Monday, September 30, 2019

Police Corruption Essay

There is much seriousness about the issue of white-collar crime. What is white-collar crime you may ask. White-collar is defined as, ‘a generic term for crimes involving commercial fraud, cheating consumers, swindles, insider trading on the stock market, embezzlement and other forms of dishonest business schemes. The term comes from the out of date assumption that business executives wear white shirts and ties. It also theoretically distinguishes these crimes and criminals from physical crimes, supposedly likely to be committed by â€Å"blue collar† workers. † Many people do not realize how serious white-collar crime is. There are many different forms of white-collar crime, our textbook states, â€Å"white-collar or economic crime includes (1) securities and commodities fraud; (2) insurance fraud; (3) health care and medical fraud; (4) telemarketing fraud; (5) credit card and check fraud; (6) consumer fraud, illegal competition and deceptive practices; (7) bank fraud, embezzlement and pilferage; (8) computer-related fraud; (9) bankruptcy fraud; (10) bribes, kickbacks and payoffs; (11)money laundering; (12) election law violations; (13) corruption of public officials; (14) copyright violations; (15) computer crimes; (16) environmental crimes; and (17) receiving stolen property This assignment requires us to write a paper on a form of white-collar crime that we feel is the must dangerous form and why. I feel the most dangerous form of white-collar crime is police corruption, which is also defined as public corruption. Public or police corruption is defined as; Public corruption involves a breach of pu blic trust and/or abuse of position by federal, state, or local officials and their private sector accomplices. By broad definition, a government official, whether elected, appointed or hired, may violate federal law when he/she asks, demands, solicits, accepts, or agrees to receive anything of value in return for being influenced in the performance of their official duties. As, I previously stated, white-collar crime is a very serious problem in America and there are many reasons why and many cases, statistics and evidence to support my reasonings. My reasonings for choosing police corruption as the most dangerous form of white-collar crime differ and are probably pretty biases. Police corruption is a very dangerous crime, because police are supposed to protect and serve. So, if you have a department that is corrupt they are not doing what they were hired to do. When you swear in as an officer you state that, As a Law Enforcement Officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all persons to liberty, equality and justice. I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all; maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in thought and deed in both my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided to me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty. I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, animosities or friendships to influence my decisions. With no compromise for crime and with relentless prosecution of criminal, I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice or ill will, never employing unnecessary force or violence and never accepting gratuities. I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of the police service. I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my chosen profession†¦ law enforcement. This oath states that you will not use your badge as a way of getting what you want. â€Å"It isn’t hard to explain the growth of corruption. Relative to other opportunities, legitimate or illegitimate, the financial temptations are enormous. Many police officers are demoralized by the scope of drug trafficking. No matter how diligent an officer may be eradication programs and millions of arrests have done little to stop drugs which are now cheaper, purer, and more available than ever. Given the dangers of their job, the indifference of many citizens and the frequent lack of appreciation are no doubt disheartening. Some police also recognize that their real function is not so much to protect victims from predators but to regulate an illicit market that can’t be suppressed and that much of society prefers to keep underground. † Many individuals do not realize how serious and how often this happens in law enforcement departments and how many officers get away with corruption and how much it dishonors their departments. This is why I believe police corruption is the most dangerous form of white-collar crime. As I previously stated, I believe it is important for a community to feel safe and confident in their enforcement officers. So, the corruption of officers will and could cause very serious problems in a community. If the police, the authority of the community are involved in crime then why would the community is going to be involved also.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Lady Agnew of Lochnaw by John Singer Sargent

John Sargent was one of the most prominent portrait painters during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.   Sargent was born in Italy to American parents that moved constantly throughout his childhood.   Perhaps painting portraits allowed him to get close to individuals since he did not during his childhood.  Ã‚   There is no denying that Sargent was observant in the physical details as well as the details of the subject’s personality because the subjects look as if they are ready to step out of the painting and join the world of the living.   This is especially true of Lady Agnew of Lochnaw painted in eighteen ninety-three. The subject of the painting Lady Agnew of Lochnaw is Gertrude Vernon, the wife of Andrew Noel Agnew.   He commissioned the painting soon after he inherited the barony in France.   In the painting, Lady Agnew seems to be staring out into the eyes of the viewer and even though she is in a relaxed pose, she is dressed formally.   From her intense gaze, one can tell that Lady Agnew is a strong person who is not afraid to look someone straight in the eye. Blue green silk fabric was used for the background in the painting.   Even though Sargent uses more green near the shadows, blue is the predominant color.   At first glance one does not notice the tiny peach and white flowers that are scattered throughout the fabric.   However, they lend an elegant quality to the fabric because they give an oriental look to the silk which also comes from the orient. It is also expensive so it makes a statement of wealth.   Sargent achieves the texture of silk in the background with his use of lights and darks which shows quality of his talent.   The blue green color also compliments the soft white chiffon dress with the sheer sleeves.   The lilac colored satin sash blends with the faint hint of pink used in the peach flowers.   The lightness of the color of Lady Agnew’s dress gives an ironic contrast of freedom and innocence. The Chair in which Lady Agnew is sitting is reminiscent of the furnishings of Marie Antoinette which is symbolic of her and her husband’s new titles.   The wood of the chair is painted in a cream and gold colored French provincial style.   The elegance of the furniture is displayed in the light cream background with light blue and deep mauve colored flowers giving the fabric the style of country French.   The cream of the chair contrast the white of the dress, but the blue and pink still bring the colors together by complimenting the lilac sash. Lady Agnew wears very little jewelry, but the pieces she has chosen are sophisticated.   Around her neck she wears a deep rose colored undefined cameo necklace suspended from a gold chain.   The cameo is encircled with jewels that appear to be diamonds.   Again the wealth of the Agnews is displayed with the quality of the jewelry. She also wears a wide yet delicate gold bracelet on the wrist that is slightly draped over the arm of the chair.   The gold in the bracelet blends so well with the colors of the chair that it is barely noticeable.   The understatement of the jewelry symbolizes the taste of the titled Agnews. When one gazes on a John Sargent portrait, such as Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, it is easy to see how he was such a renowned artist in this area.   The realistic portraits and his use of color brought to life those who sat before him.   Sargent could also present the subject’s social status of his subject without being ostentatious. References Sargent, J. (1893).   Lady Agnew of Lochnaw. Wallace, N. (2005) Lady Agnew of Lochnaw.   JSS Virtual Gallery. Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.jssgallery.org/Paintings/Lady_Agnew.htm

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Internship Final Paper Essay

