Change and Development in the English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Change and Development in the English - Essay Example When the West Saxon kingdom was overthrown England was left without a standard language where several dialects began to take important role. Started in 1066 AD by the troops of William the Conqueror, the Norman conquest of England was a pivotal event in English history as it basically removed the native ruling class and transformed the English language and the culture of England. "What the language would have been like if William the Conqueror had not succeeded in making good his claim to the English throne can only be a matter of conjecture. It would probably have pursued much the same course as the other Teutonic languages, retaining perhaps more of its inflections and preserving a preponderatingly Teutonic vocabulary, adding to its word-stock by the characteristic methods of word-formation already explained, and incorporating much less freely words from other languages... The Norman Conquest changed the whole course of the English language." (Baugh, 127) The Norman Conquest also h elped the English language acquire the greater part of that enormous number of French words and connected England more closely with continental Europe. By the introduction of Anglo-Norman as the language of the ruling classes in England, the Norman Conquest caused one of the most obvious changes in English history. In a critical assessment of the effects of the Norman Conquest of Britain on the English language, it becomes lucid that the most outstanding result is that the Norman Conquest reduced the Scandinavian influence and controlled the spread and growth of several creoles in English language. One of the most obvious results of the Norman Conquest was that it helped the progress of the English language along with its politics and law. In an analysis of the history of English language and its development, it becomes evident that the Old English which existed in England before the coming of the Normans in 1066 began to change due to the influence of the Anglo-Norman. "Although the majority of the population continued to speak English, French was now the language of the new ruling class and therefore the language of the new ruling class and therefore the language of government. This change in status for the English language allowed its grammar to change drastically." (Thackeray and Findling, 14) Such changes were reflected in the other aspects of the language such as spelling, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Therefore, the salient linguistic effects of the Norman Conquest resulted in the growth of the language. Significantly, the linguistic effects of the Norman Conquest started in 1150 which influenced the remained relatively unchanged until then and the language slowly shifted from the Old English to Middle English. One of the features of the Old English speakers was that they hesitated from using foreign words, and normally made up their own correspondent of words rather than borrowing in a straight line. "One of the most significant differences between Old English and Middle English is the amount of borrowing from other languages, which expanded mainly with the Norman Conquest... The French, however, kept words and sounds similar to their foreign roots. One example of foreign sounds directly affecting English phonemics is the difference between [v] and [f]." (The Norman Conquest: The Impact)

“Tipping” vs. Bribery Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Tipping† vs. Bribery Essay There are many similarities between paying a large tip to secure a better table in a restaurant and offering a bribe to secure a business contract. Firstly, both are essentially bribery. In both situations the bribe is something like an expression of gratitude before the fact, or, more accurately, an imposition of obligatory reciprocation—in both situations, the goal of the briber is to put the recipient of the bribe in a position of obligation. Another similarity is that both kinds of bribes are â€Å"competitive†: the bribe is made to gain a perhaps-unfair advantage over others. In both situations the briber creates a situation in which he increases the likelihood that he will be chosen above all else, while also increasing the likelihood that the relevant merits of the different â€Å"contenders† to the wanted resource are ignored. The briber is essentially saying: â€Å"We’re both here for something. I’ll give you more of what you want, so you give me what I want before others get what they want.† There are big differences, however. One is that while the restaurant employee who receives the tip is probably poor; the recipient of the bribe for the contract is not. Both are also a form of cheating, but the bribe for the contract is much graver. Who loses in the two situations? The consequences of the restaurant bribe are minimal—everyone will still get their meals, although some at a worse table (but how bad can a table at a restaurant be?). The consequences of the bribe for the contract, however, are huge, and can be life altering—for the better or for the worse. Considering all the points discussed, it becomes apparent that the two scenarios have many similarities, but they are not the same.

