Can a Private School Withhold Transcripts for Nonpayment

A private school can withhold transcripts if your financial status is in question. Any infractions in regard to your financial status with the school, ranging from missed tuition payments, late payments, and even overdue fees or missing equipment that your child signed out but never returned, can result in the school refusing to release her academic records. The same thing happens in colleges for students who default on their tuition payments and/or student loans; these elite academic institutions withhold the students academic transcripts until payments have been made and the account is returned to good standing.   Its important to examine this issue and what it means for families and students. Holding Families Accountable The major reason why schools wont release a students transcript record is that they have no other way to ensure that you pay your tuition and other school-related bills. Its similar to a car loan. The bank loans you money to buy the car, but the bank puts a lien on the vehicle so that you cannot sell it without the banks permission. If you stop making payments, the bank can,  and most likely will, take back the car. Since a school cant take back the knowledge and experiences it has imparted on your child, it has another way to hold the family accountable for the financial debt that remains to be paid. It doesnt matter if your child is the top of her class, a starting player on a varsity team, or the star of the next school play. The business office is, necessarily, blind to the fact that youre applying to college and need transcripts released. If a debt remains to be paid,  your childs transcript or academic record is held hostage until all of your financial accounts are paid in full. And you cant apply to college without a high school transcript.   Reasons Schools Withhold Transcripts Unpaid tuition is the most obvious reason why a school would withhold transcripts. Other reasons can include unpaid  athletics and arts-related fees, testing fees, school store bills, book purchases, and any financial debts incurred on a students account. Even overdue library books or missing sports uniforms could result in your transcript being withheld (though not all schools will go quite this far). You may have given your child permission to use the school account to do laundry, buy items at the school store, purchase food at the snack center, or charge fees for after-school trips and weekend activities. If your child has racked up the charges, you are accountable financially, even if you did not approve specific purchases. All of these purchases and payments count toward ensuring that your students account is in good standing before the school will release his transcripts. The Contract Spells It Out You signed a statement or enrollment contract with the school that likely outlines specific financial responsibilities. Some schools may list this directly on the enrollment agreement, or the contract might include a clause that holds the family accountable for all policies put forth in the student and parent handbook. Some schools also have a handbook that has a separate form you sign acknowledging that you have read and understood the handbook and all policies and procedures outlined within it. Either way, if you read the fine print, you will likely see specific verbiage that describes what happens if you default on your financial account, withdraw your child, or refuse to pay any indebtedness to the school. Importance of Transcripts A transcript is important, as it is your childs proof that she attended high school and successfully completed the course of study required for matriculation. Employers, colleges and graduate schools will require  a certified copy of a high school transcript for verification purposes. Submitting report cards will not suffice, and the transcripts often have to be sent directly to the requesting party by the school, using an official watermark or imprint on the transcript to ensure authenticity. Its often sent in a sealed and signed envelope.   What You Can Do The only thing to do is honor your agreement and make good on your financial account. Schools will often work with families that require more time to settle their debts, such as working out payment plans. Legal action likely wont get you far, either, as you have signed a legally binding document that clearly states you are financially responsible for all debts regarding your child.   Article edited by  Stacy Jagodowski

Era of Prohibition in THe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

A Time of Grieving With its increase in organized crime, notorious icons, and unhealthy lifestyle, the Era of Prohibition represented the Roaring Twenties which F. Scott Fitzgerald vividly portrayed in The Great Gatsby. Alcoholic beverages were illegal in the Roaring Twenties, which caused many Americans to develop hidden bars or speakeasies to drink their alcoholic beverages. The number of speakeasies increased tremendously when the Prohibition Act was established. The high number of speakeasies caused organized activity to increase during the Roaring Twenties. â€Å"Speakeasies for illicit drinking sprang up, and organized crime activity increased†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hutchinson Encyclopedia). Americans during the Roaring Twenties knew that alcohol was†¦show more content†¦They became rich and powerful by providing speakeasies and others who were willing to buy their alcohol. Some bootleggers got their alcohol from other countries. â€Å"The first large-scale organized criminal activity of the Prohibition Era was smuggling†¦The manufacture, importation, and sale of alcoholic beverages were perfectly legal in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean,† (Cohen). During the Roaring Twenties , someone who bought alcohol from other countries had to smuggle the alcoholic beverages inside the country. â€Å"As soon as Prohibition went into effect there was a dramatic increase in Mexican imports of scotch whiskey from Britain. The Mexicans werent drinking more; eventually all of this whiskey made its way north across the border† (Cohen). 0Bootleggers were powerful and rich and became one of the biggest reasons for the increase of organized crime in the Era of Prohibition.  ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬During the Roaring Twenties, there were many lawbreakers who increased the rate of organized crime. Unlike bootleggers, these lawbreakers stole alcoholic beverages from locked up warehouses, to resell to their customers. â€Å"Hijacking was another way of getting the liquor. Early in the Prohibition Era there was still a lot of liquor locked away in government warehouses to be sold for medicinal purposes. Much of this was simply stolen by the criminals, particularly while it was being transported† (Cohen). The lawbreakers during the Roaring TwentiesShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby Summary1036 Words   |  5 PagesSummer Project 2012- â€Å"The Great Gatsby†: FULL SUMMARY OF â€Å"THE GREAT GATSBY†: During the 1920’s era, within the various movements of prohibition, women’s rights, and the Jazz Age, F Scott Fitzgerald bore a timeless novel by the name of â€Å"The Great Gatsby.† The predominant character, Nick, who duals as narrator, is indecisive but thoughtful. He lives in West Egg on Long Island Sound, amidst the aristocratic air and luxurious titles. Gatsby, Nick’s neighbor, whose affairs apart from his partsRead MoreLiterary Research Paper: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott1100 Words   |  5 PagesLiterary Research Paper: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is known as America’s great novel, â€Å"The Great Gatsby is a classic piece of American fiction. It is a novel of triumph and tragedy, noted for the remarkable way Fitzgerald captured a cross-section of American society.†(Cliffsnotes Editor) The novel is set in New York City, more specifically in long island; East Egg and West Egg, during the prohibition era in the 1920’s and was then publishedRead MoreF. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby1378 Words   |  6 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald was an American author during the jazz age. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. He wrote novels and many short stories but he is mostly known for his iconic novel â€Å"The Great Gatsby.† This American Classic, written in 1925 takes place in New York during The Roaring 20’s. The novel revolves around this interesting character named Jay Gatsby. He is from North Dakota, and aroun d 30 years old. Born poor, motivated him to do anything toRead MoreImpact of Prohibition in The Great Gatsby1678 Words   |  7 Pagesprogress in many different areas. The twenties were a time of great change in America in many different areas. The changes were in the laws, the lifestyle of women especially and the moral values that they lived by. One of the major events that sculpted this era was prohibition. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the life of crime associated with prohibition causing the enormous transformation of Jay Gatz to Jay Gatsby, and also causing a tremendous change in America. During theRead MoreF. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby1003 Words   |  5 Pagesnewfound sexual expression. In this age, there was a boom in literary expression as well. F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the many twentieth-century writers to focus on American ideals in their novels. In Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, the character of Jay Gatsby represents the opulence and underlying corruption of the 1920s. As the novel begins, Fitzgerald describes Gatsby’s outrageous wealth. Gatsby harbors an obsession for money, which is a reflection of the booming economy in the TwentiesRead MoreTaking a Look at the Jazz Age1600 Words   |  6 Pageserupted in new musical and cultural changes. These changes can be seen through the shift in literature, from conservative to contemporary writings, by literary giants like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Bessie Smith. The Jazz Age was known as the Roaring Twenties, and is still popular today due to its infamous jazz music, flappers, and prohibition. The Jazz Age was an exciting, and contemporary time period in American history. During the Jazz Age, the U.S was the setting of many cultural changes, artistic innovationRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1002 Words   |  5 PagesHonors American Literature 11 17 May 2016 The Great Gatsby: Analytical Essay The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a powerful story about the history of the roaring 1920’s. Fitzgerald uses different intellectual techniques of writing to captivate a completely new meaning to the prohibition era. The Great Gatsby, narrated by Nick Carraway, tells a moving story from his point of view about the lives of the upper and lower class of the 1920’s. Fitzgerald creates a compelling plot through differentRead MoreThe Great Gatsby891 Words   |  4 PagesTwenties Brother The era known as the Roaring Twenties was a time of immense joy, opportunity and prosperity. Unfortunately, the 1920’s was also a period where greed, corruption and organized crime took a firm foothold. The exuberant happiness of the time was only trumped by its gap between the rich and the poor. The novel shows the true face of the so-called Age of Wonderful Nonsense with the writer’s own personal conflict. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s groundbreaking novel The Great Gatsby has stood the testRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay986 Words   |  4 Pagesthat lived in America. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a famous literary piece that takes place in the 1920s in Long Island, which is the modern day New York. This novel gives the perfect impression on how the American Dream was obtained and how people act when they come into a great amount of money. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s parents are â€Å"shiftless and unsuccessful farm people†; yet, he made a life for himself and is now a wealthy man of West Egg (Fitzgerald 98). Even though he didRead Moreâ€Å"the Jazz Age† and F. Scott Fitzgerald1095 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Jazz Age† and F. Scott Fitzgerald It was an age of miracles. It was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire.† (â€Å"Fitzgerald: The Jazz Age† p. 3). As the 1920s began, the old, conservative ways of life began to disintegrate. A new era was just beginning. This era is called â€Å"The Jazz Age.† The Great Gatsby, a literary masterpiece written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the social historian of the 1920s, directly reflects the virtues, materialism, and revolutionary nature

