Saturday, September 21, 2019

Should The Internet Be Regulated Media Essay

Should The Internet Be Regulated Media Essay Internet censorship has become a hot topic to discuss at various levels in the government as well as within private entities and individuals. This is the taking control of what can be accessed viewed or published through the net (Zuchora, 5). It has been argued as to who should be mandated with the responsibility of internet control. This may be approved by the government or private organizations. There may be also self censorship by individuals and private organizations for their own advantage such as morals, religious and business reasons. However much has been said that the government should take control of the information sent and received through the internet. Some of the motives why the government is prepared to take control are to conform to society norms, control intimidation among people and also spread of fear among people in any country (Zuchora, 5). According to Obama, the US president he said, we are going to promote new and better tools of communication so as people can be empowered and be free to connect with other people in the society and thus with security. The government is going to support a free and also open internet so that people have needed information to help them in making decisions. It is also time to embrace the power of internet and its impact to our community. Internet has been known to improve peoples communication as well as reduce the distance barrier among two communicating people. It has been known to impact every aspect of our lives from the way we are taught in school to the way we get news and even how we find and maintain friends. Internet has led to the invention of internet based system. The internet based systems are literally used in most businesses now. They have improved efficiency and effectiveness especially in the delivery of goods and services (Bidgoli, 25). Internet also improved the storage of data, we no longer have to use files as a way of storing data. This reduced the manual filing systems which was slow and insecure. This ultimately reduced the service time especially in hospitals, banks and all service industries. Over time, there have been differing opinions on the topic internet censorship. Arguments have been made both for and against the need for the government to censor the information flowing through the internet. The degree of censorship varies from one country to the other. Some may have highly strict internet censorship such as the Arabic countries i.e. Iran. On the other hand, other countries may have extremely little internet censorship such as USA. However, the government should not limit the extent and magnitude of access to the internet in any country. This is because through the internet people have been benefiting from it such as getting news, advertising in case of businesses. There are numerous benefits associated with the use of internet in the community. This explains why I am against the issue of government censoring the internet (Zuchora, 7). A good illustration is the case of Iran, there was a plan by the Iranian to switch the internet in the county into a domestic netwo rk that was supposed to improve security. The officials in charge argued about improving deliberate cyber attacks, but the Iranians took it as an initiative to filter information online. One of the main obstacles experienced in the community when government censors the internet is the denial of the freedom of speech to the people. Internet use has increased over the last decade. The internet is believed to contain all types of information one may require. Fear of chaos should not be used as the bases to deny people (internet users) the right to express themselves and their feeling. Hence it should not be used for unwarranted censorship of the speech. The supporters of censorship argue that they are protecting the society from abuse such as sexual materials and hate being spread over the internet. However, there have been no well laid bases to determine what is bad to the people. People should be allowed to express their views on any topic in the community. Through the internet, business entities have been able to market their products both locally and internationally. Moreover, due to the changing world where by, news is being broadcasted through the internet for qui ck access by the people, censorship might deny the right of people to know and contribute to the national matters (Marsden, 164). The internet users should be left with consent to conclude what is right and wrong for them. With Internet censorship, freedom of speech through the internet continues to be threatened. The government therefore has no mandate or right to censor speech on the internet as it cannot force the adults to hear what is good for children. Freedom of expression is a vital component in any successful community. Internet has provided one of the most effective and visible ways that the ordinary people make their opinions heard. For example, when the US government was planning about Iraq war, it is the bloggers who questioned the action and not the renowned media. This gave chance for anti war opponents to organize. If the government was to regulate the internet, the American people for example would lose an important toll to exercise their freedom of expression (Bidgoli, 264). In addition to freedom of speech, internet responsibility should be left on the hands of the parent. One of the main talking points is how much the children should access thought the internet. However, government censorship would hinder the access of information to the adult. The parents should be the one in control of what the childrens access or send through the internet. This would help control what the kids can access. Control of internet usage by the kids should be left within the parents hands as well as school administration. The two people are the ones who are direct contact with the children, and it will be much effective for them to control what kids accesses on the internet. It will be much effective for parents to be responsible for the internet among their children than the government taking control (Caso, 46). Finally, control of internet usage denies privacy to the citizens. Through the censorship, government may use the internet to deny privacy. New technology tools are developed now and then and may be used by the government to deny human right as well as deny peoples privacy. When it comes to monitoring the information sent and received the government interferes with peoples privacy and may end up victimizing. People should be allowed to have their privacy to access what they want through the internet. Through the surveillance of the internet, the movement threatens free flow of information and hence violating peoples privacy. However, despite the right to access information to the people, censorship is also needed to reduce the rate of moral degradation of the children. As far as the parents are concerned, they might not be able to monitor their children all the time; hence they access wrong information from the internet. On the other hand, internet can be used to fuel crashes between communities or countries hence it should be monitored to what extent does people use the internet. A lot of malicious actions can be done through the net and despite the freedom to information control is needed for the wrong intentions of people. Conclusion From the above discussed points on the internet usage among people, it is clear that the government should cease from censoring what is sent and received by people through the internet. This is because the internet including other communication technologies has formed unprecedented ways and opportunities to share information between people. The internet has also been of great benefit through the opening of paths for pro-democracy groups, journalist and individuals in all parts of the world whereby they have been able to hold government accountable for their actions. While it is true some people misuse the internet by committing crimes, it should not be taken as the reason to regulate the entire medium. The already existing laws are adequate to preserve law and order in the communities. Much has been discussed the topic, and it leaves to the decision of the internet users to argue for or against the topic. However I take the stand that the government should not be involved in censoring the internet.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Marketing Strategies for Attraction

