Ideas of parenting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ideas of parenting - Essay Example t children should be left to be with just guidance and not using force to perfect as they are capable of making their own choices and loving them even in adulthood with just the right amount of motivation and guidance and this will build their self-esteem. A Chinese mother controls the lives of her children in every aspect. She acts like a dictator and her parenting style is that of an authoritarian parent. Her children are just supposed to listen and act as they are told and their opinion does not count. In fact according to Chua’s article, children are just supposed to accept everything they are told and not talk back or even question as this leads to negative consequences (Chua, 2011). This is the absolute opposite with the Western mother who lets her children be without using any force on them. Her parenting style can be termed as authoritative and can be compared to a democratic leader who allows the others to make suggestion and just guides them in these decisions or contributes to the ultimate final ruling after negotiations. These children raised by western mothers are allowed to state their opinion, express their likes and dislikes hence coming to a compromise with the parent (Rosin, 2011). Children raised by Chinese parents are not allowed from the word go to be children in the true definition of the term. They are not allowed sleepovers, participate in plays in school, engage in play time with others or even just be allowed to learn from their own mistakes. Their every decision and action is controlled and decided for them by their parent down to the type of musical instrument they will play, what grade they will get and nothing else. These children therefore do not get to develop a positive self-esteem. Some of them later resent their parents for their stolen childhood, they resent the music they were forced to play and even grow up bitter (Chua, 2011). The opposite is true for a western style of parenting. Children are allowed a lot of time to

Lease Versus Purchase Option Essay Example for Free

Lease Versus Purchase Option Essay In this essay I will try to explain or compare and contrast lease versus purchase option. In this explanation I will talk about what is deb financing, and will provide two examples. I will also talk about what is equity financing and provide two examples and last which alternative capital structure is more advantageous and why. In order to give two examples of what is debt financing I will give a brief description of what is debt financing. Debt financing is when a company borrows money that must be repaid but with interest. This does not dilute the ownership of the company. With that being said the two examples are Issue Bonds and Line of Credit. In the line of credit, this is a bank loan where a business can draw out funds whenever money is needed. In issue bonds the business can issue bonds as for of debt financing these bonds are marketable securities. (ehow.com 2013) Now equity financing is according to ychange.com (in equity financing, money is exchanged for a share of ownership in the business). The business in returns raises funds and does not incur in debt. The two types of equity financial is employee stock ownership and private investors. The employee stock is when a company sells stock to the employee. The private investors are possible investor willing to invest their money in the company. Which alternative capital structure is more advantageous? In my opinion and according to the definitions on my e-book I would have to say energetic-middle the reason for this would be because it is more advantageous for small business. It balances the return and risk of capital. After looking at all the definitions and examples, trying to compare and contrast lease vs. buying is not that difficult. This all depends on what do you want and if it is in a companies perspective then one must take into consideration the companies cash flow. For example if a company has lots of cash flow then buying is the option now if it wants to conserve capital for the near term then leasing is the best option. It all depends on what the company need at that particular time.

Drama In The National Curriculum Education Essay

Drama In The National Curriculum Education Essay The aim of this report is to understand where Drama stands in education within England at present. It searches for its mention within the National Curriculum and interprets what this means for the teaching of the subject. It looks at primary and secondary schools current trends towards Drama as a discrete subject, and argues the benefits and disadvantages of it having its own subject heading within the National Curriculum. The evidence will be evaluated and a conclusion formulated. 1. Drama in the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum website provides the most up to date information on how Drama is placed within the curriculum. At first glance Drama is absent but mention of it can be located, mainly within the subject of English. [See Appendix One for a description of the requirements and activities for Key Stages (KS) 1 2. (National Curriculum, 2011a)]. Whilst there are aims and objectives published for KS1 2, at KS3 4 there is mention of selected playwrights as subjects to be studied and the expectation that at least one Shakespearean play will be explored in depth at each stage (National Curriculum, 2011b c). References to the use of Drama appear under Literature [See Appendix Two] (National Curriculum, 2011d). For England the Teachernet (Teachernet, 2011), DFES Drama Objectives (DFES, 2011) and QCDA (QCDA, 