Monday, September 30, 2019

Communication Process

Hypothesis The following hypothesis is used as a logical approach for completion of the essay. A hypothesis is used in order to identify all the key elements of the essay in a logical and a systematic order. The hypothesis is as follows; â€Å"Is effective communication more about identifying and overcoming barriers to communication? What is the nature of effective communication? † Based on the above hypothesis, I have listed the following key elements. 1. Communication 1. Communication process 2. Types of communication 3. Importance of communication 2.How communication can influence an organization? 3. Effective & ineffective communication 1. What is effective communication? 2. Importance of effective communication 3. What is ineffective communication? 4. How both effective and ineffective communication affects an organization? 4. Identifying & overcoming communication barriers 1. Barriers to effective communication 2. How to overcome barriers to communication? 1. Introductio n â€Å"Communication is the use of verbal and non-verbal communication between people trying to create shared meaning. † (Yoder, Hugenberg & Wallace 1996)Throughout the history of mankind, their uniqueness in communication has become the key element in their success to become the most developed and well organized living beings among thousands of others. It is no different when comes to the corporate world, better the communication process that an organization posses, better the performances they achieve in today’s competitive world. So it has become vital for an organization to keep its communication process as effectively as possible in order achieve its organizational goals in a both effective and efficient manner.So the following essay was prepared with the intention of giving the readers a better understanding and a clear view of what is effective communication and what makes the communication a process an effective one. 2. 0 What is communication? Communication i s where two or more people will transfer information, feelings, ideas and opinions between or among each others. 2. 1 The communication process This is the standard model of a communication process. This process always takes place between two parties.Sender – The starting point of the communication process, sender will encode the message Message – The information which is sent to the receiver. Channel – Is the medium which transfers the message from the sender to the receiver. Barriers – Barriers are the distortions which make the message not to be conveyed as intended. Receiver – The person who’s at the end of the process and who’ll decode the message Feedback – It will be the final step of the communication process where receiver sends a message as reply to the sender. 2.Types of communication Different forms of communication media like televisions, radios are used by people in order to communicate information,opinions, etc, among each others. The most primitive ways of communication are by body language,speaking,sign language and eye contact. All of those communication methods can be broadly divided in to two main types. Those two types of communication are as follows. †¢ Verbal communication †¢ Non verbal communication 1. Verbal communication Verbal communication includes sounds, words, language and speaking.When it comes to business,  verbal communication  is very important for the reason being that you are dealing with a variety of people through out the day. In some cases you may deal with people who have different culture, ages and with different levels of experience. Fluent verbal communication is essential to deal with people in business meetings. Business communication  self-confidence  plays a vital role which when matched with fluent  communication skills. 2. Non verbal communicationNon-verbal communication  involves physical ways of communication, like, tone of the voic e, touch, smell and body motion. Symbols and sign language are also included in non-verbal communication. Body language is a non-verbal way of communication. Body posture and physical contact convey a lot of information. Body posture matters a lot when you are communicating verbally to someone. Folded arms and crossed legs are some of the signals conveyed by a body posture. Physical contact, like, shaking hands, pushing, patting and touching expresses the feeling of intimacy.Facial expressions, gestures and eye contact are all different ways of communication. 3. Importance of communication Every action a person or an organization takes is mostly based on the information available; to perform that specific action as intended, relevant information will be required. Even after performing the act, the party which performed it will need a feedback to identify whether the performed act bore the intended results. So it is clear that, without communication, none of those would be possible. 3. 0 Involvement of communication in an organization.For an organization to run smoothly, it has to have a well structured communication process inside its own. According to Kondrat (2009), Communication is the â€Å"lifeblood† of every organization. A vital means of attending to company concerns is through effective internal communication. Decision making is the most vital activity in an organization, to make decisions, to implement them and to reassess those decisions, organizational management will require relevant information. As discussed previously to have better information, better communication among all layers is required.So it is evident that, better the communication inside the organization, better the decision it makes and also better the results. 3. 1 Formal communication channels Formal channels are used within an organization in order to make the flow of information smoother among all levels in the chain of command. In the general aspect, there are three main c ommunication flows within an organization. Those are downward, upward and horizontal communication. 3. 1. 1 Downward communication It is the communication flow which is used by managers in an organization mainly to give orders and instructions.In a downward communication, the information flow will be from top to bottom, where managers will send messages to their subordinates. Those messages will include implementation of managerial decisions such as goals, plans and strategies, job instructions, rationale, procedures, practices, performance feedbacks, etc. 3. 1. 2 Upward communication Under this channel, information flow will be from the lower levels to the higher levels. Upward communication is more popular in learning organizations, where the lower levels of employees do get involved in the decision making process by giving their suggestions.Upward communication can be helpful in problem solving as the parties who are actually involved in the problem can give their point of view t o the higher management. 3. 1. 3 Horizontal communication In horizontal communication, parties which are in the same level will communicate with each others. (e. g. inter departmental) This can be helpful to coordinate activities and request support. 3. 2 Informal communication channel These are the communication channels which are not authorized as formal communication channels and it doesn’t have a clear pattern of the hierarchical levels included.Literally an informal communication channel is a channel which can connect anyone in the organization. Examples for informal communication channels †¢ Management by walking around (MBWA) †¢ Grapevine 4. 0 Effective and Ineffective communication As the topic of this essay relates, achieving effective communication is vital. So before discussing about methods of achieving effective communication, it is more sensible to discuss what is meant by effective communication and what is meant by ineffective communication. 4. 1 Wha t is effective communication?The communication process can be recognized as an effective one, when the receiver decodes and understand the message as intended by the sender. Furthermore, a proper feedback from the receiver to the sender will also facilitate effective communication. 4. 2 Importance of effective communication Effective communication skills is most likely to prevent conflicts and solve current conflicts it is learnt that through effective means of communication people can negotiate and arrive at possible solutions. The benefits of effective communication are many as they enhance all aspects of personal and professional lives. . 3 What is ineffective communication? This is a process by which the meaning the receiver attaches to a message may be completely different to the message intended by the sender. So it is evident that the basic concept of communication, which is sharing ideas and information among each other will be broken down if ineffective communication takes place. 4. 4 Importance of effective communication to an organization According to Panse (2009), Most companies and organizations have people working in small teams.This has been found to be more effective and productive than a single individual toiling away at a project. When you have three or four more people working on an issue, you have the advantage of having access to more ideas and solutions for the project, of having more checking safeguards against any flaws in the plan, and of being able to establish more network connections. A group is also more likely to take on and complete large-scale, complex projects. For the team to operate smoothly there must be open and efficient communication between the members of the teamTeam communication is important for the following reasons – †¢ Project-related information needs to be shared. †¢ Each member of the team needs to be acquainted with the team goal and his/her role in the team. †¢ Effective and open communic ation lines create feelings of trust and of belonging to the team. The more the members feel valued the more dedicated they are likely to be, and this in turn makes it easier for the team as a whole to achieve its goals. 4. 5 Affects of ineffective communication on an organization Ineffective communication hampers organizational success.This can also be seen as miscommunication. In an organization ineffective communication can occur due to many reasons. So it is important as a manager to curb these issues and create an effective communication channel. Ineffective communication leads to conflict within the organization and lead to distortion of information and this misunderstanding between department and individuals. Lack of effective communication may lead to a breakdown in interactions between employees in the organization. 5. Identifying and overcoming communication barriers.As discussed under the communication process, communication barriers are universal for any type of communic ation. In the perspective of an organization, barriers to communication can be divided into two main categories as individual barriers and organizational barriers. 5. 1 Individual barriers – Individual barriers are fatigue, poor listening skills, attitude toward the sender or the information, lack of interest in the message, fear, mistrust, past experiences, negative attitude, problems at home, lack of common experiences, and emotions. . 2 Organizational barriers – One of the major organizational barriers is the high power distance between low and high level employees. Due to this subordinates will not share sensitive information with their superiors as a result of the fear of facing negative reactions from the top management towards them. Poorly structured organizational channels will also active as an organizational barrier towards communication. 5. 3 Methods of overcoming barriers †¢ Using constructive feedback Training employees to involve active listening whe n they communicate †¢ Training employees to constraint their emotions †¢ Eliminating differences in perception †¢ Proper communication channel selection By using some or all of the methods mentioned above, an organization can reduce the impact done by communication barriers. 6. Conclusion In conclusion under the current situation, effective communication has universally become mandatory in order to achieve success. According to Kondrat (2009), Communication is the â€Å"lifeblood† of every organization.A vital means of attending to company concerns is through effective internal communication. If a manager is able to communicate their ideas clearly, so that employees definitely know what is asked of them, the subordinates will, consequently, perform their jobs correspondingly. On contrast, an aggressive way of managing reports results in employees’ getting more and more frustrated often guessing what their real faults are To achieve effective communicatio n, one must have a clear understanding about the communication process and how it functions.On the other hand, having a thorough understanding about the communication process will not help to build up effective communication. So it is wiser to find out what factors make communication effective. As discussed above, what make a communication process ineffective are the communication barriers. When those barriers are in place, they can disrupt the communication process in a huge manner. Those barriers will make, encoding and decoding the message hard. If it happens, the message will not be sent and received as intended.So then the whole communication process will become ineffective, as the sole reason for the process’ existence relies on conveying the intended message properly. This proves that identifying and overcoming communication barriers are important to have effective communication. Understanding the communication process will definitely help to make communication effecti ve, but it will not eradicate the main obstacles for effective communication, which are the communication barriers.So it is now very clear that identifying and overcoming the communication barriers are far more important for effective communication than understanding the communication process. 7. References Communication Skills-Start Here, (1995). Retrieved on April 30, 2010 from http://www. mindtools. com/CommSkll/CommunicationIntro. html Management Skills Resources, (2009). Retrieved on May 1, 2010 from http://www. bizmove. com/skills/m8g. htm Maya Pillai, (n. d). Barriers to effective Communication, Retrieved on May 1, 2010 from http://www. buzzle. om/articles/barriers-to-effective-communication. html Mortensen (1998) Communication Models, Retrieved on May 1, 2010 from http://www. shkaminski. com/Classes/Handouts/Communication%20Models. htm Overcoming Communication Barriers, (n. d) , Retrieved on May 1, 2010 from http://managementstudyguide. com/overcoming-communication-barriers. htm Sonal Panse, (2009). Effective team communication. Retrieved on May 1, 2010, from http://www. buzzle. com/articles/small-group-communication-effective-team-communication. html ———————– Feedback Barriers Receiver Message Sender