Gender Issues and Barriers in Chinese Business

Gender Issues and Barriers in Chinese Business What kind of barriers blocked (interrupt) female to be an organization leader in China? Abstract China is one of the most populous countries in the world, with over 50 percent of its female population in full time work. Like many other countries, China’s women are under-represented in senior management or organisational leadership roles within Chinese organisations. Yet Chinese women are being educated as well as men, if not better, and benefit from fundamental policies which prevent discrimination in the world of work. It appears that there are barriers which affect Chinese women’s ability to advance along the career ladder to become organisation leaders. A qualitative, Grounded Theory based study was carried out to determine what, if any, were the barriers to women becoming organisation leaders in China. The study aimed to ensure a focus on women themselves and so the sample comprised women already working within Chinese businesses and organisations, who were asked to identify barriers to their becoming business leaders or senior executives. Sensitising questions followed up an initial questionnaire and proforma, to probe into more detail about their responses. The Grounded Theory process of Open, Axial and Selective Coding was followed systematically, and the final three categories of Leadership Effectiveness, Stereotypes and Preconceptions, and Social and Societal Norms and Expectations and Personal Characteristics were identified and discussed. It seems that the key barriers to women becoming organisational leaders are their capacity to be effective leaders, the stereotypes and preconceptions of them as women workers, on the part of others and on the part of the women themselves, and the social norms versus their personal characteristics. This last category included unique aspects of Chinese culture and business etiquette which pose significant challenges for women in leadership roles. More research is now needed to explore in more concrete ways these barriers, and to identify practical and achievable ways that they might be overcome. Introduction China is one of the most populous nations in the world (Saran and Guo, 2005). â€Å"China is a large country, with more than half a billion women, over 50 per cent of who are in full-time employment† (Cooke, 2004 p 243). This represents a significant percentage of the workforce. There is, apparently, a discrepancy between the numbers of women in employment and the numbers of women who achieve senior leadership roles within Chinese organisations. It seems that â€Å"knowledge about these Chinese women in general and women in management in specific, remains very limited† (Cooke, 2004 p 243). There appear to be very little sources of information on the numbers of women in senior management or leadership positions in either the public or the private sector in China. While this may not seem to be a surprise to many, it does beg the question of why women do not achieve senior leadership positions within businesses and organisations in China, particularly given a growing aware ness of China’s success within the global business environment, which must influence business and organisational practices. It is established within the business and organisational literature, as well as other social literature, that â€Å"gender discrimination remains a reality in our society† (Agars, 2004 p 103). This is despite evolution of societies and apparent changes in values, because there is evidence that in all aspects of social life people and their reactions and judgements are affected by gender stereotypes and preconceptions (Agars, 2004). It is also well known that there are more men than women in managerial roles in the business and occupational world (Lublin, 1996), and this disparity increases the higher the seniority of the position (Agars, 2004; Adler and Izraili, 1994; AMBA, 1996). The rationale for investigating the barriers which block or interrupt women from being organisation leaders in China stems partly from the great reliance of the Chinese economy on its economic capacity, and in particular its business capacity, locally and in the global marketplace. Economic success of developing countries (if China can still be considered such) is clearly linked to gender equality (Morrison and Jutting, 2005). If Chinese businesses are to succeed, they need to espouse and contain the characteristics of successful businesses. If Chinese state organisations are to function at their optimal capacity and make best use of available resources, they should optimise their usage of those resources, a significant one being their human resources. Women may be being overlooked as potentially valuable contributors to senior management and leadership positions. However, this may simply reflect the lower status of women in Chinese society (Tian et al, 2007). Paradoxically, Chinese women are not necessarily viewed by all as of lower status. Foo et al (2006) quote a United Nations Development Fund study which summarises Chinese women as outshining men in the business arena because they are better at communications; they are able to think more rationally; and because they pursue their careers with single-minded resolve. Yet there is ongoing evidence that these women are still under-represented in senior leadership roles. Noble (2006) states â€Å"excluding women from leadership roles impacts on productivity and militates against a workforce characterised by a diversity of workers† (p 599). This idea of gender inequality comes down to simple business sense. â€Å"Models of women in senior positions and in equal numbers generally benefit the institutions offering different perspectives, experiences and contributions women can make. (Noble, 2006 p 599). Noble (2006) describes the lack of women in such roles as a â€Å"wastage of management and leadership talent which arises from and is perpetuated by the current under representation of women at senior levels,† and which â€Å"seriously undermines organisations’ ability to respond to change and threatens its future viability and vitality in the face of the economic challenges of the changing workplace.† p 599). Therefore, it can easily be seen that for optimal business performance, the capacity of women to contribute to its s uccess should not be overlooked, and so a study into the barriers which face women in achieving such positions could be of considerable significance for such organisations within China. However, the other rationale for this choice of investigation is to promote the interests of women within the Chinese world of employment and entrepreneurship, and to ensure that the research carried out focuses on their perspectives and illuminates their experiences. It is typical of the business world that the theoretical arena it is supported by is dominated by studies based on rationalistic principles and on outputs and outcomes relating to success and factors which contribute to that success. There is a human dimension of business, which the theoretical domain is now starting to appreciate, in which business capacity and success can be found to be reliant not only on the skills of the workforce, but on their capacity to contribute in multiple ways to the organisation and its outputs. Understanding the views and experiences of women may help not only to define the barriers which face them in relation to achieving leadership roles, but to set out some ways in which such barriers m ight be overcome, sidestepped, reduce or even removed from their path. Women within employment seem to consistently suffer, at a certain level, from a relative inequality with men. Women in China, however, have for a long time enjoyed employment rights based on equality legislation which has shaped social norms to support women into full time employment, which continues throughout their working lives, even when they have children (Cooke, 2004). Despite this, women do not enjoy the same levels of seniority in organisations and businesses as men do, and certainly not in similar numbers. This is a human rights issue (Noble, 2006) and one which is of concern to China and to all women and women’s activists. It may be related to a trend within former socialist countries of what Fan (2003) calls ‘transition’, which is characterised by a resurgence of gendered differences in occupational spheres. Because China is a business culture in a state of transition and change, and in which the effects of change may not be realised for some time, there is a need for investigative studies which explore the characteristics of this culture, from the points of view of those within it. There is an issue here about understanding what barriers present themselves to women who aspire to leadership roles, but also, whether or not women in these Chinese business and occupational spheres do view themselves as working towards such advancements. Because of the lack of empirical research on the subject of the barriers which present themselves to women who wish to aspire to leadership roles in organisations in China, the choice of methodological approach for the inquiry was limited, as quantitative studies are based on hypotheses developed from previously published research. Good quality quantitative research studies also require large samples of a diverse study population, and the limitations of this academic research project do not allow for the kind of survey that would provide adequate numbers, statistically, for a purely quantitative study. Therefore, having explored a range of options for the investigation of the research question, the author came to the conclusion that a quantitative approach would be best suited to this area. However, the author was keen to include simple descriptive statistics within the study data, and also wanted to achieve a similar level of rigour as is usually achievable within the quantitative d omain. Therefore, the author settled on the use of Grounded Theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967), which is a methodology derived from symbolic interactionism and within which there are rigidly defined stages of the investigation, with clearly outlined process and steps towards the development of theoretical understandings which nevertheless remain firmly grounded in the data derived from the study (Glaser and Strauss, 1967; Goulding, 2005). The following dissertation is set out within the traditional parameters required by the university and by the academic standards of higher education. There is first a literature review, then a description and exploration of the methodology utilised within the study. This is followed by an outline of the data characteristics and background, which is then followed an exploration and discussion of the qualitative data derived from the study. This data is considered and evaluated alongside extant research findings which relate to the data, as is required by the Grounded Theory method, in which data analysis and literature analysis occur simultaneously, such that the accessed literature is treated much as the data is, and subject to the same constant comparison (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). This is followed by conclusions and recommendations for practice and further research. The study aimed to illuminate the murky depths of untapped knowledge and understanding of the barriers which interru pt women’s career progression within Chinese organisations, and thus barriers will be identified and to some extent, their meanings or significance explored. The literature review and the data analysis are separated into themed subheadings, to better signpost the emergent discursive threads of the study. Literature Review Due to the nature of the topic area, it is not possible to address all the available literature, but a critical literature review of key issues will be attempted. The literature review draws on sources related to Chinese business, women in business, entrepreneurship, social theory and even feminist theory, as well as general business and organisational studies, in order to explore the potential barriers that might have already been identified as challenging women to be organisational leaders. The balance of research is affected by the available literature, and by the nature of the research which has already been carried out into similar topics. Little however is written, in terms of empirical research, which directly addresses this dissertation’s research question. However, there are valuable contributions to be made by research from across the business and organisational literature in relation to generic and specific factors affecting women’s opportunities to become or ganisational leaders. China has a vast area of land, and is characterised by considerable social, economic, geographic and ethnic diversity (Chow et al, 2004). Only those factors which can directly be related to the study question will be addressed here. This will allow for the setting of the context and current understanding of the factors which affect the experience of women in China aspiring to become organisational and business leaders. In China, women work alongside their husbands throughout their lifespan, and are supported by employment policies which assure them a reasonably equal role as workers, in terms of basic employment rights (Chow et al, 2004). Therefore, women have a firm foundation within the world of employment, and should, it could be argued, be surrounded by the same opportunities as their male counterparts in terms of career advancement. However, this does not seem to be the case. It is a global feature of business that women seem to experience what is known as the ‘glass ceiling’ within occupational life (Ryan and Haslam, 2005; Cortis and Cassar, 2005). This refers to the fact that women can attain up to a certain level of seniority in many organisations or businesses, but cannot break through into senior leadership roles. There are numerous studies which explore how and why this glass ceiling came to exist, and how it is perpetuated. In terms of Chinese culture, there are strong traditions of loyalty to family and loyalty to one’s boss or employer (Fu et al, 2004). This author would question whether this notion of loyalty contributes to the glass ceiling within Chinese organisations. Gender Obviously, the first and most obvious potential barrier for women in business in China (and in any other culture or nation-state) is that of gender. Gender within this context needs defining, as theoretically, it is still the subject of some argument. Ahl (2006) refers back to feminist scholarship which employed the term gender to distinguish between biological sex and socially constructed definitions of sex, the social practices and representations associated with femininity or masculinity† (p 596). In this article, gender is used to refer to sex in terms of the biological differences between male and female, and the socially-constructed models of masculine and feminine. It is important to note that these may differ according to Western and Chinese norms, and where possible, differentiations between cultural definitions of gender will be highlighted. It has long been known that business is a male or masculine domain. There has been research which suggests that men and women even differ in terms of occupational aspirations, such that males would tend to aspire towards male-dominated occupations in which they can hope for better success, and women, though to a somewhat lesser extent, showing a tendency to veer towards female-dominated occupations in which they are more likely to be able to excel more easily (Powell and Butterfield, 2003). This may be partly due to historical and even current forms of gender discrimination within business and occupational/professional spheres. Gender discrimination however is no longer as apparent as it used to be, thanks to anti-discrimination policies in most organisations and nations (Beck and Davis, 2005). However, in China, â€Å"the half a century’s state intervention in women’s employment has largely focused on protecting women’s labour rights and increasing their share in employment quantitatively, whereas little provision exists which aims to ensure and improve the quality of women’s employment prospects† (Cooke, 2004 p 245). Cooke (2004) shows that women are less represented in professional or management positions, and are more prevalent in clerical and lower-level manual work (Sargeson 2006; Sargeson 2007a). This is significant, given that Chinese women do not traditionally take career breaks to have children, and view their role as equal to that of their husbands in terms of full time work (Cooke, 2004; Sargeson 2007b). This is in direct contrast to the Westernised (and perhaps globalised) norms of women’s occupational experience, wherein women have to either accepted diminished occupational capacity and career advancement in order to have children, or embrace childlessness in order to comply with inherent business norms and achieve success within those parameters (Wood and Newton, 2006; Burke, 1999). Even so, â€Å"men make up the majority of employees in most of the occupations and in state owned sectors where average earnings are highest† (Cooke, 2004 p 245). This is no new finding. For women in China, â€Å"historical and socio-political factors such as the legacy of Marxism, state/party control, economic reform, political upheavals, local conditions and global influences† have affected their self identity, they understanding of their place within the business and employment worlds, and the ways in which they perceive of and experience their career progress and success (Chow et al, 2004, p 161). China has followed an intellectual revolution which has brought to the fore gender studies and feminist studies (Chow et al, 2004), which suggests that the cultural response would likely be that women are more aware of the kinds of organisational and societal cultural barriers to their career advancement into leadership roles. Studying Chinese women’s experiences of barriers to career advancement could be problematic, however, because the very terms used by Westernised scholarly discourse to describe issues of gender and women’s equal rights are essentially difficult to translate (Chow et al, 2004). However, as all literature for this assignment is accessed in English, this should only be viewed as a potential weakness to the study if the respondents are first language Chinese and there are discrepancies between underlying meanings. Another feature of gender discrimination in Chinese business is the fact that the â€Å"state-owned enterprises and public-sector organisations typically operate in an internal labour market system in which jobs are rarely advertised, and promotion decisions are made internally†¦by superiors† (Cooke, 2004, p 249). This means that internal cultural and business mores and codes, which are often set and perpetuated by managers and leaders (who are most likely men), are perpetuated in a way that might exclude women from achieving advancement (Boisot and Child, 1996; Church et al, 2003). These are however buried, often, and not easily labelled as gender discrimination (Beck and Davis, 2005). This is a common feature of all businesses and organisations, it seems, which continue to operate along traditional ‘patriarchal’ and hierarchical lines. Cultural issues also point to gender issues which may present as barriers to women’s career advancement (Brush, 1992). Hanser (2005) explores emerging conceptions of gender in China, in relation, in particular, to service work. This ethnographic study within three urban Chinese retain settings shows that there are gendered class distinctions which are communicated and perpetuated within this sector, which a move from socialism to a more marketized society, wherein younger, youthful and feminine (and urban) women are valued while older and rural women are devalued (Hanser, 2005; Duehr and Bono, 2006). This is reflected in other international contexts and other types of societies (Egri and Ralston, 2004). Hanser (2005) related this to a legitmization of certain roles for certain women within Chinese employment contexts, a fact supported by Coe (1992). This then has nothing to do with role effectiveness, but to do with the external characteristics of women (Hanser, 2005; Cooke; 2 003; Cooke, 2005). Appropriate ‘behaviours’ may be reinforced and inappropriate behaviours censured by such limited characterisations of the suitable female employee (Hanser, 2005). Lewis (2006) uses the example of women entrepreneurs, and suggests that â€Å"the behaviour (business or other) of women involved in entrepreneurial activity of whatever sort is defined and evaluated according to the standards of an invisible masculine norm† (p 453). This shows that underlying business activities are gendered definitions of how people within the market should behave and present themselves (Collinson and Collinson, 1990; Connell, 2005). Because of this, women’s ability to gain commercial, business or occupational success is defined and constrained by apparently unseen (but very real) forces (Cornelius and Skinner, 2008): â€Å"Where this behaviour is judged as differing from the normative standard of serious, professional business, women experience an ‘othering’ as the non-male and are marked out.† (Lewis, 2006 p 453). This is a constant theme of the business literature, that the male is the standard and the female is viewed as ‘other’, as unconventional, as non-standard (and perhaps inherently non-compliant) (Beechey, 1987). Perceptions of gender and gender limitations may also be internalised by many women, and may explain one reason why women do not lead as many successful businesses as men, or are not business leaders as frequently (Bryman, 1987). Kalleberg and Leicht (2005) show that women are less likely to innovate, take risks or step out in new directions in business than men, perhaps due to â€Å"the social disapproval girls are likely to incur for straying from socially accepted, gender-normative patterns of behaviour, and the encouragement and tolerance that boys typically receive for engaging in innovative play and nonconforming behaviour† (p 142). Education It is thought by some theorists that the lower representation of women in senior positions is due to their marginally lower levels of education compared to those of men in China (Cooke, 2004). However, it is also apparent that amount of women in higher education has been increasing recently in China, at a much faster rate than men (Cooke, 2004). Education is seen as a key to senior executive careers (Baruch and Peiperl, 2000; Bickerstaffe, 1992; Carpenter, 1997). This would suggest that the relative lack of education suggested as a barrier to women achieving senior leadership roles may be a factor which is being rapidly eroded. However, it is hard to find evidence of this. Cooke (2004) also argues that â€Å"discrimination against women starts in the recruitment selection to higher education in institutions† (p 247), and this has follow-on effects throughout their subsequent careers. Women are under-represented in certain subjects, including science and business subjects, and have to perform better than men to achieve the same levels of acclaim (Cooke, 2004). Bahry and Marr (2005) show how women’s education in Qatar has developed to such an extent that women are being over-represented in higher education, and that this might signify a shift in gender-dominance in future business domains. However, the nature of this education is not necessarily such that it would develop the kinds of abilities and capacities that are needed in order to gain leadership roles later on in life (Bahry and Marr, 2005). Globalisation and the current international business environment It is important to consider where women business leaders or potential business leaders in China might locate themselves, ideologically and paradigmatically, and how the current environment might affect their ability to assume such senior roles. Mamman and Liu (2008) discuss the difference between macro-level examinations of globalisation on business (and on culture and society), and the micro-level, in which the effects of globalisation on individuals can be appreciated. Globalisation can potentially affect all areas of business (Gunkel et al, 2007). China has, since the 1980s, both embraced and significantly benefited from industrial and business globalisation (Fishman, 2006; Hirst and Thompson, 1999; Stiglitz, 2002; 2003; 2006). According to Mamman and Liu (2008), â€Å"globalisation is particularly important to a society like China where the impact of globalization can have both positive and negative connotations depending on where individuals are geographically located and wheth er they operate in the public or private sector† (p 2). Thus, there may be barriers to achieving career success or business leadership for women in China which are directly related to their personal experience or understanding of globalisation. Mamman and Liu (2008) suggest that â€Å"the form and manner in which globalization is pursued by organizations (private or public) and the nation states is an aggregation of thoughts and behaviour of individuals enabled and constrained by global forces† (p 6). This kind of understanding would suggest that global forces may act as barriers to women becoming business leaders, but it could also be viewed that globalisation could likely be an emancipating force for women in China, because it might at least provide role models for business leadership in other areas and across a diverse range of businesses (Elliott and Stead, 2008). However, it is not enough to cite the forces that emerge from globalisation, such as greater participation in more diverse markets or the presence of women peers with which to do business. It is also important to understand the individual level of response to the new global business environment. It seems that â€Å"to understand why and how organizations and institutions behave in the global economy, we also need to understand how key actors interpret global phenomenon† (p 6). Therefore, accessing individual women who work within business, and women who are seeking to develop as entrepreneurs, would provide th is personal understanding of the global forces of business and perhaps identify more individual as well as international barriers to women succeeding as business leaders. Globalisation is viewed in the business literature usually in positive terms (Mittelman, 2006), but Oka (1998) argues that this may not be the case. Oka (1998) suggests that the terminology of globalisation has â€Å"a distinct connotation of something whole †¦[that] suggests absolute relatedness, harmony, balance and smoothness† (p 32). However, this, according to Oka (1998) is not the case, and there is the argument that globalisation might corrupt social values which underpin society and over-value economics and material gain. However, given the current socialist model of society and economy in China, globalisation may not necessarily be a destabilising force, and the history of business in China in the last two decades certainly suggests that the country and its industry has taken full advantage of the opportunities globalisation presents (Mamman and Liu, 2008; Parker, 2005). Mamman and Liu (2008) carried out research in individual views and responses to globalisation in China, and found that â€Å"respondents view globalization from economic perspective rather than from cultural convergence or political convergence perspective.† (p 32). This suggests that globalisation is most significant to industry and business for Chinese women in business. Mamman and Liu (2008) also state that their respondents viewed globalisation as a product of capitalism: â€Å"they view globalization not only as economic activities but as a philosophical and ideological (not cultural) shift in the way the world conducts economic activities† P 32). This research suggests that globalisation is not part of a potential package of cultural barriers to women business or organisation leaders in China. But Child (2002) does underline the potential cultural conflicts which might challenge women in responding to global business markets, if they have not really had the appropriate training, experience or support during their business or organisational careers. Yet, it may be that many women who wish to assume leadership positions in China are not challenged by global forces or by potential cultural differences, simply because they take a pragmatic view of business and leadership. For these, globalisation might erode barriers to them achieving such roles (Dunning, 2003; Fiss and Hirsch, 2005). Understanding the global context however, is possible from international literature. Beck and Davis (2005) cite the case of a financial organisation Australia that was attempting to increase the numbers of women at managerial level. This organisation had to overcome not only attitudinal barriers but personal barriers (Beck and Davis, 2005). Bahry and Marr, (2005) discuss the social and ideological shifts which have changed women’s roles and status in Quatar, such that they may be becoming more endowed with the capacity to take on leadership roles. However, Singh and Vinnicombe (2004) show that it is still the norm that masculine senior level managers and boards maintain their hegemonic status: â€Å"Evidence shows that senior women do not easily gain access to the boardroom, where an elite group of male directors maintain their power† (Singh and Vinnicombe, 2004 p 479). If Chinese businesses are being significantly affected by Westernised business practices, there is the potential that these practices present more barriers to women taking on senior leadership positions, rather than helped to change entrenched cultural values which have been seen as inherent in Chinese business practice. Gobalisation may therefore be viewed as a source of new hurdles and obstacles to be surmounted for women in China. These barriers include what are described as ‘informal’ or ‘hidden’ processes associated with senior promotion (Alimo-Metcalfe, 1995), a relative lack of appropriate and available career development routes and activities (Ragins et al, 1998), and, the more obvious barrier, the lower levels of pay allocated to women (Oakley, 2000). There are also behavioural and cultural barriers, which include the gender role stereotyping of leadership capability (Schein and Muller, 2002), communication styles which reflect gendered differences (Tannen, 1994), and the social exclusion, corporate cultural norms, entrenched power dynamics and old boys’ networks which characterise British and American businesses (Ragins Sundstrom, 1989). It can be seen that while there may be similarities in Chinese businesses in terms of barriers which emerge from traditional business norms and behaviours, there may be others which could be derived from the businesses they are exposed to in the Global marketplace. Therefore, Chinese women may find themselves having to face and adapt to more or different challenges to ascending the corporate or organisational ladder. Personal Capabilities Other factors which may affect women’s career success at senior level is a perception that they are not capable of leading businesses as well as men (Cooke, 2004; Kalleberg and Leicht, 2005; Fischlmayr, 2002), and the women being faced with competing family demands, particularly from children (Beatty, 1996). This is not necessarily the case in China, however, because it has become the cultural norm for women to work full time, even after having had children, and women do not take career breaks to have children, a fact which is facilitated by the one-child rule (Cooke, 2004). Women may be viewed however in terms of their gender and this will likely affect not only perceptions of their effectiveness as leaders, but evaluations of their success as well (Gunkel et al, 2007; Gutek, 1985; Fondas, 1997). Ryan and Haslam (2005) suggest that when traditional masculi

