Wal-Marts Organizational Culture - 2817 Words

Wal-Mart Culture Introduction There are a number of organizational behavior concepts that affect the success or failure of any organization; a few examples would be communication, motivation and decision making. Every organization has its’ own organizational culture which defines the organizational behaviors that it believes to be most important. An organization’s values, mission statement, goals and philosophy all make up the organizations culture. An example of an extremely successful company with a very strong organizational culture is Wal-Mart. History Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart store in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. Ten years and fifteen stores later, Wal-Mart stock was offered for the first time on the New York Stock†¦show more content†¦(walmartstores.com-268) This policy helps to motivate the employees to continually come up with new ideas and look for ways to improve processes. These policies not only facilitate communication between the employees, and help keep associates happy by giving them a sense of ownership or empowerment, but this also works towards achieving a higher level of customer service from the employees. Employees who feel a sense of ownership in their organization are more likely to take a personal interest, and go that extra mile to ensure they are providing excellent customer service. (Ard) Another way that Wal-Mart motivates and empowers its employees is by using outcome orientation and on-the-spot decision making. Employees are empowered to do what they need to do to make sure the customer is satisfied. This means that some things are taken to management for resolution; however the majority of the issues are handled by the employees themselves. Whether a situation was handled correctly, depends entirely on whether or not the customer is satisfied with the outcome. Wal-Mart associates are motivated using various methods. The most rewarding form of motivation for some might be the empowerment aspect discussed above. For others it might be the pay raises, and associate profit sharing programs that employees can participate in after being employed for one year, or even the 10% employee discounts they receive on all items. However,Show MoreRelatedWal-Marts Competetive Advantage824 Words   |  4 PagesWal-Mart’s competitive advantage is driven by its low-cost, high volume strategy which aims to increase profits and customer satisfaction. Sustainable competitive advantage indicates a company’s future success and is determined by different factors. These factors include organizational capabilities such as tangible resources, intangible resources and human resources. One main component of sustained competitive advantage is having superior returns sustained over a long period of time. Wal-MartRead MoreAssignment 2 HRM 5221084 Wor ds   |  5 PagesOrganizational Climate at Wal-Mart Abstract Wal-Mart’s business is the result of Sam Walton’s visionary leadership, along with generations of associates whose focus was on customers and how they could save money and live better. Sam Walton believed that by putting everything a person may need in one place such as food, electronic, clothing, toys, home goods, office supplies and even automotive items would increase the amount of people that would shop and decrease the amount of differentRead MoreHrm 534857 Words   |  4 PagesAssignment 1– Organizational Culture at Wal-Mart Casandra Reynolds Dr. Tonya D. Moore HRM 534 Employee and Labor Relations July 25, 2013 Explain How Viable Employee Relations Practices Have Contributed to Wal-Mart’s Success as an Employer. Wal-Mart is one of the largest retailers and employers in the world. It currently has over 2 million employees (www.statisticbrain.com). This is mainly due to the tenets Sam Walton introduced to the company. Associates of Wal-Mart focus on respectRead MoreWalmart Management and Leadership Analysis Essay1472 Words   |  6 PagesWal-Mart Management and Leadership Analysis XXXXXXXXXXX Organizational Behavior and Group Dynamics/Mgt 330 November 11, 2009 Ronald Sprague Wal-Mart Management and Leadership Analysis Wal-Mart is arguably the most dynamic corporation in the last 50 years in the United States, if not the world. Arising from its beginnings in Bentonville, Arkansas, it has grown to over 4,400 discount stores, super centers and corner markets worldwide. Wal-Mart continues to expand despite publicRead MoreCross-cultural Communication and Power Distance1646 Words   |  7 Pagesto analyze the U.S. culture and Japanese culture by using Hofstede’s 5 cultural dimensions and Trompenaars’s cultural dimensions. According to the Wal-Mart’s Japanese strategy case to distinguish the difference culture in Japan compare with U.S. There are some problems that Wal-Mart may encounter which are Japans current distribution system, people’s traditional thinking of low price equate low quality and people would not going big shopping. The inherent risks of Wal-Mart’s entry strategies includeRead MoreCross-cultural Communication and Power Distance1653 Words   |   7 Pagesto analyze the U.S. culture and Japanese culture by using Hofstede’s 5 cultural dimensions and Trompenaars’s cultural dimensions. According to the Wal-Mart’s Japanese strategy case to distinguish the difference culture in Japan compare with U.S. There are some problems that Wal-Mart may encounter which are Japans current distribution system, people’s traditional thinking of low price equate low quality and people would not going big shopping. The inherent risks of Wal-Mart’s entry strategies includeRead MoreWalmarts Organizational Culture Essay934 Words   |  4 PagesWal-mart For most companies, identifying what a learning organization should be and actually becoming one is tricky at best, impossible at worst. One way that managers and companies can promote the concept of being a learning organization is to assess whether the company is in need of a short-term fix or whether it is more focused on long-term results. Organizational learning is a long-term activity that will build competitive advantage over time and requires sustained management attention, commitmentRead MoreWalmart1299 Words   |  6 Pages1: Organizational Culture at Wal-Mart Abstract Wal-Mart is an American multinational retailer corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. It is also the largest private employer in the world with over two million employees, and is the largest retailer in the world. This paper assesses how viable employee relations practices contributed to Wal-Mart’s success as an employer. It also identifies how benefits may contribute to the success of Wal-Mart’sRead MoreWal Mart s Employee Relations Essay835 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. Currently, Wal-Mart has an annual revenue of $485,000,000,000 and over two million employees. Wal-Mart is ranked as the largest retailer in the world. Their NAICS number is 45291 and SIC number is 5331 (Mergent, 2016). Wal-Mart has two main organizational challenges, communication through management and employee relations. Several lawsuits have been brought against Wal-Mart on behalf of its employees in recent years (PanmoreRead MoreEssay on Management and Leadership; the Wal-Mart Way2328 Words   |  10 PagesManagement and Leadership; the Wal-Mart Way Traveling back in time to 1962 in small town America, one would likely notice the absence of a now familiar sight. Today, people living in almost any town in America need not travel far to patronize one of today’s most popular discount retail establishments: Wal-Mart. Founded in 1962, Wal-Mart was the brainchild of Sam Walton, a charismatic retailing and merchandising leader. Under Sam’s leadership, Wal-Mart’s success grew rapidly, extending throughout

Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury And Oryx And Crake

Having a family bond is important to the structure of society because people crave attention and the feeling of being cared for. In the novels Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Oryx and Crake by Margot Atwood, the importance of strong family ties is massively irrelevant due to the fact that the characters in each novel are given the illusion of actual feelings and relationships. Both stories show that family is not important to have a happy life. In Fahrenheit 451, the story takes place in a dystopian society where firemen instead of putting out fire, makes fire by burning books. The main character Montag is a fireman and meets a girl named Clarisse and made him start to question his life. In Oryx and Crake, the story takes place in a society where technology runs society. The main character Jimmy learns to live life the hard way and met a person named Crake who becomes the smarts of society. Jimmy and Crake met a girl named Oryx through technology and their life becomes unraveled w hen they graduate from college. Technology affects family ties by promoting ways to separate people away from their family. In Fahrenheit 451, Mildred, the wife of Montag, doesn’t care about anyone, all she does is just living in the moment. Mildred took all of her pills to sleep and when Montag went home and saw her pill bottle empty. Montag yelled at Mildred by saying, ‘The pill bottle was empty.’ ‘I wouldn’t do a thing like that. Why would I do a thing like that?’ she said. ‘Maybe you tookShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury And Oryx And Crake By Margaret Atwood1660 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the novels, Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury and Oryx and Crake written by Margaret Atwood, family plays a large role in the flow of the plot. It is throughout both novels where one can see how great an effect familial ties and expression have on the way a single family works and how these workings are a smaller reflection of what society sees as its average. Without family structure and a way for one to express themselves society woul d not be able to function. What is the trueRead MoreOryx And Crake And Fahrenheit 451 Analysis803 Words   |  4 Pagessome of them being Fahrenheit 451 and Oryx and Crake. These are two distinct novels with many dissimilarities, yet they share common similarities within them, both carrying parallel themes. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury paints a dystopian future where the government has forbidden books and orders them to be burned through the work of fireman. These firemen include the likes of Guy Montag, who begins to question his life after an encounter with his young neighbor. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