Introduction Getting an internship can help students to find out what they want to do with their future careers. (â€Å"Internship.†) As a fashion student, I was always interested in the publication or magazine industry and I now want to have a career in the department of a fashion magazine. Seeking a writing-related internship in the fashion industry will fulfill my interests. It was very fortunate for me to come across Retail Assembly as they were searching for intern. They were looking for an intern to support their products with smart content focused on global retail innovation, growth and strategy as well as trend forecast. I am glad that I had found a internship that offers a challenge and was a perfect match for my career goal. When I started to study my master degree in fashion and got to know more about the fashion industry, I realized that there were a variety of interesting jobs. Fashion buyers and trend forecasters are some of them. In the retail industry, a buyer is an individual who selects what items will be stocked in a store, based on the predictions about what will be popular with shoppers. (Loxley) Retail buyers usually work closely with designers and their designated sales representatives and attend trade fairs, wholesale showrooms and fashion shows to observe trends. As for trend forecasters, the goal is to identify a trend years before it comes to fruition, and to break down the context of that trend for those who don’t have time to travel the world searching for inspiration. (Scully & Cobb 43) These two jobs might be seen as â€Å"fancy jobs† which include a lot of traveling and shopping around the world. In fact, scouring cultural events, fashion shows, trade shows, and design er showrooms in search of the â€Å"Next Big Thing† must have some degree of difficluty reality. I was interested in both careers of buyers and trend forecasters and I wanted to explore these two jobs during in my summer internship. Retail Assembly is an agency of consultants and E-learning for fashion and retial business. They offer counsels and courses such as buying, marketing, and branding for any business starter. (â€Å"Retail â€Å") To fulfill the content of their product, they needed someone who could tell interesting stories about their clients. It was a great experience to work with Retail Assembly because not only did I have the chance to understand the business side of fashion, I also get to improve on my creative writing skills. This summer internship helped me to build up my resume and enriched my knowledge of retail business. History of Retail Assembly As the namesake, Retail Assembly is a group of top educational and retail professionals gathered together, developing fundamental online courses and news for the industry.(â€Å"Who†) Retail Assembly is the latest source of education for those who are seeking a career in fashion, and those who are looking to supplement their knowledge in the fashion and business field. The website offers a selection of courses and workshops, from Fashion Buying, Branding and marketing to Product Development and Retail Math. (Bajaja 55) Catering to busy schedules, the courses are taught through online approaches by professionals who are currently active in fashion and creative businesses. The keynote of Retail Assembly is that self-learning is a lifestyle and the courses are very flexible to access at anytime and anywhere. Jennifer Pilkington, a graduate from Ryerson’s fashion marketing program, launched Retail Assembly in 2007 after years spent marketing and fashion buying for big companies in Canada. Jennifer has had a career in buying and product development that spans from luxury to sports. She has worked for Canada’s greatest retailers in the country’s best cities – Aritzia in Vancouver, Holt Renfrew in Toronto, and Garage in Montreal. (â€Å"People†) She wasn’t always interested in fashion but she was always interested in design, colour and shape. During her second year of fashion student at Ryerson, she obtained an internship at Holt Renfrew. It was an eye-opening experience when she started to work at their corporate offices. There was so much passion injected into fashion by much intelligence. The concept of merging E-learning with current and update industry news was born after Jennifer Pilkington left her buying job at the Bay. (Bajaja 54) She felt frustrated and wanted to give her team a good opportunity to learn on the job and progress. There was a lot going on in terms of learning really niche things. Jennifer found that textbooks were always a little bit stale, not really current or reflective of the marketplace. It was really important to consider time constraints and flexibility for a working person whom had left the school life. The people who are working in the industry come from great PR firms, advertising and social media companies as well as high academic background. (Tiu) They either provided the content or input. Every single course was designed by the contributions of multiple people. This ensured that each course reflected the scope of the industry. By bringing in a lot of people who have worked in the industry to look at each and every course, the content of the news was unbiased and fully structured. Moreover, Retail As sembly has people come from boutiques and also corporate levels who are currently working in the industry. It creates space for new instructors to come in and contribute. Internship Learning Goal As contributors for the blog of Retail Asembly, interns have to offer latest Canadian retail & fashion news and an in depth analysis of business model and marketing strategy, which are related to the main courses provided by Retail Assembly. I am also incharge of the colour forecast, style analysis, beauty trend and China scoop. To reach the goal of being a brand content intern, I have to create headlines, crawl news feeds, suggest and write stories to blog, suggest or develop and edit campaign written content. Furthermore, I need to contribute to the broader content and social media strategies as well as contribute to the media monitoring report. I have also touched on the topic in marketing strategy of luxury and high street brands. For example, the shifting guidance of LVMH and Coach, as well as H&M’s move on sustainability and celebreity collaboration. Additionally, I had a full-scale discussion of how different brands, including Celine, J Crew, and Gap are using colour blocking as their main design concept. Colour forecasting is a global career that focuses on upcoming colour trends.(Scully & Cobb ) A fashion forecaster predicts the colors, fabrics and styles that will be presented on the runway and in the stores for the upcoming seasons. The predicted concept or theme can applies to all levels of the fashion industry including haute couture, ready-to-wear, mass market, and street wear. The purpose of forecasting trend is to attract consumers, help retail businesses and designers to sell their brands. (Orrell) I have contributed several stories that focused on my interest in colour forecast, style and trend analysis, as well as beauty industry. I had finished a couple of runway reviews, such as the Spring/Summer 2014 Bridal Fashion week in New York and Spring/Summer 2014 Menswear. I also dedicated a colour forecast for Spring/Summer 2014 and made a full mood board for our clients. I believe that the best fashion show is on the street, so doing street style analysis is one of my passions. It can be really inspiring to see how people mix and match their personal style creatively. Weather it is in Paris, London, New York, Milan or any other zmazing cities, photographers are there capturing the best style. For designers and the magazine editors, the photographs are the tool to help dictate the trends. For the photographers and the models, it is art and expression. For the regular man/women form the street, it is a door to the fantast fashion – a world of glamour and excietment. Street style photography had managed to bridge the gap between the normal real world and the dizzing world of fashion. To analyze street style was a great oppertunity to examine fashion not only from the trend perspective, but also from a social and economical angle of how style transits from one to the next. As someone who has a background in pharmaceutical and fragrance, I couldn not help but notice that beauty trends are getting more attention than usual. Fragrances and cosmetics are usually the main entry point for luxury brands, which is why controlling the beauty product’s communication and marketing strategy is key.( â€Å"Burberrys†) It is not rare that the luxury brand want to put their hand on the fragrance and cosmetics business because they are the primary tool for attracting aspirational consumers. I had a closer look at Burberry’s move on fragrance and the development of Sephora, a fast-growning fragrance and cosmetic retailer. I also explored issues relating to China, taking a stance on how fashion industry has invested in Asia market. China is bursting into the luxury retail world. The power of the Chinese consumer is growing. To succeed in the global market, companies need to capture the hearts of the 1.3 billion Chinese consumers. ( Bi et al. 253) With a proliferation of news on Chinese luxury consumers at home and abroad, I try to offer the best angle to some of the most relevant content on luxury brands and Chinese consumer preferences. For example, the influence of the New Chinese first Lady and ASOS’s advanced in Asia. Researching in consumer behaviors, I had hoped to find headline-worthy news and the lastest insights behind the red flag. Learning Value During this internship, I have imporved my fashion editorial and creative writing. I have also expanded my knowledge of retail business, the importance of net working and team work, as well as the asset of visial communication. I published a large amount of fashion editorials and trend reports independently. These are my proudest references to my work and are wonderful additions to my portfolio. I truly appreicate that I was given the freedon to offer my own perspective on different affairs that were happening in the industry. It was a really good training process of critical thinking and creative writing. I had also actively did interviews with many talents in the fashion industry, sharing their philosophy of fashion with our readers. Some pieces were very successful because they are different from what the blog had before and brought a fresh air to the content. I was amazed by both the artistry of fashion and the analytical business aspects. I liked that Retail Assembly offered participants different elements and perspectives of the business to stimulate critical thinking and promote life-long learning. I can now constantly probe into the strengths and weaknesses in a business strategy, providing me with greater market awareness. I am also glad to have met Jennifer Pilkington, the founder of the Retail Assembly and Guidiance and Consaltant. She is a senior merchant, also an instructor at Ryerson University, collaborator for the retail buying courses and workshops. Her personality and experience are the best model for me to strive toward my dream job. She makes me believe that fashion has the a side of intelligence. The importance of team work and net working was highlighted during my internship. It is interesting that a team can brainstorm together and stir up a sparkle in a discussion. The Retail Assembly team basically met once a week and discussed the latest fashion and retail news, searching for a good topic for the upcoming week. Interns also networked with each other, which can help one another in the future by sharing job and contact information. Having valuable, experienced contacts is helpful in the future for starting new business or job hunting. Visual communication is strongly emphasized in fashion industry. (Barnard 29 )The design concepts are communicated through visual aid and are described as the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon, such as illustration, colour, media and electronic resources. For me, the process of analyzing rumway and street style photos, my observation has become even more acute. It was a spectacular training process for eyes on colors and details, such as fabrics, texture or embellishment. Conclusion Internships provide a glimpse into different industries, allowing the interns to see whether they want to work in that field or not. Internships is important becase it allows to gain valuable experience in our areas of career interest. Often, the more experience students have, the stronger they are as the job candidate in the future. To search a position that fit my career goal is crucial. I had excellent exposure to the global industry and learned the importance of great relationships with great people. What I really loved about Retail Assembly is that how well-operated they are. They started from a strong place – a lot of academic- and industry-based research. The number of brilliant people who touch each one is remarkable. An interest in editorial work grew from my love for writing, and as an extension of that, I’ve always had a insatiable curiosity for information, whatever the subject. I enjoy keeping up on the latest developments in culture, art, music, film and fashion. Trend reporting is a way to connect the dots by looking for patterns and shifts in fashion; similar to crafting an academic thesis, but one pertinent to business. Last but not least, this internship has taught me that casual learning has always been a part of our daily lives. The key is to want to know the knowledge instead of rigidly adhering to formalities. The working experience and learning process are â€Å"invisible† but the most valuable asset that we can gain. Taking initiative with passion is a chance to step ahead from other people in fashion industry. Being attentive to everything detail happen around will give you a nice surprise and new thoughts. Work Cited Bajaj, Rahul. â€Å"Retail Assembly† KNOWMAG. July 2013. P54-55 Barnard, Malcolm. Fashion as Communication. London: Routledge, 1996. Print. Bi, Xiaogang, et al. â€Å"Chinese consumer ethnocentrism: A field experiment.† Journal of Consumer Behaviour (May 2012), 11 (3), pg. 252-263 Chang, Wendi. â€Å"Burberrys Move on Fragrance.† Web log post. Retail Assembly. N.p., 29 May 2013. Web. 27 July 2013. Loxley, T. (1996, Jan 04). â€Å"Fashion buyers’ forecast for spring.† The Globe and Mail (1936-Current). â€Å"Internship.† The Economist 27 Feb. 2010: 37EU. Academic One File. Web. 1 Aug. 2013. Orrell, Rita Catinella. â€Å"The Mysterious Art Of Color Forecasting.†Architectural Record 200.11 (2012): 53. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Aug. 2013. â€Å"People : Jennifer Pilkington.† Interview. Weblog post. Retail Assembly. N.p., 25 Apr. 2013. Web. 3 Aug. 2013. â€Å"Retail Assembly X KNOWSHOW.† KNOWSHOW-BLOG. KNOWSHOW, 25 June 2013. Web. 28 July 2013. Scully, Kate, and Debra Johnston Cobb. â€Å"Colour Forecasting for Fashion.† London: Laurence King, 2012. Print. Tiu, Valerie. â€Å"THE INSEAM VOL. 71: RETAIL ASSEMBLY — Vancouver Is Awesome.† THE INSEAM VOL. 71: RETAIL ASSEMBLY — Vancouver Is Awesome. Vancouver Is Awesome, 19 June 2013. Web. 04 Aug. 2013.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Three Rivers TESOL Conference Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Three Rivers TESOL Conference Proposal - Essay Example â€Å"Of all the languages in the world today English deserves to be regarded as a world language.† (Verghese 1) The teachers of the ESL program have a clear objective of teaching English as a the second language. It is important that they should be aware of the socio-economic backgrounds of their students in order to better incorporate their needs and make them successful English speakers. This paper will focus on how the teachers will use the information technology to know about their students and teach them in a more effective manner. This paper will furnish the details that most of the students in the South East Asia are fluent with the usage of the internet portals like Yahoo and Skype. They have easy access to the WIFI technology and can fully communicate using these sources. The use of internet chat room like Yahoo and Skype which are more personalized as compared to the public chat rooms, will help the teachers better understand their students. This paper will reveal ways and methods in which the teachers should be made familiar with using the internet to communicate with their students in order to better understand them and help them with their queries. Using YouTube and Skype classrooms will help a teacher interact with their students anywhere with the world. This paper will show modules that would familiarize teachers with the internet classrooms to better communicate with their students. These distant learning tools will improve the level of both teaching and

