Society's Perception of Black Women Research Proposal

Society's Perception of Black Women - Research Proposal Example Many factors influence the way the society perceive the black women. Media, for instance, use images that portray black women as sex objects whose value based on their body appearance. These media portrayals are major contributors on the future of the black woman, the potential limitation of young adolescent opportunity to change the negative perception of appearance and sexuality as portrayed in the media. Most of the African American young girls are victims of perception created by such images. This research is currently relevant as Black women in the United States strive to end the negative attitudes in the society. This study seeks to assess the society’s perception of black women.Many factors influence the way the society perceive the black women. Media, for instance, use images that portray black women as sex objects whose value based on their body appearance. These media portrayals are major contributors on the future of the black woman, the potential limitation of youn g adolescent opportunity to change the negative perception of appearance and sexuality as portrayed in the media. Most of the African American young girls are victims of perception created by such images. This research is currently relevant as Black women in the United States strive to end the negative attitudes in the society. Â  The study will aim at determining society’s perception of black women. It will focus on the factors that contribute to the society’s perception of black women in the modern community setting in the United States.

A glimpse of Big Data Essay Example for Free

A glimpse of Big Data Essay â€Å"Big data is not a precise term; rather its a characterization of the never ending accumulation of all kinds of data, most of it unstructured. It describes data sets that are growing exponentially and that are too large, too raw or too unstructured for analysis using relational database techniques. Whether terabytes or petabytes, the precise amount is less the issue than where the data ends up and how it is used.†Cite from EMC’s report â€Å"Big data: Big opportunity to create business value†. When explosion happened in mobile network, cloud computing and internet technology, more and more different information appeared. In the past, the numerous terabyte data could be a disaster for any company, because it means high cost of storage and high performance CPU. However, in nowadays, companies discovered many facts they haven’t thought about these data before. Companies started to use data analytics technology to find business values from these terabyte or petabyte data. It seems to be a big opportunity instead of disaster for companies now. Data is not only defined as structured data. When we talking about big data, it could be categorized into three types of data: structured data, unstructured data, and semistructured data (Please see Chart I). Especially when internet and mobile internet developed rapidly, the unstructured data and semistructured data exploded. For example, a bank could draw a conclusion by analyze unstructured data to find out why number of churn increased. Most definitions of big data all talk about the size of data. However, size, or volume, is not the only characteristic of big data. There are other two characteristics, variety and velocity. Variety means big data generates from several of sources. Data type was no longer connected to structured data. According to the EMC’s report, most of big data related to unstructured data. Velocity means the speed of data production. Data was no long structured data which was stored in the structured database. Data could come from anywhere and anytime: mobile, censors, devices, manufacturing machine etc. The stream of data generates in real time. This means company’s action should be taken with this speed. Structured data| Structured data is organized in structure. These data can be read and stored by computer. The form of structured data is structured data base that store specific data by methodology of columns and rows. | Unstructured data| Unstructured data refers to the data without identified structure. For example, video, audio, picture, text and so on. These data also called loosely structured data. | Semistructured data| Semistructured data organized in semantic entities. The data’s size and type in one group could be different. For example, XML and RSS feeds. This data try to reconcile the real world with computer based database.| Chart I. Three types of data. Big data analytics Big data analytics is not a technique. It is a terms that contains a lot of technologies (See EXHIBITION I). Based on enterprise’s different requirement, each program will use different technology to analyze data. However, with the big data’s development, some of these techniques become popular and useful. On the basis of the exhibition II, advanced analytics, visualization, real time, in-memory databases and unstructured data have strong-to-moderate commitment and strong potential growth. The traditional techniques, for example, OLAP tools and hand-coded SQL, have gradually lost their place. When a bank want to find the reason why the number of customer churn increased, or marketing department decide to push precise advertisement to their customer, they need to analyze customer behavior. These data from customer service emails, phone call records, sales interview reports, login data from mobile devices, and so on. Almost all of these data cannot be analyzed by traditional data analytic techniques. That’s why these new techniques development so rapid and fierce. How a company adopt big data analytics? According to the article Big Data, Analytics and the Path from Insights to Value† published on MIT Sloan Management Review, the author categorized the company who used big data analytics into three stages (See Exhibition II). For most companies, it is easy to establish an enterprise data warehouses (EDW’s). However, how to interpret these data and finding the business value from these data become the most crucial factor for companies. Besides, so many techniques and tools behind the term big data. For any company who decide to adopt big data analytics, the leading obstacle is lacking of understanding of how to use analytics to improve their business. From the article, the author gave 5 recommendation to any company who wanted to adopt big data analytics. 1. Think Big. Focus on the biggest and highest value opportunities. Narrow down the options. 2. Start in the Middle. Within each opportunity, start with questions, not data. Company prefer to collect data and information at first place. In fact, start with questions could help company continue to narrow down the scope and define the most valuable direction. 3. Make analytics come alive. When Problem was defined, company need to apply analytics. Choosing the propriety tools to analyze the data. 4. Add, dong detract. Use centralized analytics. Every analysis is connected. 5. Build the parts, plan the whole. Big data from everywhere. The data will become more and more big and complex. Building the data infrastructure is crucial for big data analytics. Big Data, Big Opportunity When company decide to concern big data, it means every department are involved. Big data is not IT department’s or analysts’ responsibility. In fact, big data analytics need information and help from sales, marketing, RD, IT and even external sources. Today, number of companies have entered into big data market. The following chart lists some big organizations who have adopted big data analytics. Besides, some of them provide big data services to other companies These organizations are just the tip of the iceberg. When big data converted from Blue Ocean to Red Ocean, some of these organizations have turned into services provider. This become a future trend in big data area. Big data needs expensive hardware and labor cost. Not every company can afford that. Besides, big data involved so many different computer technologies, not everyone understood all these techniques. For that matter, there will be more and more companies try to seek big data service from external environment. Using the external big data platform or tools could reduce the cost for building a totally new technique teams. What the companies need to do is finding the problem, narrow down the scope and sending the needs to services provider. When they get the analysis result, they could use the valued result to take the next action. Furthermore, these services provider will not only focus on big companies. The new fashion is to provide friendly interface and easy to use product to individual customer. What behind big data will be still mystery for people, however, the face or terminal of big data will become more and more friendly and simple. There is an example: Twithink. Twithink is a program invented by a MIT group. They provide customized twitter behavior analysis for customer. This program could draw some conclusion by analysis the unstructured information on Twitter. They collected the gender, location, time, key words, images, etc. from tweets. Then they analysis these data under certain arithmetic to draw conclusions. The last research was the Election in 2012. The latest research is Gun Control discussion which still in progress. Problem and threats. Although big data has many opportunity and advantage for enterprises, it still has some disadvantages. The first crucial problem is privacy invasion. After you searched one product on Amazon, the next time when you login to Amazon, you will find the products you may interested which was Amazon pushed to you. This is called precise advertisement. However, you even didn’t know when amazon collected your information. Another example was Google Analyst, company embedded code into their website to collect people’s internet behavior. These things happened every day and everywhere. It is hard to argue this action is right or wrong. Maybe some are good. However, if personal data is sold or published by someone, it will affect individual’s daily life. It will become a crucial problem. The Second problem is information’s validity. According to the article â€Å"With big data comes big responsibilities† points out that â€Å"big data sets are never complete†. If data is insufficient, the analysis result would be invalid or distorted. The invalid information would guide company to wrong direction and cause a big loss. Thus, big data also has two side. How to use it to create more value for company is the first consideration for all managers. Reference 1. Office 2013 Brings BI, Big Data to Windows 8 Tablets. ZDNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2013. 2. Big Recognition for IBM Big Data. Smarter Computing Blog Big Recognition for IBM Big Data Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2013. 3. Big Data. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Jan. 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. 4. Structured Data. Webopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. 5. Unstructured Data. Webopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. 6. Group of EMC. Big Data: Big Opportunities to Create Business Value. Rep. EMC, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. 7. Philip Russom. Big Data Analytics. N.p.: TDWI, 2011. Print. 8. Lavalle, Steve. Big Data, Analytics and the Path from Insights to Value. MIT Sloan Management Review Winter 2011: 21-31. Web. 9. Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¦â€¢ °Ã¦  ®Ã¥ · ²Ã¦Ë† Ã§ º ¢Ã¦ µ ·Ã¯ ¼Å¸Ã¯ ¼ Ã¥â€¦ ¨Ã§ Æ'Ã¥  Ã¥â€ºâ€ºÃ¤ ¸ ªÃ¥ ¤ §Ã¦â€¢ °Ã¦  ®Ã¥â€¦ ¬Ã¥  ¸Ã¥â€¦ ¨Ã©  ¢Ã§â€ºËœÃ§â€š ¹Ã¯ ¼ . N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. 10. IBM InfoSphere Platform Big Data, Information Integration, Data Warehousing, Ma ster Data Management, Lifecycle Management Data Security. IBM InfoSphere Platform Big Data, Information Integration, Data Warehousing, Master Data Management, Lifecycle Management Data Security. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. 11. Amazon Web Services, Cloud Computing: Compute, Storage, Database. Amazon Web Services, Cloud Computing: Compute, Storage, Database. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. 12. Oracle Big Data Appliance. Oracle Big Data Appliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. 13. Google BigQuery Feedback on This Document. Google BigQuery. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. 14. EMC Greenplum Data Computing Appliance Data Warehousing, Data Analytics (FW).EMC Greenplum Data Computing Appliance Data Warehousing, Data Analytics (FW). N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. 15. Teradata. Data Appliance, Data Warehouse, Business Intelligence à ¢Ã‚€Â“. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. 16. Twithinks. TwiThinks. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. 17. Eria Naone. With Big Data Comes Big Responsibilities. N.p.: MIT Technology Review, n.d. 2011.