The Positive Effects of the Internet Free Essays

string(310) " from the internet and if you ask any long-distance couple they’ll very easily be able to reel you off some positive effects of internet use as it allows them to talk every night without wracking up a ridiculously long phone bill on Skype or MSN, and how it even allows them to see each other on the webcam\." Positive effects of the internet Internet, as most of us know, is a large network of networks, which communicate with each other by means of data packets. Internet is regarded as the largest information base. Today, Internet has become an integral part of our daily lives. We will write a custom essay sample on The Positive Effects of the Internet or any similar topic only for you Order Now We depend on the Internet to update ourselves about current news and rely on the communication platform it offers to get in touch with our near ones. The information from all around the world is just a click away, thanks to the Internet. Internet has surely affected the society positively. With the onset of the Internet, access to information has become easy. Internet has served being an efficient and organized storage of information. Internet search engines are the best information retrieval systems that are functional over the Internet. Typing in a simple search query to a search engine fetches you thousands of search results. Moreover, the ranking strategies adopted by the search engines ensure that the most relevant results are delivered to you on priority. The search engines crawl over all the information that seems relevant to your search query. They retrieve the most relevant results in top order, thus helping you fetch the required information with great ease. Information is truly a click away! The Internet provides some of the most effective means of communication. Emails and instant messages have made online communication possible. Social networking and blogging websites and online discussion forums have proved being popular platforms of expression. People in different parts of the world can collaborate over the Internet. They can exchange views, share information and work together over the Internet. It was the development of the Internet that made online education and distance learning possible. Professionals working in physically distant locations can collaborate their efforts, thanks to the Internet. Today, the Internet is a part of every sphere of life. Looking at the wide range of the positive effects of Internet, it is sure to rein in future too! Go through these basic Internet terms for a technical know-how of the world wide web. As with any new technology, everyone is always talking about the negative side effects of the internet and saying how it ruins real face to face relationship, fills our minds with filth and damages our eyes and melts our brains. As usual it’s the panic mongers whose voices are most heard in the media and it’s gotten to such a point that people begin to feel guilty when they boot up their computer. The same things were said about rock music when records were at their most popular, and about televisions when they were first invented. The fact of the matter remains however that we still use both music players and televisions and that the internet isn’t going anywhere either. The reason for this is that although all these things do have a few downsides (like anything), they also have a plethora of upsides. The positive effects of internet use far outweigh the negatives, whether you’re a child, a pensioner or a business man and to say otherwise is not only small minded but destructive. Before we get onto the positive effects of internet use, let’s start with these much touted negative side effects. The naysayers would have us believe that the internet prevents us from interacting on a face to face basis and destroys old fashioned pursuits of writing letters and speaking on the phone; people even meet their spouses online these days! With business and finance now handled online we’re also far too dependent on the internet and would be at a loss should it break down. With the internet in our pocket we’re now never ‘disconnected’ and are at our boss’ beck and call 24 hours a day. Our bank cards are also more susceptible than ever to fraud and theft†¦ And through all this we’re getting addicting and neglecting our real relationships, stuck inside in a more and more hermit like existence. They also say that sitting in front of a computer prevents us from getting outside and basking in fresh air and instead gives us repetitive strain injuries, hunched over spines and square eyes. As though this wasn’t enough, when we are sat inside on the computer we’re mostly looking at filth as that’s what the internet is comprised of – and having so much temptation and porn at our finger tips can only be a bad thing. The temptation isn’t limited to porn though – we’re also surrounded by bad investments and all-to-easy online shops not to mention gambling sites. And it’s not just ourselves we affect online – we also damage industries by downloading free books and music and downloading pirated movies. The internet provides a hiding place for all the perverts and weirdoes to meet online and to talk about completely irresponsible and antisocial subjects in a way that they could never get away with online. Adverts for penis enlargement, Viagra and Bestiality pop up every two minutes and find their way into our inboxes. Never mind the positive effects of internet use; all this is something you’re willing to expose your children to? The truth of the matter though is that all these things are simply symptoms of our own psyche as a race and if you look at them slightly differently you’ll see that many of these ‘downsides’ actually represent progress and the positive effects of internet use. Firstly, the accusation that the internet ruins ‘real life’ relationships is a bit of a misnomer and perhaps what people are forgetting here is that those people at the other ends of e-mails and on social networking sites actually are ‘real life’ people too. In the case of sites such as Facebook and others then, you’re actually more in contact with people than you would be otherwise and in fact need never lose contact with anyone ever again. Romantic relationships also benefit from the internet and if you ask any long-distance couple they’ll very easily be able to reel you off some positive effects of internet use as it allows them to talk every night without wracking up a ridiculously long phone bill on Skype or MSN, and how it even allows them to see each other on the webcam. You read "The Positive Effects of the Internet" in category "Papers" And for those who actually meet online†¦ so what? For those who lack the social skills or the opportunity to meet people in more traditional ways (and what’s so elegant about snogging someone drunkenly in a club anyway? ), it can be a great way to meet someone that they might not otherwise. Taking away the ‘physical’ element to begin with may even make the relationship less shallow and get both parties to visit new and exotic locations. There are also positive effects of internet usage in business. While it’s true that office workers are now spending less and less time ‘relaxing’ with no internet connection and so no capacity to work; it also means that they have to take fewer trips into the office and means that some people can now work entirely from home and set up their own businesses. And by ‘working from home’ what we really mean, again thanks to the internet, is working from anywhere – while travelling, in a pub or while chilling in the hot tub. It also means fewer business trips abroad when people can make video conferences far more easily which means more time with the family and less damage to the environment. Who’d have thought being eco-friendly would be one of the positive effects of internet use? While many technologies have taken jobs away from the public, the internet has opened up a wealth of opportunities and heralded an age where anyone can be published and anyone can be an entrepreneur. Even if you only sell a few old items on e-bay; anyone can make money online. With the ‘One Child One Laptop’ scheme that’s heading to Africa, and the large-scale attempts to provide the continent with a secure internet connection this could see one of the largest continents joining us online to share their views and earn themselves some money. This will give them access to all the education they could need as well as the resources they’d need to make the most of that. Many of them could see themselves working their way out of poverty – and online they can expect the same wages as other continents as its faceless nature eradicates discrimination. One of the positive effects of internet use then is that it could help some people in escaping from the poverty trap. And yes more of our personal information is now available online and to an extent that does leave us vulnerable. At the same time however, bank robberies are a thing of the past and most of us no longer carry more than ? 20 on us at a time. If we are careful and follow the guidelines advised by the banks and online businesses, then our data should be safer than it was before – it’s shredding the hard copies you need to be careful of. And the internet is full of filth. Well okay that’s quite true, but to be fair that’s not all it’s filled with either. Apart from anything else the internet is filled with knowledge and information. If you’re friend or your child started spending lots of time in the library you’d be impressed right? Well the internet is essentially the largest library of all, and even if you don’t aim to use it for learning purposes it’s pretty hard to go online without learning something. The news for instance is flashed on most search engines and e-mail providers’ home pages and it’s far to tempting not to use Wikipedia as a means to settle debates and disagreements. Wikipedia and other sites in general in fact provide almost everything you could ever need to know right at your finger tips. Furthermore, simply interacting with people from other cultures is bound to help make you more cultured and worldly. Just getting to see other people’s points of view on forums and in chat rooms (and sharing their point of view is something people are only too pleased to do online, just check out YouTube for proof) will make you more open minded and a more reasoned critic. Improve your knowledge and informing your points of view are two of the most important positive effects of internet use. As for all that temptation†¦ Well the amount of porn on the internet really only reflects how sex-obsessed we are as a culture and blaming the internet isn’t going to achieve anything. If someone really wants to access porn they’ll find a way, and surely it’s better that they vent their sexual frustration in a safe environment and for free? And anyway, masturbation in itself is completely natural and not unhealthy so there’s not really anything to be worried about. Sure there’s some rather extreme stuff on there, but that will always exist internet or no, and if you want to prevent you kids from seeing it you just need to set up a filter. And as for those ‘all too easy’ online shops, most of them provide significant discounts on their items meaning that you can afford to be a bit more materialistic. In doing so you’re also putting money back into the economy, so again what many people view as a bad thing is actually one of the positive effects of internet use. Destroying industry and providing a place for these deviant ‘subcultures’ to converse? Those too are perhaps the most positive effects of internet use. These are the things that promise to change the way politics and business work forever and potentially usher in a new age of supreme democracy and resources. Granted, there are some sub groups online that we’d probably rather there weren’t, but at least if they’re online they can talk to each other and leave us alone. Other ‘subcultures’ however simply reflect different ways of thinking – and the internet gives them an open forum to freely express themselves, something that everyone has a right to do. The anonymity and freedom that the internet gives us can also be a good thing as well as bad. On the one hand it does allow people to get away with things they would otherwise, and to lie about their identity. On the other hand however it also further oils the cogs of democracy by giving people an opportunity to speak freely without fear of retribution and gives everyone a voice. It also gives people the opportunity to ‘try out’ different personas and shed their social anxiety which can be a liberating experience. On the internet racism is also impossible when anonymity is observed – it is a place where people are judged only on the quality of their contributions. This expression then gives a voice to those who wouldn’t be heard otherwise, and petitioning can take part on a global level where people are united by cause rather than geographical location. Soon governments may take advantage of this open forum and start listening more closely; an age may exist where we all get a say on every decision that affects us, where we act as ‘one mind’ in decisions that affect the general public, but as completely autonomous and free individuals the rest of the time. And as for the free exchange of movies, books and CDs – well many companies and artists have found that by freely distributing their material they actually make much more money by generating a larger following. Information is a resource that will never run dry and so to charge for it could be seen as immoral. Particularly as the internet allows all of us to create and market our own work. In time then, most things will be free and money will mostly be made via advertising sponsorship. So in conclusion, the positive effects of internet use have only just begun, and if we continue as we are and ignore the pessimistic doom-mongers then it won’t be long before we’ve heralded in a new age where true democracy and the free flow of information and art are commonplace. With this in mind, who really cares if it’s full of porn? How to cite The Positive Effects of the Internet, Papers

Panic at the Disco Pretty.Odd. free essay sample

Panic at The Discos long awaited follow up to their first album â€Å"A Fever You Cant Sweat Out†, â€Å"Pretty.Odd.† was released March 25, 2008. Gone is the â€Å"!† from their name, the makeup and ruffles from their clothes, the long tongue twisting song titles and lyrics, but not the quality of their music. While the new album is very different from the first one, it is surprisingly amazing. The new album is happy yet sad if you pay attention to the lyrics. The new album is very reminiscent of The Beatles and will surely have you singing along from beginning to end. The album features lyrics that are metaphorical such as â€Å"Shes steam laughing on the window pane† on the song titled â€Å"The Piano Knows Something I Dont†. It features lyrics that are mystical such as â€Å"She had the world upon a string but she didnt even see me, spun the stars on her finger nails† in the song titled â€Å"She had the World. We will write a custom essay sample on Panic at the Disco: Pretty.Odd. or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † The songs are beautifully written and detailed. The songs are a good combination of classical instruments, guitars and sweet melodies and catchy choruses. The band has explained that the new album was a group effort unlike their first album which was written solely by guitarist Ryan Ross. Also unlike the other album, it features Ryan Ross singing more and features him on track 11 â€Å"Behind the Sea.† On the day the album hit stores, the band appeared on Jimmy Kimmel live to perform 5 songs. Their performance featured 4 songs from â€Å"Pretty.Odd.† including the single â€Å"Nine in the Afternoon†, â€Å"That Green Gentlemen(Things have changed)†, â€Å"Shes a Handsome Woman†, â€Å"Mad as Rabbits† and â€Å"I Write Sins Not Tragedies† from â€Å"A Fever You Cant Sweat Out.† Seeing the band live that day was very different from seeing them live the year before. Brendon Uries voice is much better live now than it used to be. I was lucky enough to be in the front row of that show and it was most definitely worthwhile waiting all those hours in line. You can catch the band in Anaheim headlining The Honda Civic Tour on June 14th at The Honda Center. For more tour dates and updates on the band visit www.panicatthedisco.com

Argumentative Essay Sample on Global Warming 3 Policies to Implement

Argumentative Essay Sample on Global Warming 3 Policies to Implement Global warming is one of the most challenging environmental problems in existence today. It threatens the health of the earth’s inhabitants and the world’s economies every day. With global warming comes longer and more intense heat waves and storms. Along with those climate changes, come more pests which in turn can carry devastating diseases. Forestry and farming are feeling the negative impact of global warming and we’re also seeing traces of a devastated ecosystem. To prevent further damage and begin repairing the damaging effects of global warming, policies must be implemented and diligently enforced. Energy conservation is the only policy that I would put into effect. This policy would be very broad; encompassing as many aspects of energy use as possible. The first item on the table would be to force automobile manufacturers to only produce vehicles with high MPG ratings and eventually to develop new models that are not run on gasoline alone. Such vehicles are known as hybrids and are run on a combination of electricity and gasoline. Currently, the technology is available to manufacture cars with 40+ mpg ratings, however, the concern lies with the increasing number of trucks and SUVs that are known worldwide as â€Å"gas-guzzlers†. These larger vehicles are becoming more and more prevalent and currently do not meet any efficiency standards. Requiring that all new SUVs and trucks from this point forward be as fuel efficient as their smaller counterparts, would be a large step in the way of vehicle efficiency and pave the way for less gasoline reliance. This in turn will allow for fewer emissions of carbon dioxide from the vehicles that we have all come to rely on for our sole source of transportation. The next policy to implement would be that technology be developed to make all appliances run efficiently; from refrigerators and stoves on down to video game equipment and lamps. Every piece of machinery or device that we own uses energy in some way, shape, or form. Large pieces of industrial equipment and even residential equipment require a lot of energy to run thereby contributing to the world’s air pollution. If we would require that manufacturers of such items follow strict guidelines of energy efficiency, not only would users save money, but energy use would be at a minimum and thus, less air pollution would be created. Some headway is being made in this area, but not enough and not nearly fast enough. We see most progress being made in the residential areas: examples are Energy Star appliances and compact, fluorescent light bulbs. However, everything coming onto the market needs to be required to be energy efficient according to pre-determined standards and we can’t continue to bypass the industrial aspect of this. The last policy that I would implement revolves around recycling. I would require that all packaging be recyclable and that it be made from recycled materials. Recycling helps the environment by conserving our natural resources, saving energy, reducing air and water pollution, and reducing the need for landfill space. Currently, many recycling programs are in place worldwide, but there are no policies that enforce its unequivocal use, yet this is one of the easiest ways of protecting our environment. In order for my policy to be successful, all businesses and consumers need to actively participate. Following the reduce, reuse, and recycle methodology will help to reduce the amount of energy that is used during the elimination of waste products.

