Social Control and Symbolic Interactionism in Literature...

Social Control and Symbolic Interactionism in Literature The way in which social order is achieved has been the subject of many theories presented by respectable sociologists such as Emile Durkheim, Thomas Hobbes, George Herbert Mead, and Karl Marx. Among the most prominent of these theories are Hobbes’ â€Å"Social Control† theory and Meads’ â€Å"Symbolic Interactionism† theory. Through these two theories, it is possible to gain a better understanding of how social order can be achieved. The social control theory of Thomas Hobbes has five basic premises to it. The first premise is that humans are egotistical beings that will do anything to fulfill their wants and desires. The second premise is based on the idea that because humans†¦show more content†¦Most human beings continually strive to achieve goals that they perceive as valuable. This theory is best illustrated by American culture where competitiveness and the drive for escalation in social status is apparent in just about everyone. American colleges and universities are often the breeding ground of competitiveness for jobs after graduation. By looking at the large number of students enrolled in secondary education, it can be seen that many Americans choose to receive schooling in hopes of making more money and gaining an elevated social status. The second premise of Hobbes’ theory is where he seems he contradicts himself. The contradiction comes from him saying that deviance and crime are human nature, and then in his fifth premise saying that members’ adhere to societal norms because they fear a horrible and painful physical or social death. If the fifth premise were true, then no one would commit crimes or become deviant, which contradicts the second premise of deviance and crime should be expected. The fifth premise also seems invalid because it does not account for the vast number of criminals that are in jail or that have been executed. Obviously, the fear of social or physical death did not stop the large number of inmates that are flowing though the American criminal justice system. It does explain though, why those who are not in jail chose to follow societal norms. Most would agree that theShow MoreRelatedSymbolic Interactionsim1477 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONSIM Abstract Since the beginning of Symbolic Interactionsim, when George Herbert Mead coined the theory, despite its lack of official information, anyone who studies the theory can see how it relates and is true to most, if not all human beings and the culture that they derive from. In this paper, it will discuss the theory; provide examples from people who have studied this specific theory more in depth, asRead MoreDomestic Violence And Its Effects On Society1745 Words   |  7 Pages Domestic Violence in Literature Domestic violence entails transgressions that tend to exhibit regular occurrence worldwide. Domestic violence is substantially attributable to the psychological, physical, mental, and sexual forms of suffering or anguish. Domestic violence further refers to the family violence or spousal abuse that defines the evident pattern of violent behaviors executed by one spouse to the other in the close affiliations that include courtships, matrimony, family, or individualsRead MoreThe Creative Process Of Art Therapy2442 Words   |  10 Pagesconcepts of Trauma-Informed verbal therapies, a rising trend in trauma treatments. This paper will explore Trauma-informed Art therapy, and how it may be a developmentally appropriate treatment for young children who have experienced trauma, and how social workers can incorporate this intervention into their practice. What is Trauma-Informed Art Therapy? Trauma-informed therapies are a current trend in treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder, children in foster care, and other clients experiencingRead MoreDoes Gender Play A Role?1596 Words   |  7 PagesCurrent estimations suggest that 82% to 95% of Americans have had pre-marital intercourse (Renfrow and Bruce, 2014). To understand why an individual (male or female) will choose to have sex, all underlying factors must be examined. Pre-marital sex is a social issue. The cultural ‘norm’ that once existed has changed. Prior to the twentieth century, sexual activity before marriage was not socially acceptable (Bogle, 2008). Communities and families monitored the sexual behavior of unmarried persons to ensureRead MoreSociological Reflection1258 Words   |  6 Pagesof the study of sociology. However, sociology is much deeper than just the study of sociology. It displays a plethora of sub topics such as: crime, deviance, bureaucracy, culture, criminality, socializatio n, economy, politics, religion, education, social class and many more. Throughout this fall semester this sociology course has taught me things that I could never imagine. To be more specific there were actually ten topics that I learned in this course that was very important to me. Those topicsRead MoreInfluential and Sociological Aspects of Gangs: What Makes Individuals Want to Join Gangs?3113 Words   |  13 Pagesthese gangs. Sociological approaches are made in order to accompany these people’s decisions and to make sense of their judgment. Taking this information and research into consideration may direct future research on the aspects and decisions of social citizens in which influence them to join and be a part of a street gang. What is a Gang? In both, everyday life and the sociological world, the term â€Å"gang† is defined in many different ways; however, every altered definition is fairly similar orRead MoreMethods Critique And Comparison : Enhancing Caregiver Outcomes Of Palliative Care, By Mccorkle And Pasacreta1665 Words   |  7 Pagestheory (Polit, 2012) methodology consisting of a literature review combined with their own research to create a framework of coded data. That data were then categorized into defining the problem, determining the needs of the caregiver and defining intervention strategies. The advantage of this method is that the hypothesis can conceptualize the theory because the coded data collected defined that theory. In other words, the data from the various literature and personal research supported the McCorkleRead MoreThe Founding And Development Of The Sociology Of Youth2050 Words   |  9 Pagesworkers employed in production† (2009:23) as presented by I. Ianzhaul A. Bernshtei n-Kogan. Social scientist involved in the development of the study of youth proposed the idea of establishing â€Å"theoretical conceptions of social development of young people† (2009:26) so society would better understand youth and their actions. This development would involve communicative rationality, which allowed social scientist to address the underlying issues faced by youth, who at the time were unable to speakRead MoreThe Epistemology Of The Decision Making Process Of Burglars1629 Words   |  7 Pagesand Henry, 2004). In a widest sense, Criminological approach comprises â€Å"the study of various forms of crime, offenders, formulation of laws, various processes of law enforcement and criminal justice, policy and practice in punishment, attempts to control, reduce or prevent crime, investigation of the victims of crime† (Coleman and Norris, 2000, pp. 13). The decision making process of the offenders and the factors that affect their decisions gain popularity among researchers. However, as Wright andRead MoreThe Effects Of Mass Media On Society861 Words   |  4 Pages Most assumption are being based off of what they see and hear on the television, social networks and on the radio because its mainly one side stories or one bashing of individuals. People do not take the time to go in-depth about the situation being inaccurately displayed at times. Sociologist is beginning to realize the effect of mass media has on society especially the younger generation. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Patrick Daley explained from a sociology point of view that Ferrarotti’s believe society

Eating Christmas in the Kalahari - 906 Words

The sources of cultural misunderstanding made by the anthropologists in the readings from Spradley and McCurdy are affected by many factors including naive realism, culture shock and fully understanding what is culturally and ethically appropriate. Naive realism is the belief that people see the world in the same way, and culture shock is a condition of confusion and feelings of loneliness and anxiety experienced by someone suddenly entering a new culture. Eating Christmas in the Kalahari by Richard Lee is a perfect example of naive realism. Lee thought that Christmas would be seen throughout the world in a similar manner. As Lee stated, individual who celebrate this holiday feel Christmas is supposed to be the day of†¦show more content†¦Anthropologists then, write ethnographies which are first hand detailed description of a living culture. Often anthropologists will find individuals within the society who are willing to become informants. Even though informan ts can be very helpfully, they often hold bias views about their culture. Some anthropologist must learn new and sometimes unwritten languages and this may require extra training. An anthropologists class, race, gender, language, dress, religion, and age, all effect how he/she will be interpreted by the local people.(Cultural Anthropology pg31). Each step in anthropological research brings about dilemmas common to any human interaction, engagement versus detachment, subjectivity versus objectivity, particularization versus generalization, induction versus deduction(Fieldwork, Ethnography and Ethics in Anthropology). On many occasions, the anthropologist will leave their projects, with a new found respect and begin to question their own cultures. For example Lila Abu Lughod, an anthropologist was accompanied by her father to Cairo for he knew and understood how a young unmarried woman would look within his culture. She would have been considered untrustworthy and living within a family where the males in her life have no concern for her well being. Sometimes as the researcher is familiarizing his/her self with the subjects, she may become acculturated and begin to see herself as a member of the group.Show MoreRelatedEating Christmas in the Kalahari1096 Words   |  5 PagesEating Christmas in the Kalahari Eating Christmas in the Kalahari is an intriguing article written by Richard Borshay Lee. In the article, Lee tells of his time working as an anthropologist in the Kalahari and studying the hunting and gathering subsistence economy of the !Kung Bushmen. Lee (1969) writes: The Bushmen’s idea of the Christmas story, stripped to its essentials, is â€Å"praise the birth of white man’s god-chief†; what keeps their interest in the holiday high is the Tswana-Herero customRead MoreEating Christmas in Kalahari Essay1000 Words   |  4 PagesEating Christmas in the Kalahari Alec Smith Ivy Tech Community College Sociology 111 November 8, 2014 Confusion in Cultures The perception of foreign cultures can at times be quite peculiar. The article â€Å"Eating Christmas in Kalahari† by Richard Borshay Lee, foretells a classic example of cross culture misunderstanding when people from different cultures operate in a culturally unfamiliar environment. Richard Lee, a social anthropologist, explains what he learned living with the !Kung BushmenRead MoreSociology Paper 2893 Words   |  4 PagesLee’s Eating Christmas in the Kalahari Page 1 My View of Lee’s Eating Christmas in the Kalahari A Lynn Byrne My View of Lee’s Eating Christmas in the Kalahari Page 2 Abstract My view of the bushmen teaching humility in their Christmas practice is contained in this paper based on the information gleaned from Lee’s article Eating Christmas in theRead MoreChristmas in Kalahari Essay843 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Eating Christmas in the Kalahari† by anthropologist Richard Lee demonstrates many more concepts in sociology. In the article Lee is doing fieldwork in the Kalahari desert observing the hunting and gathering practices among the !Kung (Ju/’hoansi). Lee experiences many times of cultural misunderstandings related to naà ¯ve realism, cultural shock, and also not fully understanding what is culturally and ethically appropriate. He learns a very valuable lesson when, in his eyes, has a perfect idea forRead MoreEssay about Etic vs. Emic Approaches in Anthropology1697 Words   |  7 Pagesresearch should be used in the field. Cultural anthropology should focus on a joint permutation on both the etic and emic-oriented research styles t o produce the most useful results because of the advantages and disadvantages both contain. â€Å"Eating Christmas in the Kalahari,† â€Å"Shakespeare in the Bush,† and â€Å"Instructor’s Notes: Emic and Etic† are all intelligent sources that have helped lead me to the conclusion that a joint permutation of etic and emic is best for doing research in the field. This paperRead MoreCultural Anthropology : Human Nature1241 Words   |  5 Pagesinterpretation and experience. The article â€Å"Eating Christmas in the Kalahari† showcases the level of difficulty for Richard Lee to set aside his own beliefs and emerge into a culture other than his own. Simultaneously, the article depicts how personal interpretations can interfere between people. For North Americans like myself and Lee, Christmas is sought to be a time of joy and happiness where family and friends unite. It is often easy to forget that Christmas is not celebrated universally and is ratherRead More Humility Among the Kung! Essay704 Words   |  3 Pagesmethods. Such was the case with Ontah, the anthropologist in the story, â€Å"Eating Christmas in the Kalahari.† As an expression of gratitude towards the !Kung Bushmen and there families for there cooperation, Ontah purchased the largest meatiest ox he could find for the Christmas festivities. After living with the !Kung Bushmen for three years, with experience and observation of the Tswana-Herrero custom of slaughtering an ox for Christmas, makes it apparent that Ontah’s ox was not the choice of a novice.Read MoreNanda and Warms, Bodley, Lee Study Guide1662 Words   |  7 PagesAnthropology 03 Readings- Nanda and Warms:   Chapters 1-3,5 Bodley: Chapters 1-2 Lee: entire book (including Appendix A and B) Videos:   â€Å"First Contact† â€Å"Bushmen of the Kalahari† â€Å"N!ai†Ã‚   Topics: Concept of culture- The learned, symbolic, at least partially adaptive and ever-changing patterns of behavior and meaning shared by members of a group. - Almost all behavior is learned - Cultural norms and values are shared by people - All Cultures change Pidgin English- A simplified languageRead MoreDumplings’ Symbolic Significance in Chinese Culture and My Life875 Words   |  4 Pagessince I came to US. I spend Spring Festival with my friends last year. We made a great dinner and many dumplings together to celebrate the most important holiday of the year. Like the customer for Christmas that people usually buy gift for their family members, the heart of Spring Festival is making and eating dumplings. Carrier indicates that the gift creates problems â€Å"because the objects people confront in such societies overwhelmingly are impersonal commodities. And because these objects are impersonal