Avro Arrow Free Essays

Avro Arrow Since the dawn of mankind, humans have always wanted to conquer the skies. After the Wright Brothers first flight, mankind has dreamed of bigger and better aircrafts. Shortly after World War ll a company named Avro Aircraft Limited was assigned the job by the Royal Canadian Air Force to build supersonic twin engine interceptor which could defend Canada against Soviet Bombers during the Cold War. We will write a custom essay sample on Avro Arrow or any similar topic only for you Order Now With a plant in Milton, Ontario and 14 000 employees, Avro Aircraft Limited built and manufactured ones of the greatest planes in aviation history. The plane was a masterpiece; it flew at nearly mach 2 and had futuristic technologies which would match up to planes from today. The Avro Arrow program turned out to be a huge waste of the effort and money, as it was cancelled less than a year later. There can be many reasons why it was cancelled but the biggest was the immense pressure put on Diefenbaker by President Eisenhower and the United States Air Force. Other reasons could be because of its huge price tag, a new emerging era of anti-aircraft technologies, or the fact that it had many little flaws in its design. Terminating the Avro Arrow program was the right and smarter thing to do by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and his Conservative Government. The Avro Arrow was a Canadian marvel but came with a huge price tag. The program cost hundreds of millions of more than the estimated price. Originally the Royal Canadian Air Force wanted 40 aircrafts for an estimated $118 million but, the price tag for the interceptor rose from 2 million to 12, and at the same time demand for interceptors fell as the world entered the age of long-range missiles. When Prime Minister John Diefenbaker cancelled the program the price tag stood at $247 million for the aircraft and $132 million for the Iroquois engines. A total cost of $374 million for a bunch of scrap metal. Clearly the project wasn’t worth as much as they were spending. The company’s estimations were way off and the project turned out to cost one-eighteenth of the total national budget, which was money that the government didn’t have to spare and could have used for cheaper alternative defensive mechanisms. In the mid 50’s the world was entering a new era of anti-aircraft missile technologies and smarter missiles were being invented. As Canada was busily trying to find buyers for the Avro Arrow, the Americans were also hard at work trying to sell their BOMARC missiles. When Canada tried to sell the Arrow to the Americans, they tried to sell their BOMARC missiles to Canada. Unfortunately, Canada failed to sell the Avro Arrow to any nation. Instead the newly elected Conservatives cancelled the Avro Arrow program and decided to buy $200 million worth of BOMARC missiles. With the purchase of the missiles, the Canadians signed the NORAD (North American Air Defense) agreement which made Canada a partner in command and control when it came to attacks and threats in Canadian/American airspace. Also it gave RCAF a chance to learn and share secret Air Defense information with the USAF. The BOMARC missile had the same range as the Avro Arrows. The difference was that the missiles were much cheaper and were a more feasible option for the Canadian air-force and the government’s budget. The Avro Arrow had flaws in its design which didn’t let it be at one hundred percent. One of the major flaws that the Arrow had was its limited fuel capacity. It could only carry approximately 10 000 lbs of jet fuel, which meant it had very limited range. The range was such a concern that the Royal Canadian Air Force had to build many special airfields in the North because the Air-force was worried that if the Avro Arrow went on a mission, it would be able to return by refueling in the airfields because it wouldn’t have enough fuel to go and comeback on one tank full. The plane also couldn’t pass some RCAF regulations which meant spending millions more just to fix the issues. The major problems were with the avionics and fire-control of the aircrafts. There were some minor incidences as well, during flight testing the landing gears failed during two separate occasions making the RCAF questioning the aircrafts capabilities. A lot of these problems left the Avro Arrow ineffective during many scenarios. Clearly it was smarter to invest in missiles which could get the job done easier and would cost less than half the price of the existing program. Cancelling the Avro Arrow program was a better and more economically stable decision by John Diefenbaker and his government. The program cost way too much money for our nation to afford. The program turned out to be a complete disaster and a huge waste of time and money. With a new era of anti-aircraft technologies emerging, the government found missiles to be much cheaper than interceptors and just as effective. With the BOMARC missiles we also got a bonus by having the Americans as our partnered Allies with whom we could share our defense techniques with. Due to the complications with the designs the Avro Arrow had many problems too expensive to solve with the existing price tag. The government clearly made the right and smarter decision by cancelling the Avro Arrow program. How to cite Avro Arrow, Papers

The Gibbs Reflective Cycle is Helpful to Health Practitioners

Question: Describe the Case Scenario that you have Selected to reflect on, Concentrating on main details of who was Involved, what Incident Occurred, and why the Incident Occurred. Answer: Introduction The Gibbs reflective cycle is effective in helping the health practitioners in particular to think systematically about different phases of an experience or activity (Oxford Brookes University, 2017). This is also known as learning by doing since the learner is actively involved in a particular activity that ought to be solved. This reflective cycle is comprised of six components that are explained in detail with reference to the case scenario involving staff conflict which I experienced as a student nurse. Description As a student nurse in the ward where I was attached as part of my training, I once encountered a case of insubordination that later developed into sour relations between me and other two senior nurses. The ward sister would assign duties to everyone but the problem was that these nurses who were senior to me would also assign tasks they were supposed to do to me. These senior nurses did that to me simply because they were qualified and senior but that was not supposed to be the case since I believed that I also deserved equal treatment. This case also involved the ward sister since I had to approach her to solve the conflict. Feelings My feelings were characterised by fear of many things. I had a feeling that if this kind of conflict continued unsolved, it was going to affect my performance which could lead to attainment of a poor grade. I also felt that I should approach the ward sister for resolution of this kind of conflict but I was also afraid of being victimised by these senior nurses. Since I was a student, I felt cornered because I thought I should take instructions from my seniors without questioning but I also had a feeling ha this was not the way things should operate. Evaluation After experiencing this treatment for quite a long time, one day I gathered my courage and politely approached the ward sister to register my complaint and fortunately, the response was positive. I was so much relieved that the conflict was resolved in a professional way and from that day, I enjoyed a cordial working relationship with everyone in the ward. Thus, I concur with the assertion that effective problem solving does not necessarily need to be confrontational in order to achieve the desired results (Schultz, 2007). This conflict was solved amicably without any issues or exchange of harsh words. However, at first I had a negative feeling that I will be victimised by these two nurses for reporting hem to the ward sister. Analysis This case mainly occurred simply because the two nurses mentioned above believed that since they were senior, they had a right to do what they wanted with me simply because I was a junior. Indeed, conflicts are inevitable in any organization and one good thing about them is that at times they are constructive (Werner, 2007). From my own experience, I have realised that this conflict helped to create a good working environment characterised by mutual understanding and respect. The case has also taught me that conflicts are not solved through confrontation since this can worsen the situation. Conclusion I have learnt one big lesson that when solving a conflict, you should not only focus on its effects on the parties involved but try to address the causes. According to Hewitt-Taylor (2016), after identifying a problem, it is very important to try to establish its real causes before attempting to find a solution. Actions such as trying to engage in general talk with other workmates can help to improve the outcome this case scenario since they will also be in a better position to understand your feelings which can help them to respect you. Action Plan From the lessons above, I think effective communication is very important when solving conflicts (Werner, 2007). In future, I plan to engage the person with whom I may be experiencing a problem with in dialogue to try to find common understanding before escalating the issue to the superiors. As human beings, I believe that dialogue is very effective as long as it is done in a proper way that is characterised by respect. I also intend to listen carefully to other people in future should I notice that a conflict is slowly developing so as to be able to solve it amicably without fear or favour. This helps to show respect for other peoples feelings which in turn can avoid conflicts since they are not good for human relations. References Gibbs G (1988) Learning by Doing:A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit. Oxford Polytechnic: Oxford. Hewitt-Taylor, J. (2016). Identifying, analysing and solving problems in practice. Nursing Standard 26:40, 35-41. Retrieved from: https://journals.rcni.com/doi/abs/10.7748/ns2012.06.26.40.35.c9139 Oxford Brookes University (2017). Reflective Writing: About Gibbs reflective cycle. Retrieved from https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/upgrade/study-skills/reflective-writing-gibbs/ Schultz, R. (2007). Human resources management. JB: Prentice Hall. Werner, J. (2007). Organizational Behavior. Cape Town: JUTA.