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Constitution Dbq

A few hundred years ago, a large group of men gathered in one big room to establish a Constitution that would lay down the basic set up of the United States of America. This new constitution covered everything from government to the rights of all the citizens of America. Thomas Jefferson, who was not part of the creation of the Constitution, said that all the good that is in the new Constitution was accomplished by amending the Articles of Confederation. Shortly after the Articles of Confederation was created, the creators of the document realized that the newly found country was running as smoothly as planned.The Articles did not cover everything necessary to ensure a well balanced country. With thirteen states independent, rebellion started to break out. So when they got together to write the Constitution, they had to look at the faults in the Articles and determine what needed to change. Whether it was giving Congress more power, establishing a military, or having the states only hold enough power to deal with local matter, if this country wanted to prosper, the Articles of Confederation had to be amended.The writers of the Constitution didn't want too much power to go to a single group in the government, so they set up a three branch system to ensure that not one branch had to much power. After the Articles were written, states were using their power to try to gain more and the balance was broken, so by amending the Articles, the balance could be restored. The first branch was the Legislative branch, which was made of of the Congress. The problem was that congress had been set up with proportional representation and the smaller states weren't happy about that.So it was decided that Congress be split into two branches, House of Representatives (which was based on proportion) and the Senate (which every state had representatives in) and this satisfied all the states, big and small. The reason that all these compromises had to be made was because the Articles did not give everyone equal share so the states were not happy and therefore they rebelled. With the Constitution being written to help every state equally, a well balanced government was put into play. The second branch of the government that they set up was the Executive ranch, which was made up of the newly founded President and Vice President. This was different from the Articles because originally there was no figurehead in government, but the Constitution out in play the role of a man who would control one branch of the government and balance out the shaky governmental issues. The role of the President is to veto laws made by the legislative branch of the government, he appoints other positions in the government and also deals with foreign treaties. This was an amendment to the Articles that would not strike rebellion or unsettle the states.The final branch of government that was set up by the constitution was the Judicial branch. This was the branch that interprets the law up on those in the country who break them. It was a court system set up by smaller courts that dealt with minor or local crimes and then the supreme court that dealt with crimes to the government, or serious affairs. The reason that this was a good thing to change from the Articles, was now that there are laws set, there is also a system in which to punish those who feel the need to break them.With this three branch system, the government would be very strong, and would not anger the United States. The writers of the Constitution knew that, like the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution would not be a perfect document and that problem with the way it is set up might appear in the future so they wrote it very loosely. The Constitution was set up so that amendments could be made, the same way they were made to the Articles. If something in the constitution needed to be amended, the Legislative branch would create the amendment, then if the Executive branch didn't agree, they would veto it.If all went well then the amendment would be made and the Judicial branch would interpret the amendment to the country. The Constitution was well thought out when being written. The last thing that was added to the constitution was the Bill of Rights, which ten of the most important rights given to Americans. Whether it was the freedoms of speech, press, or religion, the writers of the Constitution wanted all men to have their rights to living in freedom. Giving set rights of Americans was never established in the original Articles of Confederation.The Articles of Confederation were created very loosely and with many flaws. It was not well thought out and had many issues that would bring the citizens of America to unrest. When writing the Constitution, the writers had to look back on the Articles of Confederation and review the problems in the construction of the document, and assessed the issues in it. The Constitution was such a success because it amended the unsuccessful Articles of Confederation. Constitution Dbq DBQ: How Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny? Americans desperately fought against tyranny with the best weapon they had, the Constitution. During the colonial times, King George III demanded many things from the colonists that were living in the Americas. This was caused by the aftermath of the French and Indian War. This caused increasing debts for the King and England; therefore the King was forced to raise the taxes of America and England. This increase in tax made the Americans angry which caused more events to unravel.After many different battles between King George III and America, America declared its independence on July 4, 1776. After this declaration, many things began to heat up over the representation in government. Tyranny was mentioned many times during the course of these events, causing the creation of the Constitution. The Constitution guarded against tyranny in four ways: federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, and big states versus small stat es/The Great Compromise. One part of the Constitution that helped the Americas was federalism.Document A shows that the first step the framers of the Constitution took to protect the Americas from tyranny was using a form of government called Federalism. James Madison’s idea for division of power between central and state governments is known as Federalism. (Doc A). From the chart in Document A, you will notice that this clearly prevents tyranny from happening. The powers that are needed to run a country are given to the federal government such as declaring war, coining money, and conducting foreign relations. (Doc A).Also, powers that are needed for a state are given, such as holding election and regulating in-state businesses. (Doc A). Powers that are needed by both state and federal law are shared. This prevents tyranny from happening because the states can’t take control of federal powers, and the federal government can’t take control of state powers. They c an only take the power shared and the powers that each of them own. The second step the framers took to protect us from tyranny was to divide the central government into three branches.The section in Document B taken from the Constitution shows the three branches of government and their powers. James Madison said, â€Å" The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elected, may be justly pronounced the very definition of tyranny. † (Doc B). The Constitution clearly does not put the powers of legislative, executive, and judiciary in one or many hands.All branches have split power. The legislative branch can only have the powers of Congress. (Doc B). The executive branch has powers vested within the president. (Doc B). Lastly, the judicial branch has its powers vested in the highest court of the nation, the Supreme Court. As you can see, the Constitution preve nts any branch to gain power from other branches. The framers of the Constitution created a clever way to prevent tyranny of one branch over other branches, with a system of check and balances.James Madison said, â€Å"The constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that they may be a check on the other. † (Doc C). The diagram shows the branches have checks on each other. If the president tries to take power of another branch, the legislative branch can then impeach the president. (Doc C). This is the check of the legislative branch on the executive branch. Each branch has a check of every other branch, so if one branch is doing something wrong, another branch can check the wronged branch, and fix the problem.This explains how another branch can’t take full control and there is always going to be equal checks and balances. One of the last things the framers of the Constitution did to make sure no tyranny would arise was to make sure th e smaller states got a fair vote in Congress. In the Constitutional Convention, two plans were proposed called the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan was favored by the large states and was based on population. The New Jersey Plan favored the small states and gave each state an equal amount of votes.Eventually after all the arguing, they came up with something called the Great Compromise. This proposed Congress would be composed of the Senate and The House of Representatives. The House of Representatives is based on population, which provides fairness to large states. (Doc D). On the other hand, the Senate has two representatives from each state, which provides fairness to the smaller states. (Doc D). Unquestionably, this provides fairness among both large and small states, taking a closer step to ridding tyranny.To sum it up, the framers of the Constitution protected us from the evil of tyranny using the four methods, Federalism, dividing the government into t hree branches, a system of checks and balances, and preventing large states from creating tyranny over the small states in Congress. James Madison said, â€Å"The accumulation of power in the same hands whether of one, a few, or many, is the very definition of tyranny,† and the Constitution does a great job of preventing that. The framers succeeded in creating a strong built Constitution because all four methods have created security that no tyrant or tyranny would arise.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Marketing Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marketing Assignment - Essay Example In the recent past, the countries especially that of United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen have come up as the major real-estate hubs of the world. There were many reasons for such development. The locations of the middle-eastern countries proved to be very vital for such development as they could be reached from Europe, Africa and Asia with in few hours of flight. The government of these nations was also very supportive to the real estate projects as they became source of foreign exchange for the economies. But with the economic recession and liquidity crunch taking toll over the world economy, the housing bubble of the middle-east got the beating. As more of the global companies of repute and leading multinational companies bankrupted and laid off their employees, the industry of real estate in the near east region which was basically redundant for the global citizens faced the severe music. Since the end of last decade the boom of real estate has been evident in the cities of Middle East like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The huge boom in the real estate market was primarily because of the increasing life style of the citizens of the world. Having an apartment in the posh location of the above mentioned cities has been like of a status symbol. The various amendments of regulations by the governments of Middle Eastern nations also supported the cause. Compared with the demand of having apartment for residence or office space, the supply always fell short. Therefore, the prices went on increasing. Numerous projects are coming up with large number of units mostly as the satellite townships near the big cities. It was estimated by the reputed market research agency, Colliers International that in 2007 more than 14,000 villas and 18,000 apartments were under construction only near to the mega city of Abu Dhabi. The market research report forecasted the figure to reach appro ximately around 205,000 by 2015. According to the international agency, projects like