Essay on Homers Odyssey: Foreshadowing the Homecoming -- Homer Odysse

The Odyssey: Foreshadowing the Homecoming The majority of the Odyssey is an account of Odysseus’ adventures trying to reach his homeland of Ithaka. Several of these adventures are false homecomings, the most prominent of which is his imprisonment on Kalypso’s island. This false homecoming is strikingly different from what one would expect of Odysseus’ real homecoming, but similar enough for parallels to be drawn between the two. Homer uses this false homecoming to foreshadow Odysseus’ true homecoming. Throughout the Odyssey, Homer presents the reader with certain clues about what Odysseus feels his homecoming should (but not neccessarily will) be like. First of all, Odysseus wants to return to Ithaka. Homer goes as far as having Odysseus describe Ithaka: "There is a mountain there that stands tall, leaf-trembling Neritos, and there are islands settled around it, lying one very close to another. There is Doulichion and Same, wooded Zakynthos, but my island lies low and away, last of all on the water†¦" (Bk. 9, ln. 21-25). Kalypso lives on island, which may indeed resemble Ithaka. In this way, Homer begins to alert the reader that this scene may be a false homecoming. But, simply the fact that Kalypso lives on an island is not enough evidence to draw the conclusion that this may foreshadow Odysseus’s true homecoming. Other evidence is needed, and Homer provides it for us. Odysseus expects to return to his family and to the way of life which he is accustomed to. For the m ost part, Kalypso treats him as he is used to being treated—there is a certain sense of familiarity here. Returning from ten years of war with Troy and at least several years at sea, Odysseus wants to return to the comfort of home. Her cave has ... ...eople and customs that Odysseus expects to return home to, and Homer is only using Kalypso’s fake family and home to foreshadow this. When Odysseus finally reaches Ithaka, all that Homer has foreshadowed using Kalypso’s island as a false homecoming is realized, and subsequently all of Odysseus’s expectations are achieved. Odysseus returns to an island, but it is Ithaka. He is greeted with the inhospitality of the suitors (as Homer foreshadowed), but soon restores order and his own sense of civilization. Odysseus and Penelope (rather than Kalypso’s perfect image of a wife) are reunited. Recognized by his son, his wife, and his people, Odysseus’s homecoming is completely. No matter how desirable the world Kalypso created for Odysseus appeared, it was only a false homecoming used by Homer for it’s generalities to foreshadow the specifics of Odysseus’s true homecoming.

