Research Paper-Privacy essays

Research Paper-Privacy essays Advances in technology and new emerging technology have caused many privacy advocate groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, to start voicing real concerns about privacy.(no your not paranoid p. 512) Powerful surveillance equipment such as face recognition software and programs used by website owners to monitor where people go on their websites, have caused much controversy.(The Issues p. 509) Also newer technology like genetic information, which has no real laws safeguarding its privacy has raised real concern among lawmakers.(Fighting Genetic Discrimination p. 522) Many laws are present to protect citizens from the government, i.e. the bill of rights, but no laws exist to protect the consumer from large companies. This lack of protections has put many consumers in a dangerous position, while lawmakers fail to keep up with emerging technology businesses are profiting.(Data-Collection p.958) We should be worried about this, agrees Mary Griffin, counsel for the Consumers U nion of the United States. People just dont know how little privacy protection they have when it comes to this stuff. (qtd. in Data-Collection p.958) Many Americans take privacy for granted they often expect it to be respected everywhere. Though this has not always been the case. During the lives of our founding fathers there was less privacy than one would think of today. In many towns and villages there were laws prohibiting individuals from living alone. (Background p.516) According to Patrick Marshall of CQ Researcher records in Middlesex Country, Mass. have shown that courts ordered the search of residences looking for single persons in 1668. He also adds that during the 1600s and 1700s there were no ceilings over rooms in many towns like Boston so what was said could be heard by all. During the construction of our constitution there was only concern over the government invading privacy so it was not un...

The Wuthering Heights Review

The 'Wuthering Heights' Review When Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights was first published in 1847, under the name of Ellis Bell, it received mixed reviews. Although some critics saw the potential evident in the cyclical plot and other literary devices, many others were shocked and dismayed by the unashamedly dark storyline. Different for the Era To be sure, Wuthering Heights was a very different book than what was generally considered acceptable during that era. In direct contrast to Emily Brontes novel, Susannah Rowsons Charlotte Temple (1828) tells the story of a young lady who permits her beau to steal her away in the middle of the night. Predictably, he impregnates her and then abandons her, after which she dies of a broken heart. As was common in novels of the era, Charlotte Temple used a fictional story to instruct its readers―primarily young ladies―in what was expected of them. Flawed Characters In Wuthering Heights, one of the main female characters dies of what could also be considered a broken heart, but the effect is a very different one from that of Charlotte Temple. Instead of presenting an overly sentimental worst-case scenario meant to frighten its readers onto the straight-and-narrow, Wuthering Heights seduces its readers with its dark passion and misguided characters. Both Heathcliff and Catherine are flawed characters, but their flaws intrigue the reader just as surely as they repel. If there is any lesson to be learned after Catherines death, it is the folly of denying your hearts greatest passion―a mistake completely at odds with the cause of Charlotte Temples downfall. Controversy Obscurity Due to the novels tumultuous passion, the book received a mixture of responses. Eventually, those who were scandalized by the books inappropriateness won out, and Emily Brontes only novel was buried in literary obscurity. Decades later, when Wuthering Heights was revived by the interest of modern scholars, the unique literary devices used in the work began to earn more attention than its soap opera-like tale of obsession and loss. Although the second part of the novel―the part that chiefly concerns Catherine and Heathcliffs respective children―is frequently overlooked in retellings and screen adaptations, many contemporary critics believe it holds the key to Emily Bronte’s real literary genius. The first generation of children―Catherine, her brother Hindley, and the gypsy child Heathcliff―had led miserable lives, and both Catherine and Hindley died young as payment for their misguided passions. As a result of Heathcliffs scheming prior to Hindleys death, he has inherited the Earnshaw home, as well as the care of Hindleys son, Hareton. After the death of Heathcliffs estranged wife―Catherine’s husband’s sister, his own son, Linton, comes to live with him as well, setting in motion his final push for revenge. Generations The highlight of the second part of the book is when Heathcliff effectively kidnaps Catherines daughter, who is called Cathy. With the three children now all under one roof, the latter half of the book parallels the beginning, when Catherine, Hindley, and Heathcliff were all children together in the same house. However, whether by a twist of fate or Heathcliffs mistreatment of the boy, Haretons demeanor and place in the household resembles Heathcliffs childhood persona more than that of his own father, while Linton is so weak and sickly that he is the perfect opposite of Heathcliff.Despite the clear similarities to the old rivalries, though, the children begin to converge, rather than to follow in the footsteps of their parents. Maddened by a desire for revenge, Heathcliff attempts to play them against one another, forcing Cathy to marry Linton so that he may inherit the neighboring property that belongs to his rival, Catherines widower. Linton dies soon after. After Heathcliffs own death, the tale comes full circle: the estates return to their rightful heirs, Hareton and the younger Cathy fall in love, and Heathcliff’s legacy of revenge disappears almost without a trace. Complex Storytelling Despite its early reception, the combination of unbridled passion and a complex storytelling form makes Wuthering Heights a favorite in many modern literary circles. The darkness of the story and the lack of accompanying moral teachings shocked many of its contemporaries, while the intricacies of the cyclical plot―the destruction and ultimate reunification of the families―were overlooked until recent decades. A novel that combines masterful literary devices with all of the scandals of a soap opera, Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights was a drama far ahead of its time.