Educational Psychology The Life History of Leta Stetter Hollingworth example Essay Example For Students

Educational Psychology: The Life History of Leta Stetter Hollingworth example Essay i. One of the most ignored innovators of educational psychology, Leta Stetter Hollingworth has immensely impacted our knowledge pertaining to children with exceptionalities. ii. Leta Hollingworth was born on May 25, 1886 in Dawes County Nebraska to Margaret Elinor Danley and John George Stetter (Silverman, 1992). Being the oldest of three sisters, Hollingworth’s mother died after giving birth to her. iii. Leta Hollingworth was born was born May 25, 1886 in Dawes County, Nebraska and died November 27, 1939. iv. Leta lived no ordinary childhood. She faced many hardships after her mother’s death; one being the disappearance of her father, leaving his children with their mothers parents. Hollingworth grew up on her grandparent’s farm until her father returned ten years later to reclaim his daughters. Leta’s father, now re-married to a woman named Fanny Berling, forced his children to live with their soon to be stepmother in Valentine, Nebraska. Berling was both verbally and physically abusive towards her stepchildren due to alcoholism being common amongst her family (Silverman, 1992). At the young age of 15, Leta graduated Valentine high school where she escaped and started a new life at the University of Nebraska. v.In 1906, Hollingworth received her Bachelor of Arts degree and became certified as a teacher in Nebraska. While attending the University of Nebraska, Hollingworth met her soon to be future husband, Harry L. Hollingworth. They got married and moved to New York City in December 31, 1908 (Silverman, 1992). She had no luck in finding a job in New York due to the fact that no schools were interested in hiring a married woman. She became frustrated and depressed after being out of work. A financial burden was placed . . e of fifty-three, leaving her unfinished research with Harry Hollingworths. Leta’s most notable contributions to educational psychology in regards to giftedness was the publication of, Gifted Children: Their Nature and Nurture in 1926. Hollingworth was a strong believer that the social environment a child is brought up in has more of an impact on their development in comparison to their genetics. The opportunities and styles of education presented to a child highly influence a child’s behaviors and development. Works CitedSilverman, L. (). Leta Stetter Hollingworth: Champion of the Psychology of Women and Gifted Children . Journal of Educational Psychology , 84, 20-27.Plucker, D. J. (2013, January 1). Human Intelligence: Leta Stetter Hollingworth. Human Intelligence: Leta Stetter Hollingworth. Retrieved , from http://www.intelltheory.com/lhollingworth.shtml

Effective Managers Importance in Business †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: What Is The Effective Managers Importance In Business? Answer: Introduction Effective managers are importance in a business, and their work is seen all over the organization starting from the way they solve conflicts and ensuring that employees have achieved their goals. Additionally, global readiness index helps in rating the business to show how the business is performing compared to other businesses. Managerial assumption helps to explain that employees should work under little supervision since they are self-motivated to perform their work. Also, time management is significant in hitting targets at the right time, and emotional intelligence helps employees to work together in groups and be flexible to various changes which happen in business. I used to ignore the work of a manager in a business, and I thought a business should only have the director and the employees for it to be complete. I have to admit that I despised the work of managers to the point that I never saw their importance whether they were the presence or not and I thought all organizations should do away with them. Being in a management class changed my thoughts completely and started analyzing their work one by one. Did I see their importance? The answer here is yes. Effective managers help in various ways in business by reviewing the performance of each employee which helps them improve their productivity. For instance, most business review performance appraisal for every employee which is issued by the managers where they are able to see their work for a particular period, and this helps them increase their productivity next time. Additionally, managers also ensure that conflicts are solved in the right way and fairly in the department. After I had learned about the importance of effective managers, global readiness index was the other area that I had to learn and analyze its importance. In this area, I saw that it was important for a business to analysis its performance and where it lies compared to other businesses in the globe. It is importance for the business to provide the rating pieces so that the customers may rate their services which help the business to work on areas that employees do not deliver quality services (Parasuraman and Colby, 2015, p. 72). The importance of global index is that when the business is rated according to its performance and compared to other businesses, it gives the business a chance to improve and see the competition that lies behind it. For instance, businesses such as banks are able to provide the rating sheets where customers fill in how they view the services of business with honesty. Following my lessons in class, the managerial assumption was the other area of the management self-test, and at first, I never understood this area clearly until I read about theory X and theory Y which was founded by Douglas McGregor. He suggested that theory X which was founded more on management theory that was classical and assumed that employees should have maximum supervision because employees are intrinsically lazy. Contract to theory X, theory Y suggested that employees are self- motivated, ambitious and it drew attention to Maslows hierarchy of needs. Both saw human motivation and behavior as the major significance in maximizing production in the organization (Grbz, ?ahin and Kksal, 2014, p. 1902). I agree with Douglas that theory Y is superior. The importance of letting employees free to perform their duties without a lot of supervision is that everyone has needs which are the driving force towards working and this leads to increasing the productivity of the company as they try to satisfy their needs. For instance, most businesses allow employees to have less supervision where they work and control themselves to hit their targets. In time management profile, I have to agree that I know time management is importance but I am sure that most time people do not know how to manage time including myself. Time management is significant in many ways, and people fail to hit deadlines because of poor time management. The reason why managing time is importance is because time is limited and every employee should look for ways to manage the limited time so as to accomplish a lot of work and hit deadlines at the right time. For example, businesses have always trained employees how to manage their time to ensure that they hit targets which result to high productivity in the company. I admit that I have tried to manage my time even in class and it is a great idea because I have managed to achieve more with less effort and it minimizes the essence of losing momentum in class. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN Name .. Student Number .. In order to reach your goals, what behaviors will you Stop, Minimise, Keep Doing, do More of and which will you Start? SKILL STOP MINIMISE KEEP DOING DO MORE START 1 Communication Issuing orders and ignoring other peoples opinion Giving late feedbacks in a certain idea Communicating when there is a problem Communicating more to avoid conflicts Listening to other peoples opinion 2 Teamwork Selecting the group of people, I should join to be with my friends Social-loafing Working before hitting deadlines Working hard to hit targets earlier Joining any group of people with great focus 3 Learning Ignoring revising what I know Overconfidence Learning new ideas Curiosity of learning new information Revising what I already know 4 Time management Waiting until deadline to do the work Piling work Reporting to work early Reporting to work early to hit deadlines Working with deadlines 5 Problem solving Making quick decision without looking at the consequences Undermining other peoples opinion Asking for help for professionals Asking for more help from others and their opinion Making decisions after analyzing the whole idea. Emotional intelligence is an important area in the organization and to general life setting. Personally, I view emotional intelligence as the base of all activities that take place in the organization because a lot of concepts are driven by our emotions and the way we control them. Some of the importance of emotional intelligence is: employees in an organization are able to work in groups or teams; they are able to adjust to changes which occur and are also flexible (Helfenstein et al., 2014, p. 20 ). I have learned that emotional intelligence helps an employee understands her self-awareness which enables her to understand her weaknesses, strengths and the ways in which her actions and emotions may affect others in the organization. For example, organizations have a forum where employees are able to test their emotional intelligence and educate them on ways in which their emotions can affect others in the organization. Conclusion In conclusion, I have learned something new by looking at the importance of various areas of business. I have learned the importance of effective managers, global readiness index, managerial assistance, time management profile and emotional intelligence. References Grbz, S., ?ahin, F. and Kksal, O. (2014) Revisiting of Theory X and Y, Management Decision, 52(10), pp. 18881906. doi: 10.1108/MD-06-2013-0357. Helfenstein, S., Kaikova, O., Khriyenko, O. and Terziyan, V. (2014) Emotional business intelligence, in Proceedings - 2014 7th International Conference on Human System Interactions, HSI 2014, pp. 1421. doi: 10.1109/HSI.2014.6860441. Parasuraman, A. and Colby, C. L. (2015) An Updated and Streamlined Technology Readiness Index: TRI 2.0, Journal of service research, 18(1), pp. 5974. doi: 10.1177/1094670514539730.

