Case Study: Bankruptcy and the Bible

Case Study: Your long-time friend Carl comes to you with a serious problem in his life. He is a believer, and he wants your advice. For years he and his family have lived above their means. They did this by continually refinancing their house and rolling their credit card and other debt onto their home mortgage. However, now that real estate prices are no longer rising but actually falling, Carl can't refinance anymore and can't pay his monthly bills as they come due. He is in a real credit crisis. His creditors are calling him threatening lawsuits, garnishments, and other unpleasant things.One of his friends at work said that he should file bankruptcy. He comes to you for advice from a Christian perspective. In particular, he wants to know: 1. Does the Bible forbid him to file bankruptcy? 2. Does the Bible forbid borrowing altogether? If not, when is it permissible to borrow money? Use the words â€Å"Forbids† or â€Å"Does not Forbid† in the subject line of your discu ssion board post, depending upon your conclusion. Do not use attachments as these are cumbersome and inhibit the discussion process. Suggested Readings:Read and consider these and other Bible verses that relate to borrowing, lending, and lawsuits: Proverbs 17:14, Proverbs 20:3, Proverbs 25:8-10, 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, Matthew 5:22-26, Matthew 5:33-37, Matthew 5:38-42, Psalm 37:21, Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, Colossians 3:9, Ephesians 4:22, Ephesians 4:25, Leviticus 25, Deuteronomy 15:1-18, Psalm 37:26, Psalm 112:5, Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 22:7, Deuteronomy 24:6, Deuteronomy 24:10-13, Deuteronomy 24:17, Exodus 22:25-27, Proverbs 6:1-5, and Proverbs 22:26-27. You may also want to consult some good commentaries and other study aids on some of the verses that seem particularly relevant to you.Proverbs 17:14 New International Version (NIV) 14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. 3 It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. 8 do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame? 9 If you take your neighbor to court, do not betray another’s confidence, 10 or the one who hears it may shame you and the charge against you will stand. 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 New International Version (NIV) Lawsuits Among Believers If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? 2 Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? 5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers! 7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. Matthew 5:22-26 New International Version (NIV) 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister[a][b] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[c] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool! ’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 3 â€Å"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. 25 â€Å"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. Matthew 5:33-37 New International Version (NIV) Oaths 3 â€Å"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made. ’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. [a] Matthew 5:38-42 New International Version (NIV) Eye for Eye 38 â€Å"You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for e ye, and tooth for tooth. [a] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Psalm 37:21 New International Version (NIV) 21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 New International Version (NIV) 4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it.He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Colossians 3:9 New International Version (NIV) 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices Ephesians 4:22 New International Version (NIV) 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; Ephesians 4:25 New International Version (NIV) 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.Leviticus 25 New International Version (NIV) The Sabbath Year 25 The LORD said to Moses at Mount Sinai, 2 â€Å"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you—for yourself, your male and female servants, and the hired worker and tempo rary resident who live among you, 7 as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten. The Year of Jubilee 8 â€Å"‘Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. 9 Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. 0 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan. 11 The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. 12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields. 13 â€Å"‘In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to their own property. 14 â€Å"‘If yo u sell land to any of your own people or buy land from them, do not take advantage of each other. 5 You are to buy from your own people on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. And they are to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. 16 When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price, because what is really being sold to you is the number of crops. 17 Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the LORD your God. 18 â€Å"‘Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. 9 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. 20 You may ask, â€Å"What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops? † 21 I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. 22 While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in. 23 â€Å"‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers. 4 Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land. 25 â€Å"‘If one of your fellow Israelites becomes poor and sells some of their property, their nearest relative is to come and redeem what they have sold. 26 If, however, there is no one to redeem it for them but later on they prosper and acquire sufficient means to redeem it themselves, 27 they are to determine the value for the years since they sold it and refund the balance to the one to whom they sold it; they can then go back to their own property. 8 But if they do not acquire the means to repay, what was sold will remain in the possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. It will be returned in the Jubilee, and they can then go back to their property. 29 â€Å"‘Anyone who sells a house in a walled city retains the right of redemption a full year after its sale. During that time the seller may redeem it. 30 If it is not redeemed before a full year has passed, the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to the buyer and the buyer’s descendants. It is not to be returned in the Jubilee. 1 But houses in villages without walls around them are to be considered as belonging to the open country. They can be redeemed, and they are to be returned in the Jubilee. 32 â€Å"‘The Levites always have the right to redeem their houses in the Levitical towns, which they possess. 33 So the property of the Levites is redeemable—that is, a house sold in any town they hold—and is to be returned in the Jubilee, because the houses in the towns of the Levites are their property among the Israelites. 34 But the pastureland belonging to their towns must not be sold; it is their per manent possession. 5 â€Å"‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you. 36 Do not take interest or any profit from them, but fear your God, so that they may continue to live among you. 37 You must not lend them money at interest or sell them food at a profit. 38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. 39 â€Å"‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves. 0 They are to be treated as hired workers or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 Then they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own clans and to the property of their ancestors. 42 Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slav es. 43 Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God. 44 â€Å"‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. 5 You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. 46 You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly. 47 â€Å"‘If a foreigner residing among you becomes rich and any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to the foreigner or to a member of the foreigner’s clan, 48 they retain the right of redemption after they have sold themselves.One of their relatives may redeem them: 49 An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in their clan may redeem them. Or if they prosper, they may redeem themselves. 50 They and their buyer are to count the time from the year they sold themsel ves up to the Year of Jubilee. The price for their release is to be based on the rate paid to a hired worker for that number of years. 51 If many years remain, they must pay for their redemption a larger share of the price paid for them. 52 If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, they are to compute that and pay for their redemption accordingly. 3 They are to be treated as workers hired from year to year; you must see to it that those to whom they owe service do not rule over them ruthlessly. 54 â€Å"‘Even if someone is not redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee, 55 for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 15:1-18 New International Version (NIV) The Year for Canceling Debts 15 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the LORD’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 3 You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. 4 However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5 if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you. 7 If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. 8 Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: â€Å"Th e seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,† so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing.They may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. Freeing Servants 12 If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free. 3 And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14 Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to them as the LORD your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today. 16 But if your servant says to you, â€Å"I do not want to leave you,† because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, 17 then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life.Do the same for your female servant. 18 Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do. Psalm 37:26 New International Version (NIV) 26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing. [a] Psalm 112:5 New International Version (NIV) 5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. Proverbs 19:17 New International Version (NIV) 7 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done. Prover bs 22:7 New International Version (NIV) 7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender. Deuteronomy 24:6 New International Version (NIV) 6 Do not take a pair of millstones—not even the upper one—as security for a debt, because that would be taking a person’s livelihood as security. Deuteronomy 24:10-13 New International Version (NIV) 10 When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge. 1 Stay outside and let the neighbor to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. 12 If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge in your possession. 13 Return their cloak by sunset so that your neighbor may sleep in it. Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 24:17 New International Version (NIV) 17 Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of th e widow as a pledge. Exodus 22:25-27 New International Version (NIV) 5 â€Å"If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. 26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, 27 because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. Proverbs 6:1-5 New International Version (NIV) Warnings Against Folly 6 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, 2 you have been trapped by what you said, nsnared by the words of your mouth. 3 So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go—to the point of exhaustion—[a] and give your neighbor no rest! 4 Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. 5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird fro m the snare of the fowler. Proverbs 22:26-27 New International Version (NIV) Saying 4 26 Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; 27 if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.