2011) resources have been/are being decommissioned with edited highlights appearing in the National Archive. In fact most of the Government resources advocated by the Initial Teacher Education website for English are no more (ITE, 2011a). The Department of Education website is replacing it, but the only suitable material found for Drama is an item for the Speaking and Listening element at KS1 2 dated 2004 (Department of Education, 2011). In Ireland drama is within the arts sector, alongside visual arts and music. The strand is Drama to explore feelings, knowledge and ideas, leading to understanding. They expect that when this subject is taught correctly it can help children at a young age to understand/relate and deal with life situations that can occur (Irish Curriculum, 2011). Whilst Drama is placed firmly in Arts Education as a trio with the visual and aural mediums, there is little support to be found in their Curriculum Planner as well (NCCA, 2011). Compare this to 52 resources for Drama in the Scottish Curriculum (Scottish Curriculum Resources for Drama, 2011). In Northern Ireland Drama is mentioned in Language Literacy and has its own subject within The Arts and resources are well provided (N. Ireland Resources, 2011). At KS1 2 the statutory subjects that all pupils must study are art and design, design and technology, English, geography, history, information and communication technology (ICT), mathematics, music, physical education and science. Religious education must also be provided at KS 1 and 2 (National Curriculum, 2011e), although there is a non-statutory program of study. From the National Curriculum (2011e) for Religious Education there are the following two points: 1). Explore how religious beliefs and ideas can be expressed through the arts and communicate their responses. 2). Using art and design, music, dance and drama to develop their creative talents and imagination. Art and design does not mention drama until KS 2 as follows from the National Curriculum (2011f): Exploring a range of starting points for practical work [for example, themselves, their experiences, images, stories, drama, music, natural and made objects and environments]. Yet making puppet theatres, and also creating atmosphere in sounds, lighting, backdrops and costumes for full size plays would make the subject more fun whilst defining a practical purpose for the work. Drama in a similar way should be a fertile ground for scenery and special effects within Design and Technology yet it is not mentioned at all (National Curriculum, 2011g 2011h). Music and Physical Education in a similar vein have a relationship to Drama through Dance but there is no credit for it. History could conceivably use period dramas to illustrate points and the appreciation of accuracy in the texts and writers bias would then be covered in Drama. Stenhouse (1981, p.29) is against the idea that Drama is for teaching other subjects in the curriculum and rejects the imagined realities of Drama for the authenticated realities of pure history. ICT could provide a multi-media back drop similar to that of exhibition trade stands and modern performances that use computerised effects and giant screens. When the National Curriculum was being formulated teachers were vocal in their disapproval of the many curriculum subjects being loaded into the National Curriculum, such that subjects were curtailed following Music and Art (Baldwin, 2011). As the (NCCCE, 1999, p.75) report states there are more than ten subjects in the world. It also notes that Dance is not found with sport, games and athletics after education and that Drama is not just verbal. (NACCCE, 1999, p.76) points out that of all the countries in the QCA/NFER INCA archive, England was unique in having 10 discrete subjects from KS 1-4. When the National Curriculum was introduced, specialist drama practitioners eagerly awaited the National Curriculum for Drama. They are still waiting.  (Baldwin, 2011). Drama as part of English in the National Curriculum. One of the ongoing debates about the nature of English centres around its relationship [sic] the creative arts. Is English an Arts based, creative discipline, or a much more functional, competency led subject?, and Is Drama itself an Arts based discipline or a method of education, a form of learning? (ITE, 2011b) The role of drama in the curriculum remains in practice very much in doubt. It is believed that future employers have been unhappy with general educational standards of school leavers. A contributionary factor to this low estimation (for the subject) has been the political shift from a liberal view (of the centrality of aesthetic and artistic experience in education) towards a more vocationally orientated view in which the secondary curriculum is seen rather as a feeder of commercial, industrial and post-industrial requirements as they have been immerging in recent years. (Morton, 1984, p.56). The Arts Council England (2003, p.6) explains that all pupils minimum statutory entitlements for the study of Drama are acknowledged within the National Curriculum for English. According to Ashcroft Palacio (1995, p. 196), The national curriculum firmly places drama within the English domain. Neelands (2008, p.1) refers to the National Curriculum as the English Model where, Drama was first introduced into the secondary curriculum through the English curriculum and timetable. He amusingly cites the fact that Shakespeare was English to explain how we arrived at this unique position, which has not been followed elsewhere in the world except maybe Wales (Welsh Curriculum KS 1 (2008) Welsh Curriculum KS 2-4 (2008) where Drama is mentioned within English and to a lesser extent