Human Morality vs Conformity

Human Morality versus Conformity Through movies, TV shows, and the news, the media portrays the human race as compassionate, altruistic, and always good. Even the heroes who are considered â€Å"bad boys† end up making the right decisions when it comes down to a final decision of selfish needs versus heroism. Disney is especially pivotal in the spreading of the belief that people are inherently good among children, who grow up with this seemingly harmless belief. One such film is Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.In one memorable scene, Captain Jack Sparrow appears to have betrayed his fellow protagonists to the cursed pirates in order to gain wealth and power. However, he uses this as an act to surprise the villains with another double cross to give his friends a chance to gain the advantage. While it would seem that pirates like Jack Sparrow and his crew would be selfish, Disney instead shows them to forego wealth and risk danger for thei r friends, such as when his crew returns to rescue Sparrow from the British at the end of the film.Despite pirates being selfish and criminal by nature, Sparrow and his pirates are actually on a noble quest to stop a great evil in the form of a cursed crew of pirates and rescue the maiden who is their captive. In the sequel, Sparrow has a chance to escape the kraken that is coming after him by sacrificing his friends and crew to secure his getaway. In this instance too, Sparrow chooses the selfless sacrifice of himself to allow the others to escape by remaining to be eaten by the monster. In the final movie of the series, Sparrow is seeking immortality by stabbing the heart of Davy Jones.However, his friend is mortally wounded in the battle to take the heart. Rather than take the immortality he sought, Sparrow helps his friend stab the heart, giving his friend eternal life. The selfishness is all an act, and as in many films, the â€Å"bad boy† Sparrow chooses to be a hero. S o films depict even pirates as good underneath their criminal, selfish exteriors. Media, especially Disney films, show human beings to be good and brave, with the bad and selfish being the minority. In real life, however, truly good and unselfish people are much more uncommon.It is dangerous to believe otherwise, as one must understand that even people who see themselves and their cause as â€Å"good† can cause great harm to others. As many social experiments have proven, human beings would choose their own survival by being self-centered and conforming, easily forgetting morality in the process and following the group decisions rather than their own moral compasses. Following the atrocities committed in Nazi Germany, Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram designed an experiment to test a volunteer subject’s willingness to obey orders regardless of the orders’ morality.In the experiment, a subject met an actor, who would be the â€Å"student† and vi ctim of shocks for each incorrect answer. The subject was informed of the 450-volt maximum for the experiment. The subject was then assigned the role of â€Å"teacher†, to apply a shock that increased with each increment. As the shock strength increased, so would the â€Å"pain† and pre-recorded â€Å"screams† of the actor student. Whenever the subject questioned his orders, an authority figure would prod him with verbal commands demanding obedience of his orders to continue. The experiment was terminated if the subject refused the order four times.None of the forty subjects questioned the experiment before the 300-volt shock and screams. Twenty-six of the forty subjects (65%) continued to shock the â€Å"victim† to the maximum setting of 450-volt. The subjects were aware of the extreme pain caused but proceeded regardless, and the experiment ended on the third consecutive 450-volt shock. Human nature is thus shown as conformist in the presence of authori ty and duty, and morality becomes an afterthought if it is even considered. The majority of people were shocked at this, especially the subjects.The subjects realized the scope of their actions after being explained the experiments purpose in testing authority against morality. As the experiment shows, following orders can overrule morals, such as not hurting others, effectively showing how Nazi Germany gained so much influence over the German people and the failings of human morals. In another social experiment, Professor Solomon Asch tested the nature of human conformity in a group. The subject was told the experiment was a vision test and placed with other â€Å"subjects†, who were, in fact, actors.The actors answered every question correctly as one, until a certain point, where they all began choosing wrongly as one. People do not envision themselves as unquestioning followers, and most do not understand why the Nazis and Communists were able to gain so much power unoppos ed by the people. The subject would follow the group and give at least one wrong answer to conform to the group in 75% of the cases despite the clearly incorrect response to the questions given by the group. In a control group, only 3% of people ever gave a wrong answer to the question when apart from group influences.Therefore, this experiment proves how the individual’s desire to conform to the group outweighs common sense and the desire for independence. While the desire to conform in this case appears harmless, it can lead individuals to make decisions that go against common sense and their moral beliefs. This experiment thus shows how people do not point out things that are obviously wrong if it means going against the status quo, an important factor that allows totalitarian regimes to gain so much power, as nobody would wish to stand up to the society if it threatened their personal well-being.To study the psychological effect of subjects becoming prisoners and guards, Stanford Professor Philip Zimbardo conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment. In this experiment, Professor Zimbardo and his subordinates chose the twenty-four of the most psychologically stable and healthy candidates from over seventy-five undergraduates. The randomly assigned prisoners were then arrested at their homes and processed with the help of local police, getting their mug shots taken, fingerprinted, and issued prison uniforms before being confined to a cell in a Stanford University basement.Those who were assigned prison guard duty were issued guard uniforms and instructed in how to treat the â€Å"prisoners†. The â€Å"guards† were also issued the wooden police batons as authority symbols and visible threats of physical injury to prisoners, and also wore mirrored sunglasses to prevent prisoner eye contact and add to the depersonalization of the mock prison. The second day of the experiment, the â€Å"prisoners† rioted, prompting the prison â€Å"guar ds† to break up the riot by attacking the prisoners with fire extinguishers without the supervision of the research staff.After thirty-six hours, â€Å"Prisoner 8612† went into a hysterical rage, and was only released after his suffering was apparent to the researchers. His release started a false rumor of a â€Å"prison break†, and the guards dismantled the prison to build in a more â€Å"secure† location. People would believe the experiment would be ended at that point, especially since the subjects involved were Stanford undergraduates under the supervision of a respectable university professor.They do not understand that when human beings become too involved in their roles or their society, they become what they and everyone else are acting as, creating a new identity to fit in, rather than fight the system to make it right. From that point forward, things only got more out of hand. When there was no prison break, the guards punished the prisoners for the extra work of rebuilding the prison by engaging them in mandatory physical activity and counting off their prisoner numbers.Guards also denied the prisoners their mattresses, leaving them to lie on the concrete floors, and denied the right to use or empty the sanitation bucket, causing poor sanitary conditions for the â€Å"prisoners†. As some prisoners were forced to go nude, they began planning a prison breakout. Professor Zimbardo, acting as the â€Å"Prison Superintendent† requested prisoner transfer to the local police prison, but the police officials stated they could no longer participate. The experiment was only terminated when Zimbardo’s wife objected to the appalling conditions of the â€Å"prison†.The experiment only ran six out of the planned fourteen days, and in that time the â€Å"prisoners† had gone from rebellious to submissive as the experiment progressed with the â€Å"guards† becoming more cruel and sadistic in their punishments over time. Five of the prisoners became upset enough to quit the experiment early, and many of the participants showed signs of severe emotional disturbances. Even Professor Zimbardo became caught up in the experiment and allowed the situation to worsen.The remaining prisoners internalized their roles as did the guards, resulting in prisoners remaining in the experiment and prison guards abusing their authority. Most people cannot comprehend how this could happen, seeing themselves as rational and fair human beings. This experiment provides a disturbing view of how much people are willing to conform to their situations and the result of such conformity in the treatment of others. Human beings do not always choose rightly, often acting in a conforming and selfish manner, rather than follow the standard conventions of social morals.People believe that most human beings are good people who fight group conformity and self-centered behavior. The media depicts human beings in general as good and selfless, which is comforting but inaccurate. While there are many selfless good people in the world, they are the minority and there are just as many people looking out for themselves. It is important for this misconception of universal human kindness to be questioned in order for individuals to better understand their natures and become better people.

Wearing a Helmet essays

Wearing a Helmet essays A quiet humming sound caused by the neon lights dominated the room. This sound was accompanied by the low rumbling of the nurses talking with each other about the latest gossip, and whatever else it is that nurses talk about. Occasionally this noise would be rudely interrupted by the chirping telephone screaming annoyingly for someone to answer it. It was an extremely slow Sunday afternoon in the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center Emergency Room for Dr. Roberts and his team of medical professionals. It was the type of day that a person has when they at work and there is nothing to, and all that you can think about is going home early and enjoying the wonderful summertime atmosphere. Meanwhile, while this atmosphere of doing nothing but organizing the medical supply crash carts existed, somewhere on the local freeway, a group of friends were out riding their motorcycles, and getting away from the pressures of life. One of the friends was a twenty-two year old named Taylor. He is a student, attending the University of Utah, who had just recently been married. He was also anticipating on attending medical school later on in his future. Even though he had a lot of things going for him, for one reason or another Taylor decided to not wear his helmet that day. Taylors friends began showing off to one another by popping wheelies, standing on the seats of their bike, and weaving in and out of traffic, at speeds of over ninety miles per hour. Taylor was riding behind the pack of bikes and decided that he should catch up to the rest of the group. He shifted gears and darted ahead into an opening in between the cars. Suddenly he collided with a car that moved into the op ening the same time that Taylor did. Taylor and his motorcycle were knocked over, and were both sent hurdling into the air, flipping end over end. Soon the team of paramedics, who had been dispatched to attend to the wreck, arrived on the scene of the motorcycle acci...