Is liberal democracy the best government system Critically assess Essay

Is liberal democracy the best government system Critically assess - Essay Example Bell (2006) extrapolates that, theoretically, one system can be perceived to be better than the other but in an ideal setting, and this may be otherwise. Deutsch & Soffer (1987) argue that this is because it is subjective to describe or define something to be the best as it depends on the modalities employed in the evaluation. North Korea Republic can be used as a case study since some may perceive its tyrant military to be oppressive and as the worst system of governance which suppresses the private sector and infringes the fundamental rights of its citizens (Eagles, Johnston & Holoman, 2004). According to Deutsch & Soffer (1987), liberal democracy can be described as a form or type of governances where principles related to liberalism are upheld and valued. The main principle of liberalism is the provision of protection rights of persons. In addition, these principles are usually embedded in the laws of nations that practice this form of government. On the other hand, Eagles, Johnston & Holoman (2004) illuminate that the features of liberal democratic countries are the existence of elections that are deemed free, fair and competitive among different existing political parties; separations of power between the various facets of government; and the application of rules of law in daily activities. The rights of the civilians, and humans, as well as freedom are not only highly embraced and protected. Bell (2006) point out that countries that practice this form of government usually have a constitution that stipulates the way in which its citizens are governed. Chan (2004) ex plains that the constitution can either be in written form or unwritten form. There are various constitutional forms of liberal democracies. For instance, some countries practice the republican constitutional forms of governance such as the US while others practice the constitutional monarch such as the United Kingdom. Eagles,

Learning styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Learning styles - Essay Example This climate has led to an interest in the learning styles of students. There are four main styles of learner, identified by Kolb and developed his Learning Style Inventory (LSI) to establish an individuals relative emphasis on each of the four styles. Kolbs LSI is based on the work of John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, and Jean Piaget. John Dewey emphasized the need for learning to be grounded in experience. Kurt Lewin stressed the importance of active learning, and Jean Piaget articulated a theory of intelligence as the result of the interaction of a person and his or her environment (Jarvis, Holford, Griffin, 2003, 171). Kolbs learning style model separated learners on the basis of four steps of learning defined from a two-dimensional model. The first dimension is based on task, and the second dimension is based on the soul or ego. The dimension based on task ranges from performing tasks to observing tasks. The model is usually shown with the task dimension displayed horizontally and the soul dimension displayed vertically. The four resulting quadrants are labeled with four steps to learning and four personal learning styles. The four steps to learning are labeled (1) concrete experience, (2) reflective observation, (3) abstract conceptualization, and (4) active experimentation. The four personal learning styles are (1) theorists, (2) pragmatists, (3) activists, and (4) reflectors (Race, 2005, 52). The personal learning style labeled theorist represents a person who likes to learn using abstract conceptualization and reflective observation. Theorists strength lies in the ability to create theoretical models. They prefer case studies regarding Accountancy or law, theory readings, and thinking alone. This learning style is characteristic of those gravitating toward basic science and mathematics. The theorist adapts and integrates observations into complex but logically sound

Is evil really the nature of mankind Essay Example for Free

Is evil really the nature of mankind Essay Is evil really the nature of mankind? Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Man is assumed to have morals. Morality can be defined as the ability to come up with ruled and adhere to them to the letter coupled with the ability to discern right from wrong. This raises the question whether man does wrong on purpose. Is man born evil in nature? People will go to great lengths just to fulfill their personal desires even if it goes against all morality. This essay seeks to show the depravity of man as epitomized in the allegory Young Goodman Brown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The allegorical tale was set in the Puritan setting of the early 17th century. The writer sought to expose human depravity through the main character. Human beings hide behind masks to cover up their tracks. In modern day society people engage in all sorts of activities and use their positions, family legacy and upbringing as cover up. Goodman is a symbolic representation of this. He embarks on a journey to the witches’ meeting while he proclaims an upbringing that condemns such acts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The choice of diction, characters and colloquial expressions such as Faith and Young Goodman explicitly exemplify the paradoxical nature of man. During the setting of the novel, the Salem trials in which witches were executed were taking place. Man engages in practices that are biblically and morally evil. The minister, Deacon Gooking and Goody Cloyse are all involved in the cult. This exposes man’s folly evil nature since even those who are perceived as the righteous in society engage in questionable practices.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story explicitly exposes follies in society. It is also a means in which the writer sympathizes with the beliefs and society in the Puritan religion. The church elders in the community take part in witchcraft. The story is arguably one of the best since it ridicules as well as exposes the evil nature of man. References Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown. Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Library, 1996. Source document