4 Books That Show You How to Write

4 Books That Show You How to Write 4 Books That Show You How to Write 4 Books That Show You How to Write By Mark Nichol No, that headline doesn’t read â€Å"Four Books That Tell You How to Write.† The verb is show, and that’s exactly what I mean. This post does not list writing guides, but if you want to learn how to create a memorable reading experience, follow the excellent examples below. Note that this is not a definitive list of the most exemplary books; it’s just four I’ve read recently that have fascinated me and made me think, â€Å"Gee, I wish I had written that† (and I can think of no better testimonial than that). 1. How to Distract People from the Fact That Your Book Is Educational by Making Them Laugh Book: In a Sunburned Country (Bill Bryson) Bryson, in this book and many others, sets out to entertain people and does so with great flair (and success). But he also loves to share his knowledge (and his passion for knowledge) with readers, and enhances nutritious information with tasty toppings of humor and whimsy. This book about his travels through and insights about Australia (a nation that, given its environment, is even more improbably successful than the United States) delights as it informs. Bryson has also written or edited books about science (A Brief History of Nearly Everything and others), language (The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way and others), and more, and even when his work doesn’t live up to expectations (At Home: A Short History of Private Life), it’s still fun and fascinating. 2. How to Top Off an Engrossing Story About Exploration with an Ironic Twist Book: The Lost City of Z (David Grann) Few tropes stir the romantic adventurer in us as much as a jungle-exploration saga, and this book, based on the archetypal expedition into Green Hell from which popular culture has derived many of its notions about the subject, does the larger-than-life topic proud. The author retraces the steps of legendary Great White Explorer Percy Fawcett (allegedly an inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s Professor Challenger), who, accompanied only by his son and the younger Fawcett’s best friend, set out to find evidence of a great civilization in the Amazonian jungle. The members of the expedition never returned nor, apparently, did many other adventurers who sought glory by attempting to discover both Fawcett’s fate and the object of his quest. Grann concludes this mesmerizing tale with a wry realization about the expedition’s goal that’s just too good for any but the most adept Hollywood treatment. 3. How to Debunk a Myth with an Even More Compelling Story Book: Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War (Nathaniel Philbrick) Philbrick peels away the facile fiction about Thanksgiving by booking readers passage on a sorely overcrowded one-hundred-foot-long sailing ship with a hundred passengers and more than two dozen crew members and integrating these additional travelers, through commanding scholarship and vivid writing, into the historic settlement the colonists formed against all odds. The story of their harrowing, heartbreaking first winter and their fumbling attempts to get along with their native neighbors, and an accurate account of their day(s) of thanks, stripped of schoolbook holiday hoo-haw, is refreshing. This account is framed by details about what led a band of religious dissidents and assorted â€Å"Strangers† (split about evenly in numbers) to unite in this venture, and by chapters chronicling the tragic misunderstandings and missteps that led to war between their descendants and their erstwhile indigenous allies. Tied together seamlessly, these episodes describe in a nutshell the story of the United States. 4. How to Make Being a Dork Seem (Momentarily) Cool Book: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything (Joshua Foer) Foer, the brother of the editor of the New Republic and of novelist Jonathan Safran Foer, holds his own against the literary accomplishments of his older siblings with this absorbing account of how he immersed himself in the highly esoteric world of memory masters and well, I won’t spoil it for you. Chancing on information about people who demonstrate prodigious memorization skills in competitions they train for with the intensity of Olympic athletes, Foer decides to try it out for himself, and takes us along for the ride. Along the way, we meet the man who inspired Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rain Man, as well as purported savant Daniel Tammet, whose memorization wizardry Tammet himself (perhaps disingenuously) attributes to autism, in addition to various mental athletes who seem to be exactly the type of poorly groomed, socially inept geeks you’d expect to find devoting much time and effort to a seemingly useless skill. But Foer also shares fascinating facts and history about memorization, and though he soon retires from his short career as a memory-competition participant, advocates the techniques he learned as tools any amateur will find beneficial in life. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a UK Business LetterOne Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . .5 Examples of Insufficient Hyphenation

Promotional and Advertising Strategies †Automotive Industry

Promotional and Advertising Strategies – Automotive Industry Introduction This paper compares and contrasts the marketing and advertising strategies of Audi and BMW. Both companies are German-based and sell their products in the luxury car market. The two companies have a history of marketing and advertising rivalries that have manifested through public advertising wars (Kumar 9).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Promotional and Advertising Strategies – Automotive Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The same rivalry has manifested through the development and application of new technologies. This paper explores different aspects of their marketing strategies and promotional campaigns. Comparison and Contrast of the two Marketing Strategies According to Kotler (5), a company’s marketing strategy consists of four distinctive areas product, place, promotion, and price. This section of the paper evaluates the marketing strategies of Audi and BMW based on this ma rketing framework. BMW For a long time, BMW has marketed itself as a luxury automobile brand (Klein 7). In line with this strategy, the company has continually targeted affluent people with a high disposable income because they can afford their cars (Johnson 9). BMW’s place strategy focuses on constructing different manufacturing plants in different markets (Johnson 9). Through this strategy, the company does not import its cars from Germany because it manufactures them in their host’s location. Comparatively, the company’s pricing strategy centers on charging their customers a premium for improved value. This value has emerged from improved technology, luxury and the infusion of advanced car features (value-based pricing) (Klein 7). Its promotion strategy has focused on positioning the BMW brand as a household name. To do so, the company has developed innovative advertisements (Johnson 6). In line with this strategy, the company has also sponsored high-profile events like the Olympics. Lastly, BMW’s product strategy has focused on developing cars (usually sedans) with sleek designs and high quality. Its products also have advanced technology, low gas mileage and a high performance (Klein 10). AUDI Similar to the BMW, Audi’s product strategy centers on providing its customers with high-tech, modern and quality vehicles (Kumar 5). In line with this strategy, the company strives to produce products with advanced technology. Its cars also have the latest features in automobile production. Audi’s slogan â€Å"truth of engineering† sums this product strategy.Advertising Looking for essay on advertising? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company’s price strategy aims to make the company’s cars affordable to many people. In this regard, Audi cars retail at average prices compared to its rivals, such as Mercedes Benz and BMW (Bhasin 3). H owever, the company has made sure that this pricing strategy strikes a careful balance with quality. Stated differently, although Audi cars are affordable, they have a high quality. This is why Kumar (7) argues that although Audis may be relatively cheaper than its rivals, both brands observe the same level of quality in their car production processes. Audi’s promotion strategy has focused on presenting their cars as racing machines (Kumar 7). The company believes that this strategy would show that the company’s cars are faster and better than others are (Bhasin 3). Lastly, Audi’s placement strategy highlights the company’s quest to avail its cars in major showrooms. This way, its customers could inspect the cars in their respective countries. The table below compares the marketing strategies of both BMW and Audi Marketing Component BMW Audi Place Manufacturing cars in hosts’ locations Importing cars from Germany (its headquarters) Price Hig h Prices (value-based pricing) Average price Promotion Sponsoring high-profile events, such as the Olympics Sponsoring racing events Product Provides its customers with high-tech, modern and quality vehicles Provides its customers with high-tech, modern and quality vehicles Marketing Information In today’s fast-paced and competitive automotive market, carmakers need to gather useful marketing information that would set them apart from their competitors (Bhasin 3). In particular, Audi could use this advantage because its overall sales (globally) are lower than BMW’s (Kumar 7). Particularly, the company should use marketing information to get a broader understanding of the global automobile market and identify untapped opportunities it could exploit. Furthermore, with a proper marketing information system in place, Audi could easily track and improve independent operation processes in its production processes (Bhasin 3). This way, the company could easily establis h a broader perspective not only of the global automobile market, but also of its independent processes, thereby facilitating improvements, which would give it a competitive advantage over its rivals.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Promotional and Advertising Strategies – Automotive Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Two uses for Consumer-Oriented promotions that could help one company in the short term and long term Consumer-oriented promotions are useful to carmakers, both in the short term and long-term because competition in the global market is higher than ever before (Johnson 9). Such promotions may include price reductions, tax rebates, coupons and other inducements. Audi could benefit from such promotions to improve its competitive position in the market. In the short-term, the company could retain more of its customers this way (Ray 4). For example, if it offers free after-sales service to it s customers, the company could retain more customers in the cutthroat automobile market because its customers would be more appreciative of the extent that the company is going to earn their business. In the long-term, consumer-oriented promotions could improve customer loyalty to the Audi brand (Ray 4). For example, when customers know that they could always get a good price for a high quality car (through rebates or sales); they are likely to develop a strong brand loyalty to the brand. Analyze the Strategic Manner in which the leading company in this product group has made its pricing decisions by using one or more of the four pricing objectives Some of the most common pricing objectives are increasing monetary sales, increasing returns on investment (ROI), maximizing long-run profit, maximizing short-term profit (Kotler 17). The key components of BMW’s pricing mix strive to meet two of the above-mentioned pricing objectives – increasing ROI and increasing monetary sales. The company achieves these goals by adopting a premium-pricing model. Indeed, as Klein (13) observes, targeting high-end customers allows the company to charge a higher price for its units, thereby allowing the company to enjoy higher margins than its competitors. This way, it increases its monetary sales and ROI. Suggest Two Actions that other Companies within the Same Product Group may take to differentiate themselves and gain a competitive Advantage In a competitive market, companies have to differentiate themselves by adopting unique marketing strategies that would earn them a competitive advantage (Kotler 3). Many automakers, such as BMW, Audi, and Mercedes Benz, saturate the global luxury automobile market. Mercedes Benz competes directly and indirectly with the two companies discussed in this paper. The company could differentiate itself by adopting a unique service model. According to Kobran (2), this strategy could help to show how Mercedes Benz is different from oth er luxury brand companies. The difference could emerge through a depiction of unique car manufacturing processes and its differences with other companies that operate in the same market segment.Advertising Looking for essay on advertising? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To demonstrate how this advantage will differentiate Mercedes Benz from its competitors, Kobran says, â€Å"Companies that can demonstrate a more effective way to service their customers often gain a competitive advantage and a compelling way to differentiate† (3). Alternatively, Mercedes Benz could differentiate itself through technical expertise.  This differentiating factor does not mean that the company should differentiate itself through technology only. Instead, it could project itself as having a solution to a perennial problem among car buyers (Kobran 5). For example, it could present itself as the company that builds stable cars. Collectively, adopting unique car manufacturing processes and advancing its technical position in the automobile industry could help the company to gain a competitive advantage over its rivals such as BMW and Audi. Define the most Effective Advertising Medium for a Company in the Selected Product Category There are different types of adver tising media used by different companies to promote their brands. The most common types of advertising media include television, radio, print publications, internet, direct mail, and sponsorships. Although these advertising strategies have different advantages and disadvantages, some of them are more effective in the automotive industry than others are (Ray 6). The most effective advertising medium for promoting luxury car brands, such as BMW and Audi, is sponsorship. The justification for the advancement of this strategy is its focused nature (Kotler 15). For example, sponsoring motor events is likely to market a car brand among people who like cars. This way, car companies would be targeting specific and not general audiences. Ray calls this type of marketing strategy â€Å"marketing with the end in mind† (5). Furthermore, sponsoring a car event taps into the emotional appeal of such events among potential customers who are passionate about cars (Kotler 16). Similarly, it i s more relevant than other types of advertising, which marketers could use in the luxury automobile market, because it is relevant by reaching potential customers where they choose to be in. Sponsorship is also more effective than other types of advertising in the automobile market because it is interactive (Kotler 16). Stated differently, while other types of advertising, such as television and radio, are monologue, sponsorship is a dialogue between sellers and potential buyers. Therefore, luxury carmakers, such as BMW and Audi are bound to benefit from the continuation of sponsorship as their main promotional strategy. Conclusion This paper has shown that BMW and Audi are rivals in the luxury automobile sector. They have different marketing strategies that have propelled them to leadership positions in the global automobile market. Their marketing strategies converge based on their promotional and product strategies. However, they differ in terms of their place and pricing strateg ies. Since BMW has more sales numbers than Audi does, this paper proposes that the latter should exploit marketing data to gain a competitive advantage by gaining a broader perspective of its internal processes and identifying possible opportunities for improvement. This paper has also shown that other companies in the luxury brand segment could differentiate themselves in the market by adopting a unique service model and through improved technical expertise. To wade through the cutthroat automobile industry, this paper also proposes that leading automobile brands should pursue sponsorship as the main advertising strategy because it is more interactive and focused, compared to other available strategies. This advertising strategy is likely to increase their sales numbers and earn them a competitive advantage over their rivals. Bhasin, Hitesh. 8 Advantages of Marketing Information Systems. October. 2012. Web. August.  2015. marketing91.com/customer-profitablity-analysis-2/. Johnso n, Robbie. BMW AG: Marketing Plan. February. 2015. Web. August. 2015.  https://laurarusbarsky.files.wordpress.com/. Klein, Andreas. Marketing Plan: BMW 1-series in Germany, London, UK: GRIN Verlag, 2007.  Print. Kobran, Slade. How To Differentiate Yourself When Youre Not that Different. October. 2013.  Web. August. 2015. chiefoutsiders.com/blog/bid/99344/How-To-Differentiate-Yourself-When-You-re-Not-that-Different. Kotler, Philip. Kotler On Marketing, New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2012. Print. Kumar, Abhishek. Marketing Plan: Audi Company Overview. January. 2014. Web. August.  2015. slideshare.net/nikhilshockers/marketing-plan-30613933. Ray, Linda. The Long-Term Effects of Customer-Oriented Sales Promotions. December. 2014.  Web. August. 2015. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/longterm-effects-customeroriented-sales-promotions-21921.html.