Briefing Memo on Globalization

The discussed chapter of the book is not confined to one specific field of business, but rather seeks to analyze General Electric impact by globalization trends and GE management’s response. In this way, the article provides interdisciplinary knowledge, which ties political economy of globalization, strategic management, corporate culture and marketing. 2. The author makes the argument that General Electric activities were positively affected by globalization, as this company had all necessary resources for extensive export and investment activities abroad.Its massive scale of production, renowned and recognizable brand, and support of American government and multinational financial institutions were the basic prerequisites for GE’s successful export and investment activities abroad. These changes resulted in significant reorganization of company’s structure (initiated by Welch). 3. Author gives examples of new GE policies, directed at financial investment abroad , internal reorganization of management practices, corporate culture and leadership.The spread of GE headquarters in Europe and other continents and acquisition of new productive capacities abroad (Central and Eastern Europe) are discussed. Important evidence provided by the author refers to extensive use of international labor force and management specialists. 4. The author’s evidence corresponds with existing trends and facts. Globalization process within GE is obvious: GE management globalized ‘the intellect of the company’, that is qualified labor force, which significantly de-Americanized it.Besides this, GE relies on local cadres in managing its headquarters overseas. Other facts, such as Welch cutting American labor force in GE by 50% since 1986 and doubling the number of abroad labor force signify true nature of author’s argument. 5. Managers should be aware of these arguments due to several reasons. First of all, globalization trends are inevitabl e and each company is affected by the same economic laws and processes.Without knowing the experience of such influential companies as General Electric, it would be difficult to organize the process of change in a given company. Secondly, author’s argument provides not only interesting descriptions and facts, but practically probed strategies of positive and effective globalization of activities. Article discusses the subject of technological development within General Electric and focuses on application of its technologies in medical sphere. It’s confined to GE technological innovations in medical sphere.2. The author’s main argument may be summarized as follows: technical innovations in GE are no less important, than technical breakthroughs in computer industry, represented by such companies as Microsoft, Apple and IBM, and General Electric continues to spend its resources on R &D. In proving his argument the author focuses on GE Medical Systems Information Te chnologies department activities, directed at creating a digital system of patients’ records in hospital, implementing new techniques of medical data analysis, etc.3. The author gives much evidence in support of his argument through his analysis of past and present technological development in General Electric. Koprowski lists such important innovations as building a superconducting magnet, which resulted in creation of magnetic resonance imaging. General Electric also created the first computer system, which was used for electrocardiograms’ analysis. Nowadays GE continues to implement his technical innovations in medical sphere.Author claims that Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS), which stores medical content, is a good demonstration of GE innovative investment. Besides this, PACS created Excite (magnetic resonance technique), which provides perfect resolution, used in imaging patients’ body. Other major innovations of GE in this sphere are connecte d with scans, radiograms, lighting ergonomics, 3D tomography etc. 4. Author’s evidence and arguments are well-grounded, however, he fails to present a general picture of technological and research process within company.The article is confined to medical sphere, and innovations discussed do not bear revolutionary character, but merely rationalize existing techniques. The digitalization discussed in the article could be realized by other companies and is not specific to GE. Moreover, the article lacks proper analysis of fundamental research in GE. 5. Managers should be aware of this argument, because it provides examples of practical application of company’s technical innovations, which helps connect the process of R&D with commercial goals.Without such connection, R&D in the company is not effective and management is not optimistic about its necessity. Works Cited Lowe, Janet. Welch: An American Icon. â€Å"Chapter 6: The Globalization of General Electric†. New York: Wiley, 2001. Koprowski, Gene J. â€Å"General Electric's Tech: Past, Present, Future†. TechNewsWorld. August, 2003. 13 October 2008.

Analyze Macro Environment of Australian

Marketing environment refers to the forces, which impact the ability of an industry towards building and maintaining its success (Broberg, Umans and Gerlofstig 2013). This study will be based on the scenario, where a large company wishes to invest in the retail book industry of Australia. In this context, the study will analyze the macro environment of the industry through PESTLE and Porter’s Five Force Analysis. Apart from that, the study will also analyze the segmenting variables of the industry. The purpose of the study is to explore the opportunity and threats of the industry, which will ultimately impact the new company. The study will also suggest some segmenting variables for the new company. PESTLE Analysis of Australian Retail Book Industry  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Free trade agreement imposed by Australian Government assists smooth business operation of Australian retail book industry  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As per Australian copyright act, Australian booksellers are obligated to purchase bulk orders from Australian rights holder. They are restricted to purchase orders from overseas suppliers (Booksandpublishing.com.au 2017). It is ultimately pushing up the price of local book sold in retail shops and increasing the overall revenues of the industry.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reduced tax rate on retail book industry has ultimately increased its profit potential.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Strong economic condition of Australia has enhanced the business potential of book retailers  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fluctuation in inflation rate sometimes hamper book retailing industry.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Currency fluctuation rate also impact on the profit level of the industry  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increasing social activity among the people towards sharing interest through book reading has increases the sales potential in the industry  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increasing purchasing power of the consumer has enhanced the sales potential of this industry (Parsons and Descatoires 2016)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increasing numbers of retirees in this country has increased the demand for books  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Advanced technology helps the industry to keep constant relation with the customers  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technological advancement can help in building strong relationship with the book suppliers (Efendioglu 2015)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The industry comply with all the legal standards of consumer law  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The industry also comply with all the Australian labor law  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Book retail industry of Australia is highly concerned about protecting the environment  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It uses environment friendly packaging   technique for all its products Table 1: PESTLE Analysis of Retail Book Industry in Australia The retail book industry of Australia faces low barriers from the localized small entrants. However, it faces significant barriers from the international entrants. Their established competition has created negative growth of the industry (Wehner et al. 2017). Moreover, the percentage of trade book sales was quite low in Australian till 2015 (Referred to Appendix 1). However, the industry has used price cutting strategy for beating the treats of new entrants and started to regain the sales volume. Retail book industry of Australia faces high level of threats from the media and entertainment industry. Recently, consumers spend more time on watching TV and chatting in social media. It has reduced the demand of books, which is ultimately impacting the retail book industry (Pons et al. 2016). The total value of boo sales has been demonstrated in Appendix 2. The retail book industry of Australian faces tough competition from the online retailers like Amazon and The Book Depository. It forced the industry to set cheaper prices for all of their books, which has increased its market share. However, the sales of the industry have been declined by 2.2% by the year 2016 (Ibisworld.com.au 2017). On the other hand, the recent revenue of the industry demonstrated an amount of 4 billion, which is a moderate amount (Ibisworld.com.au 2017). The sales channels of the Australian book have been demonstrated in Appendix 3. In the local market, the industry faces tough competition from Booktopia and Dymocks. Retail book industry faces high bargaining power of buyers. Moreover, the online bookselling companies are more likely to offer discounts on the books, which they sell to the customers through online channels (Barnard 2016). Hence, customers have more power to switch in those online booksellers. It can ultimately reduce the sales potential of the industry. The copyright act of Australian Government has restricted the bookselling companies to buy bulk amount of book only from local book publishers. They are not allowed to get supply of the book from any foreign suppliers. It has ultimately increased the bargaining power of suppliers over the retail bookselling industry (Gray 2013). However, share of trade and educational books have increased the overall market share of the industry (Referred to Appendix 4). Figure 1: Porter’s Five Force Analysis of Australian Retail Book Industry (Source: Stephens and McGowan 2015) Segmenting Variables in Australian Retail Book Industry Age: 6 year to Above: Almost all age groups having reading habits are targeted by this industry. Gender: Both Male and Female: Readings are not restricted to any gender in today’s market. Hence, both male and female customers are selected. Marital Status: Both Single and Married: Single customers will be segmented to offer action and adventure books, science fiction, horror and mystery books. On the other hand, married customers are segmented to offer romance, diaries, religious and history books. Education: Mostly educated person: Books are valued to only educated customers. Students are offered by the book within their syllabus and others by different types of books. Occupation: Can be any type and even the retired persons: All types of professional are segmented by the industry. Income: Moderate income level: Books are kind of luxury goods. Hence, the customers having moderate income are selected. Attitude: Positive attitude towards life: Customers having fantasy and positive attitude towards life are selected by the industry.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Customers having strong personality  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Customers having hobbies of book reading Customers seeking high level of benefits are segmented by the industry  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Occupation: Business persons, school students, college students, job holders and even unemployed  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Customers having moderate income  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Customers having positive attitude over life  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wide collection of books in the bookstores  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Various types of books including education, trade, entertainment and others  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moderate price range attracts the readers  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Convenient stores of the book stores Table 2: Segmenting Variables of Australian Book Retail While concluding the study, it can be said that Australian book retail industry gets huge support from the government. On the other hand, the increasing reading habits of the customers have also enhanced the sales potential of the industry. The recent revenue of the industry is 1 billion, which is quite moderate. However, the industry is facing tough completion from the online book selling companies both from domestic market as well as international market. Hence, the industry has become forced to cut the price range of the books. It has ultimately declined the profit level of the industry. However, with the increasing popularity of trade and educational books, there is still hope in this industry. The new retail book company should target adult groups for selling their books. Recommendation on Segmentation and Target of Book Retail Company Age: 18-Above: All the adults customers will be segmented by this company, as they are mostly associated with the hobbies of reading Income: Moderate Income Group: The company will sell books having high prices like popular novels, Fictions, Non-fictions and many more. Hence, it will segment customers having stable income Occupation: College Students will be segmented, as they needs various types of books included in their syllabus. Business persons will be selected for selling trade books. On the other hand, retired persons will also be a significant segment of this company, as they mostly need book readings for spending their time. Marital Status: Both single and married customers will be segmented for their differing needs of books Education: All educated persons will be selected by the company. Even the educated household will be the customers of the company, as they may need books on getting ideas of cooking and foods. Attitude: Both having positive and negative attitude towards life. People having negative attitude can also buy books for overcoming their pain in life.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Customers having both positive personality in life will be selected  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Customers having hobbies of reading and entertainment will be selected Customers seeking extra benefits over their purchase will be selected  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Customers between the age of 18-above will be selected  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Education: All types of educated Customers  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Occupation: Businesspersons, college students, media professionals and others  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Customers having moderate income  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Customers having both positive and negative attitude towards life Wide variety of books will attract different types of customers Affordable prices of the books will attract huge range of customers Discounts offered to the customers will attract them a lot Convenient store location will enhance numbers of customers Table 3: Recommendation on Segmentation of New Book Retail Company Barnard, S., 2016. Retail or e-tail? Brick or click? Is e-tailing the ideal solution for all industries?: opinion.  The Retail and Marketing Review,  12(1), pp.89-91. Booksandpublishing.com.au. 2017.  The market down under | Books+Publishing. [online] Available at: https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2016/09/30/74713/the-market-down-under/ [Accessed 7 Apr. 2017]. Broberg, P., Umans, T. and Gerlofstig, C., 2013. Balance between auditing and marketing: An explorative study.  Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation,  22(1), pp.57-70. Efendioglu, A.M., 2015. State of information technology in small retail and service businesses: an exploratory study.  Journal of Small Business Strategy,  8(2), pp.13-24. Gray, D., 2013. Out of the Box and into the Bookstore: Non-Traditional Use of the Bookstore.  Against the Grain,  15(3), p.10. Gump, S.E., 2014. Everyday Book Marketing: Promotion Ideas to Fit Your Regularly Scheduled Life by Midge Raymond (review).  Journal of Scholarly Publishing,  45(4), pp.409-413. Ibisworld.com.au. 2017.  Book Stores in Australia Market Research | IBISWorld. [online] Available at: https://www.ibisworld.com.au/industry-trends/specialised-market-research-reports/consumer-goods-services/book-stores.html [Accessed 7 Apr. 2017]. Ibisworld.com.au. 2017.  Newspaper and Book Retailing in Australia Market Research | IBISWorld. [online] Available at: https://www.ibisworld.com.au/industry-trends/market-research-reports/retail-trade/other-store-based-retailing/newspaper-book-retailing.html [Accessed 7 Apr. 2017]. Parsons, A.G. and Descatoires, E., 2016. Retail marketing: A novel research agenda.  Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ),  24(2), pp.102-107. Pons, F., Giroux, M., Mourali, M. and Zins, M., 2016. The relationship between density perceptions and satisfaction in the retail setting: Mediation and moderation effects.  Journal of Business Research,  69(2), pp.1000-1007. Stephens, P. and McGowan, M., 2015. Service Convenience: On-Line versus Brick and Mortar Bookstores.  International Journal of Information Systems in the Service Sector (IJISSS),  7(3), pp.1-14. Wehner, C., Wehner, C., Wehner, C., Wehner, C. and Wehner, C. 2017.  Bookselling Industry Analysis for Australia - Porter's Five Forces & PEST. [online] bluetrain. Available at: https://bluetrainenterprises.com.au/blog/2016/11/18/industry-analysis-australian-print-bookselling/ [Accessed 7 Apr. 2017].