Homework Example

Homework Example Homework – Coursework Example Homework Q1. The progressive era (1900-1916) was marked with shifts in people’s attitudes, which delineated the role of the government in serving citizens. Theodore Roosevelt, a famous, tough and youthful man during his reign, stretched the President’s power halting Congress rule after many years. He championed for better standards of living for laborers and ensured transparent and fair elections, unlike his predecessors. Contrary to the opinion of Populists and certain Progressives, Theodore viewed giant corporations as essential despite the fact that they promoted economic inequality by making a few people gain more economic power than others. His attitude was that government power was major for winning trust.Q2.Wilson earned the name â€Å"the reluctant progressive† when he frequently blocked or declined to endorse any more progressive reforms claiming his government would never entertain â€Å"special privileges to none†. It is through his failure to s teer more progressive reforms during his reign that handed him the name â€Å"the reluctant progressive.†Q3.Wilson might not be in the minds of many Americans, but he occupies a sure position in the great Presidents’ pantheon. This claim is indeed true. Wilson left America a legacy that would live beyond his lifetime. Despite the fact that he left the White House a bit messed, he changed the fundamental objective of the foreign policy of America transitioning it from isolation to internationalism. Wilson’s prowess in forming a reform party coupled with his knack to direct and marshal public opinion significantly influenced successive presidency. His transitional importance as a leader during his reign makes him to stand tall among great presidents of the nation.

Edit essay 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Edit 1 - Essay Example Since childhood my parents taught me to treat needy people with respect and to always thank god for the blessing I have and not to lust for what other people have. They even taught me to work hard to reach my goals without violating any law or other individual’s position. I always wanted to become a lawyer so I can have both the law and the power in hand to protect human rights and help improving their life positively whenever possible. I was not able to achieve my dream because laws in the United States are different than the laws in United Arab Emiratis. Due to this I decided to study International Studies and focus on both global security and human rights in the Middle East. There are only a few specialists that focus on human rights in the Middle East. This encouraged me to become attached with learning more about human rights in different region in order to become an expert and compare and contrast between laws governing human rights in different nations. This will help me in my career to introduce new ideas about human rights and I will be able to help to decrease the conflict taking place in Middle East. This will even enable me to teach others about human rights and its importance. It will even help me promote that Islam and Quran is based on justice and protecting other rights. I was a part of the Introduction to human rights course during spring semester of 2014. This increased my awareness on the issues of Immigration and refuges in the U.S, human trafficking, gay rights, minority rights, race, human identity, religious identity and many other human rights issues. One of the topics that attracted me was the rights of the disabled. I believe that the most difficult idea for humans to understand is the cultural differences between individuals and the role it plays in governing human rights. I even realized that it’s hard to agree on one human right document that promotes similar rights, especially that traditions, culture and religion

Business Perpetuates Rather Than Reduces Inequality in the Society Essay

Business Perpetuates Rather Than Reduces Inequality in the Society - Essay Example This to a great extent has not been the case; in fact in many cases business has perpetuated inequality in the society. These inequalities are mainly manifested when it comes to the personnel in the business organization. The inequality comes in three major regimes; gender, class and race. This paper discusses how business increases inequality in the society rather than reducing it. Discussion First I will define the inequalities that occur in business organizations. As stated earlier the main ones are class, race and gender. Class refers to the differences in control over and access to the resources of the business organization. Class differences are manifested during employment and the wages that are paid. The hierarchies that may be created in organizations may create a wide gap between the top management of the business organization and the workers at the bottom. In large corporations the Chief executive officers sit at the top and wield more power than other workers in the busin ess. Such class difference might not be experienced in small businesses but still the owner or boss has class power over employees. Gender inequality is seen in the difference in beliefs of identities of men and women. Despite efforts to try to close the gender gap in business organizations, most top positions in organization management are still held by men while the low white collar positions like clerks and secretaries are dominantly held by women. Supervisory duties have always been assigned to men in many business organizations. This brings about gender inequality because men and women are not treated equally (Smith 2002). Race inequality comes about because of differences in physical characteristics, oppression, culture and historical domination justified by the underlying beliefs. Businesses owned by certain races in some cases discriminate other races when it comes to employment. They might fail completely to employ the other races or they may employ them and give them junio r positions. There are other differences that might be the base for inequality in business organizations. These include sexuality, religion, physical disability and age. Some business organizations may discriminate against the homosexuals when it comes to employment. There are also cases where certain religions have been discriminated in business organizations. These differences might be vital but they do not carry more weight like gender, race and class in creating inequality. The main intention of business organizations is to make profits (Banerjee 2012). The requirements that are placed for work ensure that the organization does realize profits. These requirements may cause inequality between genders and classes. In a business organization work is designed in favour of men who are totally dedicated to earn a living and do not have other responsibilities for family demands or children. Eight hours of continuous working, giving the work maximum attention, arrival on time and being able to work for extra hours if need arises are some of the general requirements for employees in business organizations. Since it is mostly the workers at the lower level who perform duties that are vital for the realization of profit for the business, it is not easy to relax these requirements for them. On the other hand, the top management may bend these rules for their members. A manager for the business organization may work in the organization on part time basis, may not be required to arrive early, he may also be undertaking other business and is rarely required to work for extra hours. This is not true for a junior employee. Since it is the top management

Attack Prevention Article Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Attack Prevention Article Evaluation - Essay Example Before attempting to observe the issue, it is essential to understand the focal point of user domain itself. This is a huge focal point in managing security in IT networks. In essence, user domain is defined  as set of objects that allow a user to have controls and permissions. In essence, user domains can overlap. Another element of user domains is the fact that is allows users to possess segregation of duties. Segregation of duties allows users to have separate domains and grant permissions. User domains can range from simple user access accounts or it can be a specific domain such as sales, marketing, and managers.   Unlike traditional firewalls  that only guard the parameters of the traditional IT infrastructure, virtualization  firewalls  provide comprehensive security measures that monitor activity within clients. If one machine is to be attacked by a host, the other machine automatically copies data in almost dynamic time that the user is not aware of the situation. Clearly, that is a huge benefit for organizations since it allows them to have a safety net in case of an attack. The Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is a critical precautionary tool that monitors the network through monitoring packets that are passed within users. The first and easiest application of virtualization for security purposes is known as application isolation. This is a huge component towards the security aspect because it allows IT managers to gain leverage over application stability and application allocation. One of the worst vulnerabilities for user domains are insider attacks. Insider attacks occur. For instance, denial of service and spoofing are one the most common themes that occur. The problem is the fact that intercepting authentication or other sensitive information can be executed with the current WAN technology since it utilizes the traditional TCP/IP in user domains. A

In trinidad and tobago the spiraling crime situation

In trinidad and tobago the spiraling crime situation Introduction In Trinidad and Tobago the spiraling crime situation has been committed predominately by young males. This study focuses on the relationship between the violence in schools and the crime situation in the wider society in Trinidad. By curbing school violence it will greatly reduce the criminal activities occurring in society. Studies have shown that young minds are easier to mould rather than adult minds. This strategy is a proactive measure in the reduction in the level of crime in society. Violence in schools has been a reflection of on the level of crime in the society in Trinidad. Early research has shown that Trinidad was a crime free country, a paradise, where crime was not a concern. Today, crime is the number one problem which faces the government and people of Trinidad and Tobago. The escalating crime rate in the country affects the economy (investments, business, tourism), society well being and safety. Violence in school was not seen as a contributing factor for crime among male students. The point in focus is the supervision of young male secondary students from the age of twelve to seventeen (12-17) years which is lacking at their homes and at schools over the years. Review of literature School violence in Trinidad have become a serious problem with most recent out breaks of violence among rival schools in El Dorado especially where weapons such as guns or knives are involved. It incorporates violence among school students as well as physical attacks by students on the school staff members. The latest incident of school violence in Trinidad was in November where two secondary school students were stabbed to death by fellow students on separate occasions. Four students from the age of twelve to seventeen (12-17) years from secondary schools are in police custody at present for these murders. Due to the escalating crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago the Government seeks to identify and implement both proactive and reactive strategies in combating crime. By analyzing the lives of male criminals and their physiological development at the age of twelve to seventeen (12-17) years we can minimize the likelihood of them becoming criminals. By analyzing the students family situations, their discontentment with education, parental involvement, the physiological influence by violence in the media and effect of poverty we can determine the likelihood of students becoming violent. Many of them are from single parent families most often without fathers and with working mothers. A recent study suggest that Teens from single-parent or stepparent homes are more likely to commit a school crime (possess, use or distribute alcohol or drugs; possess a weapon; assault a teacher, administrator or another student) than teens from intact homes. (Orr 41) The current Euro-centric education system does not provide young people with the imperative paraphernalia, discipline and self awareness to survive in the world today. After many years, some children in the public schools are allowed to pass through the school system without gaining a proper education. However, these students find themselves as a social drain on the economy being unemployed, unaccepted and unsuited to society. These persons have a lack of self confidence and find themselves in a total failure syndrome with no way out and nowhere to turn. They in turn hate the education system that did this to them. In their limited reasoning capability they feel that revenge is the only way of curbing their downfall and resorts to violent behavior. Patricia Neufeld conducted an experiment proving that parent involvement causes the reduction of aggression in students to become violent. The experiment concluded that parental involvement was positively correlated with positive student attitudes towards schools and negatively correlated with problem behaviors such as school violence and aggression (Neufeld). Parents who are aware of how their children feel about school can assist them in solving the problems that they may be facing before these children become violent (Neufeld). A child whose parents are readily available for him/her is less likely to hold resentment towards their parents, and take their aggression out on classmates at school. Parents need to be more involved in their childrens lives and become familiar with their feelings to decrease the animosity that their children feel towards them, so that anger is not brought to school the environment. Violence in schools has risen from one-on-one hand fights for personal disagreements to all-out, deadly weapon assaults on innocent lives for no good reasons. This is due to the effects of the society, media content, video games and other factors, especially movies and television. The violence shown on recent movies portrays gruesome acts by criminal minds. This is in such detail that we feel and see all angles of the crime. The news media broadcast murders, serious crimes and other heinous activities on a daily basis. These broadcast has become commonplace in the everyday society as it is so frequent. Forty years ago a fist-fight between two individuals was an uncommon and extreme violent act in schools. However, at the present time extreme violence is shown so prominently and graphically every day, however, the escalation in school violence by the impressionable youth who look and copy from it should follow that direction. The effects of poverty on the student would enable them to commit acts of violence on order to appease the lack of financial stability at home. Students that generally grow up in repressed areas such as Betham Gardens in Trinidad may be likely to commit acts of violence. Studies have shown that the lower socioeconomic class is more likely to engage in criminal activity than those who are financially well-off. The economic inequality which exists in Trinidad is a major contributor to numerous criminal issues. Methodology This study would be based on the effects of violence among young male secondary school students from the age of twelve to seventeen (12-17) years in Trinidad and the tendency to commit crimes. It would involve a cross sectional survey. Eligible schools within the eight counties of Trinidad would form the sample frame. There are one hundred and four secondary schools with approximately twelve hundred children each, approximately half are males between the ages of twelve to seventeen (12-17) years. One in every three schools from each county would be chosen randomly. The police reports within the time frame of four years would be examined on the students that are being profiled. Preliminary Studies The Curepe Junior Secondary School was selected as the pilot test and of the survey. It was found that twenty six persons had violent conduct record at the school. Seven of them were arrested by the police custody two for serious crimes and the other five for petty crimes. County Number of Schools Number of Schools selected St. David St. George St. Andrew Caroni Nariva Mayaro Victoria St. Patrick 3 34 6 20 6 7 12 16 1 11 2 6 2 2 4 5 Total 104 33 The figures given above are used to illustrate the sampling method that would be applied. The thirty three schools (33) were chosen using the stratified random sampling method. The instrument that would be used for the survey is a questionnaire, police criminal records and schools records from the Ministry of Education. The questionnaire would contain questions on age, ethnicity, family status, area of residence, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, drug use, gang affiliation, educational status and potential aggression. All male secondary school students between the ages of twelve to seventeen (12-17) years old with records of violent conduct from January 2005 to January 2009 would be surveyed by way of questionnaire. These students names would be cross reference with that of the Police Criminal Records to indicate the number of persons involve in serious crimes. These students will be selected from the school records at the Ministry of Education with permission from the Minister of Education responsible for all schools in Trinidad, also from the Minister of National Security responsible for violence and crime. The ethical issues raised were that the privacy of students record was reviewed in order to carry out the exercise. The parents of students, students and principals of schools were assured that the information would be kept confidential by way of a sworn document. However, person who refused to take part in the survey and persons who do not return the questionnaire will simply not be considered. The information collected through the survey would be inputted into a computer system where the statistical analysis will be performed using a computer program (SPSS). This program would give the results which would show the relationship between violence among young male secondary students from the age of twelve to seventeen (12-17) years and the escalated crime situation present in Trinidad. The results obtained from this analysis would be use to see if the hypothesis stands of should be rejected. Recommendations and Conclusion Based on the results obtained from the study, conclusions can be made with respect to the relationship between violence among young male secondary students from the age of twelve to seventeen (12-17) years and the escalated crime situation present in Trinidad. This study can be extended to the wider Caribbean. Survey Questionnaire -Please tick the box corresponding to your response: -Please write on line space provided. Name of School†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Name†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Age:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Date of Birth†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Ethnicity: African Indian Chinese Mix Other How much quality time do your parents/ guardians spend with you? A lot Fair amount Minimal None Living With: Both Parents Single Parent (Father) Single Parent (Mother) Grandparents Step parents Living Standard: Rich Middleclass Poor Do you: Smoke Cigarettes Use Drugs Drink Alcohol Are you affiliated with a gang: Yes No Have you ever been arrested by the police Yes No Is there domestic violence at your home: Yes No What is your standard of school work: Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor How quickly do you become aggressive: Easily Moderate Rarely On a scale of 1 to 10 how do you rank the stress level experienced daily at home? On a scale of 1 to 10 how do you rank the stress level experienced daily at school? Have any of your parents or other family members been involved in serious crimes? Yes No Bibliography Donald Orr, Premature Sexual Activity as an Indicator of Psychosexual Risk, Pediatrics, 87:2, Feb. 1991, 141-7, as cited in Free Teens Deciding Your Future multi-media presentation. Neufeld, Patricia School Violence Finding Solutions. www.123HelpMe.com. 25 Nov 2009 Harris, Chyrise â€Å"Alternatives to Profiling in Preventing SchoolViolence. †http://writing.colostate.edu/gallery/talkingback/v2.1/harris.htm. 25 Nov 2009