Welsh. Drama as a subject in its own right is not present in the primary curriculum, but as a part of English or R.E, or furnishing other areas and cross curricular themes. Even though Drama is absent from the curriculum for primary schools, it is still present through the activities and lessons which are taught using drama, many primary schools already include drama in their curriculum, without realizing that the activities the children are involved in are actually drama. (Arts on the move, 2010). For High School teachers, it can be a problem for them to know what to expect of pupils entering KS 3, this is because of the lack of continuity in Drama across all the Primary Schools, therefore only an educated guess can be made on the pupils prior drama experiences. Neelands (2004, p.9) offers 6 points of common reference which can be found in Appendix Three. According to Neelands (2008, p.2) statistics show that, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦many schools in England do offer drama as a separate timetabled subject in Key Stage 3 and this makes drama the only subject in the English system which is unregulated in terms of a nationally agreed curriculum beyond the references to speaking and listening in the Orders for English. So only at KS 3 do some pupils get the opportunity to take Drama as a separate subject but it is still an unofficial one. Whilst this offers a complete freedom in how the subject is taught and presented [see Neelands (2004, p.5) for three different approaches at secondary level], it also means there is little in the way of a safety net for its practitioners that standards, assessments, guidelines and official support can provide. So it would appear that Drama has become a Cinderella subject that is busy working in the shadows whilst the Ugly Sisters of English and Religious Education take all the credit. 1.2 How we got to where we are now. Most of what young people know of the world, they know through representations of it. (Neelands, 2008, p.9), suggesting that schools have a moral obligation to help shape the citizenship of their stundents. There is little time allotted in the daily routine for drama in early childhood education settings, due to the pressure that many teachers feel to cover too many materials in too little time. (Jones and Reynolds, 1992, p.7). This suggests that head teachers and teachers are forced to focus their concentration and resources on the subjects the really matter For example, those subjects that are recorded as National statistics, showing how many A* C students have obtained; in particular on Maths, English and Science. Drama being mentioned in the curriculum saw a mixed reaction. Some celebrated the fact that Drama would now have to be taught. Others were quick to point out that there was a fundamental flaw here. There were few trained Drama teachers left. The reality has been, that hardly any Drama is happening (in Primary)  despite the fact that it is deemed statutory. (Baldwin, 2011). Yet Neelands (2008, p.1) states that, In the English education system, all students in the 5-16 age range have an entitlement to drama within the National Curriculum Orders for English. Baldwin (2011) the president of the International Drama/Theatre Education Association provides a background to how Drama fell from grace, how a timely reaction to the rigid curriculum being built subject by subject stopped it being included at the eleventh hour and then, as it was no longer a subject, support for it fell away. Practitioners were left high and dry, as Drama was no longer part of Ofsted unless a fee was paid to assess it, which in one case ended up being marked as a Satisfactory P.E. lesson. Dearing tried to soften the curriculum but then came the constraints of the National Literacy Strategy which concentrated on reading and writing for the Literacy Hour at the expense of speaking and listening. However Winston Tandy (2001, p.75-86) in their chapter entitled Drama and literacy provid e some ideas for including Drama within the hour. Then at Secondary level we find a carte blanche where anything goes with Drama either as a separate subject taught by a Drama specialist or as a continuing addition within English or as another entity, which perhaps suits the more pronounced different streams of ability. Neelands (2004, p.5-6) noticed that the various sources of national guidance for Drama, for example the specific references to Drama in the Programs of Study for English showed a general agreement for the aims and objectives for Drama, such as: Drama as personal, social and moral education Drama as English Drama as a subject in its own right. As stated earlier he cites three very different secondary schools each illustrating one of these points as their individual approach to Drama. The demands of a nationally prescribed curriculum put considerable pressure on teachers to fit everything in; each subject has it own expectations and makes its own particular demands. Finding the time for Drama, however highly you and your class may value it in its own right, can be difficult- the more so if we are going to give the Drama time to develop, deepen the childrens involvement and understanding, and reach a satisfactory conclusion. (Winston Tandy, 2001, p.54) Ashcroft Palacio (1997, p.6) infer that longer serving teachers will find the prescribed nature of the National Curriculum and all its revisions to be a bone of contention. On the other hand The lack of core guidance for Drama, the parallel development of Drama within English with its development as a discrete Arts subject, together with the diversity of models of curriculum and assessment to be found in schools make it a particularly problematic area of English teaching for trainees. (ITE, 2011c) Especially as: School Drama Co-ordinators disappeared almost overnight, as did LEA Drama Advisers and advisory teachers.   