Evaluation Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Evaluation Argument - Essay Example 3) The argument is aimed at the general audience, some of whom may have differing opinions about the appropriateness of the pirate costume for a Halloween party. But they need to consider the validity of the costume keeping in mind the historical backdrop of pirates and how pirates still exist today, although in different guises. Some may find other costumes more appropriate and reject the idea of a pirate costume altogether. But the point to be noted for this discussion is that other costumes fail to satisfactorily meet all the criteria. 4) In forming the argument, I aim to base the validity of using a pirate costume from real life historical events and how many of the other costumes are borne from fiction and fantasy and not reality. In researching this topic, I refer to historical records pertaining to the age where much of the world's commerce was derived from ship farers and how high sea robbers spent much of their time chasing these ships for bounty. 5) The argument will be organized by first comparing the origins of some of the other costumes, (whether they came from fantasy or reality) with the pirate costume which is clearly based on historical fact. By focusing on the 'reality' aspect of pirates, explaining the fact that such bandits actually existed in the past, some credibility is given to the idea of a pirate costume. ... The argument will strive to give credence to the pirate, highlight the characteristics of strength, courage and daring that were the hallmarks of a pirate's personality and life. Comparisons will also be made with others costumes, against the different criteria and whether or not they are met. 6) The audience are both readers who like to believe that a pirate is the best costume for a Halloween party and to other readers who think otherwise but who would gain extra understanding from the argument proposed here. PAPER OUTLINE The introduction will enquire as to what is the best costume for a Halloween party and asks as to what are the different criteria to be used to base the argument on. A claim will be made about a pirate costume being ideal for a Halloween party. A selection of different criteria will be stated that are to be met in order for a pirate costume to qualify as being the ideal costume. The body of the final paper will set out to explain what various costumes represent, giving examples about whether the costumes originate from real life or fantasy. Next, the origin of wearing costumes in the context of Halloween is detailed and how the practice came about. Also a mention will be given to the justification of wearing a pirate costume for a Halloween party when clearly a pirate costume was never originally a part of the tradition of Halloween. This part will also look into the liberation a mask or costume can provide and how a pirate costume can enable the wearer to freely act out the role, thus providing some entertainment value. Comparisons with other costumes will also be made, even those that share similar 'qualities' with the pirate costume. A mention will also be given to the link that a pirate's traits has with a

League Of Denial Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

League Of Denial - Movie Review Example For instance, the NFL changed the kickoff laws in which the team starting the drive moved to the 35-yard line (Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru 27). This was in an effort to reduce tackles at the end zones before conversion of scores. The NFL should have been proactive in offering monetary and medical assistance to prior NFL players by requiring all teams to insure their members. Similarly, the NFL should facilitate medical and financial assistance to players who get injured during matches. This can be achieved by having stand-by ambulances to offer first-aid services when concussions occur (Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru 25). I do not believe that the NFL has lost popularity due to the acknowledgement of the head traumas because all sports personalities experience injuries. It is also a good gesture to inform the public and would-be players of the head injuries and to warn them of the same. As a result, the NFL did not lose popularity since other sports do not acknowledge the occurrence of injuries. However, the NFL will lose revenue due to this type of publicity because the sponsoring companies would not like to associate with risky sports. Similarly, the fan attendance of the games might drop for fear of witnessing players being stretched off the pitches because of head injuries. This shows that publicity should always convey positive information to the public and manage the negative issues (Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru

Business Aspects of the School Community Human Resources and School Essay - 2

Business Aspects of the School Community Human Resources and School Finance - Dis 10 - Essay Example Their view is based on the rationale of awarding bonuses on the basis of the achievement of their students (Brimley, Garfield & Verstegen, 2008). The idea of performance based payment package is an attribute with its own advantages and disadvantages. There is the benefit derived from the hard work that is attained on teachers in an effort to have an excellent output on students. The assumption is that as the students are involved in excellent gain academically, then teachers will benefit a lot through an increased pay. Merit pay is a performance based approach that forms the foundation of an excellent education system. The idea is a propagated agenda that calls for rewarding of teachers who helps in the attainment of a student improvement platform in their academic work. The policy of merit reward is in line with the system of work that is experience in the private sector. The possibility of testing the knowledge acquired by students is a critical benchmark in revealing the effectiveness of teachers. There are benefits associated with a standardized tests program that are extremely helpful to students (Brimley, Garfield & Verstegen, 2008). There exists the advantage of a better jobs being offered to the scholars. This is an attribute that emanates from strong academic pedigree that belongs to high quality scholars from the merit pay based system. These scholars are, therefore, critical enough in offering a powerful decision point in expert thinking and support system. The potential of Tennessee scholars extends to being awarded scholarship programs. This is on the basis of strong candidate potential that is a guarantee of top performers. Merit pay is an initiative that goes an extra mile in helping to recruit the best minds. Teachers who are intelligent and portray an effective approach to their profession are contained in the school administration through an increased pay. The merit pay approach

Discuss the value of Homers Iliad for the historian Essay - 1

Discuss the value of Homers Iliad for the historian - Essay Example For instance, in book five of the lliad, Pylaimenes who happened to be the king of the Paphlagonians is killed. However, in book thirteen, he reappears mourning the death of his son. This is controversial to historians. Lastly, there exist different and varying interpretations given to particular passages of the lliad resulting into several theories about how the poem was written (Bryant, 21). The poem teaches that, in Greek traditional culture, god and goddesses are literary figures that are involved in man’s life, predicting his future and regularly impeding any endeavor for man to entirely forge his own life. Finally, characteristics of warriors as being courageous and fearless, is brought out. As to conclusion, Homer lived during the Greek Iron Age. However, throughout the lliad, he has made many remarks about weapons being made out of bronze. This clearly shows that the lliad took place during the Bronze Age, which was approximately in 13th century

The Main Target Market of the Innovative Foamed Doom Case Study

The Main Target Market of the Innovative Foamed Doom - Case Study Example In the year 2008, there were around 7,73,600 construction companies in the United States (AGC of America, 2011). All of these stats indicate that there potential and growth opportunity in the industry. The new concept of the foamed dome and other structures can be marketed to a considerably large target market. The target market for the new product of foamed dome is large, however, the company will have to clearly identify the need and requirements of the market. The constructors and architects are in search of more environmentally friendly and inexpensive construction material. Different companies and firms are coming up with several innovative products and construction material in order to make the construction industry more sustainable (Miller, 2011). Apart from this, due to the recent economic crunch architects and constructors are looking for cost-saving solutions. The new and innovative product being introduced by the company will be able to cater to all these changing needs of the target market. It is important to establish Point of Parity (POP) for any brand in order to make sure that the product or brand can be related to other products and competitors in the industry. This, in turn, allows the customers to establish the basic understanding and a point of reference. The Point of Parity (POP) in this case is that the foam dome is also used in the construction of different buildings and structures like other constructing material. Once the Point of Parity (POP) has been created, the next step for the brand is the creation of the Point of Difference (POD). It is important to create a Point of Difference (POD) for a brand so that the customers are able to differentiate it from other products in the market.  