Does Islam Cause Violence in the Middle East? Essay -- Islam, religion

Since the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, a large focus of the Western Powers, like the United States, has been on the Middle East. Out of this has come a conclusion that this area of the world is prone to be more violent than other parts and this is largely to due to the Islamic religion. This the West has concluded in large part through observation coupled with some qualitative data. However, is this an adequate assertion of the area, and of the religion of Islam? To begin various types of violence will be explored quantitatively and qualitatively to see if there is a difference in the level of violence seen in the Middle East as compared to Western States. Once it has been determined if there exists a difference in the amount of violence in the Middle East, as compared to Western States, it than shall be explored to see what role Islam may play in it. Comparing Violence It has been assumed that while the rest of the world appears to be seeing decreasing levels of violence, it appears the Middle East has yet to experience this same trend. By just watching the news or reading the paper, it has appeared that in the past couple of decades there have been either an increase in violence in the Middle East. In addition, it has also appeared that certain types of violence that the West has not experienced for some time still exist within the region. The question this raises then, is the Middle East more violent? On the other hand, is this nothing more than Islamophobia? To find the correct answer both a quantitative and qualitative approach will be taken. Through this patterns should emerge that will lead to answer whether are not the Middle East is more prone to violence than other Western States (Pinker, 20... ...s Office on Drugs and Crime. (2013). UNODC Homicide Statistics. Retrieved November 24, 2013, from http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/homicide.html This publication is put out by the United Nations and its office on Drug and Crime. The purpose of this publication is straight forward. It is to the homicide rates of each State. The data is collected by various agencies, some associated with the United Nations and some not. This document is easy to read and to understand. It serves the purpose in which it was created by showing the homicide rates nearly all the States in the world. The underlying issue with it is that not all the data is complete. When it comes to Western, developed, States the data is complete. However, when it comes to less developed states, it is not. This can causes issues if someone is looking for patterns or comparing regions.