Drama courses became few and far between, relying more and more on professional organisations, which were and are run voluntarily, by increasingly stretched full time teachers and lecturers. (Baldwin, 2011). CHAPTER TWO ARGUMENTS FOR DRAMA BEING A DESCRETE SUBJECT As part of a broad and balanced curriculum, drama has a significant contribution to make (Winston Tandy, 2001, p.73). Drama, more than any other subject in the curriculum, mirrors life as it is lived and experienced (Winston, 2004, p.18). Please see Appendix Five for some positive results Winston (2004) notes as being seen in childrens writing due to their involvement with Drama.At least a national agreement provides some external, relatively objective and visible materials to discuss (Neelands, 2004, p.6). However, the absence of a nationally agreed framework for Drama gives two points of concern; The individual Drama teacher has no external framework to follow, therefore the success of the Drama class is completely at the mercy of the ability or lack thereof of the teacher; How Drama is perceived at the school may well be based on the head teachers predilections and prejudices. To illustrate this point I found at X High School, where the author has experienced Drama via a teaching training day placement, it was noticeable that Drama is thought of as a high priority subject. This was thanks to the Head realising that in a catchment area of high poverty Drama provided interest and expression for children that found reading and writing difficult. The school used Drama also as a marketing tool to promote itself to the wider community and its governors. It held annual Drama productions, school assemblies were punctuated with Drama in the form of funny sketches or more serious pieces designed to entertain and inform, it supported fundraising activities etc. Drama here is a timetabled subject throughout all the year groups, and is offered as an A-level subject. As Ashcroft Palacio (1995, p. 196) advocate, Primary school pupils can develop through drama an extensive range of language uses, including the majority of those referred to in the national curriculum. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦drama is a social process of making meaningà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the framework and method of drama provides a unique context for developing a sense of identity and productiveness. (Morton, 1984, p.37). All Our Futures had already clearly recognised the importance of Drama, both as a creative teaching and learning medium and as the most powerful pupil motivator:  OFSTED data on pupil response to learning indicates drama to be at the very top in motivating learning (NACCCE, 1999, p.77). Drama in education can help pupils learn and understand whatever is required, in ways that are emotionally, aesthetically and cognitively connected and meaningful to children who are natural dramatic players. CHAPTER THREE ARGUMENTS AGAINST DRAMA BEING A DESCRETE SUBJECT à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦drama is a process that cannot be divided into a series of discrete and accessible outcomes in the kind of way that curriculum theorists have managed to do with many other subjects in the curriculum (Young, 1981, p.94). Baldwin (2011) states: Trainees are likely to encounter a diverse range of arrangements for drama within schools. In the absence of national orders and a statutory subject framework, schools are free to design their own local variations of a drama curriculum based on the specific value given to drama in a particular school. Cynics were heard to mutter, that with an assessment driven curriculum emerging, process based drama would be too problematic for SCAA (as it was then) to deal with.   Assessment in Drama has always been tricky as so much goes on cognitively and emotionally during the Drama process that is not easy or even possible to assess.   It is noted that this argument appears amongst many professionals, but no suggestions as to what criteria could be used is suggested. Is this because they believe there is to be none. Baldwin, (2011) continues. Assessment records were being revealed as lists of statements of attainment tick boxes and needed to be based on easily observable, extrinsic outcomes suggesting that Drama specialists were not sure they wanted such a meaningful and aesthetic art form measured and graded in this way.. Neelaands appears to contradict his issues by stating The local curriculum can be based on a highly idiosyncratic and ideologically motivated selection. What is taught may be left to the whim of an individual teacher and may reflect personal prejudices and interests rather that the breadth of depth of study which is a pupils entitlement (Neelands, 2004, p.6). Yet according to Neelands on the Initial Teacher Education website (ITE, 2011d), The non-statutory Framework drama objectives might usefully form the basis of the programme of study for drama at KS3. However, these specific objectives are unlikely to be considered sufficient as core objectives for drama as a discrete subject because they do not cover physical, visual, design and technical aspects of drama. This suggests that although the concerns of Patrice Baldwin are relevant, the concerns of the ITE is that without a defined structure and specific objectives, the importance of Drama could be overlooked. This point of view is rejected by Way (1967, p.12) who points out, If we make drama another subject, then we make another progressive