Valuable Leadership Experience

Valuable Leadership Experience Business managers are increasingly finding themselves being replaced by business leaders. The difference between a leader and a manager is that while a manager views the job as a career, a leader perceives it as a calling and a personal responsibility.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Valuable Leadership Experience specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are many traits that differentiate between a manager and a leader, but the most significant element is their role since the duty of a manager is to manage, while that of a leader is to lead. Unlike managers, leaders attract their follows by earning their trust and through motivation. In my professional career, I have had several opportunities not only to be a manager, but also to exercise my leadership skills. This essay endeavors to describe one such occasion. Our company strategized to formulate a method through which our major clients would be transited for GAAP to IFSR. The company executives preferred internally bred solution. Thus, we were divided into teams, each with a leader and a mentor. The teams were to present their findings to the judges who were the company executives in a span of two weeks. Ken, an extremely respected business leader was my team leader. However, his packed schedules did not allow him time to convene our group within the first week. Upon realizing that we were running out of time, I decide to convene our first meeting with our mentor to map the way forward. This first meeting was not very successful as my team members did not have the necessary knowledge on the case we were working on. This influenced our mentor to be very skeptical of our team’s ability. That is when I decided to take full responsibility of the project. I rallied my team members and within a short time, we had a workable project plan, comfortable with all members. I then identified the special talents in each of my team members and assigned them responsibilities concurrent with those talents. This proved very useful in improving team efficiency. Prior to every meeting, I did extensive research on the case and summarized my findings. These findings provided my team with necessary information it needed. I had to provide the general direction, thus giving each member space for creative involvement in the task. The fact that we were short of time motivated team members to work diligently in their areas of responsibly and reporting to the group on the progress made. The task was not only completed in time, but was also voted as the best. It was a task accomplished successfully within limited time and under dedicated leadership and teamwork.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Our project provides several valuable lessons on leadership. Leaders must develop the trust of team members and their abilities to acco mplish the task. Other than provide general direction, they should also provide the necessary resources to the team. In our case, knowledge was the resource the team members needed. They also recognize and allocate duties according to team member’s abilities, while letting them be creatively involved in the task. Generally, they make every member feel appreciated and valued by the team.

How to bowl like a pro essays

How to bowl like a pro essays Cricket has been one of the worlds most popular sports since the late 1800s when Australia played England in the first ashes series. The game has come along way since then but the fundamentals of the game have not Everyone can enjoy a game of cricket without having to involved in Cricket is quite a simple game in theory, the central action of the game takes place between the batsman, who stands behind the popping crease, and the bowler, who delivers the ball from the opposite end of the pitch, bowling from the area between the return creases while keeping the front foot on or behind the popping crease. (Refer to the diagram on page i.) The complexities of cricket begin when professionals are concerned. For the best bowlers in the world, pitching the ball in the exact spot they want to the batsmen finding the gaps in the field. For your common Sunday afternoon cricketers, these aspects are not of the same importance. However it is not as easy as it looks to bowl a The underlying principles of cricket rely on dynamics and kinetics, both physical sciences that involve the study of movement. The purpose of this assignment was to investigate the physics involved in cricket, and show that cricket, a team sport anyone can enjoy, is The subject used in the experiment, was an ordinary person, of little cricket background. The equipment used was of your ordinary backyard standard. All these factors contribute to the fact that there is a simplicity to cricket and that anyone can play it as well as enjoy it. To become the next Dennis Lillee or Sir Donald Bradman, in the game of cricket would take years, and for some players divine intervention. For the purpose of my experiment only the bowling action ( excluding spin bowling) will be taken into account to show that an ordinary bowler can become a good bowler, if not a perfect bowler with just a fe...

Innovation in Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Innovation in Organization - Essay Example Moreover, several studies have also highlighted that innovative organizations perform better than the organizations which are non-innovative. However, innovation cannot be an external phenomenon; rather it is purely internal. For a company to get success depending on innovation, it is not sufficient to bring new ideas or products that change the entire market landscape, but the organization must have the ability to absorb the innovation (Agarwal, Erramilli and Dev, 2003; Betz, 2003). The ability of an organization to absorb innovation is critical towards the success of a company. According to Van de Ven, Polley and Venkataraman (1999) â€Å"organizational creation are fundamental to the process of innovation†. The extent to which an organization innovates is the pre-state for the efficient utilization of the new technologies and resources. The introduction of new technology often tenders complex challenges and opportunities for the organizations that in turn lead to changes in the management practices and the emergence of new organizational forms. As a result of that technological and organizational innovation are often stated as intertwined. Schumpeter (1950) also emphasized that innovation in the form of a new product or new process often brings organizational changes and can even be the cause of creative destruction for organizations (Lam, 2004). This study examines the extent of innovation in a chosen organization. In this context, the study will put emphasis on the particular innovation aimed by the organization to deliver to its users, the other possible solutions were considered, the main obstacles and resistance that were met in developing the innovation, networks that were used by actors within and outside the organisation in order to generate, support, and implement the innovation, the procedures that were in place in the organisation to facilitate the selection and development of innovations and the reasons for the success or failure of the in novation. Brief Synopsis of the Company The company chosen for this project is a corporate gift design and manufacturing company. The company currently caters to the domain of innovation of process optimization. Understanding the situation of the market, the company decided to bring some kind of innovation in their system as they consider innovation as one of the major business drivers and is a source of competitive advantage for the firms. Evaluation of product innovation and process innovation, the company identified that the first task is to bring process innovation and simultaneously focus on innovative and creative services. In the recent past, the company has identified certain loopholes in their system of operation and considers those loopholes to be the reason for their low market share. The company also identified that there are several steps involved in closing a call and that is affecting the company in the form of increased lead time and declining market share. The subse quent steps will identify the different factors of the company that are mentioned above.  

Effect of Globalization on Public Administration Research Paper

Effect of Globalization on Public Administration - Research Paper Example The shaping of public policy today should be such that ‘the right’ people are attracted to the country. Globalization has also increased diversity in the workplace meaning that many people of different origins are working in the public sector. Management styles should also change in order to accept the changes of globalization. Competition is another dimension of public administration that globalization has contributed. Private sector is increasing its participation in the public sector due to deregulation and this is increasing competition. Global financialiazation has also affected public administration greatly. Introduction Globalization has changed the dynamics of business significantly all over the world. Newer business practices and management techniques have become inevitable in the new business environment that is dominated by diversity, both outward (customers) and inward (employees). Our world has transformed into a global village where distances no longer matt er. This has both increased the problems and opportunities for businesses. . Competition has increased but many new opportunities are also there to grab. Globalization has not only affected private firms who aim to maximize profits. Public sector organizations are equally affected by the process of globalization. ... Diversity will be discussed and how it has increased problems for public administrators. Management issues that have come up as a result of globalization in the public sector will also be elucidated. The element of competition in the public services sector will also be explained alongside with the global financial markets and its effect on public administration. In the end an appropriate video will also be suggested that will shed more light on globalization. Defining Globalization Globalization refers to eradication of state regulations on trade and exchanges across country borders, and a highly integrated and complex system of production, finance, and exchange that has emerged as a result of it (Palmer, 2002). The term globalization refers to a phenomenon that has changed the world in the 20th century. During 20th century many changes occurred in the whole world. The two world wars fought gave rise to massive industrialization throughout the world. An increasingly capitalistic syst em became popular and regulation became ‘old-fashioned’. Countries soon realized that they were making more goods than they could consumer and this gave rise to global trade on a large scale. After that countries attempted to produce only goods in which they possessed a competitive advantage. This again bolstered globalization. Globalization does not only refer to the economic changes that occurred in the 20th century rather it encompasses many things like cultures, traditions, consumption patterns, technology etc. All these things have become ‘globalized’ today and country specific differences are shrinking. Cultural globalization refers to homogenization of global culture which is happening due

The Media Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Media - Research Paper Example In as much as the media stands a vital role in the development of the social order, its fairness in terms of reporting remains questionable. Unfairness issue in the media has been connected to two main reasons. Firstly, it entails the instances of extortion of journalists who reveal the unpleasant facts regarding such vices like; human rights catastrophes, poverty, and environmental abuse. Secondly, the aspect of unfairness along such issues as the racial divide in the mainstream media has led to critics to inquire whether fairness does exist when it comes to reporting by the media. One agency that has always been much concerned about fair reporting is the Fair and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) that was founded in the year 1986 in the US(Forte, 2011). According to the agency, most reporters are involved in partisan statements that reveal half-truths whenever they are reporting in either broadcast or print. The trend is very common more especially in social matters such as environmenta l abuse, human rights abuse and elections. Sociologists refer to mass media as mediated culture whereby, media reflects and at the same time creates the culture(Journalism, media and the challenge of human rights reporting, 2002). Individuals and communities are always bombarded with information from a multitude of media sources. The messages not only promote goods and services, but human being attitudes, moods, and a sense of whatever is important or not important. The modern level of mass media saturation has not always been in existence. In the 1960s and 1970, for example, television primarily consisted of three networks that included public broadcasting and very few local independent broadcasting stations. What is the role of mass media? Media executives, Legislatures, sociologists and local school officials have all discussed this type of controversial question. In as much as ideas vary as to the type and extent of influence the media stands, all parties consent that media