Night World : Black Dawn Chapter 11

The bushes stirred again. Maggie's searching fingers found only acorns and licorice fern, so she made a fist instead, sliding out from underneath Cady and holding herself ready. A form emerged from the underbrush. Maggiestared so hard she saw gray dots but she couldn'ttell anything about it. There was a long, tense moment, and then a voice came to her. â€Å"I told you you'd never make it.† Maggie almost fainted with relief. At the same moment the moon came out frombehind a cloud. It shone down into the clearingand over the slender figure standing with a hand on one hip. The pale silvery light turned red hairalmost black, but the angular face and narrowed skeptical eyes were unmistakable. Not to mention the sour expression. Maggieletout along, shuddering breath. â€Å"Jeanne!† â€Å"You didn't get very far, did you? The road's justover there. What happened? Did she drop deadon you?† It wasamazinghow good that irritable, acerbicvoice sounded to Maggie. She laughed shakily. â€Å"No, Cady's not dead. Bern's dead-you know, the bigslave trader guy. But – â€Å" â€Å"You're joking.† Jeanne's voice sharpened with respect and she moved forward. `†You killed hunt' â€Å"No. It waslook, I'll explain later. First, can youhelp me get her to somewhere more protected? It's really getting freezing out here, and she's completely out.† Jeanne leaned down, looking at Arcadia. â€Å"I toldyou before I wasn't going to help you if you gotin trouble.† â€Å"I know,† Maggie said. â€Å"Can you sort of pick herup from that side? If we both get an arm under her shouldersshemight be able to walk a little.† . `Bull,† Jeanne said shortly. â€Å"We'd better chaircarry her. Link hands and we can get her up.† Maggie clasped a cold, slender hand with calluses and a surprisingly firm grip. She heavedweight, and then they were carrying the unconscious girl. â€Å"You're strong,† she grunted. â€Å"Yeah, well, that's one of the side benefits ofbeing a slave. The road's this way.† It was awkward, slow work, but Maggie wasstrong, too, and Jeanne seemed to be able to guide them around the worst of the underbrush. And it was so good just to be with another human being who was healthy and clear headed and didn't want to kill her, that Maggie felt almost lighthearted. â€Å"What aboutP.J.? Is she okay?† â€Å"She's fine. She's in a place I know-it's notmuch, but it's shelter. That's where we're going.† â€Å"You took care of her,† Maggie said. She shook her head in the darkness and laughed. â€Å"What are you snickering about?† Jeanne paused and they spent a few minutes maneuvering arounda fallen log covered with spongy moss. â€Å"Nothing,† Maggie said. â€Å"It's justyou're prettynice, aren't you? Underneath.† â€Å"I look out for myself first. That's the rule aroundhere. And don't you forget it,† Jeanne said in a threatening mutter. Then she cursed as her foot sank into a swampy bit of ground. â€Å"Okay,† Maggie said. But she could still feel awry and wondering smile tugging up the corner ofher mouth. Neither of them had much breath for talkingafter that. Maggie was in a sort of daze of tirednessthat wasn't completely unpleasant. Her mindwandered. Delos†¦she had never met anyone so confus ing. Her entire body reacted just at the thought ofhim, with frustration and anger and a longing that she didn't understand. It was a physical pang. But then everything was so confusing. Things had happened so fast since last night that she'd neverhad time to get her mental balance. Delos and the incredible thing that had happened between themwas only one part of the whole mess. He said he'd killed Miles†¦. But that couldn't be true. Miles couldn't be dead.And Delos wasn't capable of anything like that†¦.Was he? She found that she didn't want to think aboutthat. It was like a huge dark cloud that she didn'twant to enter. Wherever Jeanne was taking her, it was a long,cold trek. And a painful one. After about fifteenminutes Maggie's arms began to feelasif they werebeing pulled out of the sockets, and a hot spot of pain flared at the back of her neck. Her sweat wasclammy running down her back and her feetwere numb. But she wouldn't give up, and Jeanne didn't either. Somehow they kept going. They had traveledfor maybe about forty-five minutes, with breaks,when Jeanne said, â€Å"Here it is.† A clearing opened in front of them, and moonlight shone on a crude little shack made of weathered wood. It leaned dangerously to one side andseveral boards were missing, but it had a ceilingand walls. It was shelter. To Maggie, it looked beautiful. â€Å"Runaway slaves built it,† Jeanne said breathlesslyas they took the last few steps to the cabin. â€Å"The Night People hunted them down, of course, but they didn't find this place. All the slaves at the castle know about it.† Then she called in a slightlylouder tone, â€Å"It's me! Open the door!† A long pause, and then there was the sound of awooden bolt sliding and the door opened. Maggiecould see the pale blob of a small face. P.J. Penob scot, with her red plaid baseballcap still on backwardand herslightbodytense,wasblinkingsleepy, frightened eyes. Then she focused and her face changed.†Maggie! You're okay!† She flung herself at Maggie like a small javelin. â€Å"Ow-hey!† Maggie swayed and Cady's limp bodydipped perilously. â€Å"I'm glad to see you, too,† Maggie said. To herown surprise, she found herself blinking back tears.†But I've got to put this girl down or I'm going todrop her.† â€Å"Back here,† Jeanne said. The back of the cabinwas piled with straw. She and Maggie eased Arcadia down onto it and then P.J. hugged Maggie again. â€Å"You got us out. We got away,† P.J. said, hersharp little chin digging into Maggie's shoulder. Maggie squeezed her. â€Å"Wellwe all got us out,and Jeanne helped get you away. But I'm glad everybody made it.† â€Å"Is she†¦all right?† P.J. pulled back and lookeddown at Arcadia. â€Å"I don't know.† Cady's forehead felt hot underMaggie's hand, and her breathing was regular butwith a rough, wheezy undertone Maggie didn'tlike. â€Å"Here's a cover,† Jeanne said, dragging up a pieceof heavy, incredibly coarse material. It seemed asbig as a sail and so rigid it hardly sagged or folded.†If we all get under it, we can keep warm.† They put Cady in the middle, Maggie and P.J. onone side of her and Jeanne on the other. The cover was more than big enough to spread over them. And the hay smelled nice. It was prickly, butMaggie's long sleeves and jeans protected her. There was a strange comfort in P.J.'s slight bodycuddled up next to herlike a kitten, Maggiethought. And it was so blessedly good to not bemoving, to not be carrying anyone, but just to sit still and relax her sore muscles. â€Å"There was a little food stashed here,† Jeannesaid, digging under the hay and pulling out a smallpacket. â€Å"Dried meat strips and oatcakes with salalberries. We'd better save some for tomorrow,though.† Maggie tore into the dried meat hungrily. Itdidn't taste like beef jerky; it was tougher and gam ier, but right at the moment it seemed delicious.She tried to get Cady to eat some, but it was nouse. Cady just turned her head away. She and Jeanne and P.J. finished the meal offwith a drink of water, and then they lay back onthe bed of hay. Maggie felt almost happy. The gnawing in her stomach was gone, her muscles were loosening up,and she could feel a warm heavinesssettlingoverher. â€Å"You were going†¦ to tell me about Bern †¦Ã¢â‚¬ Jeanne said from the other side of Cady. The wordstrailed off into a giant yawn. â€Å"Yeah.† Maggie's brain was fuzzy and her eyeswouldn't stay open. â€Å"Tomorrow †¦Ã¢â‚¬  And then, lying on a pile of hay in a tiny shack ina strange kingdom, with three girls who had been strangers to her before this afternoon and who nowseemed a little like sisters, she was fast asleep. Maggie woke up with her nose cold and her feettoo hot. Pale light was coming in all the cracks inthe boards of the cabin. For one instant she stared at the rough weathered-silver boards and the hayon the floor and wondered where she was. Thenshe remembered everything. â€Å"Cady.† She sat up and looked at the girl beside her. Cady didn't look well. Her face had the waxyinner glow of somebody with a fever, and there were little tendrils of dark hair curled damply onher forehead. But at Maggie's voice her eyelashes fluttered, then her eyes opened. â€Å"Maggie?† â€Å"How are you feeling? Want some water?† Shehelped Cady drink from the leather bag. â€Å"I'm all right. Thanks to you, I think. Youbrought me here, didn't you?† Cady's face turnedas if she were looking around the room with herwide, unfocused eyes. She spoke in short sentences, as if she were conserving her strength, but hervoice was more gentle than weak. â€Å"And Jeanne, too.Thank you both.† She must have heard us talkinglast night, Maggie thought. Jeanne was sitting up, straw in her red hair, her green eyes narrow and alert instantly. P.J.was stirring and making grumpy noises. â€Å"Morning,† Maggie said. â€Å"Is everybody okay?' â€Å"Yeah,† P.J. said in a small, husky voice. Therewas a loud rumble from her stomach. â€Å"I guess I'mstill a little hungry,† she admitted. â€Å"There're a couple oatcakes left,† Jeanne said.†And one strip of meat. We might as well finishit off.† They made Cady eat the meat, although she triedto refuse it. Then they divided the oatcakes solemnly into four parts and ate them, chewing dog gedly on dry, flaky mouthfuls. â€Å"We're going to need more water, too,† Maggiesaid, after they'd each had a drink. The leather bagwas almost empty. â€Å"But I think the first thing is tofigure out what we're going to do now. What our plan is.† â€Å"The first thing,† Jeanne said, â€Å"is to tell us whathappened to Bern.† â€Å"Oh.†Maggie blinked, but she could see whyJeanne would want to know. â€Å"Well, he's definitely dead.† She sketched in what had happened aftershe and Cady had started running through thewoods. How Gavin and Bern had chased them andhad finally driven them into a corner on the boulder pile.How Bern hadclimbedup andchanged†¦ â€Å"He was a shapeshifter, you know,† she said. Jeanne nodded, unsurprised. â€Å"Bern means bear.They usually have names that mean what they are.But you're saying you tried to fight thatguy off with a stick? You're dumber than I thought.† Still,her green eyes were gleaming with something likewry admiration, and P.J. was listening with awe. â€Å"And then-there was this lightning,† Maggiesaid. â€Å"And it killed Bern and Gavin ran away.† Sherealized, even asshe said it, that she didn't wantto tell everything that had happened with Delos.She didn't think Jeanne would understand. So she left out the way their minds had linked when theytouched, and the way she'd seen his memories-and the fact that she'd dreamed about him beforeever coming to this valley. â€Å"Then I filled the water bag and we heard Sylviacoming and he went out to make sure she didn'tfind me or Cady,† she finished. She realized thatthey were all staring at her. Cady's facewasthoughtful and serene as always, P.J. was scaredbut interested in the story-but Jeanne was rivetedwith disbelief and horror. â€Å"You're saying Prince Delossaved your life? Withthe blue fire? You're saying he didn't turn you overto the hunting party?† She said it as if she were talking about Dracula. â€Å"It's the truth.† Good thing I didn't tell her aboutthe kiss, Maggie thought. â€Å"It's impossible. Delos hates everybody. He's themost dangerous of all of them.† â€Å"Yeah, that's what he kept telling me.† Maggieshook her head. The way Jeanne was looking at hermade her uncomfortable,as if she were defendingsomeone unredeemably evil. â€Å"He also said at one point that he killed my brother,† she said slowly.†But I didn't know whether to believeit†¦.† â€Å"Believe it.† Jeanne's nostrils were flared and herlip curledasif she were looking at something disgusting. â€Å"He's the head of this whole place and everything that goes on here. There's nothing hewouldn't do. I can't believe he let you go.† She considered for a moment, then said grimly, â€Å"Unless he's got something special in mind. Letting you go and then hunting you down later. It's the kind ofthing he'd enjoy.† Maggie had a strange feeling of void in her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger. She triedto speak calmly. â€Å"I don't think so. I think-he justdidn't care if I got away.† â€Å"You're fooling yourself. You don't understandabout these people because you haven't been here. None of youhave been here.† Jeanne looked at P.J.,who was watching with wide blue ‘eyes, and atCady, who was listening silently, her head slightlybowed. â€Å"The Night People are monsters.And theones here in the Dark Kingdom are the worst of all. Some of them have been alive for hundreds of years-some of them were here when Delos'sgrandfather founded the place. They've been holedup in this valley all that time †¦ and allthey do ishunt.It's their only sport. It's all they care about. It's all they do.† Maggie's skin was prickling. Part of her didn'twant to pursue this subject any further. But she had to know. â€Å"Last night I noticed something weird,† she said.†I was standing outside and listening, but I couldn'thear any animal sounds anywhere. None at all.† â€Å"They've wiped them out. Alltheanimalsin the wild are gone.† P.J.'s thin little hand clutched at Maggie's armnervously. ‘But then what do they hunt?† â€Å"Animals they breed and release. I've been a slavehere for three years, and at first I only saw them breeding local animaLs-cougars and black bears wolverines and stuff. But in the last couple ofyears they've started bringing in exotics. Leopardstigers and things.† Maggie let out her breath and patted P.J.'s hand.`But not humans.† â€Å"Don't make me laugh. Of course humans-butonly when they can get an excuse. The laws say the vampires can't hunt slaves to death because they'retoo precious-pretty soon the food supply wouldbe gone. But if slaves get loose, they at least get to hunt them down and bring them back to the castle. And if a slave has to be executed, they do a death hunt.† â€Å"I see.† The void in Maggie's stomach had become a yawning chasm. â€Å"But-2†² â€Å"If he let you go, it was so he could come backand hunt you,† Jeanne said flatly. â€Å"I'm telling you,he's bad. It was three years ago that the old kingdied and Delos took over, okay? And it was threeyears ago that they started bringing new slaves in.Not just grabbing people off the mountain if theygot too close, but actuallygoing down and kidnapping girls off the streets. That's why I'm here.That'swhy P.J.'s here.† Beside Maggie, P.J. shivered. Maggie put an armaround her and felt the slight body shaking againsthers. She gulped, her other hand clenching into afist. â€Å"Hey, kiddo. You've been really brave so far, sojust hang on, okay? Things are going to work out.† She could feel Jeanne's sarcastic eyes on herfrom beyond Cady, daring her to explain exactly howthings were going to work out. She ignoredthem. â€Å"Was it the same for you, Cady?† she asked. Shewas glad to get off the subject of Delos, and shewas remembering the strange thing Cady had saidlast night. I was coming here for a reason†¦. â€Å"No. They got me on the mountain.† But the wayCady spoke alarmed Maggie. It was slowly and with obvious effort, the voice of someone who had touse all their strength just to concentrate. Maggie forgot all about Delos and the slave tradeand put a hand to Cady's forehead. â€Å"Oh, God,† she said. â€Å"You're burning up. You're totally on fire.† Cady blinked slowly. â€Å"Yes-it's the poison,† shesaid in a foggy voice. â€Å"They injected me with something when they caught me-but I had a bad reaction to it. My system can't take it.† Adrenaline flicked through Maggie. â€Å"And you'regetting worse.† When Cady nodded reluctantly, shesaid, â€Å"Right. Then there's no choice. We have to getto the castle because that's where the healingwomen are, right? If anybody can help, they can, right?† â€Å"Wait a minute,† Jeanne said. â€Å"We can't go downto the castle. We'd be walking right into their arms.And we can't get out of the valley. I found the passbefore, but that was by accident. I couldn't find itagain â€Å"I could,† Maggie said. When Jeanne stared at her, she said, â€Å"Never mind how. I just can. But going that way means climbing down a mountainon the other side and Cady can't make it. And I don't think she'll make it if we leave her alone hereand go look for help.† Jeanne's narrow green eyes were on her again,and Maggie knew what they were saying. So we'vegot to give up on her. It's the only thing thatmakessense. But Maggie bulldozed on in determination. â€Å"Youcan take P.J. to thepass-I can tellyou howto get there-and Ill take Cady to the castle. How about that? If you can tell me how to get to it.† â€Å"Itstinks,†Jeanne said flatly. â€Å"Even if you make it to the castle with her hanging on you, you won'tknow how to get in. And if you doget in, you'll be committing suicide-â€Å" She broke off, and everyone started. For an instant Maggie didn't understand why-all she knewwas that she had a sudden feeling of alarm andalertness. Then she realized that Cady had turnedsuddenly toward the door. It was the quick, instinctive gesture of a cat who has heard something dangerous, and it triggered fear in the girls who werelearning to live by their own instincts. And now that Maggie sat frozen, she could hearit, too, faraway but distinct. The sound of peoplecalling, yelling back and forth. And another sound, one that she'd only heard in movies, but that sherecognized instantly. Hounds baying. â€Å"It's them,† Jeanne whispered into the dead silence of the shack. â€Å"I told you. They're hunting us.† â€Å"With dogs?†Maggie said, shock tingling throughher body. â€Å"It's all over,† Jeanne said. â€Å"We're dead.†

