becoming an adult meant that you had to pay for everything, you’d have responsibilities, you’d have to endure the daily pressures of life and eventually realize that it’s a â€Å"cold hard world† out there. People are not going to love and care for you like your parents In April of 1999 I went to bed happy, content, and optimistic about my future. When I woke up my fingers and ankles where swollen, my body felt heavy, my stomach was abnormally large and when I turned over there was a hideous monst er man in my bed.I was 8 months pregnant and living at home with the father of my unborn child and my parents. My nightmare had come true. My bedroom was dilapidated; I walked over to the room window and whispered to myself â€Å"what a disgrace†. I was scared and ashamed of myself. Although my parents tried to hide it I knew they were heartbroken. My oldest sister would fuel my depression by carelessly blurting belittling remarks to me about my situation. She once asked me â€Å"why you keep having babies in my mama house. † This was exactly where I didn’t want be, But God had a plan for me.As I said before I didn’t have the slightest idea as to where I would be in ten years; I only knew where I didn’t want be. My children were my inspiration to move forward in life. I realized I couldn’t live with my parents forever. I had to become a positive example for my children. I made a list of short term and long term goals for our future. With the relentless support of my parents I began to embrace not only being a mother but an adult also. That was 13 years ago. In â€Å"Straighten Our Hair,† Bell Hooks, she wrote â€Å"It has been only in recent years that I could feel consistent pleasure with my hair†.These feelings remind me of the pleasure and comfort I felt as a child sitting between my mother’s legs feeling the warmth of her body as she combed and braided my hair. † Just like bell hooks I sometimes reminisce on the times when I was a young girl and the feelings of comfort, love, and satisfaction I received from my room and living with my parents. Today I am 33 years old and I can proudly say that I am not where I want be, but I’m far from where I used to be, God has surly worked on me. Thank you all for listening!

Intro to Finance Essay

An efficient financial system promotes intermediaries that successfully link â€Å"savers† from â€Å"borrowers† (Mankiw). There are two widely-known financial intermediaries namely the banks and mutual funds. Banks are highly accessible to the general public are generally more cost advantageous that direct lending. Generally, the banks main purpose in the economy is to take in deposits from savers and â€Å"use these deposits to make loans to people who want to borrow† (Mankiw, N. Gregory, 2001, Principles of Economics, p. 557). Banks incur costs by paying interest on these deposits and earn from these by charging higher interest rates on loan borrowers. Second to this, banks play an important role in the economy as they â€Å"facilitate the purchases of goods and services by allowing people to write checks against their deposits† (Mankiw, N. Gregory, 2001, Principles of Economics, p. 557). In this manner, the economy benefits from banks by this accessible medium of exchange. Unlike stocks or bonds which are not as immediate, checks make it easier for the public to exercise their monetary transactions. Mutual funds, on the other hand, are institutions that use the proceeds of selling shares in buying portfolios of stocks and bonds where they derive their profits. The financial markets become more accessible and efficient because mutual funds allow people with small savings to become owners and creditors of numerous companies. Also, mutual funds allow its shareholders the benefit of risk diversification wherein a single fund can carry a roster of diverse portfolios in stocks and bonds. A broker can either be an individual or a corporate entity that earns a fee-based profit by performing buy and sell orders from investors and/ or clients. A good example of this is a brokerage firm that specializes in trading company stocks and securities. A broker’s main functions in the financial market would include basic execution of buying and selling shares, and financial advisory to clients regarding the management of their shares/ stocks. With the emergence of automation and popular online brokerage firms, traditional brokers have redefined their place in the industry. Most popular online brokerage firms such as Ameritrade and E*Trade offer lower fees to investors as opposed to traditional brokers. Financial and Investment Advisory are also automated online via innovative investment software tools. With information becoming more accessible because of the internet, traditional brokers are now transitioning into online brokers wherein online orders are still routed to and monitored by them; and with reduced client-interface for advisories.

Writing Assignment Rubric Forewarned is Forearmed

Writing Assignment Rubric Forewarned is Forearmed Writing Assignment Rubric: Forewarned is Forearmed A writing assignment rubric can be difficult to decipher. But getting acquainted with a writing rubric before you write an essay, paper, or any writing assignment is essential to getting good grades. If you don’t know what your teacher expects of you, and write something for your teacher regardless, you are willingly putting yourself in a sticky situation. So, what are the usual parts of a writing rubric and how to impress your teacher by following it? There is usually a hierarchy of categories that are attended to. The following is a list of the important things to pay attention to in order to get the highest grade for your assignments: Communicating your message. Is your content clear? Do you lose focus on the main topic during the essay? If you read your writing as a reader, can you understand it? These questions will reflect whether or not you have communicated your message properly. Writing is a form of communication. Do you write in a fancy way just for kicks? Always make sure you are understood. Organization. Do you have transitions from paragraph to paragraph? Does your essay flow easily from topic to topic, or do you feel jumps in subject matter? Did you arrange your paragraphs in the most efficient manner, so that readers can see the affect of your thesis statement? Speaking of thesis statements, they are the crux of your paper. Your main body paragraphs must reflect and expound on your thesis statement. Style. Is your tone appropriate for your assignment? Are you using informal language when it is a formal essay? Do you think your teacher would enjoy the way you are writing? The way you convey your message is important, but also the tone and character of your writing is also key. Research. Did you validate all the claims you made with in-text citations? Do you have at least three sources? Are your sources reliable, recent, and appropriate? Teachers are keen on seeing if you have used the correct citation style: MLA, APA, Chicago, and more. They are also attentive to when students make claims and do not back them up with information from studies or related research. Grammar and punctuation. Do you use commas, semicolons, colons, and periods correctly? Are your sentences fluid and easy to read? Can you state your sentences in a better order? Though the mechanics of writing is a lower level concern, if you have enough grammatical and punctuation issues, your paper can be difficult to read or even unreadable. Following the rules of mechanics allows you to deliver your message soundly, without disruption. Don’t look at it as a tedious thing. Grammar and punctuation are needed to be heard clearly by your readers. Besides knowing these main criteria, it is important, in a practical sense, to keep your rubric close to you while you write. Checking it periodically as you write is essential to making sure you don’t mess up and have to write everything over again. Also, if you are confused about something in your rubric, don’t feel shy to ask your teacher about it.

Literature Review for Thesis or Dissertation

Literature Review for Thesis or Dissertation Literature Review Writing As you are working on your academic tasks, you may need to produce a comprehensive review of literature. It means developing a profound understanding of the research findings that were published in relation to your topic. Remember that your readers may not know as much about your topic as you do. Therefore, you must provide them with the background knowledge of your subject. Besides, your review of literature will be important for you to justify the topic of your dissertation. To produce a high-quality review, you must do the following:review your topic against the literature you have collected; review the key findings and see what gaps exist in the literature you have found; link the findings and integrate them into a cohesive narrative; describe the significance of these findings for your work; interpret and analyze the meaning and explain them to your reader; try to understand any contradictions that exist among researchers and their findings; see if the literature you have located can provide any meaningful input into your own work; propose recommendations for future research.Now think of what should be included in your review of literature. First, you must be able to structure your literature review around several core topics or themes. These themes or topics should be arranged logically. Do not forget to cite and reference other researchers. Explain complex terminology and be unbiased in your analysis of the most significant findings. Ideally, your literature review should comprise the following components:an overview of the topic and subject; a discussion of the main findings, while diving them into categories or themes; a connection among different works and findings; a conclusion about what meaning these findings may carry for your future work.You may want to consider a number of questions or issues while working on your literature review:Authors credentials and qualifications: are they sufficient to guarantee the highest validity and reliability of the study results? Objectivity and neutrality: are researchers objective enough when reporting their findings? Credibility: can you see how convincing the authors arguments are? Worth: do you believe that the authors recommendations and findings add value to the results of your own work?Do not forget about the importance of transitions. Your ideas should be linked logically to one another. In addition, you need to analyze rather than summarize them. You should clearly articulate your position and see if the sources you have collected support or refute your assumptions. Your task is to convince your readers that you know everything about the topic. Use the following verbs, if you want to:emphasize the positive aspects of your work hold, advocate, suggest, confirm; emphasize the disagreement with your beliefs and thesis deny, address, comment; emphasize the tentativeness of the argument hypothesize, believe, assume; emphasize the critical approach to the argument object, refute, attack.Your literature review will become an integral component of your academic work. It will show that you can select the most relevant and significant materials, paraphrase them, analyze them, and integrate them into your narrative. If you use quotations, they should be meaningful and important. See what language researchers use to communicate their thoughts. Develop a broader picture of your study, by using the findings reported by other scholars. Be reasonable with the use of citations and quotations. Introduce them properly and explain their meaning. Do not forget about the key message you want to articulate to your readers. Do not deviate from the topic, and your literature review will bring you a huge academic success.