Shakespeares Comedy Vs. Tragedy Essays - , Term Papers

Shakespeare's Comedy vs. Tragedy Certain parallels can be drawn between William Shakespeare's plays, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and "Romeo and Juliet". These parallels concern themes and prototypical Shakespearian character types. Both plays have a distinct pair of ?lovers', Hermia and Lysander, and Romeo and Juliet, respectively. Both plays could have also easily been tragedy or comedy with a few simple changes. A tragic play is a play in which one or more characters is has a moral flaw that leads to his/her downfall. A comedic play has at least one humorous character, and a successful or happy ending. Comparing these two plays is useful to find how Shakespeare uses similar character types in a variety of plays, and the versatility of the themes which he uses. In "Romeo and Juliet", Juliet is young, "not yet fourteen", and she is beautiful, and Romeo's reaction after he sees her is, "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night As a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear Beauty to rich for use, for the earth too dear!" Juliet is also prudent, "Although I joy in thee, I have no joy in this contract tonight. It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden." She feels that because they have just met, they should abstain from sexual intercourse. Hermia is also young, and prudent. When Lysander suggests that "One turf shall serve as a pillow for both of us, One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth," Hermia replies "Nay, good Lysander. For my sake, my dear, Lie further off yet; do not lie so near." Although this couple has known each other for a while (Romeo and Juliet knew each other for one night when the above quote was spoken), Hermia also abstains from even sleeping near Lysander even though she believes he does not have impure intentions. Romeo's and Juliet's families are feuding. Because of these feuds, their own parents will not allow the lovers to see each other. In the a differnet way Hermia is not allowed to marry Lysander. Hermia's father Egeus says to Theseus, Duke of Athens, "Full of vexation come I, with complaint Against my child, my daughter Hermia. Stand fourth, Demetrius. My noble lord, This man hath my consent to marry her. Stand forth, Lysander. And, my gracious Duke, This man hath bewitched the bosom of my child." Egeus tells the Duke that his daughter can marry Demetrius, not Lysander. Hermia replies ". . . If I refuse to wed Demetrius," Egeus replies "Either to die the death, or to abjure for ever the society of men." If Hermia does go against her father's wishes, and weds Lysander, she will either be put to death, or be forced to become a nun. Both pairs of lovers also seek help from another. Juliet and Romeo seek Friar Lawrence, and Lysander and Hermia seek Lysander's aunt, who lives in the woods near Athens. Both sets of youths have the same character type. They are young, their love is prohibited, both women are prudent, and both seek the help of an adult. Yet they have their subtle differences. For example, Lysander, never mentioned a love before Hermia. Romeo loved Rosaline, before he loved Juliet. Hermia's family and Lysander's family were not feuding, whereas the Montagues' and Capulets' feude was central to the plot of the play. The stories of "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" are very different however. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a comedy. Oberon, king of the fairies, sends a mischievous imp named, Puck, to play a trick on the queen of the fairies, Titania, and on a pair of Athenian youth. Puck turns Nick Bottom's head into that of an ass (Nick Bottom is the man in the play production within "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; he tried to play every part), and places an herb on Titania that causes her to fall in love with him. This is quite humorous. However, at the end of the play all the couples are back together, with the ones they love. Thus Lysander and Hermia do get married. If Egeus had showed up at the wedding, he could have killed

Free Essays on Contract Creation

A contract is formed any time two people make an agreement to do, or not to do something. Contracts can take on many forms, from a verbal agreement sealed with a handshake, to a formal complex written contract. Certain types of contracts, involving commercial transactions, must be in writing in order to be valid. The parties may only modify written contracts through written agreement. In addition, if an estimate is incorrect or the scope of work changes in a contract, the parties need to write an addendum and both parties need to sign it to modify the original agreement. Business clients can rarely define every requirement and foresee every implication that may result. Project managers cannot foresee every risk or problem that may come up on their projects. The key to successfully managing the project is to make sure that there is agreement on a process for revising the requirements when needed. Amendments should contain the same degree of specificity for changes that the original contract contained. The principle areas where changes are made and for which amendments are required include scope of work, costs, and period or performance. (www.ofm.wa.gov) The contract between Span and Citizen-Schwarz (C-S) is a very complex contract which involved the efforts of many people over an extended period of time. While the goal of every reputable contractor is to deliver a high quality product, sooner or later a customer may be unhappy with the quality of the work on a particular project. On occasion, this may lead to a dispute of the terms of the contract. In the past months, we have earnestly attempted to meet C-S new requirements, which have caused us to have to spend time reviewing the changes, incorporating them into the workflow, which has caused us to fall behind in our delivery schedule. When any one aspect of a project is delayed, it can create a domino effect for the subsequent phases of the project. It is very important to review wh... Free Essays on Contract Creation Free Essays on Contract Creation A contract is formed any time two people make an agreement to do, or not to do something. Contracts can take on many forms, from a verbal agreement sealed with a handshake, to a formal complex written contract. Certain types of contracts, involving commercial transactions, must be in writing in order to be valid. The parties may only modify written contracts through written agreement. In addition, if an estimate is incorrect or the scope of work changes in a contract, the parties need to write an addendum and both parties need to sign it to modify the original agreement. Business clients can rarely define every requirement and foresee every implication that may result. Project managers cannot foresee every risk or problem that may come up on their projects. The key to successfully managing the project is to make sure that there is agreement on a process for revising the requirements when needed. Amendments should contain the same degree of specificity for changes that the original contract contained. The principle areas where changes are made and for which amendments are required include scope of work, costs, and period or performance. (www.ofm.wa.gov) The contract between Span and Citizen-Schwarz (C-S) is a very complex contract which involved the efforts of many people over an extended period of time. While the goal of every reputable contractor is to deliver a high quality product, sooner or later a customer may be unhappy with the quality of the work on a particular project. On occasion, this may lead to a dispute of the terms of the contract. In the past months, we have earnestly attempted to meet C-S new requirements, which have caused us to have to spend time reviewing the changes, incorporating them into the workflow, which has caused us to fall behind in our delivery schedule. When any one aspect of a project is delayed, it can create a domino effect for the subsequent phases of the project. It is very important to review wh...

Analyse the change process at the Lady Magazine from the period prior Essay

Analyse the change process at the Lady Magazine from the period prior to the appointment of Rachel Johnson as Editor to the pres - Essay Example SITUATION ANALYSIS In this advance and emerged era of globalization, The Lady Magazine was not enhancing its contents creatively that can hold the attention of the readers. It was continuously losing its market share for two decades and was standing on the dying market position with only a circulation of average 31,000 readerships with a segment of age group of 70 and above customers. The magazine never has changed its concept of designing the magazine and it had not made such innovative improvements that can lead them to the scale of prosperity. Ben is now the head of the five member’s board which is consists of five family members. Ben did not have a publishing experience but he deeply realized that the lady magazine desperately needed a new concept and image. He introduced some changes when he became the head of the board, that includes adventure travel trips, full-color advertising and to consternation of some of the more seasoned staff members-a website. Nature of the cha nge The nature of the change was reactive because it was forced by the customer market demand and with the dying market share of lady magazine so it was pressurized by continuous decrease in the market share of lady and the loss of readership. ... She aimed to double the readership of the lady magazine with her ideas and editing skills along with the concept of a real successful woman. The level of change that has occurred at the Lady Magazine can be referred as Gamma. When an organization makes a paradigm shift, then the level of change is referred as Gamma (Burnes, 2004; By, 2005). The idea and concept has been changed and redefined in order attract higher readers, therefore such a change is being referred as Gamma. Stakeholders viewpoint When these changes occurred, it also captured the attention and interest of the present stakeholders along with attracting new investors as well, because it was a new idea of increasing the market share and generating a handsome profit with a good pace of success. So it holds the investors interest with the perspective of generating more profits with it. The investors always are attracted with new concepts and ideas that can generate handsome amount of money in a short time period (Cameron, & Green, 2012). So the new investors who were attracted by this idea have realized that with this changed idea, the lady magazine will be able to generate a handsome amount of profit for them. Besides investors, the other stakeholders of the magazine are also important (Cummings, and Worley, 2009). Other stakeholders were also excited such as distributors, employees, readers, potential readers, society, competitors, managers and other stakeholders (Martin, 2006). Therefore these changes would influence each of the stakeholders as the company plans to redefine itself (Balogun, and Hailey, 1999). Threats of competitors is always important to analyse (Daft, and Marcic, 2006) and this threat would have increased as with this new idea, the sales and

Turkey Foreign Policy and AK party Research Paper

Turkey Foreign Policy and AK party - Research Paper Example Turkey has changed its political dimension now as it is no longer a country which depended on Western compliance. Turkey as an independent country, has all the power and potentiality to rise as a strong nation , which is assertive on its rights and position in the global platform. Here the focus is on the Turkey’s foreign policy and its vibrancy in achieving new global dimension as self confident nation. Nevertheless, the arguable point here is whether the turkey’s foreign policy, under the control of AK party will proceed to establish a secure place in the European Union. As a matter of fact, establishment of human right freedom and secularism is the only way through which the country can get the status of European country. Since turkey is sharing boundaries with Middle East and Europe, its political responsibility is different from other countries. Here, the foreign affairs Minister Mr. Davutoglu has vested with the immense duty for empowering the nation. According to (Robinson,2012)â€Å" Mr. Davutoglu believes Turkey can play an important role in constructing this new political, economic and cultural system†. Event though, Turkey is struggling to establish its own political identity, its eligibility to come forward as a global power seems to be an achievable ambition.†. ... For the very same reason, it has a population comprised of Muslims, Christians and Jews. Before coming under the control of AK party, Turkey considered itself as a European country and missed out to recognize itself as an individual strong nation. The foreign policy of the country was fragile and offered less importance to social elements like cultural ethnicity and gender identity. Turkey was considered by world as a nation with a weak political foundation and vulnerable foreign policy agenda. Turkey in ancient times was more deep rooted in unrealistic political ideas and more complex democracy oriented principles .The country was more secluded and less visionary and globalization was a dormant political aspiration. If a country hesitates to open its door to its neighboring countries, then the economic and social interest of the country would lie in darkness. Due to the unpolished foreign policy strategy of Turkey, during 1990s, the co –operation of the country with Iran and Syria was dull. Before the arrival of AK party, the foreign policy of Turkey aimed at non –interference with neighboring countries and this made the country secluded from Middle Eastern countries. The global aspiration of Turkey In recent times, Turkey has gained a reputation of being an ambitious, independent and self confident country, with a foreign policy agenda to achieve a global status of being a pivotal country geographically and politically. Nowadays, Turkey is not seeing itself as a fragile and weak nation but wants to establish itself as a country with immense political authority and cultural heritage. According to the new foreign policy, the key element is the security and freedom of the citizens of the country. In recent times, it has been acknowledged

