Where Are You Going free essay sample

In this 1966 short story written by Joyce Carol Oates, fifteen-year-old Connie is a self-absorbed teenager who spends her time fantasizing about romance and searching for attention from men. While out with a suitor, a strange man promises her, Im gonna get you, baby (2). Connie doesnt think much of the incident until one day while alone at home; the man comes to â€Å"get† her. The assailant, Arnold Friend, is kind at first then progressively becomes aggressive and violent towards her. Though at first she enjoys Arnold’s attention, once his demands become sexual and violent, her confidence diminishes. While Connie attempts to evade Arnold’s commands, she becomes powerless against the man and eventually follows him to â€Å"go for a ride† (3). While â€Å"Where are you going, Where have you been,† appears to simply be a tragic story about the abduction and rape of a young girl, it is more importantly a statement of the time on the over-sexualization in the media. We will write a custom essay sample on Where Are You Going or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page From the time period the story was written, the 1960’s, we know that society as a whole was exploding with counter-culture and rebellion. In response to the Vietnam War, for the first time in history, music rapidly became highly influential and that of a sexual nature. This first wave of over-sexualized media is what influenced Connie and millions of the time to exploit their sexuality. The youth of the time period are commonly thought of as being extremely responsive to the world around them. With music being more suggestive than in the past and young people being more expressive and experimental, Connie grew up in a drastically changing world complete with the need to be sexual and to really stand out in order to be noticed. Media became more widespread and important in the 60’s than it had ever been before. When the TV and radio weren’t focusing on the war efforts in Vietnam, they showed the youth’s protest, and push to â€Å"Make Love, Not War:† an iconic phrase that illustrates the push towards sexuality during that time. Connie, an adolescent of this explosive period, is a prime example of sexualization in the media having a detrimental effect on a person. It is her need to be desired that makes her appealing to Arnold Friend, and leads to her demise later in the story. Music is a major theme in the story: Connie constantly listens to music and associates music with pleasure in multiple instances. At one point, she even says she â€Å"listened to the music that made everything so good† (2). Upon Arnold’s arrival we see that he is listening to the same music as Connie, which serves as a way to connect them. Since music plays such a prevalent role in Connie’s life, we can conclude that music is the media that influences her to behave in a sexual manner. From the music that she listens to, Bobby King, we get the impression that she links her idea of romance (that derives from the music she listens to) to the confidence and maturity she pretends to have when it comes to boys. Music plays in every situation where she intends to be sexually desired; while out with boys, out with her friend searching for attention, while laying out in her backyard, and even at the beginning of her conversation with Arnold. Music and Connie’s sexuality are inextricable tied togetheronce Connie becomes frightened of Arnold and is no longer exploiting her sexuality, there is no further mention of music in the story. While it is understood that Arnold will most likely harm Connie, he also is whisking her away (or saving her) from a morally loose societythat very same society that made her the over-sexualized girl we see in the beginning of the story. Everything about Connie indicates that she has been socialized into how the media thinks a young girl should befrom her suggestive clothing to her desperate attempt to be sexually desirable to the male population. Despite what she leads on, Connie is actually sexually innocent. Her innocence is echoed by her child-like naivety of opening her front door to a complete stranger while alone, as well as the fear that consumes her while she could have been calling the police to prevent her murder. Arnold’s desire for the young Connie may be Oates’ way of portraying how perverse the media’s ploy to sexualize America’s youth is as well. The â€Å"Lolita Effect† is even a relatively recent concept. A â€Å"lolita† is a young girl who is viewed in a sexual manner, while the â€Å"lolita effect† is not only the corruption of a child by an adult, but exploiting an adult by a child that has been corrupted by society. Connie exploits her sexuality so well in the beginning of the story. It is her sexualization at such a young age that causes Arnold to find her attractive and is the real life tragedy that comes from the story. By the end of the story, as the title suggests, Connie undergoes a major change. She ties to be an adult, but when Arnold challenges her with sexual advances, we see the frightened child she is. Arnold is merely an agent to portray the evils that exist in the media. He illuminates the fact that our culture’s media gives young girls the unattainable idea that they must behave in a certain way in order to be attractive, and that a man finding them sexually attractive is of upmost importance even as a pre-teen. The sexualization of young girls causes adult men to be attracted to them, creating an even further over-sexualized society. A young girl’s sexuality is such a vital aspect of the maturation process: a process that is malfunctioning or happening far too soon because of the media. It is the evil in the media that causes Connie to fall victim to the media’s harmful portrayal of femininity. Media teaches us that being a typical young woman in today’s society is contingent on the amount of sexuality her appearance exudes. Connie so perfectly replicates how young girls in America that are being over-sexualized through music or television without even being aware of it. The tragic way that Connie is stripped of her childhood suggests that â€Å"where you are going,† is dependent on where you have been. In â€Å"Where are you going, Where have you been? † Oates’ does a terrific job of hyperbolizing the affects of the media’s influence while pointing out the very unexaggerated truth that over-sexualization in the media is detrimental to all aspects of society.

Free Essays on Beatles Invasion

Beatles Invasion In 1964, the world’s greatest rock and roll band invaded the United States. They are known as The Beatles. The Beatles stormed the U.S. charts and proceeded to make music history and become famous worldwide.(Eder 1) The Beatles are the most famous musicians in the world, and 1964 was their invasion into the United States. The single, â€Å"I Want To Hold Your Hand,† was the Beatles’ first domestically released single.(Beatles 2) Capitol Records released it on an independent label.(Eder 3) Shortly after its release to the public on December 26, 1963, it was a number one request for many young teenagers on the radio, according to the Billboard Music Charts. It would only be two months after this that the Beatles would be appearing before a nation wide audience on The Ed Sullivan show.(Eder 3) The Ed Sullivan show appearance would not be the first, however. The Beatles drew seventy million viewers on their rookie performance.(Ebert 1) Ed, seeing the ratings they drew and crowd reaction that these four young men from Liverpool received, decided he would have them back on the show numerous times.(McCartney 214) After this appearance the Beatles’ record sales outsold the, thought to be, unbreakable numbers in the United Kingdom. One month later after this appearance, the Beatles would have the top five best selling slots on the United States music charts. The critics bashed the Beatles during their 1964 through 1970 career run. Most critics, when asked, said they were nothing more than just the â€Å"flavor of the week† and said that they should absorb all the fifteen minutes of fame they could absorb. During their early career run in 1964, the Beatles were characterized by a few things. The songs were mostly just simple chords played with backing vocals.(Loder 1) The lyrics also matched the simplicity in that they were about happy things. They had not reached the writing maturity they would later s... Free Essays on Beatles Invasion Free Essays on Beatles Invasion Beatles Invasion In 1964, the world’s greatest rock and roll band invaded the United States. They are known as The Beatles. The Beatles stormed the U.S. charts and proceeded to make music history and become famous worldwide.(Eder 1) The Beatles are the most famous musicians in the world, and 1964 was their invasion into the United States. The single, â€Å"I Want To Hold Your Hand,† was the Beatles’ first domestically released single.(Beatles 2) Capitol Records released it on an independent label.(Eder 3) Shortly after its release to the public on December 26, 1963, it was a number one request for many young teenagers on the radio, according to the Billboard Music Charts. It would only be two months after this that the Beatles would be appearing before a nation wide audience on The Ed Sullivan show.(Eder 3) The Ed Sullivan show appearance would not be the first, however. The Beatles drew seventy million viewers on their rookie performance.(Ebert 1) Ed, seeing the ratings they drew and crowd reaction that these four young men from Liverpool received, decided he would have them back on the show numerous times.(McCartney 214) After this appearance the Beatles’ record sales outsold the, thought to be, unbreakable numbers in the United Kingdom. One month later after this appearance, the Beatles would have the top five best selling slots on the United States music charts. The critics bashed the Beatles during their 1964 through 1970 career run. Most critics, when asked, said they were nothing more than just the â€Å"flavor of the week† and said that they should absorb all the fifteen minutes of fame they could absorb. During their early career run in 1964, the Beatles were characterized by a few things. The songs were mostly just simple chords played with backing vocals.(Loder 1) The lyrics also matched the simplicity in that they were about happy things. They had not reached the writing maturity they would later s...