Sainsbury Plc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sainsbury Plc - Essay Example The ratio signifies that in the first year the firm has used around 58 % long term borrowing. However, it was reduced in the next year because the equity portion increased to a higher level. It is evident from the Table 1 that all components of equity portion have increased substantially in the year 2008.Factoring is a method of short term financing whereby a firm sells its trade debts at a discount to a financial institution (Lajoux 2004). It is a continuous arrangement between a financial institution (namely the factor) and a company (namely the client) which sells goods and services to trade customers on credit. As per this arrangement, the factor purchases the client's trade debts including account receivables either with or without recourse to the client, and thus, exercise control over the credit extended to the customers and administers the sales ledger of hi client. The client is immediately paid a sizeable portion of the trade debts taken over and when the trade customers re pay their dues, the factor will make the remaining payment. To put in simple language, a factor is an agent who collects the dues of hi client for a certain fee. Factoring offers a number of benefits to a client. In many cases factoring is found to be a more appropriate mode of financing than banks. Some of the benefits are briefed below: The first and foremost service offered by a factor to its client is that it offers an off balance sheet financing arrangement. By collecting receivables of the clients, factor provides them with a means of finance without bothering about the procedures and troubles of usual financing arrangement. Factoring allows firms to manage the cash flow more efficiently. It does not need to wait for the realization of debtors/receivable to find cash flows to pay off various obligations and cash needs. Therefore, cash position/working capital position can be made sound and stern. The efforts of collection of receivables can be canalized to some other areas and thereby organization's efficiency can be improved. In the absence of factoring arrangement, the risk of non-payment should have been borne by the client itself. Thus, factoring is also a kind of insurance whereby the risk of loss or non payment by debtors will be shared with factor(s) Apart from being a financier, a factor provides the client with the management and maintaining ledger of debtors A number of consultancy services such as assessing he credit worthiness of client's customers, ascertain their track record are also offered by factor. In addition to the direct benefits from a factor, the clients are benefited many other indirect trade benefits such as increased working capital position; liquidity; bargaining power and trustworthiness among customers and public at large. 3. Control of working capital has always been thought to be the most important factor in the short-term financial management of companies. In what sense your

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 115

Summary - Essay Example Hansberry believed deeply that when humanity had peace within itself, it would enable them reach their full potential and lead to achievement of justice. Peace would lead to achievement of social justice which would mean an end to negative things that have been dominating the society such as corruption, poverty, wars and even maltreatment of particular type of group of people (Lieberman 230). Her approach which indicated she was a black radicalism follower portrayed her passion for her course of peace which she even attempted to use media and theatre to pass across her peace preaching and have to do more before one could even be considered a hero. Her peace activism had roots in politics and art from the way back in the time when she was growing up and hence her work cannot simply be reduced to just activism because she also explored the politics development and philosophy and incorporated them in her peace attempts and activities. She was brought up in a world full of war and atomic bombs to destroy mankind in the heart of World War II and it is therefore understandable why she would support communism and try to broker it as a view of the world that people should indeed follow if they wanted to live in peace during the post-World War II era. Communism in the South was linked to issues or race such as racial pride, black leadership and the anticipation of the black movement. Her idea of peace and social justice was not only supported by communists but non-communists as well who were tired of the cold war and structural violence and just wanted to coexist in peace. Hansberry used her voice and writing skills to openly address the issue of structural violence reminding people that violence, the crimes committed by youth and their youthful delinquency tendencies as well as discrimination and a lack of opportunity all culminated to fueling war and causing more problems for mankind. She attempted to borrow a few courageous acts to

Housing Organization Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Housing Organization - Case Study Example GFHA, on the other hand, appeared to have a more dictatorial style of management with a downward flow of communication. The newly created housing association would be based in new offices located in the centre of the borough. The management considered centralisation to be beneficial, as it would assist in "building bridges" amongst residents living across the borough using their services. It would also assist staff in the association, to work more closely. Hatton Cross has experienced all the problems associated with management of change - communications being the area most affected. As a result it was feared that communications between them and their client base has also been compromised. Therefore, in an attempt to resolve any issues and improve communications the management have approached our consultancy firm. Reid and Hickman (2002) have emphasized the link between organisational development in social housing management systems and tenant participation. The paper shows that social housing organisations are increasingly taking up the role of learning organisations and highlights the importance of tenant participation arrangements in addition to providing opportunities for tenants to influence organisational decision making, Tenants and housing members thus not only change organisational management systems but helps in organisational learning, prompting and brings about organisational adaptation and change. The idea of a learning organisation has made a significant contribution in management consultancy and is not just a part of the management culture but also a part of the social system of housing management in government administrative agenda. The notion of a learning organisation in the context of housing organisation could be emphasised along with the fact that housing organisations are broadly focused on organisational commitment, responsivenes

