Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Negative Social Psychological Impact of Overdependence on and Long Essay

The Negative Social Psychological Impact of Overdependence on and Long Exposures to Computers - Essay Example Bordia, P. (1997) â€Å"Face-to-Face versus Computer-Mediated Communication: A Synthesis of the Experimental Literature† The Journal of Business Communication, 34(1), 99+ Bullinger, H. & Ziegler, J. (1999) Human-Computer Interaction: Communication, Cooperation, and Application Design. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Ellul, J. (1967) The Technological Society. New York: Vintage Books. George, J. (2004) Computers in society: privacy, ethics, and the Internet. The University of Michigan: Pearson Prentice Hall. Morley, D. (2010) Understanding Computers in a Changing Society. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. O’Brien, J. (1991) Introduction to information systems in business management. The University of Michigan: Irwin. Sanders, D. & Fry, R. (1981) Computers in society. The University of California: McGraw-Hill. Shotton, M. (1989) Computer Addiction? A Study of Computer Dependency. London: Taylor & Francis. What dangers are there for a society which depends on computer screens rather than face-to-face contact for its main means of communication? Introduction Present-day societies are becoming more and more dependent on technologies. ‘Internet’, ‘Google’, ‘Skype’, and ‘Facebook’ have become widely popular terms. The assumption is that computers can give instant knowledge or answers to almost all kinds of questions and, lately, provide adequate or, at best, lucrative employment. Since computers seem to offer an immediate access to knowledge or information, they have turned out to be substitutes for traditional knowledge-acquisition techniques, the pure knowledge foundation desired by classical Greece (Sanders & Fry 1981). Moreover, since computers are unrestrained by human eccentricities, their application sidesteps an array of ordinary... Present-day societies are becoming more and more dependent on technologies. ‘Internet’, ‘Google’, ‘Skype’, and ‘Facebook’ have become widely popular terms. The assumption is that computers can give instant knowledge or answers to almost all kinds of questions and, lately, provide adequate or, at best, lucrative employment. Since computers seem to offer an immediate access to knowledge or information, they have turned out to be substitutes for traditional knowledge-acquisition techniques, the pure knowledge foundation desired by classical Greece (Sanders & Fry 1981). Moreover, since computers are unrestrained by human eccentricities, their application sidesteps an array of ordinary activities and issues in putting in order everyday endeavours. Putting in order human affairs based on computer technologies give social institutions rationality and consistency. Emphasising this drive to transfer to computers task for setting up a strong social order, a number of scholars, like Jacques Ellul (1967), claimed in the past that ‘technological slavery’ would eventually emerge. This argument proposes that the current overdependence on computers has become dangerous to contemporary societies. The Negative Social Psychological Impact of overdependence on and Long Exposures to Computers.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Strategic Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Strategic Marketing - Essay Example Figure 1: Effectiveness of analysis tools (Source: Ferrell, Hartline, 2008, p. 119) Of the four elements of the SWOT analysis Strength is the most effective element which is needed to be evaluated by the company. Identifying the strength of the firm gives better understanding of the market scenario in accordance to the company’s position. With more strong position in the market the company will be able to minimize its weaknesses in the market. Also SWOT analysis facilitates the company to find new opportunities in the field which shows stronger position for the company. As for example if a company has strong financial condition it’s a good opportunity for the firm to invest into expansion strategy as the strategic plan. When a company has good understanding of its strength and weaknesses the company will also be able to cater with the threats which might arise in the business process. But conducting a SWOT analysis is not an easy task for the organization. Several issue s might arise in the process. ... Planning and estimation of the business activities can help the company to understand the prospect of the new business and act and implement accordingly for building strong base into the market. Cash Flow Forecasting is one of the most important plans for the company to document its planning process. Calculating the Break Even point in the business can give a good start for the company as it is the point where the expenses equal the sales revenue generated by the company. At first the company needs to calculate the fixed cost of the different operations and then the variable costs of the goods like labor, materials etc. Then estimation of the output production unit will then help to calculate the breakeven point of