Response Paper on the poem Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen Essay

Response Paper on the poem Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen - Essay Example Personally, my son has recently informed me that he joined the army, so the poem resonates increasingly strong. When reading the poem I am constantly reminded of the realities of the contemporary armed conflict in the Middle East and conflicted about my son joining the cause for American freedom. Dulce et Decorum translates to ‘It is sweet and right,’ an ironic reference to the reality and of the tragic occurrences of World War I. While I completely support our troops in Afghanistan, one could make a convincing case that this line is a similar justification used in the wars in the Middle East. Although it’s not entirely clear what the ‘sweet’ refers to one could rightly attribute it to the ‘sweet’ revenge that many Americans felt justified the countries attack on these regions for the advances made by Saddam Hussein and the terrorist attacks made on the World Trade Center. The ‘right’ portion of the title refers to the belief that American attacks are justified on the grounds of moral reasons – weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, stopping the Taliban in Afghanistan. I believe that the poem functions to bring the reader’s attention not to these abstract justifications, but to the bitter realities of arm ed conflict. In just the first two lines of the poem, the soldiers are portrayed as tired and sick. In the rest of the stanza, Owens shows how the conditions that theses soldiers had to go through were horrendous. For example, â€Å"Many had lost their boots, but limped on, blood-shod† shows how these soldiers had been fighting in all conditions. He uses connotations of dirt and everyday language to add to the realism "we cursed through sludge." When I consider these lines I envision that the soldiers are demoralized, shadows of their former selves. They dont march proudly as imagined, but trudge wearily and heavily. The punctuation of the verse slows down the rhythm of the poem, to enhance the realism of the soldiers movements. I

F-35 LIGHTNING II Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

F-35 LIGHTNING II - Research Paper Example This involved the use of military scientist to focus on defense strategies. The expertise was aimed at providing military capabilities of various nations involved. Moreover, as threat to international peace and stability continues to take shape, the field of military science continues to rise at the same rate. This necessitated development of fighter aircrafts meant to control and protect the airspace. This field is hoped to reach its epitome in the 21st century. This paper discusses  F-35 LIGHTNING II. F-35 LIGHTNING II is a recent generation fighter designed in United States. Several features make it outstanding among other fighter planes. These factors include adoption of recent technological advancements, and low cost. The original intention of developing F-35 was to serve all branches of the America military including air force, navy, and Marine Corps (Military Factory, 2012). Additionally it was also meant to serve the Britain military. F-35 is being developed, and has three airframes each with a particular purpose, but the three mainframes depend on one engine type. This is a recent advancement of its kind rivaling all other models. It is believed to offer a precise ground strike on its completion and entrance on market in 2016. F-35 will offer guided ammunition and bombs, high level of space command, and efficiency in elimination of any threat posed on air (Military Factory, 2012). F-35 has high capabilities of multitasking when directed to a particular target. Moreover, F-35 can be able to analyze situation in a complex battlefield and enable a pilot to have sufficient time to act. This information is also transferred to other allied forces in efficient manner. The cost of maintaining stealth is also low. F-35 is also able to encounter any threat from a very long distance such as a weapon and oncoming plane. F-35 was based on the idea of the US Joint Strike fighter program. The selection of Lockheed was based on lower financial cost that was envisage d in the long term. The lift fan of F-35 was improved significantly and this makes it more competitive than X-32. Cooling system was improved and this reduced chances of hot gases going back to the engine as it thrusts on the air. The lift fan offers enough space for fuel in both X-35A and X-35C models (Military Factory, 2012). Different groups funded the project of F-35. F-35 emanated from three models X-35A, X-35B, and X-35C (Buescher, 2001). The initial text of X-35A took place in 2000 and trials were made on Edward Air Force Base. After these trials, it was later converted into X-35B STOVL model. X-35C served to assist the two earlier models in case a problem arises (Duran, 2007). F-35A was first tested on December 15 2006 in Edward Air Force Base. First flight of X-35B took place in 2001 and hover cycle was achieved. STOVL F-35B test took place later in 2008. Additionally, F-35B achieved its initial flight in early 2009 and was able to refuel on air on August 13, 2009. X-35C we nt on air for the first time on December 16, 2000 (Buescher, 2001). Testing was done on its capability to land. It recorded improved performance in terms of low-level, low speed approaches that was the target of US navy. Testing was completed on X-35C on March 2001. The identity of F-35C was first disclosed on July 28, 2009. F-35 testing was complet

Wk2 disc(6100) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wk2 disc(6100) - Essay Example This is necessary as theories serve as maps which guide the counsellor as to the handling of the client. Each theory provides the MHC with direction and goals for the clients and helps in evaluating the effectiveness of counselling. MHC’s emphasise the patient’s environment with a comprehensive perspective to treat dysfunction or any pathological condition if necessary. (Hershenson & Strein, 1991) Five different theoretical approaches are psychoanalytic, behavioural, client-centered, cognitive and affective. The basic premise of client-centered theory is that each person has an inherent tendency to develop all capacities to maintain and enhance oneself. Thus the aim of this theory is to bring the client towards self actualization. The MHC using this approach assumes the role of being a genuine and empathic friend towards the client sharing experiences and working to build the clients confidence, which in turn helps in positive changes in the clients self awareness and attitude. This particular approach requires a personal touch that is lacking in many lives of today’s fast paced world. I personally gravitate towards this theory as it coincides with my belief that connecting to each other at a personal level is important to nurture the human psyche and is the missing element and cause of many of present day mental health problems. (Vacc and Loesch, 2000) One common trend in counseling is that of eclectics and integration. That is a combination of methods is used to treat the patient depending on his particular requirements. The transtheoretical model (TTM) is a practical approach that combines eclectics and integration. TTM provides an integrative structure to counseling theories. It is developed to combine various aspects of counseling without detaching practice from theory. (Petrocelli, 2002) TTM is useful in many situations especially for workplace counseling, youth counseling as in educational institutions etc. A major reason for