Marketing Strategies for Attraction Theme parks Theme park is a term, which is used for describing a combination of rides and many other attractions for entertainment. These are assembled for providing entertainment for a large group of people. They are bigger than some other city playgrounds or parks. They are organized for not only attracting children but also to attract adults, teenagers and even old people. These are generally built on the basis of one or more themes. The most common example of theme parks is the Atlantis and the American West. Quite often, the theme parks contain many sections. Each of these sections tells some different story. All the rides in a theme park generally go along the main theme of the park. The common example of it is the Walt Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom (Adams, 1991). Casinos Casinos are special buildings or vicinities meant for all sorts of entertainment like meetings, public amusements, dancing, etc. These also offer hotels, food beverages for its national and international customers. These casinos also offer the gambling tables or devices. These are recognized as business establishments whose prime business is gambling. After the governments of various countries lifted the ban from gambling, the establishments like casinos came into existence. The largest casinos of the world are situated in the city of Las Vegas. The primary aim of the public visiting these places is gaming and enjoying. In recent years, the structure and organization of the casinos have witnessed broad changes. The establishments have broadened their market segmentation. They are now designed to cater the entertainment needs of the whole family. Differences in the Marketing Attraction Strategies of the Theme parks and the Casinos The theme parks and the casinos are both meant for the enjoyment and entertainment of the public at large. The difference, which makes it compulsory for marketers to advertise it differently, is the segment and the type of customers it is intended to attract. The theme parks aim at attracting both the dependent and the independent people, who want to enjoy their lives while the casinos aim at attracting those persons who are independent and can take the decision on their own and are interested in gaming apart from enjoying the entertainment. The theme park usually markets and focuses its products towards the whole family. It particularly focuses on the adults, teenagers and children below the age of 21. In order to attract this segment of customers, the marketers place their advertisements in the places and articles widely used by the children, adults and the teenagers i.e. in the children magazines, on the rappers of the toys, on cartoon and music channels, etc. On the other hand, the casinos, for attracting its prospective customers, place the advertisements on the business journals, tourism websites, hotels, etc. For example, we can see the advertisements of the Disney theme park on the Cartoon Network but it is not possible for us to see the promotion campaigns of the casinos on these kinds of channels. On the other hand, we can notice the promotion campaigns of famous casinos on various gaming websites and business journals but these places do not register the promotion campaigns of the theme parks like that of Disn ey. The theme park is often positioned as a tourist destination for the whole family by both the management of the theme park and the governments of the countries. These are also the preferred destinations for the international and the national tourists. On the other hand, the casinos may or may not be regarded as a tourist destination by the government of any country. They may be developed and advertised by the businessmen at the places where tourists visit frequently. In this case, a casino will attract only that segment of customers, which is interested in gaming; no matter what other kind of family entertainment has been provided by the casino. For example, the Walt Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom has been projected as a tourist destination by the government of the USA. It is positioned as an entertainment destination not only for the children but also for the other sections of the society, while the city of Las Vegas has been positioned as an entertainment destination for the adults and the visitors above the age of 21. As a part of the promotional campaign to attract the maximum number of visitors, the theme parks resort to sponsoring of the events and the products, which are related to its target market. For example, the Disney sponsors the products of Nestle and tries to enhance the know-how of the customers regarding its existence, while the casinos try to expand their business by sponsoring the events like car races and various other games. For example, the UK based online poker and casino group, 32 Red Plc had entered into an agreement to sponsor the soccer team Aston Villa. This is the UKs one of the leading soccer team. This deal had helped the company to further build its brand through publicity on television as well as through the national press of Britain all around the world. The casinos, in order to attract and expand the existing as well as new customers, offer the promotions and reward cards. This not only helps them to attract and maintain the customers but also give word of mouth publicity to the establishment. While, the Theme Parks not only offer promotions and reward cards but also the ticket, package and resort discount coupons to the customers. For example, the Disney offers such rewards, tickets, resorts and package coupons to its customers. In order to attract more visitors and reach their target markets, the theme parks, advertise and promote their vicinities and products by placing their advertisements on a large number of media like television, video, the Internet, radio, print, brochures and collateral, billboards and cinema. Not even the smallest means of media has been left by the theme parks for attracting people from all walks of life. On the other hand, the casinos target only certain section of the society, i.e. the people who have the capacity to pay and game huge sum of money in various entertainment and gaming sections of their casinos. Therefore, they do not use all the means of Media for promotion. In very rare cases only, one can see the promotion of casinos on the billboards and brochures. For example, the WetnWild Water World places its advertisement on all means of the media including television, video, the Internet, radio, print, brochures and collateral, billboards and cinema, in order to attract mo re visitors (Marketing Strategy of WetnWild Water World, 2008), while most of the casinos in the US, apart from placing their advertisements in business magazines, take