US Constitution and gun Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

US Constitution and gun - Research Paper Example However, not all these reasons have eliminated the numerous cases reported on a daily basis within the country of civilians’ improper usage of firearms. As such, civilian gun ownership led to a number of unnecessary deaths and injuries in the country. For instance, in most cases, the civilians cited that they needed to use these guns against fellow civilians in self-protection or to prevent a crime. Few of such cases rarely prove that the civilian had any justification to hold a gun against another civilian. Furthermore, the usage of guns in the United States has escalated to considerable levels whereby criminal gangs have ease of access to firearms for which to use in doing their criminal activity. This holds the entire country at ransom, as well as depreciates the level of security in the country. Many a times have irate minded, or persons with mental illnesses held civilians at hostage with firearms, and some even shot at innocent children and schoolteachers at an elementary school. As such, it is evident that civilian gun ownership requires a high level of discipline from the civilians. This is the key reason that civilians give for wanting to own private firearms. This is a valid reason especially considering the high rate of crime and insecurity within the country. It is no doubt that an individual will at one point come across a compromising situation that requires personal protection and self defense with the use of a gun, such as a rape scare for the women, a kidnap attempt for the rich, as well as a carjacking attempt for car and vehicle owners. For these reasons, a gun comes in handy, as the threatened individual will use it to protect himself or herself from the aggressor, and if lucky prevent the occurrence of a crime. Others keep guns in safekeeping at their homes for such cases of insecurity, especially in the event a burglar attacks their home and attempts to steal or make away with their property. The United

Juvenile Delinquency: Psychological Concepts

Juvenile Delinquency: Psychological Concepts Abstract   The following essay will be used to depict the psychology of a juvenile delinquent in comparison to that of an individual that is considered to be normal. Various perspectives will be taken as well. For example, there will be a direct comparison between the male and female population of certain age groups in regards to delinquency. Aside from gender, which will be the initial comparison, other factors such as race and location of upbringing will be evaluated. Ideally, the essay will prove that delinquency is directly correlated to surroundings and upbringing. This will focus particularly on the age group of 12-17. There will be many different sources of statistics. Some will show that many delinquents have endured traumatic, life-changing events that contribute to these irrational and usually dangerous behaviors. Possible motives will also be questioned (for example: revenge, adrenalin rush, gang affiliation, etc.). There will be a portion dedicated to evaluating the brain itself and which parts are affected during the course of certain activities. There are some theories that state delinquency is based upon genetics and acquired at birth, as opposed to a learned behavior. This will be addressed and, ideally, disproved. And finally, the psychology of different types of crimes will be taken into account. For example, one that has partaken in gun violence most likely has a different psychological mindset than a teen that stole from a store. Ultimately, the paper will conclude reminding the reader of the most valuable statistics to suggest that there are many contributions to juvenile delinquency, and that these must be taken into account, should a young person make a mistake in his or her life. Introduction Throughout history people have tried to explain why a person would commit crimes. Some consider a life of crime better than a regular job- at least until they are caught (Bettmann/Corbis). Is It true to say that more often than not, such behavior as an adult began when one was merely a teenager or even younger? Certainly. In what is noted to be the cycle of violence, the causes of delinquency are adopted and continued throughout generations of a family. In this cycle of violence, neglected and abused children show signs of delinquency and later become criminals as adults. Because of this, these acts of violence must serve as an outcry to s psychological disorder (as opposed to a personal decision). Scientifically speaking, researchers have discovered a correlation between neurochemicals of the brain and criminal behavior. Those who commit crimes have lower levels of serotonin- which tends to calm a person- and higher levels of dopamine (which expresses aggression). Therefore it is inaccurate to claim that juvenile delinquency (or all crime, for that matter) is nothing more than someones irresponsible decision based upon factors such as money and gang affiliation. When a child grows up in a poor family environment, he or she will often turn to a gang instead. Receiving nothing at home, the young individual seeks a gang, where he or she may acquire different level of respect from the other members. Gangs, which in actuality are only based upon a desire for materialism (drugs, alcohol, money, etc), always require crime to be committed. Because a young individual finally feels a degree of acceptance, he or she will not turn down a request to commit a crime and risk losing position in the gang. These behaviors and gang involvement follow one throughout their lifetime, once more continuing the cycle of violence. These teens are unknowingly making criminals of the future generations of their families by being in gangs themselves. Statistical Overview Despite the fact that juvenile delinquency is still problematic in the United States, there have been statistical declines since the 1990s (particularly in instances of violent crimes). Between 1994 and 1999, there was a thirty-one percent decline in rape, a fifty-three percent decline in robbery, and a thirty-nine percent decline in correlation to arrests for weapon violations (Archer, 240). These numbers decrease into the early twenty-first century, as well. Between 1992 and 2001, there was a sixty-two percent decrease in the rates of manslaughter among adolescents, a forty percent decrease in burglary, and a fifty-one percent decrease in auto theft (Archer, 240). However, despite the fact that overall crime was decreasing, the rate of crime among the female population has skyrocketed. Since the early 1990s, the rates of female court cases have increased approximately eighty-three percent. Majority of these offenses are not related to violence, though. On the contrary, most adolescent females are arrested for either running away from home or for prostitution. Behavior in Regards to Delinquency The hereditary and environmental factors play a considerable role in the development of delinquent and criminal behavior. As the individual grows older alongside the influences of his or her norm, negative behaviors may develop as well. Those that tend to commit crimes tend to show signs of traits such as aggressiveness or constantly acting impulsive. Such traits demonstrate the desire to defy authority, which is obviously evident in every criminal. Aside from those characteristics, one who becomes a delinquent is typically more socially withdrawn and reserved. More often than not, these are caused by a traumatic event or series of events in the delinquents childhood. As he or she grows up, he will be characterized by a sense of defiance and with skewed vision of the social norm. Because the delinquent is not, socially speaking, similar to others, becoming social or talking to others is greatly difficult. However, this is irrelevant, for many delinquents avoid unnecessary social contact altogether. Many criminals are centrally based and disregard the well-being of others (tied tightly into the idea of solitude), Aside from this, he or she will be very self-centered and focusing on ones own well-being. Despite behavioral patterns that may be going on for generations, there is a way to alter these mental standings in certain people in order to help them stray away from the negativities of a life of crime. One of the most significant therapeutic methods is to find a way to help the delinquent comprehend and relate to the idea of nurturing, beneficial social connections with other people. This is the final result of a potentially long process of assisting a delinquent to help with his or her mental state of being. Other Factors Regarding Delinquency A study done within the Psychology department of the University of South Carolina at Charlotte shows that cases of insomnia result in a deterioration of inhibitions and an increase of reckless behavior. However, aside from this, one of the most significant contributions would be the social relations of ones life. According to the social learning theory, processes occurring in daily social interaction provide the proximal nexus at which these casual factors converge to exert their influence (Lahey, 27). Rationality for the Juvenile Legal System It is greatly debated whether children and teenagers caught committing crimes should endure the same extents of punishment that an adult committing the same crime would receive. Some rationalize that the brain of adolescents are not fully developed, and therefore not completely responsible for juvenile delinquency. It is possible that there is a scientific, chemical relation to an adolescents inhibitions (Corriero, 48). There are many areas, however, that disagree. In many states, a young child may go on trial at the age of 13 and may be tried for murder as young as the age of 14 (Corriero, 35). In Oklahoma, for example, a child as young as the age of seven may be held accountable for crimes, no matter what the degree of severity. This is highly arguable and debated in many states. On one hand, the child is personally responsible for the crime. As a result, he or she should be punished just like anyone else would (if for nothing else, then for the sake of learning). On the other hand, the child should not be held accountable for wrongdoing, for he or she does not have a brain that is fully developed. Putting a youngster in jail or forcing them to deal with the law at such a young age may prove to me highly unbeneficial. He or she does not have a fully developed mind and may therefore be manipulated by dark experiences, thus increasing ones chance of repeated delinquency at a later date. All states hold trials against the young quite harshly in all states. In the United States, there are 200,000 youth younger than the age of eighteen that are tried as adults. Of this statistic, approximately twelve percent of the delinquents are under the age of sixteen (Corriero, 35). In older times, children were punished as brutally as adults. However, as time progressed and psychological studies deepened, it showed that much of the traditional actions were ineffective. In its place, a greater concern was being directed towards delinquents. As opposed to punishment in itself, those imprisoning or looking after delinquents must make sure that the child see the error of his ways and acquire a substantial knowledge of the differences between right and wrong. The offended was not meant to only be imprisoned and isolated, but reformed. This significant change within the American courts ended up changing the psychological studies of delinquents for the remainder of time. Delinquents are often given probation as opposed to jail time, for many within the court system felt they must endure the real world to better learn to establish themselves.

Drug Dependence :: essays research papers

Drug Dependence In order for a chemical to be considered a drug it must have the capacity to affect how the body works--to be biologically active. No substance that has the power to do this is completely safe, and drugs are approved only after they demonstrate that they are relatively safe when used as directed, and when the benefits outweigh their risks. Thus, some very dangerous drugs are approved because they are necessary to treat serious illness. Digitalis, which causes the heart muscle to contract, is a dangerous drug, but doctors are permitted to use it because it is vital for treating patients whose heart muscle is weak. A drug as potent as digitalis would not be approved to treat such minor ailments as temporary fatigue because the risks outweigh the benefits. Many persons suffer ill effects from drugs even though they take the drug exactly as directed by the doctor or the label. The human population, unlike a colony of ants or bees, contains a great variety of genetic variation. Drugs are tested on at most a few thousand people. When that same drug is taken by millions, some people may not respond in a predictable way to the drug. A person who has a so-called idiosyncratic response to a particular sedative, for example, may become excited rather than relaxed. Others may be hypersensitive, or extremely sensitive, to certain drugs, suffering reactions that resemble allergies. A patient may also acquire a tolerance for a certain drug. This means that ever-larger doses are necessary to produce the desired therapeutic effect. Tolerance may lead to habituation, in which the person becomes so dependent upon the drug that he or she becomes addicted to it. Addiction causes severe psychological and physical disturbances when the drug is taken away. Morphine, cocaine, and Benzedrine are common habit-forming drugs. Finally, drugs often have unwanted side effects. These usually cause only minor discomfort such as a skin rash, headache, or drowsiness.