Visual Analysis writing assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Visual Analysis writing assignment - Essay Example Inventory Image of a young girl from the back wearing white cotton skirt, and looking into a circular hole or what appears as a circular window in a dramatically patterned wall. A wide-brimmed hat obscures her head and echoes the shape of the entryway. She is bare feet and stands tentatively on her toes with the right foot overlapping the left one as though she wants to create stairs with her feet. She seems to be investigating something mysterious from inside the tunnel in which her right hand has disappeared into the unseen contents of the void. Intense sunlight is revealed with the distinct shadow cast by the girl’s body on the wall. The girl appears to be searching for an unknown thing, which leaves us investigating the contrast between the fearful unknown and her innocence. Composition One of the evident principle of design in this composition is emphasis whereby the artist pulls our eyes to the void through which the subject seems to be searching for something. ... The circular shape creates a sense of substance and space particularly positive space taken up by the subject. In addition, shape is also seen in the complex and dramatic pattern of the rectangles and squares of the wall. The surface texture of this image appears rough with black and white value that creates timelessness. Finally, there is repetition particularly of the circular shape, which results into a composition with unity and balance. Visual cues Black and white is the color of this photo, but with various tones. In addition, there is a sharp contrast created by the shadow revealing the photo was taken during intense sunlight. With respect to form, the circular shape of the heart leads the eyes of the audience to peep into the circular tunnel that seem to capture all the attention of this girls as she looks for an unknown inside the circular hole. When it comes to depth, only the foreground is focused, as the background is invisible due to the dramatically patterned old wall t hat blocks it. However, depth is visible in the circular portal, which appears to go deep inside beyond the wall. Finally, there is little movement with the only one created by the girl struggle to see what is inside or beyond the hole. This minimal, restricted movement creates a sense of fear. Semiotic signs and codes The element of semiotic signs and codes in this photo is the exaggerated big hat, which resonates with the Mexican people. The kind of hat in this photo is particularly used for those who work in plantations perhaps to shield them from intense sun, as well as for some cultural festivities. Along with the long white skirt, these two semiotic signs and codes play a significant role in determining the narrative of this image. Cognitive elements The cognitive

The Impact of social Networking on Customer Loyalty Thesis

The Impact of social Networking on Customer Loyalty - Thesis Example This essay stresses that Facebook is one of the widely use social networking websites around the world. The number of users of social media is increasing with the passage of time however youngsters are more inclined towards using of social media than people of other ages. Moreover most of the people are logging their accounts on a daily basis and thus, it has encouraged businesses to use social media to convey their marketing messages as well. Social media websites are used for different purposes, one of them is that people do research and gather information about the products and services. Social Networking Sites are a very important part of Web 2.0. SNSs have become a powerful force in shaping public opinions on virtually every aspect of commerce. SNS imply word-of-mouth marketing, and have an increasing influence on customers’ purchase decisions and in turn affects customer loyalty. The study of this topic has been really interesting due to the image that the social media portray in the society. Although there was not so much time and mean I managed to have convenient samples for a small case study, which is thus a hindrance to generalize the result of the finding. However convenient sample could provide springboard for further research. The work could have been easier if only the questionnaire has been done based on the theory chapter. Due to some misunderstanding some theories were not letter consider as to be one hence some theories has to be included latter. So the challenge was to make sure that the new.

Art Review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Art Review - Assignment Example The painting has drawn much debate down the centuries because of the facial expression displayed on the painting. The Mona Lisa now is on display in Paris at the Louvre. In my opinion, the Mona Lisa is the greatest work of art of all time because of the skillfulness and difficulty of the piece. Da Vinci was an artist who often spent many years on one painting, so it is no surprise that he took so long with this one. The best works of art of those that force the viewer to think about what the painting represents; in this case, Da Vinci paints the facial expression that could be interpreted in one of two ways. In my opinion, the smile of the woman in the painting is not a real smile but a forced one; she may even be hiding something beneath that smile. Rembrandt, full name Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, is considered to be the most famous painter and artist in Dutch history. Many of Rembrandt’s pieces of art contributed to what some experts refer to as the â€Å"Dutch Golden Age.† Early on in his life, Rembrandt was a successful portrait painter but his career did not flourish as much as his early promise showed. Later in life, Rembrandt taught many young Dutch painters how to cultivate works of art. The Night Watch is recognized as one of Rembrandt’s most famous works of art. However, it has also provided much controversy and debate around the militiamen in the painting. This painting was crafted right in the middle of the Dutch Revolt against the Spanish. What may be considered unusual about this painting is that a captain of a Dutch militia group commissioned the painting and paid Rembrandt a large amount of money to do so. However, during this volatile time, it was not uncommon for militia groups to pay for their portraits to be painted. While there are many people in the painting, the light focuses only on two main figures at the front and a

Visual Analysis writing assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Visual Analysis writing assignment - Essay Example Inventory Image of a young girl from the back wearing white cotton skirt, and looking into a circular hole or what appears as a circular window in a dramatically patterned wall. A wide-brimmed hat obscures her head and echoes the shape of the entryway. She is bare feet and stands tentatively on her toes with the right foot overlapping the left one as though she wants to create stairs with her feet. She seems to be investigating something mysterious from inside the tunnel in which her right hand has disappeared into the unseen contents of the void. Intense sunlight is revealed with the distinct shadow cast by the girl’s body on the wall. The girl appears to be searching for an unknown thing, which leaves us investigating the contrast between the fearful unknown and her innocence. Composition One of the evident principle of design in this composition is emphasis whereby the artist pulls our eyes to the void through which the subject seems to be searching for something. ... The circular shape creates a sense of substance and space particularly positive space taken up by the subject. In addition, shape is also seen in the complex and dramatic pattern of the rectangles and squares of the wall. The surface texture of this image appears rough with black and white value that creates timelessness. Finally, there is repetition particularly of the circular shape, which results into a composition with unity and balance. Visual cues Black and white is the color of this photo, but with various tones. In addition, there is a sharp contrast created by the shadow revealing the photo was taken during intense sunlight. With respect to form, the circular shape of the heart leads the eyes of the audience to peep into the circular tunnel that seem to capture all the attention of this girls as she looks for an unknown inside the circular hole. When it comes to depth, only the foreground is focused, as the background is invisible due to the dramatically patterned old wall t hat blocks it. However, depth is visible in the circular portal, which appears to go deep inside beyond the wall. Finally, there is little movement with the only one created by the girl struggle to see what is inside or beyond the hole. This minimal, restricted movement creates a sense of fear. Semiotic signs and codes The element of semiotic signs and codes in this photo is the exaggerated big hat, which resonates with the Mexican people. The kind of hat in this photo is particularly used for those who work in plantations perhaps to shield them from intense sun, as well as for some cultural festivities. Along with the long white skirt, these two semiotic signs and codes play a significant role in determining the narrative of this image. Cognitive elements The cognitive

Art Review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Art Review - Assignment Example The painting has drawn much debate down the centuries because of the facial expression displayed on the painting. The Mona Lisa now is on display in Paris at the Louvre. In my opinion, the Mona Lisa is the greatest work of art of all time because of the skillfulness and difficulty of the piece. Da Vinci was an artist who often spent many years on one painting, so it is no surprise that he took so long with this one. The best works of art of those that force the viewer to think about what the painting represents; in this case, Da Vinci paints the facial expression that could be interpreted in one of two ways. In my opinion, the smile of the woman in the painting is not a real smile but a forced one; she may even be hiding something beneath that smile. Rembrandt, full name Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, is considered to be the most famous painter and artist in Dutch history. Many of Rembrandt’s pieces of art contributed to what some experts refer to as the â€Å"Dutch Golden Age.† Early on in his life, Rembrandt was a successful portrait painter but his career did not flourish as much as his early promise showed. Later in life, Rembrandt taught many young Dutch painters how to cultivate works of art. The Night Watch is recognized as one of Rembrandt’s most famous works of art. However, it has also provided much controversy and debate around the militiamen in the painting. This painting was crafted right in the middle of the Dutch Revolt against the Spanish. What may be considered unusual about this painting is that a captain of a Dutch militia group commissioned the painting and paid Rembrandt a large amount of money to do so. However, during this volatile time, it was not uncommon for militia groups to pay for their portraits to be painted. While there are many people in the painting, the light focuses only on two main figures at the front and a

Causes of Ww1 Essay Example for Free

Causes of Ww1 Essay * WW1 is known as the great war * There were preexisting tensions between France and Germany * 1 of the main causes of WW1 Nationalism, Nationalism is defined as the desire of people with similar cultures to have their own independent countries it is identified by intense devotion to one’s culture or nation. Do not confuse nationalism with patriotism. * Militarism, Militarism means the development of armed forces and using them as a tool of diplomacy * 1914 protest broke out in bosnia archduke franz Ferdinand was shot and killed * Alliances were another cause of WW1. Serbia went to Russia Austria went to Germany Russia ran to france then france went to Britain and the U.S was neutral * Germany used unrestricted submarine warfare the Lusitania was sunk by submarine over 1000 was killed, 128 americans were killed and the U.S became involved in WW1. * Germany tried to stop the U.S by sending a letter to Mexico to have a war with the U.S * April 2 1917 Congress declared war on Germany * 2 million American men lept on the continent confident fresh and ready to attack the german army November 11 1918 a cease fire was signed * Versailles treaty said nine new nations were established in Europe including Poland Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia * Germany was not aloud to have an army * Germany had to give Alsace and Lorraine back to france and pay them a huge amount of reperations money paid to repair war damage * The war guilt clause forced Germany to admit that WW1 was their fault and only their fault humiliating and angering the german people. * 22 million people were killed * The war cost the nations involed and estimated 338 billion * An entire generation of europian young men were dead or destroyed * An angry and humiliated Germany would start WW2 about 20 years later * The league of nations was started as a world police force it failed * With men gone woman took factory jobs In return for their contribution they would receive the right to vote in 1920 * America became the dominant industrial power of the world * Contributed to the movement of African Americans in the North the great migration * Intrnsified anti immigrant and anti communist sentiments among some americans * Newtechnology * Machine guns * Tanks * Gas warfare * Poison gas