Why are Nursing Home Jobs Getting Tougher to Find

Why are Nursing Home Jobs Getting Tougher to Find There’s constant buzz about the shortage of healthcare providers and bustling job market as we enter an era in which people over the age of 65 will account for nearly 20 percent of the population by the year 2030, according to the Administration on Aging. Picturing a society full of nursing homes overflowing with white-haired seniors? Think again. Nursing homes have been steadily on the decline in this county for years, and there’s no indication of a reversal in sight. Declining along with them? Nursing home jobs. Let’s take a closer look at this phenomenon, and what it means for nurses and other nursing home professionals.The 411 on Nursing Home JobsNursing home and residential care facility jobs fell by a whopping 4,800 jobs this past March, continuing a trend in that sector. The majority of these jobs were in nursing homes - the sole sector that’s seen a decline over the past year.However, health care overall added 22,300 jobs last month, largely drive n by outpatient care options, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics. While jobs for nurses and physicians continued to experience growth, nursing homes positions remained the one stagnant area.Why the Decline?Today’s seniors want different things for their retirement, and the stigma of nursing homes weighs heavily upon them. Because people want care that’s closer to home and less â€Å"institutional† in feel, outpatient settings are experiencing significant growth. While this increases the demand for healthcare professionals in ambulatory roles, it decreases jobs for nursing home workers.It’s not exactly a surprise that the decline in nursing home jobs corresponds to other related declines, both in terms of nursing homes as well as older patients in nursing homes. Many healthcare professionals hoping to land nursing home jobs are finding themselves in an unexpected predicament: without job prospects in one of the most sought after sectors.This doesn’t mean they have to settle for the unemployment line, however. Instead, it may mean expanding their search parameters to different settings which offer similar care to older patients.The â€Å"New† Nursing HomePartly in response to demand from patients and partly due to the shrinking of Medicaid financing, many nursing homes are turning to a new model: Managed Care at Home programs. Also referred to as PACE (â€Å"Program of All-INclusive Care for the Elderly,†) this option includes many responsibilities that overlap with those in traditional nursing homes while allowing patients to stay at home. In short: long-term care no longer must take place in a nursing home; rather seniors can now gain access to 24-hour care at home. Many believe that patients can not only gain access to equally quality of care with these Managed Care at Home programs, but will also pay less. It’s no surprise, then, that these programs are expected to continue to grow.While n ursing homes are unlikely to ever disappear completely, competition for nursing home positions will grow steeper. Meanwhile, new career options will skyrocket thanks to a number of factors, including the increasing senior population, the influx of patients into the American healthcare system due to the Affordable Care Act, and the rise in managed care at home programs designed to meet financial concerns and patient needs alike. Trained and flexible healthcare workers will have plenty of options from which to choose.

Exchange of the Products in a Physical Form and Sale or Purchase of Literature review

Exchange of the Products in a Physical Form and Sale or Purchase of Foreign Currency - Literature review Example Two major factors are said to be the litmus test of market efficiency: the magnitude of statistical dependence between consecutive movements in exchange rates and the profitability of trading regulations. Research pertaining to the first issue on common statistical mechanisms like runs analysis and serial correlation analysis is to decide on the magnitude of reliance between successive exchange rate changes. (Jacque 1997:110). One hypothesis demonstrates that the past exchange rates include useful data in projecting future exchange rates since the data only spreads slowly among market participants, thus contradicting the market efficiency hypothesis. Poole in his empirical study has established substantial serial dependence in the currency price-rates of change by employing tests of serial correlation, filter rules and variance-time function. Pool attributed his research findings of serial reliance on transaction and inventory-carrying costs. Dooley and Shafer (1976) found a substant ial serial correlation in exchange rate series, thus doubting the Market Efficiency theory and a contrario, offering empirical proof for the Price Dynamics theory of exchange rate behaviour. Giddy and Dufey (1975) in their research study of the comparative projecting correctness of five models, proved that the behaviour of spot exchange rates is best illustrated as following a random walk, an outcome clearly dependable with the weak form of market efficiency. Some research studies have revealed that certain trading methodologies are able to make optimistic surplus revenues.

History of Media and technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

History of Media and technology - Research Paper Example Developments in technology has changed the process of production and editing of newspapers more than 10 years ago. As a result, the newspapers and magazines have virtually disappeared from the scene hence creating the concept of print with no paper. This process began with the onset of online (internet) journalism. People’s computer screens are replacing the newspaper and magazine prints. Currently, millions of people are moving towards internet in order to search for information, and to put their knowledge at work. They no longer wait for the newspaper vendor in the morning. Recently, people only require to log in to the internet to get most recent news, more information, and views including a chance to comment and make his/her views know to the rest of the world. Publishers are realizing the need for incorporating internet in the form of media, and as a medium for disseminating news instantaneously to the people seeking for information across the globe (Ginnekan 65). The human race is essentially characterized by its appetite to in invent, and the acts of invention have marked the upward surge for media revolution. As each generation cross the threshold of the media driven society, the term new media is relative to the time and the experience of their time. The journalists and readers born in the early 1980s had little experience of digital media, and the new media of their time is the obsolete or the traditional media of the current generation. The aim of this research paper to create a contemporary understanding of new technology and to give the readers the context of how new media(internet) and print media have transformed as a result of technological changes, and their effect to the society’s culture. The answer on sustaining and accelerating media improvement over time solely, lies in the feedback cycle between how-knowledge and what-knowledge. After the year 1450, there was an increase in discovery-type information. For instance,

Technology and Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Technology and Healthcare - Essay Example The potential of IT industry in the healthcare sector is huge and the opportunity is increasing with every passing year. To get involved in the healthcare industry, the amount invested by the venture capitalist has increased three times from 2010 to 2013, from $ 343million to $955 million. (Lee, 2013). There are 5 distinct ways by which the technology is associated with the health care industry. These include: Using data to offer a better diagnosis and treatment of the patient by the doctors and physician; Helping doctors to communicate with the patient in a better way; Technology able to help doctors to communicate between one another to consult about the treatment of any serious cases; Connecting doctors with the patient anytime from anywhere; Helping patients to stay healthy with the help of various mobile and technological applications. (Lee, 2013). One of the best examples of use of IT in healthcare is development of â€Å"Omnifluent Health, a translation program for doctors and others in the medical field.†(Lee, 2013) In USA, almost 47 million people do not speak or understand English, so this application I a great medium for them to communicate with doctors. New York City startup Sherpaa started a service of medical consultations online and over the phone for the people of USA. â€Å"Fitbit is one such kind of device which tracks daily sleep and activity and uses social networking and gaming to motivate its users.

Topic 1-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Topic 1-2 - Essay Example In most cases, people get jobs to earn income and gain status, which are part of reasons that make people to work. Career as work refers to a collection of jobs that a person involves in over the individual’s work life. This description is not to mean that work can be a career when a person serve as a nurse for ten years, and then as an hotelier for five years. Work only becomes a career when a person maintains a particular line of work practice though for different periods, positions or work place. For instance, work can be a career when one serves as a junior engineer for ten years and later as chief engineer for ten years. Additionally, a person can be in a career if they work for a particular company as engineer for three years and then for another company in the same position for six years (Brown & Lent, 2013). As a calling, work involves performing a certain activity with great passion and conviction. Work becomes a calling when a person is very concerned about work and considers it a social responsibility and less concern pay even though they work on paid

Corporate Social Responsibility Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corporate Social Responsibility Theories - Essay Example This theory postulates that companies aim at demonstrating their legitimacy to the society by acting in accordance with the bounds and norms of the community. The bounds and norms consist of all behaviour that the society accepts. Rendtorff (2009, p.145) argues that organizations safeguard the social contract between them and the society by displaying acceptable behaviour. The researcher explains that the social contract between company and the society requires organizations to deliver benefits and desirable ends to the community (Rendtorff, 2009). The failure of conforming to the expectations of the society ruins the society’s view of the company; this view is known as corporate image. Therefore, to avoid conflicts with the society, corporations aim at achieving a balance between their objectives and those of the community. Organizations adopt social and environmental reporting as a technique of maintaining legitimacy and an excellent image to the society. This is because the society expects companies to give back to them and to protect their environment (Gossling, 2011). The public expects organizations to maintain low levels of pollution because high levels threaten the health of individuals. The public also anticipate companies to support them in community projects because the society gives them a chance to conduct business in their environment (Tench, Sun, & Jones, 2012). Companies, therefore, have to report to the society about their environmental and social activities to improve their legitimacy and hence, their image and credibility to the community. Edward Freeman developed stakeholder theory, which argues that organizations aim at providing their stakeholders with value.