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Preparing for competition in a network utility - final assignment Essay

Preparing for competition in a network utility - final assignment - Essay Example For assessing this abuse, the relevant market needs to be defined. In this essay, the test to define relevant market called SSNIP test is discussed with reference to two closed cases under OFT. This essay is organized as follows. Second section discusses the economic theory behind competition, section 3 discusses the Competition Act 1998, Section 4 discusses the cases ,section 5 discusses the analysis and findings and section 6 concludes the essay. According to economic theory, competition and antitrust law are supposed to maximize allocative, productive and dynamic efficiency (Economides, 2004).However, in the case of network industries, due to their special features, economic regulation is established as an alternative to competition and antitrust law in many of these industries(Economides, 2004). The complimentarity of network industries to each other and the increasing returns to scale in consumption effects of these industries called network effects are tow distinguishing features of network industries. Due to the network effects of these industries, contrary to the law of demand for traditional industries, the willingness to pay for last unit will be higher here(Economides,1996; Brenan,2000). The following are the main special features of the network industries that arise due to the network effects. The first is the possibility of making money from both sides of a network. Second is the existence of externalities in the market which means incomplete internalization of benefits by the market. Third is the high speed market penetration in network industries compared to the other industries. Fourth is the very high market share and profit inequality for markets with strong network effects. Fifth is the possibility of maximisation of social surplus by monopoly. Sixth is that it is not necessary for the existence of anti competitive acts to create

Communications at Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Communications at Work - Essay Example Communication at work is one of the most important factors that determine how we perform our duties. Communication at work is takes the form of a dyad communication as we communicate with our managers vertically and we also communicate with our fellow workers horizontally. Effective communication is very important for efficient functioning of the dyad. However it has been shown that there are many factors that can affect the way we communicate with one another in the work place. Failure of communication at work can be a barrier to creating of an effective working environment as since it becomes difficult to understand each others. There are many barriers to effective communication in the workplace. This can result from environmental factors in the work place and at the same time it can be due to personal factors. However it has been shown that personal factors are the leading cause of barrier to communication in the work place as compared to environmental factors. Personal factors including the way we express ourselves during communication, attitudes and other factors have been shown to act as barriers to effective communication at the work place. This has adverse effects on the relationship in the dyad as we have described. Let us look at some of the personal factors that affect the communication process. Direct communication is one of the most commonly used means of communication at work... In this regard words are carefully chosen to communicate the message that we want to pass. However the way we choose words to pass our message has a lot of effect on other people. Certain words if used are likely to create a certain kind of expression to the person in the sense that they may emphasize or deemphasize the importance of the message that we are communicating at work. Attitudes Words are used careful when communicating to create and affect attitude. Word can be used to give a new attitude or alter the existing attitude about something or someone. However there has been a creative way in the use of the world in order to have such an effect. An attitude can be defined as a feeling towards someone or towards something. One may develop a positive or a negative attitude towards someone and this will affect the way they two people relate. It is usual that at first encounter, people usually have a neutral attitude towards something or towards someone. But as they interact with time, they tend to develop a positive or a negative attitude toward. This is usually affected by the judgment that people make from such an interaction. (Baby Center UK, 2008) As we communicate in the work place, we tend to form different kinds of attitudes. We may have a neutral attitude towards each other when we meet but as we interact we tend to change attitudes. In our communication process words play an important role as they alter the perception we had about someone or about something that we have related with in the work place. The way we choose our words to communicate with others also affects their attitude about us. In the dyad there are expectations that the supervisors or the managers may be expected to use authoritative

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Drug Abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Drug Abuse - Research Paper Example Another case of the youths doing drugs is the underage children who copy drugs and substance abuse from their peer, guardians, and parents. They do not engage in drugs because they are out of options, but rather they engage in drugs just for the fun of it, in which case they consume copious amounts of drugs just to relax their bodies and feel delirious. According to Jaffe (2000), the most common drug abused by these youngsters is alcohol. Statistics show that some kids begin abusing alcohol from as early as age twelve. A majority of this category of youngsters comes from rich families or families that are well off financially, and as such, the parents give their children a lot of freedom and loose change, most of which they waste on alcohol.Another case of the youths doing drugs is the underage children who copy drugs and substance abuse from their peer, guardians, and parents. They do not engage in drugs because they are out of options, but rather they engage in drugs just for the f un of it, in which case they consume copious amounts of drugs just to relax their bodies and feel delirious. According to Jaffe(2000), the most common drug abused by these youngsters is alcohol. Statistics show that some kids begin abusing alcohol from as early as age twelve. A majority of this category of youngsters comes from rich families or families that are well off financially, and as such, the parents give their children a lot of freedom and loose change, most of which they waste on alcohol.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Business project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business project - Essay Example Sweet Sunrise Bakery will offer its products at a competitive price to meet the demands of its diverse customer base, the lower, middle, and upper-income earners. Sweet Sunrise Bakery plans to make all sorts of bread products both sour and non-sour with different traditional background heritage. We aim to satisfy our customer with the presence of a broad base of products to choose; this will enable clients/consumers to pick their preferences at their comfort of their environment and circumstance. It is prospected the bakery to have several employees, however, at the moment xxxxxxxxxxxx will be the CEO while xxxxxxxxxxxxxx will be the assistant CEO, making the management team. They both have ownership shares of 70% and 30% respectively (First Research, Inc. 18  June  2015). The bakery will offer services and products that already tried and proved as an accurate reflection of Sweet Sunrise Bakery Classic assorted products. Some of the products it bakes include fresh baked assorted bread that do have the traditional foundation, San Francisco. Examples of the product are the San Francisco iconic sourdough French bread, sweet bread (non-sourdough), harvest bread, clam chowder, and European hearth bread among other products. Some of the service the bakery will provide will include serving coffee in one of the cafà ©s fitted beside the bakery (Timothea18  June  2015). The bakery will also embrace technology by making sales through having online services, which will involve ordering online, making payments online, and having the food products delivered to your homestead within the stipulated time. The target market has a population of about 1100 and other towns outlying with 3100. Some of the residents are professionals while others are retirees with good pensions. The Norfolk River provides good tourist attractions adding more customers. The locals will be reached through word of

Monday, September 23, 2019

Media communication - reputation of an organization Essay

Media communication - reputation of an organization - Essay Example Many organizations are now realizing the importance of having a successful public relations specialist. For example, a well managed and informed public relations representative can maximize profits and strengthen a company in a weak economy. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 2006, August 4). How can a public relations representative implement their use of mass communications into their program for overall success and positive outlook for a well managed, sustained and informed public relation A public relation practitioner's job is very broad based and competitive. They have to do more than just inform and educate the public about the company or organization that they represent. (Public relations, 2006). They must understand the needs and wants of their target audience so that they can reach their audience through their various forms and strategic usage of marketing, advertising, and promotions. They may work for and represent governments, large organizations and companies, the media, political campaigns, employees, investors, and celebrities, just to name a few. How can a public relation practitioner implement the use of good marketing skills into their public relations program What factors are involved for successful marketing Public relations practitioners use advertising and sales promotions to support their marketing efforts. They must understand who and what their target market audience is so that their message will catch their attention. The target market audience is a particular group of people that will benefit the most from a particular good or service. A company or organization must cater their promotions, marketing, and advertising schemes to this audience by understanding their overall needs and wants. A good public relations practitioner must realize the importance of successful marketing strategies. Their objective is to move their target market along various stages. Each target market audience must complete these stages: unawareness, awareness, belief/knowledge, attitude, acquisition intention and finally to acquisition. Only then can a marketing, advertising, and promotional strategy become effective. (Public Relations, 2006). Advertising and promotions are two key elements used for success in marketing goods or services. These two elements exist in various mediums. What are the various mediums used in advertising, and how does a public relations practitioner use it these to best benefit their company/organization Advertising is a marketing strategy that involves the use of numerous varieties of media forms to grab the consumer's attention to their product or service. Successful advertising should be persuasive and informational enough to influence the target audience's behavior or thoughts about what is being advertised. It can be used to sustain and develop an overall image to the public. Forms of media items that inform the consumer or client about the goods or services generally will work the best. A company or organization's name, slogan, and/or logo are very important to its image, and therefore, any media attention or promotions should be centered upon them. (Humphries, 2003). Certain forms of advertising are becoming more and more expensive, so most of all practitioners aim at free positive publicity through numerous advertising forms such as through