Comparison Report of McDonalds and Burger King Essay

Comparison Report of McDonalds and Burger King - Essay Example Burger King is another franchise in the food and beverage company that is giving McDonald's a run for its money. Founded in 1954 in Florida (Burger King, n.d.), it has been able to spread throughout the nation and worldwide achieving a great fan base in more than 74 countries (Burger King, n.d.). The restaurants are privately owned under the umbrella corporation Burger King and have a reputation of housing the world famous WHOPPER sandwich among others. Not limited to the United States, the company has been able to break language barriers and provides food and beverage services to more than 11 million customers daily (Burger King, n.d.). With its wide array of foods to choose from its menu, it gives people a great selection of food substances to choose from accommodating all ages, tastes, and preferences for all meals and snacks becoming a household name in the regions it serves.Having a Facebook page allows the company to interact freely and directly with its customer base in the re gion. Here they are able to advertise the products they offer and keep tabs on customer satisfaction. According to the page, however, they have more complaints than compliments meaning they need to use these customer responses to their services and products to improve on them. It is clear that they are more into advertising, which may compromise their business, and based on their fan base, compared to McDonald's, they need it.The two companies, being in the same industry, are similar to some degree.

Goals of Financial Management Essay Example for Free

Goals of Financial Management Essay Money required for carrying out business activities is called business finance. Almost all business activities require some finance. Finance is needed : †¢To establish a business , †¢To run it †¢To modernize it †¢To expand it or diversify †¢It is required to buy whole variety of assets, they may be tangible like machinery ,factories,building,offices or intangible like patents, technical expertise etc. Success of business depends considerably on how well the funds are deployed in assets Financial management is concerned with optimum procurement as well as usage of finance. The financial management has to take three important decision viz. (i) Investment decision i. e. , where to invest fund and in what amount, (ii) Financing decision i. e. , from where to raise funds and in what amount, and (iii) Dividend i. e. , how much to pay dividend and how much to retain for future expansion. In order to make these decisions the management must have a clear understanding of the objective sought to be achieved. It is generally agreed that the financial objective of the firm should be maximization of owners economic welfare. There are two widely discussed approaches or criterion of maximizing owners welfare – (i) Profit maximization, and (ii) Wealth maximization. Profit maximization would probably be the most commonly cited business goal, but this is not a very precise objective. Do we mean profits this year? If so, then actions such as deferring maintenance, letting inventories run down, and other short-run, cost-cutting measures will tend to increase profits now, but these activities arent necessarily desirable. The goal of maximizing profits may refer to some sort of â€Å"long-run† or â€Å"average† profits, but its unclear exactly what this means. First, do we mean something like accounting net income or earnings per share? As we will see, these numbers may have little to do with what is good or bad for the firm. Second, what do we mean by the long run? As a famous economist once remarked, in the long run, were all dead! More to the point, this goal doesnt tell us the appropriate trade-off between current and future profits. Profit Maximization: Maximization of profits is very often considered as the main objective of a business enterprise. The shareholders, the owners of the business, invest their funds in the business with the hope of getting higher dividend on their investment. Moreover, the profitability of the business is an indicator of the sound health of the organization, because, it safeguards the economic interests of various social groups which are directly or indirectly connected with the company e. g. shareholders, creditors and employees. All these parties must get reasonable return for their contributions and it is possible only when company earns higher profits or sufficient profits to discharge the obligations to them. As long as we are dealing with for-profit businesses, only a slight modification is needed. The total value of the stock in a corporation is simply equal to the value of the owners equity. Therefore, a more general way of stating our goal . Finally, our goal does not imply that the financial manager should take illegal or unethical actions in the hope of increasing the value of the equity in the firm. What we mean is that the financial manager best serves the owners of the business by identifying goods and services that add value to the firm because they are desired and valued in the free marketplace If we assume that stockholders buy stock because they seek to gain financially, then the answer is obvious: Good decisions increase the value of the stock, and poor decisions decrease the value of the stock. The goal of maximizing the value of the stock avoids the problems associated with the different goals we listed earlier. There is no ambiguity in the criterion, and there is no short-run versus long-run issue. We explicitly mean that our goal is to maximize the current stock value. Because the goal of financial management is to maximize the value of the stock, we need to learn how to identify those investments and financing arrangements that favorably impact the value of the stock. This is precisely what we will be studying. In fact, we could have defined corporate finance as the study of the relationship between business decisions and the value of the stock in the business. Wealth Maximization: The term wealth means shareholder’s wealth or the wealth of persons who are involved in business concern. this is also known as value maximization or net worth maximization The wealth maximization (also known as value maximization or Net Present Worth Maximization) is also universally accepted criterion for financial decision making. The value of an asset should be viewed in terms of benefits it can produce over the cost of capital investment. †¢Wealth maximization is based on the concept of cash flow . cash flow are a reality and not based on subjective. †¢It considers time value of money.

Examples Of Organization Activities Groupware Support Information Technology Essay