Economic and financial markets Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economic and financial markets - Case Study Example In 1992 Starbucks became a public limited company (www.mhhe.com) through an IPO. The coffee is supplied mainly through its own and franchised coffee-shop chains as well as through supermarkets. Starbucks’ main competitors in the speciality coffee-shop business are Costa Coffee, Barista and Coffee Bean. Though its mainstay remains its coffee brewing business, Starbucks also offers other hot and cold drinks, hot and cold sandwiches, ice cream, pastries and snacks. Many people have bought its mugs and tumblers to express their appreciation for the Starbucks brand. A more recently created Starbucks Entertainment Division and its Hear Music label also offers books, music and films. Clearly Starbucks has expanded from just a coffee label to a much larger enterprise (www.starbucks.com). Comments on Starbucks’ Pricing Strategy In the given assignment, we are asked to comment on the pricing strategy of Starbucks chain. We are told that at a local Starbucks, customers are offered a variety of alternatives with the following price list: Freshly brewed coffee ?1.55 Cafe Latte ?1.99 Capuccino ?1.99 Vanilla Latte ?2.29 Caramel Machiato ?2.65 Cafe Americano ?1.70 Expresso ?1.35 Cafe Mocha ?2.25 White Cafe Mocha ?2.65 The above prices are for the ‘tall’ size of the above beverages. ... tte, Cappuccino and Cafe Americano come in the price range ?1.70 to ?1.99, and the last or uppermost tier is for its fancier offerings such as Vanilla Latte, Cafe Mocha and White Cafe Mocha, costing between ?2.25 and ?2.65 respectively. It is also possible that the people ordering these beverages form different classes of customers for Starbucks. Quite possibly the cost of making these beverages and the additional labour and ingredients that are put in have also affected the final price charged by Starbucks. So we can see that there are three tiers of prices possibly indicating low, medium and high class customer preferences. Anyway as far as a cup of coffee goes, there is not much overall variation between the lowest price of ?1.35 and the highest price of ?2.65 a cup at Starbucks- indeed it is very reasonable and such a price difference will readily be accepted by a consumer (Kotler, 1990). Product pricing theory advises us that when setting the price of a product, we should take i nto account the price elasticity of demand for a product (McConnell & Brue, 2005). However one must regard a cup of coffee as a basic necessity especially in the winter season, so its price elasticity is relatively low. Its only real substitute is tea, but even that loses favour in the winter season. For avowed coffee fanatics, no other beverage will do. Starbucks’ pricing strategy will most likely also be impacted by the price charged by its competitors, whether it is entering into a new marketplace and is willing to offer price discounts in the beginning period, or whether it wants to place itself at the higher end of the market and charge higher prices, focusing only on a select group of high end customers having purchasing power. Obviously it is aided in this by its international

Corporate Social Responsibility Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corporate Social Responsibility Theories - Essay Example This theory postulates that companies aim at demonstrating their legitimacy to the society by acting in accordance with the bounds and norms of the community. The bounds and norms consist of all behaviour that the society accepts. Rendtorff (2009, p.145) argues that organizations safeguard the social contract between them and the society by displaying acceptable behaviour. The researcher explains that the social contract between company and the society requires organizations to deliver benefits and desirable ends to the community (Rendtorff, 2009). The failure of conforming to the expectations of the society ruins the society’s view of the company; this view is known as corporate image. Therefore, to avoid conflicts with the society, corporations aim at achieving a balance between their objectives and those of the community. Organizations adopt social and environmental reporting as a technique of maintaining legitimacy and an excellent image to the society. This is because the society expects companies to give back to them and to protect their environment (Gossling, 2011). The public expects organizations to maintain low levels of pollution because high levels threaten the health of individuals. The public also anticipate companies to support them in community projects because the society gives them a chance to conduct business in their environment (Tench, Sun, & Jones, 2012). Companies, therefore, have to report to the society about their environmental and social activities to improve their legitimacy and hence, their image and credibility to the community. Edward Freeman developed stakeholder theory, which argues that organizations aim at providing their stakeholders with value.

The Lost Generation’s Props Essay Example for Free

The Lost Generation’s Props Essay The significance of the Mr. In and Mr. Out scene toward the end of Fitzgerald’s May Day is that it reveals a last hurrah for Dean and Gordon. For Gordon especially, because he realizes that he will forever be married to Jewell and that suicide is his only escape from this life. The depression of this era, of Gordon not fulfilling his full potential as an artist (his excuse being that he needs to go to art school but doesn’t have enough money to go to art school). It is this idea of potential, of finding identity in post-war America (or in this case during the war) that Fitzgerald’s short story hinges upon. Either man attended Yale and had the best opportunities afforded to them, but their mutually exclusive hate for each other for ending up in the life they have now (their after Yale life, their, not in the war life). Either man’s drunken stupor, their â€Å"In Out† gag is a revelation of lack of identity. Faulkner’s writing style is very colloquial. He gives the reader a real taste of the character, a real dip into the character’s own mind, no matter how fragile, insane, or gritty their subjective reality may be. Hemingway’s language in Hills Like White Elephants is prosy in comparison (although both authors use adjectives with a certain flare). Hemingway’s writing is more obsessed about the environment. Hemingway also uses a fair amount of dialogue to juxtapose the natural elements of the setting of the story. Hemingway is caught up in the movement of things; the movement of the girl looking toward the horizon and the dualism of character and nature. Faulkner doesn’t juxtapose his characters with environment in this fashion, rather he juxtaposes action with characters. Fitzgerald’s character, Gordon Sterret, is a dark and ill man, both in composure and in spirit. Fitzgerald relays this characterization to the reader through use of Gordon’s actions (his continually getting drunk, especially in the presence of Edith whom he may have love, but whom he ultimately falters with). The main action being that he goes with Jewell against his judgment and Dean’s advice and in the end of the story, feeling as though he cannot control his actions and is a pawn of fate, he kills himself thereby exercising the only control over himself that he thinks he has; killing himself. Similar to this Laura’s character in Flowering Judas doesn’t present her will into her life. She allows Braggioni to try and seduce her, and even though she’s tired from her day and doesn’t much care for the man’s attention she doesn’t ask him to leave her alone. She remains proper with her social values as not wanting to offend anyone. This lack of control over her environment reflects Gordon’s own sentiments. Both Laura and Braggioni’s relationship and Gordon and Jewell’s relationship are similar. Jewell and Braggioni are forceful with their personalities on Gordon and Laura. Both endure their partners knowing that the world offers them nothing better, or that they themselves cannot find a way of escape. However, instead of killing herself as Gordon does, Laura inadvertently kills one of Braggioni’s adherents. Thus, she is labeled a murderer. In either case, Laura and Gordon are both characters that feel they are not in control of themselves or the events that occur around them, either a war, or a revolution. Works Cited The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Vol. II, ed. Lauter, et al (Vols. C, D, and E).