Goya: Truth and War Essays -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   GOYA: Truth and War On May 2nd 1808 the people of Madrid revolted against the French troops occupying their city. The following day the French retaliated. In the remembrance of this event Francisco de Goya painted The Third of May. The horrific scene takes place at night on a deserted hillside. The feeling of horror is conveyed by the churoscuro use of lighting. Painted with intense emotional expression the Spaniards stand before there deaths. The soldiers before them lined up with guns in hand and ready to fire. The Spaniard facial expression and body language differ slightly which conveys the methodical process of execution that each victim faced before and after their death. It is uncertain weather or not Goya acctually witnessed these events. In any case his depiction of this event paints a horrific and dramatic picture, which evokes emotion that is quit undeniable. As in some of his other works Goya represents the brutal truth of warfare.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Goya’s earlier work consists of the irrational or macabre, exploring worlds of dark fantasy. Paintings such as St. Francis and Borgia Exorcising or The Bogeyman is Coming represent his preoccupation with the unknown or strange. Goya’s work focuses on both the potentials of human behaviour and the strang and unusual qualities of fantasy and reality. Observing an earlier painting such as The Bogeyman is Coming in comparison to the Third of May, Goya makes a shift in subject matter from an imagined fantasy to a real life event. Although this change has occurred his element of the macabre are still present. The immediate impression of The Third of May is of terror and immoralized human behavior. The central figure holds out his arms like a man crucified with the body language of defiance. Bright whites and yellows are used in contrast to his surroundings contributing to the dramatic image. The Spaniard’s faces are drawn in detail giving each figure an identity. Their facial expressions show fear and despair. No longer is Goya using elements of horror and drama to represent an imagined event. This is a picture of reality, an event that occurred with every amount of terror and emotion that ... ...pics were somewhat alike but their approach and effect were quit different.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Likely to be influenced by Jacques Callot’s earlier works such as Les Caprices, Les Bohemiens, and Les Grandes Miseres de la Guerre, Goya completed The Disasters of War. These were the accounts of violence that Goya recorded during France’s presence in Spain. It consisted of eighty etchings and wasn’t published until 1863. In these etchings Goya illustrates the horrible war-like violence that took place in Spain. These images are done with the same pitiless honesty that Goya used in the Third of May. Obscure, curious and irrational elements were still apparent in his art.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his eighty-two year life span Goya painted images that were sinister, dark, dramatic and tragic but at the same time intriguing and truthful. Goya’s depictions of war were honest delving into human behavior and wars brutal immoralizing of human action. Goya found violence and degradation in life and humanity. His portrayal of these elements in his paintings communicated to his viewers the undeniable truths of humanity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko Assessment Dashiell Lieberman I would like to answer this question not as the Dashiell we all know and love but as an existential Dashiell. As an existentialist I would want the truth and the facts; that is a lot different than wanting an explanation. An existentialist doesn't believe that everything needs an explanation and a reason. They believe in the cold hard truth and facts like the great existential characters Donnie Darko and Mersault of The Stranger, who died for representing the ultimate truth like Christ.So the truth I seek for my one day outside of reality is the creation of the world, the universe and who or what is the creator. Everything else in this world has been altered and corrupted by man and society but not the beginning; that is true and untouched. I want to know the overall truth of the world, the great mystery that the whole world has wondered. The origin of everything is my biggest wonder as a man just looking for the truth with no explanations o r interpretations.I would travel through time and space searching and observing the creation of everything that has come to be. I would love to talk to the creator, if so, and just ask him some casual questions or learn of our scientific origins and it's amazement. If I had this one day I wouldn't waste it by doing insignificant things to make me happy for an hour; I would go big of course, I mean really big. I want these hours of freedom to change my life forever giving me the ultimate truth of the world so as an existentialist I can be satisfied knowing that there is no meaning or maybe there is.

The Impact of Social Media Marketing in Marketing Communication Opportunities: in Context of Dell