Development of Online Auction Market

Development of Online Auction Market Abstract The world of online auction is a very competitive world, its also almost monopoly where companies such as e-bay take the biggest market share. Because the internet has no governing body and does not belong to any government there is no control over what users are selling or buying or whether there is ethical, moral or legal ramification on the act of the customers which use the services of these companies. Competing with companies such as e-bay, a well established brand with global dominance is not something I had in mind; Student Online Auction System is no exception in its need for these advantages and competitive edge to thrive in this highly competitive global market. This report will outline the stage in carrying out an investigation of a problem situation which is a real world and developing a new system. To be able to achieve tasks, various analytical and design methodologies were investigated. It is also important to consider the organizational structure and culture, this can play a vital role in information modeling because often a failure in an information system project may be more due to lack of recognition of or respect for the culture of the organization than because of the technology itself. Major organisations such as e-bay but lot of emphasizes on calling their customers Community members rather then customers. The original idea that help the birth of e-bay was to establish an online community were members meet in online forums were they engage in open discussions on how to improve the services provided, exchange ideas as well as selling and buying In this project an attempt will made to be more aware of the needs of the customer, and to make the system have the facility were customers, give a feedback on the systems functionality, usability and ease of navigation and then carrying out any relevant improvements suggested by these feedbacks at the maintenance stage. Chapter 1 Introduction The aim of this project is to design and set up an online business model where students at the university can buy and sell articles through effective bidding system. It also provides a guide for me to undertake the project successfully through gathering essential information and literature relating to the fundamental issues that can support and improve security. The projects objective is to create a tool that will reduce the operational risks related to do this type of business where fraudulent misuse of user accounts is very common. Information systems are fundamental part of organisations asset, its classed as an asset because information systems use data bases which are the building blocks of an information system. The information gathered and stored in these building blocks are then analysed and refined to help organisations decision making process. Although ordinary filing system will probably satisfy the definition of information system a Data Base Management System (DBMS) is a program design specifically to store and access data. It also has special features not present in cabinet filling system such as consistency, time saving, access control, reliability and recovery. This project is about developing a system which merges Database with website technology to produce an Online auction Business. http://www4.ncsu.edu/~wurman/Papers/Wurman-article.pdf 1.2 Description of Project Objectives. The main objective of this project is to make Students who want sell their unwanted items a computerized business by developing a database system together with a database driven site to give online services for their customers. In order to give a good service and stay competitive on the market, the business should be able to adopt this new system. The project will research on other Auction Businesses who already uses this technology and also investigate on how this business can give online services. In addition to that, the project will investigate the existing systems used by the existing online auction companies in day to day activity and identify the problem area of their system in order to come up with a better system. Starting from the research and analysis it will go to the implementation by having an appropriate report on the process undertaken including explanation of techniques and software used to develop the system. It will also analyse and identify the appropriate technology for SOAS Ltd to give an efficient service and to run the business more effectively. Finally there will be testing and evaluating the finished product to make sure that it meets the requirements in order to satisfy the client. Main points why set up Student Online Auction System. To provide fast and an efficient service to their customers. To get or attract more customers by giving online and fast services. To improve communication with customers. To protect data or information against unauthorised access. Online service will save journey (time) for any customers. Generate Revenue for both students and the company Stay competitive on the market. No interruption. Peace of mind. 1.3 Academic Objectives To design and implement a database management system for To gain an understanding of a database systems and the technology behind them. To research on other estate agents who currently have a database management system and online system. To discusses a range of methodologies, tools and techniques in order to select the most suitable approaches for the development of the project. To demonstrate all the practical and theoretical knowledge gained during my studies at the university. To meet deadlines following the software development principle including project management and documentation. To develop a website for London wide estates. 1.4 Personal Objectives To gain a valuable knowledge and experience in a variety of fields that should help build my future career. To gain confidence in my ability to make the right decision and cope with difficult situation during the development of the system with self-tuition and minimum supervision. To achieve an insight and hands-on practical experience of analyzing, designing, testing and documentation of a real world project. To prepare myself to face the real world in the computing industry with the experience I have gained in the past and will gain developing the system. By developing this system I hope to demonstrate my capability of mastering a real word project. 1.5 Project Proposal Although traditional auction houses still enjoy some popularity by restricting their trade on e few reserved items such as art effects and memorabilias. They have in some way or other adopted technology to conduct their business. This is because of the fast pace of technological revolution that is taken over the way that business is conducted all over world. These days everything seems to be done on a computer and paper work is becoming thing of the past. It is well known fact that Information technology is so important in making the life of many businesses much easier. It is also essential that businesses depend on a computerized database system to provide or record information for running their business on daily basis. Student Online Auction Systems Ltds purpose is to set up a database driven website were customers primarily students sell and buy items from each other. The project will make use of the web-driven database technology to implement and set up fully functioning online business. The purposed online system will allow customers to browse, search without registering and only allow to buy, sell or both after registration. In order to set up the system a variety of different softwares will be used HTML XML JAVASCRIPT ASP.net Visual studio SQL Express Chapter 2 2.1 Background The history of internet auctions started in mid 1990s, and quickly become one of the most successful applications of electronic commerce. Perhaps EBay, the premier consumer-to-consumer (C2C) internet auction site, is generally perceived as pioneer for the industry. As the business to business (B2B) auctions transaction volume increases the potential for the industry is greater then that of conventional auctions. With auction sites such as eBay and U-Bid being common household names, it seems hard to believe that the online auction phenomenon is actually very young. But young it is. In fact, the world of online auctions as we know it found its beginning in the year 1995 with a company dedicated to holding auctions for geeks wanting to buy, sell and trade computers and peripherals. Today, this site, fondly known as eBay, has become the worlds largest online marketplace hosting more than 100,000 auctions daily in 315 categories. With more than 40 million bids placed on eBay since its in ception, it is no wonder that other entrepreneurs hoping to claim a piece of the internet auction market quickly followed suit. Far from being a lonely beacon in the world of online trading, eBay is now competing with several other extremely successful online auctions sites. In fact, hundreds of auction sites can be found listed in various auction directories on the web. On these sites, consumers world wide buy, sell and trade items ranging from rare collectibles to daily essentials. Virtually everything imaginable can be found on internet auctions at a great price. http://www.unc.edu/~draughn/assignment1.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/2006-06-25-physics-of-ebay_x.htm 2.2 What is an online Auction? An online auction is an internet-based activity, which is used to negotiate prices for purchasing or sale of direct materials, capital or services. Online auctions can be used to sell: these are called Forward (or Seller) Auctions and closely resemble the activity on B2C auction websites. Companies have used forward auctions to sell off surplus assets or in times of shortages -highest bid wins. However, most companies are starting to use Reverse (or Buyer) Auctions, where purchasers seek market pricing, inviting suppliers to compete for business in an online event. Auctions can be either private/closed where there are typically few bidders who have no visibility of each others bids, or open, where a greater number of participants are invited. In this case participants have visibility of either their rank or the bidding itself. Bidding on an internet auction is as simple as surfing the web. All you need to do is register at an auction site and begin browsing for merchandise. Once you find exactly what you are looking for, you can place a bid and monitor the bidding action with just a few clicks of your mouse. Most auctions sites also allow you to transfer payments through PayPal, an online payment system. That means that your personal credit card information is not given to any buyer or auction site directly. So, no matter whether you are searching for a one-of-a-kind antique or looking for a bottle of discount designer perfume, you can bet that you will find what you seek at the online auctions. http://www.caslon.com.au/auctionsprofile.htm 2.3 How do Online Auctions Work? Internet auctions are giant flea markets. Sellers may offer one item at a time or multiple lots of the same item. In theory, online auctions run much like local auctions, but behind the scenes there is a collection of data going on continuously. Just like local auctions, there are sellers and bidders and winners and losers. Winners are expected to pay for what they bid on at the conclusion of the auction. But that is where the similarities between online and local auctions end. 2.3.1 Registration At online auctions you will be required to register before you can buy or sell an item (s). This is required to track items you bid on or sell, keep up with the bids, determine the winning bids and build a database on seller and bidder feedback. 2.3.2 Winning Bids The bidding for each auction closes at the scheduled time. In the case of sales of multiple lots, the participants with the highest bids at the close of the auction are obligated to buy the items. If no one bids at or above the reserve price, the auction closes without a winner. At the close of a successful auction, the buyer and seller communicate, usually by email, to arrange for payment and delivery of the goods. 2.3.3 Payment Options Buyers may have several payment options, including credit card, debit card, personal check, cashiers check, money order, cash on delivery and escrow services. However, all sellers do not accept all forms of payment. Credit cards offer buyers the most consumer protections, including the right to seek a credit from the credit card issuer if the product is not delivered or if the product received is not the product ordered. Typically, sellers using business-to-person auction sites accept payment by credit card. But many sellers in person-to-person auctions do not. Usually they require payment by cashiers check or money order before they send the item to the winning bidder 2.3.4 Types of auctions. There are two types of Internet auctions business-to-person or person-to-person. Sellers of business-to-person auction sites have physical control of the merchandise being offered and accept payment for the goods. In person-to-person auctions, individual sellers or small businesses offer their items for auction directly to consumers. Generally, the seller, not the site, has physical possession of the merchandise. After the auction closes, the seller is responsible for dealing directly with the highest bidder to arrange for payment and delivery. Chapter 3 3.0 Introduction Internet auctions can be characterised in two ways: third-party auction sellers such as e-Bay, Amazon.com and Yahoo! that auction goods for others (either individual sellers or corporate chains), and direct auction sellers which create their own auctions online via their company websites. A substantial number of retailers and catalogue firms are taking advantage of the boom in these online auctions to unload merchandise and increase sales, and growth in the online auction category is now well documented. Catalogue marketers as diverse as The Sharper Image, Ross-Simons, Cameraworld.com, and CompUSA are all successfully auctioning products online. A business model is the mechanism by which a business intends to specify a value proposition or a value cluster for targeted customers, a financial model and a market offering 3.1 ebays Business Model eBay has built an online person-to-person trading community on the Internet, using the World Wide Web. Buyers and sellers are brought together in a manner where sellers are permitted to list items for sale, buyers to bid on items of interest and all eBay users to browse through listed items in a fully automated way. The items are arranged by topics, where each type of auction has its own category. eBay has both streamlined and globalized traditional person-to-person trading, which has traditionally been conducted through such forms as garage sales, collectibles shows, flea markets and more, with their web interface. This facilitates easy exploration for buyers and enables the sellers to immediately list an item for sale within minutes of registering. Browsing and bidding on auctions is free of charge, but sellers are charged two kinds of charges: When an item is listed on eBay a non-refundable Insertion Fee is charged, which ranges between 30 cents and $3.30, depending on the sellers opening bid on the item. A fee is charged for additional listing options to promote the item, such as highlighted or bold listing. A Final Value (final sale price) fee is charged at the end of the sellers auction. This fee generally ranges from 1.25% to 5% of the final sale price. eBay notifies the buyer and seller via e-mail at the end of the auction if a bid exceeds the sellers minimum price, and the seller and buyer finish the transaction independently of eBay. The binding contract of the auction is between the winning bidder and the seller only. 3.2 Amazons Business Model Amazons business model is one in which Amazon depends on third party to deliver information goods or services to end customers. There are three operational strategies that have helped Amazon.com to enhance its competitive advantage, including cost-leadership, customer differentiation and focus strategies (Saunders, 2001, pp.122-123). The first strategy, cost-leadership is pursued by Amazon.com by differentiating itself primarily on the basis of price. Due to this strategy, Amazon.com always makes sure that it offers the same quality products as other companies for a considerably less price. Their second strategy is customer differentiation. Amazon.com provided current and prospective customers with differentiation though design, quality or convenience and Amazon.com always selects a differentiator that is different among the competitor. So, Amazon.com consumers can recognize and differentiate its product from competitors (Saunders, 2001, pp.122-123). The last strategy that it uses, i s a focus strategy. This strategy takes one of the two earlier strategies and applies it to a niche within the market (Saunders, 2001, pp.122-123). Amazon.com focuses on outstanding customer service as a niche but not the whole market because each niche has its own demand and requirement. 