Friday, September 27, 2019

Mazda Positioning a Product Line Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mazda Positioning a Product Line - Essay Example But over years companies have recognized the importance of being closer to the customers. Marketers identified the importance of emphasizing the process of communication and the channels used for communicating. This led to the emergence of IMC. IMC is all about strengthening the relationship of the brand with the consumers. This is where communication plays the lead role. (Karthik, 2003) Marketing communication is aimed at retaining customers than to acquire customers. A more advanced form involves selecting customers whereby the most prospective customers are identified. (Smith & Taylor, 2004) The importance of marketing communication is evident from the way marketers and management experts view the advertisement. There was a period when advertisements were criticised and portrayed as a social evil. But nowadays, companies approach advertising as a long-term investment. (Stanley et.al., 1992) This marketing report is aimed at analyzing the product positioning efforts done by Mazda. The case is analyzed in detail in the report. The main intention of the report is to study and analyze the various IMC concepts used by Mazda in the various product positioning efforts. The new marketing effort was a very big challenge for the company because it involved changing the total customer perception of a product. Television ads are one of the most effective tools of IMC. The  Internet is another powerful tool for marketing. (Richards & Brown, 2006) A company that intends to establish or re-establish a brand can depend usually on these prominent sources of advertising. (Shimp, 2007) It is necessary that the advertisement should be appealing to the target audience. An ad that is targeted at a particular group should contain those message and information that are appealing to them. Mazda’s intention of re-branding Protà ©gà © was to position it as a car for young enthusiasts. Women usually spend a  lot of time in front of the  TV. This was the reason why Mazda chose to use the  TV for the new Protà ©gà © ad. Mazda wanted to place the car in the minds of the customers as a car that can be used for hang out and also for fun drive.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Conversational messages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Conversational messages - Essay Example How we give out accounts and how it is accepted or not depend on one’s culture. We tend to use the different types of accounts whenever our behavior or action is subjected to a valuative inquiry, which is a request for an explanation for an inappropriate or unexpected behavior, or failure to adhere to an expected or appropriate behavior (Cody & Dunn, p. 263). That is exactly why accounts are based on cultural and social expectations. The use of accounts is associated with the politeness theory. The politeness theory considers two concepts, face work and politeness forms. People prefer apologies as preferred speech acts for receivers compared to excuses, justifications and denials (Cody & Dunn, p. 266). The face work is an important concept in the politeness theory. There are two types of face work, the positive face and the negative face. Positive face reflects appreciation and respect for each communicator’s role while the negative face reflects one’s desire to be free of constraints or obligations (Cody & Dunn, p. 266). This can be better understood through a sample situation. Let’s say you arrived late for a meeting and you say, I’m sorry I’m late. I know how important your time is so let’s get started immediately. That is a positive face. A negative face will be like this, I’m sorry for being late but the heavy traffic caught up with me. You have made an apolo gy followed by an excuse that indicates you do not have control over what happened. You wanted to be free of the negative consequences of being late. The use of apologies and excuses depend on the cultural and social values important for the communicators. The expected behavior of Americans may be different from the expected behavior of Japanese when it comes to giving apologies. In an American or British setting, formality may be perceived as impolite among intimates, like family members, because it may appear as sarcasm or a mockery (Ogiermann, p. 37). Japanese preferred saying

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Army Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Army Leadership - Essay Example After much contemplation, analysis and evaluation it came to my attention that NCO regard in the military and in the face of the public has decreased substantially. The solution lies in going back to what I now realize was a â€Å"full-spectrum† NCO system. The first notable difference that is requisite for today’s NCO is the establishment of an institutional training that allows for 360-degree assessment (United States Department of the Army, 2012). This, in the past decade has degraded almost entirely. Various aspects of this profession seem to be having a lot of focus and attention whilst others seem to receive close to none. For instance, public perception has it that other than put up colorful ceremonies and carry on strenuous drills an NCO, for the most part, does nothing else. Perhaps it is because of this logic that these two areas focus on institutional preparation at the expense of other important elements. As in the previous era, NCO like all soldiers, were well rounded. This ensured that the attributes that they put out were desirable and valuable. They also need for a good balance in their emotional stability and output. Anybody that has been around long enough will attest to the fact that determination has been an important part of the stance of soldiers in previous days. This is because stance tells of personality. Regardless of how much technical knowledge one amasses, the endowment of the psychological and physiological aspects is equally significant. The current institutional training programs overlook this aspect of training. In contrast to the period spanning a decade, I cannot help but notice the difference in the outlook of first line soldiers. It is important to highlight that first line soldiers bear responsibility for those falling behind them (Center for Army Leadership, 2008). First line soldiers should

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Competition analysis and 4p's strategy analysis Case Study

Competition analysis and 4p's strategy analysis - Case Study Example Fleisher and Bensoussan stated that the current business environment is mainly characterized with heightened competition and therefore, for businesses to survive and remain profitable, they always have to be aware of strengthens possessed by their competitors and their weakness. Thereby use this information to capitalize on their key strengthens whilst making their weaknesses to be part of their strengths (34-38). The Paderno Cookware Company operates in a highly competitive environment since there are other key players in the industry such as Meyer Canada, which is a leading global distributor of metal cookware that have been manufactured by its affiliate companies. The second key competitor of Paderno is the Canadian cookware, which is a subsidiary of the BelKraft Group of Companies that specializes in the manufacture of the waterless cookware. The Meyer Canada Company offers a wide variety of cookware products that range from stainless steel, hard-anodized aluminum, and nonstick a luminum while the Canadian Cookware mainly specialize in production of waterless cookware that is health conscious. Another significant competitor of Paderno is the original Paderno cookware company from Italy, which still exist and it own the rights of the Paderno name in every country expect for Canada. The unique strengths of these competitors lies on the products that they manufacture and sells, more so for Meyer Canada, which produces a wide variety of products unlike the others include Paderno. The Meyer Canada Company poses a threat to the Paderno Cookware Company because of the fact that it has affiliates in various countries who are obligated to conduct an aggressive marketing campaign and sell the company’s products. The main threat that is posed by Canadian Cookware Company comes from the fact that it has branded itself as a cookware company that is health oriented meaning its products are health conscious and therefore, consumers who are conscious about their heal th will prefer the company’s products. The threat posed by the original Paderno company comes from the fact that it is able to used the Paderno brand name to market itself across other countries other than Canada, which means that it incur lower cost in marketing in foreign countries as compared to trying to promote a new brand name in a foreign country. These three competitors make opportunity for Paderno Cookware Company to be the only leading cookware company that focuses on manufacturing cookware using the highest grade of 18/10 stainless steel and bonding on the outside book of the products using a thick aluminum pad. Moreover, Paderno has an opportunity to increase further its sales because these competitors only exploit one sales avenue unlike Paderno, which exploits for avenues for selling and hence it is able to generate more sales revenue. 4Ps strategic analysis Borden described the 4Ps as the four key elements that marketers use or emphasize on, in order to effecti vely market products and/ or service thereby generate more sales (23-25). Solis stated that the 4Ps are controllable elements within an organization that can be exploited to create the main sources of a company’

Monday, September 23, 2019

The operation of your State Disaster Management System and its new Essay

The operation of your State Disaster Management System and its new state of the art Emergency Operations Center - Essay Example What would we do? Or maybe what could we do? Thus, if in the manner that we cannot prevent things to happen, then what we can do and must to is to be ready and prepare ourselves in any calamity that comes into our way. What matters during these times would be our lives and that we must know how to take care of ourselves up to the point that we can be at ease to our security. One of the most basic yet effective ways would be self-preparedness because even though we are already in the era of advance technologies, we cannot still rely on these most of the time and consider this as our secondary option, so to speak. There are times that the government was delayed in rescues and we cannot deny the fact that there are flaws also in the materials being used. There are also cases regarding these like for example the Dumas, Arkansas Tornado wherein the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not supply enough quality trailers needed. One of the most efficient and effective method used that was observed is the people empowerment method educating the citizens to manage themselves in times of calamities and disasters. What we do in here is to give free seminars, actual-case demos, the do’s and don’ts and first aids lectures to ensure maximum security of the citizens. In this way, they are at least competent to manage themselves and that these will help them a lot in times of troubles. People Empowerment Under our law, there two main agencies that are in-charge of management disaster control namely: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Executive cabinet of Department of Homeland Security (DHS); and the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (COE) that was established by the US Congress. In line with the DHS, the Citizens Corps (a voluntary organization) seeks to mitigate disaster and prepare the population for emergency response through public education, training, and outreach. What our state do is to give seminars and actual-case demo to at least make our citizen prepare when an unexpected things occurs. We target the youngsters in schools and teach them what they would do in times of calamities. An example would be earthquake drills, first aids and alike. We target class rooms and young people because these are the ones that mostly freak-out when disasters happen. Also, in school or university, we expect a massive population in which students outnumbered the school staff. Thus, they must know what they do to avoid things that could make the situation worst. One thing that we aim is to evade circumstances like stampede during evacuation in times of earthquake. We educate the people to know their responsibility and make them cooperate to make our disaster management system work in its full level. Moreover, we highly recommend the people to update themselves of the weather condition that the state has to prepare the things that they will need if worst cases happen. We do not st op in people empowerment alone, though we consider this as one of our best option in disaster management, still we equip our state with facilities that could easily reach out our people and backed them up to maximize their protection. We used the latest tools and gadgets that are known to be more efficient in recuing other people. The mobile emergency response support that is responsible to provide information regarding

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Student Assessment Essay Example for Free