Table of Content No. | Content| Page Number| 1. | Table of Content| 1| 2. | Abstract| 2| 3. | Introduction| 3| 4. | Literature Review | 4| 5. | Dell Business Model| 7| 6| Impact of Social Media Marketing in Dell Current Communication Process| 8| 7. | Challenges of Social Media Marketing in the Marketing Environment | 11| 8. | Benefits of Social Media Marketing in the Marketing Environment| 13| 9. | Conclusion| 15| 10. | References| 16| 2. Abstract Social media marketing is no longer a foreign to business marketer nowadays. This paper will examine the impact of social media marketing on the marketing communication opportunities in context of Dell in the United States. Basically, this assignment will be begun with the introduction which generally explains about the emergence of social media. Next, several literature reviews will be provided to explain on the marketing communication process and how social media marketing impacted on the Dell current communication process. Then, several challenges and benefits of social media marketing will be illustrated at the end of this paper. Keywords: [social media marketing, marketing communication process, media vehicle, consumers, message] 3. Introduction Undeniably, revolution of socio-technological has significantly changed the ways and means of media consumption. From super-fast digitally empower laptops to mobile eBook readers. All of these aspects have affected how business (brands) and consumers communicate and thus influence the way of marketing communications will be functioning. One of the most significant evolutions when people talk about marketing tools or strategies is the emergence of social media marketing. Fundamentally, social media marketing is a way of connecting with consumers by means of the current technology (i. e. The Internet). As of now, there are more than 800 million active users in Facebook, over 3 billion videos are viewed per day and 100 million people use Twitter every single day. Having all social media channel available for consumers, this provides consumers with plenty of choices in products and services in the market. Alongside, social media marketing has impacted on businesses marketing communication opportunities. 4. Literature Review The emergence of new communication channels via the Internet has tremendously affect businesses way of marketing strategies (Owen and Humphrey, 2009). One of the most significant developments to the marketers is the effects from the Internet evolution from the generation of Web 2. 0 or social media as a media vehicle to deliver the message to the target market (Constantinides et al. 2008). Social media marketing in this context is the opportunities provided for business to communicate with the society, with the help of the organizations’ brand, thus resulting in building a positive connection and develop brand influence through the Internet as the medium of communication (Pandey, 2010). Murphy (2010) mentioned that a good marketing strategy occurs when organization or marketer using the right communication channels or media to send the right message and reac hing the right market. Therefore, it is vital for marketer to understand the communication process when using social media as the media vehicle in the marketing communication. Kotler (n. d. , p. 546) mentioned that there are several elements that involved in the communication process in order to determine effective communication. The major two parties in the communication are the sender (marketer) and receiver (market). Another major communication tool is the media vehicle or media channel which carries the message to the receiver. Alongside the communication parties and media vehicle, there are four major communication functions; encoding, decoding, response and feedback. Finally, the element of noise also interferes in the communication process. Dargiewicz (2010) suggested that in order to communicate in an effective way, the sender must have an understanding of the point of the message, who are the target audience to be reached and how the audience will interpret and respond to the message. Schramm’s model of communication points out that the sender’s ncoding process must be coherent with the target audiences’ decoding process, whereby, the more marketer field of experience overlaps with the target markets’ field of experience, the higher is the effectiveness of process of communication (Dargiewicz, 2010; Holm, 2006). The matches of both parties’ experiences are called the Shared Frame of Reference. Figure 1: Willbur Schramm model Source: Dargiewicsz, K. (2010) Monologue vs Dialogue: How Innovative Social Media Technology Developing Effective Marketing Communication Strategies [online]. Available at http://www. slideshare. et/guywithideas/social-media-dissertation [Accessed 15th December 2011] The high level of trust associated with social media as the media vehicle makes social media is highly acceptable among the target audiences compared to traditional media vehicle such as televisions, newspapers, billboard and etc. (Inklingmedia, n. d. ). Mohr and Nevin (1990), bring up that, the absent of trust may distort the message that is being sent. According to DesignDamage (n. d. ), social media fosters a highly transactional model of communication which it allows two-way communication through the feedback mechanism that traditional media not able to offer. Traditional media vehicles were also argued to be a merely one-way process communication, whereby, the message is not clearly communicated or received by the target audience in most of the time (Dargiewicz, 2010). The Shared Frame of Reference suggested by Willbur Schramm model is integrated with social media because it offers consumers to share their experience in the communication process. Calder and Malthouse (2005) supports that everything that influence the customer’s experience is a potential marketing vehicle. Therefore, in order to illustrate the theory of social media marketing in context of organization, this paper will look at the impact of social media marketing in Dell Corporation in the United States. 5. Dell Business Model The founder of Dell Computer Incorporation is Michael Dell in 1984. Dell’s primary products are personal and office computers and business of Dell also engages in other products such as printers and software. A feature that determines PC companies such as Dell to manage their products is through standardization of PCs. The main benefit of standardization is that it helps Dell to reduce the cost of productions. However, when Dell adopted standardization strategy, it made Dell more generic with other PCs companies such as IBM, Compact and Hewlett-Packard since most of PCs companies had access to the same suppliers such as Intel and Microsoft. Therefore, Dell started a new direct business model based on customization approach that enables computers or laptops to be produced according to customers’ requirements in order to be more competitive. However, standardization approached has still remained in Dell’s business model. The customization approach varies its products from customer to another customer without changing the brand name. Having customization strategy in Dell business model, Dell has to eliminate third party as the middle-man and sell its products directly to the final customer, whether the commercial customers or private users. Such business model allows Dell to reach more clients and business units and cut cost with simplify supply chain. Unfortunately, Dell is facing even a bigger issue to balance out the standardization and customization approach as there is no one perfect method. According to The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (n. d. ), customer is the key economic driver to what Dell is doing. Therefore, Dell extended its approach to engage with their customers through the social media marketing to market their brand and communicate with their customers. 6. Impact of Social Media Marketing on Current Dell Communication Process Many companies including Dell, have realized that social media is a new platform for communication. Dell’s key policy is always being a direct and effective in terms of its communications. Dell and digital communication through the internet was never separated since it started to conduct e-commerce business which selling its customized products directly to the customer. Since Dell engaging the blogosphere in 2006, social media marketing has always been its core communication and marketing strategies. According to Dave (2011), social media efforts at Dell helps to sustain the business objectives such as aim to reduce cost, increase revenue and enhance customers’ satisfaction. According to Blythe (2000), the first key of effective communication is to identify the target audience. Social media marketing provide opportunities for dell to separate their target audiences according to social media channel. For example, Dell Community has a mixture of blogs that reflects several key channels. This includes discussion on education to business consultation. Different range of blogs that provided by Dell ensures that information and discussion would be used to cater several specification of audiences. In a same way, Dell has different kinds of Twitter channels to reflect different purposes. Correspond to Dell Cares, it provides assistance to the customer on any matter related to the Dell’s products. This portrays how Dell has separated its branding strategy and how various Twitter accounts perceived differently by the audiences. Therefore, Dell will be able to encode the right message such marketing campaign, to the specific target audience through the right social media channel. There are many other brands out there in the market today compared to in the past. Dargiewicz (2010) points out that all are trying to communicate a large number of messages to their target audience daily, which interfering the target audience to get the right message across. Thus, social media has changed the communication landscape in providing opportunities for Dell to have a two-way communication with its customers. A good communication is the role of the encoders’ and decoder’s skill and its portrayed by the medium which the encoded message is delivered. Realized the effectiveness of social media as the medium of communication, Direct2Dell was launched by Dell, its very own corporate blog through Twitter. Its social media efforts have provided a two-way asymmetric communications, whereby, target audiences able to provide feedback content such as ratings and reviews with regards to the issues of Dell’s products. Moreover, the feedback provided by the customer is in real-time, whereby, the feedback is come directly from customers and Dell able to value their products. For instance, product that has five-stars rating should stay and two-star ratings should be removed. According to Pickton and Broderick (2001, p. 182), feedback will improve the accuracy of the communication to ensure that message has been correctly received and understood, which is one of the reasons why social media is a powerful communication vehicle in Dell communication process. Plus, the CEO of Dell Computer, emphasized that company must be able to listen and connect with its customers and emergence of social media has provided Dell the opportunity to engage with its customers (Farrelly, 2009). Given the feedback mechanism that social media can offer, Dell’s has taken a major step to establish a â€Å"Social Media Listening Command Center† in order to stay connected with its customers. Channey (2009) points out that listening are no longer an option but rather a new marketing. Listening is crucial in the communication process because it allows Dell to understand what customers want and how customers perceive the brand. Not only did social media marketing allow Dell to understand their customers, , Dell are able to discover about a massive amount of issues that consumers were having with their products through their blog monitoring platform. The system could track each of these and would instantly recognize trends between products, geographic areas, or specific communications with Dell. For instance, Dell proactively approach consumers in the blogosphere and in online community about battery recall, thus allow better response and rectify customer’s problem as quickly as possible. Plus, customers were also able to check whether their battery part of the recall. Furthermore, social media marketing has fostered high Shared Frame of Reference between the sender (marketer) and the receiver (audience) that influence effective communication. Dell has created online designed studio that gives the ability for its customers to change the design of their laptops by choosing a custom switchable lid themselves. Online designed studio has given Dell’s customers the opportunities to virtually experience the outcome of their customization laptop, thus, encourage Shared Frame of Reference between Dell and its customers. In addition, not only did social media marketing fostered high Shared Frame of Reference between the marketer and the audience but also among Dell customers. Dell has launched online community for its existing and potential customers to communicate and exchange information. According to Bazaarvoice (n. d. ), 90 percent of consumers online belief the recommendations from people they know and 70 percent belief the opinions of unknown users because people tend to trust and often seek the advice from another person or group of people over brands. This characteristic enables consumer to gather as much information about Dell’s related products and services before making purchase decision. Shaw et al. (2000, p. 152) added that a positive feedback can turn into a good promotion the brand of the product. This is why social media perceived to have a higher level of trust and it is more acceptable compared to other media. 