straight line in fact many straight lines, one for infants, one for juniors, and so on through the different age groups. Again, because of its uniqueness there is a concern over how Drama can be measured i.e. marked. Way (1967, p.3) wrote, Education is concerned with individuals; drama is concerned within the individuality of individuals, with the uniqueness of each human essence. Indeed this is one of the reasons for its intangibility and its immeasurability. As Drama is not in the National Curriculum as its own subject, it might be seen as unimportant. With the pressures on schools to be ranked via league tables on the core subjects of English, Maths and Science, it is perhaps not surprising that schools focus on these subjects to the detriment of all else. However, the subject still has its own written examinations and an external examiner is called in to mark performances. It is therefore unclear as to the reasons behind why the subject is deemed by some to be difficult to assess. CONCLUSION Ultimately, drama is a valuable tool, but first the tool itself must be fashioned. (Way, 1967, p.7). There appears to be a divide in international practice over whether Drama should be used across the curriculum or as a subject within its own right and/or as part of the arts agenda. There were those who thought that if assessment was going to be the name of the game, then drama could and should be made to fit, in order to ensure its place in the new curriculum.   And there were those who breathed a sigh of relief that drama did not fit and had been left outside the new curriculum, where at least it would allow a greater freedom of practice and content, within the broader curriculum (Baldwin, 2011). Therefore, unless the individual schools value Drama, and encourage Drama teacher training, the concern is that the level of teaching Drama will not be sufficient to add any value to teaching within the school as a whole. According to Ashcroft and Palacio (1995, p.203) there are two types of Drama within the National Curriculum spectrum, one being performance based activities, such as assemblies and school plays, and the other being educational Drama, which involves children in the active creation and exploration of situations based on fact or fiction. it is regarded by many teachers as a learning method rather than a subject area because it can be employed to deliver many aspects of the curriculum very effectively. (Ashcroft and Palacio, 1995, p.204). Art is useful, not because it is true but because it is truly edifying. It is because drama as art functions in this way that a dramatic work cannot be explained, paraphrased or deconstructed into essays. Like any other art form, drama is unique and non convertibleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it resists crassly utilitarian efforts to corral it into the service of geography, history or management training as much as it refuses to be the acquiescent servant of personal, social, or political education. In a secular age, the usefulness of drama lies in its ability to articulate meaning in particular direct and accessible ways so that we, in turn, can make better sense of the world in which we live. For these reasons, drama is an indispensible part of the arts curriculum. (Hornbrook, 1991, p.40-41). Whilst we cannot expect the commitment of the National Theatre at every Primary School (Turner et al., 2004) they offer a model of best practice that can be used within the subject of Drama to really bring out the confidence and intellect of young children and this should be the ultimate goal whether Drama is housed within English or is a subject in its own right. Does this then mean that drama is yet another subject that has to be fitted into an already overcrowded curriculum? No. Drama is not another subject; theatre might be, with its ground work in history and its study of playwrights and their works but not drama. Drama is as intangible as personality itself, and is concerned with developing people. Indeed, it is as necessary to discard educational conventions as to disregard theatre conventions (Way, 1967, p.7). The arguments will rage on but only the will of the government can make a difference to the position Drama as a subject or non-subject is in. The conclusion drawn from all the evidence in this report is that Drama should be included as a subject in its own right in the National Curriculum, but not as the curriculum currently stands. There appears to be insufficient structure and no definitive way that the success of pupils taking Drama can be measured. To try and fit it into the current curriculum could restrict its usefulness as a holistic well being tool for the personal growth of pupils. How could this be measured in academic terms? There could be pupils who come alive as actors and give wonderful performances, but cannot translate this successfully into a written piece of work. How does one measure personal growth? How can we mark a student who has grown in confidence, can express themselves better than before the introduction of the Drama lesson, and interacts well with other st udents in the class? Whereas before the use of Drama they may have been antagonistic, dealing with personal issues which had no voice except in eruptions of violent behaviour. One can set tests to measure the knowledge of the literacy greats, the search for meaning in the works of the playwrights but should this lie here or within the realms of English Literature, such that it cannot be used as a mark of success or failure for Drama students. The conclusion gathered is that this testing should be left within the English subject, thus allowing students of Drama more freedom to