My Philosophy On Education :: Educational Teaching Teachers Essays

My Philosophy On Education Deciding on a career may be a hard decision for some people, but for me, it was easy. I have always known that I was going to be a teacher. There have been a variety of methods for teaching and learning introduced to me and I have developed my philosophy on education from them. Even though there have been many procedures presented to me related to education, only a few have facilitated me in choosing the way I plan to teach. My family is very education-oriented and education has always been an important asset in my life as well. So, I have always strove to learn and work hard for good grades during my school years. Many of my family members have graduated in the top portion of their classes. Most of them later worked for the board of education or went on to college to become a teacher. Since I have always been excited to learn and I loved school, as well as my teachers, I knew that being a teacher would be the best career for me. There are many things I would like to accomplish while I am a teacher. As a teacher, first of all, I hope to be as inspiring and encouraging like many of the teachers I had. Second, I want to make learning fun, but thought provoking. The third thing is that I would like to assist the students in comprehending what they are learning, not just to memorize the material. And, last, I want the students to want to come to school and have the longing to deepen their knowledge. For my students, I expect them to develop an understanding of knowledge. I believe in the principle of progressivism where education should be an on going and productive process. Therefore, I want my students to grasp this concept and always be willing to learn. I support the behaviorist’s view that the environment shapes and influences people. This theory goes into consideration with Rousseau’s theory that children mature through stages, when developing an environment suitable for the grade level a person is teaching. The curriculum should be focused on the student’s needs and how they learn best. There are a variety of methods of teaching that I will use that I believe are important.

Exploring Teaching Methods that Help Engage Students Essay -- Educatio

Considering a stereotypical class room, the bell rings, students are almost in their seats, and the teacher is demanding their attention. It is hard for the teacher to gain the attention let alone the willingness to learn from their students. No matter what subject is being taught, this has the recipe for boredom from the get go. Any curiosity or imagination for the students has been choked. In order for the teacher to gain the eagerness to learn from his students, he would have to resort to all the mental keenness he could muster. No matter how gifted the teacher, students tend to lose interest in learning in an everyday run of the mill style of class room environment. What creative power or what unusual and highly innovated resource can be implemented into a classroom that has been limited by tradition, a lack of creativity, and monotony? The answer is not a teacher who has an ingenious nature or who is a skilled innovator. The answer relies on the teacher’s methods. There are many different methods that have proved to be effective. Activities such as group lead discussion, group discovery, and teacher lead critical thinking discussions have proved effective in integrating different learning styles (Chick). Another method that will stimulate the imagination, and arouse the analytical side of learners is implementation of audio visuals and visual aids for the introduction, during the lectures, prompts for discussions, and even for the closure of class (Atkinson 2). This is a tool – a resource that needs to be tapped. Lastly, setting up the classroom into groups of desks and even changing the classroom on a day to day basis that will emulate what kind of methods are being used for that day by the teacher keeps lear... ...ary Module. ProQuest. Grafton Library, Fredericksburg, Va. 17 Nov. 2008 Olson, Allan. . "Technology that MOVES Assessment and Student Achievement FORWARD. " MultiMedia & Internet@Schools 1 Nov. 2004: 26-28. Education Module. ProQuest. Grafton Library, Fredericksburg, VA. 13 Feb. 2009 Strassman, Barbara K., and Trisha O'Connell. "Authoring with video." The Reading Teacher 61.4 (Dec 2007): 330(4). General OneFile. Gale. LIRN. 3 Oct. 2008 . Teachable Moments. Morningside Center for Teaching Social Resposibilities. 13 Feb 2009 . Wong, Harry, and Rosemary Wong. How To Be An Effective Teacher: The First days of School Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc, 2004.

Sprint Swot Paper

Sprint Nextel Corporation SWOT Analysis Edgardo L. Cartagena Luna Management 521 University of Phoenix February 14, 2013 Sprint Nextel Corporation SWOT Analysis Background Sprint Nextel Corporation (Sprint) is a communications company. The company provides a range of wireless and wireline communications products and services to individual consumers, businesses, government subscribers and resellers. It provides wireless services on a postpaid and prepaid basis to retail subscribers and also on a wholesale and affiliate basis.The company markets its postpaid services under the Sprint and Nextel brands, and prepaid services under the Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and Assurance Wireless brands. The company offers its services through wireless networks, an all-digital global long distance network and a Tier 1 Internet backbone. (www. alacrastore. com, 2013) Mission Sprint’s mission is to be number one in providing a simple, instant, enriching and productive customer experience. (Spr int Nextel Corporation, 2013). VisionSprint’s vision is to be a world class company, with standards by which others are measured, including a commitment to developing a world class supplier base that is reflective of the communities we serve. (Sprint Nextel Corporation, 2013). History Sprint's red diamond logo represented the combined achievements of many legendary predecessors, including United Telecommunications, US Sprint and Centel. Each embraced the same bold approach that Sprint's founder Cleyson Brown showed in 1899, when the Brown Telephone Company successfully went toe-to-toe with the Bell monopoly in Abilene, Kansas.By the mid-1970s, the company's aggressive growth strategies had firmly established it as the nation's largest independent local telephone provider. (Sprint Nextel Corporation, 2013). During the 1980s Sprint led all U. S. telecom companies by completing the first nationwide, 100% digital, fiber-optic network. It was The Company that gave America pin-drop clarity and also became a global leader in voice and data services during the early 90s. Sprint took its wireless strategy a big step further in the late '90s by building the only nationwide PCS network in the U. S.Meanwhile, a visionary entrepreneur named Morgan O’Brien founded a company called Fleet Net in 1987. This company was renamed Nextel in 1993 and rapidly established itself as a nationwide force in the burgeoning world of wireless communications. In September 1996, the company introduced Motorola's breakthrough iDEN technology. This marked the first combination of enhanced digital cellular, two-way radio and text/numeric paging in one phone – the famed Nextel phone. (Sprint Nextel Corporation, 2013). By 2005 the company was launched as Sprint Nextel Corporation after a merge done between the two, Sprint Corporation and Nextel Corporation.Both companies with proven records of successful achievements were brought together to continue opening new doors for cust omers and the industry. (Sprint Nextel Corporation, 2013). Stakeholders A stakeholder is defined as a party that has an interest in an enterprise or project. The primary stakeholders in a typical corporation are its investors, employees, customers and suppliers. However, modern theory goes beyond this conventional notion to embrace additional stakeholders such as the community, government and trade associations. (www. investopidia. com, 2013).Going forward in the discussion let’s take a look on Sprints Internal and External stakeholders. External Stakeholders Sprint engages a broad range of Non Government Organizations (NGOs) that have experience on specific issues such as green electronics, paper certification, e-waste, human rights and scope 3-emissions measurement. Each Corporate Responsibility working committee seeks to establish relationships with one to three NGOs and/or investor stakeholders for dialog on the related issue as well as strategy, proposed policy, measurem ent and reporting.These relationships have been invaluable and have resulted in more knowledgeable team members on the working committees and stronger, more comprehensive policies that incorporate the perspective of stakeholder partners. (Sprint Nextel Corporation, 2013). Internal Stakeholders Sprint uses a multi-tier Corporate Responsibility (CR) Governance Model that effectively incorporates all levels of the employees, ensures tight linkage with their operations and strategy, and drives accountability for performance against their CR operating priorities and long-term goals.The structure includes the CR Steering Committee, chaired by CEO Dan Hesse; the CR Leadership Committee, chaired by Ralph Reid, vice president of Corporate Responsibility; an External CR Stakeholder Panel; CR working committees; and a CR scorecard. The CR Steering Committee provides periodic updates to the Sprint Board of Directors about Sprint's ongoing efforts in the area of social responsibility and environ mental sustainability. (Sprint Nextel Corporation, 2013). SWOT Analysis Strength One of Sprint strengths is their Average Revenue Per Unit (ARPU).The company has the higher ARPU within the three largest telecommunication companies in the U. S. An advantage of 2. 6% and 2. 1% increase over AT and Verizon’s ARPUs respectively, from 2010 to 2011, put Sprint finishing the 2011 fiscal year with a $57. 3 ARPU. These results came with new strategic plans implemented to acquire the rights to offer the Apple’s iconic models of smart phones the well known Iphones. Also in the postpaid, by the second quarter of 2012 ARPU increased to $63. 4 thanks to a $10 premium data add on charge established to all smart phones.The increase has been registered as the best ever Sprint platform postpaid ARPU as well as the best record for any major wireless company in the U. S. (â€Å"Company Profile Sprint Nextel Corporation,† 2012) Weakness Churn rates are one of the Sprint weaknesses. These rates are the percentage of subscribers to the services that discontinue their subscription in a given time period. (Investopedia, 2013). Sprint being a significant company in the U. S. wireless communications market ended in 2011 with 55 million wireless subscribers of which 33 million are postpaid and 14. million are prepaid subscribers and 7. 2 million are wholesale and affiliates subscribers. (â€Å"Company Profile Sprint Nextel Corporation,† 2012). During four straight years (2008-2011) Sprint lost about 8. 6 million postpaid subscribers while AT and Verizon took advantage and increased their respective subscriber based. Churn rates for Sprint where 0. 48% over AT and in comparison with Verizon came up to 0. 59% over by 2011 fiscal year. This represents to investors and public that there are some issues with services, devices or networks that make them difficult to retain customers. â€Å"Company Profile Sprint Nextel Corporation,† 2012) Oportunity In this i ndustry there is always a need to improve coverage, data speeds, voice quality and to find the most efficient way of doing that. Sprint has a plan of implementing a network called Sprint Vision. This modern network will have the flexibility to manage multiple technologies in just one network. One of the primary causes for Sprints lack of growth is precisely the operation of two different networks, the formerly Sprints network and the Nextel’s IDEN network.This plan will integrate this two network technologies into one low operating cost network with more efficient ways of delivering what customers expect. (â€Å"Company Profile Sprint Nextel Corporation,† 2012) Threat In the last couple of years we have seen smartphones are made with more technology and features. These technologies make them more expensive to companies and customers. Most telecommunications companies subsidies the cost of this devices in order to make them more affordable to consumers who subscribes to their services.This is considerate a threat for Sprint because it could put at risk the balance of growth and profitability. For example, during 2011 Iphones penetration and other new devices helped Sprints revenue to increase 8% or $208 millions in comparison to 2010 fiscal year. In the mean time during the same time period equipment subsidies increased 16% or $1. 1 billion. (â€Å"Company Profile Sprint Nextel Corporation,† 2010) Conclusion After 114 years of history, Sprint has proven to be an innovative company and a leader in the telecommunications industry.It is a company with corporate responsibility compromise that conducts businesses in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. It’s based on the premise that a company is much more than the products and services it sells. (Sprint Nextel Corporation, 2013). Sprint has great possibilities to succeed in today’s market environment and increase their profitability. By using what they have learned fr om his strengths, they can set the phase to reach their goals. When we looked at the Average Revenue Per Unit they have been making, it can be established that Sprint can be more profitable than its competitors.If it can be done once it can be done every time. Even though, Churn rates weaknesses Sprint credibility to maintain its subscribers, during 2012, Sprint reported the lowest churn rates ever at 1. 7%. (Sprint Nextel Corporation, 2013). Customer service experience has increased also to best ever levels. Also the line of devices like the Iphone is helping to keep customers happy and loyal. (Sprint Nextel Corporation, 2013). Sprint Vision network will help to . reduce cost of operations of the company and will provide customers with better services.Customers should be happier and more satisfied with Sprint products and services. Profitability will also be less affected by devices subsidies since network operations will be more cost efficient. After analyzing all the information gathered, it look that might be a bright future for Sprint Nextel Corporation. References Company Profile Sprint Nextel Corporation. (2012, August 10). MarketLine, 24-29. doi:8613378D-5CF0-49B7-93F8-346EE511D261 Sprint Nextel Corporation (2013). History. Retrieved from http://www. sprint. com/companyinfo/history/ Sprint Nextel Corporation. (2013). Corporate Responsibility GovernanceModel. Retrieved from http://www. sprint. com/responsibility/approach/cr-governance. html www. alacrastore. com. (2013, January). Sprint Nextel Corporation (S) – Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review. Retrieved from http://www. alacrastore. com/storecontent/GlobalData_Company_Reports-Sprint_Nextel_Corporation_S_Financial_and_Strategic_SWOT_Analysis_Review-2087-25542 Investopedia. (2013). Stakeholder. Retrieved from http://www. investopedia. com/terms/s/stakeholder Investopedia. (2013). Churn Rates. Retrieved from http://www. investopedia. com/terms/c/churnrate. asp#axzz2KsiBeGpW