Dispersal Policy Of Asylum Seekers And Refugees

Dispersal Policy Of Asylum Seekers And Refugees The essay will look at dispersal policy; a brief background and description of the dispersal policy. Critically analysing the policy in relation to asylum seekers, elaborate the role of NASS and arguments on welfare and asylum seekers in relation to Britains changing laws of seeking asylum. Outline how ideologies have used those policies and the impact they have caused. Critique the policy; explain the Implications and challenges for social work practice in relation to the policy. A policy is a concept developed by government or political party to put down decisions 0r performance and matters that will prove advantageous to society in general. Dispersal is the process of moving asylum seekers to different areas of residence, to share the call on resources and public services amongst a wider range of local authorities across the UK instead of one particular area of the country. Under the immigration and Asylum Act 1999, any asylum seeker requiring support and accommodation may be dispersed anywhere in the UK while their applications are being considered (www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk). Asylum is protection given by a country to someone who is fleeing persecution in their own country. It is given under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. To be recognised as a refugee, you must have left your country and be unable to go back because you have a well-founded fear of persecution. The person claiming for protection is an asylum seeker. If the claim go through the person becomes a refugee (ww.homeoffice.gov.uk). In Britain, legislation and social policy in relation to asylum and refugees has been a priority for long. Britain gave attention to the refugees they had drafted in the1951 UN convention to provide protection to people who are at risk of persecution in their own countries. People from common wealth countries were invited to fill in gaps in the labour market following the economic boom in 1960sand thus settled in the Greater London. Dispersal has a history in UK, though it is only in recent years that it has come to be used routinely for asylum seekers. Before the 1990s, it was used to distribute specific groups of refugees such as the polish resettlement in 1950s, the Ugandan Asians in 1972, the Chileans in 1974-1979, the Vietnamese as an attempt to de-concentrate ethnic minority families whose numbers had had been considered too high in relation to resources such as housing and schools. (Griffiths, Sigona and Zetter, 2005). The concentration of asylum seekers in London and south east generated localised social and economic costs that those areas were not willing to accept. As a result of local tensions, the practical problems of housing, and supporting large and unexpected numbers of additional residents, some LA started to disperse asylum seekers. From 1996 on wards, London boroughs such as Harrow sent asylum seeker to Teignmouth in Devon (Robinson et al 2003 p: 122). This inspired dispersal and more local authorities were encouraged to do so voluntarily. More so, the policy was also inspired by dispersal of Bosnians in 1993, which was hailed as an example of effective settlement based up cluster areas and the principle of ethnic community formation (Griffiths et al 2005). Initially the policy applied to asylum seekers who are destitute. If they asked for accommodation, they could only refuse to go if they have a medical support in London, risk of domestic violence and have relatives around. The main aims of the dispersal are to relieve pressure on councils in key areas of South East and London which have been over burdened with asylum seekers and to distribute the load more evenly around the count. Those requiring accommodation would be dispersed to areas with housing to spare (www.bbc.co.uk/news). Dispersal was also seen as a means of improving the access of minority ethnic groups to improving life chances and a way of reducing prejudice through the deconstruction of stereotypes that these groups with areas characterised by overcrowding, poverty. The dispersal would encourage informal connection between neighbours of different races who might then begin to see each other as individuals rather than as stereotypes. The objectives of the policy were to control asylum seekers to enter the UK, increasing speed of the decision making for asylum seekers, refurbishing the financial support method of welfare benefits (Griffiths et al 2005). However, to supporters of dispersal policy, the issue is one of costs and equity: if society has made the democratic decision admit migrants, then the whole of society should bear the costs (Robinson 2003, P: 163). When you look at dispersal, it is not about cutting costs, sharing the burden or addressing racism, but about soothing the fears of some voters who want to believe that immigration, and who is allowed to stay in their cities is under control. The government needs to embrace asylum seeking, shift in the tone of public debate away from illegal immigration and deterrence, using the educational system to change public perceptions, and promoting community involvement, active engagement and sponsorship (www.migrationyorkshire.org.uk). Dispersal as a form of enforced population control is primarily a means of reducing the social visibility of asylum seekers and their potential pollution of social space. If the concentration of asylum seekers in the community is constructed as a problem for race relations, then their social dispersal is both a valid and desirable outcome (Griffiths et al 2005). By 1990s the number of asylum seekers had increased sharply and public opinion had turned against them, racialising the issue and labelling them as bogus and undeserving (Robinson et al 2003 P: 122). They are perceived to be economically motivated. Today immigration is perceived by many in Britain as a problem for our society which stems from a fear of unknown. Refugees and asylum seekers create an unwanted entity of the otherness in the margins of UK. From the moment they arrive they face an unpredictable and often aggressively hostile local public with racist political sentiment openly engaging in intimidation and local press making accusations of bogus claims and a drain on national resources (Pierson, 2002,p: 203, Dobrowolsky and Lister 2005). This othering resulted in discriminatory policies, which lead to the social exclusion, and discrimination of the asylum seekers, and refugee communities to the extent that their basic human rights have been challenged and their very existence has been criminalized (Dominelli 2002). I think devising strategies to prevent refugees coming to the country are a threat to the civilisation as it violates the basic human rights. The media could be partly to blame for this concept as they often wrongly imply that all asylum seekers for example, are criminals. Glasgow suspended its participation in the scheme in the wave of press hysteria. Media portrayals are often confusing and unreliable as they represent a gloomy impression about asylum seekers. The media blow up the insecurities of the public to sale more papers, as they are the only visible group in the local communities to blame for the ill health of the welfare system in the country. They have been an easy target for all as they are po werless, dislocated, silent, and do not even having the right to be here (Robinson et al 2003). Before 1996, asylum seekers were entitled to use the same social services as the rest of the population for example, if they had had been homeless, they would go to a homeless person unit, for support. The conservative Government introduced the asylum and immigration Act 1996, which meant that asylum seekers were cut off from mainstream welfare benefits. This left asylum seekers with no access to services. However, this was against the 1948 National Assistance Act which requires local authorities to provide welfare support to those destitute asylum seekers. Some local authorities started providing support to asylum seekers and their dependants if they appeared to be destitute. But, this was done on ad hoc basis and there were no clear guidelines of the local authorities responsibilities. In 1999, a new policy had been formulated for asylum seekers and refugees, which is called immigration and asylum Act 1999. The immigration and asylum Act 1999 gave the National Asylum support service (NASS) the responsibility to provide services and meet needs of asylum seekers. This was due to the problems encountered by the social policy of UK regarding asylum and refugees, the policymakers have decided to establish the NASS in April 2000. NASS was set up to alleviate the pressure on the LA, and also to meet the government view that access to social security benefits creates a pull factor on economic migration. The major role of NASS was to provide support and accommodation for those asylum seekers who are poor while their claim is still being considered. Individual will be given accommodation in the UK, which is usually located and on a no choice basis. This meant that NASS has the sole right to decide for the asylum seekers will be moved (Griffiths et al 2005). In 1999 the dispersal policy marked a fundamental change in British asylum approach by Introducing new procedures for the reception and accommodation of asylum seekers pending their claim for status determination in the UK (www.fmreview.org). Failed asylum seekers are often destitute when support is cut off 21 days after a final claim for asylum is refused (Refugee Action 2006). The Red Cross estimate some 26,000 are living off food parcels although the figure could be far higher (www.rcn.org.uk/). Dispersal failed to relieve pressure on London. It is possible that up to 2/3 of asylum seekers decided to remain in London and stay with friends and relatives rather than take up accommodation in other parts of UK while this does not add pressure to housing, it creates problems a with health and education www.school.gov.uk/policyhub/asylum_dispersal). There were many draw backs, in the dispersal, as there was miscommunication between NASS and agencies concerned. There was no sufficient accommodation in the dispersal areas and the whole situation was in shambles as reported by the for example, councils did not know how many people were sent to them and what language they spoke so that they arrange translating services. In general, principles of the policy were not effectively adhered to. NASS should work closely with other agencies to coordinate action to ensure the presence of asylum seekers do not harm community relations. NASS has been criticised by Fekete as being oppressive and institutionalised racism in her report Crimes of NASS: What is so alarming about the approach of NASS is that they do not consider it their duty to protect asylum seekers from racial violence, or ensure racial harmony, NASS is probably the only body in the country with no coherent policies against racial harassment and no apparent overall strategy to promote good race relations (Fekete, 2001). Since the year 2000, the NASS took the responsibility of asylum seekers to disperse them, wherever there is accommodation without considering their culture, language or any individual needs. Those who are vulnerable were left without support or information (Cohen, 2002, p: 119). Ethnic minority people suffer from linguistic deprivation in areas they are dispersed to. Initially, the idea was to send asylum seekers to established communities who shared a common language and provided comfort and support. However, due to limited resources and scarcity of accommodation in some places, most asylum seekers were sent to places away from the communities. Breaking up families and then dumping asylum seekers in sub-standard accommodation in some of our poorest communities was always bound to backfire. It is a policy that was neither human nor practical (www.independent.co.uk/news). From 1996 onwards, the responsibility of asylum seekers was given to voluntary organisations, for instance, NASS who dispersed refugees away from their countrymen and families. In so doing, their networks are sabotaged and left in isolation where they do not share any ownership or sense of belonging. They are unable to convey information or attain financial assistance from their communities, and that keeps them in a state of tension. There are questions about the long-term impacts on social cohesion, because clustering can deprive these groups of people of integrating in the community. Also, clustering led to emergency of Ghettos in deprived areas of asylum seekers. This may in turn hinder refugees future integration into communities (The Guardian 2005). In addition to that, dispersal has led asylum seekers being sent to live in the very poorest areas where there were large numbers of people living on either benefits or in the lowest-paid jobs where they were not only more likely to face assaults but were also twice as likely to face racial harassment. More so, the accommodation of these dispersed people is made with no choice as to the location and anyone leaving the accommodation offered to them will lose the right to support. As a result, they are will be impoverishment, poverty, exploitation, ill health and sometimes death. Secondly; some of them whose claims are still pending are sometimes taken to detention centres where they are dealt with brutally with discrimination and abuse (Cohen, Humphries Mynott, 2002). In relation to housing some private landlords force asylum seekers to live as a family with people they do not even know. Overcrowding has become an issue for larger families, which are given smaller accommodation. Others return to their homeless charities after failing to cope with the situation (Audit Commission 2000, p: 3). NASS housed accommodation has no legal protection from eviction and the legislation of 1999 deteriorated in relation to housing conditions for asylum seekers and where by landlords growing richer on contracts in order to accommodate asylum seekers (Cohen et al, 2002). One of the worst impacts of the Asylum and Immigration Act is the extension of immigration checks to housing and to all homeless applications. If the Home Office learns that a refuge has received public funds, he might lose the right to stay in the country or fail to renew their permission to stay (Cohen et al 2002). Again, the vouchers are stigmatising, as they are used in fewer shops and less on public transport. Asylum seekers and Refugees who are skilled, experience high unemployment and low pay as there are not as many jobs in rural areas as the cities, and the policy sabotage them from their networks that would help them. As a result of this, asylum seekers are discriminated against instead of being offered opportunities and strategies for help (Ibid). The government initiative towards asylum seekers preserved within the 2004 Asylum Act did not include the children welfare or to ensure that their human rights were thought of. On the contrary, children of asylum seekers whose claims failed are threatened to be removed from their families due to the powers of this act. A government which sets out to make the children of failed asylum seekers destitute cannot seriously argue, Every child matters (Lavalette and Pratt, 2006, p. 200). It destabilizes the domestic and international human rights commitment and undermines the Third Way ambition of every child matters. The detention centres, prisons and enforcement of dispersal programmes together with the 2002 Nationality Immigration and Asylum Seekers Act are all stereotyping asylum seekers as criminals, agree to be dispersed anywhere to get support, accommodation taken off them if they try to choose, taken in to isolation with high levels of crime directed to them, lack of legal representation. According to the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigration: These policies are not only discriminatory against one of the most vulnerable sections of our community but also, of the worst kinds of social engineering which is destined to fail (www.lga.gov.uk). More so, the Audit Commission has reported that asylum seekers and refugees get poor health care though they are entitled to free healthcare. Some of the GPs have taken their names off the lists as there is a tendency that it might impact on their surgeries. On the other hand, the examinations refugees take at ports of entry, have no follow ups due to poor health check ups. They are again registered temporary which does not allow keeping frequent medical records and cannot put their needs into account due to the rights and responsibilities of healthcare. For instance, most refugees experience post-traumatic stress disorder as they escape. (Audit commission 2000a). The dispersal is reported to have improved recently, but this is down to the NASS working closely with other agencies like police, landlords, and local councils. They had all been included in the deciding in the area that was to be used, monitored the impact of the arrival of the asylum seekers on schools and other services and monitored community tension (guardian 2005). The policy has some success; this is evidenced by the larger number of refugees and asylum seekers in Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester areas, and Birmingham hosts a sizeable refugee population in Wet midlands. There has been a corresponding growth of refugee community organisations (RCO) in these areas compared to before the dispersal policy of 1999 (Griffiths et al 2005). In this section the will look at implications and challenges of social workers face in their work with asylum seekers and refugees in the context of dispersal policy in the UK are: Social workers tasks include giving assistance and proper attention to these individuals and ensuring that they receive the services which are included in the immigration and asylum Act. NASS is responsible for identifying who among the asylum seekers have the right to be given the services offered by such agency. The NASS should coordinate with the social workers, and the members of the enquiry lines to know if there are asylum seekers who need assistance of the government (Dominelli, 2008). Hayes and Humphries (2006, p: 44) argue that it is often the most vulnerable who suffer from lack of additional support; parents worry for the health and well-being of their children. For example, a mother who can not breastfed her child because she is HIV positive and cannot afford to buy formula milk for her child. This puts social workers in a dilemma as they are forced to decide on eligibility based on immigration status, and the tension between social work values of providing for those in need and the requirement to exclude people from services. Social workers are forced to negotiate between this role of controlling access to support and that of providing care. In addition to that, social workers working with asylum seekers experience a growing demand for the services as a result of new arrivals in a period of the budget constraint and their work tended to be dominated by assessing eligibility and providing for immediate needs rather than a broad social work role. Social workers need to understand the impact of negative stereotyping on asylum seekers. Thompson (2009, P: 158) the need to recognise the significance of discrimination and oppression in clients lives and circumstances has been emphasised. As we have seen that asylum seekers will be subject to racist media portrayals and hostile views from members of the public, these factors will not help to integrate them into the community once an application has been successful. Thompson (2009, p: 18) argues that the role of social work is to contribute to social stability, to ensure that the level of social discontent does not reach a point where the social order may be threatened. Therefore, it is the role of social workers to help asylum seekers to integrate into local communities and adjust to a new culture. They will need to help asylum seekers to become more empowered as individuals and groups so that they can better represent themselves in the wider community. Empower involves practitione rs having to reinvent their practice and their perceptions of particular problems and solutions (Trevithick, 2005, p: 219). Social workers were under pressure as Social Services are using their already over stretched budgets to provide for asylum seekers. Following the negative media portrayals; the local populations made the assumption that the social services budgets were drained, not as a result of government not providing enough money, but because of the asylum seekers. A discussion about who pays the taxes for public welfare and costs of migration devalues immigrants contributions to economic growth (Dominelli, 2008). In some cases social workers were seen as supporting asylum seekers and neglecting the rest of the population. The role of a social worker is to address issues of oppression and discrimination on a daily basis yet their involvement is too little. Emphasis on the health and welfare of children allow social workers to become focused on specific issues such as safe case transfer of unaccompanied asylum seeking children, while not focusing on the needs of the vulnerable adult. (Hayes et al, 2006). Instead of the centralised NASS service provision, it would be better if asylum seekers could use local Social Services teams and benefits offices as these are more accessible. However, limited resources and staffing, the government should provide more support within the existing mainstream structures. Instead of training more social workers and community workers to support the asylum seekers, the government set up NASS, whose staff are not trained in anti-discriminatory principles, and had not got enough experience in housing and settlement issues. NASS work practices lead to more discrimination and social exclusion of the asylum seekers. Social workers must seek clarification within their services concerning the issues related to asylum seekers. As the most asylum seekers do not speak English or cannot command the language well, social workers should make good use of interpretation services and make sure that these services are available for the asylum seekers and able to communicate appropriately. Patel and Kelly (2006, p:5) suggest that ensuring access to interpreting services, and more equitable access to language learning opportunities, is essential for the appropriate provision of social care to Asylum seekers. It is my belief that all human beings deserve respect and dignity and should be treated will equal concern; however, looking at the media it is evident that the UK is struggling to sustain the support required for asylum seekers, which is becoming a growing problem within the UK today. The Human Rights Act 1998 applies to anyone living within the UKs borders regardless of circumstances or nationality; until an asylum seeker receives refugee status they are often in a state of limbo and regularly their equal rights are denied. Therefore, anti discriminatory practice and humanitarianism is vital within Social Work practice. Social workers should be involved in campaigning for the rights and ensure that they are observed (Dominelli 2008). The role of a social worker is to adhere to enhancing an atmosphere of acceptance, tolerance and equality for all individuals no matter what their background is. It is essential that Social Workers and those accountable for providing services and support to the most vulnerable in our society do not lose sight of the fact that asylum seekers, regardless of their immigration status, are human beings, with fundamental and basic human rights, needs and aspirations. In conclusion, although dispersal policies are always understood as ways of temporarily accommodating asylum seekers as they wait for their decision on their asylum claims, the government needs to look at things on a long-term basis so that they are dispersed where they are able to integrate. Therefore, policy makers should also think of the future employment probability and service as they are most of the requirements for the future. NASS should work together with agencies concerned to make sure that asylum seekers are not put at risk. I have critically describe the policy, explained the implications of the policy into social work practice.