the help of the Casino Media Group for their global advertising needs. The marketing strategies of the theme parks are liable to changes all round the year. These strategies keep on changing with the occurrence of different events, vacations and festivals in different parts of the year; it is also possible that many theme parks change their strategies for different weeks of the month. For example, the marketing strategy of WetnWild has been different all through the years (Marketing Strategy of WetnWild Water World, 2008). On the other hand, it is not possible for the casino owners to change their marketing strategies as frequently as the theme park owners do. They do change their advertisement and other promotional campaigns during the year but a change in their strategy is restricted to only some of the festive events. It is also a common practice of the theme parks to appoint some brand ambassadors to their brand and promote them with their help, thus attracting a larger proportion of visitors from all round the world. For example, the Mickey Mouse is regarded as the brand ambassador of the Disney. On the other hand, generally, in the case of casino industry this practice of appointing a brand ambassador and then promoting their brand through them is not a common practice. They advertise with the help of their offerings and special features of their casinos (Effective Casino Marketing Makes All the Difference). Thus, from the above discussed points, it is clear that though both the theme parks and the casinos cater the entertainment needs, yet their market segmentation is different. Essay 2 Zoos and aquariums have been used as contact points for humans and the creatures existing in the nature. In general, zoos and aquariums are facilities where animals are restricted within a certain geographical area. These facilities are open to the public for viewing the creatures, both terrestrial as well as aquatic in an artificial habitat. At the same time, they also provide ideal conditions for the breeding and mating of animals. The experts working in these facilities have a variety of goals that includes bio-diversity conservation as well as public education. Among the premier objectives of these facilities, research, education, conservation and rehabilitation efforts are prominent. However, issues have been constantly raised against these facilities due to differences observed in their assertions and their actual implementation. On the other hand, it is observed that while some of these facilities are serious in the direction of protecting these creatures while others breed them specifically for the motive of displaying them to the visitors. Both these facilities have to deal with a huge variety of issues during their operations. In fact, these issues are common with all similar kind of facilities in various parts of the world. Among the major operating issues which zoos aquariums need to pay significant attention are: Public Safety Animal Safety Breeding and Conservation Activities Public Safety The issue of public safety is constantly gaining high priority for facilities like zoos and aquariums. In fact, it is a very crucial issue which needs to be addressed by the management and authorities of such facilities, in an effective manner. Generally, people, especially smaller ones tend to disassociate with each other while visiting these facilities. In order to address this problem, these facilities need to recruit a properly trained group of employees capable of taking care of young individuals. These facilities should be well acquainted with first-aid stations and walk-in clinics, in case any of the visitors gets injured or experiences a minor health problem. The management should ensure that adequate safety-arrangements are made for the visitors not only from the animals but from other dangers as well such as those related to fire and electricity in aquariums, particularly (Olney, Mace, Feistner, 1993). In addition, any kind of buildings, structures and other areas constructed within the premises of zoos and aquariums should be strictly maintained in safe condition. Moreover, the public visiting these facilities should not be allowed to enter any areas which could cause an unexpected risk to their safety. At the same time, the authorities managing these facilities should ensure that the pavements and walking lanes for the public visiting these facilities should be well maintained and properly taken care off, in order to avoid any kind of injuries. On the other hand, clearly visible warning-signals must be installed at appropriate places in aquariums zoos to minimize potential dangers. In the case of traditional theme parks, these problems were handled in a slightly different manner. For instance, tags are provided to the children, in case they disassociate with their parents. They also maintain proper arrangements of water in order to avoid any kind of accidents. The authorities also provide written instructions to the visitors prior to entering the park. The management should also hire professionals and some emergency services through which the management would be able to handle the critical situation and accidental cases in the zoos and aquariums. Animal Safety In Zoos, there are certain animal concerned service personnel, who are known as keepers. They make the diets of the animals and wipe off the areas in which animals are placed and at times nurture the young ones. They look for any kind of disease or damage caused to the animals. In addition to this, they also observe feeding pattern or any kind of alteration in the activities of the animals. Keepers also confirm that the people who come to visit the zoos should act responsibly to the animals. Keepers have to look after a large group of animals including Birds, Reptiles or mammals (Animal Care and Service Workers, 2008). In the aquarium, certain rules and regulations are exposed to the people visiting there to ensure animal safety including: Prohibition of tumbling of objects including coins, memento, garbage, etc. into the pools. Cleaning of hands is restricted prior or after feeding the animals Human refreshments are not allowed to be given to the animals. Feeding the animals with fish that have been dropped on the ground. Picking out of the brood from water for a better look of the animals. Restricting the people from touching the eyes and blowholes of the animals. A traditional animal theme park originated from the pleasure gardens that focused on entertainment of the public. Little importance was given to the safety of animals. They have now converted into amusement parks. Many groups like People for the ethical treatment of the animals (PETA) and Human Society of United States (HSUS) are devoted to the animal safety and they are quite significant for the animal safety in the theme parks. Breeding and Conservation Activities The zoos and aquariums bear a compulsion of making a straight contribution to conservation of the animals and aspire to become more effective in the process of conservation internationally. The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) have prepared World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy (WZACS). It is an appropriate manuscript that brings ex situ organizations in the stream of conservation of biodiversity and continued development. Their strategy offers a widespread idea for the zoos and aquariums all over the world and describes the standards and policies to attain the conservation goals (Building a Future for Wildlife, 2008). A direct action for enhanced habitats and increase in the number of target species, or indirect action like education, taking up of