express themselves through this wonderful medium. It has been shown that Drama is a useful tool in the understanding of other subjects, but it should first be enjoyed and understood in its own right. The greatest problem for Drama being included in its own right in the National Curriculum appears to be the way the success of subjects are currently judged. There does not appear to be current procedures that can fairly measure the true success and positive impact Drama can have on a students life. For example with a Mathematics exam there is a definite right answer with marks available for showing your workings out, but what is the right answer in Drama? The division between the teaching professionals as to the inclusion or not of Drama in the National Curriculum can be understood after researching and investigating this question. The concerns are that the importance of Drama within the schools is currently dependant on the will of the head teacher and the ability, passion and commitment of the Drama staff. Drama teachers experiencing schools who class Drama as a fill-in subject and not that important will have experienced first hand the argument that Drama should be included. It could be very demoralising to the Drama teacher who feels that their work, however committed they are, maybe seen as unimportant. However those Drama teachers experiencing and enjoying a school that appreciates Drama and uses it throughout school life for example in assemblies, community gatherings and the annual school performance may enjoy the freedom of the subject not being included in the National Curriculum, as they do not feel threatened about the validity of their teaching skills. There appears to be no straightforward conclusion over Dramas inclusion in the National Curriculum, however it must be pointed out that other parts of the British Isles make Drama a subject in its own right and provide excellent support for it. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned from the way they have gone about this by an exchange of ideas on best practice. For example what criteria are they using to measure Dramas success as a subject; are more or less students choosing Drama as a subject at Secondary level; has its status had a positive or negative effect on the teachers? Without knowing the answers to these questions and many more besides we cannot hold these countries up as shining examples. There needs to be a way of trying to take the best from the arguments for and against Dramas inclusion in the National Curriculum. For example this research has shown that most of the Drama professionals feel that both the subject and they benefit from its inclusion to put them on a level playing field with other subjects. They believe that they may be taken more seriously and have more support from training being given. The concern of its inclusion appears to be that it could stifle the very creativity and freedom of expression some professionals believe Drama should be. They all appear to agree that Drama cannot be measured in academic terms as easily as other subjects as no marks are awarded for students personal development. Therefore after research and investigation into this question, the final conclusion is that Drama should be included in the National Curriculum as a discrete subject but only after the creation of relevant success criteria is added. Once there is an acceptable measurement formula in place Drama would then benefit from inclusion. As it stands at present there does not appear to be sufficient steps in place to recognise Drama students success.

The Hole in My Heart :: Personal Narratives Health Medical Essays

The Hole in My Heart When I was younger, I loved to play sports. Basketball was my favorite and I was always one of the best on the team. I could jump high to get rebounds, I could use my long arms to steal many balls, I had a great shot and I did it all with grace. It was a beautiful thing and probably the only time I ever felt completely included in a group of people. Even though I was a valuable asset to the teams I played on, I was never the best. I missed many practices because I was too tired to play. I missed some games because I was sick, and I could never run as long or hard as any one else. My parents, teachers and friends reduced me to a lazy hypochondriac and by the power of suggestion, I almost believed it. At the end of the eighth grade, I could not do it anymore. I needed to sleep all afternoon, and sharp pains stabbed my legs with every step I took. Furthermore, I had just realized that I was a lesbian and the stress was causing me to be excessively distracted. How could I have existed wi th something so powerful living in my body for so long and not know it until now? I guess society’s expectations had blinded me. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20; as I reexamined my life as of that far, I could see that it had always been with me. So with the fatigue, stress, pain and illness I called it quits just a few games before the end of the season. During the next few years, I slowly limped around school, and slept through many hours of the day. I had already finished growing, so it made no sense that I slept as much as I did. I already knew why I limped; I have an extra spine bone that puts pressure on my sciatic nerve causing the sharp pains in my lower body, but there was a new unexplained weakness in my hips. It was not until a trip to Las Vegas when I definitely knew there was something wrong. I was eating dinner with my mom and sister when the skin on my wrists turned puffy and I had a strange feeling in my body and my mouth like what it feels like to touch a cotton ball with wet hands.