the firm by dividing Fixed Cost with the difference of Unit price and Unit Cost of the product. The projected balance sheet of the company will give a snapshot of the assets and the liabilities of the company along with the equities involved in the business. The company ne eds to forecast its sales and income statement to understand its profitability position in the business process. Here is an example of a breakeven point where the portion above the line represents profit where as below the line represents loss for the company. Figure 2: Break Even Point graph (Source: British Columbia, n.d., p. 16) QUESTION 3 Identify Two (2) Malaysian companies that you believe have high brand quality. Why do you suggest so? Give reasons to support your answer. How does having high brand equity help them compete against competing companies? In service industry the most crucial factor for conducting business in a competitive environment is maintaining customer relationship through quality service and maintaining high brand value in the mind of the

Sunday, October 27, 2019

A Dolls House | Analysis | Female Gender

A Dolls House | Analysis | Female Gender Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House presents to us Nora, the doll, who is caught up in a constricting marriage to Torvald, who represents the society of 19th century Europe through his narrow mindedness and hard and fast rules. In this society, women are a suppressed bunch and do not have many opportunities to express or be themselves When they are little girls in pigtails, they live by their fathers rules and abide by the law in the house. They get married and go to their nuptial homes .Here they have to live under the thumb of their husbands and meekly take on whatever is thrown at them. On the other hand, we have Mariama BÃ ¢s So long a letter, which is set in Post-colonialist Senegal. Here we have Ramatoulaye, a model housewife living under her husbands roof and putting her family before self. She writes a long letter to her best friend Aissatou which details the events after her husbands death and also provides a flashback of her and her friends lives over the time they have matured from girls to women to mothers. An unmistakable hint of feminism is perhaps what makes the novel a strong megaphone for the oppressed woman in Africa. The African woman is oppressed by her culture and by virtue of her position. Aissatou is however a rebel and goes against the societal norms and Ramatoulaye gradually realizes she cannot look to her culture for much. Throughout both of the works that I have studied, both the characters of Nora and Ramatoulaye are similar in the fact that both their characters develop throughout the novels. This represents the emergence of the feminine in both the works. In this essay, I will be analyzing how the writers present women and the problems that they face in two different societies in two different parts of the world. Ibsen was very concerned a about the position of women in the society that he lived in .he looked at his mother and the other women he was associated with as models to study. He thought that women had a right to amplify their own distinctiveness, but in reality, their function was habitually self-sacrificial. The concept of gender- equality did not exist and women were regarded inferior, either in relation to their husbands or the social order, as is apparent from Torvalds dismay of his employees thinking he has been influenced in a decision about Krogstads job by his wife. It was not tolerable for women to conduct business or control their own capital. It was considered necessary that they had the authorization of the man who owned them husband, brother or father before they engaged in any activity involving money. Furthermore, they were not cultured for responsibility. Nora falls victim to both the injustices, by taking out a loan without the endorsement of her husband or father and by believing, out of unawareness of the world around her, that she could get away with forging a signature. In a way, single or widowed women like Mrs. Linde had more room to breathe than married ones, in that they earned their own money and did not have to hand it over to the alpha male of the family .They also did not have to depend on their husbands for anything. But even so, the careers open to women were constrained and hardly paid enough. They could either become clerks, teach or house-keep. Whats more, womens work was grindingly dreary, and likely to leave an intelligent woman like Mrs. Linde disgruntled. Women often got into another trap: Marriage. Yes, marriage was a snare in itself. They could divorce, but it carried a communal stigma not only for the woman, but also for her spouse and family. Hence, few women even weighed it as an option. Torvald preferred to a certain extent to have a make believe marriage, for the sake of appearances, rather than an annulment or an amicable separation. When he discovers the truth about the money, he tells Nora. It must be hushed up. Whatever it costs. As for you and me, we must go on as if nothing had changed between us. In public. This is clearly demonstrative of the fact that Torvalds regard for his public