Student Assessment Essay A current policy issue that is plaguing our educational system is the emphasis put on student assessments. Teachers are at odds in their classrooms on whether to teach the necessities that students will need to be productive in our society, to simply teach what will be tested on state and federally mandated assessments, or both. Teachers are forced to find a balance within their instructions due to the time restraints that stand in their way. When teachers are able to find this balance and present all the concepts that are included in assessment, plus all other concepts, the results from the assessments can be very beneficial to their classrooms. Assessment results have important implications for instruction. The primary aim of assessment is to foster learning of worthwhile academic content for all students (Wolf, Bixby, Glenn, Gardner, 1991). School communities use assessment results in a formative way to determine how well they are meeting instructional goals and how to alter curriculum and instruction so that goals can be better met. But if what schools assess and how schools assess do not match what is taught and how it is taught, then the results are meaningless, if not potentially harmful. Theres also potential for harm when decisions affecting students futures are being made based on results of assessments made with tools that are not appropriate for the purpose. Some schools are attempting to change assessment to match the content and format of instruction, and are therefore relying more upon alternative assessment. Alternative assessments include performance-based assessment, portfolios, student-designed assessments, etc. , and are considered by many educators to be more reflective of new curricular goals and methods of instruction. Some educators view alternative assessment as a better way to determine how well students are learning traditional forms of assessment like multiple choice tests. Alternative forms of assessment might best serve some of these purposes while more traditional forms could still serve others. Regardless of the purpose, however, the form of assessment used must reflect a teacher’s instructional goals and must be of high technical quality. (White Fredericksen, 1994) Alternative forms of assessment require knowledge and skills that most teachers have not had the opportunity to learn, which in fact poses another issue with these types of classroom assessments. Without the knowledge and skills, teachers will be doing their students a disservice by conducting faulty assessments. Providing teachers with the time that is essential for learning is necessary to making changes in assessment practices. Teachers need time to produce and implement the assessments. Teachers also need time to work with one another to share ideas and reach consensus because integrating instruction and assessment requires coordination. Alternative assessment will not be effective if it is added to the list of responsibilities for teachers. (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 1991) When assessment results are used to make important decisions, there is a danger that instruction will narrowly focus on what is assessed while other important curricular goals and content are neglected (Romberg, Zarinnia, Williams, 1989). All assessments include only a sample of the total content contained within a curriculum. Critics of multiple-choice tests, for example, suggest that the skills usually assessed by multiple-choice testing become the focus of instruction at the expense of more substantial content. Alternative assessment presents a solution to this situation by ensuring that the content of the assessment matches the most important content in the curriculum. However, regardless of how much the content of an assessment is improved, when teachers narrowly focus on what is tested, the assessment results will only reveal the students learning of the test content, not whether they could perform a related task in a different environment. For example, if instruction is focused on a skill that is a test requirement, the results of the test will reflect only the students performance in a testing environment, not his/her general ability to perform that skill in everyday settings. This limitation is primarily a concern in large-scale districts or state testing situations where important decisions are based on a limited sample of student performances. The most important factors in determining the technical quality of assessments are the assessments’ reliability, validity, and fairness. If the quality of an assessment is not ensured, grouping practices, and coverage and pacing decisions may be based on invalid estimates of students capabilities. Sometimes grouping decisions can reflect or reinforce racial and socioeconomic inequities, or the decisions might be based on prior achievement that was artificially low due to past limited opportunities to learn. If all students have not had an equal opportunity to learn, then grouping and pacing decisions based on test results are unfair. (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 1991) Good assessment requires minimizing factors that could lead to misinterpretation of results. The criteria for meeting this requirement are reliability, validity, and fairness. Reliability is defined as an indication of the consistency of scores across evaluators or over time. An assessment is considered reliable when the same results occur regardless of when the assessment occurs or who does the scoring. There should be compelling evidence to show that results are consistent across raters and across scoring occasions. (Elliott, 1994) Validity is defined as an indication of how well an assessment actually measures what it is supposed to measure. Three aspects of an assessment that must be evaluated for validity are tasks, extraneous interference, and consequences. Every assessment requires students to complete some task or activity. A valid task should reflect actual knowledge or performance, engage and motivate students to perform to the best of their ability, be consistent with current educational theory and practice, be reviewed by experts to judge content quality and authenticity. Extraneous interference occurs when there is something in the assessment that might get in the way of students being able to demonstrate what they know and can do. A valid assessment does not require knowledge or skills that are irrelevant to what is actually being assessed. Some examples of these might include students’ ability to read, write, role-play, or understand the context, personality, physical limitations, or knowledge of irrelevant background information. Valid assessments also minimize unintended negative consequences. Negative effects of assessments might include restricting curricula to what can be easily assessed, communicating unintended messages about power, control, or social status, and fostering narrow images of the nature of a particular discipline. (Elliott, 1994) Fairness means that an assessment should allow for students of both genders and all backgrounds to do equally well. All students should have equal opportunity to demonstrate the skills and knowledge being assessed. The fairness of the assessment is jeopardized if bias exists either in the task or in the rater. (Elliott, 1994) In this atmosphere of reform, student assessment is the centerpiece of many educational improvement efforts. Policymakers hope that changes in assessment will cause teachers and schools to do things differently. Assessment reform is viewed as a means of setting more appropriate targets for students, focusing staff development efforts for teachers, encouraging curriculum reform, and improving instruction and instructional materials. (Fuchs, 1994) Many educators and policymakers believe that what gets assessed is what gets taught and that the format of assessment influences the format of instruction. Contrary to our understanding of how students learn, many assessments test facts and skills in isolation, seldom requiring students to apply what they know and can do in real-life situations. Standardized tests do not match the emerging content standards, and over-reliance on this type of assessment often leads to instruction that stresses basic knowledge and skills. Rather than encouraging changes in instruction toward the engaged learning that will prepare students for the 21st century, these tests encourage instruction of less important skills and passive learning. (Fuchs, 1994) Since the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only national representative and continuing assessment of what Americas students know and can do in various subject areas, it seemed to be the most obvious choice for exploration. In exploration of this policy, research will be conducted to find out how affective it is within our country. The terms of this policy requires that assessments be conducted periodically in mathematics, reading, science, writing, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U. S. history. Because of the issues of assessment, NAEP’s assessment will be probed to find if they are reliable, valid, and fair being that it serves as a type models for all other assessment practices. Under the current structure, the Commissioner of Education Statistics, who heads the National Center for Education Statistics in the U. S. Department of Education, is responsible by law for carrying out the NAEP project. The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), appointed by the Secretary of Education but independent of the Department, sets policy for NAEP and is responsible for developing the framework and test specifications that serve as the blueprint for the assessments. The National Assessment Governing Board develops the frameworks that provide the theoretical basis for the assessment and specific direction for what kinds of knowledge and skills should be assessed, how the exercises should be designed, and how student responses should be scored. These frameworks are the result of comprehensive efforts in which teachers, curriculum experts, policymakers, and members of the general public worked to create a unified vision of how a particular subject ought to be assessed. This vision is based on current educational research on achievement and its measurement, and good educational practices. (National Center for Education Statistics) References Berk, R. A. (1993). National Trends in Student and Teacher Assessment: Issues in Performance Assessment. Retrieved January 17, 2008 from http://nesonline. com/PDFs/1993_05Berk. pdf Elliott, S. N. (1994). Creating meaningful performance assessments: Fundamental concepts. Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children. Fuchs, L. S. (1994). Connecting performance assessment to instruction. Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children. National Center for Education Statistics. NEAP Overview. Retrieved on January 20, 2008 from http://www. nces. ed. gov/nationsreportcard/about/ North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, PBS Elementary/Secondary Service, in partnership with the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (UCLA/CRESST) (1991). Schools That Work: The Research Advantage. Part IV: Alternatives for Measuring Performance. Oak Brook, IL: Authors. Romberg, T. , Zarinnia, A. Williams, S. (1989). The Influence of Mandated Testing on Mathematics Instruction: Grade Eight Teachers Perceptions. In Romberg, T. Wilson, L. (1992, September), Alignment of Tests with the Standards, Arithmetic Teacher, 40 (1), 18-22. White, B. Y. Fredericksen, J. R. (1994, Fall). Using Assessment to Foster a Classroom Research Community. Educator, 19-24. Wolf, D. , Bixby, J. , Glenn, J. , III, Gardner, H. (1991). To use their minds well: Investigating new forms of student assessment. Review of Research in Education, 17, 31-74.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Qing China and the consequences of the golden age Essay Example for Free