3.3 Customer interface To a certain extent, the Amazon.com customer interface can be customized to each users preferences. When a user logs in to Amazon.com after purchasing, the website reconfigures and presents content that pertains to individual users, depending upon the users responses or profile (2004, p.188). For Amazon.com, collaborative-filtering software is used to tailor the website to each user through comparing each users purchases with the purchases of other users with similar preferences (2004, p.188). A list is then compiled of additional purchase recommendations, with suggestions across product categories as well, such as similar areas of interest in CD or DVD format (2004, p.188). Additionally, the website promotes and fosters a community of customers through encouraging readers to submit book reviews and facilitating online discussions about previously read books (Spector, 2000, p.78). These activities provide users with an interactive component and give them an opportunity to contribute to the websites content as well as develop a group identity and sense of belonging which can lead to possible friendships (Spector, 2000, p.78).    3.4 Technology behind the Online Auctions Secure Internet system is safer then handing over your card details on the phone. The application used to secure the online monitory system is the Secure Socket layer SSL. This technology is a military strength encryption technology, which works in conjunction with secure servers. This technology scrambles and encrypts sensitive information such as credit card details with a code before passing by a merchant server from a PC and that of the company taking a customers money. One of the other applications is a system of digital certification. When a user visits the website, intending to purchase over the Internet online, the website will display a lock sign on the toolbar below and provide information that the website is secure to use, the SSL lock will identify if the website is certified or not? The certificate is to authorise secure online transaction processing, which acts like an Identity card for the site and for the company behind the site. Its confirmed that the site belong to a register trader. 3.4.2 Methodology The Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) is thorough method of system development and if not understood fully it can lead into confusion into the mass of details available on the different stages of this methodology. SSDAM looks at the system from three different, but highly interdependent perspectives. The first is that of functionality or processing. This looks at the way in which data is passed around the system and the processes or activities that transform it, i.e. it sets out the functions provided for users by the system. The second is that of data. An information system (IS) exists only to store and act upon organisations data. By understanding the true nature and structure of data we get to real heart of the system. Data structures are far more constant than processing or functions, which tend to change fairly frequently; therefore its the data view that forms the backbone of SSADM. The final view looks at the effects of time and real world events on the dat a held within the system. Whereas the function and data views are rather ‘snapshot in nature, the events view is dynamic; it is specifically designed to model system behaviour over time. 3.4.2.1Advantages of using SSADM Timelines: Theoretically, SSADM allows one to plan, manage and control a project well. These points are essential to deliver the product on time. Usability: Within SSADM special emphasis is put on the analysis of user needs. Simultaneously, the systems model is developed and a comprehensive demand analysis is carried out. Both are tried to see if they are well suited to each other.6 Respond to changes in the business environment: As in SSADM documentation of the project†²s progress is taken very seriously, issues like business objectives and business needs are considered while the project is being developed. This offers the possibility to tailor the planning of the project to the actual requirements of the business. Effective use of skills: SSADM does not require very special skills and can easily be taught to the staff. Normally, common modelling and diagramming tools are used. Commercial CASE tools are also offered in order to be able to set up SSADM easily. Better quality: SSADM reduces the error rate of IS by defining a certain quality level in the beginning and constantly checking the system. Improvement of productivity: By encouraging on-time delivery, meeting business requirements, ensuring better quality, using human resources effectively as well as trying to avoid bureaucracy, SSADM improves the overall productivity of the specific project and the company. Cuts costs: SSADM separates the logical and the physical systems design. So the system does not have to be implemented again with new hard -or software.7 3.4.2.2 Disadvantages of using SSADM SSADM puts special emphasis on the analysis of the system and its documentation. This causes the danger of over-analysing, which can be very time and cost consuming. Due to various types of description methods, checks of consistence cannot be carried out. Especially with large systems, the outline diagram can become very unclear, because all relevant data flows have to be included. However, large companies carrying out various projects, can profit from the fact that SSADM gives the possibility to reuse certain techniques and tools for other projects. This reduces cost and time spent enormously in the long run. So, the danger of spending too much money on analysis can be compensated by the reuse of the developed systems and experience gained. 3.4.3 UML The unified modelling language defines the industry standard notation and semantics for properly applying that notation for software built using object-oriented (OO) or component based technology. UML2.0 provides common and consistent notation with which to describe (OO) and component software systems. The UML potentially decreases the learning curve for developers because they only need to learn the one modelling language. 3.4.3.1 Advantages of using UML Wide industry acceptance Wide range of tool support Consistent modelling notation 3.4.3.2 Disadvantages of using UML Modelling tools do not fully support it and sometimes get the notation wrong when they do Not yet complete Many developers only understand UML notations, often because most books and modelling tools do not go beyond the UML to address user interface modelling, or even business rules The full notation is overkill for most projects, most efforts only need a small subset of the notation 3.4.5 Using SSADM with UML Complex information systems require a methodology for their development in a structured manner. Many different methodologies exist, each suitable for a particular type of application. In this report we develop a taxonomy covering two different classification features for methodologies targeted at the workflow area. Features identified include concerns, method structure, data gathering means, people involved, notations, adaptability, flexibility, exception, CASE tool. Unified Modelling Language (UML) and Unified Process are relatively strong on hard aspects and weak on soft aspects. Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) is perhaps the most comprehensive but some soft aspects are omitted. The combination of techniques such as UML and Workflow is identified as a way forward. Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) HTML is one of the next generations of Generalised Markup Languages (GMLs). HTML is very easy to use language for web designing. HTML allows web developers to format web page using set of markup tags provided by HTML. HTML can be used within asp.net codes. This can only be made possible by using a asp.net function called asp followed by â€Å"(HTML)†, e.g. â€Å" Hello Word †. HTML is used within asp.net to design the interface to make it easy to navigate through a site. HTML forms static Web sites, but with the use of ASP.net is can be dynamic. 3.4.5.1 ASP.NET ASP stands for Active Server Pages. This is one of Microsofts latest software product. ASP.NET is built upon the .NET Framework. The .NET Framework consists of two main components: the common language runtime (CLR) and the .NET Framework class library. The foundation of the .NET Framework is the CLR. It is like an agent that manages codes at execution time for both Windows and ASP.NET applications. The class library is an object-oriented collection of reusable components. It can be used to develop applications for both Windows and the Web. The .NET Framework is a free download, but the development tools can be expensive. ASP.NET is used by Web developers to create dynamic Web pages. It offers a set of reusable, predefined and ready to use controls. This control saves time as it minimises the amount of codes to be written. 3.4.5.2 Java Script JavaScript is a client side scripting language. It is highly efficient as many tasks are client-side processing. JavaScript is an interpreted programming language with object oriented capabilities. JavaScript can be embedded into the HTML to add functionality. JavaScript is very useful for setting validations on a page to minimize error entry. Microsoft SQL 2000 Microsoft SQL Server 2000 is a full-featured relational database management system (RDBMS) that offers a variety of administrative tools to ease the burdens of database development, maintenance and administration. It has features such as Enterprise Manager, Query Analyzer, SQL Profiler, Service Manager, Data Transformation Services and Books 3.5.0 Primary Research Primary research involves getting original data directly about the product and market. Primary research data is data that did not exist before. It is designed to answer specific questions of interest to the business. Here a questionnaire was chosen to be the method of conducting market research in to online auction website as the primary source. A questionnaire with composed of ten questions were distributed into ten students at different times and days to get maximum answer ratio. See Appendix A Chapter 4 4.0 Fact finding analysis All projects that involve system development must have thorough fact finding or investigation carried out before the specification, design and construction of the application. Its important for the project to be clear about what the system needs to do and this will require obtaining information about a potentially wide range of subjects. 4.0.1 Examining any existing documentation Although there was physical documentation available to examine for existing companies such as e-bay, it was relatively small amounts of electronic journals available at the research web resources such as Mental. 4.0.2 Interviewing Interviewing is the most and common techniques that is used almost in every computing or business project. This is because is an easy way of collecting information face-to-face with the people involved in the old or new system. This process has started from the first day of the project by meeting both my supervisor Mrs Patricia Robertson, for more updates. The process started by drawing some business activity model (for more information please look at the BAM (Business Activity Model). These activities had to be change few several times to meet the systems requirements. Through out the project it was important to interview regular users of the existing systems used by other companies such as e-bay and Amazon for feedbacks and updates. The project had faced some sit back at the beginning due to the fact that the original sole use of SSADM as methodology was not good idea, which made it hard getting the exact system requirement. With the help of some of the SSADM techniques such as the BAM and ER diagram coupled with UML CASE diagrams we managed to reach an over look of the system. Questionnaire As part of the investigation process, questionnaires were prepared and handed out to some randomly selected people from the Westminster harrow Campus ,as they could be the new potential customers , these were filled out on the while they were in the Hall ways and student union centre. Questionnaires generally tend to be an inexpensive method of getting people to provide information. The technique used will be closed questions. This will allow people to write their short answers on a fixed set of options, to avoid people getting bored by long open questions which they have no time for. 4.0.4. Analysis of the questionnaire The questionnaire started with asking potential customers how often they visit Online auction? The group of people questioned consisted 60% of (19-30) years olds, 20% of the age (18) and 20% of the age (31-45), 30% of the participants answered that they visit online auction websites at least once a week 1% answered everyday 40% said they visit once a month and 20% percent said they never visit online auction websites. But perhaps more surprisingly of all questions, participants were undecided 50% yes and 50 % No when asked whether online auctions offer a better deal. There was however good result when participants were asked whether they actually sold or bought from online auctions the result was 60% yes and 40% no. see graph below 4.1.0 Market Positioning Once a potential market segments have being identified and target audience selected, SOS Ltd would need to determine the positioning of its services amongst service industries in the market place. Effective management of marketing communication will enable the companys marketers to position their services in the mind of the customers, its therefore important for the company to position itself along side the Specialist online auction web site: such sites need to build a good reputation for