Looking At The Scope Of Multicultural Counseling Social Work Essay Example

Looking At The Scope Of Multicultural Counseling Social Work Essay Example Looking At The Scope Of Multicultural Counseling Social Work Essay Looking At The Scope Of Multicultural Counseling Social Work Essay Josie is an 11-year-old bi-racial kid who lives with her individual female parent. Josie has a history of acquisition and behavioural jobs in school. She attends a big suburban school and is fighting in 4th class. Josie can be a behavioural job in the place and community and has been referred to your bureau for protagonism services. She has been asked non to return to her association football squad because of her behaviour and is no longer permitted at day care. Her female parent s chief long-run end is to hold Josie remain in the least restrictive environment in the place, school, and community. ThisA problematicA situationA is associatedA with the range ofA multiculturalA guidance. Multicultural guidance is particularly of import in today s society, as diverse racial and cultural environment raises many jobs, which require cultural competency of societal workers in covering with jobs which arise in multicultural society, in the field of race, ethnicity, cultural backgrounds, civilizations, faiths and other diverseness factors. ( Erford, 2008 ) In the instance of a kid Josie who hasA behavioural problemsA andA jobs atA school, whichA may beA related to her raceA andA societal status.A JosieA goes toA big suburban school, A whereA asA we knowA there are many childrenA and adolescents fromA different households, A andA its environmentA isA usuallyA characterized byA great figure of struggles, since such school non merely createsA favourable conditions for multicultural instruction, but besides gives rise to serious struggles between members of different racial and cultural groups. ( Lynch, 1996 ) It is possible that two-race Josie has struggles with kids at school, her equals do non take her in their community, or badger a girl.A It is known that Josie is populating in single-parent household, which besides adversely affects her position.A Josie can see herself an castaway, non like everybody, may hold low self-esteem.A These internal jobs and struggles in the school with kids lead to her aggressive behaviour, noncompliance. In suchA state of affairss it is veryA of import toA find out the state of affairs at school and Josie s dealingss with other kids, to cognize relation of people who are close to her, or with whom the kid interacts. The primary measure inA solvingA the problemA will be to turn to a adviser, A a specialistA whoA will helpA to understand theA situationA of JosieA andA will determineA possible solutions toA the job with kid s behaviour. The chief undertakings of the primary support of the specializer will include the undermentioned: A To assist the kid understand his jobs, and assist him to concentrate on their resolution ; A Psychologically to quiet down the kid, leting him to yield, non to support against his bad feelings and emotions, to cut down the degree of unfavorable judgment against himself, aid to get the better of mental strain, shame about the state of affairs ; A If necessary, to show certain forms of behaviour to a kid as an illustration of human opposition to emphasize, self-denial, vision, logical analysis of state of affairss in life ; A Supply the kid with necessary information, which can increase his motive to work out the job ; A Provide advices and support kid s ain attempts to asseverate control over the state of affairs, to cut down his uncertainties and fright of the unknown ; To animate hope and advance the revival of the kid to self-awareness and willingness to cover with the state of affairs ; A To protect the rights and involvements of the kid, interceding in the negotiations with parents, professionals, organisations, aid in obtaining entree to necessary societal resources, etc.A Therefore, an pedagogue, or adviser, shows the kid how to decide the job, helps to cut down his anxiousness and increase self-confidence.A The chief aim of guidance is to ease the personal growing of a kid in a job state of affairs, that is, of his sense of position, the development of his ability to analyse and see life state of affairss from different angles, to be able to develop different schemes of behaviour and consciously follow them.A ( Erford, 2008 ) In order to supply qualified psychological support and aid it is necessary to cognize the psychological features of age periods and the major differences between the reactions of kids and adults.A These differentiations are non ever seeable, but are indispensable and can demo how the job is important for the kid, and how he reacts to stressful situations.A Advocacy of kids has several alone characteristics: foremost of all, the kid is dependent on his parents, to whom he besides normally really emotionally attached. Complex relationship of the kid and parents act upon his relationship with grownups and can present a serious job in supplying assistance.A When reding kids it is necessary to see the undermentioned distinctive features: A The kid is non ever able to set up societal dealingss within the equal group, to happen and maintain friends.A Child are dependent on the attention and protection of parents, who have the chief influence on them ( both positive and negative ) .A Child are non ever able to show complex feelings and discourse the general, abstract inquiries, or speak about certain topics ( tabu or traumatic subjects ) , so the advisor may suggest to depict the state of affairs in alternate manner, and should carefully choose words ; A In contact with others kids need to experience a positive attitude towards them.A Defensive reaction may be denial of ain failing, faulting others or circumstances.A it is necessary to keep contact with the kid s societal world and to demo that there are no simple solutions to complex problems.A ( Erford, 2008 ) The effectivity of psychological aid mostly depends on personal features such as teacher-adviser, as the ability to perforate into the emotional universe of another, empathy ( empathy ) , to supply emotional attention and support, a high grade of personal and societal duty, together with the desire to take duty, high societal intelligence, openness, communicating, emphasis. When reding kids the specializer must take into history the fact that kids can barely maintain focal point and control behaviour for a long clip, particularly when they have some emotional disorders.A That is why the adviser must be patient.A Making conversation with Josie, it is possible to use the traditional attack, so that start a conversation with the general open-ended inquiries, followed by contracting the focal point, or get down with specific issues, while go forthing the topographic point of choice.A The kid is easier to react to short specific inquiries about the events.A Thus, during conversation it is necessary to clear up the ground of Josie behaviour. Of class, the kid can non place and call a particular job, so it is necessary to allow him depict his feelings ( what he is concerned about? A what causes in him choler or fear? ) to clear up the emotional behaviour of the kid. Psychological support for Josie who is in a hard state of affairs, should come in analogue at school and at home.A The nature and way of such support must frequently be determined by adviser. Josie s parents should: A Explain to the kid the job in apprehensible signifier and friendly mode ; A To assist show Josie her feelings, listening to a kid without doing any judgements or critics ; A Make it clear to Josie that her feelings, cryings about something unpleasant is normal, anyhow she must seek to command emotions ; A If Josie is afraid, mother must demo that she loves her and ever ready to assist, to support her in any state of affairs. It is collaborative effortsA andA helpA ofA protagonism specializer, mothersA andA teachersA at schoolA would helpA to clear up the job of Josie, A and besides assist the miss to solveA it and better her behaviorA and acquisition.

Probability And Nonprobability Example

Probability And Nonprobability Example Probability And Nonprobability – Coursework Example Probability and Non Probability Probability and Non Probability As d, probability sampling is quite useful as it provides a strategy whereby the research can focus on a given population and then pick randomly to find participants. It effectively eliminates the possibility that the researcher is biased in who or she picks to participate in a study and enables for a simplistic way to determine who should be asked. Scientifically, the larger the sample size, the more likelihood that a good representative of different viewpoints regarding the topic under examination. This is one of the drawbacks, however, if the population is quite small, as the statistical probability of have a sample size that is not truly representative of the overall population would be much higher. Probability sampling would certainly be the sampling method of choice for the final project titled: The Impact of Group Support on Stress in the Workplace. This choice of method is justified because it will enable the res earch to obtain a healthy cross section of different employees throughout the organization whose population forms the foundation for the study. This will lead to reliable and valid data because bias will have been eliminated as much as possible, and the eventual sample size that is chosen will be more reflective of the type of employees working in that particular type of industry or occupation (Groves, Presser, & Dipko, 2004). ReferencesGroves, R. M., Presser, S., and Dipko, S. (2004). The role of topic interest in survey participation decisions. Public Opinion Quarterly, 68(1), 231.

Psychologist Accused of Fraud on Astonishing Scale Essay

Psychologist Accused of Fraud on Astonishing Scale - Essay Example Some of the consequences of the detected fraud involve criminal charges, penalties, researchers being barred from publishing their works. For undetected fraud, there is always wrong documentation of data and information that can create a problem for other researchers and to the whole society. The acts of fraud can also lead to wrong policies being implemented. According to Nemeroff & Craighead, (2002), scientific fraud is counterfeiting information or changing and altering data in order to maintain certain results. Sometimes scientific fraud includes biased evaluation of results and changing affecting data. Under the context of scientific fraud, there is illegal ownership of information that should be attributed to other persons or individuals. Scientific fraud can be generated from personal bias in order to achieve certain targets where the calculations and observation are manipulated way far from the actual target. Scientific fraud is mainly caused by perceived pressure to continuously achieve at a high level and sometimes laziness among the scientific researchers. The fraudulent act the researcher committed is a fabrication (Vogel, 2011). The researcher manipulated the research data and process in order to suit and reflect certain end product. He might also have committed the actual drafting of research data which do not reflect the exact outcome. Some of the consequences of fraud in research include sanctions such as preventing future publication of material from the offending authors in case of journals, disciplining authors and notifying outside funding sources so that they can stop funding the authors and Pressing of criminal charges against those who commit the fraud. To the extreme cases, they can be banned from practicing their profession. If undetected, there will be wrong documentation of research data and research reports.  

Intro to Criminal Justice Module 5 Writing Coursework

Intro to Criminal Justice Module 5 Writing - Coursework Example ct, 1789 created the federal court system through four federal circuit courts with 13 federal district courts with general trial and appellate jurisdiction. This paved way for the current 94 District Courts, 12 regional Courts of Appeal and a single Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Each state has its own court structure with trial courts, appellate courts and a Supreme Court. Courts of limited jurisdictions, the lower or inferior courts deal with cases involving misdemeanors, civil and domestic disputes, juvenile offenses and local ordinance violations account for most of the remaining filings. They handle the defendant’s initial appearance and are not courts of record. Courts of general jurisdictions can hear any criminal or civil cases at first instance and are often divided into criminal, civil, probate, juvenile and domestic courts. They hear appeal cases on denial of due process. Intermediate appellate courts hear cases from decisions of general trial courts. They examine the transcript of the case, read written briefs and hear oral arguments. Courts of last resort as the final appellate courts wait for certification of cases before them. There are lower trial courts, appellate courts and a court of last resort. The 94 general trial courts, District Courts have both original and exclusive jurisdiction in all cases involving federal law or dispute over treaties. They have concurrent jurisdiction with state trial courts in certain criminal matters violating state and federal laws and in civil disputes between people of different states where damages exceed a certain amount. The Courts of Appeals for the Federal Circuit have jurisdiction to hear appeals from the district courts arising from cases involving patent law violations, suits against the federal government and cases appealed from the court of International Trade and Claims Court. The U.S. Supreme Court is the court of last resort and has jurisdiction to review any federal appellate court

Level 6 Diploma in Careers Guidance and Development Essay - 1

Level 6 Diploma in Careers Guidance and Development - Essay Example Reflective practice involves the ability to reflect on an action in order to take part in a continuous learning process that defines the traits of a professional practice. Reflective practice can also represent a criterion of paying attention to the practical theories and values that inform the everyday action through looking through the reflexively and reflectively practice. This leads to insight development. Reflective practice is a vital tool in professional practice-based learning settings where people learn out of their own experiences, instead of learning from a knowledge transfer, and a formal teaching. This means that reflective practice is the most crucial individual source of professional improvement and development. In this respect, the idea of reflective practice has obtained a huge take-up especially in the development of a practitioner’s profession in areas of health care and education. This means that reflective practice surrounds the issue of lifelong learning where one practitioner analyses different experiences so as to learn out of them. In this case, reflective practice promotes the professionals that are independent and continuously take part in situations of reflection that they come across in their world of profession. However, critics hold that reflection is time consuming and an annoying interruption to learners. It is noted that learners can end up becoming somewhat more anxious and introspective concerning their actions. Moreover, the lack of experience by learners can adversely affect the quality of reflective practice they adopt. This explains why there is need for continued evaluation of assumptions, beliefs, as well as hypothesis against the existing data on reflective practice. Needless to say, there is need to ensure that there is justification of the reflective learning design, and measurement of process, which need to focus upon the reflective

The Calling of Saul of Tarsus Essay Example for Free

The Calling of Saul of Tarsus Essay The calling of Saul of Tarsus is in the Books of Acts and Romans in the New Testament. Paul born a Jew in Tarsus, and breathing threats and murder against Christ disciples. Paul works against the church years before his calling he witness the death of the first Christian Martyr. Paul considered himself chief sinner among peers. Paul finally met face to face the one persecuted. 1.Paul questionable calling. a. Born a Jew from Tarsus. b.Paul was commissioned by Jerusalem High priest to pursues any followers of The Way 2. Paul brag of being passionate about his mission. a. Self-proclaim number one sinner b. Paul stood by as a witness to martyrdom 3.Saul on Damascus Road a.Saul see a bright light b.Saul is converted and baptizes 4.Saul of Tarsus as a final point, meet face to face the one persecuted