Examples Of Organization Activities Groupware Support Information Technology Essay With the changes of society and technologies, collaboration is becoming an increasingly integral part of the workplace environment. Three primary influencing factors have revolutionized the common workplace, of which perhaps the most prevalent being technology which has become imperative for being at the forefront of any market. As advancements have occurred in information and communication technologies the business environment has become more flexible, changing the way in which organizations operate. With the enhancements of technology it has become increasingly feasible for organizations to easily span across a global market, resulting in dispersion of organizational assets across a large geographical area. Social transformations such as an increase in the academic achievements of individuals have changed the depth of knowledge between peers allowing them to collaborate to achieve common goals within a working environment. The term Organization is broad and incorporates a collection of institutions ranging from government sectors through to universities. The way in which people operate within organizations has changed throughout recent decades due to the work that is required of them. With the advancements in technology, many tasks are easily achievable using computers and software packages, much of the trivial and time consuming tasks have been removed from the user workload and instead carried out via a machine. Workers within organizations have continued to change with the change in work with many people becoming knowledge workers, who supply their specialist know-how to contribute towards organizational goals. People within organizations are now often required to complete large activities with very specific goals. A growing trend of positions within these environments requires people to operate as a member within a team, to distribute complicated organizational goals. Working in these situations provides an increase in efficiency and productivity in carrying out organizational activities. There are many advantages to working within a team, one of these being teams have a collective knowledge much greater than that of an individual, allowing them to understand a problem by sharing knowledge. Team members will often have their own ideas they want to be included into a solution and so forth will be more so committed to the work. Whilst one individual may find it hard to see flaws within their own work, teams can often identify errors much faster, with a more objective standpoint. Creative solutions can be derived from a group with multiple viewpoints, often providing an abstract view of a problem. Within the business world, companies have been targeting growing markets, this has caused a dispersion in company assets. Activities require interactions from a range of assets including personal situated in different locations this is why technology has become fundamental to team collaborations within a business environment. Collaboration between workers has become more vital in completing organizational goals, technology and software developments have advanced supporting collaboration between individuals whom are not co-located. A type of software which has grown due to the requirement of organizations is groupware. Groupware, collaborative software or group support systems are all a type of software with the main objective to make the interaction between people that work together easier and helping them to become more effective and efficient.( Sarmento, Lousa, Machado,1999) The software is used to support groups of people engaged in a common task that provides an interface to a shared environment. (Borko Furht,2008) Groupware can take place between people whom are co-located or remotely segregated. It can either be synchronous where people are collaborating in real-time or asynchronous with communication at different times (not real-time). Many early groupware systems were brought to live to eliminate the need to be co-located. Groupware has now grown to a state where it is an industry of its own, with so many organizations using various types of collaborative software. Groupware has been around for many years, incorporating technologies such as email. More recently groupware is becoming associated with technologies that support collaboration and communication, with many software solutions providing support for communication, collaboration and cooperative work, for example LMS systems employed by many universities, to support student collaboration. Many factors have lead to the need of software solutions that promote collaboration between individuals. Group work is a regular experience for many people within an organization, in most organizations most complex decisions are made by a team. As this become more frequent the necessity to share documents and work together is central to success. As media becomes more available through IP (internet protocol) through factors such as faster networking connections, the range and quantity of data we can send has improved allowing for better groupware systems (such as video conferencing). Additional the rise of groupware has been influenced by the global spread of employees with 87 percent of employees around the world work[ing] in remote offices.(Turban, Leindner, Mclean, Wetherbe,2008) Individuals daily routines have become more dependent on electronic devices, keeping them in constant connection to e-mail collaborative calendars and other groupware system. Exposing individual to this te chnology makes it easier to introduce such software into their work life. The benefits of groupware have lead to huge numbers of organizations up taking e-collaboration, the telecommunication Industry (TIA)(Tiaonline.org) indicates that global revenues from collaboration will show a 66.5 percent compound annual growth reaching $11.4 billion in 2007 (Turban, Leindner, Mclean, Wetherbe,2008). One of the issues slowing the uptake of groupware is the range of requirements from the different users of collaborative software. Because cooperative work is carried out through such a huge number of industries the number of different activities is massive, often general solutions cannot provide the functionality needed so bespoke software is required. This factor has slowed the uptake of groupware in smaller organizations. Another issue with groupware is the integrity of data being operated upon. When cooperative working it is often the case that the users will be working on an artifact, with multiple users accessing and modifying the artifact it can often cause multiple different copies. Groupware systems tend to employ a centralized data store to attempt to reduce this occurring, including other techniques (e.g. locking the data until the modifications have been finalized). Authentication has also been an issue related with groupware systems as often organizational documents are sensitive. Classification and types of groupware Groupware is a term which incorporates a large quantity of different technologies involved with communication, collaboration and cooperative work. Because the term is so hard to define it has lead to many people being unsure of what constitutes as groupware. The best way to view them is to group them in a logical way, numerous different classification frameworks have been produced to describe characteristics of groupware. In this section I will try and describe some classification techniques to outline the various types of groupware which are available. The time/space matrix classification framework used to group types of groupware. This technique uses the location and the times in groupware to describe it. On the x-axis is the location, which describes if users are co-located or geographically divided. The y-axis on the other hand describes if the users interactions are synchronous (real-time) or asynchronous (not in real-time). Tools used which are synchronous and co-located tend not to be computerized, for instance a classroom. Although this framework does group collaborative tools it does have examples which can cause confusion, such as e-mail. Though it is classified as an asynchronous technology it can be used to send messages back and forth between users.   Network delays might not make it real-time interaction, but it is used for synchronous communication.(Brusic  ,2004) Other examples are present. The ambiguity present in this framework has caused others to be formed. The second framework this essay will introduce is the people/artefact framework. It is heavily based upon cooperative work. Cooperative work involves two or more participants using a shared artefact. (Brusic  ,2004) This framework identifies 3 main operations groupware can offer; Computer meditated communication, meeting and decision support systems and shared applications and artefacts. The first category computer-meditated communication describes technologies which support direct communication between users, allowing cooperate about their work. An example of this are e-mail, bulletin boards and video conferencing. To collaborate workers need to be able to gain an understanding of the task and generate ideas, this is the concept encapsulated by the second category meeting and decision support systems. Examples of meeting and decision support systems are; argumentation tools, services that offer shared drawing tools and brainstorming activities. The final category is shared applica tions and artefacts, this classification includes systems for sharing; computers, applications and documents. This classification often requires special collaborative aware software to be used, an example of these systems are shared editors, allowing multiple users to edit a document. The two classification frameworks discussed are not the only two available, another example is Esther Dysons model that focuses on the benefiting party of the groupware. Describing these frameworks makes it apparent that there are many various collaborative tools, the ideal solution would be one which includes all tools although we are still quite far from developing the grand groupware system that encompasses every type of communication, and we will probably never get there since the possibilities are constantly evolving with changes in both our patterns of social interaction and the technology we have available.(Anonymous,2010) Examples of organization activities groupware support Organisations are more than often using electronic systems to carry out a large magnitude of their internal and external processes. The adoption of e-enterprise has brought forward the need for collaboration between organisations to meet their goals and flourish in the current market. The increasing need for collaboration between non co-located organisations and individuals has caused the groupware market to expand and become a fundamental tool. Groupware has influenced the expansion of enterprises by improving the effectiveness of a range of tools such as the ability to communicate over long distances. I will now discuss the use of groupware and how it can be used to support organisations and their processes. Since the introduction of computers the ability to collect, analyse and share data has greatly increased in efficiency. Today many business and other organisations thrive upon the data they utilize. A key aspect of any organisation is the way in which data is managed and shared between different organisational resources, for example different tiers of staff. Groupware is enabling organisations to work effectively with the quantity of data they currently possess. The sharing of information internally and to external stakeholders has been benefitted by a variety of tools. Many industries rely on sharing information to external organisations and example where this can be seen is with supply and demand. Companies with a required demand need to communicate their requirements to the suppliers in order to meet the demands. An example industry where this is present is within supermarket chains. Asda a leading supermarket uses electronic data interchange systems to communicate to its supplier s with great effect, send[ing] real time data in multiple formats securely over the internet (Turban, Leindner, Mclean, Wetherbe,2008). Using its current stock levels to request necessary products. This software supports the collaboration between organisations improving efficiency. This groupware system offers many benefits over its manual equivalent (such as telephone ordering). Most of the system is automated removing the need for human resources, but it also often much more effective with a decrease in the time required, error rates (human error removed) and often cost. Information sharing has become a large section of groupware due to the increasing use of e-enterprise and need for multiple stakeholders to share information. It can often be seen internally in organisations with one example being the sharing of documents through systems such as email attachments and drop box systems. Knowledge creation tools are a collection of groupware tools that can be used to support the learning and sharing of knowledge throughout an organisation. Knowledge can be classified as tacit (Knowledge that is difficult to transfer by verbalising it or writing it down) or as explicit. Groupware systems support both through collaboration using a variety of structured and non-structured methods. Tools which offer this include; white-boarding, chat, discussion groups and other tools. Knowledge creation and sharing is important throughout organisations. The need of cooperation between geographically dispersed workgroups is a critical issue to global organizations: the best specialists to solve a problem do not usually work on the same floor. (Carvalho, Rodrigo Baroni de Ferreira, Marta Araujo Tavares, 2001). As this statement suggest groupware to help creation of knowledge is now fundamental because of the needs of organisations to span a much larger (often global) market. Closely coupled to knowledge creation tools are the groupware tool classified as knowledge management systems. The systems main objective is to manage the creation, capture, storage and dissemination of information.(Maier,2007) Because of the diversity of organizations many varying systems are currently available. Learning management systems such as Blackboard are ideal examples of groupware facilitating learning. Blackboard is a well known product used in over 2200 educational institutions, its primary goal is manage course content but also provides tools for learning and collaboration between users. Through my own experience of blackboard it vastly improves the ability to find relevant information to apply towards projects and examinations, using the online discussion boards it is possible to carry out peer to peer knowledge sharing to aid my personal development. Assessment and interactive learning content is another feature present helping to increase individuals knowledge throug hout universities. There are many other organizations using a variety of software packages. Lotus notes (IBM) is an example of collaborative software which incorporates knowledge management, this system is typically used throughout businesses and offers a range of collaborative tools such as email and calendaring. A collaborative project management tool is an application that facilitates a project throughout its lifecycle. Many groupware tools can be used to support a range of projects. Projects have a much higher rate of success if they are managed effectively. The ability for multiple team members to carry out work on a project from different geographical locations is greatly improved with the use of collaborative project management tools. As the internet has become a more powerful resource it has lead to the growth of tools such as sub-versioning. Throughout the software industry it is often feasible for programmers to operate from different locations all carrying out modifications on a globally stored project. Collaborative project management tools do bring issue. When projects are carried out by non co-located groups they often work on the same data this can lead to data inconsistency throughout a project. Data inconsistency can often lead to inaccuracy and loss of integrity through information. Groupware commonly uses the approach of having a central single data store. This can still lead to loss of integrity with multiple people modifying the same information. Techniques such as locking can be applied and is used in packages such as repository programming where files are locked until they are updated by the person modifying them. This does remove the issue of data inconsistency but reduces productivity, communication is vital to avoid such issues. The future of Groupware All disciplines of technology continue to advance at incredible rates, I believe that groupware will become critical to large organisations. Enterprises are continuing to become more and more popular fulfilling a huge magnitude of services. As the rates of communication through computer continue to increase (i.e. internet speeds) the ability to collaborate with organisations in multiple countries using more personal media will become available. Furthermore the collaboration achievable will improve, bringing down the limitations of geographical dispersion and providing media much more similar to a face to face conversation. Large organisations such as Microsoft and IBM are continuing to focus development towards overall groupware solutions such as Lotus notes. As these organisations continue to develop reliable secure systems I believe the use of collaborative systems will grow throughout small to large work environments. The term groupware is hard to quantify, including small systems such as e-mail through to large software packages, I believe solutions that incorporate a framework and many tools will become more readily available. These sophisticated solutions will offer flexibility so that the processes they operate and projects they manage can change and still be supported, in the same way which humans are flexible to change. With flexibility will need to come scalability of a system, organisations are constantly changing to stay relevant with in their market, groupware will need to be able to support the need for growth. Organisations often consist of technically skilled IT employees capable of managing the internal and external systems but workers do not always have strong technical abilities. If groupware is to become a necessity for all organisations, the technical skills needed to work with the software will need to be basic, this is something I believe will become more present within current tools. Todays world is becoming heavily encircled around mobile devices with millions of people using smart phones and other hand held devices to access the Internet and carry out many daily activities. With the movement away from desk workers to people whom travel in their daily work life the demand for groupware systems that can be supported through a mobile platform to allow communication and collaboration whilst on the move. Groupware tools such as email can already be accessed via mobile device but I believe more multifunctional solutions such as lotus notes will become more available via mobile devices. As with the move to mobile platforms cross platform will also be needed. I believe that this will be accomplished with an increase in web-based solutions running on hosted systems similar to groupware such as Google groups. The inevitable move towards cloud computing will continue to bring an increase in web-based tools with less need for local storage and an increase in hosted data wa rehouses. Groupware will continue to grow but this brings the cost needed to secure systems. Large organisations with top-secret information or organisation secret information will no doubt like the rest of the Internet become a victim to cyber-crime. If security is not kept at the forefront of developers minds when producing groupware tools it could become an easy target for cyber criminals exploiting the software for their own benefit. Tools like Sms and E-mail have already fallen victim with numerous scandals, the increase of overall groupware systems which incorporate the majority of business processes will become a target, an example being the attack of a payroll system. Conclusion Groupware as discussed within this essay is hard to describe with a broad range of technologies being incorporated under the term. Although groupware is hard to define the software tend to have common goals such as improved communication. The majority of collaborative tools can be described as one of the following four; Knowledge management tools, Knowledge creation tools, Information sharing tools and collaborative project management tools. Throughout the essay I have identified some techniques used to classify different groupware tools, in my opinion I believe for an organisation to take full advantage of computer systems a range of tools should be used. In an environment where learning is expected a range of tools would be beneficial because of the way in which people learn differently. The goal for all types of groupware is to improve collaboration and increase organisational efficiency. The growth of e-enterprises has increased the need for groupware systems. I believe that with the continued need for collaboration internally and externally for organisations to prosper, the use of groupware systems will follow such growth. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/search/freesrchabstract.jsp?tp=arnumber=807823queryText%3Dwith+the+main+objective+to+make+the+interaction+between+people+that+work+together+easier+and+helping+them+to+become+more+effective+and+efficient.%E2%80%9D%26openedRefinements%3D*%26searchField%3DSearch+All http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ipk5x-c_xNICdq=support+groups+of+people+engaged+in+a+common+task+that+provides+an+interface+to+a+shared+environment.source=gbs_navlinks_s http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~zives/03s/cis650/groupware.pdf http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs6751_97_fall/projects/abowd_team/ivan/final.html http://zing.ncsl.nist.gov/nist-icv/documents/node6.html http://www.skyrme.com/insights/7gw.htm http://www.hcibook.com/e3-docs/slides/notes-pdf/e3-chap-19-6up.pdf http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs6751_97_fall/projects/spin/groupware/index.html#classify http://www.usabilityfirst.com/about-usability/web-application-design/collaborative-software-groupware/typical-collaborative-software-applications/ http://computernetworksit.com.au/blog/business-groupware-%E2%80%93-software-for-complete-office-collaboration/ http://www.bynari.net/blog/bynari-collaboration-suite/bynari-collaboration-and-groupware-technology-enhances-workflow-and-business-operations/ http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/gray/WICS_99_TP/21_domino_Mohan.pdf http://www.helium.com/items/1647396-business-collaboration-tools-groupware-knowledge-management?page=2 http://informationr.net/ir/7-1/paper118.html http://en.enage.com/prod/prod05.asp?menu=6 http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~i385tkms/blog/archives/patrick/groupwarepaper.html#4 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_n11_v42/ai_20161847/pg_3/?tag=content;col (Carvalho, Rodrigo Baroni de Ferreira, Marta Araujo Tavares, 2001) Carvalho, Rodrigo Baroni de Ferreira, Marta Araà ºjo Tavares   (2001) Using information technology to support knowledge conversion processes   Ã‚  Information Research,  7(1) [Available at http://InformationR.net/ir/7-1/paper118.html]   Maier, R (2007): Knowledge Management Systems: Information And Communication Technologies for Knowledge Management. 3rd edition, Berlin: Springer.