Qing China and the consequences of the golden age Essay Introduction The â€Å"Prosperous Age† was a period where Qing China experienced a drastic increase in population, flourishing trade and commerce, and a remarkable level of social and political stability during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong. However, its brilliance was overshadowed by its subsequent consequences and China was soon at its breaking point in the 19th century. This essay would then evaluate on the implications of the â€Å"Prosperous Age† and how the long-term consequences proved to be more negative in the 19th century due to a string of crisis, and subsequent problems that continued even in modern China of the 20th century. Negative Unanticipated Long Term Consequences Reversal of Trade Fortunes with Britain During the 18th century, there was mounting European demand for Chinese goods (Hung, 2011). Britain in particular, had strong liking and demand for Chinese goods especially tea. Hence, it led to the outflow of British silver into China, but little inflow of silver back into the British economy resulted in China enjoying a trade surplus (City University HK, 2007) while Britain suffered from a trade deficit. To redress this deficit, Britain began to smuggle and sell opium in China (City University HK, 2007). China’s attempt to prohibit opium then resulted in the Opium Wars and suffered a tragic defeat. The defeat in the Opium War led to the signings of unequal treaties . Upon signing of the unequal treaties, much Chinese marked it as the beginning of a century of shame and humiliation. Although China was never formally colonized, the lack of ability to defend its basic sovereign rights and ability to govern its own country made it look like a like semi-colonized state of Britain. Consequently, the Qing government was seen as weak and inefficient to combat against the foreigners and much Chinese lost faith in the Manchurian Qing government. As a result, this gave rise to the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901) where violent revolts and attacks were targeted against foreigners as a sign to resist their influence. Boxers,  supported by China, suffered a yet another defeat and were forced to sign yet another unequal treaty: Boxer Protocol, where the reparations drastically crippled the Chinese economy till the mid 20th century (Zheng, 2009). Thus, we can see that the initial trade surplus, a sign of â€Å"Prosperous Age† resulted in British to redress the situation by selling opium to the Chinese led to the Opium Wars and the unequal treaties which greatly weakened Qing China internally and externally in the 19th century. China’s failure to counter foreign influence led to their continued defeat in the Boxer Rebellion at the end of 19th century, where another unequal treaty continued to cripple her till mid 20th century , thereby demonstrating the long term consequence of the â€Å"Prosperous Age† was indeed negative in the long run, especially since the consequences did not confine just to the 19th century but even stretched to the 20th century. Reforms did not keep up with population boom During the â€Å"Prosperous Age†, China’s population tripled from less than 150 million to over 400 million (Perkins, 1969). Civil Service Exam however continued its strict quota for passing (Bentley Ziegler, 2003) and that meant a lower ratio of scholar to population passes. The frustration of students led to the rise of influential leaders like Hong Xiuquan who sought for reforms which led to the Taiping Rebellion . Coincidentally, the backbone of his rebels were the poor peasants who were forced out of arable lands and were socially upset and frustrated, which was also due to the consequence of the population boom. The consequence of the Taiping Rebellion led to a weakened Qing as they were forced to decentralize power to provincial elites to deal with the crisis and this power was never fully recovered even after the rebellion was suppressed (Sng, 2011). Provincial elites who did not return the power were a growing sign of defiance and could have the possibility of rising up against the imperial court. The unneeded civil unrest caused by Taiping Rebellion also served to exacerbate subsequent crisis like the Northern Chinese Famine (1876-1879) where the government was severely blamed for not providing sufficient aid. The excess unrest and loss of power proved to be detrimental in the 19th century as it  crippled China and the country with no official political bloc stepping up to assist with the problems and crisis. In short, China was in a total disarray and chaotic. Lack of technological advancement Qing China favoured political and social stability over technological innovation which they feared would lead to unsettling changes. Furthermore, the vast population available to firms was a cheaper alternative to increase output, rather than investment of new technologies which was costly (Bentley Ziegler, 2003). This proved to be adverse in the 19th century when China engaged in wars. In the Opium Wars, the Qing military was no match against the British who utilized better technology to triumph (Tanner, 2010). The first defeat resulted in Treaty of Nanjing which ceded Hong Kong to Britain. Subsequent wars like the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1985) had China suffering a crushing defeat against a more superior and modernized Japanese army. China then ceded Taiwan, Penghu and the Liaodong peninsular to the Japanese. It clearly implied that China could not defend its own sovereign ground and indicated how backward the Chinese army. It questions the right of China to even claim rights over those territories if she could not even defend it properly. The problem gets exemplified into the 20th century when China continued to suffer several defeats to the Japanese in the Second Sino-Japanese War . Even with the Self-Strengthening Movement (1861-1895) which was embraced to modernize China was insufficient. The subsequent defeats to Allied forces in the Boxer Rebellion and Japanese in the Sino-Japanese Wars marred the success of the movement. Especially significant was the defeat in First Sino-Japanese war as for the first time in over 2000 years of history, regional dominance in East Asia shifted from China to Japan (Johnson, 2010). Coupled with the defeat, China’s international and regional standings were challenged and staged subsequent revolutions that led to other problems and the eventual demise of Qing. Positive Long Term Unanticipated Consequences Building a new foundation based on common people The end of Taiping Rebellion inspired nationalists (Del Testa Lemoine Strickland, 2001) to fight for the betterment of Chinese. It was because of the consequence of the â€Å"Prosperous Age† that led to the decisive rise of nationalist to seek for reforms. An example would be the decentralizing of power, which meant many parties would be involved in decision-making process, rather than just the monarch government. This would ensure that concerns are taken into deliberation before decision-making that will benefit majority of the Chinese, rather than the imperial court only. The nationalist dream then culminated in the 1911 Revolution in the early 20th century, where the Qing was overthrown and the Republic of China was established. Nevertheless, the dream of the nationalist was short-lived due to a power struggle within. Even though election was scheduled for 1913, but it soon became clear than Yuan Shikai wanted to establish his own power base. Sun Yat Sen was then forced into exile after he stepped down as head of the newly formed Kuomintang (Foster, 2007). The new government was then monopolized by Yuan and led to decades of political division and warlordism, including monarchy restoration (Blecher, 2010). Therefore we can see that the perceived benefits from the consequence of â€Å"Prosperous Age† in the 19th century did not fully materialize in the 20th century. Monarchy restoration was attempted and defeats the purpose of the promised sharing of power with the people initially. Political and social unrest persisted even with the new government which culminated in the May Fourth Movement (1919). Hence, we can see that China did not become better even with the end of Qing. It would be judgmental to argue that the initial rise of nationalists had resulted in a better China. It would be fairer to argue that the initial rise of nationalists led to more power struggle and dissident movements like the Chinese Warlord Era (1916-1928) as there were no strong political forces to enforce stability and order until the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) came in 1949. Conclusion Hence, we can see that the consequences of the â€Å"Prosperous Age† proved to be more negative. The severity of the negative consequences shed light on the  crises in the 19th century which crippled China internally and externally. The impact of the consequences was so overwhelming that it even snowballed to the 20th century and further crippled modern China. In contrast, the perceived positive consequences was that it built the foundation but the problem was that the foundation was weak and unstable which in turn led to more problems which culminated in more movements and revolutions. Furthermore, problems like sovereign issues were not solved by reforms or China’s surge in military strength but rather treaties that returned territories to her under imminent conditions . Thus, we can see that the long term consequences were more negative in the 19th century as it continued the crippling of China economically, socially and militarily and as well as set the stage for the movements and revolutions in the 20th century which did not necessary bring about stability and communal power amongst its people until the CCP came into power in 1949. References Hung, H.F. (2011), Protest with Chinese characteristics: demonstrations, riots, and petitions (p24-26). USA: Columbia University Press Qian Long Emperor’s Letter to George III, 1793, retrieved from Sanders Morillo Nelson Elleberger (2005), Encounters in World History: Sources and Themes from the Global Past, Volume 2 (p289). McGraw-Hill Sng, T.H (2011, Oct 4). Size and Dynastic Decline: The Principal-Agent Problem in Late Imperial China 1700-1850.   City University of HK Press (2007), China: Five thousand years of history and civilization (p109). Hong Kong: City University of HK Press Perkins, D.H. (1969). Agricultural development in China, 1369-1968. Chicago: Aldine Bentley Ziegler (2003). Traditions and Encounters (p724-740). New York: McGraw-Hill Tanner, H.M. (2010), China: From the Great Qing Empire through the People’s Republic of China 1644-2009 (p77). USA: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. Del Testa Lemoine Strickland (2001). Government leaders, military rulers and political activist (p86). Greenwood Publishing Group Foster, S (2007). Adventure Guide China (p18-19). Hunter Publishing, Inc. Blecher, M.J. (2010). China against the tides: restructuring through revolution, radicalism, and reform (p205). Continuum International Publishing Group Johnson, R.E. (2010). A Global Introduction to Baptist Churches (p267). Cambridge University Press Zheng, J.G. (2009). Historical dictionary of modern China 1800-1949 (p32). USA: Scarecrow Press

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Internet Has Emerged English Language Essay