Effect of Produce Placement in Computer Games

Effect of Produce Placement in Computer Games Product Placement Does Product Placement in Computer Games Affect The Consumer’s Buying Behaviour? Chapter 1 Introduction Can you remember a movie in the cinema without some kind of product placement (a product and/or a brand intentionally placed in a cultural medium (Lehu, Bressoud (2007))? Placing branded products in entertainment media like movies is not a new developed concept. This kind of advertising nowadays is very common. People often ask themselves what exactly advertising is. The term advertising describes any communication effort that might influence consumer purchase decisions (Rotfeld, H. J., 2008). Different types of models can therefore be used like product placement used in movies or in computer games. Everything started with investments in the production of radio programs at the beginning of the 1930s. Consumer product manufacturers tried to reach their target audiences via the radio through so called sponsor-owned shows (Lavin, 1995). Product Placement, also called brand placement and â€Å"brand casting†, appeared first in motion pictures as early as the late 1940s and early 1950s. One example was in 1948 in the drama Mildred Pierce where an actor in the movie drank Jack Daniels whiskey (Nebenzahl Secunda, 1993). In the beginning, using branded property by donating, loaning or purchasing them for particular movie scenes just to enhance their artistic qualities (Spillman, 1989). Since Reese’s Pieces appeared in the blockbuster movie E.T. The Extraterrestrial, over 20 years ago, product placement has developed and evolved significantly. That implicated that after the film release, Hersey claimed a 65% increase in sales of Reese’s Pieces (Karrh, 1998). Today, almost every movie contains product placement. While in the â€Å"James Bond†-Movies 007 drinks Martini, Will Smith drives a Porsche 911 Turbo in Bad Boys. (Quellen) There could be mentioned thousands of examples like this as today ads in movies are very common. Beside movies, another media based method to reach a wide range of consumers, can be seen in ads turning up in computer games. To date, except for movies or television, attitudes toward product placement in media have received little attention, despite increased product placement in games (Nelson, 2004). Computer and console games are getting more and more interesting for marketers due to today’s households own at least one PC and playing computer games nowadays is very common. This applies not only for the youngsters in a family but also for their parents who also play games. Computer games are emerging as a new medium for advertising but yet there is comparatively little empirical independent research investigating the outcomes of marketing communications using this medium. Ads in computer games have not a very long tradition like ads in movies but nowadays it is more and more often used. To reach key consumer segments, marketers are turning to games in order to improve their chances. In 2005, advertisers spent $80 million to reach video game players. Experts expect this spending to top $400 by 2009 (Park Associates 2006). Whether it is billboard ads, sponsorship and product placement, or the game character experiencing the product by drinking, wearing, driving or listening to it as a part of the game, the opportunities for branding in computer games are vast (Townsend, J., 2007). While European gamers’ most popular form of entertainment is watching TV, the $25 Billion gaming is even bigger than the $10 Billion film, as well as the $20 Billion home video industry. If we believe analysts from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the worldwide game industry is set to rocket to revenues in 2009 of about $54.6 billion (Ferrand et al., 2006). In regard to those numbers for today’s companies advertising in computer games has also become important to gain popularity. As 75% of people who have internet access also play online games for more than an hour per month (NEUE STUDIE IGDA Online Games SIG Steering Committee 2005). Another important issue today is subliminal advertising in media. Beginning in 1982 many people were concerned about subliminal messages in rock music claimed that messages had been recorded backward into popular rock music (Vokey Read, 1985). They feared that these messages could be perceived while listening to the music in the normal way. Even in computer games there is advertising that is perceived just incidentally. This might be true for example in racing games. Here might raise the question whether the player perceives billboards while driving with a speed of 130 MPH. Nobody can say if some kind of messages have an impact on our decision making process. Yet no empirical study has explored incidental effects on computer game players by advertising. Furthermore, it has not been investigated if the placement of the ads is designed to be subconsciously processed. 1.2 Reasons for Choice of Topic The topic in this paper was specifically chosen due to the writer’s interest in the area and desire to learn more on the subject of game related advertising issues and effects on the consumer of computer games. 1.3 Research Objectives This paper explores recent developments in the video game market in marketing practice that have resulted in brands being found in an increasing number of computer games. The main target of this investigation is to work out if product placement has any impact on the consumer in terms of the buying behavior and actions that the consumers enforce as a result of brands appearing in computer games. To investigate the prior research question, there will also be investigated if product placement is perceived by the respondents and their attitude towards product placement will be examined. As the subconscious as a component that should not be neglected in terms of subliminal advertising, it should be questioned whether it has any influence on the consumer or not. All these questions are coherent as if people perceive the product placement and have a positive attitude towards product placement it is possible that they subliminally perceive the placements. As all this is coherently, it is also possible, that buying decisions are predicated on these variables. 1.4 Computer Games Limitations Academic and professional literature on gaming often makes distinctions between computer games, video games and electronic games. These boundaries are blurred and moreover the situation is complicated by the availability different types of games. There are console games, PC games, mobile games, handheld games, interactive entertainment and virtual worlds that could be differentiated. Some of these distinctions are made to describe the hardware on which the games are played. Others also refer to a particular characteristic of the medium or the social aspects of playing. This variety of different types of consoles and handhelds is not helpful especially considering that today many games like for example the game Doom can now be played on cell phones, calculators in addition to PCs and tricked out consoles. Creating and using a separate name for each case/instance of a new hardware group would quickly become obstructive. The term â€Å"electronic games† might be too broad as it could also include games that are technically electronic like for example pinball machines. This kind of media is rarely discussed in the context of â€Å"video† or â€Å"computer games†. Like a good fit on the other hand seems to be â€Å"computer games†. The term â€Å"computer games† refers to games that are controlled or used by a computer which is a machine that digitally processes data according to a set of instruction. This then again includes a large range of devices that contain an embedded computer. Computer games that use a video display as the primary feedback device can be described by the term â€Å"video games†. Since most of the games discussed in this paper rely on computer monitor or a television screen for the visual playback, â€Å"computer games† and â€Å"video games† will often be used alternately. Below there will also follow a contextual definition while clarifications will be provided when necessary. 1.5 Chapter outline Following from this chapter; chapter two gives a crucial review of the literature available on the chosen subject matter and identifies an apposite theoretical framework for this study. It looks at the issues raised by academics and provides a basis for what has been observed. Chapter three discusses the quantitative methods used in this dissertation to collect the research required. The set up of a questionnaire is depicted as well as the appropriate methods that need to be factored in. Chapter four presents the findings of the primary research undertaken for this dissertation and the findings will be analyzed using content analysis in order to put some figure to the numeric nature of quantitative research. It will present the participant’s answers to the questions asked for the research of this project, and reiterate statements made in the data collection process (questionnaires). Finally in chapter five the research findings and analysis and attempts to draw conclusions from this are considered. To resolve the matters discussed and argued in this paper, the conclusion will help to draw an end to this dissertation. Chapter 2 Review of Literature 2.1 Introduction This chapter deals with the academic literature and pre-existing studies on the subject of product placement in computer games and its impact on the consumer. This chapter’s aims and objectives are to afford better clarification of the topic and the variables that affect consumers. Existing studies will be explored further and perhaps bring new understanding to the subject. This is achieved through the way in which this chapter is structured; by looking at the definitions presented by academics of product placement; subliminal advertising; brand recognition and recall; brand equity and trust; considering various studies and selecting the most appropriate ones for this dissertation to prove the research questions. 2.2 Product Placement From the time when movies provided brands in the 1940s and 1950s, they have been served as background scenery as well as props and character developers. Advertising supports media economically, yet for product placements but when the practice began with branded products it was donated, bartered or bought (Nelson et al., 2004). Today, companies generally are paid by film-makers to appear in the movies (Chunovic, 2002) and that change was then being followed in the game industry, too. Brand properties or placements differ from conventional broadcast advertising in leastwise three ways: At first, placements do not suspend the media experience of the consumer like it is done by paid media advertising which operates between media content (Nelson et al., 2004). Secondly, placements are according to Wasko et al. (1993) not always paid by the brand. Thirdly, Nelson et al. (2004) claim that it would be important that placements are not be perceived by consumers as commercial messages. In a public policy debate the extent of the consumer awareness and knowledge about product placements is considered an important measure. Product placements are presented as subversive, subconscious techniques, even though others assert that most consumers are aware of the practice (Nelson et al. 2004). The continuous advances in technology have made it incrementally easier for consumers to circumvent traditional advertising messages. Whether bypassing advertising by switching to another channel via the remote control or VCR and DVR make it necessary for advertisers to find other ways to catch the attention of the consumers to make them buying the company’s products. One such strategy that marketers have begun to make use of is product placement in entertainment media (Lee, Faber, 2007). 2.3 Definition of games and information about the people playing them While taking all the time about games; what is a game in the sense used in this paper? Jesper Juul (2003), a video game theorist, investigated seven well-known definitions of games which have been provided by different academics. Based on a screened listing of features which describes issues that are necessary for something to be a game, he then identifies it as â€Å"a rule-based system with a variable and quantifiable outcome, where different outcomes are assigned different values, the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome, the player feels emotionally attached to the outcome, and the consequences of the activity are optional and negotiable† (Juul, 2006). To be able to understand the distinctive features of the computer games particularly as a medium, this description will become helpful later. To understand the entire matter around games, there should be explained the type of people who play games. According to a study conducted by the Interactive Software Federation Europe (2008) the average gamer in Europe today is 33 years old. It is also claimed that in a typical week 45% of the PC owners play games more than 1-5 hours while 29% play more than 5 hours. In case of console owners it is more or less the same so this does not need to be considered separately as in this paper this component is not taken in account. The main reason of playing is for most of them to play just for fun (80%) followed by relaxing and de-stressing (55%) and playing when they are bored (41%) (Interactive Software Federation Europe, 2008). Gamers are people who immerse themselves in an alternate reality which allows brands having the permission to act in a way that helps players to do this. Shortly this means, as brands appear in or around a game, it makes sense to use them to enhance the virtual reality (Mediaedge, 2005). Nevertheless it would be pointless to place billboards of real world advertising like Coka Cola in games with a fantasy setting like for example the well known World of Warcraft. That kind of product placement would not turn up realistic and it would disturb the player’s experience. World of Warcraft is an ongoing multiplayer world that was subscribed by about 8 million at the beginning of 2007 which (Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., 2007) has increased to 10 million in 2008 (Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., 2008). The expert Samuel Turcotte (Lehu, 2007) claims that ‘product placement isn’t about sales; it’s about brand awareness’. Aiming on increasing sales and making the customer aware of one’s product, marketers should not try to disturb the player’s word but enhance it. Examples like World of Warcraft show that those players or subscribers are out of advertiser’s reach. Today in generally things have changed as product placements are part of many games. Depending on the setting and the kind of placement, many products found their way into the games. Whether BMW in car racing games like for example Need for Speed or ordinary products like Axe deodorants and Airwaves chewing gums in Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, most products that appear in the games are products that surround gamers and non-gamers daily. According to a study conducted by Nielsen BASES and Nielsen Games on behalf of in-game advertising network IGA Worldwide, 82% of gamers react positively to contextual In-Game Ads (Androvich, 2008). Results of this study showed that of consumers with the strongest opinion about in-game ads, both positive and negative, over 70% felt the ads made them feel better about the brand. They felt more favourable toward the brand and it made them more interested in the brand. Ultimately they believed that the ads are for innovative/cutting edge brands. More than 60% of these most opinionated customers feel ads do not interrupt their attention while experiencing the game. Also, the ads catch their attention and make games more realistic as well as the brands shown in the games are promoting relevant products. According to Lockergnome (2007), most of today’s computer games give the impression being made for men. An industry report published by IBISWorld (2008) reveals that women and older adults are the new driving force behind the success of the video games industry. According to IBISWorld (2008) it is also claimed that today, more and more women begin to play action games. Today in general the consumer research on product placements has focused on attitudes towards the practice and the effectiveness (Nelson et al., 2004). 