image is much greater then his regard for Noras happiness, who is clearly in an unhappy alliance. He should let Nora get a divorce from him rather than being in a playhouse marriage. The characters of Nora, Mrs. Linde and the Nurse all have to sacrifice something or the other to be accepted, or even to survive. Nora not only sacrifices herself in borrowing money to save Torvald, but she loses the children she undoubtedly loves when she decides to pursue her own identity. Mrs. Linde loses the true love of her life, Krogstad, and is forced to say I do to a chap she does not love in order to prop up her needy relatives. The Nurse gives up her own child to look after other peoples in order to survive financially. Besides, she sees herself blessed to get her lowly job, given that she has committed the sin of having a child out of wedlock. In the society where Ibsen as raised women who had illegitimate babies were stigmatized, while the men responsible often escaped scorn. Hence, A Dolls house presents a pitiable picture in terms of the treatment and position of women in the European society of the 19th century. On the other end of the line we have So long a letter, which is a novel written in Western Africa, most probably Senegal. This book details the lives of two women, Ramatoulaye and Aissatou, who are moving through life with nothing but each others support. They are both caught in the same situation as they are both victims of their husbands marrying other women and hence engaged in bigamy. This novella shows us two sides of the same society The post/colonialism Senegal is a hugely patriarchal society, where the men are placed at the crux of family life. They are the sole breadwinners in each households. They put the food on the table and are the only source of income in any family. The women however, cut a sorry figure. The only function they seem to perform or the only utility they seem to have is to have babies for their husbands. The only role they play is that of prostituting for their husbands. Pardon my strong language, but it would seem that women were placed in that society only to satisfy the men and have sex with them. The only course that their lives could take was to get married and have children as soon as they finished their school. That is, if they were lucky enough to go to school. Senegal is a chiefly Islamic country and sharia law was followed.Sharia law prohibits girls who have reached maturity to go to school to avoid any contact with the outside world .Basically; they could not go school, as it would mean getting to meet people from the outside and also socialize with men other than their own fathers or brothers. However, Ramatoulaye does have the opportunity to go to school fortunately. This is one of the factors that influenced the way sh e looked at life compared to the older women of her time.. Also the society was in a way hypocritical, because the men could do anything they wanted and go scot- free but the women would be criticized for doing the same. In fact, both the husbands of Aissatou and Ramatoulaye commit bigamy with women half their ages. However, the women were looked down upon if they married a second time unless they were widows. Also, Islam prevents divorce, unless the husband chooses to divorce his wife. The woman has no right to divorce her husband because, according to sharia law, they had the sole role of upbringing the children. The man was only supposed to bring in the money. Hence, the religion of Senegal also played a restricting role and was in a way responsible for the treatment of women as represented in So long a letter. In the above discussion I have analyzed both A Dolls House and So long a letter by looking at instances which look at the way in which women were treated in the respective societies in which the books are set in. It is to be noted that A Dolls House and So long a letter were not only written in different countries, but also during different time spans. However, these two books both paint a gloomy picture of the way in which women were placed in society and treated by the people around them despite being written almost a century apart. Another noticeable attribute of both the works is the fact that the women protagonists rise up through the rubble of their lives somewhat like the mythical Phoenix. This is also relevant in the modern context because nowadays women have risen up to be equals to men in all spheres of life. Aditya Arun

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Modern Day Gikuyun Farmer :: Economics Kenya Agriculture Essays