Number of Folds in Paper: Thickness of Earth to Sun

Number of Folds in Paper: Thickness of Earth to Sun Calculating the number of folds and the hypothetical size of a piece of paper so that its thickness equates to the distance from the Earth to Saturn. As a physics student doing the option on astrophysics, I have become very interested in the immensity of the universe. I decided it would be intriguing to combine it with my personal hobby of doing origami which helps me to relieve stress. As a result, I investigated the amount of times a piece of paper would need to be folded in half so that its thickness achieves a length which equates to the distance from the Earth to Saturn. I have chosen the planet Saturn because it is one of the biggest planets that can be observed by the naked eye and I have been able to see it last summer from the top of a high hill in La Pedriza in the Guadarrama mountain range near my hometown (Collado Villalba, Madrid, Spain). Popular claims suggested that it is impossible to fold a piece of paper in half more than seven times no matter its size or thickness.   Previous mathematicians have worked out the number of folds required to reach the moon from the Earth which was worked out to be 42 folds[1] using a m thick paper. The size of the paper however, was not found. In theory, the average folds for a normal size A4 (m) paper is seven. This is an interesting topic because it is incredible how, by exponential growth, a miniature of m thick like a piece of paper can be folded in half to reach the distance of the planet Saturn. Britney Gallivan[2] was able to fold a piece of toilet paper of 1200 meters a number of 12 folds. She derived two mathematical expressions based on geometrical sequences, taking into consideration the amount of paper lost in every fold. These formulas make it possible to calculate the hypothetical length L and width W of a piece of paper that would be folded n times to equate the distance from the Earth to Saturn. Gallivan established some rules that would need to be followed when folding a sheet of paper in half:       A single rectangular sheet of paper of any size and uniform thickness can be used. The fold line has to be in the same direction each time. The folding process must not tear the paper. When folded in half, the portions of the inner layers which face one another must almost touch one another. The average thickness or structure of material of paper must remain unaffected by the folding process. A fold is considered complete if portions of all layers lie in one straight line. Hence, the length L of the paper influences the number of times it can be folded in half. Hypothesis The distance from the Earth to Saturn will be obtained by folding a piece of paper ≠¥50 times with a hypothetically large enough paper. This exploration used exponential growth and logarithms in order to find out the number of folds required to reach Saturn. Before any calculation was done, it was indispensable to collect all the data required for the investigation. All the values were used were in the international system of units (metres) and standard form in order to keep the exploration standardized. Taking into consideration the elliptical orbits of the planets, sometimes they are closer to Earth and sometimes they are further away. Therefore, the value used during this mathematical exploration was the mean value of when they are the furthest apart and the closest together. Astronomical units (AU) are the standard unit measure used when dealing with distances within the Solar System. 1 AU is equal to the distance from the Earth to the Sun which is equivalent tom. Distance from the Earth to Saturn when closer together 8.00 AU[3] Distance from the Earth to Saturn when further apart 11.0 AU3 Mean distance from the Earth to Saturn    AU   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   m The thickness of a normal A4 paper (0.210 297m) was calculated by taking a measurement of an office pack of 500 pages (80gsm) which was found to be about 0.05m. The thickness of each individual page is calculated by dividing the total thickness (0.05m) by the amount of sheets (500); giving a result of m. Whenever a paper is folded in half, the number of layers is doubled so the thickness increases by two. When there is only one layer of paper (not folded), its thickness is m. Once it is folded in half for the first time, its thickness will be multiplied by 2 hence, m Folding it one more time means multiplying it by two again, m Thus, an expression can be established, showing the exponential growth; The expression can be represented in a graph to illustrate graphically the exponential growth because of folding. Graph 1: From Graph 1, it is possible to visualise how, something that seems unrealistic like folding a sheet of paper to reach Saturn becomes possible. The graph also illustrates how rapidly exponential growth occurs. Since the expression needs to be equal to the distance from the Earth to Saturn to work out (the number of folds), an equation to find can be solved: Folds To find, the rules of logarithms were put in place due to the exponential nature of the equation. The answer has been rounded up to 54 because it is not possible to have a half fold. Gallivan derived the following formula for the minimum length of a piece of paper of thickness t to be folded n times in a single direction To prove this formula, it is neccesary to understand that after each fold, some part of the paper is lost and becomes a rounded edge. I folded an A4 sheet of paper seven times in order to illustrate this: As you can see from the picture, there is a rounded edge on the side which is paper being lost and is not contributing to the real thickness but just joining the layers. The curved portion becomes bigger in correlation with the number of folds and begins to take a greater area of the volume of the paper. At the first fold, a semicircle of radius t (thickness) is formed, which has a perimeter . Thus, units of the paper are being used in the fold.   A paper smaller than this cannot be folded since there is not enough paper to form the fold. After the fold, there is a two-layer sheet of paper with a thickness of 2t. Another fold results in folding the second layer over the first layer. The second layer has a radius of , so it uses units of paper. The total amount of paper used by the second fold, for both layers, is resulting in a four-layer piece of paper. The ith fold begings with layers, and folding the jth layer uses units of paper. Hence, the total length of paper used for the ith fold is given by Therefore, to obtain the total length of paper required for n number of folds, sum this over i from 1 to n, which gives Gallivans formula: The thickness can be substituted into t and the number of folds can be substituted into n which gives L to be equal to 1.70-1028m. The other expression proposed by Gallivan can be used to calculate the width of the paper. If the length lost in the radii of earlier folds is not considered, the length lost must be considered in the last fold. At the final fold n, the side of the square must be at least equal to the length lost in the final fold which is (amount of length lost in each fold. Taking into consideration that the total area of the sheet (area = nb of sheets in penultimate step area of square in penultimate step) is preserved, Gallivans equation can be derived: Again, the thickness and number of folds can be substituted and an answer for W can be found giving W to be 2.69-1020m. In conclusion, the initial hypothesis was right since the number of folds was 54 which is, indeed, greater than 50. The hypothetical paper that could, in theory, be folded 54 times so that its thickness equates the distance from the Earth to Saturn of m would be long and wide (taking into consideration that its thickness would bem). The dimensions of this paper would be bigger than the actual distance from the Earth to Saturn so, unfortunately, we do not have a paper that big that would allow us to reach to Saturn just by folding it in half. This mathematical exploration used logarithms to find out the number of folds needed to reach Saturn with a m thick paper. However, the dimensions of this sheet of paper would be too big and hence, impossible to find in the Earths surface. Nevertheless, the exploration could have looked at using a thinner piece of paper to see if its dimensions would have been smaller and perhaps, we would have been able to find it in the surface of the Earth and we would have been able to reach Saturn. References       Astronomy, S. (2012). How Far away is Saturn? [Online] Space.com. Available at: http://www.space.com/18477-how-far-away-is-saturn.html [Accessed 16 Jan. 2017]. IFLScience. (2016). Fold A Piece of Paper in Half 103 Times and It Will Be As Thick As the UNIVERSE. [Online] Available at: http://www.iflscience.com/space/fold-piece-paper-half-103-times-and-it-will-be-thick-universe/ [Accessed 16 Jan. 2017]. Pomonahistorical.org. (2002). Folding Paper in Half Twelve Times. [Online] Available at: http://pomonahistorical.org/12times.htm [Accessed 16 Jan. 2017]. [1] IFLScience. (2016). Fold A Piece of Paper in Half 103 Times and It Will Be As Thick As the UNIVERSE. [online] Available at: http://www.iflscience.com/space/fold-piece-paper-half-103-times-and-it-will-be-thick-universe/ [Accessed 16 Jan. 2017]. [2]Pomonahistorical.org. (2002). Folding Paper in Half Twelve Times. [online] Available at: http://pomonahistorical.org/12times.htm [Accessed 16 Jan. 2017]. [3] Astronomy, S. (2012). How Far away is Saturn? [online] Space.com. Available at: http://www.space.com/18477-how-far-away-is-saturn.html [Accessed 16 Jan. 2017].

US Involvelment in Latin America :: essays research papers

US Involvelment in Latin America During Teddy Roosevelt’s Time US primary concern in Latin America was to maintain political stability in order to protect ourselves as well as our business and trade interests. To accomplish this, the Monroe doctrine was expanded to include the Roosevelt Corollary. The Roosevelt Corollary said that the United States would intervene in the internal affairs of Latin America through Military and Diplomatic actions in order to protect political stability and American interests. This policy was established without input from Latin American countries and put the US into the role of international police to maintain peace and order in the Western Hemisphere. Teddy Roosevelt’s philosophy was to â€Å"speak softly but carry a big stick† We also used â€Å"dollar diplomacy† which was the practice of replacing European loans with American ones in Latin America but then used military force to keep our investments safe. Some examples of â€Å"the big stick in action† are: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Cuba wanted its independence and we had promised they could be, we required the Platt Amendment in their constitution, which said that we could intervene in Cuba anytime to protect life, liberty or property. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the Spanish American War, we took control of Puerto Rico and ruled it like a territory. 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After Haiti had a violent coup in 1915, Wilson sent the Marines occupy it and build roads, hospitals and schools etc. 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the Mexican Revolution, we sent troops into Northern Mexico in order to catch Villa. 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Teddy Roosevelt wanted to build the Panama Canal, Panama was part of Colombia. Colombia refused to sign a treaty with the US allowing us to build the canal because they wanted more money. Roosevelt encouraged Panamanian leaders to revolt and sent a battleship to help them. Once Panama was separate, they signed a treaty with the US agreeing to let us build the canal. Roosevelt actually created a country. US Involvelment in Latin America :: essays research papers US Involvelment in Latin America During Teddy Roosevelt’s Time US primary concern in Latin America was to maintain political stability in order to protect ourselves as well as our business and trade interests. To accomplish this, the Monroe doctrine was expanded to include the Roosevelt Corollary. The Roosevelt Corollary said that the United States would intervene in the internal affairs of Latin America through Military and Diplomatic actions in order to protect political stability and American interests. This policy was established without input from Latin American countries and put the US into the role of international police to maintain peace and order in the Western Hemisphere. Teddy Roosevelt’s philosophy was to â€Å"speak softly but carry a big stick† We also used â€Å"dollar diplomacy† which was the practice of replacing European loans with American ones in Latin America but then used military force to keep our investments safe. Some examples of â€Å"the big stick in action† are: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Cuba wanted its independence and we had promised they could be, we required the Platt Amendment in their constitution, which said that we could intervene in Cuba anytime to protect life, liberty or property. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the Spanish American War, we took control of Puerto Rico and ruled it like a territory. 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After Haiti had a violent coup in 1915, Wilson sent the Marines occupy it and build roads, hospitals and schools etc. 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the Mexican Revolution, we sent troops into Northern Mexico in order to catch Villa. 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Teddy Roosevelt wanted to build the Panama Canal, Panama was part of Colombia. Colombia refused to sign a treaty with the US allowing us to build the canal because they wanted more money. Roosevelt encouraged Panamanian leaders to revolt and sent a battleship to help them. Once Panama was separate, they signed a treaty with the US agreeing to let us build the canal. Roosevelt actually created a country.