Competitive advantage Sony Essay

1 Introduction Nowadays it has become more and more important for organizations, such as Sony, to differentiate themselves from their competitors by enhancing the way their customers perceive and experience their brand and products. This has become more crucial for the success of Sony due to the fact that the demands and expectations of customers have changed. Today’s market is not only looking at the direct benefits of purchasing a product but also at the added benefits that come with it. More and more competitors of Sony have  changed the way they interact with their customers in order to gain and maintain competitive advantage (Sony, n.d.). This paper will explore the possibilities for Sony to increase sales by drawing attention to the experience of customers using their products. 2 Research problem statement In order to stay competitive, Sony needs to find new ways to enhance customer experience of their products. This entails emphasizing on the whole offering of the organization including, of course, the quality of customer care and product features, but also creative advertising, packaging, ease of use, and reliability (Meyer & Schwager, 2007). At the moment, Sony is facing heavy competition in all their market segments. According to Gianforte (2012), nowadays an organization cannot only successfully compete based on their products/services and price alone. Customer experience has become the new critical differentiator that a successful business should be based up on. This customer experience can have an influence on the buying intention through the following process: Satisfaction Howard (1977, 1983, in: Fornell & Johnson, 1991) found that a positive customer experience leads to high levels of customer satisfaction. According to Olsen, Wilcox & Olsson (2005), consumer satisfaction is a global evaluation or a state of feeling towards a product or service. According to Giese and Cote (2000), satisfaction consists of three general components, namely: – The consumer satisfaction is an emotional or cognitive response. – The response is associated with a particular focus, expectations, product and consumption experience. – The response happens in a particular time Trust With regard to satisfaction brand trust plays an important role in satisfaction in developing a customer base committed to the brand. Trust is a key variable in the development of an enduring desire to maintain a relationship in the long term (Morgan and Hunt, 1994, in: Delgado-Balester, Munuera-Alà ©man). Seybold (2001) adds that trust grows from every experience customers have with a product and service. Bowers, Richardson & Swan (1998) agree with the statement that a positive customer experience can be created  by building trust with them. Brand trust can be created by sending out credible and expert messages. Also, adding a trust appeal to messages (for example â€Å"You can trust on the fact that we do our job well†) increases brand reliability, leads to a more positive attitude towards the brand and increases purchasing intention (Hornikx, 2002). Paul, Schneider and White (1998) found that when customers are satisfied thus have positive perceptions of an organization, they are likely to remain a customer of that organization. In line with this statement Espejel, Fandos & Flavian (2004) and Howard (1977, in: Fornell & Johnson, 1991) found that a higher satisfaction leads to greater levels of loyalty and buying intention of the service or product. This is also confirmed by Gentile et al. (2007) who state that when customers have a positive customer experience, an emotional tie will be created between a firm’s brand and its customers, which in turn enhances customer loyalty. Loyalty European researchers studying during the 1970s business-to-business marketing discovered that suppliers who formed close working relationships with their customers tended to have better customers. Better refers to the fact that the customers were more loyal to the organization. Also, the customers evaluated the suppliers higher. Subsequent research found that loyal customers are more profitable to a firm. The profitability is thought to be generated by reduced servicing costs, less price sensitivity, increased spending, and the recommendations passed on to other potential customers. To strengthen relationships with their customers, and bond them to an organization, most organizations are interested in loyalty programs (Dowling & Uncles, 1997). Buying intention Loyalty is a crucial factor when it comes to buying intention. Light (1994, in: Palumbo & Herbig, 2000) states that building brand loyalty will endure profitable growth as well as sales volume. The positive effect of loyalty on sales is also emphasized by Bowen and Chen (2001). Their research shows that loyal customers increase sales by purchasing a wider variety of the products and by making more frequent purchases. Relation between customer experience and buying intention When taking an overview at the literature mentioned above, a relation between the several factors can be noticed. Literature teaches that a positive customer experience leads to a higher satisfaction. This in turn increases the brand trust. This trust simultaneously affects the loyalty of customers in a brand. In the end this loyalty results in an increase in buying intention. 2.1 Purpose of research Based on the importance of the customer experience and its influence on the buying intention the general purpose of this research is to get an insight in the important determinants of this experience. In order to investigate what determinants Sony should particularly focus on, in the following sections the main research question and the sub-questions are defined. After the questions there will be a review of the relevant literature on the topic of customer experience. Thereafter an explanation of the methods used will be given, followed by the analysis and the conclusion. Based on these conclusion there will be given an advice to the management. 3 Research question Based on the problem statement, the following main research question is proposed: In what way can Sony adjust their communication strategy to improve the costumer experience in order to increase sales? The main question can be answered due answering the following sub-questions: What is meant by â€Å"customer experience† and what are its determinants? Which determinants are of most importance determining the costumer experience? 4 Proposed literature In order to answer the main research question it is of importance for Sony to exactly know what is meant by â€Å"customer experience† and what the determinants of the experience are. This can be found through a literature study. After that they can investigate which determinants are of most importance according to the customers of Sony. In literature several definitions on the concept of ‘customer experience’ have been mentioned. According to Berry, Carbone and Haekel (2002) customers always have an experience whenever they purchase a product or service from a company. Meyer and Schwager (2007) state that customer experience is â€Å"the internal and subjective response customers have to any direct or indirect contact with a company. Direct contact generally occurs in the course of purchase, use, and service and is usually initiated by the customer. Indirect contact most often involves unplanned encounters with representatives of a company’s products, services or brands and takes the form of word-of-mouth recommendations or criticisms, advertising, news reports, reviews and so forth†(in: Verhoef, Lemon, Parasuraman, Roggeveen, Tsiros & Schlesinger, 2009, p. 32). Gentile, Spiller and Noci (2007) on the other hand, use a different definition of customer experience, namely: customer experience â€Å"originates from a set of interactions between a customer and a product, a company, or part of its organization, which provoke a reaction†. This experience is strictly personal and implies customer’s involvement at different levels; on a rational, emotional, sensorial, physical or spiritual level. Verhoef et al. (2009) also state that the experience factor plays an increasingly important role in determining the success of a company’s offering because of the competition in the global. Therefore, organizations need to manage the customer experience in order to improve the company’s success. In order to aggregate a positive customer experience, it is crucial that Sony is aware of the influences on this experience. When looking at determinants of customer experience in literature, the conceptual model by Verhoef et. al (2009) provides an overview of all the factors that have an influence on one’s customer experience. The model can be found in appendix A. Based on the abovementioned model the determinants of costumer experience are: social environment, service interface, retail atmosphere, assortment, price, customer experiences in alternative channels, retail brand, past customer experience. Current research will focus on these determinants and therefore the constructs will represent these determinants. These constructs  can be found in appendix B. Situation moderators and consumer moderators will not be included, because the organization can not influence these factors. 5 Methods and techniques In order to answer the main research question a complete overview of the most important determinants of costumer experience by the Dutch Sony customers is needed. This overview will be accomplished by a thorough questionnaire amongst the Dutch customers. Based on the answers of this questionnaire a focus group will follow in order to indicate the factors which can be improved so a higher customer experience is created. Questionnaire The constructs of the questionnaire are based on the determinants of customer experience by Verhoef et al. (2009), the constructs can be found in appendix A. They are used because their causal effect on customer experience is proven in literature. The questionnaire will be sent to Sony customers as well as non-Sony costumers (details see appendix C). Appendix D shows the questionnaire sent to the respondents. The questions of the questionnaire are linked to the constructs, this linkage can be found in appendix E. After receiving the answers the questionnaire will be analyzed, this process can be found in appendix C. The results of these questionnaire indicate which determinants have the most influence on the consumer experience of the Dutch (Sony) customers. Focus groups The focus groups with a number of twelve respondents per group will consist of six Sony costumers and six non Sony costumers. A detailed overview of the target group and focus groups can be found in appendix C. The content of the sessions will be based on the results of the questionnaire, which will show the determinants that have the most influence on customer experience. The group of people will discuss what they find convenient subjects with regard to these constructs. Based on these subject there can be analyzed which things Sony has to adjust within its communication strategy so the strategy will match the customer’s optimal customer experience. 6 Analysis In order to answer the main research question one must first answer the second sub-question. This question covers the determinants that are of most importance concerning the customer experience. The answers to the questionnaire will provide the information for answering the sub-question. Questionnaire The first analysis is oriented at determining the average scores of each question and eventually for each construct. Appendices F till L show the average score of every question, displayed per construct. These scores are distracted from the scale, reaching from 1 till 5, with 2.5 as the mean of the scale. Questions concerning the social environment show above mean scores, with a 3.6 as the minimum. This means that the social environment is a very important determinant of customer experience. Service interface also has very high scores. With an average of 4.3 the highest scored question of this construct states that customers agree with the fact the co-customization adds value to products. The role of the retail atmosphere seems to be of less influence on the customer experience. The average scores of these question are significantly lower, with 5 out of 10 questions scoring below the mean of the scale. Questions within the assortment and past experiences construct have a score far above the mean. While the questions concerning both retail brand and price mostly score below mean. Next to the average scores of the questions appendix M shows the average score per construct. One can see from the bar chart there are four out of seven constructs that score far above the mean, and three constructs that score about the mean. Therefore there will be concluded that these four constructs (social environment, service interface, assortment and past experiences) are the determinants that are of most importance determining the costumer experience. Focus groups Following to the questionnaire are the focus groups. During these sessions the customers discussed about each of the highly important constructs: social environment, service interface, assortment and past experiences. Certain subjects came up during these discussions, these subjects were labeled, see appendix N. During the focus groups it was found that the past experience mostly concerned the service interface (e.g. the service  personnel) and the assortment (e.g. quality of the product). An important label that was mentioned was the trust that derives from positive past experience, which makes them willing to buy more of Sony. Besides the service interface and the assortment the customers within the focus groups also discussed about the social environment. Reviews and the opinions of other with regard to the experience of a product are seen as important influencers. 7 Conclusion and advice to the management This research is conducted in order to investigate in what way Sony can adjust their communication strategy to improve the costumer experience in order to increase sales. Therefore there is already stated what the definition of customer experience is and what its determinants are. The results of the questionnaire and focus groups show that there are four determinants that are of most influence with regard to the customer experience. Two of these components can be influenced by Sony, namely the service interface and the assortment. The other two constructs, social environment and past experience, are in turn influenced by these components and can not be directly influenced. With regard to the service interface it is of importance that the personnel of Sony meets the requirements that the customers find of importance: kind, helpful, advising and knowledge. These characteristics are perceived to be very important when it comes to a pleasant experience within the store. In addition to the social experience, logically another important factor is the assortment of Sony. The quality and the variety of this assortment is of great importance. The social experience, through service interface, and the practical experience, through the assortment, are both constructs that can be influenced by Sony. The construct past experience can not be influenced by Sony, because of the fact that the experience is already in the past, nevertheless Sony can improve their current service interface and assortment. In that way customers’ past experiences for the future will be positive. In line with  Morgan and Hunt (1994) and Seybold (2001) there was found that positive experiences with the brand creates trust with the customer. These positive past experience will therefore create trust in Sony, which will lead to remaining buying intentions. With regard to social environment the importance of the experience of others and online reviews was noted. Sony can only influence these factors by providing good services (service interface) and products (assortment), so people will evaluate these products and services positive. Based on these conclusions the advices for the management are: Develop a training program for all of the employees: they have to meet certain requirements with regard their knowledge about the products of Sony and to the way they provide their services. After implementing the program make sure that the customers also know of the training, so they know they can trust the advice of the skilled personnel within the store. This can be mentioned at posters, commercials etc. (e.g. on a poster: â€Å"Feel free to visit our store for questions or advice, we keep ourselves up-to-date especially for you!†) Make sure that all the communication expressions emphasize the quality of the products and to enhance the quality of these products customers can be asked to give their opinion about the product on the Sony website. Through this system the chance will increase that a big part of the online reviews will be given at the Sony site. In this situation the communication department of Sony can quickly detect negative reactions on which they can respond to solve the problem. All the visitors of the review will so experience the involvement of Sony, which creates sympathy. Send good quality products to influential people that make movies on YouTube and ask them to review the product. Make clear that you want them to give their honest opinion, and that they also mention that to their viewers. A good Sony product will then get an excellent review viewed by a great amount of customers. 8 References Berry, L.L., Carbone, L.P., & Haeckel, S.H. (2002). Managing the total customer experience. MIT Sloan Management Review, 43(3), pp. 1-6. Bowen, J.T., & Chen, S.L. (2001). The relationship between customer loyalty and customer satisfaction, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 13(5), pp. 213 – 217 Bowers, M.R., Richardson, L.D. & Swan, J.E. (1998). Customer trust in the salesperson: an integrative review and meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Journal of Business Research, 44, pp. 93-107. Delgado-Ballester, E., & Munuera-Alemà ¡n, J.L. (2001). Brand trust in the context of consumer loyalty, European Journal of Marketing, 35(11), pp. 1238 – 1258 Down, C.W., & Adrian, A.D. (2004). Assessing organizational communication. New York, United States: the Guilford Press. Dowling, G.R., & Uncles, M. (1997). Do Customer Loyalty Programs Really Work?, Sloan Management Review, 38 (4), pp. 71-82. Espejel,J., Fandos, C., & Flavia ´n, C.(2004). Consumer satisfaction: A key factor of consumer loyalty and buying intention of a PDO food product. British Food Journal, 110 (9), pp. 865-881. Fornell, C. & Johnson, M.D. (1991). A framework for comparing customer satisfaction across individuals and product categories. Journal of Economic Psychology, 12, pp. 267-286. Gentile, C., Noci, G. & Spiller, N. (2007). How to sustain the customer experience: an overview of experience components that co-create value with the customer. European Management Journal, 25(5), pp. 395-410. Gianforte, G. (2012). Seven Power Lessons for Customer Experience Leaders. Oracle White Paper. Giese, J.L. & Cote, J.A. (2000). Deï ¬ ning consumer satisfaction, Academy of Marketing Science Review, 1, pp. 1-24. Hornikx, J. (2002). Vertrouwen in nieuwe producten van nieuwe merken in reclame. Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschap, 30(3), pp. 249-261. Kaplan, R.S. & Norton, D.P. (1996). Linking the Balanced Scorecard to Strategy. California Management Review, 39(1), pp. 53-79. Martin, C.L. & Charles, A.P. (1989) Compatibility Management: Customer-to-Customer Relationships in Service Environments. Journal of Services Marketing,3(3), pp.5 – 15. Olsen, S.O., Wilcox, J., & Olsson, U. (2005). Consequences of ambivalence on satisfaction and loyalty, Psychology & Marketing, 22 (3), pp. 247-69. Palumbo, F., & Herbig, P. (2000). The multicultural context of brand loyalty, European Journal of Innovation Management, 3(3), pp. 116 – 125 Paul, M.C., Schneider, B. & White, S.S. (1998). Linking service climate and customer perceptions of service quality: test of a causal model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(2), pp. 150-163. Seybold, P.B. (2001). The Customer Revolution: How to Thrive when Customers are in Control. Luzern, Switzerland: getAbstract. Sony (n.d.). Last retrieved on December 12th, 2012, from: http://www.sony.net/