financial help and research to direct policy and practice can serve the purpose of conservation of the animals. Conservation of animal populations in zoos is carried out with the help of breeding and reintroduction. Zoos Aquarium help in setting up suitable social entities for good breeding and rearing, looking for the behavioral requirements and preparing the diet. Incorporating these features of husbandry, putting in practice the training programs along with making them acquaint to the environment and conducting research would enhance breeding and reintroduction process. This would aid to the identification of the suitable animals that need reintroduction in the wildlife (Building a Future for Wildlife, 2008).Traditional theme parks lack the proper researches on the breeding and reintroduction aspects of the conservation, which are important for the conservation of the animals. References Adams, J. A. (1991). The American Amusement Park Industry: A History of Technology and Thrills. Boston: Twayne Publishers. Animal Care and Service Workers, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2008, from http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos168.htm Building a Future for Wildlife, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2008, from http://www.waza.org/conservation/wzacs.php#chapter2 Effective Casino Marketing Makes All The Difference. Retrieved May 10, 2008, from http://www.noels-isulong-seoph.com/effective-casino-marketing-makes-all-the-difference/ Entertainment Animals Animal Theme Parks, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2008, from http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2194/Entertainment-Animals-ANIMAL-THEME-PARKS.html Marketing Strategy of WetnWild Water World (2008). Retrieved May 10, 2008, from http://wetnwild.myfun.com.au/Schools/Project-Information/Marketing-Strategy.htm Olney, P.J., Mace, G. Feistner, A. (1993). Creative Conservation: Interactive management of wild and captive animals (Hardcover) (1st Edition). Springer Publishers.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Free Essays - Struggle for Self-Realization inTheir Eyes Were Watching God :: Their Eyes Were Watching God Essays

Struggle for Self-Realization in Their Eyes Were Watching God  Ã‚   Zora Neale Hurston, the author of Their Eyes Were Watching God uses Janie’s experiences to show her struggle for self-realization.   Hurston’s life is similar to Janie’s in how they are searching for love and self-realization.   During Hurston’s childhood (1890’s), her father gave much attention to her sister, and she was jealous of her; Janie also felt â€Å"unloved† by Nanny, her grandmother.   When Hurston was young, her family moved to Eatonville, Florida, where her dad became the mayor.   Her experience parallels Janie’s life, when she moved to Eatonville with Jody, her second husband.   Jody is much like Hurston’s father John that he is unaffectionate towards Janie, and gives her no freedom.   Hurston’s mother Lucy had encouraged her to continue reading and writing, despite her husband’s wishes.   When Zora was five years old (1896), the Supreme Court ruled that Separate but Equal was constituti onal, and seventy-seven lynchings took place; which disclosed that she would have to work extra hard in order to earn recognition as a writer.   At age eight, she announced that she wanted to be a poet; her mother was proud of her, but her father loathed her even more because of it.   In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston shows Janie’s struggle for self-realization through love by all of Janie’s conquests.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From her search of love from:   the pear tree, Nanny, Logan, Jody, and Tea Cake, Janie finds herself.   The symbol of the pear tree relates to Janie’s coming of age, and makes Janie want to find marriage and to see the world.   Nanny was dissolving this image by making her marry Logan Killicks.   Janie was expecting to find love through her marriage with Logan, but instead discovered that marriage does not make love when Logan tries to force her to work.   Janie meets Jody one day on Logan’s farm, and she believes that he will show her the world, and love, so she marries him, and leaves Logan.   She soon discovers that all he wants to be is a big voice, and has only married her for his image.   After Jody dies, Janie meets Tea Cake at her store; and, although he does not have a lot of money, she truly believes that he loves her, and will fulfill her life-long search for happiness.   Tea Cake ends up being her true love, and she is happy with him, no matter where they are, or how rich they are.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Alzheimers Disease Essay example -- Alzheimers Disease Essays

Alzheimer's Disease On the first day of class, it was proposed that "Brain=Behavior," implying that not only all actions and emotions can be explained by neuronal activity, but also the very sense of self which is so important to many of us. This latter implication was met with considerable resistance. Surely there must be more to an individual's personality and Self than a bunch of patterns of activity across neurons. Through the research I have done for this paper, I have discovered that disorders such as Alzheimer's disease add a new twist to the debate surrounding the origin of the Self. My purpose here is to provide an overview of Alzheimer's disease, including its neurobiological basis, the differences between early and late onset, and some of the possible causes, and then to readdress the question of whether the Self can be traced to the Brain in light of this information. Over the last few decades, Alzheimer's disease has come to be recognized as the most common form of dementia among the world's older population, affecting an estimated 4 million people in the United States alone (1, 2). It is characterized by progressive loss of memory, language and reasoning skills, and other cognitive functions, as well as changes in personality, such as increased aggressiveness (1, 2). No definite cause has been discovered, and it is as yet without a cure; however, much progress has been and continues to be made, and many scientists believe that a cure will eventually be developed. Although the causes are unknown, research has shown that the disease begins in the entorhinal cortex and spreads first to the hippocampus and then proceeds to other parts of the brain, particularly the cerebral cortex. Since these two regions are ... ...comprehensive summary of current research regarding the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer's, including care. In addition to this wealth of information, the site has excellent graphical representations accessible by links throughout the text, as well as a glossary of technical terms at the end. 2. http://hcs.harvard.edu:80/~husn/BRAIN/vol3/b96txt.html#EarlyandLate: Early and Late Onset as Subdivisions of Alzheimer's Disease, an article by Elizabeth Kensinger published in the online journal, The Harvard BRAIN. Explores and explains research to date regarding these two different forms of Alzheimer's disease, covering the "symptomatic, biological, genetic, neurophysiological and neurological characteristics" of both early and late onset subtypes. Then proceeds to draw conclusions from this data, regarding future approaches to diagnosis and treatment.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Economics of Organizations Essay