Terrorism And Its Impacts On Tourism Tourism Essay

Terrorism And Its Impacts On Tourism Tourism Essay This part of research project comprises of brief and deep look about the presence of terrorism and its impacts on tourism in management literature. At first the characteristics of terrorism risk and uncertainty discussed after defining terrorism and it history, and then discussion tries to narrate the some of the most important and basic concepts in strategic management relates with the terrorism research. We also need to critically analysing the different strategic concepts and about at which level of uncertainty, what kind of strategy may better for tourism industry. Terrorism is not new; it has long history as old as humans willingness to use violence or force against the civilian population to achieve political or social ends. It has been defined as a tactic and strategy, a holy duty or crime, a justified reaction to oppression and an inexcusable represented. It has been used since the beginning of the history. According to Richard A. Horsley (1979) the first terrorist group was Jewish group called Sicarii, who murdered Romans and their collaborators to oust their Roman rulers from Judea. The killing weapon of Sicarii was Sica (short dagger) which they used to murder their enemies (Romans and Greeks) and these killings normally took place in daylight and in front of people. The aim of such acts was to send a message to the Roman authorities and their collaborators that this tactics can be used against them as well. The Hashhashin was the 11th to 13th century Iranian terrorist group offshoot of by a person known as the Ismailis. Like Sicarii ter rorist they used the same method of stabbing their victims in daylight. There forces were too small to challenge the militarily, so thats why they killed city governors and military commanders in order to create uncertainty in militarily. They also carried out assassinations as retribution. Under modern definitions of terrorism some killings they carrier out do not qualify as terrorism (Mark Burgess 2003). According to Jeffrey Record (2003) the origin of modern terrorism and word terrorism was introduced in Europe in the French Revolution of 1789. In the early period of revolutionary years, it was mainly by violence that governments in France tried to impose their radical order on a reluctant citizenry. As a result during this revolution, the meaning of terrorism was recorded by Francaise Academie in 1798 as system or rule of terror. During these revolutionaries more than 40,000 people have been killed and 5 millions people being jailed as political suspects. This was one of the worst examples that show the terrorism and these cruel killings were justified as an attempt to reduce or eliminate the revolutionary government opponents and to create fear in others people trying to overthrow the existing government. According to Findley Carter Vaughn (1982) the French revolution created huge terror and become a prototype for the future terrorists. The terrorist groups formation happened in the late 19th century. Terrorist used to format small groups to attack nation states. According to Crenshaw M. (1981) one of the examples of theses groups was Russian Revolutionary Group (Narodnaya Volya). This terrorist group was trying to create uncertainty through quick attacks against current political regime. The ideas and tricks that these terrorist were used, later become the prime example of terrorism in around the world. They used modern weapons such as bombs, guns and suicide attacks. According to the Director of Central Intelligence (1981) report the Soviet Union was giving assistance to revolutionary movements throughout the cold war. They provide free training and supply of weapons to terrorist groups. The Soviet Union support revolutionary groups around the world in order to export revolution to non communist countries. This Soviet strategy resulted considerable terror and violence around the world. In early 20th century revolutionary terrorism continued to motivate political violence all over the world, much of this violence directed against the British government. The Irish Republican Army terrorist started violence against British Empire in 1910s and IRA carried out number of attacks from 1916 to 1923 against British power. During this period they attacked over 300 police stations, killed dozen police officers and burned down the Liverpool docks and warehouses. After years of violence finally British Empire agreed to create an independent Irish nation. Many terrorist groups inspired from IRA fighting tactics including Palestine Mandates, Zionist, Hagannah, Irgun, Lehi and even British army special operations unit used during World War II (Carr M. 2006). After the World War II terrorism was practiced by groups and individuals. According to Goren R. (1984), in late 20th century dramatic growth in terrorism began. Through this period many terrorist organizations were motivated by ideological considerations such as Palestinian Liberation Organization, Basque ETA and IRA appeared terrorists besides nationalists. These terrorist organizations introduced new and modern method of terrorism such as hijacking, attacks on public and private organizations. Many terrorist organizations consider terrorism as religious war and some use to achieve political goals. The recent and largest act of terrorism occurred on September 11 2001, when terrorist set of coordinated attacks on USA. The terrorist hijacked civilian airplanes and used these plans to attack the World Trade Towers and Pentagon. Other major terrorist attacks have occurred in London subway bombing, Madrid train bombing, Mumbai attacks and many more around the world in past decade. Defining terrorism: Terrorism in nature is very difficult to define but the acts of terrorism conjure emotional responses in the victims and the person who did it. No one is agreeing on one single definition of terrorism, because one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter. If we consider terrorism is an act of political violence, then the war on terrorism is another form of political violence to wipe out other (terrorists). The term terrorism is come from French word terrorisme based on Latin language words Terror means great fear related to the Latin verb terrere (to frighten). According to the Oxford dictionary, terrorism means act of terror. The word terrorism is emotionally and politically charged and it is also very difficult to provide a precise definition. The studies have found over hundreds definitions of terrorism. The concept of terrorism may itself be controversial because state authorities often use it to delegitimize political or other opponents by use armed force against them (Hof fman B. 1998). Defining terrorism is one of the most demanding tasks, because it has proven impossible to outline the scope of terrorist activities and find the meaningful delineation of actions that should be called terrorism in the context of philosophers and political scientists. The main reason is that (as said before) one mans terrorist is another mans hero. In the view of different authors and organizations terrorism has the different definitions. Hoffman B. (1998) describes as terrorism is violence or equally important, the threat of violence, used and directed in pursuit of or in service of political aim. According to United States department of Defence the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological. In the dictionary of United Nations An anxiety-inspiring method of repeated violent action, employed by (semi-) clandestine individual, group or state actors, for idiosyncratic, criminal or political reasons, whereby in contrast to assassination the direct targets of violence are not the main targets.. According to the FBI (2002), terrorism is unlawful use of force of violence against the person or property to intimidate government, civilian population or any segment therefore in furtherance of political or social objectives. A deep interpretation of terrorism in literature: Terrorism can take many shapes and forms and much literature has been produced about financial impact of terrorism on different economic sectors and industries. Now arguably it the biggest threat to the tourism and related industries around the world. In the past twenty years, we have seen a dramatic rise in terrorism in different parts of the world. Terrorism did not begin in 21st century after World Trade Centre terrorist attacks. Europe, United States and other continents have a very long and sad history of terrorist attacks. According to Harold Miller (2003), in 20th century IRA in UK, ETA in Spain, Brigate Rosse in Itely, Rote Armee Fraktion in Germany, 7 November in Greece are the few worse examples of terrorist groups in Europe. In United States we remember the bombing in Oklahoma City in 1994, World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. But September 11 2001 attacks have changed the world, as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said, none of th e issue that faced us on 10 September 2001 has become less urgent. Now the terrorism has grown to an unprecedented limit and in multiplicity. As we know that, even terrorist without the use of weapons of mass destruction can kill thousands of people and destroy the economic activities (Gabriele G.S. Suder 2004). According to Blomberg, Brock S. Gregory (2004), terrorism is associated with a diversion of spending from investment to governments expenditure. To fund these government expenditures, they borrow from foreign financial institutions and governments. The develop countries with less volatile currencies normally issue long term debts to cover the deficit and less developing countries confronting terrorism by government spending through sale of foreign reserves, printing more currency and increasing inflation. Gupta S. Clements B. (2004) reached the same conclusion, that the terrorist activities severe impacts on less develop countries than developed from monetary policy perspe ctive. Terrorism has its massive effects on tourism industry and related businesses. Darnell B. (2010) said, most businesses operating in the effected area gets impact from the thrust of government policies to quell terrorism, which is another kind of harm which tourism industry may gets, when the terrorist activities happens. This kind of wide-spread results predict an escalate unattractiveness of tourism in effected areas. It is conspicuous to secure all of the targets of terrorism at the same time. In the number of attacks done by small terrorist groups with least resources, the loss to tourism industry was massive. If costs of an attack be measured by the loss which tourism industry faced, the tourism industry always paid far great amount than the loss of terrorist group. Hoffman B. (1998) cited that the cost of the bomb was not more than $400, which was the reason of the loss of $550 million in the blast of World Trade Centre in 1993. The amount which is sending to protect the world fr om terrorism is many billion dollars, while the terrorist cost nothing in front of it. The word terrorism seized the worlds attention in September 11 2001 as a result of destructive and dramatic attack on core symbols (world trade centre and pentagon) of worlds most powerful country United State of America. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York exposed the vulnerabilities of the tourism industry and it also change the perception of tourists as to travel safely and securely. According to Bruck T. and Wickstrom B. (2004), some economic sectors or industries are more vulnerable to terrorist attacks than other and consequently they suffer more losses. The vulnerability of sector or industry may be due to characteristics of its operation. Tourism industry is perishable and its services can not be sold at another time or stored, once the time passes. So tourism industry will experience the vulnerability in the times of terrorist attacks and it affect on patterns of demand. The main aim of terrorist groups is to communicate the massage of fear to the people as wide as possible. According to Lehrman S. R. (1986), tourists are the soft target for terrorists because politicians and embassies are less attractive as they have huge security measures. Connor, Stafford Gallagher (2009) said, targeting tourists has the potential to punish the ideologies of capitalism and damage the country economy. Richter and Waugh (1986) said that terrorist attacks on overseas tourists are less likely to alienate popular support than they attacks on local targets because in this way they threat to other tourists. Targeting the local tourists would likely to engage the public as a result to retribution of places the existence of the terrorist groups at risk. There are number of studies about tourists choice of destination based on the costs and risk of terrorism. Gray P. and Thapa B. (2003) examined the effect of terrorism risk on travel intentions after the September 11 2001 attacks. The results show that travellers were considering the safety concerns and risk of terrorist attacks during travel. McKercher B. and Hui E. 2003) said that, terrorist attacks have an immediate but short term impact on tourism and travel flows. They also suggest that after the initial attacks tourism industry has greater effect than the scale of initial attack. According to Connor, Stafford Gallagher (2009), terrorist will continue the biggest threat to the tourism industry and terrorist groups have to be active in order to maintain discipline, interest and morale. This statement is still valid after 19 years later, for this reason we can expect this to be continuing, because terrorist attacks can happen anywhere and no place is safe. Now the biggest challenge to tourism industry is to deal and manage the crisis in the event of terrorist attack. It is difficult to determine the impact of terrorism on tourism industry because structure of tourism and terrorism differ not across the countries but also over the time. Drakos K. and Kutan A. (2003) emphasizes the importance of differentiating between different types of attacks, the locations of terrorist attacks (e.g. urban or rural areas) and number of casualties. Aziz H. (1995) said terrorism could also be a reaction to irresponsible tourism development. The study of Enders W. and Sandler T. (1991) argue that it is found that the causality is unidirectional, that the terrorists affect the inflow of tourists but not reverse. The different studies, facts and figures show how tourism industry in particular country or region is affected by terrorist attacks. The deterrent impact of terrorism on tourism industry in particular country may benefit the tourism in alternative destinations. Financial impacts of terrorism on tourism industry: The literature on terrorism and tourism is scant. The two studies by Enders et al 1992 and Enders and Sandler 1991 provide empirical evidence on the link between tourism sector and terrorism. Enders W. and Sandler T. (1991) used monthly data from 1970 to 1988 and employed VAR (Vector Autoregressive Analysis) to find negative impact of terrorism on tourism in Spain. According to Drakos K. Kutan A. (2003), Enders et al studied a large sample of European countries, between the periods 1974 to 1988 to find the impacts of terrorist attacks on tourism. They employ time series analysis and ARIMA technique with transfer functions and construct a forecasting model to analyse the impact on tourism in these countries. In these models they used quarterly terrorism data to quantify the present value of loss in tourism revenue for selected sample of European countries. According to Enders calculation Italy, Greece and Austria lost $1.16 billion, $.77 and $4.5 billion respectively during 1974 to 19 88. During this period all Europeans countries lost in tourism $16.15 billion due to terrorism. They conclude that terrorism has significant impact on Europe tourism industry revenue and tourists find substitute destination in order to minimise the risk of experiencing terrorist attacks. The immediate effects of terrorist attacks are death and destruction but the subsequent effects are discourage investment, interrupt travel tourism patterns and destabilise economies. The economic effect of terrorism has been the main subject of number of studies. According to Enders W. Sandler T. (2002), the terrorist attacks have economically significant negative effect on the economic growth; these attacks have less persistent and considerably smaller than the impacts of internal conflict or external war. Frey B. and Luechinger S. (2004), said that terrorists change tricks and tactics in reaction to the government polices, and it has direct effect on investment and economic growth. They also said that the investor decision to invest in particular country is based on economic risk, monetary returns and political risk. The foreign direct investment is one of the economic benefits of tourism, anything that effect on tourism needs to be minimised. Coshall J. (2005) claimed that Pan Am flight bombing in Lockerbie Scotland had minimal impacts on UK tourism and receipts from international tourists, while September 11 2001 had severe impacts on UK tourism and rest of the world. Different strategic management approaches of the tourism industry may have the same analytical aspects to improve the performance of industry. According to context of world Tourism organization (2008) the international tourism is increasing day by day as in 2008, the trade happens of more than $944 billion and over 922 million international tourist arrivals at different destinations and 2009 number of tourist arrival to 880 million which is 4% decline compare to 2008. The most affected reign was Europe, especially UK with a 6% decline. Terrorism can also destroy tourism industry by reducing tourist arrivals in UK. After September 11 2001, terrorist attacks in UK and continued threat of terrorist attacks also reduce the foreign direct investment significantly. According to Ritcher and Waugh (1986), terrorism and political violence can destroy the tourism industry supply and demand because this industry is extremely sensitive to these extreme events. However, after September 11, 2001 the world has been threatened by terrorism, and acts of terrorism have increased in many countries including UK. The effects of terrorism on tourism decisions have been an area of research concern on demand. Drakos and Kutan (2003), Pizam A. (1999) and Krakover (2005) all agreed that the severity and frequency of terrorist attacks are negatively correlated with the tourism demand. The Pizam and Fleischer (2002) said that the frequency of terrorist attacks cause large decline in tourism industry demand. The intervention analysis by Coshal l J. (2005) employs explore that the dynamics of the effects of terrorism incidents on those travelling or visiting UK and UK people going abroad. Influence of Media Following a Terrorist Attack Modern terrorism is particularly onerous, because of characteristic of its time. The impact of terrorism on macroeconomic is crucial, customers feel themselves in stress and some kind of continuous fear which definitely effects the spending patterns. Media plays very important role with regards to terrorists activities around the world. Firstly, terrorist use media to send their massage to the audience, and general public relied on media for information in the times of crises. Now terrorist are using media to advance their causes of attacks. According to Sonmez and Graefe (1998), the escalation of terrorism after 70s has been linked to media, with instantaneous access to the global audience. Secondly, the media provide information to the public, what has happened, which normally influence the public decisions about travel. In the event of terrorist attacks, Fischer H. (2005) discusses the importance of information, he said it is very difficult for emergency personnel to receive and c ommunicate the accurate information at the time of terrorist attacks. According to Lynch Katju (2004), media only report during the time of crises, it provides coverage to particular incident as long as its news and then move toward new news story when it happens. She said tourism industry has a great influence of media reporting and constant coverage of terrorist related incidents discourages the restoration of consumer confidence. Beirman D. (2003) said that the globalisation of media enhanced the ability to report terrorist events as they occurred, it also gives rise some problems and benefits to tourist authorities. In the word of Mansfeld and Pizam (2006), the media coverage and reporting on terrorist attacks have great impact on tourism industry, which transform the terrorism from horrendous event into iconic event. Tourism industry needs to monitor media coverage of terrorist events, because this will help tourism industry to develop strategies, which will help it to restore the tourists and travellers confidence. Media have its ital role in endangering fear, among the society; the irresponsible reporting generates scenes of ever present possibility of terrorist act. According to Crenshaw M. (1990) the new and fastest ways of communication allow people to know about happens in the other part of the world within minutes about any terrorist attack. On the other hand terrorist groups are adopting the latest techniques to communicate with each other and even sometime just for spreading fear with in the specific community to achieve their targets. Czinkota et al (2004) cited that terrorist also using old traditional ways to communicate which are unable to penetrate. The latest ways of transportation system gives terrorist groups better way to move around. So we can say that media plays very important role for tourism industry in the time of terrorists incidents, as the media medium for terrorists to the public subsequently depend on the same media for more information on that incident. Conclusion: The discussion will cover some of the most basic concepts in the research of terrorism and its impacts on tourism. Tourism industry internationally and locally particularly affected by terrorism because when some things happen, it disrupts the activities of tourism and related industries. Every year more than trillion dollars are spent on combating terrorism. This along with billons dollars lost in property damage, loss of human resources and decrease in key industries potential profit like tourism, aviation, hotel and transportation industry. It is a plague on global economy and affects on everyone from entire countries to all the way down to individual. Terrorism in recent years has sparked, increase in fear and demand higher level of security. The cost of terrorism can be broken down into number of areas and come down to direct effects, response costs and negative effects on tourism industry. Terrorism effects tourism activates deeply. This threat compel almost every department of tourism industry, which cause decline in the profit of industry and on the other side the whole economy has to bear the cost of every single act of terrorism. According to LCCI (2005) report, after 9 11 terrorist attacks, majority of tourism related industries fear high risk of terrorist attacks and they have contingency plan in place to deal with uncertainty. As globalization integrates multinational organizations and financial markets, events like terrorism which spurn economic uncertainty have increasingly international consequences. Terrorism causes unpredictable political and economic consequences, infuses the public with fear and prevents the free flow of capital, labour, and free market principles. Because of their disastrous impacts, occurrences of terrorism have serious implications on the performance of tourism and related industries around the world. In past few years immediate respon ses and severe impacts are felt in tourism industry soon after terrorist attacks happened. These sustained reactions can be observed through macroeconomic impacts, government policy responses, tourists and investor confidence. As world move towards more liberal economies and democratic political structures, tourism industry must have the ability to adapt and respond to terrorist events. In order to do so, tourism industry and associated businesses, need a more complete picture and understanding of the deleterious effects of terrorism.