The Internet Has Emerged English Language Essay Over the past few years, the Internet has emerged as a prominent new technology. The influence of such a powerful technological tool has pervaded all aspects of the educational, business, and economic sectors of our world. Regardless of ones familiarity with the Internet, it is repeatedly made reference to. News broadcasters and commercials, for example, will now provide web addresses, and even the recent movie, The Net was sparked by the impact of this new technology (Mike, 1996). Regardless of whether one uses the Internet or not, one must be clear about the fact that the we have entered a new information age and the Internet is here to stay.Because the use of the Internet is widespread in numerous fields and domains, without a doubt, it also carries great potential for educational use, specifically second and foreign language education. This paper will therefore focus on the following questions: 1) What is the Internet? 2) How can various facets of the Internet be used in the seco nd and foreign language classroom? 3) What are the benefits of employing the Internet in such a setting? 4) What are the disadvantages or obstacles the Internet presents in a second language classroom? Lastly, the implications of using the Internet in second language classrooms will be discussed. The Internet is the latest in a series of technological innovations for second language education. In order to understand the role of the Internet, it would be useful to provide a brief history of technology and language teaching, present a survey of the technological resources available to second language learners, and, finally consider the role of the Internet and its possibilities. Technology and Foreign Language Education: A Brief History Technology and foreign language education are no stranger to one another. In the sixties and seventies, language laboratories were being installed in numerous educational settings. The traditional language laboratory was comprised of a series of booths, each providing a cassette deck, and accompanying microphone and headphone. Teachers monitored their students interactions by using a central control panel. The basic premise behind this technology was that if verbal behavior was modeled, and then reinforced, students would quickly learn the language in question. The language lab activities were therefore grounded in a stimulus-response behavior pattern. The more drill practice the students encountered, the faster they would learn the second language. While the language laboratory was a positive step in linking technology and language education, it was soon recognized that such activities were both tedious and boring for learners. Furthermore, the amount of student-teacher interaction was minimal, and individualized instruction was irrelevant. Besides the pedagogical deficiencies, the audio equipment was cumbersome and prone to breakdown, and had only one function-to disseminate auditory input. These factors put together led to a shift to the communicative approach to second language education, namely, computer assisted language learning.Microcomputers and quality CALL software provided yet another medium for language learning. Its potential as both a teaching and learning tool are widely written about in the educational literature. At present, there are a variety of computer applications available including vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation tutors, spell checkers, electronic workbooks, writing and reading programs, as well as various authoring packages to allow instructors to create their own exercises to supplement existing language courses. In addition to the range of software available, CALL has also been shown to increase learner motivation (Blake, 1987 ). Chun and Brandl (1992) also propose that the interactive and multimedia capabilities of the computer make it an attractive teaching/learning tool. Computers can provide immediate feedback to students and students can work at an individualized pace. Software can be designed to include sound, graphics, video, and animation. Moreover, information is presented in a non-linear sequence enabling learners to select the exercises or concepts they wish to review. Despite the advantages and widespread use of CALL, it continues to suffer from criticisms for several reasons. Many believe that learning and practicing grammar rules of a foreign language through fill-in-the-blank exercises, for example, does little to improve a speakers ability to produce grammatically appropriate utterances (Armstrong Yetter-Vassot, 1994). Others point out that CALL suffers from its rigidity in light of the complexities of natural languages. For example, a program designed to provide drill practice on French verb conjugation is useful for only that and nothing else. Recently, however, we are beginning to see encouraging and promising results in the area of CALL software development. Interactive video and programs which provide more authentic and communicative task-based activities are being created, which are more in line with the current theoretical and pedagogical views of learning. What is the Internet? While the computer is now used in some form or another in most language classrooms, and is considered standard equipment, the Internet is also gradually being introduced in the second language classroom as teachers become more familiar with it. The Internet is a confederation of thousands of computers from various sectors of society such as education, business, government and the military. It is a network of thousands of computer networks (Lewis, 1994). Each individual system brings something different to the whole (databases, library services, graphs, maps, electronic journals, etc), and the end result is a vast accumulation of information. It is a worldwide network of computers that interact on a standardized set of protocols which act independently of particular computer operating systems, allowing for a variety of access methods to the Internet. For example, the Internet can be accessed from an IBM computer in a students home in Australia, or from a Macintosh computer at a school in Canada. It can therefore be conceived of as the equivalent of a telephone system for computers. It can be used to both exchange information through electronic mail, newsgroups, listservs, professional on-line discussion groups, and so forth, as well as to retrieve information on a variety of topics through the World Wide Web. The Internet and Electronic Mail Although the Internet has been available to most people, only recently have educators been realizing the potential the Internet can have in second and foreign language classrooms. The following section will therefore consider some of these potential benefits and advantages of incorporating such technology in language courses. The Internet has been used by some language instructors in creative ways one of these innovations being use of electronic mail (e-mail), a specific feature of the Internet. Overall, e-mail can encourage students to use computers in realistic, authentic situations in order to develop communicative, and thinking skills. E-mail is easy to use and even teachers intimidated by computers can quickly become adept at using e-mail with their students. Furthermore, even timid or inhibited students can benefit from the meaningful interaction and communication e-mail makes possible. Kroonenberg (1995), for example, employed e-mail in her ESL classes at Hong Kong Internatio nal School. She relates her initial experiences of working with two classes of ESL multinational students in grades 9-12, and a homogeneous group of summer school students involving Cantonese-speaking 14 and 15 year olds. The Dragon Bulletin Board System (BBS) using the TELIX communications software was established in order to allow students and teachers to send messages to each other, as well as make public entries on discussion conferences.During the initial stages, students were logged on the system and each student created a password. Students were simply asked to write freely as in a dialogue journal. Kroonenberg (1995) believes this allows students to become familiar with the system and further allows their ideas to flow. Writing on e-mail can therefore be used to generate ideas about a topic, or can enable learners to free-write without any impositions. E-mail can also be used in various conference-type formats or to generate discussion. For example, Kroonenberg often provide d students with topics of high interest in order to generate more writing. In fact, one student who was part of this project stated, I usually get involved in the BBS because the subjects are interesting and I have a lot to say about them (p. 25). Writing topics often involved school issues or issues that were directly relevant to the students lives. In other conference assignments, students are the main audience. Students read entries and then respond to them via e-mail. This allows each student to express their opinion. In this manner, all opinions are voiced and heard, something which may not always occur in oral discussions in the classroom. Chat rooms can also be carried out through e-mail. In this situation, two or more individuals can talk on-line about various topics or issues. For instance, language learners can be paired up and can be given a debatable topic to discuss. Such experiences, once again stimulate authentic communication and assist students in developing specific communication skills such as arguing, persuading, or defending a particular point. Listservs from around the world can offer news and discussion groups in the target language providing another source of authentic input and interaction. Cononelos and Oliva (1993) organized e-mail exchanges between entire classes of students in order to generate discussion, improve writing skills, and promote peer interaction. In this particular project, advanced level Italian students employed e-mail newsgroups to improve both their writing, as well as their knowledge of contemporary Italian society. In this manner, the teaching of culture was also facilitated th rough the immediate feedback and contact of L2 speakers who were interested in informing others about their culture. E-mail can also be used to communicate long-distance with language learners in other schools, or other countries for that matter. A study exploring the potential of long-distance communication involving second language learners was carried out by Chang (1993). The goals of the study were to provide students with a real context for improving their writing, help them to expand their ideas of content-area reading and functional writing across cultural boundaries, make students familiar with international telecommunications, and investigate with students, the potential effects of telecommunications on literacy acquisition (Davis Chang, 1994). The subjects involved in the study included undergraduate students at Taiwans National Kaohsiung Normal University (NKNU) and students at University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC). The 8-week teleconference began with Prompt 1 in which students were asked to write letters to one another. In addition to personal introductions, students were asked to include a focus on their previous English language learning experiences and the difficulties associated with this. In Prompt 2 and 3, students were asked to use their textbooks on the History of English Language to report on interesting uses of English, (ie. connotations, spelling, etc). Prompts 4 and 5 asked the learners to work with sections of specific texts to comment on pronoun and lexical use, as well as syntactic structure. In the final prompt, both groups of students collected examples of English slang and idioms used in each countrys films and music. Questions pertaining to the above were asked and responded to by students in each group. Davis and Chang (1994) point out that as writers on both sides of the world shared questions and comments, jokes began to surface. Over time, the students reading and writing began to change as well. Through surveys and informal case studies of student writing during the conference, it was found that for the most part, students writing had improved in both fluency and organization. Surveys also indicated that students saw some carry over to their study literature, and that they had a better understanding of English usage. While the above examples illustrate a few uses of e-mail in the second and foreign language classroom, without a doubt e-mail can provide authentic communication and can foster awareness of both the language learner and the languages they are learning. The Internet as a Teaching and Learning Tool In addition to the communication benefits of the Internet, the Internet can also be used to retrieve and access information. The World Wide Web is therefore a virtual library at ones fingertips; it is a readily available world of information for the language learner. While the Internet offers numerous benefits to the language learner, a few such possibilities are examined here, in the context of language learning.Perhaps one of the most essential pedagogical principles of language teaching is one that emphasizes the study of language in a cultural context. I, along with many other language instructors believe that language and culture are inextricable and interdependent; Understanding the culture of the target language enhances understanding of the language. To this end, the Internet is a valuable resource to both language teachers and learners. As discussed previously, e-mail on the Internet allows language learners to communicate with native speakers. In this manner, the Internet f acilitates the use of the specific language in an authentic setting. The Internet can also be used to acquire information from language resources for a variety of purposes. For example, students can access current information from countries around the world. They can obtain geographical, historical, social/cultural, economic, and political information from the countries in which the target language is spoken. Students can read web versions of daily newspapers and same-day news reports from sources such as the French Embassys gopher service, the daily Revue de Press (Armstrong and Yetter-Vassot, 1994). Such experiences can allow learners to participate in the culture of the target language, which in turn can enable them to further learn how cultural background influences ones view of the world. The Internet also serves as a medium for experiencing and presenting creative works. While students can peruse the information on the Net, they can also use it as a platform for their own work such as essays, poetry, or stories. Numerous public schools, for example, are making use of the World Wide Web for publishing student work which can be accessed by other web users. Students therefore become not only consumers of content, but in fact generate the content. As Mike (1996) describes, the use of the Internet has also been shown to promote higher order thinking skills. A language teacher, for example, may instruct learners to search for specific information. Searching the Web requires logic skills. Once information has been obtained, the results must be reviewed which requires scanning, discarding, and evaluative judgment on part of the learner. The information must be put together to make a complete and coherent whole which entails the synthesis process. Such an endeavor permits students to practice reading skills and strategies. The Internet also promotes literacy for authentic purposes, as stated previously. In addition to being a supplement to reading materials, especially current information, when students are exploring the Net, they are essentially exploring the real world. Such browsing or exploration can also lead to incidental learning as they encounter a variety of information in this way. Communication with native speakers furth ers literacy development for authentic purposes, enables language learners to compare student perspectives on an issue, and allows them to practice specific skills such as negotiating, persuading, clarifying meaning, requesting information, and engaging in true-life, authentic discussion. Promotion of literacy also occurs within a social context. The interaction that results from the above situations can lead to cooperative projects and increased communication between students from all over the world, in turn leading to the development of social skills. Finally, use of the Internet can promote computer skills and the technical and conceptual experiences of using a computer. Lastly, the Internet provides supplemental language activities which can provide students with additional practice in specific areas of language learning. These include reading tests and comprehension questions, grammar exercises, pronunciation exercises possible through the available multimedia capabilities, cloze tests, vocabulary exercises, and so forth. Students can search the Web for such sites, or teachers may recommend specific sites on the Web. Published lists are also available from various sources. For example, Paramskas (1993) offers a list of sites for both language teachers and language learners, some of which relate to issues of language learning, others which use language as a medium for discussion of culture or current affairs, and others which assist in locating native speakers. The Internet Challenges Up to this point in time, the above discussion has described some of the potential benefits of the Internet and how it can be used in the second or foreign language classroom. However, such a discussion would be incomplete without addressing the disadvantages or obstacles related to the use of the Internet in the language classroom. While the Internet and its various facets offer a great deal to the language learner, it is not without its problems. The nature of the Internet itself can be a disadvantage at times. When lines are busy due to many users, it may take time to access information or browse the Net and technical glitches themselves can lead to frustration. Lack of training and familiarity on part of the teachers can make it difficult to implement the Internet in the language classroom. This requires that school administrators budget for training in this area. Foreign language teachers are especially anxiety prone to computers since they often have little experience with comp uters. For the most part, computers in schools are used for business or computer science courses. Costs related to training, as well as on-line costs of using a provider are issues that may interfere with implementing such a technology in schools, especially in schools that have little funding. Censorship may also be a concern to language programs and instructors. The Internet offers access to all types of issues and topics, some of which are unsuitable for children, and this in itself may result in various problems. While some precautions can be taken at the present time, they are not full proof by any means. Equity issues may also present difficulties when attempting to implement such technology in the classroom. As the commercial sector begins to assume a more prominent role in the Internets infrastructure, rural and inner-city schools, already hard-pressed to provide Internet access, may find it less affordable. This is certainly discouraging for both language teachers and stude nts in such educational settings (Mike, 1996). Many institutions such as these may also not have the computers or computing facilities necessary to implement such type of technology. Implications and Conclusion Despite these limitations and obstacles, it must be realized that the Internets educational potential is immense. Although electronic, the Internet is an entity related to literacy people still interact with it entirely through reading and writing. For this reason alone, the Internet is a technology that will, without a doubt, have significant implications for both teaching and learning. So what does this imply for language teachers and learners? Teachers must become familiar with using the Internet and its various functions such as e-mail. They must also learn how to use specific search tools in order to access information, search for lesson plans, or material and ideas to supplement their lessons. Lastly, language teachers must learn now to transfer files from Internet sites to their own computer and vice versa. Obtaining information or literature on the Internet, either through the Net itself, through books, or by attending workshops and courses will further assist this process. To avoid facing the same difficulties or problems associated with use of the Internet, teachers can ask students to keep track of problems that arise during use. In essence, language teachers must take the plunge and approach the Internet as a learning experience themselves. The more enthusiastic and more knowledgeable language teachers are, the more successfully they can implement Internet in the language classroom. For the language learner, the Internet offers a world of information available to students at the touch of a button. While it must be recognized that the Internet cannot replace the language classroom or the interaction between the language teacher and student, if offers a vast amount of information and lends itself to communication possibilities that can greatly enhance the language learning experience.Certainly at this point in time, several questions need to be asked to guide future research in this area. How can use of the Internet correspond to the communicative or pedagogical goals of language teaching? How will the Internet and its related facets assist language learners in functioning in the global community? What will the real impact of the Internet in foreign language classrooms be? How can the Internet be used more effectively along side the present language curriculum? While these questions have been examined to some degree, researchers and language educators must further investigate and implement this technology to provide others with guidelines in this area. Without a doubt we are in the center of a monumental technological paradigm shift, one which will eventually change the way that all instructors teach and the way students learn (Jensen, 1993). While technology should not take over the language classroom, it must be embraced in order to allow educators to do those things which they are unable to do themselves, or those which will improve what is currently being done in the classroom. As we approach the next century, it is essential that we make informed decisions about how the Internet can be successfully integrated into the language classroom. If we as educators do not rise to the challenge who will?