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Family and Cousin Essay Example for Free

Family and Cousin Essay Human behavior can be explored by taking a look at the different aspects of a person’s life. These aspects include the biological, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual. These aspects can help social workers better understand the background history of a person’s life and gather information in order to do an accurate assessment of a person. This paper does not intend to make an assessment but it’s rather an informative paper in order to discover and understand the various systems of a person’s life. Furthermore this paper will also focus on how these systems interact with one another. I chose to do this paper on my cousin who just became a mother and she is currently learning how to adapt to her new way of life. I think she is in an interesting stage in her life and that is also why I chose her. My cousin and I are only a year apart in age and she chose a different path from the one that is expected after she graduated from high school. She decided not to go to college and began to work doing random retail jobs until she found a permanent job as a hostess. We are so different now but a few years ago we did get along and had a lot of things in common. Her relationship with her mother has also changed and now that my cousin is a mother, they seem to understand each other better. BIO-PHYSICAL My cousin’s name is Carla Sanchez and she is twenty two years old and the youngest of three. She is 5’5 and before she had the baby she had lost so much weight but now she regained some of that weight back. She has dark long hair and dark brown eyes. Before she became pregnant she fell in love with her baby’s father and lost a lot of weight. During her teenage years she was not as determined to lose weight as she was when she was nineteen when she met her significant other. During her pregnancy her body went through some physical changes. She did not have impulsive cravings and she ate the foods she normally eats but in larger portions. She gained around sixty pounds and now she looks like the way she did before she lost the weight. Her weight when she was a younger child before the teenage years resembles that of her mother. My aunt had an average weight because she was not skinny but she was not overweight either. My cousin’s weight then was average like her mother’s because due to the genes that were passed down to her through her mother. My cousin’s baby is a girl and looks more like her father but she has my cousin’s straight hair. Now that it has been several weeks after childbirth my cousin plans and is determined to lose the weight again. She looks like her mother and both have a healthy mother and daughter relationship. She is very open-minded and very out spoken. Her mother is also an open-minded person. According to the biological determinism theory it is evident that a person’s personality and physical appearance is embedded into a child from birth trough genetics. My cousin’s parents divorced when she was a young child and therefore she has always been close to her mother and that is why my aunt has been able to greatly influence my cousin’s behavior. Most of her life she has been more attached to her mother. PSYCHOLOGICAL According to Erikson’s theories of psychological development my cousin is in the intimacy versus isolation stage. My cousin’s childhood and teenage years have passed by. All that is left of her childhood and teenage years are memories. She began working at restaurants during her high school years and has stayed with that career. She has gone from being a waitress when she was sixteen to a hostess. However she is thinking of going back to school because she was her daughter to look up to her when her daughter is older. My cousin did not get married and she is not living with her boyfriend. She lives at home with her baby and her mother. All her time is devoted to her baby however there have been times when she is overwhelmed with the task of raising a child and her mother helps her so that she can at least have some time to rest. According to Paiget my cousin is at the stage four which is based on formal operations. At this level problems are now approached using logic, reason and combinational thought. Also individuals at this stage with formal operations can think about their own thoughts, feelings and think about thinking. I think that at this point Paiget is focusing on how we can look back at our past and reflect. My cousin is able to do this now and she now reflects on how her mother raised her so that she can raise her daughter the same way. My cousin constantly worries whether or not she is raising her child in a proper way or to the extent that it is expected of a mother to raise her child. She lives with her mother and her mother helps her by giving her advice from how to comfort the child to how to give the baby a bath. My cousin’s friend had her baby before my cousin and when her friend met my cousin’s child she was also giving her advice on hoe to take care of the baby. She is acquiring knowledge on how to raise her child from people such as her mother that have had years of experience raising children. Her friend told her that she worries to whether she is taking care of her baby the right way. My cousin has to endure a psychological as well as physical adaptation. Paiget describes adaptation as the process by which structures of the mind develop over time to achieve a better fit with the environment and external reality. My cousin is still eating food in large portions as she did when she was pregnant but now she is drinking more milk because she chose to breastfeed her baby. Therefore she keeps gaining weight and is also stressed out. As far as her mental state she is stressed and cannot focus on herself because she is constantly thinking about the well-being of her baby. She worries just as much as other mothers do because she wants her baby to be happy. She said that her baby seems to be cranky most of the time and basically she is dedicating all her time to comfort the baby. My cousin had learned to adapt to her new role as a mother and she will need to keep up as the baby goes through different stages of her life. SOCIAL She has not been working since July and her social life is not as it used to be before she had the baby. However she was visited by her godparents and many friends when she brought the baby home. They have showered the baby with gifts and seeing how other people have acted towards the baby makes her happy. My cousin is trying her best to imitate her mother because she loves her mother and wants to follow her advice so that she can raise a happy child. According to the social learning theory behaviors are mediated by thoughts, expectations as well as emotions and stresses the importance of observational learning or modeling. In my cousin’s case she sees her mom as a model mom that she wants to imitate. As far as I know my aunt really sacrificed a lot so that my cousin’s could have a better life than the one she had. I have seen how selfless my aunt has been especially with my cousin Carla because she is the youngest one. My cousin wants the approval of her mother in everything she does because she has been very attached to my aunt. Her brother and sister live far away from them. My cousin has kept in touch with her fellow co-workers and many of them came to visit her when she brought the baby home. One of her friends who is a teacher and brought her a huge box of pampers. He also gave her some parenting advice because he, as a father of three, thinks that he has had enough experience with kids. He was very happy to see the baby and many of her friends came to see the baby as well. Even though my cousin has not gone out since she gave birth in November 30th, she has had her friends come over to her place to see the baby. However her weeks have turned into the same routine of just staying at home to take care of her baby. The baby’s father also visits her but not too often because their relationship is not in good standing. My cousin is trying to be the mother that society expects her to be but most importantly she is trying to imitate her own mother. My aunt is a fervent believer in the Catholic faith and she raised her children in the same faith as she was raised in. All of her three children were baptized, did the communions and attended mass on Sundays. Until this day my aunt does not miss a mass at her local church. Her children however have not been as devoted as my aunt has been. My cousin Carla stop attending church after her teenage years when she graduated from high school and spent her weekends working. However my aunt always tries to make sure that my cousin does not loose her faith. According to James V. Fowler’s theory of faith development my cousin is at the stage 5 which is the individuative-reflective faith. In this stage young adults question the beliefs and stories they have received from family, friends and other social groups. My cousin does not believe everything that my aunt was taught about Catholicism. For example my cousin did not get married and decided to raise a child as a single mother. My aunt did not approve of this because she was taught that a woman must be a virgin until she gets married. Her other daughter moved in with her boyfriend and then got married. My aunt did not approve of this either. My aunt believes that salvation is obtained by following the church’s sacraments but my cousin believes that no one really knows how to obtain salvation. She also thinks that God is everywhere and therefore she does not need to attend mass every Sunday. My aunt was raised in a very religious home and in her native country religion plays an important role in life but her children who were raised in the United States have found a way to practice their religion however way they think is the proper way. My cousin plans to baptize her daughter and she has picked the godparents already. My family is from Ecuador which is in Latin America so that makes us part of the Latino community. My cousin Carla was born in New Jersey. She had to learn about the Ecuadorian culture and the American culture. When she was a kid my aunt would travel with her and her other siblings to Ecuador so that they could visit their grandmother and learn their cultural roots. My cousin had to learn both languages English and Spanish. She now knows them fluently and this has helped her a lot because she was able to make a lot of friends. In Ecuador gender roles are so delineated. Men are expected to work and women are expected to stay at home raising the children. It is not common for females to work outside the home. Most females graduate from high school and after high school they start raising families. My cousin knows both cultures but since she was born and raised in the United States she identifies more with the American culture. When her baby gets older she expects to go back to work and even go back to school so that she can be able to provide a better living for both. She is a single mother but has learned a lot from her mother who got divorced from her husband when my cousin was a young child. In conclusion these several aspects of a person’s life help us understand how each one relates to the other and how they affect human behavior. Human behavior can be affected by the people we associate with and by the culture we are raised in as well as other factors. These several theories described in this paper are very helpful to understand why a person behaves a certain way.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Cell Phones And Academic Performance English Language Essay