The Modern Day Gikuyun Farmer The following are excerpts from a research project undertaken by Ramya Bavikatte on her Washington Semester at American University. Ramya traveled with her class to Kenya, where she learned more about the issues of small holder agriculture and the Gikuyun farmer. The purpose of this research project is to study the economic and social implications of smallholder agriculture in Kenya. The shift of smallholders from subsistence farming to cash crop farming created significant changes in the standards of living, social security, reproduction, and the sexual division of labor. With the strong social impact of commercial farming, many Kenyans are wondering whether they are materially better or worse off than they were thirty five years ago. One of the most evident ways in which commercial agriculture affects the Kenyan people is through ecological and land degradation. Due to the ever-increasing pressures put on the land, frequent aridity has led to greater risk of a bad harvest or even famine. Food relief to Kenya has become more common, therefore elevating the dependency on donor countries. Since a well-organized system of providing social security does not exist in Kenya, the best assurance of economic security comes through the ownership of land. In addition to the land security, commercial agriculture provides an inlet for added security through market extensions. Market extensions aid farmers and their families by providing loan and investment services. Unfortunately, the population boom in Kenya, as everywhere in Africa, means less land and agricultural opportunities; consequently, the increased rural density has forced people to seek work in the cities. Although the city dwellers have more control over their work conditions, they are by no means financially stable since the work will inevitably be in the informal sector. All the needs of the city dwellers must be met by cash payments, of which they rarely have enough. Perhaps commercial agriculture is not entirely to blame for the population boom. It could be considered, however, as a catalyst for industrializatio n. Industrialization coupled with commercial agriculture will exacerbate social tensions already in existence among the Kenyan people. Any shift towards higher productivity or income growth in the population as a whole must increase the range of wealth differences. Unfortunately, the economic gap between the North and South grows as wealth continues to transfer of the North's sector. The Natural Environment of the Gikuyu Farmer Gikuyuland makes up a large portion of the great East African plateau.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

A Great Man

January 4, 1643 is the time when our great mathematician and physicist, Isaac Newton, was born. His hometown was Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. His father was a noble farmer but unfortunately he died before Isaac Newton was born. After his father’s death, his mother was married again, thus he was left with his grandparent’s custody. He went to Cambridge University to study in 1661. During that year, he became interested in various fields including mathematics. He was also become interested in optics, astronomy and physics but in 1665 a plague epidemic came in the University that forces Newton to go back to his hometown.During his two years in Cambridge, he already thought about gravity and in fact began to study optics and mathematics particularly calculus. After the plague, he returned to Cambridge. He became a second Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. In 1668, he made a reflecting telescope which attracts the attention of the scientific community and eventually h e became a member of the famous Royal Society. His passion in optics and science was manifested by his series of experiments in the composition of light which resulted to the discovery of the various behavior of light.He published â€Å"The Opticks† which consists of concepts of light and color1704. Aside from â€Å"The Opticks†, he also published several paper works in history, theology and alchemy. One of his greatest works is the â€Å"Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica† (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy). This works is all about how force and gravity were applied to all objects in the universe. In 1689, he was elected to become the MP for Cambridge University and in 1696; he became the warden of the Royal Mint in London.In 1703, he was elected as the President of the Royal Society. Before he died, he has contributed a lot of concepts, discoveries, theories and ideas on different field such as optics, physics, astronomy and mathematics. His interest in mathematics was first manifested during his undergraduate year in Cambridge University. During this time he became accustomed to various mathematical works of several mathematicians like Descartes and John Wallis. His works in mathematics include the proof and improvement of the so called â€Å"binomial theorem†.Newton was not first to discover the formula ((a + b) n) behind the binomial theorem. In fact an Islamic mathematician namely al-Karaji made a binomial coefficient table up to n=5. Also, another Muslim mathematician namely Omar Khayyam established a method of finding nth roots using the binomial expansion. Also in Europe, a century ago, Blaise Pascal has presented his concepts of how to generate binomial coefficients. Those discoveries by various mathematicians, including Pascal, were only applicable to positive values of n.Newton on the other hand, discovered the formula for (a+b)n that would work for any real. He arrived at this formula: (a+b)n = an + nan-1b + [n(n-1)an-2b2] / 2! + [n(n-1)(n-2)an-3b3] / 3! + . . . + bn His finding about the binomial expansion was; for values of n element of