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Review of Research Paper on Metastasis of Cancerous Tumors

Introduction Early diagnosis provides the best hope many have in beating cancer. Unfortunately, this is not the end of the fight for many cancer patients. Primary tumors may be successfully treated early, only to later discover they have metastasized to other areas of the body. The common medical definition of metastasis is: The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another. Tumors formed from cells that have spread are called â€Å"secondary tumors† and contain cells that are like those in the original (primary) tumor. This definition could be the reason why early treatment of a primary tumor is ineffective against metastatic tumor cells. As the definition suggests, the accepted model for the metastasis of tumor cells is through clonal evolution, where secondary tumors have similar genomes to the primary tumor. Recent studies suggest, however, that this may not be accurate. Significant divergence between primary and secondary tumors in renal cell metastases and breast metastases has been discovered in recent studies. An alternative model, one of a parallel evolution, would explain why therapies aimed at primary tumors are unsuccessful against metastatic cells. Further research on this alternative model could lead to therapies that not only target the properties of the primary tumor but also those of the secondary tumor and save many from the burden of fighting cancer again. Methods This study took 386 breast cancer patients and split them into two groups. M0, patients showing cells with no metastasis, and M1 patients, those that showed metastasis and performed a genomic analysis, or comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) of the Cytokeratin... ... tumor cells that could potentially disseminate, mutate, change, and grow into another tumor. More emphasis needs to be put on the development of disseminated cells because the changes in their growth cannot be reflected by the genomic data obtained from the primary tumor data; as a result, they can not be dealt with in the same manner. The main idea of this study is to underscore: "the need to validate potential cellular targets for adjuvant and systemic therapies on disseminated cancer cells directly"( Cancer Cell: July 2003). The paper that is being discussed is : Gray, J.W., Evidence emerges for early metastasis and parallel evolution of primary and metastatic tumors. Cancer Cell July 2003. Schmidt-Kittler, O. et al., From latent disseminated cells to overt metastasis: genetic analysis of systemic breast cancer progression. PNAS 100, 7734 (2003).

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Feminism Essay -- Rights Equality Gender Essays

Feminism Works Cited Missing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feminism is the theory that men and women should be equal, politically, economically, and socially. There are many different types of feminism and each have a profound impact on someone’s view of society. The first is cultural feminism, which is the theory that there are fundamental personality differences between men and women, and that women’s differences are special. This theory supports the idea that there are biological differences between men and women and sexism can be overcome by embracing the â€Å"women’s way.† The second type is individualist or libertarian feminist. This feminism is based upon libertarian philosophies, with the focus on autonomy, rights, liberty, independence, and diversity. Next, there is the radical feminism; this theory began approximately during the 1967 – 1975. This ideology focuses on social change, and â€Å"attempts to draw lines between biologically – determined behavior and culturall y- determined behavior† in order to free both men and women as much as possible from their previous narrow gender roles. Finally, there is the Liberal Feminism, this theory focuses on the idea that all people are created equal and that education is the primary means to change discrimination. Groups in favor of this theory are the N.A.C. – the National Action Committee on the Status of Woman, an organization representing 500 feminist oriented women’s groups, and the N.O.W. – the National Organization of Women. Both of these organizations and Feminism as a whole are and have been influential on the national government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many political groups or ideologies attack feminist ideas. Zillah R. Einstein’s book, Feminism and Sexual Equality focuses on the importance of feminist theories and its attackers. The primary two political groups that have taken a stand against Feminism are â€Å"The New Right† and â€Å"Neoconservatives.† The New Right feels that the welfare state is undermining the â€Å"traditional patriarchal family.† The state has taken over certain family functions such as the health, welfare and education of its citizens. Jerry Falwell, supporter of the New Right and head of the Moral Majority, argues that â€Å"in order to revitalize the capitalist economy, and create a moral order, and strengthen America at home and abroad, policy makers must aim to reestablish the dominance of the traditional white patriarchal family... ...en. The women’s movement has been an important means to of empowerment to women. It is through organizing and joining women’s groups that many women have become aware of their oppression and have sought ways to gain control of their lives. Not only are women shunned from the workplace, but also many believe that they have no business in politics either.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book, The Women’s Movement, issues like women’s political participation and their membership to the workforce are discussed. Women have made critical improvements to their circumstances in life, be it there careers, political position, or even military involvement. Men primarily run the government that has authority over both males and females. Therefore it is necessary for the election of women into office to be the means of achiving the public policies that are consistent with the preferences of women (Gimlin, 1981). It is assumed that women office holders are better at representing women’s interests on a variety of issues, especially ones that directly affect women. Women are concerned with issues such as childcare, welfare, healthcare, and the care for the elderly. This is largely because women bear more of the

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Air Pollution – Summary

Air Pollution Summary Air pollution has adverse effects on almost everything. People, animals, the environment, and the economy are the main victims of air pollution. For people, animals and the environment the quality of the air taken in by all living things has to be clean. Unclean air can result in many illnesses to man, and can be especially harmful to those already suffering from asthma. Unclean air can also damage trees, crops, plants, lakes and all animals living on land or in the water. The cost to the economy is enormous: * health care for the people made sick * reduced farm crops and forests costs money in lost food and timber production The causes of air pollution are both natural and human. Human causes are: * burning of fossil fuels * emissions from all our sources of transport * electricity power plants * polluting the air by burning wood in stoves * the paint we use * aerosol sprays and most of the cleaning products we use Natural causes are: * Smoke and a gas called carbon monoxide wind erosion * pollen * Methane gas from farm animals and rotting plants * Radon gas and poisonous gasses from erupting volcanoes. We can all do our bit to reduce air pollution by using less electricity, using gas over wood or charcoal, cycling or walking rather than using cars, and to recycle as much as possible, for example, paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard and aluminium cans. There is strong evidence that recycling may reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Globalization of Media