Cell Phones And Academic Performance English Language Essay The adoption of cell phones by young generation has been a global phenomenon in recent years. Thus, with the emergence of this technology almost everyone has tried to adopt these cell phones. We found in this research that cell phone usage had a negative impact on students GPA. Students using their cell phone during class, they also receiving and sending text messages during their class so they were able to pay less attention to lecture and thus it had negative impact on students performance. Key terms: Cell phones usage, Academic performance, GPA Introduction Since the commercialization of cellular phones technology, the use of this communication device has rapidly increased. Today, the global cellular phone market now stands at approximately 1.8 billion subscribers, and is forecasted to reach 3 billion by the end of 2010 (Reid and Reid, 2007). In Pakistan total subscribers for cell phones till 12 September 2012 have reached to 120,513,430 (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority). The adoption of cell phones by young generation has been a global phenomenon in recent years. This cell phone was originally created for adults for business use (Aoki Downes, 2003). It has become an integral part of adolescents daily life and one of the most popular forms of electronic communication. In todays world almost every student is having cell phone in their pocket, clipped to a belt, or hidden in a brief case or purse and knows perfect usage of it. As technology is growing every day at very fast rate, and is bringing positive and negative effects for soc iety and so is with cell phone technology that has brought both positive and negative effects. It is commonly observed that these cell phones have also become status symbol for youth and they have indulged themselves in the competition of having best and most updated cell phone with maximum features. Todays youth prefer cell phones more as compared to internet or any other social activity. Not only young people own cell phone, they have symbolic and affective investment in them (Lobet-maris, 2003) and they also want to upgrade it as soon as new model is launched in the market. Cell phones are that much involved in our life that the person who own cell phone is tend to be thought socially connected, independent, modern and in demand by the society. One of the most used applications of cell phones by our young generation is text messaging and these cellular network companies have also played a vital role in negatively affecting our young generation by introducing a number of packages for text messaging and calls also. Students of today are master in fastest text messaging and are seen text messaging while at home, at university, traveling ,in classroom and specially while studying. Communication with fellow students, professors, parents, and everyone else is just a click away. In New Zealand study 56% of high school students reported that the most important reason for using a cell phone was to talk and text with friends and family (Netsafe, 2005). This research paper explores the impact of cell phones` usage on students academic performance. We examined the affect of mobile usage on the grades among university students. Literature Review Cell phones and academic performance: The invention of the fixed telephone in the late 19th century in the United States changed the way that people interacted and communicated (Marilyn, 2005). This has been paralleled in the early 21st century by the advent of the cell phone (Marilyn, 2005). This is extremely similar to the fixed telephone in the early 20th century, where telephone engineers explained that the telephone was made for the business world and not for social conversation (Flinchy, 1997). The growth of cell phone technology is demonstrated by the fact that in 2002 the number of cell phone users worldwide, surpassed those of fixed-phone users (Srivastava, 2005). In 2005, the number of cell phone subscribers worldwide will reach 2 billion (Deloitte Research, 2005) and in Australia will reach 19.2 million (Fisher, 2005). And in Pakistan total fixed phone subscriber by December 2011 reached to only 3,098,117, less than mobile phone subscriber that were 120,151,253 till December 2011 (Pakistan Telecommunication Au thority). In Norway in 1999, 80% of 13 to 20-year-olds owned a cell phone, while in the United Kingdom in 2001, 90% of young people under the age of 16 did so (www.capacitybuilder.co.uk). In 2003, in Italy, 56% of children aged 9 and 10-years-old owned cell phones and of the 44% who didnt, all expressed a desire to own one (Guardian Unlimited, 2003), and amongst teenage girls in Tokyo, the adoption rate is almost 100% (Srivastava, 2005). In Australia in 2004, a survey by iTouch found that 50,000 children aged between 5 and 9 years of age owned a cell phone, one third of children aged 10 to 13-years old and 45% of 13 to 15-year-olds also owned the device (Allison, 2004). Surveys have consistently shown that young people even prefer their cell phone to television or the Internet (Enpocket, 2005; Hession, 2001). It is childrens favourite method of communication (Livingstone Bober, 2005) with younger adolescents (school years 7 to 9) more attached to their cell phones than older adoles cents (school years 10 to 12) as they reported needing to return home to collect their phone if they forget it (Matthews, 2004). Young people also save text messages which they value and cherish (Taylor Harper, 2003).Thus, with the emergence of this technology almost everyone has tried to adopted these cell phones. The main issue for teachers is the disturbance created in class room due to cell phone calls and texting. The functionality of SMS lets students send and receive messages unobtrusively (Geser, 2004). Combining this with the ease of hiding the device due to its small size, makes it very difficult for teachers to control. Because of the short time frame in which an answer is expected to a message (Kasesniemi Rautiainen, 2002), the excitement of finding out who has called and what the message is (similar to snail mail letters), young people are reluctant to turn off their cell phone during class time. In an Italian survey of 9- and 10-year-olds, 86% of students who owned cell phones kept them on during lessons (Guardian Unlimited, 2003). The New Zealand survey also found that 66% of students who took a mobile phone to school kept it turned on at school (Netsafe, 2005). Campbell (2006) found that students and faculty view the ringing of cell phones in class to be a serious problem. It is clear that if students are spending time texting, they are not paying attention to the class lecture, will not be able to understand the topic and will not be able to produce good result in class, this will have impact on their grade points. Through common observation today students are busy with this technology, spends 90% of their time with cell phones and dont pay attention to their studies. And if they pretend to their parents that they are studying in their room, they are actually dodging their parents, it is such a small device that they can easily hide them and lie with their parents. Students are trying to make as many friends whether girl or boy as they can, keeping themselves busy all day and night, as these network companies for their own profit have introduced a lots of cheap packages for call and messaging. All these activities in which students have en gaged themselves in todays world are demolishing their present and future. Students are using this technology not only for text messaging in class but also use it as source of cheating in examination. Students have always cheated via taking notes into class, or writing notes on hands (Ling, 2000a). For example, 12 students at the University of Maryland were caught cheating during an accounting exam (Anonymous 2003). With many cell phones now incorporating a digital camera or video, there is a danger in schools, colleges and universities that inappropriate pictures will be taken because of the portability and discrete nature of the camera (Marilyn, 2005). Pictures can be taken quickly without the knowledge of the person being photographed. Stealing of cell phones is also an issue which can impact on school staff (Williams Williams, 2005). Most victims of mobile phone theft are under 18 years of age and the phones are stolen by the same age group as well. This can put additional strain on school administration if the theft occurs at or near school and staff are expected to investigate (Marilyn, 2005). After explaining negative aspect there are some positive impact also, it helps students to stay connected with their group members when assigned some group work from their teacher. In school it also helps teacher to tell their parents about any serious problem happened to the students and also helps teacher to text their parent if they are absent from school. Students are supposed to use mobile phones whole night texting their friends. It is interesting to note that there are few common family rules about young peoples use of the cell phone. In fact, many adolescents (58%) reported that there were no rules set by their parents about their cell phone use, and only 12% reported that their parents used removal of their cell phones as punishment (Matthews, 2004). In New Zealand, this increased to 26% of young cell people reporting being threatened, with the phone being confiscated, as a form of punishment (Netsafe, 2005). It has been found that some young peoples sleep is disturbed when friends call them on their cell phone to talk or when a text message is deposited (Anderson, 2003). In New Zealand 11% of young people reported being woken every night by a text message or voice call (Netsafe, 2005). Probably because of the sleeping issue it has been found that the most common rule set by parents (56%) was that children have to leave their cel l phones out of their rooms at night. Ten percent of young people also reported that their parents frequently had to ask them to stop using their mobile phone late at night with 12% saying that this was the most common disagreement between them and their parents (Matthews, 2004). Along with academic performance cell phones have also positively and negatively affected social relationships. With the emergence of mobile phones individuals are able to stay connected with their friends, family and relatives living abroad. In addition to keeping up with social relationships, individuals have also been able to increase productivity with their work because they can be hundreds of miles away from the office, and still have instant access to their e-mail, documents and contacts wherever they are (Tully, 2003). A trend that is becoming more apparent is present absences; this is the concept of how an individuals presence in a social setting changes regardless of their physical presence, they are only half-present (Fortunati 2008). After a ring or buzz of their cell phone, they are drawn away somewhere else, away from their present situation and/or conversation. Through observation, researchers have found that individuals typically will not hesitate to interrupt an ongoin g conversation to answer the ringing of their cell phone. Cell phones have given a new way to individuals to form new relationships and to strengthen existing ones. Teens admitted spending nearly an equal amount of time talking as they do texting each month. The feature is so important to them that if texting was no longer an option, 47 percent of teens say their social life would end or be worsened especially among females (54 percent compared to 40 percent of males) (CTIA Survey 2008). Before the emergence of mobile technology, individuals have regular interaction with one another. As they have very little telephonic contact with one another so they are used to visit each other homes regularly. Even if any one of the family member is in hospital, their loved ones even if out of city make a visit instantly or the next day but now with the emergence of cell phones people are supposed to just ask about their health on phone call with their cell phones. Hypothesis Cell phones` usage will have a negative affect on students` academic performance. Model Cell phone usage Academic performance Methodology The data was collected by distributing questionnaire to students of different universities in Pakistan with the ages ranging between eighteen and thirty. A sample size of 150 students was taken in which 65 respondents were male and 85 respondents were female. The survey consisted of 24 questions, including cell phone impacts on students academic performance and social relationship. Multiple choice questions were asked. The reliability of the instrument was calculated by using SPSS. The instrument was personally administered to the sample. Demographic information (e.g., age, gender, university, degree, GPA) was also collected. Results After successfully collecting the data through distributing questionnaires in different universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, we have inserted that data in SPSS software data sheet and run desired functions necessary to know that what impact does independent variable (cell phone usage ) have on dependent variable (students academic performance). We have evaluated students academic performance by considering their GPA. From the correlation results as shown in TABLE 1, we have find that cell phone usage is having negative impact on students GPA i.e. (r= -0.303, p TABLE 1 Correlation Results M S.D 1 2 3 4 Age 21.487 1.8672 1 Gender 1.58 0.49521 -0.184* Cell phone usage 3.267 0.4512 0.045 -0.149 1 GPA 1.9911 0.57583 -0.154 0.246** -0.303** 1 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). *. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). TABLE 2 Regression Results Predictor Academic performance(GPA) ÃŽÂ ² Ά Sig. Step 1 Age -0.27 0.164 Gender 0.205 0.006 Step 2 Age -0.26 0.167 Gender 0.169 0.020 Cell phone usage -0.212 0.072 0.001 The table 2 shows the regression result of dependent and independent variable. In step 1 control variables i.e. age, gender is shown and in step 2 independent variable i.e. cell phone usage is shown. In horizontal line we have dependent variable i.e. academic performance measured using students GPA. The fluctuation in students academic performance (GPA) due to cell phone usage is 72%. The impact of cell phones usage on student academic performance is negative i.e. (ÃŽÂ ² = -0.212). Which implies that the student whose usage of cell phone is more is having low GPA i.e. showing poor academic performance. Discussion In this research paper we have evaluated that what impact students cell phone usage has on their academic performance by considering their GPA. Students age and gender is also taken into account while running analysis using SPSS. Cell phone usage is taken as independent variable and students academic performance is taken as dependent variable. Questionnaires are given to be filled by students of different universities in Rawalpindi and Islamabad between the age of 18 and 30. The data collected is analyzed by using SPSS software and evaluated the impact of cell phones usage on students academic performance. The result shows that cell phones usage is negatively impacting students academic performance. This means that the students who are using cell phone more are having low GPA. On asking questions on how much time they spend on using their cell phone and in how many classes they use cell phone, we have found that there is negative relationship of these two questions with students GPA. That is the students who are using cell phone almost 7-10 hours and those also who use cell phone during their most of the classes are having low GPA. On asking random questions we have found that one of the most used feature of cell phone is text messaging used by 67% students (female 37% and male 30%). Almost 81% students (female 46%, male 35%) are using standard text messages as compared to multimedia messages or other. 43% students (31% female and 13% male) say that they put their mobile phone on silent mode while attending class. 35% students (20% female and 15% male) say that they occasionally receiv e or send text messages while the class was in session. 55% students (35% female and 20% male) agree on policy that mobile should be kept by students but they should set it in vibration mode. 61% students (40% female, 21% male) say that they do not use night packages on their cell phone. 42% students (23% female, 19% male) say that they use day packages on their cell phone. 67% students (39% female, 27% male) say that they spent 10% of their pocket money on cell phones. 56% students (32% female, 24% male) say that they sometimes use their cell phone while doing their assignments. As results show that those students who spend most of their time on cell phone are achieving low GPA, which is in accordance with the literature and common observation. Students are using their cell phone during class, they are also receiving and sending text messages during their class so they will be able to pay less attention to lecture and thus it will have negative impact on students performance. Some students are also using night packages on their cell phone which will make them unable to be attentive in their morning class or may be unable to attend the first class. It is better to activate missed call alert on their cell phone and put it off during class and when they will on it they will receive message of all the calls they missed when the cell phone was off. In last concluding all cell phone usage is significantly impacting our youth who are misusing this technology, and thus showing poor academic performance and demolishing their career opportunities.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Effect of Music on the Level of Happiness