the interval (-1, 1), the formula (a+b)n generates an infinite, converging series. Newton’s discovery of binomial expansion/series was a great help in calculating pi ( ). As we all know, a binomial series recurs repeatedly which becomes a very useful instrument for mathematical analysis.The method of fluxions was Newton’s greatest discovery in calculus. In 1671, two years before Leibnitz established his own concepts about calculus, Newton started to study fluxions which is basically include concepts, notations and ideas on Calculus. His works on calculus was well established during 1665 in which he presented symbolisms for partial derivatives which is now an important method in calculus. The idea of binomial theorem and knowledge about infinite series gave Newton a solid idea on derivatives and integrals of functions.As a resu lt of his studies, he showed that integral and derivatives can be expressed as a binomial expansion of infinite series particularly the power series. Newton discussed and solved problem using Method of fluxions. The problems include differentiation of algebraic function, integration of algebraic functions using inverse method, first-order differential equations, optimization problem which includes the locating the maxima and minima of a given function and lastly drawing tangent line of functions at any point. Moreover, with the aid of fluxion, Newton developed a geometric idea of â€Å"first and last† ratio of lines.In 1660, Newton became interested to study the nature of light and vision. In fact because of his fascination on light, he actually stared directly on the sun and poked the sides of his eyeballs by a small knife to observe activities and behavior of light and which risked blinding himself. These kinds of wild experiments and other sensible ones gave way to the for mulation of theories about nature, behavior of the spectrum of light. Furthermore, Newton made its great leap in the scientific world when he published his â€Å"New Theory about Light and Colors† in the Royal Society’s journal.As a result of his various experiments, he forced to conclude that Light is a heterogeneous mixture of refrangible rays meaning light is not a homogenous entity. When he passed a white light on a glass prism, he observed that spectrum of colors were formed in opposite walls which explained the property of light known as refraction. In line with the study of optics, he constructed a reflecting telescope, the first, to overcome the distortions of chromatic dispersion. One of his greatest contributions in the field of physics was his Law of Universal Gravitation.Isaac Newton made a comparison of the moon acceleration to the object’s acceleration on Earth. He believed that gravitational forces were accountable for the acceleration of each oth er. He made a vital conclusion that gravity depends mainly on distance. From his comparison, he concluded that the gravitational force of attraction between the Earth and other objects is inversely proportional to distance between the center of the earth and the object. In other words, if the object is near the center of the earth, the gravitational force of attraction is high and vise versa.But there are other factors, aside from distance that affects the magnitude of the gravitational force. Newton knew that mass is the other factor that affects the gravity or acceleration of an object. Another important conclusion was drawn and that the gravitational force exerted by the earth on the object is directly proportional to the mass of the object. Newton’s law of universal gravitation was applied outside earth, hence gravity is really universal. With this finding, Newton was included in the gravity hall of fame. Also, with the aid of Law of Universal Gravitation, the three laws of motion were formulated.The formulation of these three laws, particularly the second law of motion allows numerical computations of how velocity changes when force acts on it. Newton left several manuscripts and paper works about alchemy and chemistry. Most of these were part of books, bibliographies, dictionaries and many other sources however; we could count in our fingers the original one from them. He began his experiments in 1669. He wanted to know the truth about alchemical obscurity and mysticism and the nature of and structure of all matter that he believed that God created all of these.Newton’s notable contribution on chemistry is his publication of an incomplete theory of chemical force. One of his written works is Opticks, which is first written in English. This was his most remarkable works on theories in light and color. In Opticks, he proved and explained through experiment and logical reasoning and which includes numerous axioms, theorems, propositional state ments and lots of definitions. He integrated his mathematical reasoning in his works and eventually Opticks turned out to be the basis of all experimental physics.The Opticks contained findings that light like sound is composed of waves. He obtained several criticisms from other scientist like Robert Hooke and Christian Huygens. But Newton insisted that light was composed of discrete particles that move in straight lines. Furthermore, Newton