The Importance of Having Patience and Saving Money :: Personal Finance

Beginning at the age of six, Americans begin to attend school. They will spend the majority of their time in this learning environment until they graduate high school and probably college. During this time, people are educated about different subjects in the hopes that it will help them live a profitable life. What is a better way to solve a problem, than by teaching people about the causes and how to not get cheated? The current housing crisis could have been averted if the American people had been properly educated about how to handle banking and loan situations. However, due to a mentality that people should buy what they cannot afford, America has been in an ongoing recession for many years. On another note, banks need to adjust the way loans are given out as well as the programs being set up to pay them back. There is no quick fix to this problem, rather a long-term investment that must be made. Instead of pouring millions of dollars that the government does not have int o a possible solution that may or may not work, I propose the government implements an educational course in an attempt to revise the way Americans think. Everyone is aware of the problems that have been caused by the interest rates and the credit cards and the quick fixes that have attempted to solve the problem. The issue with most of these fixes is that the money used is not money currently available. Sure, more can be printed, but that lowers the value. The fact of the matter is that throwing money at a problem is not going to make it go away. In fact, it only makes the problem worse. It shows the public that it’s perfectly all right to spend money that they don’t have because eventually, everything will be okay. That’s not the case. Up until a few decades ago, everyone believed in having patience and saving. In today’s day and age, people want everything now. Technology has continued this message with everything only a click away! If people knew that saving money is the best way to get what you want, then the foreclosure issue would not be such a serious problem. Instead, people go out and spend money they don’t have. The public needs to be educated on how to make the best deals and get the most out of the money that they have.