7. Challenges of Social Media Marketing in the Marketing Environment Social media marketing has certainly influence the communication process of Dell with its consumer. However, there are several challenges that social media is facing in the marketing environment. Social media allows thousands of conversation streams to be addressed per day. Merely representing a team of marketers will not be able to handle such a great amount of conversation. Definitely, the number of marketers is not sufficient and it is more likely that these marketers are not equipped with comprehensively subject matter expertise that required them to communicate and respond at the proper level of reliable conversation. The consequence of ignoring this can be overwhelming. The risks of involving untrained employees to represents on behalf of Dell could jeopardize Dell reputation. Once Dell encouraged its employees to be active on blogs, Dell is exposed to the risk of staff members writing negatively and revealing confidential information about the organization. For example, in 2007, a former employee of Dell had posted a list of tips in a blog for customers who are searching for Dell products (Farrelly, 2009). The employee had no issues with Dell and just wanted to share information for customers such as the best time to purchase and how to get the greatest deal. Therefore, it is essential for Dell to have proper employees that have the ability to monitor and respond to its consumers’ thought. Additionally, due to high transparency in social media, competitors may know the strategies of Dell and consumers are more well-informed about Dell products and pricing strategy. Essentially, the engaging process with customers has always been in charged by the Dell marketing department. However, the trend has changed since the emergence of social media. The consumers are now communicating about the organization’s product with other online users who are not the employees. In fact, 66 percent of brand opinions are generated by customers and 34 percent are by blogger (Dave, 2011). The growing popularity of online communities has allow consumers to exchange information and able to compare with competitors’ prices without any barriers. This means Dell have lost their ability to control over on how and where their products and services are being presented to existing and potential customers. Moreover, any disappointed Dell customer able to share their negative judgment on particular products. The bad feedback posted on Twitter or Facebook can easily go viral as good news. For instance, in 2005, Jeff Jarvis, blogger and famous journalist and professor created a personal blog known as Dell Hell. Jeff had a problem with his Dell computer and frustrated with Dell customer service. Therefore, he expressed his frustration with Dell’s products and customer support on the blog. Dell Hell served as a place for other consumers to express their frustration on Dell. As for Dell, the situation has attracted the attention of other media from The New York Times, Business Week, The Houston Chronicle and many others, thus, reputation of Dell as the well-known brand for PCs was at disaster. Moreover, the social media habit or consumption of the young audience may differ compared to the previous generation. It has been a challenge for the marketers to develop marketing communication strategies in order to sync with this modern language to make sure that the transmitted brand messages are received and properly encoded across different age group. The young audiences who are called â€Å"digital natives† were raised up in the modern technological era. They have been adapted to the development and respond to information in a different way with their predecessors. Different to the young audience, the previous generations are known as â€Å"digital immigrants† because they are exposed with modern technologies only in the later stage compared to the young audience. They have different ways of understanding the language of social media. Therefore, this will be probably a challenge for businesses including Dell to strategize how to get the message across different age group through social media marketing. 8. Benefits of Social Media Marketing Although social media marketing have its disadvantages, it has also brought several values in the marketing environment. Firstly, due to the fact that social media has no barrier for communication; it has encouraged companies like Dell to allow customer participation in their marketing strategies. For example, Dell has created Dell’s IdeaStorm, one of the online Community blogs to encourage conversation with its existing and potential consumers. The benefit that the IdeaStorm is able to give is it allows crowdsourcing from the consumers. This is an effective way for Dell to obtain ideas for their company and more importantly, it provides a sense of belonging from onsumers because their opinion influences the internal decision making, thus increase their loyalty, brand awareness and reaffirm their positioning. Plus, not only social media provide suggestion to Dell, it also help other fellow customers to fix their problem. The process are similar to other social media, whereby, people join the community, recommend their opinions or ideas and then, Dell will respond to the most popular ideas accord ing to the number of votes. In addition, it also provides a free market research for Dell. This is a benefit for Dell because most of surveys conducted are deemed to be ineffective because it only focus on certain groups and also incur higher cost. Finally, social media marketing has also assist Dell in their pricing strategy. Since the consumers are more active in social media, Dell able to get their opinion and forecast the demand and price of their products. Plus, Dell product customization business model through the social media marketing can reduce their sales cycle. Different from short sales cycle, long sales cycles requires people at several stages of the buying process. Ironically, when salespeople are spending their time engaging new businesses and relationship to ensure that customers receive satisfactory answers, he or she is rather unproductive because company only creates money if customers are actually buying the products. This leading up to opportunity cost because the salesperson is not making any deals. Therefore, Dell able to reduce the marketing cost through social media marketing. 9. Conclusion In conclusion, Dell has continuously evaluated its business model to search for rooms of improvement and ways to enhance their customer service. Social media marketing has certainly influenced Dell in their marketing communication process and widened their reach to its existing and potential customers. In the early years of Dell in the blogosphere, Dell has effectively incorporated social media into its marketing and communications strategy and had been awarded for its efforts. Despite of the effort to integrate social media marketing into the business, social media marketing has its drawbacks. Dell cannot afford to put their brand reputation at risk and thus, must find ways to overcome the challenges. Today, Dell US is one f the top companies that is being respected and known as the citizen of the social media. Hence, Dell had applied this new establish knowledge to really change the culture and advance the marketing strategy while constantly being focus and direct with its customers. (3078 words) References 1. Bazaarvoice (n. d. ) Social Commerce Statistics [online]. Available at http://www. bazaarvoice. com/resources/stats [Accessed 16th December 2011] 2. Blythe, J. (2000) The Communication mix. In: Marketing Communications. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited 3. Calder, B. J. and Edward C. M. 2005) Managing Media and Advertising Change with Integrated Marketing, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol 45(4), pp. 356-361 [online]. Available at http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? sid=fe58d1b1-1a35-4d30-a99d-d1943e084662%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh&AN=20486625 [Accessed at 12th December 2011] 4. Channey, P. (2009) Social Media: Listening is the New Marketing [online]. Available at http://www. practicalecommerce. com/articles/976-Social-Media-Listening-is-the-New-Marketing [Accessed 15th December 2011] 5. Constantinides, E. et al. 2008) Social Media: A New Frontier for Retailer?. European Retail Research, Vol 22, pp. 1-28 [online]. Available at http://www. utwente. nl/mb/nikos/publications/ecpapers/constantinidessocialmedia. pdf [Accessed 14th December 2011] 6 . Dargiewicsz, K. (2010) Monologue vs Dialogue: How Innovative Social Media Technology Developing Effective Marketing Communication Strategies [online]. Available at http://www. slideshare. net/guywithideas/social-media-dissertation [Accessed 15th December 2011] 7. Dave, R. (2011) How to Engage in Social Media: A Dell Perspective [online]. Available at http://i. dell. om/sites/content/business/solutions/power/en/Documents/ps1q11-20110266-socialmedia. pdf [Accessed at 15th December 2011] 8. DesignDamage (n. d. ) The Secret to Social Media Communication [Online]. Available at http://www. designdamage. com/the-secret-to-social-media-communication-success/ [Accessed 12th December 2011] 9. Farelly, J. M. (2009) Digital Communication at Dell. Dartmouth College [Online]. Available at http://www. tuck. dartmouth. edu/cds-uploads/case-studies/pdf/6-0032. pdf [Accessed 10th December 2011] 10. Holm, O. (2006) Communication Processes in Critical Systems: Dialogue Concerning Communications. Journal of Marketing Practices: Applied Marketing Science, Vol 24(5), pp. 493-504 [online]. Available at http://www. emeraldinsight. com/journals. htm? articleid=1567118&show=abstract [Accessed 16th December 2011] 11. InklingMedia (n. d. ) Social Media vs Traditional Media [Online]. Available at http://inklingmedia. net/social-media/social-media-vs-traditional-media/ [Accessed 13th December 2011] 12. Kotler, P. (n. d. ) Integrated Marketing Communication Strategy , pp. 536-572 [Online]. Available at http://www. pearsoned. ca/highered/divisions/virtual_tours/kotler/kotler_ch13. pdf [Accessed 13th December 2011] 3. Mohr, J and Nevin, J. R. (1990) Communication Strategies in Marketing Channels: Theoretical Perspective. The Journal of Marketing, Vol. 54 (4), pp. 36-51 [online]. Available at http://www. jstor. org/stable/1251758? seq=1 [Accessed 15th December 2011] 14. Murphy, D. (2010) Traditional vs. New Media Channels [Online]. Available at http://masterful-marketing. com/marketing-cha nnel-strategy/ [ Accessed 12th December 2011] 15. Owen, R. and Humphrey, P. (2009) The Structure of Online Marketing Communication Channels. Journal of Management and Marketing Research, Vol 2, pp. 1-10 [online]. Available at http://www. abri. com/manuscripts/09135. pdf [ Accessed 13th December 2011] 16. Pandey, S. (n. d. ) Social Media Marketing and New Age Communication [Online]. Available at http://www. slideshare. net/sycamore/cfakepathsocial-mediacommimi [ Accessed 12th December 2011] 17. Pickton, D. and Broderick, A. (2001) Integrated Marketing Communications. Prentice Hall: Pearson Education. 18. Shaw, M. et al. (2000) Handbook on Electronic Commerce. Germany: Springer 19. 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A Bunch of Comments