Introduction Coca-Cola is one of the world largest beverage companies in the world. The company offers its consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands.   The company is best known for its flagship invention of the product coca-cola which was invented in the in 1886 John stitch Pemberton. The management of the company has committed efforts toward ensuring that the company continues to offer quality products to its consumers. The company has managed to grow and expand where it now operates in over 200 countries worldwide with a customer base of approximately 1.7 billion. In this case the coca cola company mainly produces the syrup concentrate, which is later sold to the various bottlers company worldwide. The company has engaged into many corporate social responsibility projects globally (CSR).   The CSR projects are economically important to the company as they improve business relation between the management and the stakeholders.   The company has established numerous globalization policies which are in line with the company mission to refresh the world both in the body and in the spirit. In addition, the management of the company aims at ensuring that the company create value and make a difference everywhere they engage.   Most importantly, the company also aims at ensuring that they introduce brand that help to satisfy the needs of all people. The company has been one of the most prominent companies in the beverage industry worldwide. Corporate Social Responsibility Coca-Cola operates in more than 200 countries globally.   Ultimately, there is need for the company to engage in many activities which have economic benefit to the communities around their business. Ultimately, organizations are expected to observe economic components that are they should conduct their business in such a way that they are consistent maximizing earnings per share (Asongu 84). Coca-cola is not unexceptional, hence the company should determine perfectly how they conduct their business so that to remain in the competitive edge hence maximizing the amount of profits they make.   It is economically important to for companies in this sector should ensure that they maintain strong but health competitions for a common objective of the shareholders.   Evidently, the only possible means to maintain a healthy relationship with the stakeholders is by engaging them through corporate social responsibilities projects (Asongu 84).   In addition the company should be defined by its consistent profitability of its total output productivity. The objectives behind the coca-cola company engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility activities it to guarantee sustainability.   Basically, the company bases it operations on the business ethics such as initiating development projects, contribution to training, facilitating economic growth among others (In Idowu 201).   It is evident that is if a company is economically stable it offers many benefits to the shareholders and the larger country in general. For instance, if a company is economically stable it will employ people and it will greatly contribute towards building a stronger economical country.   Coca-cola Company is always keen to ensure it has followed the due process and theories concerning how it operates corporate social responsibility projects or activities. Ultimately, Social responsibility has four dimensions that the company should be socially responsible. These include, legal, economic, voluntary and ethical.   Coca-cola Company is more focused to create profits but should aims to ensure the wellbeing of the society at the same time ensuring the set laws and regulations by the legal systems. Voluntary responsibilities for a company entail the ability of companies to initiate programs and other activities that aims to ensure wellbeing of the surrounding community. In business context, companies which ensure ethics and social responsibility in all levels of their operations are likely to have better outcomes than those which do not ensure social responsibility and ethics. For many years now, coca-cola company has followed and maintained the basic economic rules governing the manner at which Corporate Social Responsibility is carried out.   Many of its activities and programs are long term which has the aim to affirm the sustainability of the company (Idowu & Leal 46).   Basically, the company has established many measures which ensure they are in line with the rules and model. Analysis of the company organizational structure and its modus operandi it is evident that the company has managed to achieve their objectives. This is because the despite the fact that the company is organized into several regions the top management has implemented control measure of ensuring that the company in all the regional groups produce the same brands. According to the report released in 2008 there is an indication that the company is performing stunningly in the corporate responsibility sector.   The most areas which the company performs perfectly are issues concerning water issues carbon dioxide emission and product packaging. Corporate responsibility or sustainability is the key factors for companies to achieve good productivity (Idowu & Leal 46).   Good ethics and social performance go hand in hand in ensuring that the company achieves good performance.   The fact that the company engages in many social corporate responsibility activity helps the company to enhance its brand image and reputation. Evidently, customers habitually are attracted to brands and companies having good reputations in corporate responsibility areas. The tables below show the performance of coca-cola in relation corporate social responsibility activities. In this context, the company uses appropriate social accounting procedures which help the company to handle properly all matters concerning accountability.   The company uses annual audits from credible firms and inspections to ensure success of these programs.   For instance the statistics indicates a positive growth in the green house project footprint. Ultimately, this project has many economic advantages to the people and world in general (Asongu 86). Reduction of green house gases helps to eliminate harmful gases which are the major threats to the economy of all countries in the world. As a matter of fact, Coca Cola Company appears to have good strategies which guarantee long term CSR programs irrespective of the mother country. Conclusion From the above discussion it is evident that, Coca-Cola operates in more than 200 countries globally.   Ultimately, there is need for the company to engage in many activities which have economic benefit to the communities around their business. The fact that the organization more than 500 sparkling and still brands gives it a better chance to engage in many activities which tend to benefit the society where they operate in.   These projects are economically important to both society in general and the company.   Basically, voluntary responsibilities for a company entail the ability of companies to initiate programs and other activities that aims to ensure wellbeing of the surrounding community. In business context, companies which ensure ethics and social responsibility in all levels of their operations are likely to have better outcomes than those which do not ensure social responsibility and ethics References Asongu, J.J. Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility in Practice. Lawrenceville, GA:   Ã‚   Greenview   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Publishing, 2007. Print. Idowu, Samuel O, and Filho W. Leal. Global Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Berlin: Springer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Berlin, 2008. Print. Idowu, Samuel O. Professionals Perspectives of Corporate Social Responsibility. , 2009. Print.