Effect of Music on the Level of Happiness ABSTRACT The present study was designed to investigate the role of music in increasing the level of happiness of college students. The convenient sample comprised of 120 (sixty men and 60 women) undergraduate students from G.C University, Lahore. Their age range was 17 23 years (M = 20.38, SE =0.11). This study used a 2(Gender) X 3(Music) X 2(Phase X S) mixed factorial design, with gender and type of music as between-subject factors and phase as repeated measures factor. Type of music had three levels, viz., classical, popular and mystical and phase was divided into pre- and posttest measures. After taking informed consent, participants were randomly assigned to the three conditions. Each participant was assigned a computer and was provided with a set of headphones through which they heard the specific kind of music. The Depression Happiness Scale (Joseph and Louis, 1993) scale was administered once before and then after the participants listened to the music. The results of (2 X 3 X 2) mixe d factorial Analysis of Variance and post-hoc Tukey tests revealed that popular music had significantly increased the level of happiness of college students, unlike classical and mystical music. No gender differences were found. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This thesis examines the enhancing effects of music on happiness. Music is the purest form of art. It can be said that it has an impact on almost everyone. Certain pieces of music have a relaxing effect, while others stimulate us to act, and some cause change in or emphasize our mood. This work specifically investigates if listening to different kinds of music can increase the level of happiness or not. 1.1 Defining Music The word music basically comes from the Greek word mousike meaning art of the muses. Technically, all sounds are the result of atmospheric vibrations; however, unlike mere sounds and noises, music consists of a set of sounds with particular frequencies, amplitudes, and timbres which are organized into highly predictable patterns. The Social and Cultural meanings by people turn these sounds into music (Smith, 1989). Culture and social context is very important while defining some construct (Matsumoto Juang, 2008). Thus, the definition of music varies according to culture and social context. The artists may view music as a performing art, a fine art, and an auditory art. According to J. P. F. Richter, Music is the poetry of the air.William Shakespeare called music the food of love, (Galwitz, 2001). Humanistic psychologists view music as a means of self fulfillment, integration and self actualization. For existentialists it is another department of choice and freedom. Music in any form has a universal appeal, like an international language, it is understood and spoken everywhere, and its charm and penetrating power cannot be denied (Malik, 1983). Components of Music Music consists of particular frequencies, amplitudes, and timbres etc which are organized into patterns. (North, Hargreaves Hargreaves, 2004).The components of music are, Musical note is a single sound of definite pitch and duration which can be identified in writing. Rhythm, is the arrangement of sounds in time, this arrangement is a complex arrangement of notes into a mixture of short and long durations within a single bar or a series of bars. Regular pulse groupings are called bars or measures. Rhythm is one of the most central features of many styles of music, especially jazz and hip-hop (Lerdahl Jackendoff, 1983). A Scale is a progression of notes in an ascending or descending order. Melody or tune assembles a series of notes into recognizable musical shapes. The notes of a melody are created with respect to pitch systems such as scales. A melody usually though not necessarily possesses rhythm. The rhythm of a melody is often based on the tones of language, the physical rhythms of dance or just periodic beatings (Narveson, 1984). The beat of a piece of music is its regular pulse, determined by the bar lines by which music are metrically determined. Pitch, is the height or depth of a note in relation to other notes or in relation to an absolute pitch. The absolute pitch has internationally been set at A=400 Hz that is, the A above the middle c has a frequency of 440 cycles or vibrations per second. Pitch is determined by the sounds frequency of vibration. The process of assigning note names to pitches is called tuning. The difference in frequency between two pitches is called an interval. The interval indicates either the doubling or halving of the base frequency (Machlis Kristine, 2007). Harmony is the study of vertical sonorities in music. A vertical sonority refers to considering the relationship between pitches that are together. Harmony can also be implied by melodies that outline a harmonic structure. Larger structures involving multiple pitches are called a chord (Darmschroder Williams, 1990). Harmony in music can be analyzed through Roman numeral system. A system of chord symbols is used in popular and jazz music (Friberg, 1991). Musical texture is the overall sound of a piece of music .It is described as the number of parts or lines and their relationship. The perceived texture of a musical piece can be affected by the interval between each musical line, the timbre of instruments or the number of instruments used. Monophony, homophony and polyphone include musical textures. Monophony is the texture of a melody. The texture of homophony is achieved when a melody is accompanied by chords. The melody in homophony is usually voiced in high notes. Polyphony consists of several simultaneous melodies of equal importance (Temperly, 2001). Form, is a feature of musical theory that explores the concept of musical syntax, on a local and global level. The syntax is often explained in terms of phrases and periods or sections or genre respectively (Juslin Laukka, 2004). 1.1.2 Types of Music Different types of music help in soothing ones disturbed soul and cheer us up. There are various types of music i.e., classical music, rock, hip-hop, folk, opera, mystical etc. Classical music is a complex form of music as it requires high musical skills like learning the ragas and ability to coordinate with other musicians .The one who wants to learn, he/she has to go through proper training in this field of music (Bhattacharyya, 2008). Classical music is different from other types due to its instruments and form. Classical music can be described as of having two kinds, western classical music and eastern classical music. The central norms of western classical music were codified from 1750 to 1820, which is known as the classical period. The major instruments used in western classical music include, the piano, harpsichord, the organ and bagpipes. Western Classical music is also capable of taking on different forms such as, concerto, symphony, sonata, opera, dance music, suite, etude, symphonic poem etc. The composing of classical music aims to instill the music with a complex relationship between the emotional and the intellectual aspects. Classical musicians get extensive training and schooling to attain technical mastery before performing classical music. They understand the principles, and gain the knowledge that is essential for the performance of classical music (Grout et al, 1996). The origin of eastern classical Music was from, the Hindu traditions. The oldest of the scriptures and the Vedas describe music at length. The major instruments used include, the tabla, sitar, sarood, pakhawaj, tanpura, tambura, swarmandal, bansuri and sarangi. The eastern classical music is basically monophonic, and is arranged around a single melody line. The composition based on a particular raga, begins with the performers coming out in a ritualized order, first the drone instruments, then the soloist, then accompanists and percussionists. The musicians first tune their instrument. The tambura is played at a steady tone throughout the raga, by a student of the soloist. The raga begins with the melody being developed gradually. The beginning of the raga is called an alap. Once the raga is established, the ornamentation begins to become rhythmical, which gradually speeds up. This section is the jor. After the jor reaches its climax, everything stops and then finally the percussioni st begins to play while interacting with the soloist. Beginning from India, the classical music tradition has extended towards Pakistan and also Afghanistan. The major vocal forms of eastern classical music include, Dhurpad, which is a style of singing, is accompanied by tempura and pakhawaj. The lyrics are heroic in theme, or otherwise in a praising tone. The, Ghazal originally being Persian in form, exists in multiple variations. The Khayal is an informal form of vocal music. It is partially Improvised and emotional in nature. The Tarana, are songs that are used to convey a mood of elation. They have a few lyrics and are mostly composed of rhythmic sounds. Thumri is an accessible and informal vocal form. The lyrics are typically in a language called braj bhasha, and are usually romantic. The system of notation called sargam holds a very important place in classical music of the east. For eastern classical music, the expertise of voice, rather than the instruments is emphasized (Patnaik, 2006). Popular Music is music belonging to any number of musical styles that are widely popular. It covers mainstream music that does not falls into any specialized style such as jazz or hip hop. Popular music essentially includes the use of instruments such as guitar, violin, fiddle, piano, bass and drums. In these types of music, the bass guitar is an important instrument. This can be used in different intensities to emote feelings of anger, pride and others. As compared to classical music, popular music does not require expertise. Many people play popular music together with their friends, on a casual amateur basis. The roots of the music are found in African American and West African music (Moore, 2004). Mystical music is an outburst of the soul. It comprises of spacious, contemplative, heartfelt, trance inducing and psychedelic sounds. It is a mix of entrancing drones, structures, and rhythms. Mystic music is different from classical music in terms of its lyrical content. The sole theme of Mystical music is of building a connection with God. The singer addresses God as his beloved and tries to gain his acceptance Mystical music makes one explore a kind of rich sound experience that lifts and awakens one above normal consciousness. It is relaxing. Mystic music fulfills the purpose of music which is to help us contact the spiritual dimensions of life and reveal the secret to us and to, keep the spirit alive (Nasr, 1997). An important feature of Pakistani mystical music is the interchanging of gender of the singer. 