Using the Spanish Verb Saber

Using the Spanish Verb Saber Saber is a common verb whose basic meaning is to have knowledge or to have knowledge of. Although it is often translated as to know, it should not be confused with conocer, which also is often translated as to know. The basic meaning of saber can be seen most clearly when it is followed by a noun or a phrase functioning as a noun:  ¿Sabe alguien los horarios de los buses desde el aeropuerto? Does anyone know the times of the buses from the airport?Nuestra presidente no sabe inglà ©s. Our president doesnt know English.No se sabe mucho de su muerte. Not much is known about his death.Sà © bien la verdad. I know the truth well.Nunca sabemos el futuro. We never know the future. When followed by an infinitive, saber often means to know how: El que no sabe escuchar no sabe entender. The one who doesnt know how to listen doesnt know how to understand.No saben escribir en cursiva. They dont know how to write in cursive.El problema era que los dos no sabà ­amos nadar. The problem was that the two of us didnt know how to swim. Saber can mean to find out. This is especially true when it is used in the preterite tense: Supe que todos tenemos cosas en comà ºn. I found out that all of us have things in common.Nunca supieron que estaban equivocados. They never found out that they were mistaken. In context, saber can be used to say to have news about someone or something: No sà © nada de mi madre. I dont have any news about my mother. The phrase saber a can be used to indicate what something tastes like: Yo no he comido iguana, pero se dice que sabe a pollo. I havent eaten iguana, but they say it tastes like chicken. Remember that saber is conjugated irregularly.

Ambush essays

Ambush essays When reading Ambush by Tim OBrien, I was a little thrown off at first. It seemed to start very abruptly and I wasnt too clear on the direction it was going. There was no real background information, like which war it was about, or even an introduction, so I had to read the first two paragraphs over again to get a better idea. As the story developed, I noticed the way OBrien lead into it, particularly how he set the scene and then used very engaging imagery to illustrate a better picture. For example, Very gradually, in tiny slivers, dawn began to to break through the fog.. The way he describes the setting made me feel like I was right there in the story and watching it all happen. The more detail he used in his writing, the more suspense there was towards what would happen next. Then as he began to recall the systematic way he was thinking, it gave a full understanding of the thoughts going through his mind, and the time frame they happened in. OBrien then explains how he ...did not hate the young man; I did not see him as the enemy; I did not ponder issues of morality or politics or military duty... What I found most interesting was the way he structured his sentences in brief, separate verses, just as his thoughts would have been at the time; very sporadic and inconsistent. This made it more interesting, especially when he balanced out the shorter sentences with longer more descriptive details further along in the story. Then he even continues with a different style of sentence form, switching to dashes: The grenade made a popping noise-not soft but not loud either-not what I expected-and there was a puff of dust and smoke-a small white puff-and the young man seemed to jerk upward as if pulled by invisible wires. He fell on his back. I think the way he structured this sentence in particular was to portray the panic he was feeling, and how quickly i ...

Filmmaking Techniques Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Filmmaking Techniques - Coursework Example The parameters for my discussion of realism in cinema come from theorists like Bazin, Bordwell, and Comolli. As the filmmaker stages an event to be filmed, s/he has to establish first what to put in front of the camera and visualize the conflicts of the story as embodied in the script. The approach and style have to be decided first before starting on the setting, space, acting and choreography. The filmmaker can employ a pool of creative people, aside from the writers and actors and all the crew needed. S/he has to decide on the appearance, gestures, facial expression, what to use whether professional or non-actors. Art and filmmaking, nevertheless, can be performed or made by a team or by one person. The dilemma of the filmmaker or artist is whether his/her message is understood correctly the way s/he wants it to be understood. Some artists do it profoundly, some vaguely, to let the viewer think, or get an instant reaction. These techniques in art and filmmaking, whether digital or in films, are introduced in different ways. A few of these are discussed in this paper. Art, according to Aristotle, is the realisation in external form of a true idea, and is traced back to the natural love of imitation which characterizes humans, and to the pleasure which we feel in recognising likenesses1. There may be contradictions today of his notion on art by various artists because according to him art is limited to mere copying. It idealises nature and completes its deficiencies: it seeks to grasp the universal type in the individual phenomenon2. Such imitation may represent people either as better or as worse than people usually are, or it may neither go beyond nor fall below the average standard. Comedy is the imitation of the worse examples of humanity, understood however not in the sense of absolute badness, but only in so far as what is low and ignoble enters into what is laughable and comic3. When teaching at the Lyceum, Aristotle had a habit of walking about as he discoursed. It was in connection with this that his followers became known in later years as the peripatetics, meaning "to walk about". What has this to do with art and filmmaking Lecturers and speakers in those times used strategies in conveying their message or in relating to their audience. Aristotle and the peripatetics presented their theories, and the Rhetoric, by giving lectures and telling stories in front of a live audience, as if showing a movie without the aid of any technology. "Walking about" in front of a live audience with your mouth uttering words your mind dictates is a form of story-telling, like a film presentation, although what you are doing is live, and the film is recorded. What the peripatetics were doing was art itself. New Digital Cinema: Reinventing the moving image Evolution of contemporary cinema as it intersects with the formerly separate realms of film-making, video art, music video, animation, print design, and live club events to