The Psychological Labyrinth in Owl Creek Bridge, Yellow Wallpaper, and

The Psychological Labyrinth in Owl Creek Bridge, Yellow Wallpaper, and Garden of Forking Paths      For millennia, the labyrinth has been used as a sacred tool for spiritual enlightenment.    Sometimes called a "divine imprint" because of its prevalence combined with its unknown origin,    the labyrinth provides a "transcendent experience of connection and clarity" ("What is a Laby-    rinth") through the act of walking the winding paths to its center. Unlike a maze, which has dead    ends and trick turns, the labyrinth has only a single path leading to and from the center; the    principle of the labyrinth is such that a person must traverse every inch of space before reaching    his/her goal. In this way, the labyrinth subverts the logical aspect of the mind (normally dominant)    and enables the individual to enter a state of mental calmness, allowing him or her to experience    the spiritual benefits of a sort of walking meditation.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Probably the most famous historical labyrinth is the one constructed by Daedalus to house    the Minotaur in classical mythology. In that case, according to Ovid, Daedalus "built a house in    which he confused the usual passages and deceived the eye with a conflicting maze of various    wandering paths ("Ariadne's Thread"). There is no mention of a specific shape for this "house,"    but traditionally most such mazes have been made in a circular formation. Another famous laby-    rinth is built into the floor of the cathedral at Chartres; the fact that the same design has been    found on coins minted at Cnossus gives rise to the theory that it may be connected to the laby-    rinth of Daedalus and the Mi... ...Garden of Forking Paths. » The Story and its Writer.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ed. Ann Charters. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1995. 1391-1392.    Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." The Story and its Writer. Ed. Ann Charters.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1995.531-542.    Green, Edward J. "Labyrinth." www.concentric.net/~Egreen/prof/otherstudies/labyrinth.html.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (accessed 11/21/99).    Irwin, John T. "A Clew to a Clue: Locked Rooms and Labyrinths in Poe and Borges."      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   MasterFILE Premier database from Raritan, Spring 91, Vol.10 Issue 4. <... /      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   print2.asp?records=CURRENT&pFormNum=PrintCitation&pFulIText=ON&kwic=on&deliv>      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (accessed 11/20/99).    "What is a Labyrinth?". www.mindspring.com/~Iabyrinth/Iabyr2.htm (accessed 11/20/99).      