1.1.3 Effects of Music Music holds a very significant position in our lives since the beginning. From the early beginning to the present day, interest in music with reference to healing and therapeutic experience has sustained (Bartlett, 1996). Researchers have found that about two-thirds of the inner ears cilia resonate only at the higher frequencies that are commonly found in music (3,000 20,000 Hz). This seems to indicate that primitive humans communicated primarily through song or tone. There are references to the divine alliance of music and medicine in classical antiquity and the healing function among primitive people (Schullian Schoen, 1948). Recent work on music has confirmed the effectiveness of music too. Music has been found to be capable of triggering Endorphins in the human body, which help the mind in creating sound images, thus making it possible for people to escape into painless worlds sheltered by their imaginations. Music can regularize or disturb the heart beat or relax or tense the nerves; it is also able to affect digestion, respiration and blood pressure (Tame, 1984). Ansdell (1995) suggested that music could act as a powerful tool with neuro-disability. In many instances it has been found that people with brain related problems were able to function in better ways while being exposed to music (Bunt Hoskyns, 2002). Mc Carty (1999) described how music could reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions in healthy as well as clinically ill Music can decrease pain and depression while increasing mood and self esteem. A study indicated that tempo affected arousal, while mode of the music affected the mood (Husain, Thompson Schelenburg, 2002). Wellness is a product of healthy body, mind, spirit interactions, and, as a result music can be an important asset in creating the appropriate environment for persons healing (Stewart, 1990). Musics appeal to us is primarily emotional and psychological. Music has been noted for its ability to enhance peoples moods, move them to tears, make them want to rejoice or just move them emotionally in both negative and positive ways (Goldstein, 1980). Radocy and Boyle (1979) suggested eight kinds of affective responses to music. Some are related to an innate sensory perception of the sound whereas; others are related to images, experiences and emotional context of the experiences. These responses may include simple, negative and positive feelings, and moral or religious temperaments. Thus, music is often capable of helping people in dealing with the issues which they have not dealt with earlier in their lives. (Bright, 1993; Levine, 1999; Ortiz, 1997). According to Stewart (1990) music can act as an affective therapeutic agent under the right circumstances. Music can be helpful to us in initiating psychological movement by altering our mental states and leading us towards more positive affirmations (Blaking, 1990). Menuhin (1972) revealed further that music can bring order out of chaos, because rhythm makes the divergent unanimous, melody turns the disjointed into continuous, and harmony is capable of imposing compatibility among the incongruous. Sloboda (1989), states that, most of us take part in musical activities because it can arouse deep and significant emotions in us. The music itself cannot have extra musical meaning unless the experience to which it refers already exists in the mind of the listener. When music is similar to the connections with human life, then people experience intense emotions. Particular kinds of music are capable of moving painful memories or the unresolved problem in life. Storr (1990) believes that apart from the relations between seeing an emotional arousal, the relation between hearing and emotional arousal is stronger. Campbell Angus (1976), in a study observed that when people communicate with the emotional centers of our being through the use of music; we become better able to reduce stress and achieve a sense of well-being. Diamond (1979) suggests that music can be used as an important part of primary preventative health care at a psychosocial level. It has been reported that music is an activity which the healthy, impaired, talented and interested enjoy, because it provides them with a relief from their stress, anxiety (Blacking, 1995). Music if combined with personal attention and, can provide satisfaction and restore a sense of value to people who may be feeling depressed or low in self-esteem (Crystal, Grober Masur, 1989). In view of Hallan Price (1998), calming music led to better participant performance on arithmetic and memory tasks. Music can line up patterns of emotions, structures of consciousness and / or psychic energy (Stewart, 1990). Thus, music has great influences on a listener. It can take the mind and body to do spontaneous things. Depending on the type of music and the inner message it has, music can influence a person and his/her actions (Cassidy Byo, 2008). Happiness In this older sense, Happiness was used to translate the Greek Eudemonia. There has been a surge of interest in Positive Psychology during the last quarter of this century. There has been a huge amount of interest and research on happiness, well-being and satisfaction among all positive fields (Diener Diener, 1995). The term happiness is synonymous to subjective well- being (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Happiness can be defined as a feeling about yourself and the outside world. It is born from the internal workings of our own minds (Diener et all, 1997). Yew-Kwan Ng and Siang Ng (2000), define happiness as a complete state of mental health. They have defined emotional happiness as the presence of positive affect and life satisfaction with the absence of negative affect. It is a positive emotional state that is defined by every person on a subjective level. Diener, Scolon Lueas (2003) define Happiness as an overall appraisal of life, where the good and the bad are balanced. According to one of the founders of positive psychology, Seligman (2002), happiness consists of positive emotions and positive activities, emotions can be categorized as they are related to the past, present and future. Positive emotions concerning the past include satisfaction, contentment, pride and serenity whereas, positive emotions that are associated with the future include optimism, hope and trust. Veenhoven (1997) has defined happiness or subjective well-being as the degree to which one judges the quality of his life favorably. According to Schwartz Strack (1999), even very minor incidents in life can affect the level of happiness; however, Kahneman Schkade (1998), state that external circumstances are have little effect on happiness or subjective well- being. Theories of happiness The basic theories of happiness have been divided into two types, Top down theory Bottom up theory Bottom-Up Theory: Happiness and satisfaction depend on the sum of many smaller pleasures and happy moments (Diener Scwartz, 1984). In the perspective, of the bottom-up theory, well- being or happiness is a summing up of the positive experiences in a persons life. The assessment of satisfaction is considered in a small number of lifes domains. According to this theory, people self-rate their subjective well being with the help of a variety of external circumstances. The frequency of the pleasant moments makes a person happier. These circumstances may include the level of ones marriage, income work and family etc (Linley, Joseph Seligman, 2004). In this view, the objective life experiences, postulate the overall happiness. Top-Down Theory: The other perspective assumes that happiness is more related to general tendency to assess and infer to experiences in a positive way. From this point of view, a person brings tendencies of positivity towards the situations that he encounters. This view to subjective well being is known as top-down theory. This approach is mostly considered by observing personality traits or attitudes (Linley, Joseph Seligman, 2004). This theory states that people, who are over all satisfied with life, are satisfied with everything. People possess a disposition to judge lifes experiences in negative of positive ways. There are also other models of happiness which include, Need/goal satisfaction model, Process/activity model, Genetic/personality predisposition models. Psychoanalytic and humanistic theorists believe that reduction in tension and satisfaction of needs lead to the achievement of happiness. It was theorized that people were happy as they had achieved their goals (Compton, 2005). Emmons Diener (1986) has also emphasized how pursuing goals generates happiness. According to the process/activity theorists, participating in activities generates happiness. Csikszentmihalyi (1990) proposed that people who indulge in interesting and challenging activities, and experience the feelings of flow, as a result, are happier. The genetic/personality theorists view happiness as a stable construct. A Research by Costa and McCrae (1986) suggested that happiness is based on personality and genetics. Similarly, Lucas (1996) also found in a research that personality traits were closely related to happiness. Most of recent researches agree with idea of happiness being a combination of psychological, emotional, and physical well-being. Correlates of Happiness Individual differences in the levels of happiness have their significance, but studies have shown that predictors of happiness can be indicated and generalized. Evidence has been found that environmental factors and happiness can be correlated. However, it was also found that demographic variables, together account for less than 20% variance in happiness or subjective well- being (Campbell et al., 1976). A study by (Suhail Chaudary, 2003) found that work satisfaction, social support, religious affiliation, social class, income level, and marital status and marital satisfaction can be the predictors of happiness. Marital status and satisfaction: It has been found that marriage and happiness correlate significantly. Diener, Suh, Lucas, Smith (1999), found that unmarried people who cohabit with their partners are significantly happier in a few cultures. Research has shown that married people are happier as compared to unmarried, divorced, separated or widowed people. Shields Wooden (2003) found that married women and men were consistently happier than unmarried men and women. Finances: Financial status is related to happiness; however with an increase the effect diminishes (Diener, Diener Carol, 1995). Veenhoven (1994), stated that People of third world countries relate their happiness more to wealth. Evidence shows that relationship between happiness and wealth depends on the value that one associates with money (Burroughs, James Rindflisch, 2002). 