The Youthquake of the 1960s resulted in the launch of many magazines Essay

The Youthquake of the 1960s resulted in the launch of many magazines aimed at young women - Essay Example This decade was stated as â€Å"both the best of times and the worst of times†. One of the transformational highlights that took place during this decade was a cultural revolution and transformation for of the women. The feminist trends were introduced during the sixties and the subsequent decades were affected by the feminism that came forward during the sixties. Women were following the new culture of feminism which reflected in their workplace decisions, marriage decisions, child-bearing issues and freedom of choice in their personal lives (Walsh 2010). The 1960s was a decade of change and revolutionary changes throughout the fashion trends with emerging new ideas and images, the reflection of which is still depicted through today’s fashion. The significant aspect of the 1960s was that the main focus of the fashion industry was the young population as previously only the wealthy and mature elite class was aimed at by the fashion designers and industry. This new and e volutionary trend in the fashion world led to a â€Å"Youthquake† of the 1960’s which was highlighted and communicated with the masses through a plethora of magazines such as Spare Rib, Cosmopolitan or New Woman. ... The result was a striking increase in the births of baby in America and Britain. This â€Å"baby boom† was higher in America with the birth of 75 million babies between 1946 and 1964 (Farber & Bailey 2001). The post-war economy in Britain also experienced an optimistic rise after the boom period. According to the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan in 1957, â€Å"Most of our people have never had it so good† (1957: Britons ‘have never had it so good’ 2005). Britain’s economy also experienced a powerful boost due to the baby boom after the World War. These babies when reached their teens, they were a part of the post-war period and had grown in well-educated and favourable environments. These baby boomers were rebellious and did not agree with the conservative and conventional ideas of their parents. The American history observed these baby boomers to emerge as people of power and intellect such as the U.S. president George Bush and Bill Clinton. The teenagers ruled the 1960s with their rebellious yet fresh and young ideas. Not just the politics or the media, the youth culture was also depicted in the fashion and it is most likely that even after retirement pensioners will be seen in T-shirts rather than tweed suits! (60s Season: baby boom 2012). The young population formed a major part of the consumer population and they gave a new shape to both the market place and their own new lifestyles (Farber & Bailey 2001). The age of the baby boomers was characterized by the youth population brought up in an atmosphere of optimism and prosperity which ultimately affected their goals, aims, trends and future behaviours as well. The 1960s was characterized by new fashion trends which depicted in the attires and different clothing styles

Leading and Managing Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leading and Managing Change - Essay Example Studies of leadership put into perspectives various ways in which different issues can be approached and dealt with according to certain leadership approaches. Good leadership is often attributed to leaders that understand set objectives and works out all ways to achieve them; they understand the importance of teamwork and peoples different skills and talent endowment. On the other hand, lots of misplaced priorities and failure to achieve set objectives characterize leadership that is often questioned by people. Leaders who cannot manage people effectively in various businesses and organizations exemplify this kind leadership. Businesses and organizations are often described by the kind of existing management structures in the achievement of set objectives, in this case, management describes the function charged with coordination of people’s efforts towards accomplishment of goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively (Mullins 2007 45-6). In organizations, leaders who know and understand how to deal with different kinds of people direct sound management systems that achieve set objectives. It is often said that said that as far as business and organizational leadership is concerned, people are the most important resources available. The ability to work with people effectively, understanding and fulfilling their needs is the basis for any success in businesses and organizations. Employees are the biggest and highly valuable assets for any organisation, the performance and attitude towards the business and organisation are crucial towards the success and failure of the organisation (Wellington 2011 24). To the manager, one of his most difficult duties is to manage his people effectively, as part of his management responsibilities, he is supposed to provide leadership, motivation, training, inspiration and moral support at all times during his life

Floods in India Essay Example for Free

Floods in India Essay India, being a peninsular country and surrounded by the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, is quite prone to flood. As per the Geological Survey of India (GSI), the major flood prone areas of India cover almost 12.5% area of the country. Every year, flood, the most common disaster in India causes immense loss to the countrys property and lives. India Flood Prone Areas The states falling within the periphery of India Flood Prone Areas are West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Bihar, Gujrat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. The intense monsoon rains from southwest causes rivers like Brahmaputra, Ganga, Yamuna etc. to swell their banks, which in turn floods the adjacent areas. Over the past few decades, central India has become familiar with precipitation events like torrential rains and flash floods. The major flood prone areas in India are the river banks and deltas of Ravi, Yamuna-Sahibi, Gandak, Sutlej, Ganga, Ghaggar, Kosi, Teesta, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Mahananda, Damodar, Godavari, Mayurakshi, Sabarmati and their tributaries. Though the north-Indian plains prone to flood more, the India flood prone areas can be broadly categorized in three divisions: Besides the Ganga, rivers like Sarada, Rapti, Gandak and Ghagra causes flood in eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. The Yamuna is famous for flooding Haryana and Delhi. Bihar experiences massive dangerous flood every year. River Burhi, Bagmati, Gandak, Kamla along with many small rivers contribute to that. In West Bengal, rivers like Mahananda, Bhagirathi, Damodar, Ajay etc. causes floods because of tidal effects and insufficient river channels. * Brahmaputra and Barak Basins: The river banks of Brahmaputra and Barak gets flooded due to the Surplus water found in the Brahmaputra basin and the Barak basin. These rivers along with their tributaries flood the northeastern states like West Bengal, Assam and Sikkim. Jaldakha, Teesta and Torsa in northern West Bengal and rivers in Manipur often overflow their banks. * Central India and Deccan Rivers Basin: In Orissa, spilling over of river banks by Mahanadi, Baitarni and Brahmani causes havoc. The deltaic area formed by these three rivers is thickly populated. Even some small rivers of Kerala and mud stream from the nearby hills add on to the destruction. Southern and central India observes floods caused by Narmada, Godavari, Tapi, Krishna and Mahanadi due to heavy rainfall. Cyclonic storms in the deltaic regions of Godavari, Mahanadi and Krishna even floods the coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu occasionally.

Disparity Between Dunce and Genius in Tooles A Confederacy of Dunces E

Disparity Between  Dunce and  Genius in Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces   "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." -Jonathan Swift   Ã‚  In Swift's words, there is a potential for the existence of a genius, indicated by the group of dunces acting in opposition. In A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, Ignatius J. Reilly plays both parts of the genius and the dunce. As Ignatius plays both parts, the Wheel of Fortuna determines the path of events in his life; although he is not aware of it, Fortuna's spin is also determined by his actions. Just as the wheel is circular, so are the events in his life. Ignatius moves through his own bildingsroman, showing qualities of a genius in his words and qualities of a dunce in his actions at the Night of Joy, Levy Pants, Paradise Vendors, and (to complete the circle) again at the Night of Joy. At the opening of the novel, Ignatius and his mother escape the clutches of the police by entering a nearby bar, the Night of Joy. Ignatius and his mother meet Darlene and the bartender in the sudden visit. As he speaks to Darlene, Ignatius' stories are unimportant but he tells them in an elevated fashion. Although the content may be trivial, Ignatius uses words that make the stories sound significant. For example, in his story about vomiting on his trip in a Greyhound Scenicruiser, he says, "that was the only time I had ever been out of New Orleans in my life. I think that perhaps it was the lack of a center of orientation that might have upset me"(10). Ignatius continues to speak in an educated style to the bartender, even though his message is condescending. Ignatius tells him that, "it is your duty to sile... ... he is labeled a "dunce." He does finally break free from the circles of Fortuna when he runs away to New York with Myrna Minkoff, but his "freedom" is only circumscribed by a new location. The reader is left to believe that Ignatius will create more circles and spins in New York. In Confederacy of Dunces, Toole emphasizes the disparity between the "bodily" dunce and the "intellectual" genius to underscore the impossibility of separating the mental and physical capacities of his characters. Works Cited and Consulted Clark, William Bedford. "All Toole's Children: A Reading of A Confederacy of Dunces." Essays in Literature 14.2 (1987): 269-280. McNeil, David. "A Confederacy of Dunces as Reverse Satire: The American Subgenre." Mississippi Quarterly 38.1 (1984-1985): 33-47. Toole, John Kennedy. A Confederacy of Dunces. Grove Weidenfeld: New York, 1980.

Comparing the Innocent Criminal in Black Boy, Uncle Toms Children, Nat

The Innocent Criminal in Black Boy, Uncle Tom's Children, Native Son, and The Outsider      Ã‚   "It is probably a mere accident that I never killed," Richard Wright commented offhandedly in an interview with Robert Moss (596).   After reading several of Wright's works, one can easily understand what Wright means by this statement.   In his books Black Boy, Uncle Tom's Children, Native Son, and The Outsider, Wright suggests that white society has transformed black people into criminals.   The source of this claim comes from Wright's personal experiences as a Negro in the Deep South.   Whether pushed to crime from necessity or for personal fulfillment and self-realization, the protagonists of Wright's works are innocent criminals; they know that the ultimate crime for which they are being punished is the crime of being black.   Circumstances created by a racist social order place the characters in intolerable positions that coerce them into villainous activities.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his autobiographical novel, Black Boy, Wright supports this theory using himself as an example.   In the tradition of the slave autobiography, Black Boy provides details of Wright's life from early childhood to his arrival in Chicago.   As Joyce Ann Joyce says, Black Boy:      Ã‚  Ã‚   ...is a realistic and poetic account of the hunger Wright endured as a child, his  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   closeness to his mother, the effect of his mother's illness, his problems with his father, his father's desertion, the violence he experienced from his mother's relatives, his love of words and books, his discovery of racism and his developing racial consciousness, his fight against his mother's and grandmother's religion, his scanty education, ... and the development of his individuality... ...chard Wright.   New York: Harcourt, 1969.   Rpt. in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Richard Wright's Native Son: Modern Critical Interpretations.   New York: Chelsea House, 1988. Moss, Robert F.   "Caged Misery."   Saturday Review.   Jan. 21, 1978, 45-7.   Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 14.   Detroit: Gale, 1980. Skerrett, Joseph T., Jr.   "Composing Bigger: Wright and the Making of Native Son." in Richard Wright's   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Native Son:   Modern Critical Interpretations.   New York: Chelsea House, 1988. Wright, Richard.   Black Boy.   New York: Harper, 1944. _____.   "How Bigger Was Born."   Saturday Review.   June 1, 1940, n.pag.   Rpt. in Native Son.   New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   York: Harper, 1940. _____.   Native Son.   New York: Harper, 1940. _____.   The Outsider.   New York: Harper, 1953. _____.   Uncle Tom's Children.   New York: Harper, 1936.