Katherine Mansfield :: essays research papers fc

Katherine Mansfield Katherine Mansfield, who lived from 1888 to 1923, is considered to be one of the most remarkable short story writers of her time. Using her life experiences as an inspiration for her short stories, Mansfield sculpted her ideas into masterful pieces of literary work. Mansfield's life was full of interesting experiences that shaped her outlook upon life. The diversity of friends and acquaintances Katherine Mansfield had over her lifetime also had a great influence on her career. Even as a child, Mansfield made decisions about her life that would create a path for her career to start on. Katherine Mansfield was born Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp to Harold and Annie Dyer Beauchamp on October 14, 1888. The Beauchamp family called New Zealand their home. "A Sea Voyage", written by the young Kathleen Beauchamp, won first-place at the Karori Village School, the grammar school she first attended (Nathan 1). This accomplishment encouraged young Beauchamp to continu e on writing. After attending grammar school, Kathleen went on to attend Miss Swainson's Secondary School. During this time, she is acquainted with Maata Mahupuka, a native Maori. Her interest in Mahupuka later grew into a brief love affair with him (Nathan 1). After graduating from secondary school, Miss Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp left New Zealand. She decided this after thwarting the idea of a career in music. Beauchamp went on to attend London's Queens College and study literature. While in attendance at Queens College, Kathleen made a friend in Ida Baker. Ida Baker, like Beauchamp, was an avid writer. Kathleen gave the pen name "Lesley Moore" to Ida, after Beauchamp's brother Lesley (Sampson 308). In the spring of 1907, Miss Beauchamp held in garden party and invited many of her acquaintances from college. The party was a complete success until it was discovered that a cottager who lived on the property had been accidentally killed (Nathan 1). This event spawned to b ecome "The Garden Party", Beauchamp's first major work (Encarta). In 1909, Kathleen Beauchamp became acquainted with a man by the name of G. C. Bowden. After only a brief period they became engaged and married. The evening after their marriage, Kathleen left Bowden (Disc. Authors 1). Leaving Bowden, she ran away with her longtime friend Garnet Trowell. Trowell was from Wellington; she was a fairly well known cellist. While running away with Garnet Trowell, Kathleen had an affair with a man who ultimately impregnates her.

Is Africa the least developed continent? Essay

Why do we hear that Africa is the least developed continent? I mean Africa contains some of the most important natural and mineral resources, so why are Africans still living in an underdeveloped continent? Naturally Africa contains a variety of many rich minerals. One of the largest minerals that Africa holds is petroleum. Petroleum is mostly found in countries like Nigeria, Libya and Equatorial Guinea. These countries are some of the richest nations in Africa, with some of the highest Gross Domestic Profits in the past few years. They are also countries, mostly the southern nations, who boast the rights of having large reserves of gold, diamonds and copper. Then they are a great number of African nations who are blessed with fertile soil, for agricultural purposes, growing some of the most important crops supplying food and exporting goods to people and other nations. Even though we see that these minerals and crops produce most of Africa’s revenues, profit of this capital is found to be wasted. This money is normally given to the government, who dissipate this money on luxuries for the elite or on big projects that may have little or no return at all. We then find that colonialism could be another aspect that contributes to the economic underdevelopment in Africa. Just before decolonization, Africa obtained its highest sum of wealth. This was due to the amount of raw materials exported to countries mostly in Europe. As soon as most countries were independent, Africa was on the back-foot. After many Europeans and their leaders set off back off to their home lands, African nations were lacking individuals with training or education to operate their government that they had inherited. They didn’t know what to do, making it harder for them to make their economy stronger. Another notion that could be a contribution to this underdeveloped continent is corruption and misgoverning. This may be one of the main causes that may have led Africa to have become known as the ‘underdeveloped continent. The government may not be leading the country in the right direction, not putting the country on a path that may lead to a growth in the economy. The government may be spending their capital on luxuries, and not providing services like education and jobs for the less fortunate. All these problems arise, when discussing about why Africa is a poor continent. To resolve these issues, we may need to bring a new government into action, we may need to raise some funds, and we may need to use our resources well to make these very nations of Africa more developed than it ever was.