2.4 Gamers’ attitude towards product placement in computer games Advertising placements that mimic real-world ads – such as billboards in sports or racing games – are generally accepted by gamers because they have perceived to add to the realism of the game (Thompson, 2006) which is also in accordance with Nelson (2002). He claims the research on consumer attitudes to in-game product placement shows that participants were in the main positive about practice and did not perceive any disruption in the experience of the game used in the study. As already mentioned above, brands should be used as enhancer of the virtual reality (Mediaedge, 2005), some participants of the study just mentioned reported that product placement enhance the realism of the game as well as it would add value to the gaming experience (Nelson, 2002). The argument that consumers are more positively disposed towards brand placements relative to more conventional forms of advertising is also supported by research investigating consumer’s attitudes to product placement in other media (Nebenzahl and Secunda, 2003). They also found that product placement was related favourably by 70% of people going to the cinema, extensively higher than ratings for pre-movie advertisements. As attitudinal surveys and focus groups showed, questioned consumers generally find product placements to be acceptable. They even said that it would enhance the value of the media as well as the entertainment value (Nelson et al., 2004). On the other hand, some of the polled consumers, in most cases women from countries like the U.S., Austria, France and Singapore are not that positive about the acceptability of ethically-charged products. They claim that such things like guns, cigarettes or alcohol in media would be targeted at children (Nelson et al., 2004). According to information from PRNewswire (2008) women do also play computer games with that kind of content like action games or shooter. So it depends on the attitude of the individual and the kind of placement used in the media. In most cases when guns are placed in a computer game, it target adults (PRNewswire, 2008). In Germany for example, it is controlled by law what kind of games need to be censored or not. All this is the executed by an institution called USK. If a computer game is not checked by the USK, it is not coming out. And if it contains explicit violence and language, it may only be sold to adults which is from 18 years on. 2.5 Brand Equity and Social Trust Many customers buy needed goods by habit, are drawn to purchase by promotions, or simply do not pay much attention to which brand they buy (Walshe and Fearn, 2008). Therefore it is important for marketers to draw customers’ attention, convince them to prefer their product blindly and make them to trust in the product. Brand equity is depicted to be known by Yoo and Donthu (2002) to create customers’ blind preference for a brand over its competing brands. Brand equity also increases the company’s value by affecting the decision making in terms of merger and acquisition, stock market responses and the extendibility of a brand name. Brand equity measures most of which have long been used by marketers but which are only now being brought together as single intangible asset which in accounting terms, is brought forward at the start of the period and carried forward to the next (Ambler, 1997). As long as the marketers don’t do anything dreadful, traditional brand leaders will stay brand leaders. This can also be seen in the fact that the brand leaders in the 1920s were mostly the leaders 60 years later (Wurster, 1987). Brands with lower rankings normally hold their places. Ambler (1997) claims that the awareness is cognitive, as is our knowledge of a brand’s functional performance characteristics and price. Attitudes towards the brand are primarily affective. Most essentially, making use of regularly purchased brands is likely to be merely reinforced by advertising. Believing in a product blindly requires people’s trust in the company. To comprehend the importance of trust a definition of trust will now follow. ‘Trust is one of the most important synthetic forces within society’ (Simmel, 1950). Trust is needed to gain customers’ blind preference for a brand. Customers that trust in company’s products as well as in its established brands will buy these products in the future. Referring to this, for marketers it is an essential factor, that trust is built. This signifies that trust is controlled mentally. Ambler (1997) claims that as long marketers are engaged with what changes customer’s behaviour, mental stages of the customer cannot be ignored. While the customer perceives that a product represents a high profit, it is probable that the product will be bought in the future. Convincing a customer to consider another the own product to be better is very hard for a company to. If a product is favoured by the customer, then good arguments are needed by the marketer change the preferred product. By looking at features like customization in computer games like in many car-racing games it can be seen, that product placement can be implanted differently. Even the design or the car’s power can be adjusted. Very famous for that is for example the car racing game series Need for Speed. By implementing such features the player identifies himself with the brand, which in real life can results in an increased brand loyalty of the respective player. The virtually perceived quality then may have an impact on the gamer. A possible indicator of future performance might be the perceived quality which has been identified as a key; possibly it is the key (Gale, 1994). However, as we do not know the correlation it is hard to forecast which seems probable between perceived quality and trust. In a computer game, the perceived quality in a racing game may lead the player to believe the car he is driving with is unbeatable, but it is questionable whether it can be trusted in that car to be equal in reality. These examples show that the options of marketers in the game segment are enormous. Brands simplify the process of making decisions by acting as ‘summarized knowledge’. A brand reduces the need of the customer to undertake the time-consuming activity of ‘researching’ products (Morrison and Firmstone 2000). 2.6 Subliminal Messages in Media As already mentioned above, subliminal messages also appeared in media or still do. Embedding material in print, audio or video messages so faintly that they are not consciously perceived is called subliminal advertising (Rogers and Smith, 1993). Besides the attention, the capacity and the perception of in game advertising, there exists another theory. A lot of scientists say that subliminal messages do leave a mark on the brain. By using brain scanners, they found â€Å"we often record images we are not even aware of having seen† (Jha, 2007). Researchers from the University College of London proved on a psychological level that invisible subliminal images catch the brain’s attention on a subconscious level. Using a method called fMRI, this study investigated if it is possible images which the customer is not aware of – but ones that reach the retina – have any impact on activity of the brain in the primary visual cortex, part of the occipital lobe (Smith, Lewis, 2007). The brain of the subjects did act in response to the object even when they did not know about having seen it (Smith, Lewis, 2007). At a basic level, people perceive messages differently when they are presented in the form of an advertisement than when they are written in the form of other types of communications as the same literal content can result in different consumer perceptions (Rotfeld, 2008). The research of the University College of London tackles the theory of William James, a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher (1842-1910), who once said: â€Å"We are conscious of what we attend to, and not conscious of what we do not attend to† (Subliminal Advertising Leaves Its Mark On The Brain, 2007). Within several tests scientists found out that there are situations where consciousness and attention don’t accompany each other. Nevertheless, the research also indicated that when the brain doesn’t have enough capacity to attend to an im age, even subconsciously perceived images simply do not get realized (Subliminal Advertising Leaves Its Mark On The Brain, 2007). According to Rogers and Smith (1993) many people in the public have heard of the term ‘subliminal advertising’ and know about its importance. They also claim that as the public understands the basics of the concept they believe it not only to be used by advertisers but also to be successful in influencing brand choice and purchase behaviour. Zanot (1984) examined 38 studies of American attitudes to advertising from the 1930s to the 1970s. He found that these became increasingly negative over time, perhaps reflecting increases in the volume of advertising, the growth of consumerism and rising concerns about the social responsibility of business. According to studies conducted by Zanot, Pincus and Lamp (1983) after a survey of 209 adults in Washington, DC it was reported that 81% had heard of subliminal advertising and that respondents believe that subliminal advertising is widely and frequently used and that it is successfully in selling products. According to Rogers and Smith (1993), these results were confirmed in separate surveys conducted later. They also conducted an own study to prove whether the results are still valid or not, and it was proved again. Heyder et al. (1992) compared attitudes across several East and Western Europe countries. They also found more positive attitudes in Britain than in France or West Germany, although Czecheslovakia emerged as the country best disposed to advertising. Attitudes were however less favourable in Poland, Hungary and East Germany. 2.7 Effectiveness of Product Placement Brand Recognition and Recall Even though advertising through digital games appears widely in popular print media and industry magazines there are only a few empirical studies attempt to explain the effects of the ads that target game players. Today the increasing brand awareness is amid the most ordinary goals advertisers have when product placement in games is used. Often it is assumed that the amount of people playing a game is equal to the number of people that actually pays attention to brand names turning up in the game. As a game player is busy playing the game then this is what occupies primary attention. It is important for advertisers to find out whether their brand name is being noticed at all since brand names displayed in a game are not the focal object of attention (Lee and Faber, 2007). According to Lee and Faber (2007), â€Å"most cognitive psychologists believe that attention is the progress of allocating cognitive capacity to an object or task†. Furthermore, researchers frequently focus their attention on two issues: on the one hand on the selective aspect on the other on the intensive aspect. Lee and Faber (2007) also claim that the intensity of attention relates to the amount of cognitive capacity. This intensity of attention is allocated to a particular task as well as the selectivity which refers to selective allocation of cognitive capacity to a certain task in preference to others. Beside the attention, there is also the capacity that should be thought of. As the player is attentive it might be that the brain does not have enough capacity to handle all the absorbed information. To explain both, the selective and intensive aspects of attention, the limited-capacity model of attention was generated (Kahneman 1973). This model makes use of the assumption that ones entire attentional capacity is limited at any moment (Kahneman, 1973). Even with a strong attention, it might be difficult as there is no capacity to handle the mass of information. Kahneman (1973) claims that the entire capacity that is allocated to execute all actions can be split into two parts: on the one hand there is capacity devoted to the primary task and on the other hand there can be regarded spare capacity (Kahneman 1973; Lynch and Srull 1982). According to scientists, spare capacity attends to secondary tasks and other surroundings. They also say that the capacity that is used to perform the primary task cannot be used for the secondary task as the more capacity is used for the primary task, the less is available for the person – in the context of this paper the gamer – to accomplish any secondary task. Both, primary task capacity and spare capacity are central to understand the how in-game ads are working in terms of product placement on brand memory. According to Lee and Faber (2007), playing the game is the primary task that players perform. Processing advertisements embedded in the game is then the secondary task. As more attentional capacity is needed to apply oneself to playing the game, the less will be accessible for handling brand information. Similar to industry measures, academics have relied seriously on memory-based measures. Examples for those can be aided and unaided recall, recognition, and sometimes on acceptance, reported usage behavior and perceived ethical factors related to product placement (Gupta and Gould, 1997; Karrh, Firth, and Callison, 2001; Morton and Friedman, 2002; Russel. 2002; Sargent, 2001). Andrà © Sonder, New Business Director of IGA Wordwide, subsidiary of Microsoft responsible for co-oper sations in matters of advertising, provides reasons for computer games as advertising medium. On one hand, he claims, that investigations showed that in particular men between the age of 18 and 34 have a six to seven times higher cognition while gaming than while watching primetime TV-Shows. In-game ads are for that reason very effective as the player is very concentrated and ads can be better recognized than in television. (Aichinger, 2006) Displaying brand identifiers in the games may be comparable to product placements in TV shows or in films in various ways. However in other ways, playing games is in some way different compared with watching a movie or TV program, and the force and consequences of product placements may, as a result of that differ. The major difference may be in the scope of involvement and its effects on the resources concerning attention. While gamer interact with the game actively by managing and influencing what happens in the game a ‘TV watcher’ passively just ‘watches’ television or movies (Nicovich 2005). Compared with movie or TV product placements, noticing a brand and remembering it may be more difficult in the game context to a considerable degree. This might be due to its immersive nature (Chancy, Lin, and Chancy 2004; Nicovich 2005). To create a to some extent on-of-a-kind situation for in-games this distinction may also interact with other variables. According to a study to investigate the effects of product placement in games on brand recall which was analyzed by Nelson (2002), it was found that 95% of the participants were able to recall the brand of the car they drove during the game spontaneously. Nevertheless, on the other side, recall declined to 0% after a five-month post-play period. 2.8 Effectiveness of in-game ads studies There are a few studies around product placement concerning computer games. The British company Bunnyfoot offers the op