A Bunch of Comments A Bunch of Comments A Bunch of Comments By Maeve Maddox The review post about â€Å"there is† and â€Å"there are† triggered so many comments about the word bunch that I decided to give the word a post of its own. Here’s the sentence that provoked the discussion: In his arms there are a whole bunch of corn husks. Some readers defended the plural verb, suggesting that speakers often use bunch to mean many. I suppose that when bunch is used figuratively to mean â€Å"a group of people,† treating it like committee or staff makes sense. Collective nouns like these may be either singular or plural, according to whether they are thought of as a unit or as a group of individuals: The committee has approved the plans. (singular) The committee are divided in opinion. (plural) The staff is attending a retreat in the Catskills. (singular) The staff are preparing their classrooms. (plural) Our bunch is going to the races on Friday. (singular) That bunch in Washington believe they are above the law. (plural) Note: The plural constructions in these examples are all flagged by Word as needing singular verbs. The earliest OED citation for bunch shows it used with the meaning â€Å"A protuberance, especially on the body of an animal.† For example, a 1398 reference to the camels of Arabia states that they have â€Å"two bunches on the back.† A character in Shakespeare’s Richard III (c.1593) refers to hunchbacked Richard as a â€Å"poisonous bunchback’d toad.† Bunch in the sense of bundle is cited in 1505: â€Å"For thy bed, take now one bunch of straw.† At one time, a bunch was a measurement that contained a certain quantity. For example, â€Å"a bunch of reeds† was â€Å"28 inches round.† In modern usage, a bunch is â€Å"a collection or cluster of things of the same kind, either growing together (as a bunch of grapes), or fastened closely together in any way (as a bunch of flowers, a bunch of keys); also a portion of a dress gathered together in irregular folds.† (OED) One reader asked to know if there is a difference between â€Å"a bunch† and â€Å"a whole bunch.† Both mean â€Å"a lot of.† â€Å"A whole bunch† is an intensification of â€Å"a bunch.† Neither expression belongs in formal writing. Just for fun, I entered the phrases â€Å"there is a bunch† and â€Å"there are a bunch† in the Google Ngram Viewer. â€Å"There is a bunch† has the graph all to itself from 1800 to 1865, when the first â€Å"there are a bunch† makes its appearance. The plural expression remains insignificant until the 1940s, when it begins to rise in frequency. In 1984, â€Å"there are a bunch† pulls ahead of â€Å"there is a bunch† and soars ahead until 2000, which is as far as the graph goes. There’s no knowing the context that produced the results on the Ngram chart. I mention it only as a curiosity. Bottom line: When the collection referred to by the word bunch is made up of people, a plural verb does not jar. When referring to bundles of straw, grass, grapes, cornhusks and the like, pair bunch with a singular verb. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Redundant Phrases to AvoidEmail EtiquettePreposition Mistakes #1: Accused and Excited