Derrick Bell’s “Space Traders” Essay

In looking at Derrick Bell’s â€Å"The Space Traders† as an allegory, the characters personify the abstract subjects of late twentieth-century racial politics. In the text the politics of the United States revolves around anti-black thinking, and many white subjects believe that all the environmental and economical problems in the U.S. is due to the black race. Secondly, â€Å"the space trade† comprehends Bell’s concept of â€Å"the permanence of racism† in the Unites States. Bell believes that â€Å"the space trade† is somewhat familiar to the first African slave trade, and that these two events occur because of â€Å"the permanence of racism† in our society and the structures that allow this repetition to exist. In this essay I will discuss the political positions of the subjects in â€Å"The Space Traders† and the extent in which they personify late twentieth-century racial politics, and then analyze â€Å"the space tradeâ⠂¬  and comprehend it with Bell’s belief in â€Å"the permanence of racism† in the United States. In â€Å"The Space Traders†, Gleason Golightly, a black economics professor who is an unofficial cabinet member of the president, believes that black people need to stand on their own feet. Although he always has good intentions for the black race, he is considered an Uncle Tom by the black community because of his political positions. In â€Å"The Space Traders†, Golightly says, â€Å"As you know, Mr. President, I have supported this administration’s policies that have led to the repeal of some civil rights laws, to invalidation of most affirmative action programs, and to severe reduction in appropriations for public assistance. To put it mildly, the positions of mine that have received a great deal of media attention, have not been well received in African-American communities. Even so, I have been willing to be a ‘good soldier’ for the Party even though I am condemned as an Uncle Tom by my people. I sincerely believe that black people needed to stand up on their own feet, free of special protection by civil rights laws, the suffocating burden of welfare checks, and the stigmatizing influence of affirmative action programs. In helping you undermine these policies, I realized that your reasons for doing so differed from mine. And yet I went along.† Bell personifies Golightly as a black neo-conservative in late twentieth-century racial politics, and because of his conservative beliefs and his continuous support of anti-black views, he is not respected by black subjects. The  aliens in â€Å"The Space Traders† also play a critical role in demonstrating the racial politics that exist in the late twentieth-century. Their actions are similar to that of capitalists because they are only interested in their own needs and wants. Their supremacy in attaining their wants, the African-Americans, is demonstrated when their head alien spoke and looked similar to former Preside nt Reagan. Bell states, â€Å"Then came the second surprise. The leaders of this vast armada could speak English. Moreover, they spoke in the familiar comforting tones of former President Reagan, having dubbed his recorded voice into a computerized language-translation system.† The aliens did their marketing research on what appeals to Americans, and they realized that Reagan’s image, monotone voice, and simple speech is persuasive to white Americans and it reflects what Americans want to see and hear. This persuasiveness inevitably enabled the aliens to take all black subjects back to their land. The white cabinet members also play significant roles in â€Å"The Space Traders†. The cabinet members are anti-black activists who disregard the Bill of Rights, and believe that â€Å"the space trade† would guarantee that America would conquer its present problems and be lead to prosperity for at least the next century. In â€Å"The Space Traders†, Helen Hipmeyer, Secretary of Health and Human Services, says, â€Å"A large percentage of blacks rely on welfare and other social services. Their departure would ease substantially the burden on our state and national budgets. Why, the cost of caring for black AIDS victims alone has been ex traordinary†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hipmeyer strongly believes that black Americans are the reason for all the social and economical problems in the U.S., and that with their departure the nation’s problems could substantially diminish. The Attorney General also believes the aliens offer should be accepted. When speaking to the cabinet members he states, â€Å"Mr. President, I think we could put together a legislative package modeled on the Selective Service Act of 1918. Courts have uniformly upheld this statue and its predecessors as being well within congressional power to exact enforced military duty at home or abroad by United States citizens. While I don’t see any constitutional problems, there would like be quite a debate in Congress. But if the mail they are receiving is anything like ours, then the pressure for passage will be irresistible.† How can the Attorney General not see a constitutional problem with â€Å"the space trade†? In my opinion, the fact that the Attorney  General, and the other white cabinet members, disregard the constitution and are willing to release the blacks without knowing what will come of them, solidifies their lack of ethics and the extent in which politics in the U.S. revolves around anti-black thinking. In â€Å"The Space Traders† the political positions of the characters enables one to determine the extent in which racial politics exists in this country, and the text also analyzes â€Å"the space trade† and comprehends it with Bell’s concept of â€Å"the permanence of racism† in the U.S. In â€Å"The Space Traders†, Bell is able to analyze â€Å"the permanence of racism† by calling attention to the similarities between the past and present history of the United States. He believes that â€Å"the space trade† is very similar to the first African slave trade, and that racism has existed in this country since the founding of the nation to the late twentieth-century. When the White House and Congress first received phone calls and faxes regarding â€Å"the space trade† it was evident that anti-black thinking was a common characteristic of many white subjects. Bell writes, â€Å"At least a third of the flood of phone calls and faxes urging quick acceptance of the offer expressed the view that what the nation would give up its African-American citizens – was a worthwhile as what it would receive. The statement accurately reflected relations at the dawn of the new century. The President had, like his predecessors for the last generation, successfully exploited racial fears and hostility in his election campaign. There had been complaints, of course, but those from his political opponents sounded like sour grapes. They, too, had tried to minimize the input of blacks so as not to frighten away white voters.† This inhumane decision, demonstrated by the white race, to banish all blacks without knowing where they will go solidifies the fact that whites will never allow the black race to become part of the American people. This unethical act toward black Americans allows the reader to understand that racism will continue to exist in the American culture, and that inhumane acts toward man can indeed exist. If the aliens wanted the white race would America be so willing to release them? Absolutely not!! In my opinion, the major motivation for this country is for blacks to not have anything whites do, and by accepting â€Å"the space trade† offer that goal would be accomplished. The fact that the offer was even  considered was unconstitutional, but it just reiterates the reality that throughout American history blacks have always been hated. Professor Golightly was aware of this hatred toward black subjects, and when he spoke to the cabinet members after the trade had been offered he said, â€Å"It is a mark of just how far out of the mainstream black people are that this proposition is given any serious consideration. Were the Space Traders attracted by and asking to trade any other group – white women with red hair and green eyes, for example – a horrified public would order the visitors off the planet without a moment’s hesitation. The revulsion would not be less because the number of persons with those physical characteristics are surely fewer than the twenty million black citizens you are ready to condemn to intergalactic exile†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bell’s concept of â€Å"the permanence of racism† in the U.S. is comprehended by â€Å"the space trade†, and by looking at â€Å"The Space Traders† as an allegory, one is able to understand that American is not about the will of the people but about who has the power and guns. In â€Å"The Space Traders†, there is a direct correlation between the abstract subjects of late twentieth-century racial politics, and Bell’s concept of â€Å"the permanence of racism† in the United States. Bell’s ability to symbolize the characters in â€Å"The Space Traders†, allows his readers to comprehend his belief that racism will always exist in America. In conclusion, it is my belief that a color line will always exist in the U.S. between white and black subjects, and that this country’s political and social structure is centered on the will of the white race.

Favoritism in the Media

Favoritism in the Media Introduction We live in an integrated society where various elements color our view and understanding of what goes on around us. Social sciences provide us with tools for better understanding and relating in contemporary society. A good understanding of the foundation from which the social issues spring leads to better perception as well as judgment when dealing with the contemporary issues in real life.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Favoritism in the Media specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the social issues that affects and influences almost every aspect of our lives is the media. The influence that the media wields in our lives is very significant. Gentz and Kramer articulate that the media provides the backdrop against which we make sense of any new conditions and information that we encounter in a world that is increasingly becoming globalized (32). Ideally, the media is expected to be fair, unbi ased; and without prejudices and should deliver whatever news and stories that are of value both to the public and the ones concerned. However, these ideals are not always lived up to and there are numerous instances where the media has been accused of favoritism in reporting events. This paper shall argue that the media is indeed guilty of favoritism in its news reporting and coverage of events. To buttress this assertion, this paper shall review how the media covers disasters in different regions as well as media representation of political affairs. Favoritism in Media Reports Perhaps one of the incidents in which the media has shown outright bias is in the report of terror events. In post 9/11 America, terror and terrorist attacks have gained prominence on a previously unprecedented scale. Incidents of terror plots or terror acts have therefore become very newsworthy and a lot of report efforts have been dedicated to the same. However, Moeller notes that the terror events that oc cur within American soil are given immense coverage regardless of their scale while those that occur in other nations are given little coverage and indeed covered in a sporadic manner (174). Considering the fact that some of this terror attacks are of unimaginable proportions and affect thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people, this treatment by the media is unjustified. To counter this claim, it might be argued that terror incidents that do not directly affect American citizens are not of much importance to them. While this may be true, media houses which claim to be international should not discriminate since they are supposedly addressing a global audience.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The commercial incentive for media houses to concentrate on some incidents and not others is very obvious. Considering the fact that the biggest share of viewers is in America, it makes sense for the media to try and obtain the view-ship of this group. Van Belle reveals that commercial imperatives factor in on the decision of whether a disaster is newsworthy (50). For example, in the coverage of Hurricane Katrina, Moeller reveals that cable television networks CNN and Fox, both of which had invested heavily in the coverage of the disaster by sending scores of staffers both experienced significant rises in viewers (183). CNN recorded a 336% increase in its viewership while MBNBC recorded a 379 increase. While it might be argued that the media has a right to try and ensure that they remain profitable, this should only be secondary to sound and unbiased media coverage. Media favoritism is not limited to disasters but also extends to other faucets of life such as politics. Barker and Lawrence reveal that claims of media favoritism in American politics have been around for decades (4). This favoritism is especially evident between the media and p articular candidates. Barker and Lawrence accuse the media of telling us what to think especially in forums whereby journalists were welcome to express their opinions or critical observation on political events. The media reinforces attitudes and behaviors and as such, a reporter’s opinions and attitude will rub on the general population thus coloring their view of some events (Gentz and Kramer 36). This kind of bias is therefore likely to sway the opinion of the public and in effect, influence how they vote. While the media is supposed to be an unbiased and objective reporter of information to the public, sometimes the media has vested interests in the manner in which they report. The media is at times used to propagate propaganda or indeed manipulate public opinion. Barker and Lawrence theorized that when reporting on incidences, the media is more inclined to major on the information that is more dramatic and catchy (7). As such, a presidential candidate who is considered a s a rebel might be given unmerited coverage just for the sake of sensationalism. In addition to this, talk radio has also been known to influence the outcome of elections by attacking certain candidates or praising others. Defending the Media While the media has been accused of favoritism when presenting information, sometimes there are incidents which are both newsworthy and the media just chooses the more significant one. Moeller demonstrates that in some instances, some disasters just have the bad luck to occur at a moment when a more telegenic disaster was already capturing global attention (173).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Favoritism in the Media specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The media professionals in charge of choosing which disaster is presented to the public therefore lack the means to give both disasters equal attention. As such, the media is not guilty of favoring one over the other but r ather the timing results in one of the tragedys playing second fiddle to the other. Moeller also demonstrates that it is difficult for the media to keep the public interested in long-running humanitarian crises such as the war in Darfur and Congo or the HIV/AIDS epidemic inasmuch as these events have and continue to claim millions of lives (180). For this reason, the media opts to cover more sensational disasters such as the tsunami which happen instantaneously and capture the imagination people. In some instances, the technical and structural feasibility of news flow helps or impedes the media reporting efforts. As such, the media is neutral and it is the location factor that dictates whether there will be media coverage of events in that area. Van Belle theorizes that countries with well-developed communications infrastructure therefore gain more coverage than those that do not have any communications infrastructure or have badly developed ones (52). It is therefore unreasonable t o expect the media powerhouses to report incidents on the same level in the differing locations. If incidents of the same magnitude and newsworthiness occur in two respective regions; one with good communication lines and the other region possessing no communication infrastructure, the media will mostly likely lean on the place with good infrastructure. As it would be, America has a superior communication infrastructure especially when compared to developing nations. For this reason, the media reports for American incidents can only be expected to be significantly more frequent and detailed that those from the developing nations. It is logical for the media to report on those issues that will be deemed as relevant and of some interest by the viewers. The media should therefore not be blamed for focusing on the disasters that have some direct bearing to Americans such as the hurricane Katrina incident or the fate of US Marines in Iraq. Should the media decide to ignore this conventio nal wisdom and report on issues that are alien to Americans and to which they cannot relate, the media will end up being irrelevant and people will end up switching to other news providing avenues to sate their informational needs.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Discussion The media tends to report social policy issues in a highly critical manner and fails to give the issue the attention they deserve. Instead, the media is more inclined to report on more sensational issues such as insecurity, disasters and scandals. This assertion holds true considering the reporting space that issues that are controversial in nature are awarded compared to the rather mundane issues of social policy. However, even when reporting on these sensational issues, the media does not do so in a balanced manner. As far as disasters are concerned, defining what is an important disaster or crises is at best a very hard task since there are no set guidelines as to what makes up such a disaster. Despite this being the case, this paper has demonstrated that in most cases, the media is guilty of covering the disasters that it deems most likely to be watched by their audience. This has some negative effect since international relief efforts by the government and non-govern mental organization require justification before they can commence. Van Belle documents that the media is arguably the most valuable information source used to justify relief efforts to distant countries (50). As such, reports on disaster by the media correlate with the amount of aid that a disaster accrues. The reality is that high death tolls or even unthinkable violence do not guarantee media attention. This reality has resulted in some disasters where international aid and goodwill which can only be brought by expanded media coverage not getting the coverage they need. This has resulted in continued suffering and misery by the victims. In some cases, the suffering is unnecessary since it would have been alleviated if the public had been privy of what was going on. As such, the favoritism employed by the media in these instances is detrimental for the well being of the victims of the disasters. Despite the many negative aspects of the media that this paper has dwelt on, there are many positive attributes that the media advances for the betterment of the society. It is through the advocacy of the media that the public get to know of people in need of our help. In times of disaster, the media appeals to the public’s altruism as it solicits for funds to aid those who had been adversely affected by the disaster. The media has also been known to publicize government corruption therefore leading to greater accountability and transparency by those in power. Conclusion This paper has argued that the media exhibits favoritism in its reporting. To reinforce this claim, this paper has discussed some instances where the media reports in a biased manner. It has been noted that incidents are not given the same amount of coverage in that journalists do at times express their own biased opinions. It has also been documented that the actions of the media are not always driven by objectivity or public interest but the need for increased view-ship which translates to p rofits. This paper has also indicated that sometimes the favoritism in reporting is necessary so as to ensure that the viewers are given information that they deem as necessary. However, the media should purpose to report in a fair and unbiased manner so as to ensure its credibility and continued relevance to society. Barker, David and Lawrence, Adam. Media favoritism in presidential primaries: reviving the direct effects model. 11 Mar, 2004. Web. Gentz, Natascha and Kramer, Stefan. Globalization, Cultural Identities, and Media Representations. SUNY Press, 2006. Print. Moeller, Susan D. â€Å"’Regarding the pain of others’. Media, bias and the coverage of international disasters†. 2006. Journal of International Affairs. Vol. 59, no. 2, 2006. Van Belle, Douglas. â€Å"A New York Times and Network TV news coverage of foreign disasters: the significance of the insignificant variables†. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly. vol. 77, No. 1, 2000.