Data Communications Essay

Differentiate between an analog and a digital electromagnetic signal. What are three important characteristics of a periodic signal. What is the relationship between the wavelength and frequency of a sine wave. Define fundamental frequency. What is the relationship between a signal’s spectrum and its bandwidth. What is attenuation? Define channel capacity. What key factors affect channel capacity? Problems: Figure 1 shows the frequency domain function for a single square pulse. The signal pulse could represent a digital 1 in a communications system. Note that an infinite number of higher frequencies of decreasing magnitudes is needed to represent the single pulse. What implication does that have for a real digital transmission system? Suppose that a digitised TV picture is to be transmitted from a source that uses a matrix of 480 x 500 picture elements (pixels), where each pixel can take on one of 32 intensity values. Assume that 30 pictures are sent per second. (This digital source is is roughly equivalent to broadcast TV standards that have been adopted.) Find the source rate R (bps) Assume that the TV picture is to be transmitted over a channel with 4.5Mhz bandwidth and a 35dB signal-to -noise ratio. Find the capacity of the channel (bps). Discuss how the parameters given in part (a.) could be modified to allow transmission of colour TV signals without increasing the required value for R. What is the channel capacity for a teleprinter channel with a 300Hz bandwidth and a signal-to-noise ratio of 3dB, where the noise is white thermal noise? A digital signalling system is required to operate at 9600bps. If a signal element encodes a 4-bit word, what is the minimum required bandwidth of the channel? Repeat part (a .) for the case of 8-bit words. Given the narrow (usable) audio bandwidth of a telephone transmission facility, a nominal SNR of 56dB (400,000), and a certain level of distortion, What is the theoretical maximum channel capacity (kbps) of traditional telephone lines? What can we say about the actual maximum channel capacity? Given a channel with an intended capacity of 20Mpbs, the bandwidth of the channel is 3MHz. Assuming white thermal noise, what signal-to-noise ratio is required to achieve this capacity? If an amplifier has a 30dB voltage gain, what voltage ratio does the gain represent? An amplifier has an output of 20W. What is the output in dBW? Answers: Short Questions With guided media, the electromagnetic waves are guided along an enclosed physical path whereas unguided media provide a means for transmitting electromagnetic waves but do not guide them. A continuous or analog signal is one in which the signal intensity varies in a smooth fashion over time while a discrete or digital signal is one in which the signal intensity maintains one of a finite number of constant levels for some period of time and then changes to another constant level. Amplitude, frequency, and phase are three important characteristics of a periodic signal. The relationship is ÃŽ »f = v, where ÃŽ » is the wavelength, f is the frequency, and v is the speed at which the signal is traveling. The fundamental frequency is the lowest frequency component in the Fourier representation of a periodic quantity. The spectrum of a signal is the frequencies it contains while the bandwidth of a signal is the width of the spectrum. Attenuation is the gradual weakening of a signal over dis tance. The rate at which data can be transmitted over a given communication path, or channel, under given conditions, is referred to as the channel capacity. Bandwidth, noise, and error rate.

Biography of Col. Ellison Onizuka, Challenger Astronaut

Biography of Col. Ellison Onizuka, Challenger Astronaut When the space shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986, the tragedy took the lives of seven astronauts. Among them was Col. Ellison Onizuka, an Air Force veteran and Nasa astronaut who became the first Asian-American to fly to space. Fast Facts: Ellison Onizuka Born: June 24, 1946 in Kaelakekua, Kona, HawaiiDied: January 28, 1986 in Cape Canaveral, FloridaParents: Masamitsu and Mitsue OnizukaSpouse: Lorna Leiko Yoshida (m. 1969)Children: Janelle Onizuka-Gillilan, Darien Lei Shuzue Onizuka-MorganEducation: Bachelors and Masters degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado  Career: Air Force pilot, NASA AstronautFamous Quote: Your vision is not limited by what your eyes can see, but by what your mind can imagine. Many things that you take for granted were considered unrealistic dreams by previous generations. If you accept these past accomplishments as commonplace then think of the new horizons that you can explore. From your vantage point, your education and imagination will carry you to places which we won’t believe possible. Make your life count- and the world will be a better place because you tried. On the wall of the Hawaii Challenger Center. Early Life Ellison Onizuka was born under the name Onizuka Shoji in Kaleakekua, near Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii, on June 24, 1946. His parents were Masamitsu and Mitsue Onizuka. He grew up with two sisters and a brother, and was a member of Future Farmers of America and the Boy Scouts. He attended Konawaena High School and often talked about how he would dream about flying out to the stars that he could see from his home on the island.   Education Onizuka left Hawaii to study engineering at the University of Colorado, receiving a bachelors degree in June 1969 and a masters degree a few months later. That same year he also married Lorna Leiko Yoshida. The Onizukas had two daughters: Janelle Onizuka-Gillilan and Darien Lei Shizue Onizuka-Morgan.   After graduation, Onizuka joined the United States Air Force and served as a flight test engineer and test pilot. He also focused on systems security engineering for a number of different jets. During his flying career, Onizuka gained more than 1,700 flight hours. While in the Air Force, he trained at the Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California. While racking up flying time and testing jets for the Air Force, he also worked on systems for a number of experimental military aircraft.   Onizukas NASA Career The crew assigned to the STS-51C mission included (kneeling in front left to right) Loren J. Schriver, pilot; and Thomas K. Mattingly, II, commander. Standing, left to right, are Gary E. Payton, payload specialist; and mission specialists James F. Buchli, and Ellison L. Onizuka. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on January 24, 1985 at 2:50:00 pm (EST), the STS-51C was the first mission dedicated to the Department of Defense (DOD).   NASA Ellison Onizuka was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1978 and left the Air Force with a rank of lieutenant colonel. At NASA, he worked on the shuttle avionics integration laboratory team, mission support, and, while in space, managing payloads on orbit. He took his first flight on STS 51-C aboard the shuttle Discovery in 1985. It was a top-secret flight to launch a payload from the Department of Defense, the first classified mission for the orbiters. That flight also heralded another first by making Onizuka the first Asian-American to fly in space.  The flight lasted for 48 orbits, giving Onizuka 74 hours on orbit. Ellison Onizuka (left) in flight with Loren Shriver, during his first shuttle mission.   NASA Onizukas Final Mission His next assignment was on STS 51-L, set to launch Challenger into orbit in January 1986. For that flight, Onizuka was assigned mission specialist duties. He was joined by teacher-in-space selectee Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Ronald McNair, Michael J. Smith, Judith Resnik, and Dick Scobee. It would have been his second flight to space. Unfortunately, Col. Onizuka perished along with his crewmates when the spacecraft was destroyed during an explosion 73 seconds after launch. Crew of Space Shuttle Challenger X (L-R front row) astronauts Smith, Scobee, McNair (L-R rear) Onizuka, payload specialist/teacher McAuliffe, payload spec. Jarvis astronaut Resnik, Johnson Space Center. The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images / Getty Images Honors and Legacy Most people at NASA who worked with him remember Colonel Onizuka as an explorer. He was a man with a great sense of humor, and someone who often encouraged people, particularly young students to use their imagination and intellect as they pursued their careers. During his short career, he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, and the National Defense Service Medal. After his death, Col. Onizuka was honored in a variety of ways, including the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. He was raised to the rank of Colonel in the Air Force, an honor given to those who lose their lives in service. Col. Onizuka is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. His accomplishments have been memorialized on buildings, streets, an asteroid, a Star Trek shuttlecraft, and other science and engineering-related buildings. Various institutions, including the Gemini Observatories and other facilities in Hawaii, hold annual Ellison Onizuka days for engineering and science symposia. The Challenger Center Hawaii maintains a salute to his service to his country and to NASA. One of two airports on the Big Island is named for him: the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole. Astronomers also recognize his service with the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy. Its a support center at the base of Mauna Kea, where a number of the worlds best observatories are located. Visitors to the center are told his story, and a plaque dedicated to him is mounted on a rock where everyone can see it as they enter the station.   Onizuka was a popular speaker, and returned several times to his alma mater in Boulder, Colorado, to speak to students about becoming an astronaut.   Onizukas Soccer Ball Ellison Onizukas soccer ball, retrieved after the Challenger disaster, flies aboard the International Space Station during Expedition 49. NASA One of the more poignant of Ellison Onizukas memorials is his soccer ball. It was given to him by his daughters soccer team, which he also coached, and was something he wanted to take to space, so he stowed it away on board the Challenger as part of his personal allotment. It actually survived the explosion that destroyed the shuttle and was eventually picked up by the rescue teams. The soccer ball was stored, along with all the other astronauts personal effects. Eventually, the ball made it back to the Onizuka family, and they presented it to Clear Lake High School, where the Onizuka daughters attended school. After some years in a display case, it made a special trip to orbit aboard the International Space Station during Expedition 49 in 2016. Upon its return to Earth in 2017, the ball made its way back to the high school, where it remains as a tribute to the life of Ellison Onizuka.   Sources â€Å"Colonel Ellison Shoji Onizuka.† Colorado Center for Policy Studies | University of Colorado Colorado Springs, www.uccs.edu/afrotc/memory/onizuka.â€Å"Ellison Onizuka, First Asian-American Astronaut, Brought Hawaii to Space.† NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/ellison-onizuka-first-asian-american-astronaut-brought-hawaiian-spirit-space-n502101.NASA, NASA, er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/onizuka.htm.â€Å"The inside Story of the Soccer Ball That Survived the Challenger Explosion.† ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/23902766/nasa-astronaut-ellison-onizuka-soccer-ball-survived-challenger-explosion.