A Typical Household Family

A Typical Household Family Introduction The typical families nowadays come in many forms and they include: single parent families, families where the parties involved were divorced and are now remarried, divorced but not remarried, couples living together with children and couples living together without children. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Typical Household Family specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With these different types of families, each type accommodating a massive number of people, it becomes hard to single out one group as the typical household family. This paper shall nonetheless, seek to explore the topic of a typical household family in the contemporary world and come up with findings on whether or not it is possible to single out a certain category as the typical household family. A typical household family A household in the United States of America is defined as all the people living together in an apartment or in a partic ular house. These people, who live together in the apartment, are considered to be a household but not always a family. An example of an arrangement of a household that does not comprise of a family is roommates who live together in the college. The term ‘family’ is defined differently by different societies. In the United States, a family is considered to be a group of people who are related by blood or through marriage. Those who have adopted children legally and are living together are considered as belonging to the same family. A family household therefore, is a term used to refer to an arrangement whereby a group of people, who fit the definition of a family, live together. A nuclear family is understood to mean a unit consisting of the father, mother and the children, while an extended family is comprised of the nuclear family together with the rest of the family members, for example, aunts and uncles. The concept of a typical household family is increasingly be coming hard to define because of the rapid changes that are occurring in the family unit. A typical household family in the 21st century is very different from the how it was a hundred years ago. According to Thompson Joseph (100), marriage has been commercialized so much value is placed in material wealth rather than the core values which used to govern this important institution in the society. Physical appearance has also become a major factor that people are considering before getting into a marriage covenant with a person. Single parents are also mushrooming, overshadowing the typical husband, wife and children nuclear family. Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is also becoming acceptable for one to have multiple sexual partners instead of one settling with a particular person as one’s spouse. Most young people prefer to settle for this arrangement inste ad of the conventional marriages. All these, coupled with other factors have contributed to the difficulties experienced in defining a typical household family. The current families are virtually different from the families that existed in the past. Almost everything in the modern day family has changed compared to the past understanding of a family. This includes the definition of what people consider to be families. From the perspective of the young people in the modern culture, there is a common a belief that there is no need of being bound to one person in the name of a marriage when one can have a number of women to satisfy their canal desires. With time, this view may change. The notion that committing oneself to a marriage agreement is risky is also common. While contributing to the raging debate on the composition of a typical household family, Arland (880) states that the way the family is today reflects the many changes that have occurred in the society today. Changes in the typical household families in the USA For example, in the United States, it is hard to clearly state how many people would be found in a typical household family because of its nature as a highly multicultural society (Arland 875). A typical household is perceived to consist of a husband, wife and their children. This has not always been the case in the united sates. Such typical families makes up lower than a quarter of the household in the United States. The other type of family that is common is one consisting of a married couple who have no children. The figure of such a household arrangement is higher than that of the nuclear families. Married couples comprise about 28.9 % of all households in US. The nuclear families with varying sizes make up about 24.1 % of all the households. 25.5 % of the households are estimated to be made up of single men or women who live alone. There has been a decrease on the number of the nuclear family household arrangement and also in the num ber of the married couples who do not have children (Smith 428). In 1970, 40.3% of the households were nuclear families with no many children. About 30.3 % of the entire households were couples with no children, though this was an estimate. Other family types, which could not be classified under the categories mentioned above, were about 10.6%. During the year 2000, these family arrangements changed and the number of nuclear families dropped by 40%. The other types of family arrangements that had been grouped under other family types had also increased drastically, up from 10 % to 51 %. The group of singles living alone had also gone up to an estimated 25.5%, a figure that is almost double of that which was obtained in 1970. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Typical Household Family specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although most of these households had experienced a significant rise, except the nuclear families whi ch had declined, the households consisting of single men living alone were the ones that had increased most. The estimated figure of this group in 2000 was twice that of 1970 because the households had increased from the previous figure of 5.6% to 10.7%. Difficulties encountered in the definition of a typical household family Due to these vast changes that have occurred in the modern society, it is not possible for the nuclear family or the couples with no children to be defined as the typical household families. According to Dykstra (1520), childlessness has become the norm in the modern society. Studies by Forssen Carlstedt (1019) have gone further to put forth claims that childless adults are happier than their counterparts who have children. This claim has motivated even the men and women who are able to bear children, choose to remain childless for the sake of remaining happy. In America, findings from statistics that have been conducted on the topic of a typical family sugge st that currently, it is hard for one to single out what would be considered to be the typical household family. This is largely because America is a multicultural state and hence, there is a lot of diversity in the family arrangement. The typical nuclear family that consisted of four people can longer be identified as a typical family because there are hardly any people in such family arrangements (Williams, Stacey Carl 50). This kind of a family was the kind that was considered an ideal one for many people but the notion is changing and whenever a typical family is mentioned, this type of a family rarely crosses people’s minds. This is mostly because such a family would not represent the diversity that exists in the family arrangement in the modern day society. Instead of a limited way of thinking when defining what a typical family is, the term ‘postmodern family’ has been coined in order to include all types of emerging families. These include the families comprised of couples who have no children and the families made up of single parents. It is however, expected that the average Americans get into the marriage institution at least once in their lives. These marriages do not last for most of them and they end up divorcing. Currently, it is estimated that slightly more than half of the households in the United States have a married couple living there. Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This trend shows a decrease in the same number of households in 1970 that were estimated to be over 70%. If this trend continues, there will be a major threat posed to the marriage institution, which is the pillar of the family. What is the norm in the modern-day society is for people to marry at an advanced age and then divorcing almost immediately. The average age which most of the men will choose to get into a marriage institution is estimated to be 26.8, while that of the ladies is estimated to be 25.1. Since it is very common for people to divorce after their first marriage, statistics reveal that most of these people remarry. For example, of all the marriages that existed in 1990, 40% were marriages that had been started after divorce. Conclusion A typical household family is currently a difficult concept to demystify because of the evolving trend on the composition and the nature of the modern-day household families. Unlike in the past, when it was easy to describe a typical household family as one consisting of the father, mother and the children (mostly two), the current families have become more complicated and hard to categorize a specific group as that typical one. The 21st century has been characterized by different types of families, that in the past were grouped under ‘other family types’ because they were few in number. Because of the unpredictability of the trend of the marriages in the United States of America, it is hard, almost impossible for one to define what a typical household family would be. Nonetheless, it is right to conclude that the average American will get into a marriage institution at least once in their lifetime. This is then followed by divorce and remarriage for some, while others opt to remain as single parents. It is apparent that the family structures in the US have been changing over time and is not a static situation. Arland, Thornton.’Changing Attitudes toward Family Issues in the United state s’. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51. 1989: 873-93. Dykstra, Pearl. Hagestad, Gunhild., Childhood and parenthood in two centures: different roads different maps? Journal of Family Issues, 2007. 28(11), 1518-1532. Forssen, Annika Carlstedt, Gunilla., You really do something useful with the kids. Health Care Women Int, 2009. 29(10), 1019-39. Thompson, William Joseph Hickey. Society in Focus. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2005. Williams, Brian; Stacey C. Sawyer, Carl M. Wahlstrom 2005. Marriages, Families Intimate Relationships. Boston, MA: Pearson. Smith, Daniel. ‘The Meanings of Family and Household: Change and Continuity in the Mirror of the American Census’.Population and development Review, 18 1992: 421-56.