Behaviorism Essay -- Behavior Psychology Psychological Essays

Behaviorism Psychology is the science of behavior. Psychology is not the science of the mind. Behavior can be described and explained without making reference to mental events or to internal psychological processes. The sources of behavior are external (in the environment), not internal (in the mind). Behaviorism is a doctrine, or a set of doctrines, about human and nonhuman animal behavior. An important component of many psychological theories in the late nineteenth century were introspection, the study of the mind by analysis of one's own thought processes. It was in reaction to this trend that behaviorism arose, claiming that the causes of behavior need not be sought in the depths of the mind but could be observed in the immediate environment, in stimuli that elicited, reinforced, and punished certain responses. The explanation, in other words, lay in learning, the process whereby behavior changes in response to the environment. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that the scientist began to uncover the actual mechanism of learning, thereby laying the theoretical foundation for behaviorism. The contributions of four particular scientists are Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, Edward Lee Thorndike, and B.F. Skinner. A Russian neurophysiologist, named Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), found that if he consistently sounded a tone at the same time that he gave a dog food, the dog would eventually salivate to the sound of the tone alert. Through this research he discovered a basic mechanism of learning called the Conditioned Reflex. A Conditioned Reflex is if a neutral stimulus (i.e. the tone) is paired with a nonneutral stimulus (i.e. the food), the organism will eventually respond to the neutral stimulus as it does to the nonneutral stimulus. Perhaps the strongest application of classical conditioning involves emotion. Common experience and careful research both confirm that human emotion conditions very rapidly and easily. Particularly when the emotion is intensely felt or negative in direction, it will condition quickly. His findings raised the possibility that many of our responses, like those of the dogs, were the result of a simple learning process. In other words, our loves and hates, our tastes and distastes might be the consequences of nothing more mysterious that a conditioning process whereby various things in our environment became "linked" in our min... ...lly "spreads," or generalizes, to thinks that resemble the conditioned stimulus. An example to this is in Watson's experiment with little Albert's spontaneous fear of rabbits, and other animals that resembles a white rate. The opposite side of the coin from generalization is discrimination that is learning to distinguish among similar stimuli and to respond only to the appropriate one. People learn to discriminate between similar stimuli, between a friendly smile and a malicious grin. When one turns to have reinforcing consequences and the other does not. When I was a little boy I loved the ice cream man. There would be so much noise going up and down my block but I could always hear his music over all the noise. Shaping is a critical process to operant conditioning. Throughout this process there is a positive reinforcement of successive approximations. The basic assumptions of behaviorism are that psychology's task is to study behavior, or the responses an organism makes to the stimuli in its environment; that psychological research should be empirical, based on measurement; that behavior can be controlled and predicted, and that the major component of behavior is learning. Behaviorism Essay -- Behavior Psychology Psychological Essays Behaviorism Psychology is the science of behavior. Psychology is not the science of the mind. Behavior can be described and explained without making reference to mental events or to internal psychological processes. The sources of behavior are external (in the environment), not internal (in the mind). Behaviorism is a doctrine, or a set of doctrines, about human and nonhuman animal behavior. An important component of many psychological theories in the late nineteenth century were introspection, the study of the mind by analysis of one's own thought processes. It was in reaction to this trend that behaviorism arose, claiming that the causes of behavior need not be sought in the depths of the mind but could be observed in the immediate environment, in stimuli that elicited, reinforced, and punished certain responses. The explanation, in other words, lay in learning, the process whereby behavior changes in response to the environment. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that the scientist began to uncover the actual mechanism of learning, thereby laying the theoretical foundation for behaviorism. The contributions of four particular scientists are Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, Edward Lee Thorndike, and B.F. Skinner. A Russian neurophysiologist, named Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), found that if he consistently sounded a tone at the same time that he gave a dog food, the dog would eventually salivate to the sound of the tone alert. Through this research he discovered a basic mechanism of learning called the Conditioned Reflex. A Conditioned Reflex is if a neutral stimulus (i.e. the tone) is paired with a nonneutral stimulus (i.e. the food), the organism will eventually respond to the neutral stimulus as it does to the nonneutral stimulus. Perhaps the strongest application of classical conditioning involves emotion. Common experience and careful research both confirm that human emotion conditions very rapidly and easily. Particularly when the emotion is intensely felt or negative in direction, it will condition quickly. His findings raised the possibility that many of our responses, like those of the dogs, were the result of a simple learning process. In other words, our loves and hates, our tastes and distastes might be the consequences of nothing more mysterious that a conditioning process whereby various things in our environment became "linked" in our min... ...lly "spreads," or generalizes, to thinks that resemble the conditioned stimulus. An example to this is in Watson's experiment with little Albert's spontaneous fear of rabbits, and other animals that resembles a white rate. The opposite side of the coin from generalization is discrimination that is learning to distinguish among similar stimuli and to respond only to the appropriate one. People learn to discriminate between similar stimuli, between a friendly smile and a malicious grin. When one turns to have reinforcing consequences and the other does not. When I was a little boy I loved the ice cream man. There would be so much noise going up and down my block but I could always hear his music over all the noise. Shaping is a critical process to operant conditioning. Throughout this process there is a positive reinforcement of successive approximations. The basic assumptions of behaviorism are that psychology's task is to study behavior, or the responses an organism makes to the stimuli in its environment; that psychological research should be empirical, based on measurement; that behavior can be controlled and predicted, and that the major component of behavior is learning.