Slave Revolts in Ancient Italy

Slave Revolts in Ancient Italy According to Barry Strauss in * prisoners of war enslaved at the end of the Second Punic War rebelled in 198 B.C. This slave uprising in central Italy is the first reliable report of one, although it was surely not the first actual slave uprising. There were other slave uprisings in the 180s. These were small; however, there were 3 major slave revolts in Italy between 140 and 70 B.C. These 3 uprisings are called the Servile Wars since the Latin for slave is servus. First Sicilian Slave Revolt One leader of the slave revolt in 135 B.C., was a freeborn slave named Eunus, who adopted a name familiar from the region of his birth- Syria. Styling himself King Antiochus, Eunus was reputed to be a magician and led the slaves of the eastern section of Sicily. His followers wielded farm implements until they could capture decent Roman weapons. At the same time, in the western part of Sicily, a slave manager or vilicus named Kleon, also credited with religious and mystical powers, gathered slave troops under him. It was only when a slow-moving Roman senate dispatched the Roman army, that it was able to end the long slave war. The Roman consul who succeeded against the slaves was Publius Rupilius. By the 1st century B.C., roughly 20% of the people in Italy were slaves- mostly agricultural and rural, according to Barry Strauss. The sources for such a large number of slaves were military conquest, slave traders, and pirates who were particularly active in the Greek-speaking Mediterranean from c. 100 B.C. Second Sicilian Slave Revolt A slave named Salvius led slaves in the east of Sicily; while Athenion led the western slaves. Strauss says a source on this revolt claims the slaves were joined in their lawlessness by impoverished freeman. Slow action on the part of Rome again permitted the movement to last four years. The Revolt of Spartacus 73-71 B.C. While Spartacus was a slave, as were the other leaders of the earlier slave revolts, he was also a gladiator, and while the revolt centered in Campania, in southern Italy, rather than Sicily, many of the slaves who joined the movement were much like the slaves of the Sicilian revolts. Most of the southern Italian and Sicilian slaves worked in the latifundia plantations as agricultural and pastoral slaves. Again, local government was inadequate to handle the revolt. Strauss says Spartacus defeated nine Roman armies before Crassus defeated him.