NIKEs Labour Troubles Essay -- Nike Sweatshops Outsourcing Labor Essa

NIKE's Labour Troubles Nike publicizes itself as one of the leading industries in corporate responsibility. However, they do not comply with several human rights obligations overseas in countries like Thailand, Pakistan, China, Vietnam and Indonesia. In these countries, production facilities called sweatshops have been running for almost 35 years employing workers as young as 13 years of age. The conditions of these factories are adverse to say the least and deprive workers of the moral human rights they should be entitled to. Sweatshops are unethical, immoral and demonstrate Nike’s ignorance towards their social responsibilities abroad. Within these facilities, workers endure stressfully long days under undesirable conditions, often with no breaks and very little pay. While this is going on overseas, sponsored athletes are being paid million dollar salaries here in North America. Although Nike’s reputation has been foiled through the tabloids regarding this issue, they have been making a sub stantial effort to â€Å"clean up† production messes in the East. Nike, as many other companies do, facilitates production in other countries to help grow sales in those particular regions. The main difference between Nike and some of the other companies is that other companies do not support the exploitation of labourers or human rights. Not to suggest that Nike promotes labour exploitation, but they are less strict about these rules than other companies in foreign markets. Impacts on health and safety are a major factor for employees in sweatshops. However, physical and sexual abuse is another serious concern of many of the sweatshop workers. Most of the sweatshops run by Nike contractors are factories located in relatively small spaces to save on real estate costs. They are often soiled with dirt and kept unheated to save on expenses. Broken glass and dangerous equipment is left on the floors causing potential dangers to any people scattered within the factory. Employees are subject to harassment and violent punishments if work is not being comp leted as thoroughly and efficiently as the contractors would like. Workers slave under unfavourable conditions for up to 14-hour days often with no breaks. These employees are paid less than $100 US and work on average over 250 hours per month. "Substandard wages keep factory workers in poverty and force them to work excessi... ... strongly suggest that awareness of sweatshop abuses is turning consumers away from Nike.† (International Nike Mobilization - www.haleokala.com). Nike has been under a great deal of pressure to correct the misdoings that have been done regarding production facilities in the East. As Nike is responsible for these plants, their reputation has been tainted with increasing public debate about ethical matters. While Nike still promotes itself as one of the industry leaders in corporate social responsibility, workers in Asia are still forced to work excessively long hours in substandard environments and are not paid enough to meet the basic needs for themselves or their families. They are faced to a life of poverty and are unfortunate subjects to harassment and violent threats if they make any attempt to form unions or tell journalists about labour abuses in their factories. Phil Knight’s speech regarding Nike’s steps to improving human rights in Asian countries was a step in the right direction for Nike, but it would have been much more effective had Nike fully followed through with these initiatives. Works Cited Campaign For Labour Rights â€Å"International Nike Mobilization†.

Critical Review of “Theology: the Basics”

Critical Review: Theology; The Basics By: Luke Knoll Survey Of Christian Beliefs Kerry Pretty Pacific Life Bible College Theology: The Basics; Critical Review As Christians we often believe certain things simply because it’s what our parents and the people around us believe. We often go about our Christian walk without ever giving thought or reason to why we believe what we do. The world of Christian Theology is a place where Christians can find answer to the ‘what and why’ of Christianity.If we are able to begin comprehending Christian Theology and the rudimental knowledge of it, then we can take it with us into more in depth books and discussions about theology, know the importance of it and how vital it is for Christians to actually know what and why they believe specific things The goal of the book Theology: The Basics is to introduce basic foundational terms of Christian Theology to those who have never studied theology before. It explains how we get doctrine and theology from the Apostle’s Creed and the technicalities found in it.The book attempts to have an unbiased approach at the ideas and theology brought up in the contents. The book can be easily summarized by looking at the flow of the chapters in the table of contents. Starting off with the basics, â€Å"What is faith? † (pg. 1) then moving into discussion on God, Creation, Jesus, Salvation, Spirit, Trinity, Church, Sacraments and finishing off with Heaven. This book thoughtfully moves and flows through some of the most thought about of topics.With each chapter the reader can dive into the meaning of these terms and if there are big intimidating words in front of their eyes they are able to refer to the glossary conveniently added in the back of the book. The tactics that McGrath uses in his book are very practical. McGrath takes a specific topic and meticulously teaches on it using both a historical and educational stand point. McGrath uses the history of the time period that the Apostle’s Creed was written in and gives historical background to add clarity on the topics he is teaching on.In doing this McGrath lets our minds have enough backstory to more easily understand the information given. After giving historical background McGrath breaks down the topic in a very clear format. When talking about Jesus (pg. 58-76) He talks about why Jesus is important â€Å"Christology†, but then he educates us by breaking down the considerably large topic of Jesus into more manageable categories such as the names of Jesus; Messiah, Lord, Son of God, Son of Man, God.After going through the names of Jesus he then educates us on other important theological discussions of Jesus like: Functional statements about Jesus, Early Christological Models, The Council of Chalcedon, The incarnation and icons, and Christ as mediator. Then after discussing the ‘meat’ of the topic he then gives us an opportunity to â€Å"Engage with a text† at the end of every topic. These texts give different examples and opinions for each topic and then McGrath gives the reader a short series of questions for individual or small group discussion about the text/topic he had given.Though McGrath did do a very good job at giving us insight on the historical background of the topics and also educated us in a very easy, elementary level on the theology, he lacked personal touch. In this I’m talking about some personal stories or experiences from his life that has helped him engage these theological terms and ideas. It was very â€Å"theological† in its approach, however the simple addition of some personal experiences might help him engage a broader and more diverse target audience.Even with that being so, the book was very well written and I enjoyed learning about the different topics about Christian Theology. This book did help me develop my own ideas of some of the terms, as it remained unbiased throughout majority of the book. One area where I think McGrath could have connected more with the reader is in the chapter discussing the Spirit. When he is discussing the term â€Å"Charism† (pg. 100) as he is discussing how it means the filling of an individual with the spirit of God.I believe that could have been a prime situation for him to give a personal testimony in attempt to connect with the reader and give additional examples. I do though understand that if McGrath were to start giving personal stories he would have to add them throughout the entirety of the text as well as change the voice of his writing all together. So even though McGrath may not be able to connect with every type of learning (as many authors cannot) he did create a great resource to be used by those of us who are just simply ‘newbies’ at theology.The books purpose as stated was to create a text in which people who did not have any knowledge of theology could come and learn about it in an easy, clear mann er. In Theology: The Basics, McGrath did an excellent job at teaching us these somewhat daunting terms and topics. He admirably took a broad tip paint brush and went over all of the basic terms that are lined out in the Apostle’s Creed.In doing so he whetted our appetite in the world of Christian Theology and he was able to give us great rudimental knowledge that we can take with us into more in depth books and discussions about theology, the importance of it and how vital it is for Christians to actually know what and why they believe specific things. Overall the book did a good job at creating a medium to pass on knowledge as well as staying unbiased to keep us unoffended if his view didn’t entirely line up with the readers.