George Washington Carver Essay -- essays research papers

George Washington Carver was a African American scientist who showed many intriguing thoughts of nature throughout his life span of being one of the most dedicated scientist. George was born in Diamond Missouri, but his exact date of birth is not known by people. Never the less, one of the most remarkable inventors was born. Many people speculate that he was born sometime in January in 1964, while others believe he was born in June. George was born as a small and weak baby, and he had his first challenge of overcoming various obstacles as a baby. Possibly one of his biggest goals that he had to overcome was growing up without having any parents. His father was killed in an accident while he was just a baby. George lived in a small cabin with his mother and brother James. Everything was going fine for George until one night when a raiding group of people came breaking into there home. They kidnapped George, along with his mother, while James went in the woods for a place to hide so h e won’t be captured. James would be leaded by his owner’s Moses and Susan Carver. Eventually George would escape from the people who capture him, and join his brother again as they would be guided by there owners. As being a black slave, they never adopted the last name from there parents. Only after the end of the Civil War, both James and George picked Carver to be their last name. George would stay with his owner’s that took care of him, and he would help out with the chores to show his appreciation. He became very fond of plants and at a early age George would plant and maintain the garden on the farm. He became so good at planting and gardening, his owner’s would give him the name â€Å"The Plant Doctor.† The Carver’s taught George many of the basic things that every child should know at the ealy age. George learned how to read and write with no problems. Many people thought and knew that George had an excellent future ahead of himself due to the fact that he has a quick ability to pick up on new traits that he learns. At first things didn’t look to bright for Carver’s future, he tried to enlist into the school in Diamond Grove, but was turned down because of racism. They told Carver that African American’s were not permitted to attend the school. With the news of this, George left home on his own, to attend a color school in the community of Neosho. He had to find someone who ... ...d inventions. When asked why Carver said â€Å"God gave them to me, how can I sell them to someone else?† Carver was never a married man, and in 1940 he gave his life savings of $33,000 to the Tuskegee Institute. As an appreciation to his donation and effort that he brought forth, the money was used to establish the George Washington Carver Research Foundation for agriculture research. Carver received many awards for his accomplishments, in 1916 he was named a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London. In 1923, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People awarded him the Spingarn Medal for distinguished service in agricultural chemistry. In 1939, Carver received the Theodore Roosevelt Medal for his contributions to the world of science, and in 1951 the George Washington Carver National Monument was established in Missouri on the farm where Carver was born at. Carver died at Tuskegee, on January 5, 1943 and is buried on the grounds of Tuskegee Institute. To show the prosperity and gratitude that George Washington Carver brought to the world of science, Congress declared every January 5th a day to honor Carver, and all of his wonderful achievements that he gave us.

osmosis :: essays research papers

Finding out the Rate of Osmosis in a Potato After Being Left in a Solution. What are you trying to find out? I am trying to find out how much water has been diffused into a potato when placed in different strengths of solution. But before the experiment can take place I need to explore all areas in which could produce biased or inaccurate results. What can influence the results of the experiment? Temperature - The temperature in which the experiment is conducted can affect the experiment. If one or more of the samples are at a higher temperature than the others they will diffuse water molecules faster because, when heated, molecules move faster therefore osmosis will occur faster. So I will have to be sure that all of my samples are as close to the same temperature as possible. The amount of solution – The amount of solution that is present in each sample has to be similar as possible as if one sample has more solution than another then the chance of that sample diffusing more water is high which will give an inaccurate result. Where the potato is from – Where the potato is from can influence the result because if some potatoes were grown in a muddy field and the rest were grown in dry fields it is likely that the potatoes from the muddy fields have already diffused a lot of water whereas the potatoes from the dry field would not have diffuse as much as the others. So therefore I need to select potatoes that are produced from the same company so that it is likely that they have being grown in the same place or at least been grow under the same conditions. Size of the potato – The size the potato will affect my results because if one particular potato is larger than the others it will have more cells in which to diffuse more water molecules so therefore will gain a lot more weight in which will bias my results. What have I chosen to investigate? I have chosen to investigate the affect on the potato after it has been placed in different strengths of solution ranging from 0M up to 1M with intervals of 0.2M therefore I will have five results in which will give me and accurate idea of the final result. How am I going to carry out the investigation? First I will cut 15 pieces of potato (of the same shape) this is so I can place three potato shapes in each test tube in which I will be able to take an average from the results to receive a more accurate final result. osmosis :: essays research papers Finding out the Rate of Osmosis in a Potato After Being Left in a Solution. What are you trying to find out? I am trying to find out how much water has been diffused into a potato when placed in different strengths of solution. But before the experiment can take place I need to explore all areas in which could produce biased or inaccurate results. What can influence the results of the experiment? Temperature - The temperature in which the experiment is conducted can affect the experiment. If one or more of the samples are at a higher temperature than the others they will diffuse water molecules faster because, when heated, molecules move faster therefore osmosis will occur faster. So I will have to be sure that all of my samples are as close to the same temperature as possible. The amount of solution – The amount of solution that is present in each sample has to be similar as possible as if one sample has more solution than another then the chance of that sample diffusing more water is high which will give an inaccurate result. Where the potato is from – Where the potato is from can influence the result because if some potatoes were grown in a muddy field and the rest were grown in dry fields it is likely that the potatoes from the muddy fields have already diffused a lot of water whereas the potatoes from the dry field would not have diffuse as much as the others. So therefore I need to select potatoes that are produced from the same company so that it is likely that they have being grown in the same place or at least been grow under the same conditions. Size of the potato – The size the potato will affect my results because if one particular potato is larger than the others it will have more cells in which to diffuse more water molecules so therefore will gain a lot more weight in which will bias my results. What have I chosen to investigate? I have chosen to investigate the affect on the potato after it has been placed in different strengths of solution ranging from 0M up to 1M with intervals of 0.2M therefore I will have five results in which will give me and accurate idea of the final result. How am I going to carry out the investigation? First I will cut 15 pieces of potato (of the same shape) this is so I can place three potato shapes in each test tube in which I will be able to take an average from the results to receive a more accurate final result.