Healthcare Example

Healthcare Example Healthcare – Coursework Example Healthcare Ethical issues surrounding the debate of healthcare as a universal right is the ivity in where to draw the line between healthcareof the citizens and healthcare of the foreign nations since resources are limited. Societal issues surrounding the debate include disparity in the affordability of expensive healthcare between the rich and the poor and varying opinions of the members of a society regarding the use of public funds and taxes for providing equal healthcare to all. Besides, â€Å"if health care is a right, then those who provide it become servants of those who need it and would be deprived of â€Å"being traders like everyone else in a free society†Ã¢â‚¬  (Zaremeski, 2012). Global issues surrounding the issue include disparity in the economic status of different countries and competition over access to and use of resources in a world with limited resources. â€Å"In a world in which hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation are all too evident, it wou ld be unrealistic to demand governmental remedies on the basis of their international human rights commitments alone† (Gruskin and Dickens, 2006).I believe that basic healthcare should be a universal right, whereas optional healthcare services like cosmetic surgery should be not. The moral basis of my opinion is that basic healthcare is about sustaining life and relieving pain whereas optional treatments are subject to affordability. The affording people are more deserving of such services than the non-affording people. This is more of a business ethical issue than a global ethical issue because healthcare professionals are also interested in money-making along with serving the mankind. Ethics and profitability are usually seen with an either/or mindset (Ferrell et al., 2013, p. 265). References:Ferrell, O. L., Fraedrich, J., and Ferrell, L. (2014). Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making & Cases. Cengage Learning.Gruskin, S., and Dickens, B. (2006). Human Rights and Ethics i n Public Health. American Journal of Public Health. 96(11), 1903-1905. Zaremeski, M. J. (2012, Sep. 21). The Ethics and Philosophy of Health Care As a Citizens Right a US Perspective. Huff Post. Retrieved from huffingtonpost.com/miles-j-zaremski/health-care-reform_b_1892221.html.

Free Essays on New Economy

In the early to mid-nineties, a major change began taking place in America's economy. Technology and innovation became some of the leading factors of success for companies. Companies have been forced to change as the technology introduced around the world changes, and more importantly, they have had to be swift in adapting to change. This new age has commonly been classified as the "Information Age" or the "New Economy." Charles Darwin once said, "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change." This quote is not only true to mankind, but also to any firm that has inspirations of succeeding in this so-called New Economy. "The term New Economy refers to a set of qualitative and quantitative changes that, in the last 15 years, have transformed the structure, functioning, and rules of the economy." The New Economy is an economy with a great deal of emphasis placed on a person's ability to create new ideas and adapt to changes in technology. It is an economy full of uncertainty and risk that has the potential of being very rewarding to a person or company that can most successfully accomplish the objective of innovation. The New Economy has had a great impact on the way companies conduct business, and it will continue to impact businesses for the time to come. In the past, companies depended on marketing their product through various ads in magazines and television, and then going out on the road or via telephone to try and sell their product. With the New Economy, one of the leading ways to market or sell a product is over the Internet. Both Internet marketing and Internet sales will see a great increase over the next couple of years. The Internet, with its enormous potential to increase efficiency and raise productivity, is one of the most critical components of the New Economy. E-commerce has already had, and will continue to have, a ... Free Essays on New Economy Free Essays on New Economy In the early to mid-nineties, a major change began taking place in America's economy. Technology and innovation became some of the leading factors of success for companies. Companies have been forced to change as the technology introduced around the world changes, and more importantly, they have had to be swift in adapting to change. This new age has commonly been classified as the "Information Age" or the "New Economy." Charles Darwin once said, "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change." This quote is not only true to mankind, but also to any firm that has inspirations of succeeding in this so-called New Economy. "The term New Economy refers to a set of qualitative and quantitative changes that, in the last 15 years, have transformed the structure, functioning, and rules of the economy." The New Economy is an economy with a great deal of emphasis placed on a person's ability to create new ideas and adapt to changes in technology. It is an economy full of uncertainty and risk that has the potential of being very rewarding to a person or company that can most successfully accomplish the objective of innovation. The New Economy has had a great impact on the way companies conduct business, and it will continue to impact businesses for the time to come. In the past, companies depended on marketing their product through various ads in magazines and television, and then going out on the road or via telephone to try and sell their product. With the New Economy, one of the leading ways to market or sell a product is over the Internet. Both Internet marketing and Internet sales will see a great increase over the next couple of years. The Internet, with its enormous potential to increase efficiency and raise productivity, is one of the most critical components of the New Economy. E-commerce has already had, and will continue to have, a ...

Classic Comparative Advantage vs. Porter's Competative Advantage Essay

Classic Comparative Advantage vs. Porter's Competative Advantage - Essay Example These five forces explain the rules of competition in any industry. As per Porter, the ultimate aim of any competitive strategy is to cope and change the rules in the behavior of any firm. (Porter’s 5 Forces and Industry Structure, n.d.) The firms create competitive advantage by discovering better and innovative ways and bring them to the market that act as an innovation. These innovations shift the competitive advantage when the rivals fail to perceive new ways of competing or are unable to respond. It is quite obvious that there are noticeable advantages for the early movers. The typical causes that shift the competitive advantage are shifting buyer needs, new technologies, changes in government regulations, shifting the availability or input costs, and the emergence of any new industry segment. A particular firm gains the competitive advantage by performing the strategically important activities in a more cheap way than its competitors. In other words, it is able to deliver similar benefits like its competitors, but at a much lower cost. A firm might also deliver benefits that exceed the benefits of its competitive products. Therefore, competitive advantage enables a firm in order to create greater value for the customers and in turn, higher benefits for itself. Thus, Michael Porter has identified two types of competitive advantages; differentiation advantage and cost advantage. (Competitive Advantage, n.d.) David Ricardo has explained the famous theory of Comparative Advantage in explaining foreign trade. Explaining with the example of two nations and two commodities, he argued that trade is beneficial even if one country has absolute cost advantage over the other country in both the commodities. Ricardo has argued that there are gains from the trade, even if a particular nation specializes completely in the production of a particular good, which has a