Standard Coursework Cover Sheet Section A Please complete ALL parts Module Code Module Title Course Title CW1 CW2 CW3 CW4 Module Instructor Student ID Number Section B Please read the statement, and sign the declaration Plagiarism – work presented in an assessment must be the student's own. Plagiarism is where a student copies from another source, published or unpublished (including work of a fellow student) and fails to acknowledge the influence of another's work or to attribute quotes to the author.Plagiarism in an assessment offence (see actions Section 11: Regulations of the Student Course Handbook, pp. 78-81). Student Declaration: â€Å"I declare that the work submitted is my own† Section C Tutor’s Comments The globalization of the media is endorsing and creating a global village. The media-scape is restructuring itself, forming a singular global body, as opposed a mass of multiple independents. Media globalization is a direct result of technological develop ment, maximisation of corporate media interest, the media's increasing correspondence to the public sphere, and media ownership.It is widely evident that the media is in fact becoming a global conglomerate, which is in turn endorsing the emergence of a single global village ( Jan, 2009). Mass media is a term which highlights the means of delivering impersonal communications to a vast audience. The concept of globalization corresponds to capacity of human social organizations to reach one another across separate regions and continents, whilst expanding power relations. Such allows for the growing integration of the globe as a united entity.Media globalization is a direct result of technological development, maximisation of corporate media interest, the media's increasing correspondence to the public sphere, and media ownership. The global village has evolved to become more than simply a mass media monopoly, but also an endeavour for political dominance, headed by the Untied States of America. It is widely evident that the media is in fact becoming a global conglomerate, which is in turn endorsing the emergence of a single global village ( Jan, 2005).Technological developments and electronic advancements have closed the gap between separate nations, and as a result have aided the mass media in becoming a global body. Faster and cheaper communications have proven imperative towards the developments of globalization, critical to innovation, production, growth and job creation. The 1990's called for the acceleration and rapid advancements in relation to digital transmission. As a result of these developments digital communication networks, including the Internet, are redeveloping the media-scape.It can be argued that the capabilities of technology within the field of communications and the mass media outweigh the potential and expectations of monetary focused monopolizers currently in power. Technology will allow for a more democratic media-scape which calls for pu blic involvement and wider interaction. It is this representation of technology and the public which will support the media as it directs us towards a united global village ( Leary, 2005). [pic]Competition and innovation from a technological point of view have formulated three trends which support the globalization movement.These include; `The Rise of Data' (the growth of data transmission is now beyond traditional `voice traffic'), `The Internet' (emergence of e-commerce and digital network structures), and `Wireless Networking' (affordable and increased connectivity). The Information Revolution and the progression of technology are able to impact upon globalization in such an effective manner, based on their potential to influence a diverse array of international affairs and institutions. These include security, politics, the economy, society and culture, as the roles of government policymakers are altered.Information has become more accessible, decision-making can become either c entralized or decentralized, the monopoly of information has eroded and actions to be considered from a global perspective rather than just a localised one. Although from this perspective International Relations in general are of benefit, such also has an impact on the media for comparable reasons, which then transcends to the community at large. Digital communication and the internet will become and integral aspect of the development of a global communication oligopoly.International Relations can be endorsed and supported by a global mass media, (and vice versa), which then compliments our progression towards a singular global village ( Price, 2008). The media holds a mass level of power and dominance, due to the role it plays within the public sphere, and the intense level of public interest it upholds. As a result, the globalization of the media has a direct influence upon it responders (the public), thus enhancing and developing the creation of a wider global village.Being a spe cific institution of society, it is the responsibility of the media to be informed by interests, normalities and greater values – the media is hence an integral aspect of the meaning-making processes of our global community. That is, that the media is to reflect society based on cohesion with its principles. Thus, a global village can be both formed and shaped by the media, simply as a result of its interaction with and relevance to daily routine and public life. The Media are an indissoluble part of the contexts, the messages and the relationships that create and give shape to politics and public life. † Media have an intrinsic role in the functioning of modern society. Such role is aided by the diversity and mediums of the media, which hold a specific function towards the democratic health of our society. Without the media we would not be able to communicate and interrelate with one another in any manner which compares to both our present and futuristic existence as w e know it.The concept of a global village would not only be unknown, but also unattainable ( Gozzi, 1996). The media and public domain must hence uphold a high level of mutual respect, wherein the nature of modern public life can be understood, presented and influenced. The media are the sites where the meanings of public life are generated, debated and evaluated. Hence, it only seems reasonable that as the globe unites into one village, as will the media. Influences such as technology direct this, but it is the media's interest, involvement and interaction which the public domain that shape and guide it.Prior to the establishment of the media, public interest existed, but had no real means of transmission beyond personal experience. If we compare this scenario to our mediated public life today, we can clearly see that the formation of a global village is not only probable, but in motion (Gozzi, 1996). It is evident that media monopolies have no major concern for what can be deemed as public interest. What appears to be cost effective is sufficient – the media is able to take control of and manage our inner emotions and opinions simply through what is directed towards us. Public interest is in fact dictated by the media itself.While it takes much time and money to find out the truth, the parent companies prefer to cut the necessary costs of journalism, much preferring the sort of lurid fare that can drive endless hours of agitated jabbering ( Bagdikian, 1998). Corporate interest, politics and media ownership are often interrelated. With multi-holdings in the hands of media giants such as Rupert Murdoch, politics and media content can be a highly controversial subject. Favoured audiences can be supplied with mixed messages filled with bias. If a media owner dislikes a political power, it is well within his capabilities to ensure that such party is not elected.It is in this scenario where the media literally has such a power and control over Government bo dies, that distorted messages and corporate bias can twist the truth and subject the public. This can be identified as corruptive journalism and sensationalism. It is the fatal ignorance of a blind public which allows and follows such behaviour ( Bagdikian, 1998). The concern that contemporary politics relies too much on `individuals' and `events' stems from the representational powers of television and its communicative contexts.Television is extraordinary adept at capturing and conveying the nuances of personalities and the physical particularities of action. It is argued that such aptitude occurs at the expense of the reportage of more complex issues and policy, which do not lend themselves to easy and dramatic representation ( Bagdikian, 1998). It can be argued that media ownership simply defends popular culture and public interest, but as A. Ashbolt claims, it is very hard to distinguish between tastes and choice if the public is dictated to and shaped by American saturation.Wh en we are given no option, and no other leads to follow, obedience to media's dominance is inevitable. Hegemony, standardization and the evolution of a global village are a result of the globalization of media, based on the lack of diversity evident within media ownership, the neglect of true public interest and the media's political power to intervene over government ( Bagdikian, 1998). The rise of Trans-National Corporations (TNC's) and the labelling of The United States of America as an `Empire' have both contributed to the globalization of the media leading towards a uniformed global village.Hegemony and standardization across the media-scape is arguably a result of these progressing yet dominating factors. TNC's have been established on the basis of countries having the power and capabilities to communicate and interrelate with one another, thus allowing for standardization and influence. Commercial media has similarly moved abroad, establishing across-nation empires which acqu ire significant holdings across all mediums. However, Hollywood Studios and the United States of America are still the dominant party, even purchasing smaller bodies to guarantee ultimate control.This amplifies the capabilities and intentions of the American empire, not only via the media, but in general political and global terms also. Noam Chomsky argues that for more than half a century the United States of America has been pursuing a `grand imperial strategy' with the aim of staking out the entire globe. Evidence suggests that such task is willing to be followed until the assumed `verge of extinction'. This provides evidence that the globalization of the media is in all certainty creating a global village, which can arguably be labelled as having America as a dominating force.The media orientated global community is dictated beyond simple forces of mass media, but stretches to include corporate TNC's and political strategy ( Denis, 1996). The global entity that is the mass media has created a singular global village. Media globalization is stimulated by technological development, maximisation of corporate media interest, the media's increasing correspondence to the public sphere, and media ownership. The global village has evolved to become more than simply a mass media monopoly, but also an endeavour for political dominance, headed by theUntied States of America. Standardization, condensation and hegemony across nations are the implications that will eventuate from this. It is widely evident that the media is in fact becoming a global conglomerate, which is in turn endorsing the emergence of a single global village. REFERENCES 1. Begdikian, B. (1998). The new media monopoly. Retrieved: April 28, 2010, from: httpmediaresearch. org 2. Denis, E. ( 1996). Media and globalization. Retrieved: April 25, 2010, from: httpwww. corpwatch. org 3. Gozzi, R. (1996). Will the media create a global village?Retrieved: April 26, 2010, from: httpwww. questia. com 4. Jan, M. (2009). Globalization of media issues and dimensions. Retrieved: April 25, 2010, from: httpwww. eurojournals. com 5. Leary, C. (2005). Globalization of media. Retrieved: April 26,2010, from: httpwww. associated. com 6. Price, M. (2008). The global information revolution. Retrieved: April 29, 2010, from: httpideas. repec. org ———————– MEDIA CULTURE AND SOCIETY E101 MEDIA CULTURE AND SOCIETY JENNY PALLA PSY7317 1st Marker 2nd Marker Agreed Mark