Monday, September 16, 2019

In Milton’s paradise lost Essay

Aristotle’s tragic hero has certain characteristics which can be applied to Oedipus the King and Milton’s Satan. Aristotle states that a tragic hero can be classified as a person that falls from the state of being happy to one of misery because of his own mistake. This can be seen in both Oedipus and Satan, since they are miserable as a result of their own doing. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero must fall through his or her own error, or hamartia. This term is also interpreted as â€Å"tragic flaw†, usually applied to overwhelming pride, or hubris, which causes fatal error. Satan and Oedipus show that they have hubris and this is probably one of the main contributing factors for their fall. Although, the main characteristic of the tragic hero, as stated by Aristotle, is their ability to make the reader or audience to empathize with them, he wants there to be a sense of fear and mistrust because of their devious nature. In Milton’s Paradise Lost, Satan, one of the main characters in the story, exhibits all the qualities of a tragic hero. He has fallen, literally and figuratively, from grace. Once one of God’s more powerful angels in heaven, Satan questions God’s power and forms an alliance to overthrow Him. Satan’s army fights diligently only to have God â€Å"†¦ cast him out from Heaven, With all his host of rebel angels†¦ † (Paradise Lost, Book1, Line 37). Book One of Paradise Lost describes Satan being cast out of Heaven and down to Hell. This is consistent with Aristotle’s criteria for the tragic hero, â€Å"†¦ suffering a change in fortune from happiness to misery because of a mistaken act†¦ † Satan also possesses hubris; pride or overwhelming self-confidence. â€Å"Here we may reign secure, and in my choice; To reign is to worth ambition, though in Hell; Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven. † (line 261) Here, Satan has so much pride that he would rather rule in Hell than serve God in Heaven. This shows that Satan possesses hubris, which is, as described by Aristotle, â€Å"†¦ pride or overwhelming self-confidence†. Satan’s character as a tragic hero emerges further in later books. Book Four of Paradise Lost is a good example. It begins with Satan’s only soliloquy of the epic. As he awakes in Hell, he stares up at the sun and begins to speak; â€Å"Oh Sun! to tell thee how I hate thy beams, That bring to my remembrance from what state I fell, how glorious once above thy sphere; Till pride and worse ambition threw me down† (Book IV, line 37-40) As he sees the sun, he remembers how high he was in heaven until his pride and ambition brought him down. This is a very important quote as it satisfies the criteria for Aristotle’s description of a tragic hero. It highlights the character â€Å"suffering a change in fortune†¦ because of a mistaken act†¦ † Also, hubris is once again revealed as Satan states that his pride and ambition threw him down. This example is even more profound because it comes directly from the character. Milton is also successful in portraying this super-human character as one with humanistic qualities. This allows the reader to relate to the character, which satisfies yet another criteria for Aristotle’s tragic hero, â€Å"†¦ we recognize similar possibilities of error in our less and fallible selves. † Satan’s human qualities are magnified in his soliloquy as he even contemplates begging for forgiveness. â€Å"Is there no place left for repentance, none for pardon left? † (Book IV, Line 79-80) As Satan contemplates repentance, he decides against it, as he is afraid of the shame that he might draw from his followers, â€Å"My dread of shame Among the Spirits beneath,Whom I seduced with other promises Boasting I could subdue The Omnipotent†. (Line 83-86) Since he has boasted that he can defeat God, Satan now shows fear and doubt as he realises that he really cannot fulfill his promises. Milton reveals a different side to Satan. He depicts a character that shows remorse and shame, and, someone who fears disgrace. The common person can identify with these human characteristics; this allows the reader to evoke some amount of sympathy for Satan as they now see him in a helpless situation; fighting a losing battle for fear of disgracing his followers. This emphasizes Aristotle’s description of recognising â€Å"†¦ similar possibilities of error in our less and fallible selves. † In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the tragic hero and fits Aristotle’s description almost exactly. Aristotle states that a character should reveal goodness in terms of moral judgment and choices that he makes. Oedipus has compassion for his subjects and seeks the truth to end their suffering, and, continuously strives to be a saviour to the people. When the priests of Thebes approach Oedipus, who is pleading on the behalf of his people who are suffering from famine and death, he agrees. He says that he will do what he can to solve the situation, â€Å"bring everything to light†. Although Oedipus does have some admirable qualities, being the tragic hero, he too possesses hubris. Oedipus’s tragic flaw is that he is stubborn, impulsive, and pretentious. When Oedipus does a self evaluation his talents, beauty, and his own achievements blind him. These traits are similar to Satan who also has hubris, a flaw that leads to his defeat. Another reason for Oedipus’ brutal demise is his lack of judgment and impulsive actions. These attributes are humanistic qualities that the reader can relate to, yet still question. When he leaves Corinth, he meets an entourage on the way to Thebes. There, the ‘leader’ of the horse-drawn carriage orders him ‘out of the way’. Oedipus’ impulsiveness drives him to kill everyone in the entourage; this leads to him being crowned King, where he ultimately suffers. It can be argued that both Oedipus and Satan are tragic heroes according to Aristotle’s definition. However, a question arises; were Oedipus and Satan acting on their own free will or were they destined to do so. According to Christian theology, it is said that God foresees everything that will happen in life. This leads many to speculate that Satan suffers, not because he chooses to, but because he is chosen to. This is another reason why the reader can empathize with Satan because God knows of his betrayal. The same can be said for Oedipus, who has no free will; it is under the control of the Gods. When he is born, Apollo’s oracle predicts that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother. This foretelling leads Oedipus’ parents to abandon him on the mountain-side and leave him to die. However, fate intervenes and Oedipus soon finds himself adopted by the King and Queen of Corinth. When he finds out that the King and Queen are not his natural parents, Oedipus leaves Corinth, solves the Sphinx’s riddle, and becomes the successor of King Laius as the King of Thebes. When the gods could ‘no longer brok in silence the affront of Oedipus’s