Bancfirst Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Bancfirst - Research Paper Example Marketing intermediaries dictated by intermediaries who help close business sales are another micro-environmental factor. Yet another environment is the macro-environment, which is uncontrollable. The business must adapt to these factors, including social, economic, political, legal environment and, in addition, technical environment. Bancfirst is most likely to be affected by factors that influence their client base, such as competition and prospects of growth. Additionally, macro-environment factors, such as the economic environment and legal environment will affect the operations of first bank on a day-to-day basis (Tracy, 12). If there is an increase in consumer income, the demand for the house will go up, and as such, the demand curve shifts to the right. Increase in income thus shifts the demand curve right. Another cause for a demand curve shifting to the right is changes in preference, with the recent high price houses coming with increased comfort and security, making consumers buy more of these sorts of houses. The demand curve for houses has shifted to the right. Finally, the demand curve may be shifted by changes in expectations. If clients expect to have a job for a long time, coupled with increased income, then demand for products will increase and, as a result, the demand curve shifts to the right. The demand curve shifting to the right on houses caused the equilibrium price for houses to rise (Tracy 11). The supply curve for Bancfirst was affected by various factors. Changes in the supply curve occur when product supply is affected by other factors other than its price. Increased technology caused the supply curve to shift to the right, while the number of clients wanting to buy houses caused the supply curve to shift to the right. The price of substitute investments also fell, causing the supply curve to shift to the right. The increase in supply caused the supply curve to shift to the right, thus causing

Marketing mix Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing mix - Coursework Example With the high level of obese cases in the country, there is a high demand of healthy foods. To address this, the supermarket has come up with the production of healthy foods. To make this come into a reality, the supermarket will go an extra mile to deliver high quality food products with minimal contents of sugar, fat and salt. According to scientific research, all these have been responsible for obesity. Therefore, by getting access to purely organic and chemical-free fresh food products, all our clients will feel satisfied. Meaning, they will not buy food from any other supplier, but consider At Eat Smart Supermarket as the best alternative in the market. Since the supermarket is targeting a larger market, it will be incumbent upon the management to ensure a proper distribution of its products. For all the potential clients to be accessed wherever they are there needs to be an even distribution. This will be done by establishing distribution points in different parts of the country. These include grocery stores and a chain of supermarkets. If it is properly done, the clients will have confidence in the supermarket and its products. Once the supermarket resorts to even distribution of its food products, it will definitely appeal to potential clients. As a result, they will not wait for supplies from other competing firms, but buy the readily available commodities from its outlets. The other important tool to employ by the supermarket is pricing mix. As a matter of fact, price is one of the factors which determine the success of a new product in the market. Since the market is free for everyone, each and every player needs to come up with competitive prices. This is necessary because it can help in attracting clients and making some profit. In this regard, as a new player in the market, Eat Smart Supermarket will have to set reasonably fair prices. Meaning, they should be

Hotel Paris Training Program Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hotel Paris Training Program - Case Study Example It is clear from the discussion that the CFO team should come up with an integrated information technology training system that offers a comprehensive interactive platform to employees at different departments within the organization. As such, it would provide an important potentiality and diversity for every employee to offer assistance at every department whenever there is a need (253). Since the recruitment of employees is not a guarantee to a direct performance, it is vital for Lisa and Hotel Paris training department to design an appropriate training program. Such a program will enable new recruits to understand the organization in a broader sense right from the history to mission and visions of the future. Moreover, the organization should align the training strategies towards achieving the organizational goals and objectives. Therefore, it will be very easy to distinguish employee’s behavior right from the time a person joins the institution and determine the worth for the progressiveness of an organizational achievement (224). From the study, it can be resolved that Lisa and the CFO did not carry out proper investigation ascertaining why there existed a fall in Hotel Paris Training program. For instance, Hotel training department only spends a fraction of training duration as compared to the other companies. The CFO simply went ahead and recommended for the development of a separate training program that lacked a consultative approach towards achieving the competitive advantage of Hotel Paris. The organizational training advisory team should have considered conducting a different training need analysis to identify what employees need to fill up job vacancies.

Business plan coments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Business plan coments - Essay Example Therefore, a tailored business model has been prepared by the firm which covers different aspects including what the firm would be outsourcing, what their main objectives would be, what services they would be offering to the customers to attract them etc. The team has identified the major forces that influence the firm, which is one of the strengths of the business plan. These forces include market issues, market segments, needs and demands of the industry, cost of customers if they switch their services, attractions for customers etc. In addition to this, the team has also identified different industry forces including competitors, new entrants, substitute products, suppliers and other stakeholders that would have an influence on the firm. Other factors like macro-economic forces, and key trends in the industry including technological trends, regulatory trends etc have also been presented in the report. In the other section of the business plan, the team has covered the market opportunity analysis in a manner that would be attractive for investors when they are going through the business plan and evaluating the business idea for the purpose of investment. The target market of the firm has been described as well as what the target market prefers has also been identified, showing more in-depth analysis and hard work of the team. The team has also analyzed the offerings of the competing firms and what factors or services of the competitors could influence the company. A brief description about the services of the competitors has been explained to analyze its impact on the company. In the section of market analysis, the team has identified the growth of e-commerce market industry in the last few years which is an important variable considering the services of the company. In addition, the team has conducted sufficient research to identify how the market would perform in the years to come along with the total value of the

Hotel Paris Training Program Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hotel Paris Training Program - Case Study Example It is clear from the discussion that the CFO team should come up with an integrated information technology training system that offers a comprehensive interactive platform to employees at different departments within the organization. As such, it would provide an important potentiality and diversity for every employee to offer assistance at every department whenever there is a need (253). Since the recruitment of employees is not a guarantee to a direct performance, it is vital for Lisa and Hotel Paris training department to design an appropriate training program. Such a program will enable new recruits to understand the organization in a broader sense right from the history to mission and visions of the future. Moreover, the organization should align the training strategies towards achieving the organizational goals and objectives. Therefore, it will be very easy to distinguish employee’s behavior right from the time a person joins the institution and determine the worth for the progressiveness of an organizational achievement (224). From the study, it can be resolved that Lisa and the CFO did not carry out proper investigation ascertaining why there existed a fall in Hotel Paris Training program. For instance, Hotel training department only spends a fraction of training duration as compared to the other companies. The CFO simply went ahead and recommended for the development of a separate training program that lacked a consultative approach towards achieving the competitive advantage of Hotel Paris. The organizational training advisory team should have considered conducting a different training need analysis to identify what employees need to fill up job vacancies.

The Startups. Ability to be organized, communication and self Assignment

The Startups. Ability to be organized, communication and self awareness - Assignment Example One of the commonest animate expectations of organizations and business is what has been referred to in management as organizational traits and characteristics. These organizational traits and characteristics have been found to be very important in the organization, growth and development of businesses. Indeed, as much as it is important for organizations to possess organizational traits and characteristics during all aspects of the growth cycle, one stage of growth that this these organizational traits and characteristics affect organizations most is at the early and startup stages (Goedhuys & Sleuwaegen, 2009). Generally, the organization’s traits and characteristics can make or unmake its subsequent growth fortunes. In this paper, four important organizational traits and characteristics that can help the new business in Brazil growth and succeed in the competitive market are discussed. Ability to be organized The startup company assumes the description and name of an Ã¢â‚¬Ë œorganization’ perhaps because it is expected to be well organized. By organization, reference is being made to the ability of all structures within the organization to be well laid and accurately assigned. The structures of the organization would best be described as the various responsibilities that are expected to be delivered within the organization and the people who are expected to deliver them (Batjargal, 2006). For startup companies, managers and entrepreneurs should have the ability of knowing all the roles that are expected to be played within the organization and the people who can best play these roles if assigned to. Another component and aspect of ability to organize has also been identified to be the organization of organizational needs. Generally, it is when the needs of the organization are well organized that the best structural organizations needed to bring about the achievement of the needs will be identified (Capelleras et al, 2010). As to how this trait and characteristic of ability to be organized is more likely to bring about success, it will be said that without a good organizational skill, it is likely no one would be comfortable doing business with the new company. This is because in order for investors and other stakeholders to trust their affairs with an organization, they must have a level of guarantee that the organization itself is well organized. As the maxim goes, a blind man cannot lead a blind man. Effective communication with people around Communication is an important aspect of startup companies. It has been said that entrepreneurs and investors who start up businesses newly must be in the position to effectively communicate with those around (Benzing, Chu & Callanan, 2005). Generally, the ability to effectively communicate the visions, needs, dreams, and ideas of the new business to people around represents the degree to which the visions, needs, dreams, and ideas will be supported by those around. Meanwhile, no si ngle person is able to singlehandedly man any serious organization into growth and supported. It is therefore important that entrepreneurs will have the capacity of rightly communicating to others to gain support. It must be noted that support for an organization’s growth and development comes in many different forms including financial, logistics, and human resource. Even in cases where the head of the business is not able to rightly let his human resource base know what is expected of them in the growth and development of the company, the human resource will not be empowered much enough to do the