3) Health: Physical health is strongly related to levels of happiness. If one is physically healthy he/she would have higher levels of happiness as compared to a person who is sick. Ryan Deci (2001) found that perceptions of health have more effect on happiness than objective health. If one is healthy (physically), then one experiences a feeling of well- being (Feist, Bodner, Jacobs, Miles Tan, 1995). According to physicians, Brief, Butcher, George Link (1993) a strong correlation exists between happiness and health. 4) Gender: women have been generally found to report higher levels of subjective well- being or happiness. Fujita, Diener Sandvick (1991) reported that women showed greater capacity for joy. Similarly, in a study by Wood, Rhodes Whelan (1989), it was found that women report slightly higher levels of happiness. However, Shayam and Yadev (2006) found that elderly men scored higher on well-being as compared to elderly women. In a study by Pennebaker, Rime Blankenship (1996), women expressed more intense emotions then men. Women also rated themselves as more verbally expressive than men. 5) Education: education does affect the happiness of people positively. Layard (2005), found that education is capable of increasing happiness indirectly, as it effects the ability to earn. Education has greater affect on the happiness levels of people with lower incomes (Campbell et al, 1976).Education appears to have only small direct influence on happiness. Life Events: Peak experiences have been found to be due to religion music or other intense activities. Diener Lucas (1999), state that subjective well-being correlates with friendship activities, having frequency of occurrence. The number of positive events correlates with positive affect (Schimmack, Diener Oishi 2002). Heady Wearing (1989) found that areas of friendship and work, increase happiness. 7) Culture: Diener Suh (1999) found that some nations appear to be more emotional than other nations. It was also found that happiness varies with interpersonal trust of people (Diener Suh, 2000). It was found that people in individualistic cultures had higher subjective well-being as compared to collectivistic cultures (Ball, 2001). 8) Religion: Many researches support that people who are religious tend to be happier. Studies have found that engagement in religious activities is significantly related to higher well-being (Donahue Benson, 1995). Peacock and Poloma (1999) found that ones perceived closeness to God was a very strong predictor of happiness. 1.3 Literature Review Immense research has been done to investigate the effects of music on physical as well as mental health. Researches have found that music has made positive influences on the physiological, psychological and the social domains. In a study, Fratianne, Prensner, Huston, Super, Yowler Standley (2001), conducted a study on patients at a burn care centre and found that the group which received the music therapy intervention, reported significant reduction in pain, compared to the groups having no music therapy. This conformed that music therapy is a valuable non-invasive intervention for the treatment of pain after burn injury. Nering (2002), in an experimental study investigated the effect of piano and music instruction on intelligence of monozygotic twins. Post-tests on the Wechsler standardized intelligence tests indicated that, that music instruction through individual piano lessons increased intelligence. Weinberger Norman (1998) conducted research to investigate if music is capable of improving brain development. They found that music not only improves our brain development, it even enhances skills like reading and mathematics. Music promotes social development, self -worth, personality adjustment, and also enhances creativity. It was also found that music making provides the most all-embracing exercise for brain cells and the synaptic interconnections. A study on the effect of music therapy in treatment of social isolation in visually impaired children was conducted. It discussed how that music therapy can be helpful in making the child explore his environment, and modify stereotypic, autistic-like behaviours, and encourage social awareness and interaction with other children. The results indicated that Music evokes profound responses without the help of words and therefore, can reach children with the severest disabilities (Gourgey, 1998). In another experimental study on the effect of music, Hallman, Price, and Katsarou (2002), found that calming music led to better participant performance on an arithmetic task and a memory task than no music. It was also found that background music on cognitive test performance led to improved performance when compared with a control condition (Cockerton, Tracey, Moore, Simon, Norman Dale, 1997). A study by Rideout Taylor (1997), involved 16 female and 16 male undergraduates, who completed two equivalent spatial tests, Results indicated that exposure to classical music, given to undergraduate students caused a small but significant improvement in spatial tests. In a study entitled, Music therapy for adolescents, Tervo (2001), suggested that music makes adolescents become expressive, be in contact with and share among themselves feelings of anger, rage, grief, longing and psychological disintegration. It provides opportunities to feel closeness or isolation and to explore sexual fantasies and feelings. Standley Hughes (1997) evaluated the effects of music sessions which were designed to enhance pre-reading and writing skills of 24 children (aged 4-5 yrs). The children were enrolled in Early Intervention and Exceptional Student Education (ESE) programs. The music treatment was provided along with the regular prekindergarten course. Pre and post-tests revealed that music significantly improved print concepts and prewriting skills of the children. A study by Chalmers, Olson Zurkowski (1999) examined the effect of music on lunchroom noise level and on the behaviours of children requiring intervention. The playing of classical music indicated that the noise level dropped to an average of six decibels, whereas, upon playing popular music the noise level decreased by ten decibels. In both conditions, music was capable of decreasing behavioral interventions. Covington (2001) stated that, many patients with psychiatric disorders struggle with poor skills in coping, socialization, communication, and self-expression which leads to dysfunctional cognitive, behavioral, and emotional responses. It was found that therapeutic music offers a noninvasive approach which helps in strengthening the skills and effect behavior change. Ming (2002) explored the Anxiety, Depression and self- esteem of undergraduates. The study examined the effects of music therapy on anxiety, depression and self-esteem of undergraduates. Twenty-four undergraduates showing greater anxiety and depression with lower self-esteem were assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group was provided twenty hours of music therapy, unlike the control group which did not receive any treatment. Quantitative and qualitative analyses indicated that the experimental group showed a reduction in anxiety immediately after the music therapy, the group expressed that they experienced more positive changes, including more pleasure, relaxation, and confidence, and less negative emotions. Chlan Linda (1998) investigated the effectiveness of a music therapy intervention on relaxation and anxiety for patients receiving ventilatory assistance. They used mystical music as music therapy. Mystical music therapy was found to be effective in decreasing anxiety and promoting relaxation. Decrease in heart and respiratory rate was also found. In another research, Smith and Noon (1998) investigated mood change induced by contemporary music. When analysis was done, it was found that all the pieces of music produced an overall change in mood. Popular/independent music produced highly significant changes. Ostertag (2002), in his article on music therapy with abused children stated that music therapy can play a very important part in the change process of abused children, specially while addressing emotional and relationship issues which are difficult to address using the cognitive or behavioural treatment models. Hendricks (2001), in his study on the use of music therapy techniques in a group for the treatment of adolescent depression, stated that one in five adolescents is effected by depression, which results in substance abuse, anorexia nervosa, poor academic performance and adolescent pregnancy. He investigated the use of music in a school setting for the treatment of adolescent depression. The pre and post test scores showed that the use of music therapy techniques positively correlated with reduced depression increased self-concept in the participants. In a study, Labbà ©, Schmidt, Babin Pharr (2007), conducted a study using a sample of 15 males and 41 female college students. They were exposed to classical and relaxing music after experiencing a stressful test. It was found that listening to classical and relaxing music after exposure to a stressor resulted in significant reductions in anxiety, anger, and sympathetic nervous system arousal, and increase in relaxation when compared to listening to heavy metal music or sitting in silence. In a study titled, An experience sampling study of emotional reactions to music: Listener, music, and situation, Juslin, Liljestrà ¶m, Và ¤stfjà ¤ll, Barradas, Silva (2008), investigated the prevalence of different musical emotions and how such emotions are related to various factors in th