An Evaluation of My Writing :: Teaching Education Essays

An Evaluation of My Writing What Dana is; insightful. What Dana's writing hasn't been; insightful. So what does this mean? It means, that Dana has been missing from her own writings. She has been absent, and non-existent. Dana has a voice that goes unheard, and she possesses a style which has conformed instead of expanded. Her previous writing has epitomized nothingness. It resembles a cosmic soup, void of expression and individuality. There is no doubt that Dana needs to be found, and she should be pictured on the back of milk cartons with the word MISSING typed in bold letters if necessary, because her writing doesn't give any evidence that she even exists. But wait just a minute! There's been word that she's just wrapped up a quarter of expository writing, and she could be saved. This is something to be thankful for because the threat of colorless, lifeless, and uninteresting writing might be gone. We should all be rejoicing because one more writer has seen beyond the theme and converted to a style that exce eds that of the Official Style. Dana's earlier work was dry from start to finish. Her introductory paragraphs never grabbed the reader because they started out so slowly. The purpose of her own papers even seemed unclear to her, as if she wasn't completely aware of where she was headed with her thoughts and ideas. Perhaps this is so obvious because what she was writing, was written in such a way, that it didn't even remotely resemble her own communication style. Dana seemed content writing to accommodate the expectations of the person she was writing for, rather than writing to satisfy her own expectations. It was very noticeable, even in the first sentences of her introductory paragraphs, that she purposely tip-toed around issues she could have addressed including the issues in her theme papers. Dana is not the person, style, or voice, that she portrays in her papers. Dana seems to have been taught to believing that writing quality is measured by a word choice that is high caliber, eloquent, and sophisticated. I know this girl, and she doesn't use the big two dollar words in her everyday conversations, however, she uses them without discrimination in her writing. Someone, somewhere along the road of her bumpy academic career, has fed her, the very familiar, Official Style myth. It is obvious she gets sick of talking at her readers, attempting to sound like an expert, know-it-all politician. An Evaluation of My Writing :: Teaching Education Essays An Evaluation of My Writing What Dana is; insightful. What Dana's writing hasn't been; insightful. So what does this mean? It means, that Dana has been missing from her own writings. She has been absent, and non-existent. Dana has a voice that goes unheard, and she possesses a style which has conformed instead of expanded. Her previous writing has epitomized nothingness. It resembles a cosmic soup, void of expression and individuality. There is no doubt that Dana needs to be found, and she should be pictured on the back of milk cartons with the word MISSING typed in bold letters if necessary, because her writing doesn't give any evidence that she even exists. But wait just a minute! There's been word that she's just wrapped up a quarter of expository writing, and she could be saved. This is something to be thankful for because the threat of colorless, lifeless, and uninteresting writing might be gone. We should all be rejoicing because one more writer has seen beyond the theme and converted to a style that exce eds that of the Official Style. Dana's earlier work was dry from start to finish. Her introductory paragraphs never grabbed the reader because they started out so slowly. The purpose of her own papers even seemed unclear to her, as if she wasn't completely aware of where she was headed with her thoughts and ideas. Perhaps this is so obvious because what she was writing, was written in such a way, that it didn't even remotely resemble her own communication style. Dana seemed content writing to accommodate the expectations of the person she was writing for, rather than writing to satisfy her own expectations. It was very noticeable, even in the first sentences of her introductory paragraphs, that she purposely tip-toed around issues she could have addressed including the issues in her theme papers. Dana is not the person, style, or voice, that she portrays in her papers. Dana seems to have been taught to believing that writing quality is measured by a word choice that is high caliber, eloquent, and sophisticated. I know this girl, and she doesn't use the big two dollar words in her everyday conversations, however, she uses them without discrimination in her writing. Someone, somewhere along the road of her bumpy academic career, has fed her, the very familiar, Official Style myth. It is obvious she gets sick of talking at her readers, attempting to sound like an expert, know-it-all politician.

The Educational System Trying

Is the guarantee of safety of others a compelling reason in which to form and maintain policies that make all school aged athletes or anyone who is involved in school based extra curricular activities subject to a mandatory drug screening or does this become a violation of constitutional rights? Can it be said that those in a choir or band recital pose just as much threat as those in vigorous sports and if so what kind of dangers do these people emit?Just how far can schools go in their policies befire they become shut down indefinitely when it comes to making policies â€Å"For the greater good? † It all started in 1995 when an Oregon school won their case in which they chose to make all athletes be drug tested. In an outcry the students filed suit and in the end it was the school who prevailed. Since then more and more schools are adopting or have done so or at least trying to adopt that same policy, many have succeeded with little to no issue while others have acted as the Acton family did in the Oregon case.Schools claim that in having a drug testing policy for athletes that this will help allay future endangerments and promote a healthier stance not only with the athletes but with the other students as well. Furthermore, the Oreogn school won their case for only those who are involved in athletics, not those that are involved in other extra curricular activities such as band or choir. The case in Oregon made in to the Supreme Court contenind violations of the fourth and fourteenth constitutional amendments.The Fourth amendment protects us against unreasonable search and seizures and that we are protected within our homes as well as the schools in which we attend and any other facility. The word reasonable has come into play through the course of arguments when arguing that forcing drug testing with no reasonable grounds went against this. With each case being different, the definition of reasonable also expands.The captain of a football team may be using as well as distributing and in this would lie reasonable cause for drug testing but the argument, as of 2000-2002, from yet another group challenging a school’s policy, is why should drug testing be enforced upon students when there is no reason visible per that student or group of students? But the Fourteenth amendment has also been cited; no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law and in forcing students to submit to drug testing simply because there is a policy allegedly violates this as suddenly they have been deprived of due process.So once again, another group of students have stepped forward, some outraged at the fact of a drug policy being implemented, not only for those who are athletes or in extra curricular activities but for all students, regardless of any exhibits or lack thereof of drug use and regardless of any known or unknown associations with any person who is thought to be a user. Simply, the case of Earls v. B oard of Education of Tecumseh Public School District claimed a definitive violation against them stoutly claiming the fourth amendment.In favbor of the Earls case, the Drug Policy Alliance Network filed a brief regarding this case, also contesting mandatory drug screens for all students. It has been claimed that sports actually is haven for drug free children and thus a protection. According to experts from the â€Å"American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Education Association, the American Public Health Association, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and several other prominent national organizations that thay all disagree with suspicionless drug testing of high school students engaged in extracurricular activities. † (http://www. drugpolicy.org/law/drugtesting/students/ 3rd paragraph). So with all of this, 10th Circuit held that the drug testing policy at issue violated students' Fourth Amendment rights but in 2002 the Supreme Court reversed that d ecision and upheld that school’s policy and then the ACLU took notice of this case and along with other similar cases, is challenging these violations of the violated constitutional rights. While the ACLU and circuit courts strike down the policies of schools with regards to their drug testing policies, the Supreme Court and the National Drug Control agency are for it and each side is pushing forward to be heard.Now the landmark of all of this is the fact that the 10th Circuit Court ruled against the Board of Education, the Supreme Court then came along and ruled back in favor of the Board of Education and in the same month the Supreme Court ruled against the Board of Education. A Supreme Court ruling against each other in the same month, unheard of. Justice Ginsburg in a subtle fashion held the school responsible more for their lack of proper concern and reasons in which to hold every child in punishment form for something that only some have done.He claimed this disregard a s if the tutelary responsibility was being taken a lot to far. To this day, this last decision has not been reversed. Any school intervention or other law enforcement intervention upon a student’s rights while at school must closely abide by the Vernonia, Oregon ruling of reasonableness. With these different factions going back and forth over what is quickly becoming an age old argument both sides have valid points but in the end it needs to be realized that drug testing students just because they can has proven to be of little to no use, not to mention a definite violation of legalities.Expert opinions of kids being driven away from sports due to this policy holds high validity. Where a child might be currently using, sports may also be the place that gets the child to stop using. In the end, regardless of testing, children will use and always have access to drugs should this be their decision and no school policy or court opinion will deter that. It hasn’t in hundred s of years and it isn’t about to start now. WORKS CITED BOARD OF ED. OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DIST. NO. 92 OF POTTAWATOMIE CTY. V. EARLS (01-332) 536 U. S.822 (2002) 242 F. 3d 1264, reversed. June 27, 2002 . http://www. law. cornell. edu/supct/html/01-332. ZD1. html NPR. Nina Totenburg. The Supreme Court and ‘Brown v. Board of Ed. Feb 6, 2009 http://www. npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=1537409 Drug Testing Students. Drug Policy Alliance Network. 2009. Http://www. drugpolicy. org/law/drugtesting/students/ Reasonline. com. The Supreme Court's ruling on school drug testing will hurt public schools more than the one on vouchers. July 1, 2002. http://www. reason. com/news/show/32704.