Senior Software Development Essay Example for Free

Senior Software Development Essay Accomplished, goal-oriented Information Technology Professional with 14+ years experience in software development and system integration.   Dynamic Leader with exceptional ability in successfully completing projects in the Banking, Manufacturing, Transportation, Stock Control, Telecommunincations, Billing Systems, and E-Commerce industries.   Excellent customer service skills with an in-depth knowledge of EAI utilizing Websphere MQ and Websphere Message Broker.   Ã‚  Received a Bachelor of Information Technology from Cambridge International University and Advanced Diploma in Information Technology from TAFE College Seremban.  Ã‚   Strong analytical and data modeling skills. Fluent in English Bahasa Malaysia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CORE KNOWLEDGE AREAS à ¼Ã‚   Oral / Written Communication Skills à ¼Ã‚   Conflict Resolution à ¼Ã‚   System Development / Integration à ¼Ã‚   Superb Organizational Skills à ¼Ã‚   Research Development à ¼Ã‚   Project Management à ¼Ã‚   Analytical Skills à ¼Ã‚   Team Leadership CERTIFICATIONS IBM Certified Solution Designer WebSphere MQ V6. 0, 10/10/2007 IBM Certified System Administrator WebSphere MQ V5.3, 07/07/2006 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE SCOPE INTERNATIONAL SDN BHD., (Crystal Plaza, P.J)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2003-Present Technical Specialist Developed the Security Solution for MQ Connectivity (MQ 5.3) that executes extensive flight readiness tests with a 100% rocket engine performance success rate. Also developed the MQ Security Channel Exits and Message Exits utilizing RSA BSAFE CryptoC OpenSSL cryptographic libraries. Successfully developed and maintained Message Tracking Service to assist the Production Support Team and connected applications to check transaction statuses. Wrote a character conversion program to handle ASCII to EBCDIC and various Chinese Character Sets and ASCII / EBCDIC Characters. Successfully converted the Chinese characters from one Character Set to another based on the provided conversion table. Implemented SSL for MQ Connectivity in the AIX, Windows, Solaris, Linux and AS400 environments. Wrote the Application Installation Guides and shell scripts to simplify SSL implementations. Successfully introduced the PKI Management Guide for SSL certificate management approved by the Banks GIS (Global IT Security) team. Wrote a java program to convert files to MQ messages and can be configured to handle concurrent requests and handle grouping of MQ messages. Consulted with IBM team to conduct the POC to benchmark and test WTX Datapower for its application in Banks EAI model. Evaluated the functionalities and product performance. Evaluated XSLT Node against Java Compute Node for XSLT Transformations. Wrote Java Compute Node to handle XSLT Transformations. Enhanced the security requirement on message encryption and digital signature authentication by hardware security modules (HSM) between Mainframe and mid-range platforms such as Windows 2000, AIX, NT and Sun Solaris. PATIMAS COMPUTERS BERHAD.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2002-2003 Senior Software Engineer – Automatic Identification Technology Customized and enhanced existing functionalities including coding, interface designing, and analysis work for an intranet based application developed for the stock broking industry. MADAVAN RAMAN  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Page Two PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE   (Continued) PDX INFOWORLD SDN. BHD.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1999-2002 Senior Software Engineer – Research Development Developed a client interface communicate with a bank host application utilizing ISO8583 standard messaging protocol. The objective of this project was to perform bank direct credit and debit card transactions with bank. Consulted with Network and Software Engineers to collect information on connectivity and message format specifications. Successfully developed and completed a program in JAVA which successfully communicated with a bank host application to perform a financial transaction. Collaborated with NERA Telecommunications, the main supplier of Hypercom products. Installed, configured and wrote a java interface to IBM Payment Server(TM) for AIX ®, Windows NT ®, and Solaris. Installed SET Certificates for encryption and signature to perform the sales transaction utilizing JAVA and socket programming. Led a team of seven staff members consisting of a System Analyst and Programmers to develop a gateway server application that linked Service Suppliers with Service Providers. The objective of the project was to ensure the connectivity is standardized and simplified for the Service Providers utilizing XML for the interface to modules and subsystems. Successfully integrated the system using a MQSeries JAVA client. ELECTRONIC COMMERCE SERVICES   SDN. BHD.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1999 Software Consultant – Professional Service Department Developed a client interface for a research and development project to communicate with a bank host application utilizing the ISO8583 standard messaging protocol. The project objective was to direct credit and debit card transactions with the bank. Consulted with Network and Software Engineers to collect information on connectivity and message format specifications. Successfully completed the Telecom Billing System project for Telokom Malaysia Bhd. updating the existing billing system to provide a manageable billing system. PINNACLE CONSULTANCY SDN. BHD.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1997-1998 Software Consultant – Professional Service Department Developed the PANTAS2 103 Directory Service for a major telecommunication service provider, Telekom Malaysia Bhd. integrated with Ericson software to enable communication with telephone exchange. Significantly increased speed and response time through the utilization of native functions such as Oracle OCI calls and â€Å"C++† dll’s. SOFTWARE ALLIANCE (M) SDN. BHD  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1995-1997 Analyst Programmer – Professional Service Department Participated in the development of a Flight Crew Tracking System for Malaysian Airlines Systems (MAS) to provide Flight Crew Activity planning, monitoring and scheduling, constraint and legality verification. Utilized graphical user interface to display up-to-date daily flight roster developed under OS/2 platform using C/C++ Set 2 Presentation Manager Programming, and DB2 database. MESINIAGA SDN. BHD  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1994-1995 Programmer – Professional Service Department Developed the Pacific Interlink Order Tracking system utilized to track orders and provide up-to-date status. This system was developed under the OS/2 platform, C/C++ Set 2 Presentation Manager, and DB2 database. MADAVAN RAMAN  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Page Three PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE   (Continued) MESINIAGA SDN. BHD, continued†¦ Successfully developed a stock movement and packaging label printing system created to print bar codes and product information utilizing the OS/2 platform, C/C++ Set 2 Presentation Manager Programming, and DB2 database. TECHNICAL SKILLS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Open Source Packages:   Apache Web Server with Apache JServ Module, Apache Tomcat, JSP jPos (JAVA based financial exchange/payment framework), OpenSSL (Cryptographic Library)    J2EE JAVA Packages: JDBC, JMS-Java Message Service, JSSE-Java Secure Socket Extension, JAXP-Java API for XML Processing, Java Servlet    Platforms:   AIX 5.2, Redhat Linux, Windows, Solaris, OS/2 Databases:   DB2, Oracle Websphere Products:  Ã‚   Websphere Message Broker 6, Websphere MQ 6, MQSI 2.1, Websphere MQ 5.3 Other Products:   PM4Data 8.1 (Metastorm), TDE 125 ( Tivoli Data Exchange – Metastorm ) Programming Languages:   Java, C / C++, Unix Shell scripting, WMB – ESQL, COBOL, Pascal, Clipper, Presentation Manager Programming (C++) EDUCATION Cambridge International University, Kuala Lumpur Bachelor of Info. Tech, 2004 Western Australian Department of Training. TAFE College Seremban Adv. Diploma In Business (Info. Tech.), 1994 Western Australian Department of Training, TAFE College Seremban Adv. Cert. Of Info. Tech., 1993 Sekolah Menengah Rendah Palong 4, Gemas Negeri Sembilan, S.P.M., 1991 TRAINING Mesiniaga Sdn. Bhd. Presentation Manager Programming Software Alliance Sdn. Bhd. Practical Approach To Data Modelling, Introduction To Visual Basic,   Introduction To SQL Windows Scope International Sdn. Bhd. WMQ System Administration II, WMQ Application Programming, WMQ Designing Architecting Clustering Solution, Introduction to WMB 6, Application Design with Websphere MQ