Analysis of Organisational Culture at Google The WritePass Journal

Analysis of Organisational Culture at Google 1.Introduction Analysis of Organisational Culture at Google 1.Introduction2. Organizational Background3. Analysis3.1 Data collection3.2 Theories applied4. ParadigmOrganizational Perception Interpretation4.1 Burrell Morgan’s Sociological Paradigms Sociological Paradigms 4.2 Definition of Organizational Culture with Google culture4.3 Evaluation of Google organizational culture on the Cultural Dimension Theory4.3.1- Power Distance4.3.2 -Individualism4.3.3 -Masculinity 4.3.4 -Uncertainty Avoidance Index4.3.5 -Long term orientation5. Evaluation of Google organizational culture on Edgar Schein’s Three levels of Culture5.1 Artifacts:5.2 Espoused Values:5.3 Basic Assumptions and Values:6. Criticisms 6.1 Cultural dimension theory:6.2 Sociological Paradigm: Conclusion ReferencesRelated 1.Introduction Analyzing an organization is no more than studying first its genesis its mottos and beliefs and the future it holds for the society that it resides in. For most companies, an organization is neither a science nor an art; it’s an oxymoron. It is not a result from systematic, methodical planning but, shaped more by politics than by policies. However, perceiving an organization from a critical point of view would overshadow all the development and technology that many organizations have contributed to our society. In the words of Walt Disney co-founder of the Walt Disney Company states that â€Å"Whatever we accomplish is due to the combined effort. The organization must be with you or you dont get it done In my organization there is respect for every individual, and we all have a keen respect for the public†. The author has chosen to talk about the Google culture from an Interpretivism perspective as she worked as an Ad Words Representative for the organisation. 2. Organizational Background Google Inc an American public corporation earns its proceeds primarily from its advertising which is related to its Internet search, e-mail, online mapping, office productivity, social networking, and video sharing. Google is not a conventional company and with no intention to become one either. Throughout Google’s evolution as a privately held company they have always done it differently, where the emphasis is laid on the creativity and challenge of its people which has resulted in providing unbiased, accurate and free access information for its users. The genesis of this organization begins with its co- founders Larry Page and Sergey Bin alumni of Stanford University where it was incorporated as a privately held organization on September 4, 1998 and then was moved to public ownership on August 19th 2004. The organization is globally spread across starting from the Head office in Mountain View California, with some of its subsidiaries being India, United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, Czech Republic, Poland, South Africa, etc. With approximately 20,000 employees working for this organization it has been voted by Fortune Magazine as ‘The Best Company’ to work for the second time in February 2008. 3. Analysis 3.1 Data collection The analysis of the organization is done with respect to the Indian subsidiary that is geographically located in the south of India- Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.   The author worked as an As Words representative for the organization. The data collection for this analysis is based on a subjective and objective perspective, the subjective data being the author’s observations, perceptions and experiences, and the objective being that which is communicated and believed within the organization over the years. The author relates the analyses to the one year work experience, work relationships, work climate and culture, training and evaluation methods which was gained and undergone at the organization. The author also takes into count the strength of the workforce and the significant department in concern in which the author was a count for and worked for. The strength of the workforce noted to be an exact number of a 1000 employees for the year 2007- 2008 who worked for this subsidi ary handling the Online Sales Operation for Asia Pacific, with Ad Words being the main revenue generating product other than that of Ad Sense. 3.2 Theories applied The analysis of the organization has been done on the transformational factor, Organizational culture, with a correlation to that of the author’s paradigm on Burrell Morgan’s Sociological Paradigms and Organizational Analysis, Heinemann, 1979 . Geert Hofstede’s ‘Cultural dimensions theory’ has been used as the main model of analysis, however, to move beyond the national culture dimension and towards the organizations levels of culture Edgar Schein’s ‘Three levels of culture’ has also been applied. Burrell Morgan’s Sociological Paradigms gives an outlook of the author’s quadrant of perception on the company. Furthermore, the focus of study is from a radical humanistic point of view, the author falls under this paradigm believing that change begins with individual. The below given study also covers the founders view of organizational culture which is supported by the interview with Fortune Magazine. 4. Paradigm Organizational Perception Interpretation 4.1 Burrell Morgan’s Sociological Paradigms Understanding that the paper necessitates a more focused and specific analysis Burrell Morgan’s Sociological Paradigms and Organizational Analysis, Heinemann, 1979 paradigms has been applied as this synchronic model makes sense, which it places to time dimension on the study and understanding of organizations. It can be comprehended that a paradigm is a lens through which we perceive the world, each lens giving their own meaning and assumptions about the nature of the world and the way it is ought to be made sense of.   There are many different lenses, which exist for viewing and understanding the world, and what follows will be a necessary simplification of a complex and constantly shifting set of boundaries that define the current paradigms (Penny cook, A. 2001). Explaining Burrell Morgan’s Theory it is developed by a 22 matrix scheme to help classify and understand existing sociological theories based on four major paradigms. The matrix was structured based on th e four main debates in sociology, which was then further consolidated into two fundamental issues that form the axis of the 22 matrix. Sociological Paradigms Functionalist Paradigm (objective regulation): Individuals in this paradigm rest upon the premise that society has a real concrete existence and a systematic character and is directed toward the production of order and regulation. The social science enterprise is believed to be objective and value-free. This paradigm possess a pragmatic orientation, it is concerned with understanding society in a way that produces useful, usable knowledge. (Craig Paul, 1991) Interpretive Paradigm (subjective regulation): From this perspective, social reality, although possessing order and regulation, never realizes an external concrete form. Instead it is the product of inter-subjective experience. The goal of this paradigm is of developing a purely ‘objective’ social science is a specious one. (Craig Paul, 1991) Radical Humanist Paradigm (subjective radical change). The perception in this paradigm shares its assumptions with that of the interpretive paradigm that everyday reality is socially constructed and maintained. Theorists in this paradigm are mainly concerned with releasing social constraints that limit human potential. They see the current dominant ideologies as separating people from their true selves. (Craig Paul, 1991) Radical Structuralist Paradigm (Objective Radical change): This paradigm believes that social reality is considered to be largely independent of the way it is socially constructed. It has an external existence of its own. The social world is featured by intrinsic tensions and contradictions; these forces serve to bring about radical change in the social system as a whole (Craig Paul, 1991). The paradigms correspond to theories of organizations, that which coexists symbolizing and expressing confirming and contradictory views about what and organization is and what it is ought to be and how could we go about acquiring such knowledge. Figure 1 Sociological Paradigms After having being administered the Sociological Paradigm questionnaire, the author’s paradigm was established as being on the Interpretivist Paradigm of the Quadrant. Although, a radical humanist may share the assumption that everyday reality is socially constructed and maintained with that of the interpretive paradigm, this social construction is tied to’ pathology of consciousness’, a situation in which the author finds herself a prisoner of the social world that she creates (Craig Paul, 1991). However, as well said by David Collins (1996), understanding the person’s paradigm from a questionnaire cannot give the person the right view of which paradigm we fall in as its just simple exercise and the reader understanding and mood at that point of brings a big impact on the way the reader answers the question. Therefore, though this evaluation may give the authors paradigm further scrutiny on various occasions would help confirm the evaluation. 4.2 Definition of Organizational Culture with Google culture Louis, (1980) defines culture as an understanding or meanings shared by a group of people. Similarly Edgar Schein goes a little further and explains organizational culture as â€Å"apattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way you perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems† (Schein.   H,1997) Although, the shared cognition or beliefs may seem the simplest understanding of organizational culture, it also interprets a team effort and the significance of sharing the same views and progressing that belief or perception but not regressing. Google also maintains its organizational culture on the simple terms of futuristic and selfless thought which is to be shared and followed, as rightly put across by one of its founders Sergey Brin â€Å"I actually don’t think keeping the culture is a goal. I think improving the culture is†. (Adam. L, 2008) Furthermore, as described by Google’s Chief culture officer Stacy Savides Sullivan â€Å"I would characterize the culture as one that is team-oriented, very collaborative and encouraging people to think non-traditionally, different from where they ever worked beforeworking with integrity and for the good of the company and for the good of the world, which is tied to our overall mission of making information accessible to the world† (Elinor, M. 2007) Following the strategies of the global market Google understands that the organizational culture should be modified with accordance to the national culture making it one among the best in the industry. Which increasing globalization, performance and values of the employees aligned with the company’s strategy and manipulate culture to achieve the organizational objective according to (Ogbonna and Harris, 2002). 4.3 Evaluation of Google organizational culture on the Cultural Dimension Theory Noting that the analysis is done on Google’s Indian subsidiary, there is no appropriate theory than that of the cultural dimension theory, judging that the theory was structured to observe the interactions between the national culture and the organizational culture. Geert Hofstede study demonstrated that there are national and regional cultural groupings that affect the behaviour of societies and organizations, and that are very persistent across time. Applying the skills of an ‘Interpretivist paradigm’ and comprehending and analyzing the organization an evaluation has been done on the five dimensions of the theory. The five dimensions being power distance, Individualism and collectivism, Masculinity and feminity and uncertainty avoidance Hofstede. G, (1997). Figure 2. Cultural Dimensions of India PDI Power distance, IDV Individualism, MAS Masculinity, UAI Uncertainty avoidance index, LTO Long-term orientation. 4.3.1- Power Distance On this dimension there is an insignificant distribution of power distance between the superiors and subordinates of the organization. The distance, which is even brought to notice, can be accounted for because of the employee’s job profiles or experience within the organization and not because of the kind of inequality brought among the employee relationship. Bringing to notice Hofstede’s dimensions for culture in India on the dimension of Power distance India ranks 77 as compared to the world on an average of 56.5 Hofstede.G, (1997), Google India Pvt. ltd seemed distant from this dimensional score. On reflection, the author recollects that even though the work experience in the organization was the first of her professional life, her start at the organization did not give her a distant feeling. The right of expression and freedom of thought and creativity was encouraged in the organization. Employees are supported, in addition to their regular projects, to spend 20% o f their time working in what they think will most benefit the Organization. The organization believes that many of their significant advances have happened in this manner for example, Adsense and Orkut. Additionally, the company falls under the flat organization structure, emphasizing on the importance of nooglers (new employees) taking up team responsibilities and thereby creating a sense of belonging. Furthermore, to remove the distribution of power distance the company believes in transparency of information from the CEO Eric Schmidt sharing information with that of a junior most employee such as that of an Ad Words Representative. Portals are constantly created for employees to voice their opinion and come up with solutions and ideas for existing and futuristic problems. Though, the organization being based nationally in that of India the organizational culture has not been influenced as yet by the national culture. 4.3.2 -Individualism Hofstede.G, (1997) stated that management in an individualist society is management of individuals. Subordinates can usually be moved around individually; if incentives or bonuses are given, these should be linked to an individual’s performance. Understanding that Individualism is appreciated with a stress on collective effort or team work, recruiters are always on the search of such employees who can maintain their individualism as well as perform collectively as a team. The organization encourages and motivates collective and team work, for which the appraisal is given on an Individual performance. Individualism holds that the individual is the primary unit of reality and the ultimate standard of value. This view does not deny that societies exist or that people benefit from living in them, but it sees society as a collection of individuals, not something over and above them. The organization is concerned about its employees well being and gives every opportunity to learn best practices through teams. Team meeting and inter team events are highly supported and are undertaken with a serious candor. In addition it promotes other employee clubs funding Googler network, Google Women Engineers and the Glbt- Gay, Lesbian, bisexual and transgender googler. Google being an American based organization with an Indian investment there is no difference on this dimension. 4.3.3 -Masculinity Defining the value placed on traditionally male or female value systems this dimension evaluates as to whether the organization gives importance to competitiveness, assertiveness, ambition and accumulation of wealth characteristics of the masculine culture or emphasis on relationships, and quality of life which represents that of the feminine culture.   As explained by Hofstede, G. (1997) masculinity and femininity when comparing the culture prevailing in one organization can be analyzed in he view of values in the organization. Morgan (1986:54) talks about modelling the behaviours implied in the values statement ‘The modelling of appropriate behaviour must occur at each level of the organization result in employees being modelled in these same behaviours.’ Looking at the Google culture it can be roughly said that the organization promotes a masculine value system in the organization because of the benefits it provides to its employees. Benefits such as, along with the basic salary a quarterly bonus and a company an annual bonus in the month of December, furthermore, transportation and food requirements which I provided with no charge and in abundance, health facilities as a gym and a spa along with a medical check up and medical coverage of Rs.5, 00,000 Indian currency on the employees and their immediate dependants. Additionally, day care centres for working parents and quarterly outings and entertainment (called movie nights) are held along with a total support to adventure, book and drama clubs, also, employees are given a discount in the most affluent stores and restaurants in the city. However, this may seem as a totally dominating masculine culture the founders of the Organization have not forgotten their corporate social responsibility and also believe in encouraging the feminine culture within the organization. The most significant commandment of the organization ‘Don’t be Evil’ this belief relies on the fact that com pany ought to do good for the world even if it has to forego some short term gains. Moreover, as users believe in their systems it is their duty to provide and unbiased and objective service. In addition to this it promotes the concept of team development and peer feedback to better the level of employee relationship within the organization. From a radical humanist paradigm though this may seem a balanced organizational culture it seems to be a strategy for the company to get hold of the employees from moving to different organization. 4.3.4 -Uncertainty Avoidance Index This dimension reflects the level of anxiety of the organization that is the extent up to which the organization attempts to cope with anxiety by minimizing uncertainty. Cultures that scored high in uncertainty avoidance prefer guidelines and structured circumstances, and the employee’s tenure in the company is longer. As expressed by Hofstede, G. (1997) â€Å"Laws and rules are ways in which a society tries to prevent uncertainties in the behaviour of people.† However, with regards to the organization there is awareness that business environment changes rapidly hence there is no hesitation to take high risk. The organization believes in funding projects that have 10% chance of earning a billion dollars over the long term as in the past pursuit of such projects have resulted in long term success. Although it cannot be quantified the specific level of risk that the organization is willing to undertake, as the ratio of reward to risk increases, the organization is ready t o accept projects further outside the current businesses, if the initial investment is small relative to the level of investment in our current businesses. To evaluate this as a high or low level of uncertainty avoidance is difficult to tell as it seems but natural that most organizations would definitely keep this as an ideal margin. Furthermore, the organization prides itself on doing business with and selling its products on policies and guidelines. With respect to policies and rules outside the business scenario for the employees it can be said that the regulations are minimum that which is in the best interest of the employee example ID badges, and transportation checks for the security of the employees. As clearly seen from the above graph India among all cultural dimension uncertainty avoidance is the lowest where it is always people likes or has a habit of breaking rules with regards to the organization it can be said there are no rules to be broken in the first place. Howev er, if minor offenses are committed employees are aware and are mindful of the fact that time is money and in time serious offenses can cost them their employment. As Brown(1998) states that rules and regulations of an organization bonds to have a good ethics in the work place and not which impose emotional stress on the behaviour of employees in the organization. Nonetheless, the rules and regulations in Google understand the freedom of the employees with knowledge of the importance of the national culture of the location of the organization. 4.3.5 -Long term orientation This dimension describes the time horizon, the long term or short-term vision of the individual. Hofstede.G, (1997) explains this new dimension of long term orientation verses the short term orientation can be analyzed related to the job security and the long term vision of the employee in the organization with respect to growth in an organization. Google determines that employees within the organization are happy with their current job. They have an added advantage of requesting the manager to give a work experience in different projects. Employees are moved to different project where Google aims to use employee rather than firing them, this shows that Google cares about its employees. The organization believes that business decisions will be made with the long-term welfare of the company and with share holders in mind and not based on accounting considerations. Therefore it can be stated that Google has a long-term oriented culture with respect to seeing the future of its employees . 5. Evaluation of Google organizational culture on Edgar Schein’s Three levels of Culture To understand the organization the best way to do it would be understanding the culture. Schein divides organizational culture into three levels: 5.1 Artifacts: This is being the most surface level of the organization example being the dress code in the company. 5.2 Espoused Values: Just below the level of the artifacts this level consists of the conscious strategies, goals and philosophies 5.3 Basic Assumptions and Values: the last lever is the core or essence of culture which is represented by the basic underlying assumptions and values, which are difficult to discern becausethey exist at a largely unconscious level. Figure 3. Schein’s Three levels of Culture Figure 4. Google’s Three levels of Organizational Culture 6. Criticisms Although the above models have been applied to help analyze the organizational culture, like any other theory they have their shortcomings. 6.1 Cultural dimension theory: Schwartz, (1992) argues that Hofstede’s survey based on one organization (IBM) in his view of culture in an organization; one cannot conclude that culture in all organization in that country practice the same. Furthermore, Brown (1998) criticizes Hofstede’s claims that he identified multiple national cultures or differences between such cultures, challenging his research approach. Brown also questions whether national culture dimensions uniform national actions and institutions agree with brown as a challenging environment in the present world organizations are challenging culture of work irrespective of the national culture. Finally, McSweeney, Brendan (January 2002) states Hofstedes work has not just also been criticized because he seems to identify cultures with nations based on the supposition that within each nation there is a uniform national culture. Other types of cultures are acknowledged to exist but allowed little, if any influence. 6.2 Sociological Paradigm: Though the sociological paradigm has been a well-accepted theory in Organizational management its acceptance within the social sciences have done so with little regard to the model’s internal consistency. Pinder and Bourgeoise (1982) state that Burrell and Morgan’s application of ontology has been misplaced. In addition, another fundamental issue is that whether the intra paradigm perspectives adhere to similar images of the subject matter. Hence, like most significant theories every shortcoming gives thought for future theories. Conclusion In conclusion the task has been challenging and educative for the author in comprehending the structure and culture of an organization though in many instances the observations could be in many aspects be influenced as an employee or my inadequacies of being a good observer to have noticed any kind of pro’s within the organization. However, my opinion on Google have changed understanding the difference of culture in an organization challenging the national culture in certain areas and understanding the cultural practice comparing other organization in different parts of the world. The author being in the quadrant of the Interpretivist Paradigm identifies with the organization being a merge of care and value systems. References google.com/ Adam Lashinky(January 29, 2008) ‘Google wins again’. From the link http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/18/news/companies/google.fortune/index.htm. Retrieved on 29th July 2009. Brown, A (1998) Organisational Culture, London, Financial Times. Burrell, G., Morgan, G(1979). Sociological Paradigms and Organizational Analysis:Heinemann, pp. 1-37 Collins, D. (1996) New Paradigms for Change: Theories of Organisation and the Organisation of Theories. Journal of organisational change management, Vol. 9 No. 4 pp9-23 Craig, S., Paul, D. (1991). The Management research handbook. London: Routledge, 318, pp. 24-38.. Elinor Mills (April 17, 2007)’ Meet Googles culture czar’ from the link http://news.cnet.com/Meet-Googles-culture-czar/2008-1023_3-6179897.html Retrieved on 1st August 2009. Hofstede, Geert. (1997) Culture and Organisations: Software of the Mind, Newyork, Mcgraw Hill. Louis, M.R (1997) Organizations as culture. McSweeney, B. (2002). Hofstedes Model Of National Cultural Differences And Their Consequences:A Triumph Of Faith- A Failure Of Analysis. Human Relations , 89-118. Mills, E. (2007, April 27). news.cnet.com. Retrieved 07 21, 2009, from Meet Googles culture czar: http://news.cnet.com/Meet-Googles-culture-czar/2008-1023_3-6179897.html Mintzberg, H(1983). Structure in Fives Designing Effective Organizations:Prentice Hall Inc. Ogbonna, E. Harris, L.C.(2002), Organizational Culture: A ten year, two phase study of change in the UK food retailing sector. Journal of Management studies, 39 (5), Culture pp. 673-706. Penny cook, A. (2001) Critical applied linguistics : a critical introduction. Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum., 2001. Schein, E. (1997, October). Organizational Culture Leadership . Retrieved 07 21, 2009, from www.tnellen.com: tnellen.com/ted/tc/schein.html Schein’s model 12manage.com/methods_schein_three_levels_culture.htmlWeber, M (1987). Economy and Society. Berkeley: University of California Press.Yu, E. S. K., Mylopoulos, J(1994). From E-R to â€Å"A-R† Modelling strategic actor relationships for business process reengineering. Manchester; 13-th Int. Conf. on the Entity-relationship Approach.