unwitting sins’, they punish the city by sending plague and famine upon the city. When approached by the priests, Oedipus could only promise them his help, which starts the chain of events, eventually leading him to discover his sins and his subsequent downfall. When Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx, he could not have known that he would end up marrying his own mother. When Oedipus meets King Laius, he is unaware as to who killed his father. Eventually, he sets out to find the truth, as the oracle prophesizes. He does the best he could as a ruler, son and husband but is still played out in the end. Therefore, Oedipus is seen as a tragic hero and is comparable to Satan who also has no freewill. The fate or God knew that the actions were going to occur and had the power to stop it. Satan and Oedipus are tragic heroes according to Aristotle. They have characteristics that make them suite their role as a tragic hero. Aristotle said that tragic heroes should suffer a fall of fortune through a mistake of their own. Both Satan and Oedipus suffer this fate. Aristotle also states that a tragic hero will is led by hamartia which is hubris. â€Å"Till pride and worse ambition threw me down† (Milton) this line was spoken by Satan who openly admits that he is proud and ambitious. â€Å"Twit me with that wherein my greatness lies† Milton, John. Paradise Lost Sophocles. Oedipus The King http://www. planetpapers. com/Assets/3330. php.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Anchoring Effect Essay

Introduction In real life, decisions made by individual are easily deviated from the judging criteria, showing the behaviors of bounded rationality. Simon indicated that â€Å"the bounded rationality is a property of an agent or a person who makes decisions that behaves in a manner that is nearly optimal with respect to its goals and resources. (Franco 2009) This is because of, firstly human being have limited discernment and cognitive ability, also human are unable to know everything; secondly the environment is complex, when people face the complicated and uncertainty would, information is not complete due to vast uncertainty choice. Moreover, the rationality cannot play a role because of people are likely influenced by different situations. The report would analyze three concepts which are mental accounting, anchoring effect and conjunction fallacy to help to generate a better understanding of bounded rationality. Anchoring effect: Behavioral economics is on the strength of the science of judgmental heuristics that could be to depend on reflexively by people. According to Furnham that heuristics are characterized as an ‘intuitive, rapid, and automatic system’ which ‘reduce the complex tasks of assessing probabilities and predicting values to simpler judgmental operations’ (Furnham 2010)The anchoring effect is one of the cognitive heuristics. Anchoring effect is a bias which people easily rely on the information of first impression as reference frame when making decisions. The first piece of information or previous information, as an anchor, could affect current performance; that information might be not highly applicable to the information judgment or even irrelevant thought. Also personal attributes and characteristic which are more deemed to an anchor are fixed and constant. The other respondent is a salesman in a Sony store. Last week I went to city Sony store, a customer who looks like a student was looking for a brand new computer. Firstly one shop assistant briefly introduces different type and function of computers, the student expresses a strong purchase intention. Then the shop manager came and provide more detailed introduction of computer’s performance. Finally this student made her choice and started  bargaining. Stalemate in their time, the shop manager said he is going to report to their boss to find out whether she can get more discount. After few minutes he walked up and said that is the lowest price, what they can do is offer her some gifts. The student was very satisfied and made payment. At this point, the computer engineer came when started to install the computer, and told her whether   she needs a protection film to protect the screen, otherwise it is easy to scratch, also keyboard cover etc. The student felt make sense. At the end, she not only purchased computer, but also some accessories. This is typically anchoring effect. Customer would feel sensitive if the shop manager promotes those accessories before they purchase computer, they might increase bargaining power and would not easily pay. However after customer paid for computers, they are willing to accept accessories because they feel accessories is relatively cheap compare to the expensive computer, moreover they do need these accessories. In general, the numbers which initially provide would affect consumers’ answer. Experienced salesman always offer a higher price before bargaining, accordingly a higher anchor exists in people’ mind. Seller fetches higher price even that consumer try to bring the price down. There is another example, which is when a business launches a new product, they will carefully discuss the positioning promotion plan, such as which good shelf the products should be placed in. If a new drink is published and placed beside Coca Cola and Pepsi, consumer would accept its high p rice and visa versa. Anchoring effect is everywhere and inevitable. So how to avoid falling into anchoring effect can help consumer become a better financial planner. Firstly, putting forward an affordable price at the start when negotiation, with the purpose of offering an anchor to the seller. Besides buyer should notice that the loss of could not sell products is much more than the loss of a low price deal for seller. However refusing negotiate is a more wise than bargaining when face an unreasonable high price, it helps consumer to build a hopeful reference standard. Mental Accounting: Mental accounting was proposed by Behavioral Science Professor Richard Thaler, he believes, â€Å"mental accounting is the set of cognitive operations used by individuals and households to organize, evaluate, and keep track of financial activities.