combined the ideas that light is a particle and at the same time a wave. Again, from this result he received criticisms from Hooke and other scientists. Principia, his most remarkable, notable work and considered his masterpiece was divided in three books.The first book of the Principia contains eight definitions and three axioms. The three axioms were later known as the Three Laws of Motion. These laws were the main parts of Book I of Principia and in fact all discussions of Newton in his Book I were based on these. In the Book II of Principia, he tacked motion of fluids and other bodies. On this book, he questioned Descartes and Kepler ideas about the vortex theory. In his Book III which was subtitled the System of the World, he showed how he arrived on his famous Law of Universal Gravitation.The Principia was considered the most influential and greatest scientific piece during Newton’s era. His laws of motion and universal gravitation were his two most popular discoveries but Newton still believes that there is a supreme being that governs and makes these phenomena possible and that is God. Newton was a religious person. In fact he has written more on religion than in natural science. As a summary, Newton was a remarkable scientist in the history of the world making remarkable scientific advancements and discoveries in mathematics, physics, astronomy, optics, alchemy, chemistry and even in the religion.In mathematics, he contributed a lot of ideas on analytical geometry, algebra and calculus. His discovery of the binomial formula and method of fluxions were very significant in the advancement of various topics in mathematics. In physics, astronomy and optics, he made several findings and discoveries like the theories of light, Universal gravitation, laws of motion, ideas on fluid mechanics and invention of reflecting telescope. His book, â€Å"Opticks†, became the basis of many experiments in physics because of the employment of scientific method in his own experiments.Newton also has some contribution in alchemy and chemistry although some written works were in question. Newton was a great mathematician, a great physicist, a great astronomer and a great believer of God. Although all his works were scientific, he did deny the existence of a divine being. He was really a religious person and I think this was the reason why Sir Isaac Newton was successful in his career. We owed a lot to Newton so let us thanked him for his great contribution in humanity. Work Cited â€Å"Hatch, Robert A. † 1999. Sir Isaac Newton. 1 December 2007, . â€Å"Henderson, Tom†. 2007. Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation. 1 December 2007, . Newton, Sir Isaac. 1 December 2007, . Sir Isaac Newton's Invention of the Calculus Fluxions and Infinite Series. 1 December 2007, . â€Å"Smoller, Laura. † June 2001. Applications: Web-Based Precalculus. 1 December 2007 < http://ualr. edu/lasmoller/newton. html >.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Grolier International Dictionary

As defined by the Grolier International Dictionary, Weaknesses is the state or quality of being weak; it is a personal defect or failing. When one encounters an opportunity and weaknesses penetrate him in same time, he shouldn’t choose any other way but to manage do overcome or minimize it. One of the weaknesses I think most people do possess while he’s on his way of achieving his goal, which also should be controlled of is ‘being so self-centered’. This makes a person so sure of himself not thinking of the consequences his actions might cause.Too much proud of one’s self may bring him forget the others by whom he gets his strength from. He’ll attempt to throw away the reliable assets on his crap because he thinks that he is above all and doesn’t need help to anyone else. This could also make him so focused on looking ahead; embracing the forward successes he might get in with his strength, capability, and knowledge. But forgetting from whom, where, what he has been back in his life could also lead to something which is hard to avoid from, too hurtful when it strikes on, the karma.Another weakness is to be ‘hesitant’, afraid to gamble in reaching for his goal. This could be another threat in one’s ambition of success for he can be under perspective in carrying out his plans. While he lacks his confidence to continue improving himself and work, he may likewise lose track of his point of view. On the other hand, if there could be one weakness which is somehow helpful to one’s career, by balancing and setting off the whole situation for the moment. Resisting the desire of winning a certain race may cause a person to self-pity and lose his hope.By putting his heart, to be ‘irresistible’ in a better way , controlling as well as weighing every technique to be accurately performed are the thumbs-up characters a venturer should possess while attaining his aim or goal. When a person learns to practice ‘patience’ and fight for his belief, principle, and stand, he could kill the time from ticking so fast and focus on the better outcome of his objective. Since he got an effective and strategic planning technique, the SWOT Analysis is a great help to one’s own success.