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Cause and effect - Essay Example It negatively affects a child’s health and well-being. It is a serious condition, which causes many heath problems as well as psychological problems for the children not only in their childhood but also in the adulthood. Lack of self-confidence is one of the major psychological effects of obesity on children. In addition, obese children do not find it easy to make friends because they are afraid of the comments that other children often pass to them. On the other hand, some of the most common health risks of childhood obesity revealed through various researches include joint pains, high level of cholesterol, heart problems, and high blood pressure. Smith (1999) states, â€Å"Obese people do not live as long as other people† (p. 5). Some other physical problems include inability to play games that require physical exertion and decrease in the stamina. There are various causes of childhood obesity. Some of the main causes include lack of focus towards physical exercises, genetics, and improper diet (Parizkova & Hills, 2005). Another cause of childhood obesity is poor nutritional habits. Researches prove that almost 45 percent of the obese children in the United States eat snacks and junk foods instead of taking a balanced diet. The poor diet choice of such children increase the level of fat in their bodies making them overweight as compared to other children of their age who take balanced diet daily. Moreover, some children like to play video games instead of playing such games, which require physical exertion. This trend in such children also leads to obesity. There exist some effective ways to control this medical problem. It can be controlled by taking balanced diet, doing physical exercises, and participating in social activities. Parents and teachers hold the responsibility to educate children about the effects of obesity to make them take balanced diet. Children should play more

Documentary for CNN Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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