Proportion of Work Demands and Level of Education

School plays an important role in our life. Many of us will spend more than fifteen years at school in order to get the qualifications that are required to work in a specific field. Of course, those years are broken down into several levels, some of them being more liked than others. Two important steps that we go through are high school and college. Even though some people would think they are almost similar, yet there are significant differences between them. The cost of high school education is not the same as the cost of college education. Also, some differences apply from an academic point of view. Typically, the social environment also differs from high school to college, a fact that can be related to the question of freedom versus responsibility. It is true to say that college is more expensive than high school. Of course, it provides a higher level of education, but by having so high fees it does not give a chance to them coming from a family with a low income. Also, at college you have to buy your own books whereas in high school you borrow them from the school for a year. As they do for high schools, the government should pay for the books and then borrow them to students, as they do in high schools. Paying for the education you get is expensive, but many people have to pay even more. Many cities do not have colleges, so students who want to get a higher education have to move away to another city where they will be provided the education they need. This often involves paying for an apartment and for food, and sometimes for the bus , which is not, unlike high school, free. As you can see, college is a lot more expensive than high school. However, the cost is not the only think to consider when comparing high school and college, the relation between teachers and students are also different. At high school, they see their students lower than them., not as equals. To tell the truth, it is very hard for high school students to become friends with them because of the fact that they are seen as simple students who have nothing to learn to their teachers. However, at college, it is easy to have a friendly relation with a teacher because their students as equals. As college provides a higher level of education, the amount of work you have to do at home is a lot greater. At high school, where we get a more general education the time spent home doing homework is a lot smaller. This does not mean that you do not work at high school but it does mean that it is easier in that sense. Moreover, a big advantage of college, from an academic point of view, is that you have more choices. You can choose a lot of subjects related or not to your field of studies whereas at high school you cannot. There are also some differences between the social environment of students at high school and students at college. Since college students have more work to do at home, they have a limited freedom out of school and this makes it harder for them to see their friends during the week. However, at high school they have known their friends for a while whereas at college they often have to make new friends, because many of theirs have moved away to another city. This can be really hard for some people, but for other people this is a good opportunity to meet a lot of new people, which means a lot of new experiences to benefit of. Before concluding, it would be important to mention that often college students have a whole new set of responsibilities to deal with. Since many moves away from home, they have to live in an apartment, pay their bills, buy their own food, make their own meals, clean up their apartment themselves, etc. For most of them, this is something new and they have to learn how to deal with it and this normally takes a while. Compared to them, high school students have almost nothing to care about except for school, because they live at home with their parents, who do most of those things for them. It is obvious from what has been said that college and high school both have their advantages and their inconveniences. Attending the former is more expensive than attending the latter. Then, at college, you are considered to be more like adults whereas at high school you are looked upon as simple students of a lower class. Also, high school students do have fewer homework and more free times, but at school they are not really free in many ways. Finally, attending college engages being a lot responsible, because you have a lot of things to care about. As you can see they differ a lot but have at least two things in common: they are both there to give students a good education and they both represent many years they will never forget.

War Film Genre

Matthew Jaskot English 102-7 9:30 A. M Avodian September 20, 2012 War from the Beginning War films have been around for quite some time. They have many different aspects to them. Each film has a little bit different view, depending on what the director wants the audience to get out of the movie. Some target the importance of how horrific and heart breaking war was, while others were used to inspire their country to support their troops.There are films though that go straight to the point of war and show all of the intense combat, the pain and suffering the soldiers did for their country, and the brutality of what countries did to prisoners in concentration camps. War films never get dull, they will keep the audience interested and on the edge of their seat the whole time, unless of course a person cannot handle the blood and sight of innocent soldiers being blown to pieces just to serve their country. As soon as cameras could take moving pictures of combat, war became a popular subje ct for narrative movies.Although no one can be certain of the exact first war movie, many historians feel it is probably a one-and-a-half-minute war film, Tearing Down the Spanish Flag , made on a set in New York City immediately after the United States declared war on Spain in April 1898. All the wars in American history have had stories told about them by Hollywood, although some wars are more popular than others. War films started to get important when they started trying to rally the U. S citizens into believing that the America needed to enter the war.In films like Over the Top and The sinking of the Lusitania rallied the American people by showing them when the Germans sank the Lusitania, when we were neutral in the war. That was enough to make the people mad and influence them to go out and join the military and to go to war. These films were not very long, but were enough to bring out the American spirit in the citizens. When the U. S entered world war one, Hollywood saw it as one of its greatest sources of plots and of course a great source of profit. The films were â€Å"responsible, irreplaceable pieces of teaching† (Youra 22).People could see what was happening at the war, and realize what their soldiers were going through. These films were used mostly as a recruitment use, and as way to make the people angry towards the enemy, suggesting that heroic American involvement would bring home victory. We could see ourselves that the war demands not only on the nerves of the soldiers but also to those who had to stay at home (Kaes 22). Not only did films like these inspire people to join the military, but made the people who stayed at home become aware of the how nerve racking and crucial the war was.War films died off for a period of time after the war, since there was no need to rally the people during a time of peace. Eventually the films picked back in the mid twenties. The first film to really bring start the production of war films again was The Big Parade, it was the first to realistically portray the horrors of battle and the struggle for survival by three soldier-comrades. This film made more money than any other MGM production during this time. These films were more gruesome than viewers were used to seeing.Hantke states that the war was a place of death; imminent, inevitable, violent, inexorably physical, and omnipresent: bloody death, grim death, death without metaphysical or transcendent comforts (702). Films like these really showed how awful and painful war was to those who never went oversea to fight. These films of course had other plots behind them besides war. There was sometimes a love story incorporated into war films. Shortly after war films came back, films about aviation came about. They showed intense dog fights and how nerve racking it was to be a fighter pilot.One of the first films to show this type of combat for the first time was Wings. Not only was this a great deal to show this type of war far e, it was the first film ever to have a separate reel of film for sound effects. This movie showed how dramatizing aviation was, also it was about two pilots who were in love with the same woman, and again love was a secondary plot of this movie like other war films. This was the start of an era for talkies. This really made the film industry take off, people loved hearing the sound effects, and this got the audience more involved with what was going on.When Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese, this really made Hollywood prosper in war films. Nineteen thirty three was not only the annus mirablis of adolf hitler and Franklin Roosevelt, it was also the year of Hollywood’s awakening to fascism (Bernard 41) They again started making movies to try and get the U. S. to enter World War two, when America has been neutral for so long, trying to avoid war. Though films were not needed to America to join the war, the destruction that had been caused to Pearl Harbor should have bee n enough to rally the people, to get them angry and wait to fight back.Films about World War two were not only made during that time period, but some of the best films created were made later on in the twentieth century. The series of The band of Brothers has to be one of the most in deft movies made about this war. They reenacted the whole war with current actors, what really made the film though is the interviews the producers did with actual soldiers from the war. This movie doesn’t just show soldiers at war, but shows them training to go to war. The pain and suffering they went to become a soldier.Now isn’t about all the troops that went, but a single troop of the one hundred and first air bourn division The movie Saving Private Ryan is another great film from the twentieth century. Its’ plot is about finding a soldier who needs to be taken home since he is the last living sibling of his family. The troop that went to get him had to do anything and everythin g to save his life and get him to safety. Starring Tom Hanks as the captain of the troop he, leads them into the heart of war to find this soldier. Movies made later on about world war two, had much greater special effects than of course movies back then, due to technology.World war two films didn’t just idolize the war, but the technology that was developed during this time of war. The icons would include the . 45 automatic, the M-1 carbine, and the American military dress (Whillock 247). Technology such as these weapons added to the effects of war, hearing weapons such as these automatic guns going off so quickly made the audience aware of how dangerous it was to be fired upon by the opposition. No one could see any bullets flying, by the time a soldier heard the first gunshot they could be dead.Obviously there were never any films made about the civil war during that time period, because the idea of a motion picture had never even been thought of yet. It wasn’t till later on were the war films about the Civil War made. One of the earliest films made in 1939 was Gone with the Wind. In this classic a manipulative woman and a roguish man carry on a turbulent love affair in the American south during the Civil War and Reconstruction. This movie was more about a woman trying to find love during a time of war instead of just war itself.The Patriot, which was made in 2000 was about a man trying to not get involved with the American Revolution against Britain. He wanted nothing to do with the war after being involved with the Spanish American war, which haunts him every day. When his son runs off and enlist, he had no other choice but to follow him, to ensure the safety of his son. Soon this film turns into a man wanting revenge, when his son is killed during a battle. Mel Gibson, the star of this movie, will stop at nothing to get revenge on the man who took his son away from him. War films have progressed so much over the years.Form being just a quie t film of black and white, to modern action packed movies full of special effects. These films have been important in every war America has been involved with. They not only informed Americans about how tragic war is, but got citizens to become soldiers and fight for the country they love. Films about war will always continue to be made due to there is so much to cover. There were so many battles that have not been produced on film yet, that could create great motion pictures. War films will continue to be made, since war seems to be a never ending subject around the world.Works Cited Dick, Bernard F. The Star Spangled Screen: The American World War II Film. Lexington: Kentucky , 1985. Hantke, Steffen. â€Å"The Military Horror film: Speculations on a Hybrid Genre†. The Jounal of Popular Culture 4 Nov. 2010: 701-719. Kaes, Anton. Shell Shock Cinema: Weimar Culture and the Wounds of War. Princeton: New Jersey, 2009. Whillock, David E. â€Å"Defining the Fictive American Vietn am War Film. † American Film Journal 18 (Summer 1990) 244-250. Youra, Steven. â€Å"James Agee on Films and the theatre of War†. Film Criticism 10 (Fall 85) 18-31.