Strategic Market Planning for Social Media Platforms

Over the past several years, social media marketing has been an addition to an increasing number of companies' integrated marketing plans. Firms of all sizes are employing various platforms of this marketing tactic. At the most basic level, social media marketing enables conversations between firms and their customers, as opposed to traditional marketing methods where the firm directs the message. Businesses are beginning to realize that they cannot control these ongoing conversations, but rather, influence them. This trend has resulted in the growth of SocialCorps, â€Å"companies that are learning to take advantage of the power of social media to reshape their relationships with customers and other important audiences.†1 Popular social media sites visited by Internet users include: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Wikipedia, Flickr, and Digg (Exhibit 1). Of those, the top four social sites used by marketers, in order of popularity, are: Twitter, Blogs, LinkedIn, and Face book. Becoming a SocialCorp allows a company to gain benefits that are otherwise limited with traditional forms of marketing. Such advantages include: unparalleled access to market research, enhanced brand awareness and perception, better engagement with all stakeholders, increased control over the company's marketplace message, and a richer user experience. This paper will explain how various companies have used social media marketing differently to achieve these advantages. Social networking websites are visited by three-quarters of all Internet users2. With the growing popularity of social media usage, many companies believe Web 2.0 marketing is the future3. As social media marketing gains headlines in companies' strategic agendas, astonishing statistics are revealed about the use of this marketing tactic: * Dell estimates that through its various communication channels, the company has two billion â€Å"conversations† with customers every year.4 * 88% of marketers are using social media marketing for their business. Of these, 72% reported that they had been using social media marketing for a few months or less.5 * 79% of the Fortune 100 companies are present and listening, using at least of one of the main social platforms to communicate with their customers.6 * By 2011, online social media advertising in the U.S. will be approximately $2.5 billion.7 From these statistics, it is evident that companies of all sizes are actively using different social platforms to reach their target segments. However, a shift of focus to social media marketing will bring substantial transformation to a company's strategic planning process. As such, this paper will answer a question that companies should ask when engaging in social media marketing: will it be more beneficial to leverage publicly available social media platforms or to build a platform in-house? Will the choice differ between companies, and what are the benefits and risks of either solution? Benefits of Leveraging Established Social Media Platforms The advantages of using an established social media channel over one created in-house are lower production and maintenance costs, quick access to a large established user base, ease of use for the consumer and increased information credibility. Businesses create company-specific marketing campaigns on established social media channels to leverage these benefits in order to engage consumers, increase brand and product/service awareness, reduce customer support costs, and drive revenues. The Ford Fiesta Movement Campaign A successful social media marketing campaign which demonstrated the benefits of using established social media channels was the Fiesta Movement Campaign by Ford. Ford gave 100 participants Ford Fiestas for six months and asked them to complete a different â€Å"mission† every month. These â€Å"agents† delivered dinners from Meals on Wheels, eloped with the help of the Fiesta, and wrestled alligators8 among many other things. Agents were required to document their adventures on Youtube, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter pages which Ford had created. The Ford Fiesta Movement was considered an extremely successful social media campaign. Agents produced 700 videos which generated 6.5 million views. Photos taken by the agents have accumulated more than 670,000 views. The campaign prompted over 50,000 U.S. consumers to request more information about the car, 97% of which did not already own a Ford vehicle. In the first six days of sales, Ford sold 10,000 units. 9 First, using established social media channels allowed Ford to gain quick access to a large established user-base. Ford's target market for its small European cars is Millennials, those born between 1979 and 1996. It is estimated that 75% of Millennials use social media sites and one in five have uploaded a video of themselves online.10 Ford therefore focused their efforts on the established social media sites, as a large majority of their target market is already using these sites. It was easier for Ford to leverage existing websites instead of working to direct consumers using an in-house social network. Second, Ford was able to benefit from consumers who were already familiar with popular social media websites to build awareness. Ford hand-picked â€Å"agents† in their 20s who had already successfully built an online fan community of their own and who were able to craft a narrative.11 Instead of pitching the idea to agents as the means to a free car, agents were incented to create content for their own benefit to feed their current networks and build their own profiles. In the process, the agents contributed to building Fiesta's brand by helping develop an image of glamour, uniqueness and excitement around the car. Third, Ford created a sense of credibility by using external social media channels on which the content would be harder to control or modify. Ford took a huge risk by taking a â€Å"hands off† approach, telling agents to be completely truthful and agreeing not to edit or censor any information that was posted. This showed consumers that Ford cared about what they had to say which was particularly important at a time when consumers were not happy to be bailing out Amercian automotive companies.12 Allowing agents to freely express their opinions about the car also helped Ford to fix any reported problems or improve functionality based on the agents' suggestions. Key Takeaways Ford used established social media channels to engage consumers and build brand awareness. Using Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube, Ford was able to gain quick access to its target market with consumers who were already users of these channels. Ford was also able to use specific consumers who were experts with these established channels to attract more viewers as well as raise awareness among the experts' large base of followers. Finally, Ford established its credibility by allowing agents to post whatever they wanted. While Ford took a huge risk by agreeing not to edit the agents' content, it ultimately worked in their favour. Risks of Leveraging Established Social Media Platforms Along with the many strengths of social marketing, there are also many risks that are associated with relying on third party platforms. For one, companies that engage in this medium often experience lack of content control. Second, information gets spread too quickly due to the large user bases of established social media websites. Third, the effectiveness of conventional social media marketing is limited, due to the sheer volume of companies already utilizing this mechanism. Molson Coors Dorm Room Campaign Molson Coors Brewing Company (Molson) is a classic example of how a company underestimated the negative consequences that are associated with traditional social media marketing mediums. Molson is Canada's oldest brewery and the world's fifth largest brewing company. Therefore, it is well-recognized within Canada and has a significant market share in the beer industry. In the past, Molson has experimented with blogs13 and a static corporate website, but has had very little social media presence overall. Recognizing that a large portion of their current target audience utilizes these mediums and wanting to catch up to its competitors, Molson initiated an online media campaign. On October 18th 2007, Molson officially launched its â€Å"Dorm Room† project on the fastest growing social networking site – Facebook. The campaign encouraged Canadian university and college students from ages 19 to 24 to post pictures of themselves partying on campus. The school with the most pictures uploaded would win a trip for five to spend spring break in Cancun, Mexico. An advertisement for this campaign read, â€Å"Be the #1 party school in Canada; show everyone how you and your crew get the party started.†14 According to Molson, the intention of the campaign was to show â€Å"school spirit and sociability;† however, these goals were not reached and the campaign placed Molson under public scrutiny. The nature of the campaign was highly criticized by universities, parents and students because they blamed the company for encouraging binge drinking. Even the front-runner of the contest, Memorial University in St. Johns, stated that the contest made them look bad. Within days, the company received numerous complaints. Several universities – including Queen's, McMaster and St. Francis Xavier – condemned the contest in the Globe and Mail as â€Å"glorifying excessive drinking.†15 As a result of the public backlash, the contest was shut down a week prior to the November 29th deadline. While there are advantages for Molson to engage their customers via social marketing, the message of the â€Å"Dorm Room† campaign was controversial. As a result, this exemplifies how marketing using established social networking mediums can bring significant risks to the brand. First, on Facebook and other traditional social media websites, companies cannot control how much freedom they give to their audience. Users have the freedom to post pictures, messages and videos. However, on in-house websites, companies have the ability to adjust the amount of power they give to the end consumer. Molson did not have the ability to control how much freedom they gave to consumers, allowing consumers to post whatever they wanted and consequently, violating the privacy rights of many individuals. Once a picture was posted, only Molson could remove the picture. Molson was unaware of certain individuals' resistance to having their pictures posted on the site and the campaign generated negative backlash. Even as Molson shut down the contest, they could not ensure that they erased all traces of the pictures posted on the Internet. Second, by using traditional social media websites, the established user base compounds the speed at which information is spread. In Molson's case, pictures spread quickly across Facebook, much to the dismay of many students featured in the photographs. Facebook has over 500 million users who all had access to Molson's pictures. Further, the pictures could be immediately viewed by the members of one's network with the â€Å"tagging† and â€Å"news feed† features. Finally, the effectiveness of conventional social media marketing is limited due to the sheer volume of companies who are already marketing to consumers on these websites. In 2006, U.S. companies spent $920 million on advertising on social media websites. Despite high spending, only 12% of Facebook users have added a brand to their page, and over 75% of Facebook users said they would not purchase a product or service from a brand via their profile page.16 Therefore, social media marketing should not be viewed as an infallible way for companies to promote. The Molson campaign was one of the many campaigns on Facebook and was popularized by the outcry of the public, rather than direct support from its target market. In total, only 200 pictures were uploaded onto Facebook and large universities such as the University of Toronto and Guelph University only submitted 15 photos each (Exhibit 3).17 Key Takeaways By using traditional social media channels, managers might be forced to give up control over the contents to the websites and to their users. In Molson's case, it passed the power to individuals who posted images onto Molson's Facebook campaign page. The company should be wary of the freedom which the users can have when it reengages itself in conventional social media marketing. Also, social media websites have large user bases; this implies that the information found within these sites can travel at an extreme speed. Photos posted on Molson's page were not limited to just Molson's examination but they were available for the entire network. Finally, even though social media websites have gained tremendous popularity and enormous adoption rates, every campaign should be redesigned for each medium in order to stand out from the competitors. Molson failed to capture a large audience with its campaign because Facebook is already saturated with many advertisers. Therefore, Molson needs to establish a creative method to market its campaign when it reengages in using conventional social media websites. In general, social media advertisement can be a phenomenal way to increase brand awareness when it becomes a company's integrated marketing campaign, as long as the associated risks are acknowledged and accounted for. Benefits of Developing In-House Social Media Platforms There are many benefits associated with creating and managing an internal social community. First, a company has the flexibility to display information in the way they intended. Second, keeping a social network in-house also helps bring legitimacy and credibility to the information available on the platform. Finally, creating a separate social media platform allows users to have access to a closed network. Pampers Village Campaign Pampers' slogan, â€Å"every step of the way†18 embodies their overall strategy. Pampers strives both to provide a high-quality product and a supply a service for women throughout their pregnancy and early child rearing years. The company has created and continues to host an online social community, Pampers Village, to facilitate an open network of communication between itself and its customers (Exhibit 4). On the website, parents have access to a breadth of information about the pregnancy process. They also have access to parenting tips and advice as their child ages. Parents have the ability to communicate with both other parents and also with Pampers' panel of â€Å"baby experts.