The Internets Effect On Interaction and Communication With Others †Essay

The Internets Effect On Interaction and Communication With Others – Essay Free Online Research Papers The Internets Effect On Interaction and Communication With Others Essay Communication in our lives is a tremendous vital thing. Indeed, human beings are born to communicate with each other no matter what kind of lives they decide to live. Communicating with other people allow us to learn about ourselves as human creatures. It allows us to understand our way of behaving, of thinking in different situations/places. Communication is also a medium of exchanges at every level. We can exchange ideas, concepts, knowledge, feelings etc. The communication process can occur through several different types. Indeed we can communicate through verbal communication thanks to the language we assimilated during our childhood which can vary according to our cultural belongings. Furthermore we learn non verbal signals (body language, paralanguage etc) which also depend on our culture. These signals communicate a lot about us, about the culture we belong to. Verbal and non verbal communications are linked in the communication process. People can communicate by using different mediums such as letters, radios, TVs, newspaper etc. The mass media indeed allowed people to become more interconnected thanks to world connected networks such as news networks or the Internet. However these kind of â€Å"virtual† communication which requires technology to work well, have some drawbacks that we will study in this paper. This wild wide network of interconnected information called the Internet was a great human â€Å"invention†. It facilitated at the origin communication between people and between universities. The Internet is now widely spread all around the world. It is possible to send information from France to the United States in a couple of seconds. We are now capable of talking with lots of different people who can come from radically opposed cultural backgrounds. Broadcasting the news hasn’t been that simple up until now. If an earthquake occurs in Japan, French people will hear about this news only few hours later. Moreover, people can read books or download music songs, movies, games, software, and pictures throughout this network. To put it simple the Internet has a consequent amount of positive things to offer to most people. Most people think that it is a great useful tool: communication is faster and easier thanks to instant messaging software (msn, aim, yahoo messenger), emails, chat rooms and forums. Physical contact is reduced or avoided which allow people to feel more confident about themselves, about communicating and exchanging ideas, opinions etc. This said, the drawbacks of this form of â€Å"recent† communication are very important and people have to be aware of those. First of all, physical contact and â€Å"physical† communication is reduced when we use the Internet. People spend hours chatting on the internet through emails or chat rooms and forums. We no longer go to a pub to have a drink with some friends; we now meet on American instant messaging or Microsoft network messaging to chat about useless small talks, futile things. In addition, these kinds of chatting networks downgrade the action of â€Å"Writing†. As communication between people becomes more and more instant and fast, people take less and less time to write correctly using in depths forms of writing style. Our generation is using â€Å"emoticons†, abbreviations to express thoughts, feelings instead of using the words used by our ancestors. It will not be surprising to notice that the French language quality is decreasing among teenagers as the Internet is growing for instance. But the major drawback of the Internet is the fact that people use this network as a virtual medium of expression, as a virtual part of themselves. Indeed they create virtual worlds, virtual identities. As the internet eliminates physical contact between people it is understandable that people try to create virtual â€Å"themselves†. Thus we see more and more forums, chat rooms, â€Å"blogs† where people discuss or share themselves to each others without even knowing that they are confining themselves in a virtual thin cosmos. People feel confident, safe behind their screens but they become addicted and dependant of their virtual lives. The world’s physical beauty is forgotten, the most important thing is to come back at home and connect on our computers. People are so despaired in our western society that they create new identities in order to feel better. Most of people have to identify to objects, things, persons to feel like having a purpose in their lives. The Internet is â€Å"giving† the opportunity to people to create â€Å"blogs† which reflect their personality and who they are. However reality is different. It is true that it can be a positive thing to a certain extent but in the end, people end up forgetting their true purpose and what they are really looking for, which is human contact and interactions with other human â€Å"animals†. We are not â€Å"made† to spend our lives on a black square screen reading comments on our latest post on a forum dedicated to cell phones or celebrities. Unfortunately this phenomenon is not going to stop. In my opinion, our western society based on mass consumption created these kinds of behaviors and will only end up accelerating these phenomenons because the mass media tend to broadcast false ideals, wrong values which destabilized people who try desperately to follow the prototype human being created by these people who only try to make money. Since my childhood, people try to influence me, to influence us on our way of thinking and our way of behaving. We try to sell you that you have to identify yourself to objects to feel alive. By binding yourself with â€Å"stuff† you will be able to gain an identity. Buying the brand new Ipod will make you feel better. You will be considered as a preconceived marketed researched fashion boy. People enter slowly in a race dedicated to materialism and objects. However, people don’t see that this race is their lives. Therefore we see people trying desperately all their life long t o save money so that they will be able to buy this product or this car because they naively think that they will feel more powerful, more confident or even more proud about themselves if they do so. The main issue is that people create more and more artificial worlds. These â€Å"tricks† are created to answer to the mass media pressure which dictates us how we should behave, think, dress ourselves: what we should look like. They communicate ideals based on market studies, behavioral studies and psychological studies of people. They try to sell us information through news networks in order to format our minds. The time where they were trying to inform us, or selling us objects which could â€Å"help† us during our lives has never existed. The main purpose of the mass media is to make money. This fact will never change. Most of people think that information is broadcasted to inform us about world events but they forgot the ads between news bulletins. Most of people think that the Ipod nano was created to facilitate their lives and that Apple can not physically make a better mp3 player whereas this mp3player was made in order to make as much profit as possible by giving to people the very minimum amount of functions and storage. It’s all about the money in our society. Consequently, mass communication media networks mislead people by trying to sell them â€Å"fashion† objects, â€Å"fashion styles† which will generate lots of money. Obviously, few of us manage to fit to these criteria. Therefore the other part feels frustrated and tries desperately to fight against that fact, against the fact they do not fit to the mold. Actually, from a certain point of view we are not very far from the â€Å"1984† book vision written by George Orwell. Some people have the power, the power to influence us; considered as average people. We are watched, studied by powerful people who try to make as much money as possible. We don’t c reate new dressing styles, somebody creates it for us. In this identity race, people forget their true needs, their inner will. The most important thing is to get a better job, to buy a better car, a bigger house etc. Money is the key to their success because with money, most people think that they can buy happiness and freewill. Thus, communication between people, either verbal or non verbal communication is distracted by the fact that we constantly want more. We want our neighbor’s car, house or even his wife. We desperately identify ourselves to objects which seem to give a sense to our living. We can compare to each other and compete with each other. Friendships, Love become old fashioned values stereotyped by Hollywood movie stars. We isolate ourselves in an individualistic microcosm created by the mass consumption society. Research Papers on The Internet's Effect On Interaction and Communication With Others - EssayAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThree Concepts of PsychodynamicAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfHip-Hop is ArtPETSTEL analysis of IndiaThe Project Managment Office SystemEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenOpen Architechture a white paper