Short Block vs. Long Block vs. Crate Engines

Short Block vs. Long Block vs. Crate Engines The engine in a typical car should last a few hundred thousand miles, and some have hit even a million miles, depending on maintenance. However, manufacturing inconsistencies, lack of maintenance, or other circumstances can dramatically shorten the life of an engine, sometimes in spectacular ways. If you need to replace a damaged engine or upgrade your engine, you have a few choices to make. Short block vs. long block vs. crate engines- which should you choose? Not everyone has the time and tools required to fully rebuild or assemble an engine. Malkovstock / Getty Images The basic difference between a short block vs. long block vs. crate engines is their level of assembly. Of course, you could build your own engine, piece by piece, if you have the tools and knowledge or have a friend with a machine shop. If you’re building a race car, that’s a good way to go, but you wouldn’t likely build an engine from scratch for your daily driver. To shorten your vehicle’s downtime and reduce the level of complexity, you might choose a crate engine, long block, or short block. Basic Differences At its most basic, the difference between short block, long block, and crate engines is that each is progressively more expensive but requires less time and expertise to install. We’ll cover some of these differences and similarities, as well as instances when you might choose one over the other. Depending on tools, expertise, and budget, you may spend more or less time rebuilding your engine. MS Phil Speck / USANG Short Block Engine A short block engine is essentially just the engine block with a few major components. A short block engine usually includes, preinstalled, a new crankshaft with bearings and caps, new connecting rods, and new pistons. When installing a short block, you’ll need a master gasket kit so you can transfer parts from your old engine to the new short block, such as cylinder heads, oil pump, oil pan, timing sprockets and pulleys, timing belt or chain, camshafts, and intake and exhaust manifolds, as well as sensors and actuators. Choose a short block if the bottom end is damaged but the top end (cylinder heads) is in good condition and you have the time to swap over all the parts. Long Block Engine Depending on who makes it, the long block usually includes the short block with the cylinder heads preinstalled, most likely including timing components and anything behind them, such as the oil pump and camshafts. When installing a long block, you’ll need to transfer some parts from your old engine, such as the intake and exhaust manifolds, and some of the sensors and actuators. Choose a long block engine if there’s damage in the bottom and top end. Crate Engine Depending on who makes it, crate engines can range from long block to complete, including the oil pan, cylinder heads, intake and exhaust manifolds, sensors and actuators, maybe even the engine main harness. We’re referring to a complete engine, which is a good idea for those looking for a drop-in solution to their engine problems. No parts are transferred to the new engine, aside from the alternator, air-conditioning compressor, and engine mounts, which significantly reduces the time to install. Choose a crate engine or complete engine when time is of the essence or the engine has suffered extensive failures. Crate engines can also be custom-ordered, the weapon of choice for many enthusiasts who want more power from their custom cars. These are the three main categories of new engines you can buy for the typical project, but not the only ones. You might also consider used junkyard engines or remanufactured engines. Junkyard Engine A junkyard engine might be a good choice for your vehicle project. Julien Grosjean / Getty Images A junkyard engine might be a good choice if you are looking to save money. These usually come complete, hopefully with intact wiring, though each facility does things differently. If you have an engine-savvy friend, they can help you inspect the engine before you buy it. You-pick junkyards will require that you remove the engine yourself, so you can take as much care as you want to save the parts you need the most. Choose a junkyard engine if budget is of primary concern, but be aware that it might not come with any warranty and might have already been abused or neglected. Remanufactured Engine These used engines may be available in differing levels of assembly, from short block to long block or complete. The difference between a remanufactured or rebuilt engine is that they’ve been overhauled or at least certified by engine experts. They’re used and may have varying levels of new parts, are usually more expensive than junkyard engines but less expensive than crate engines, and usually come with a warranty. Choose a remanufactured engine if you’re not planning on rebuilding it yourself. Here, an engine is either ready for disassembly or reinstallation. PIXNIO Choosing between these different engines if you must replace or rebuild an engine needn’t be overwhelming. Considering your expertise, available tools, and budget, not to mention existing damage, choose the engine that best meets your needs. Still wondering which is best? Ask an engine-savvy friend or a trusted mechanic.