Attitudes Towards Accents: The Scouse Accent

Attitudes Towards Accents: The Scouse Accent Introduction An accent is an oral expression, a precise pronunciation within a particular language. Accents can often be confused with dialects which are varieties of language that differ in vocabulary and syntax. Commonly, people do not believe that they themselves possess one, however it is impossible for anybody to speak without using an accent. Accent variation is an important part of sociolinguistics because people often attach significance to different accents. This study concerns attitudes towards accent variation; the accent at the centre of this study is the non-standard accent of English, Liverpool English, commonly referred to as Scouse. Liverpool English is one of the most recognisable accents in the country, and arguably, the world. The Scouse accent is infamous for its harsh, nasal tones and despite some similarities; it is distinctly different to the accents of the surrounding areas. A famous linguist, Fritz Spiel, once described the accent as ‘one-third Irish, one-third welsh, and one-third catarrh The accent is widely known for its negative stereotypes and the reason for this study is to investigate the hypothesis that Students at the University of Wales, Bangor have a positive attitude towards the Liverpool accent. Accent variation is often most noticeable within the vowels used in pronunciation, however with the scouse accent, both the vowels and the continents are affected by the accent. The accent of an individual can often reveal information such as where they come from. However accents can also invite stereotypical judgements of social class, wealth and levels of education. The Liverpodlian accent has been heavily influenced by the Irish accent, for example Liverpudlians tend to pronounce the letter ‘H and ‘Haitch. The huge success of The Beatles in the 1960s, a band who were all originally from Liverpool, helped to publicise the city of Liverpool in a positive way and encouraging the accent to be perceived as friendly. And a more recent positive change saw Liverpool become Britains favourite location for call centres (Ward, 2000). Despite these positive changes, which succeeded in generating a more positive public image for the city, a significant stigmatic view of the accent still appears to remain in modern society and this study will outline whether these stereotypical viewpoints are held by the students of the University of Wales, Bangor. Theoretical background In 1975 a study was conducted by Giles and Powesland using a method called the matched-guise technique. This technique involved playing a recording of a speaker imitating different accents and then asking participants to rate the speaker on different categories such as attractiveness or social status. The study found that standard accents such as RP were more likely to be associated with a person who is a prestigious and articulate speaker. However, accents associated with urban areas were considered unattractive and thought to be spoken by low-status speakers. Rural accents were regarded as being aesthetically pleasing but inferior to RP in terms of social status. This particular study was repeated by an undergraduate student Sarah Wood (Stockwell 2002) who replicated the study but made some adjustments such as only using native speakers of the accents in her recordings and used all female students in their 20s in order to control gender and age to improve the analysis. Her study c oncluded that southern accents attracted the highest ratings in most categories and the northern accents came out worst, with the urban accents being the most stigmatized. These studies highlight the stigma attached to particular accents and may be an important factor in the attitudes of the students of Bangor, towards the Liverpudlian accent. The Liverpool English accent has been regarded in society as being ill educated and low prestige. This stereotypical view could well be influenced by the medias representation of Liverpudlians, who are often portrayed in a negative or criminal way. In 2004, the BBC conducted an online poll to determine attitudes towards the accents and languages in the British Isles. The poll, of which there were 5000 participants, concluded that Asian, Liverpool and Birmingham accents were â€Å"unpleasant to listen to and lacking in social status† (BBC, 2004). In addition to this, participants were asked to rank celebrities by how pleasant their accents are. The Liverpudlian accents of celebrities Cilla Black and Paul o Grady were received negatively by participants. Another survey of 1000 participants, conducted by Bury Technologies, also concluded that the accent is unpopular, as Liverpool came out at the bottom of the poll of British accents. One third of Liverpudlians who took part in t he nationwide survey admitted to changing or calming down their accent whilst being interviewed for a job in order to benefit their career. Methodology To collect the relevant data, an online survey was conducted, in which participants were asked two questions. In the first question, participants were asked to state which words came to their minds when thinking of the Liverpudlian accent. Secondly participants were asked whether they thought there should be an increase in the amount of Liverpudlian accents within the media, and their reasons for this. The Questionnaire was sent to Students at Bangor University only to complete. A recording of a Liverpudlian speaker was obtained for the study. The person in question was asked to talk for a short period of time about any subject in order for us to provide the participants with a firm understanding of the accent in question. The Individual being recorded held many of the typical scouse accent traits. To ensure that the data was easily comparable, a multiple choice questionnaire was produced for the study. The questionnaire consisted of ten questions concerning personal characteristics and social status, such as ‘polite or impolite of which the students had to tick the statement that they were in most agreement with. The Participants, all students from Bangor University, were each played the recording and asked to complete a multiple choice questionnaire designed to obtain the students personal opinions and expectations of this person based entirely upon their Liverpudlian accent. Results Of the ten respondents to the online survey, the most commonly used words used to describe Liverpudlians were negative words such as ‘chav, ‘criminal ‘thief. However positive words such as ‘friendly were also used more than once. In response to an increase in Liverpudlian speakers in the media, the majority of the participants were in favour of the increase, either due to their being a lack of them in the media currently or because they particularly enjoy the sound of the accent. Two of the respondents remained neutral; however one stated that despite being neutral they find the accent to be ‘one of the ugliest in the country. The final 3 respondents were against the idea, all claiming that the accent was difficult to understand. The recording of the accent received a great deal of negative responses such as ‘generally unpleasant sounding, ‘common, ‘irritating, loud and ‘rough, harsh sounding. On the contrary some participants responded positively, describing the accent as ‘friendly and ‘a nice sound The answers to the questionnaire support the common stereotype of ‘scousers, with the majority of respondents assuming that the Liverpudlian would be untrustworthy, impolite, unfriendly, not wealthy, not educated past GCSE level, not in full-time employment and not have a high IQ level. On the slightly more positive side the majority of respondents assumed the Liverpudlian would not have criminal record, be average looking, and passive. Discussion The study was limited to one particular social community. Only students at the University of Wales, Bangor were asked to participate and therefore the results are not statistically significant. The study only involved 30 participants and is not reflective of a large enough scale for the data to be considered representative on behalf of all of the students at the University. A substantial flaw in the methodology of this survey is that the person on the recording was not reading from a particular script or text. His chosen dialogue may have influenced the opinions of the participants and their results may not have been an accurate reflection of their view of the accent itself, but rather of this particular personality. A more beneficial approach to the study would have been to have the speaker to read a text that was specifically written to contain accent variants of the Liverpudlian accent as this would have provided an accurate representation of the accent being discussed. Within the recording the speaker expresses certain opinions and makes personal comments, this kind of speech could have easily affected the opinion of the students, particularly regarding questions of politeness and friendliness. The individual also made a comment when discussing his accent that ‘no UK residents tend to like it. This information could have influenced a previously unbiased participant who took part in the survey as it shows the accent in a negative light and implies that having a dislike towards the accent is a common response. To have had the speaker read from a given text would have neutralised any alteration in his speech that may have occurred due to the subject or unscripted nature of the recording. Also the study may have benefitted from having a speaker with a broader accent, as although it was clearly a Liverpool accent; it wasnt particularly strong which could be misleading by not presenting the students with a typical, strong Liverpudlian accent. The background of the students could have influenced their level of loyalty towards Liverpool and the accent. The students chosen for the survey should have been restricted to those without a particular devotion towards to city, such as it being their hometown or birthplace. Having impartial participants would have resulted in a more accurate and honest representation of the students point of view as oppose to the student giving a positive view based on blind faithfulness rather than the accent. Conclusion This questionnaire assessed the students levels of expectations regarding the personality and social attributes of a person with a Liverpudlian accent. The following graph interprets the gathered data in terms of the students expectations of the speaker after hearing the recording. An overall view of the data suggests that the students involved in the study, on average had negative opinions regarding an individual with a scouse accent, particularly in terms of honesty and social class. This study was performed using only a small sample of students from one university, which is not a good basis for investigating this hypothesis. The study would have to be repeated and carried out on a much bigger scale for the information to be representative of all the students at the University of Wales, Bangor.

Aphra Behns Oroonoko as the First Modern Novel Essay -- Oroonoko Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the seventeenth century, the art of writing was like uncharted waters for women, in which most who ventured were rendered pathetically unsuccessful.   No matter the quality, publications written by women were typically ridiculed by their male contenders.   However, a handful of women defied the common standards and were prosperous; one of these was Aprha Behn.   Virgina Wolf says of Behn, "All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds."   Although she was a woman of outstanding accomplishments, one of her publications truly glistens.   Oroonoko (1688), the epic tale of a heroic black slave, has often been dubbed the first modern novel in that it displays qualities utterly matchless for the seventeenth century.    Although one may not realize it, several aspects work harmoniously in constructing the modern novel.   According to Ian Watt, three of these are particularity, unity of design, and rejection of traditional plots.   A novel must focus on specific characters and has to occur in a distinct time frame.   Furthermore, a novel should have a plot unlike others of the era.   One common idea or theme should also rule the work.   All of these characteristics are vividly expressed in Oroonoko.    Particularity, Watt states, is "the amount of attention it [the novel] habitually accords to both the individualism of its characters and to the detailed presentation of their environment."   Behn puts an emphasis on only a few main characters; these being Oroonoko (Caesar), the narrator who is a white mistress, and Imoinda, Oroonoko's love.   The writer goes to great lengths to brilliantly paint a picture of Oroonoko for the readers, ... ...el - distinctiveness, unity of design, and rejection of traditional plots. Behn's accomplishment in writing Oroonoko both paved the way for future female writers and set an example for prospective novelists.   Truly her impassioned account of a maltreated slave who died for liberty will forever be revered and cherished as the first modern novel.    Works Cited Behn, Aphra and Janet Todd.   Oroonoko, The Rover and Other Works. England: Penguin Classics, 1992. Hunter, Paul J.   "Before Novels".   The Aphra Behn Page.   <http://www.lit-arts.com/rmn/behn/novel.htm> 22 July 1999. Watt, Ian.   "The beginnings of the English novel".   The Aphra Behn Page. <http://www.lit-arts.com/rmn/behn/novel.htm>19 July 1999. Wolf, Virginia.   "A Room of One's Own".   The Virginia Wolf Society of Great Britian. <http://orlando.jp.org/VWSGB/> 22 July 1999.

An Interpretation of Emily Dickinsons Poem #315 :: Emily Dickinson Poem 315 Essays

An Interpretation of Emily Dickinson's Poem #315 Emily Dickinson had an interesting life, and is a profound woman in the history of America and literature. Emily wrote many poems. Some are titled, and many are given chronological numbers instead of headlining the main theme. I am interpreting Poem #315. I read the poem, and had to read it again and again. As with most poems, the meaning is always clouded from me and I need a little help to figure out the true meaning of the author's intentions. In this case, the outcome was not any different. The poem did not make much sense to me. Instead, I created my own meaning and it differed greatly from the others. However, I still like my interpretation and enjoy the final product that was created when I combined my ideas with the groups. I would like to start, by printing the poem. 315 He fumbles at your Soul As Players at the Keys Before they drop full Music on-- He stuns you by degrees- Prepares your brittle Nature For the Etherial Blow By fainter Hammers-further heard- Then nearer-Then so slow Your Breath has time to straighten- Your Brain-t bubble cool-Deals-One-imperial-Thunderbolt That scalps your naked Soul- When winds take Forests in their Paws- The Universe-is still- The other members of my group saw this poem as a metaphor for some type of physical abuse. I saw it as a poem just describing a thunderstorm. Now, after incorporating in ideas from all in the group I describe the poem as a way of using a storms powerful force to describe physical abuse. Confused? Well, I'll walk you through this idea so at the end you won't be. The first four lines of the poem describe a 'He'. It states, "He fumbles at your soul / As players on the Keys / Before they drop full music on-- / he stuns you by degrees-" Before any great piano player plays a piece, he warms up. He practices. In a similar sense, so does a thunderstorm. A storm does not start out heavy and powerful; it starts out with a wind. And, the air gets a little cooler; the degrees go down on the thermometer. Powerful thunder vibrates the soul, and the earth is the piano for the persona of the storm.