†19 Pampers Village exemplifies many of the benefits associated with hosting an internal social community, as opposed to promoting their brand via established social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. First, Pampers Village ensures that Pampers has enormous flexibility in the way data is displayed and how communication is encouraged. On Twitter, or example, messages are limited to 140 characters. Although websites such as Facebook allows more flexibility than Twitter, the pages companies can create nonetheless have preset layouts and formats. Pampers Village is divided into five sections depicting a stage in a child's life. Each section is further divided into categories which discuss various issues a mother may face at that stage. Existing social media websites would not have been the appropriate medium to host Pampers Village on as the display and organization of data would be restricted by the inherent limitations of the existing platform. Second, developing their own social network brings legitimacy to their message. On traditional social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, anyone can share their thoughts and claim to be an expert. However, on Pampers Village, there are a variety of experts from the Pampers Parenting Network (PPN) moderating discussions and providing pregnancy and parenting advice. PPN members participate in Q&As, write blogs and articles and post video demonstrations. PPN experts include: Laura Jana, M.D., a widely recognized parenting expert; Lisa Druxman, founder and CEO of Stroller Strides; and Julian Claus-Ehlers, executive chef and expert in healthy eating habits for the family.20 Mothers visiting Pampers Village recognize that they have access to high-quality and credible advice from parenting experts and thus continue to return to the website. Finally, creating a social media platform separates the audience from their traditional network. Mothers have to register to use Pampers Village; however, they can register under whichever name they choose, bringing anonymity to the platform. If Pampers Village was hosted solely on Facebook, the forums likely would not be as active. Forum conversations include, â€Å"Actively trying to start a family,† â€Å"LGBT Parenting†21 and â€Å"Baby Basics.† Mothers would be less likely to be open and honest on these forums if their posts were in full view of their entire social network, as it would be difficult to ensure confidentiality of these discussion posts on traditional social media websites such as Facebook. Pampers Village provides mothers the opportunity to network with other mothers in a closed network. Jodi Allen, North American vice president and general manager for Pampers echoes this sentiment, â€Å"All moms share a common goal — to raise a healthy, happy child. And the great thing about Pampers.com is that moms can connect, bond and chat with other moms all over the globe in real time and share in each other's experiences.†22 Key Takeaways A strong online presence is critical to Pampers' success. â€Å"We leverage Pampers Village to maintain a constant conversation and relationship,† says Zeeshan Shams, category brand manager, baby and toddler care, Procter and Gamble, Canada. â€Å"Our online properties help to keep our brand top of mind.†23 Despite massive competition in the online parenting field, Pampers Village has been largely successful in accessing new mothers. In 2009, Pampers Village generated 20,000 unique visitors per month in Canada.24 It is likely that the Pampers Village concept would not have been as successful if it had been hosted on a traditional social network. The creators of Pampers Village correctly recognized that in order to gain an audience in the online parenting field and consequently learn more about their customers; they needed to create their own social community. The development of a brand new network allowed the company to distribute a wide variety of content in their own format, brought legitimacy to the platform and created a new community where mothers could connect anonymously. The success of Pampers Village illustrates the benefits of taking a risk and developing a new social network. Risks of Developing In-House Social Media Platforms Despite the many benefits that can be gained by developing a unique in-house social media platform or campaign, this approach presents a number of risks and challenges. First, it can sometimes be difficult to engage consumers and draw them to newly created social media websites. Second, in-house social media efforts are likely to require greater maintenance and monitoring. Third, in-house developments demand a greater degree of corporate responsibility than is needed when using publicly available social media platforms. GM Chevy Tahoe Apprentice Campaign In the spring of 2006, General Motors teamed up with Donald Trump's The Apprentice franchise to create a website that allowed contestants to develop their own commercial to promote the new Chevy Tahoe SUV. Their website, ChevyApprentice.com, encouraged participants to design a 30 second digital advertisement by selecting from a variety of pre-set backgrounds, video clips, and theme music that GM had constructed. These user-generated commercials could also include floating text over the images of the creators choosing.25 In addition to having their personal commercial aired on television, the winner and other top contenders had the chance to win a number of big-ticket items, such as a trip to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.26 Over the course of the contest, thousands of users took the opportunity to share their personal thoughts on the Tahoe. Not surprisingly, the ability to share one's thoughts freely created the perfect opportunity for the anti-SUV crowd to voice their discontent for GM's newest vehicle. Of the 22,000 commercials that were submitted, approximately 4,000 took a negative tone.27 The majority of these submissions were either anti-SUV, promoted a specific cause, defamed a particular group or directly attacked the product (Exhibit 5). For example, some critics pointed fingers at GM for contributing to global warming, as witnessed in an ad that featured shots of the Tahoe zooming through snow, mountains, and desert. Over these clips appeared the phrase â€Å"Global warming isn't a pretty SUV ad. It's a frightening reality.† In another clip, the words â€Å"Yesterday's technology today† appeared over a clip of pumping engine pistons.28 Many of these negative commercials went viral, and could be found everywhere from YouTube to Flickr to specific message boards, such as DemocraticUnderground.org. The Chevy Apprentice campaign highlights many of the risks associated with creating a social media website in-house. First, the biggest risk that companies face in attempting to create their own social media website is attracting traffic to their newly created websites. GM mitigated this risk successfully by launching their campaign on the popular television show, The Apprentice, and leveraged other forms of marketing to generate awareness of their social media website. Ultimately, over 22,000 people were enticed to participate in the campaign. ChevyApprentice.com generated 2.4 million page views, with the average visit lasting more than nine minutes.29 A truly unique platform has the potential to draw consumers if it is able to create a novel social media experience. Second, developing a unique social media website is a large investment, as the company is building a new infrastructure for social interaction from scratch. The company must devote significant resources to maintain the website, as they are solely responsible for managing and storing data, enabling security mechanisms, user identity management, and continual upgrades. A flaw in managing any of these aspects has the potential to hamper the overall success of a social media effort. Third, companies are directly accountable for what happens as a result of their personal social media efforts, as they have the ability to directly control content and how the public can view it. On publicly available platforms such as Facebook, companies can blame negative content posted by consumers on the open-ended nature of these platforms and the lack of control the company has over filtering content. GM did not explicitly state rules for contestants designing an advertisement, which gave consumers the impression that GM was not taking responsibility for the content that is being generated. Further, they did not screen any of the submissions before it became viewable by the general public. After negative submissions surfaced on the website (Exhibit 5), GM did not remove these commercials, specifically stating that they would â€Å"begin screening ads for offensive and inflammatory content but would not remove any material based solely on a negative tone toward the company.†30 Although GM was attempting to maintain their customers' freedom of speech, they did not account for differences in opinions when deciding what was â€Å"offensive,† and were criticized for not monitoring controversial topics in their campaign. Key Takeaways General Motors' Chevy Tahoe Apprentice Campaign provides an excellent example as to how using in-house social media can backfire and lead to negative consumer reactions towards the brand. The debate still continues as to whether or not the GM campaign should be deemed a marketing failure or success. The majority of reviewers have labelled it a social media disaster, based on the negative feedback generated. In contrast, GM and a select handful of reviewers believed that this campaign was a marketing success. GM was pleased that the website was highly trafficked and that over eighty percent of commercials depicted the Tahoe in a favourable light. Overall, the campaign generated significant buzz, which was precisely what GM hoped to achieve.31 Despite these apparent successes, there are certainly efforts GM could have undertaken to avoid some of the negative reactions. The company could have taken a more proactive approach to prevent negative backlashes by screening ads more carefully before they could be viewed by the general public. Perhaps a campaign intended to engage participants to create videos about â€Å"how much they love the Tahoe† would have been a better approach.32 Although this may not have generated as many entries, it would eliminate the participants' ability to demote the brand and introduce controversial topics. A handful of authentic, homemade video submissions would have been a better way to promote the vehicle and generate word of mouth buzz in a positive manner. Conclusion The paper examined campaigns that were successful and unsuccessful in utilizing both established social media platforms or developing platforms in-house. Ultimately, a consensus was not reached regarding which strategy is most effective, as there are numerous considerations to take into account given the context of a company's current position. In order to leverage existing social media platforms, the company's target segment should already be current users of these channels so that quick access to these consumers is gained. Additionally, these consumers must be active users of these platforms so that the company can leverage these users to raise awareness about a specific product or brand. However, managers today should nonetheless recognize that social network marketing is still a novelty. Thus, many companies hoping to â€Å"hop on the social media bandwagon† may opt for using existing platforms as these platforms are inexpensive and familiar to their existing customer base. As the number of companies using existing platforms grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to differentiate a product and brand on these platforms. Lastly, opting for this marketing tactic ultimately forces the company to give up control regarding the content that is being posted on these third party websites. On the other hand, creating and managing an internal social community allows a company to gain both flexibility with the way in which they choose to display information and bring credibility to those information that is being passed onto the consumers. However, if a company chooses to develop an in-house social media platform, attracting consumers towards this platform may prove more difficult since the in-house platform will not be as well-known as traditional social media sites. In-house social media efforts also require greater maintenance and monitoring and the company creating the site holds a greater responsibility for the content posted since they have the ability to control and filter content. For many companies, social media marketing should be used as an integral part of the company's strategic marketing plan. However, with so many strategic options available regarding social media, it is essential for the company to acknowledge that different social media tactics are suitable for different companies, products, and target customers. The most successful social media marketing campaign requires a thorough understanding of the company's customer base and online habits.