Case Study - New Supervisor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case Study - New Supervisor - Essay Example The most pressing issue for George is lack of planned strategy and organized way of working. The work lacks proper documentation of work and records of workers, including their work schedules, attendance and performance details. Hence to monitor the work performance and productivity, George needs to streamline the process and develop strategic plans to organize work schedules. These should be communicated across the employees. He should also define duties and emphasize on disciplined work culture where achieving targets is highlighted. He should also delegate duties so that junior managerial and administrative staff become well versed in the office processes. Most importantly, George must create a pool of talent based on skill and aligned work. This would enable the workforce to organize the schedules for optimal performance. There also needs to be constant communication across management and workforce so conflicts can be resolved early and amicably. From the remaining issues, the top priority of George would be to resolve the issue of Francine who had filed a grievance with the personal department against the assistant supervisor. As there was no organized way of working and office lacked proper records of employees work details, the case of Francine needs to be resolved early as she could easily have EEOC claim. George has huge burden of streamlining the work process and create facilitating work environment. Strong work culture ensures long term sustainable competitive advantage (Armstrong & Baron, 2005). Therefore strong teamwork needs to be promoted. Performance based incentives would be motivating factors for the workforce (Armstrong & Murlis, 2007). George also needs to develop well organized record keeping and documentation of office records. This would help to evaluate performance regularly and motivate workers for incentives and bonus. Moreover, creating talent pool would facilitate better

How Does Gender Bias Negatively Impact the Role of Men in Nursing Essay

How Does Gender Bias Negatively Impact the Role of Men in Nursing - Essay Example Gender bias negatively impacts the role of men in nursing by: Not all male nurses believe gender bias has had a negative impact on their career. But, fewer than 6% of the Registered Nurses in the United States today are men (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Considering approximately 49% of the population is male, the 6% figure indicates that bias may be impacting the entry and retention of men in the nursing field. Furthermore, Wilson (2005) in a study of Australian nursing students, found that in a three-year period, the average attrition rate for males in a university-based nursing program was 55.5% but only 45% for females. This, too, raises concerns about what is keeping men from entering or staying in the nursing field. One answer is gender bias. Gender bias, most succinctly defined by the higher education company McGraw-Hill, is "Behavior that results from the underlying belief in sex role stereotypes." (McGraw-Hill Education Company). Entire dissertations have been written defining sex role stereotypes. ... eotypes ("conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conceptions, opinions, or images") ("Stereotypes") based on the roles ("characteristic and expected social behaviors of an individual") ("Roles") based on sex/gender, traditionally male or female. Vogel, Wester, Heesacker, & Madon's (2003) finding that women and men act in accordance with social roles which are often segregated along gender lines helps summarize how sex role stereotypes are perpetuated. They continue, "Popular culture has embraced the idea that women and men are different. Self-help books, talk shows, and magazine articles routinely acknowledge large gender differences" With popular culture stressing distinct differences and roles for men and women, it is understandable that a career traditionally considered female would not be considered attractive to some men. To assess biases and the status of Men in Nursing in 2005, the research firm of Bernard Hodes Group performed an on-line survey, open to male nurses and nursing students, from October until December 2004 and received almost 500 responses (N=498) (Bernard Hodes Group, 2005). Of note were the men's responses to the question regarding their perceptions about nursing before entering the field. The top four responses, with percentages responding, to what they had as perceptions of men and nursing: Traditionally female dominated field (85%) Other professions perceived "more appropriate" (62%) Nursing salaries are not competitive with other careers (33%) Nursing is not an autonomous, decision-making profession (27%) The next most popular response, "Nursing doesn't provide much upward mobility" garnered only 16% of responses. It is evident that the perception - or stereotype - of a subservient female is still in place. The media does not