The influence of myths in the lives of man

Introduction Man is a complex creature, as compared to other living organisms that has walked the earth. He is able to act and cooperate with other people in order to create or do something productive. He is gifted with a rational mind which enables him to make rational judgment and decisions in his everyday life. He was blessed with emotions that enable them to express what they feel, show their appreciation or disgust. Man is complex creature such that he is able to believe something that he doesn’t see or he has no proof of its reality. He believes in myths about how he should act or react about something, thus setting it as a standard or as a norm in life. Looking at man and woman, man is said to be the more myth-believer than the woman. Man, an egoistic creature believes and values a lot of things, including abstract principles like chivalry, his big ego and his responsibilities in his life. Males, which generally see themselves, stronger than the females, often take much of the responsibilities especially when it comes to his family. It is common to see fathers who choose to work away from the family so that they will be able to supply the needs of his families. Men may consider themselves as superior to women, yet they compensate this claim by shouldering the hard work not because they like to do so, but because they are compelled to do so, as dictated by their beliefs and personal myths. Men choose to take these responsibilities not because they feel superior, but because of the fact that they are men. Even though men think this way they don’t lack fear and respect for women. In Theodore Dreiser’s short story, he pictured the main character, Rufus Haymaker, as man who has it all when it comes to material things. He lives a wealthy lifestyle, a good job, a house, doesn’t go hungry, everything that a man would strive for in his life. But then, Rufus Haymaker is not a happy man. He may have every material thing that a man may wish, but he lacks happiness. He is not fulfilled, not having lived his life to the fullest. Rufus Haymaker can be considered just like any other person in this world, someone who lacks will power and strength to decide for themselves, thus oftentimes regretting the way things in his life are going. Rufus Haymaker’s life is a typical rags-to-riches story. Because of poverty, he was driven and forced to go out and face the world. In his own, he was able to return a different man, yet he still thinks that there was really no change that happened. This resulted to suffering and mental torment, leaving him with the dilemma between duty and desire. Rufus’ situation is a common myth in men. He would strive hard in order to prove something, in order to excel, yet, in the end; he doesn’t realize that he already has proven something. He gets so engrossed with work because of his goals, he tends to forget his real reason why is working hard. In the end, he would grow old not knowing that he already met his goal, thus continuing to work hard for it. He wasn’t able to live his life to the fullest, because of his sacrifice and obedience to conventions, duty and moral order; he has lived an unfulfilled life. Rufus Haymaker already had it all, but because of moral restraints, his moral choice, he has lived an empty life. Rufus Haymaker was held back by his moral choice, because he chose to stick with the norms. He followed obediently, without knowing that it cost him his freedom and happiness. In this story, Rufus Haymaker has a wife. This is another manifestation of his loyalty and obedience to the norms. At that time, the concept of â€Å"one life, one love† was the norm being followed (Vaz). This became a restraint to Rufus life. He is pretending to be enjoying his life with his wife, but the reality is that he hates every moment of it, that her illness gave him a spark of hope. Her possible death gave Rufus another chance to be free; the moment his wife is gone, his attachment to the norm would be gone also, because she will be dead. The concept of one love is already nullified with death. Rufus’ lived a life at a time when people are bound to conventions, thus keeping them attached to their duty as a person, their beliefs where in they believe that following it means living a healthy life. Because of that, these beliefs hindered them from enjoying the real meaning of life, of being free, of seizing the day while it lasts! For Rufus Haymaker, there was this feeling of satisfaction with the idea that she is going to die, because in his marriage, he was looking for love and happiness, but with his wife, he never had it. But because of the norm, he remained bounded to his wife, and suffered emotionally. To wrap it up, Rufus Haymaker achieved the freedom he longed for so many years. But ironically, he did achieve his freedom, yet it didn’t make him happy. He found out that he was to old for the life that he was craving, and it was too late for him to recover. His great attachment with the myths and norms made him forget about time, that he was already growing old while waiting for the moment he could be free. Rufus Haymaker, the man who wished that his wife never recover from her illness, will never be happy with the freedom that he was able to get with his wife’s death. It was to late for him, because he didn’t seize the opportunity when it came to him. Reference: Vaz, Teresa Moraes. â€Å"Irony and Naturalism In â€Å"Free†, by Theodore Dreiser†.   1996. February 3 2007. .      

Talented Tenth

The Talented Tenth by W. E. B. Dubois is a prime illustration of the twentieth century’s evolving opinions and problems. Dubois aids in demonstrating the developing propositions that helped inspire new advancement in the area of revitalizing the black race. The Talented Tenth was a speech intended to identify and explain the role of the ‘talented ten percentile’ of the black race in relation to its evolvement. It helps confirm the situation and its dire need for improvement. Dubois suggests that the black’s way of life could be positively adjusted by constructing a group of blacks composed of the top ten percent of ‘exceptional’ men. These men would be college-educated and would assist in renovating the somber state of the black race. They would aid in leading the blacks to salvation, through illuminating and validating their intellectual capability to whites. Proving this would also include Dubois’s intention to not only educate the blacks, but to enhance their sense of purpose and the character of each individual. Therefore, whites would have been exposed to the blacks competence in life, through Dubois’s ‘talented tenth’. This draft provided an idea that if pursued, an example and goal for black people would be available. The example, the ‘talented tenth’, would positively affect the lives of both whites and black. Therefore, Dubois’s speech was an indispensable document in the twentieth century. The Talented Tenth was a textbook model of the twentieth century on many levels. It clearly identified the problems, methods and suggestions to evolution to a positive way of life for the black race. What the ‘talented tenth’ consisted of and how it would carry the race to a better way of life were also discussed and analyzed in Dubois’s speech. The Talented Tenth compacts the twentieth century’s problems, solutions, ideas, and opinions into a neat package, making it a key literary draft in the history of the America.

Dear COMM 107 Letter and Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dear COMM 107 Letter and Response - Essay Example Third, she mentioned that she met a co-worker who is an extrovert like her and who brings her to fun places. She stressed that they do not have romantic relations, and that she continues to love her boyfriend. She found her platonic relationship with her co-worker as a win-win situation because she could satisfy her extrovert needs without losing her loved one. Fifth, she stated that she and her boyfriend are having more arguments because he is jealous of her male friend. The paper assumes that the couple wants to preserve their relationship. The main problem is the rise of differentiating practices during the integrating stage of their relationship, while the resolution is to apply several relational maintenance strategies to continue integrating as a couple without losing individual autonomy and identity. Knapp’s Staircase Model of Relational Development (the Model) can help analyze the concepts operating in the woman’s romantic relationship issue because it captures the stages of coming together and coming apart that are appearing in her relationship. The Model asserts that communication is fundamental to developing and maintaining relationships (Guerrero, Andersen, & Afifi, 2014, p. 115; McCornack, 2013, p. 293). It also uses the staircase as a metaphor for a relationship, wherein the coming-together stages refer to movements upward a staircase, while the coming-apart stages pertain to movement downwards it (McCornack, 2013, p. 293). The five stages of coming together are initiating, experimenting, intensifying, integrating, and bonding, while the five stages of coming apart are differentiating, circumscribing, stagnating, avoiding, and terminating. At present, the woman’s relationship overlaps the integrating and differentiating stages. The woman’s romantic relationship is in the integrating stage because she and her boyfriend see themselves as a couple and practice self-disclosure. They present themselves to the

Clinical Map for Success, Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Clinical Map for Success, - Essay Example Secondly, finding a placement at the right location seems to be a bit of a problem for me. I have been relatively choosy when it comes to the location for the institution that I intend to be attached to. I have been avoiding those in distant or remote places for the sake of my convenience. One measure that I hope to take while seeking a preceptor and place for placement is highlighting my learning objectives. By providing learning objectives that mesh with the objectives of the course and the areas of expertise of my potential preceptor and place of placement, I hope that my chances of success will significantly improve. I also intend to be less choosy with regard to location so as to boost my chances of success. What I like about this process is that it makes me learn more about the importance of choosing the right preceptor and sites for placement. This is because the key to gaining the right experience depends on how well a student chooses a clinical placement. However, what I would like to share with other about what made me successful is that I relied much on the preceptors and sites to get the right clinical placement that fits my passion. Regarding my restrictions, I would like my peers to understand that I prefer taking my placements in an institution within an urban center rather than rural