† (Thaler 1999)In other words, except financial accounting, there is another managerial accounting exist in people’s mind, which called mental accounting, to influence people to make decision in real life. Consumers usually divide any expenditure and income of equal value into different accounts. For example, we usually put salaries into ‘hard to get rich’ account, regard annual bonus as an added gift, and put a winning lottery into ‘pie-in-the-sky’ account. The money in the ‘hard to get rich’ account is expensed precisely and carefully; for annual bonus, we often have relaxed attitude to treat it, for example, we might go to shopping center to purchase an expensive dress as a gift which are reluctant to spend money to buy at ordinary times. The money in the ‘pie-in-the-sky’ account is the most valueless, imagine that people who win five million dollars would become openhanded and extravagant. This is how   mental accounting works. My friend went to a fashion store and took a fancy to a very beautiful dress, but it costs about $320. She thought it is too expensive and gave up finally. But in her birthday party, her husband bought that dress for the birthday gift. It makes her very happy. In fact, her money and her husband money are the family’s capital, but why she feels different with the same money spending according to different reasons. This study finds that the expenditure of mental accounting can be divided to four parts, which are daily necessities expenditures, home contribution expenditures and personal development expenditures, expenditures of emotional connection and recreational expenditures. According to irreplaceable of mental accounting, $320, as daily necessities expenditures, is too expensive to purchase a dress, however, the husband purchase it as a birthday gift which can be treated as expenditures of emotional connection. This amount of money can improve their relationship, so rewards are priceless. Consequently, people are willing to accept gifts  from their family or friends, but they will not purchase for themselves. According to above example, emotional connection and interpersonal relationship is significantly important for human beings, the investment of emotional for people is much more than other expenditures in everyday life. As a consequence, merchants could use these different festivals such as mother’s day, Christmas etc. to gain bigger sales. For example, a beautiful wrapped chocolate in Saint Valentine’s Day, coupons in Christmas, these special offers is negligible for merchants, but it can attract more consumers’ attention. In usual, most of us could be influenced by mental accounting; we have different attitudes to handle the equivalent value of money, hence different decision comes out. From the point of view of economics, there is no any difference among salary, bonus and lottery, but people make three different decisions when spending them. Conjunction fallacy: Tversky and Kahneman believe that the representativeness heuristic is a means of assessing the probability of an uncertain event or the value of a quantity by comparing it to a mental model (Berendsen 2012) Conjunction fallacy is one of the result that causes by representativeness heuristic, which states the declare that there are two independent events, the probability of both events will happen cannot be higher than the probability than one of the events alone will happen. I made 20 questionnaire surveys and handed into Finc6013 lecture. The question is that ‘the probability of healthy man who have heart disease is higher’ or ‘the probability of healthy men who are over 55 years old and have heart disease is higher’. There are 6 students chosen B and only 14 students chosen A. I was surprised that the result of this question is against the results of Linda problem. People think an event with more materials and details is more likely to happen. In fact it was not the case; every added detail makes things uncertainty. Two events can be happened  independent or conjunction, the probability of conjunction events happened cannot higher than the probability of any independent event occurs. However in reality, people sometimes linked probability and quantity together by mistake when making decision, they consider that there is a higher probability of conjunction events. According to the investigation result above, there are three reasonable defenses for conjunction fallacy. Firstly the representativeness heuristic is identified as the cognitive tools valid for evaluating subjective probabilities. The conjunction fallacy is attributed to the representativeness heuristic. It states that if the probability that the event is included in a classification is decided by how representative the event is of include in this classification. Consequently the conjunction fallacy proceed when the combination events is rated as more representative of the aimed classification than either the event alone. Conjunction fallacy can be occurred both in situation whether heuristic is applicable. Hence conjunction fallacy might have no any relationship with the heuristic. Secondly, there is an argument that informant misconception the investigative mission representatively used to study the phenomenon when investigator is doing survey. However it is undeniable that there is value for the investigation, for example some high quality levels of conjunction fallacies are surveyed, and misinterpretations are appropriately controlled in the survey. Thirdly informants are likely to use an incorrect rule to gibe rise to conjunction fallacy happen when associating the probability of single events. There are some experimental results shows those informants assume the probability of conjunctive events is equal to the weighted average of the probability of event alone. Therefore if the probability of even A is rated to be greater than the probability of event B, but lower than the probability of event C, informants might debate that the probability of conjunction event A and B is lower than the probability of event A, however meanwhile they consider the probability of conjunction event A and C is greater than the probability of A. This is regard as conjunction fallacy effect. The reason is informants use an incorrect rule for combining probability. Conjunction fallacy is increasingly questionable, it is common phenomenon though when people making decision in reality. On the basis of the  characteristics of perceptual selectivity, the characteristics of information are more distinct and stimulation is stronger, people are more sensitive to their perception. Moreover, situational circumstances can influence human’s perception. Because decision making is conducted on the basis of human’s perception, the general and specific information and situational circumstances play a significant role on people’s decision making behaviors. (Nilsson 2010) Conclusion: Although science and technology are advancing, and research measures of human being is always improving, to some extent, mental process stays at hypothetical stage up to now. This report discussed three decision making trap which are mental accounting, anchoring effect and conjunction fallacy. No matter which decision people try to make, it is important that they are supposed to search more information to choose the best alternatives, then they are able to gain experience through every decisions. Reference: Berendsen, A., Hadilich, S. and Amersfoort, J. 2012, Looking at â€Å"Linda†: Is the Conjunction Fallacy Really a Fallacy?, viewed 27 March 2014, Franco, R. 2009, ‘The conjunction fallacy and interference effects’, Journal of Mathematical Psychology, vol. 53, no. 5, pp. 415-422, viewed 30 March 2014,ScienceDirect, Furnham, A. 2010, ‘A literature review of the anchoring effect’, The Journal of Socio-Economics, vol.