Things Fall Apart (Coming of White Men)

Thing Fall Apart Chinua Achebe Discuss how the coming of the White men makes Umuofia â€Å"fall apart†. Make reference to the religious, economic, political and social impact of the British culture on the traditions of the clan. As the novel opens, we get to know Umuofia, one of Igbo’s nine villages, as an organized but somehow different civilization. Chinua Achebe portrays life in this village as rough and harsh, conveying to the readers that only brave men would succeed in it. As said before, even though these civilizations are stereotyped and seen as primitive, we can clearly see that their lives are completely balanced between faith and order.It is actually astonishing to see how such a different way of life, to what we think and see as the normal life, may be as much or even more organized than ours. Even though both civilization are completely organized and function perfectly well, they could never live together in harmony. One would end up consuming the other as they were not meant to coexist. We may think we are educating and helping â€Å"uncivilized men†, but we are actually disintegrating their beliefs, their organization, their politics and their language. We are not aiding them, but destroying their religion and their society.We are, in other words, banishing their culture. A culture that will be lost forever. Hence, we may say, that in many ways the coming of White men made Umuofia â€Å"fall apart†. To begin with, the coming of the white men made Umuofia fell apart as their religion was greatly affected. The village of Umuofia was sustained by their beliefs and their gods, who criticized and punished the lazy men and those who were not worthy of worshipping them. Therefore the coming of a new monotheist and more peaceful religion brought huge changes in some of Umuofia’s most important traditions.These white men questioned most of Umuofia’s beliefs such as the dangers that inhabited the evil forest by set ting their livings there. This first action brought great controversy in the clan as people thought that whoever stayed in the forest for a certain period of time would painfully die. The resistance these white men showed to that â€Å"evil force† led many people to get interested in the new religion. People suddenly began questioning their own beliefs and traditions, questioning why they should venerate gods who were bound to punish, and not one God who was merciful towards humanity.The village divided in to those who remained steadfast to their traditions, and those who began to adopt the new ones. Society completely turned over after these events. Those who turned into Christianity were seen as the elite of the society. The clan was getting weaker and weaker every day, as more and more people turned into Christianity. The time soon come that the clansmen had not enough forces to control the missionaries. They should have reacted before, but only the exiled Okonkwo was brav e enough to face the white men.Hence, we may conclude that the imposition of a new religion severely damaged the village by, splitting it in two, reducing their forces and their willing to fight, and proving most of their beliefs false. Summarizing this, it massively weakened the most powerful and feared clan of the nine villages. Economically, Umuofia was also affected by the arrival of white men. Hitherto, Umuofia had presented us a hierarchical society, were men who showed to be brave, hard workers and strong enough, occupied the highest places in society, while lazy and unmanly men were found at the bottom of the pyramid.Since, the missionaries arrived, things turned around, the lazy and humble men who decided to accept and worship the new god began to get richer and richer, while the hard worker farmers were left behind. Money began circulating in the tribe but only those who turned into Christianity had it. Hence, no one interested in trading, and so, farmers were getting poor er every day. We may say that Umuofia was not destroyed economically but it was greatly affected, some suffered a lot of it, but some others were benefited by these changes. The arrival of the white men also led to massive changes in the village’s politics.They subjected the villagers to their own judicial system and rules, imposing an extremely different and harsh government over them. As white men didn’t respect nor understand the clan’s customs, many men were punished for following their â€Å"uncivilized† traditions. In chapter twenty one Okonkwo discusses with Obierika about Aneto, who was recently hanged by the government after he killed a man with whom he had a dispute. Clearly the new ruling system didn’t take into account old customs. It is completely correct actually, to punish a murderer, or any kind of criminal, but by doing so we are destroying their customs and their traditions.When Enoch unmasked an Egwugwu, considered to be the high est possible crime in Umuofia, the church did nothing, as again, they didn’t respect their customs. Unmasking an Egwugwu in Umuofia is as much or even more harsh than killing a man is for the white men, it can only be compared with killing a god. Once again, the new government doesn’t punish this event. This is a great example of how, Umuofia was left weak and subjected to the white men ruling. We can see now, that they are not trying to make Umuofia a more civilized village, but a more British one.Hence we may conclude that by imposing a new government who ignores their customs, the coming of the white men are making Umuofia fall apart. Finally, culturally Umuofia also fell apart thanks to the arrival of the white man. The new comers introduced a school, which taught their own rules, their beliefs, and their culture. They educated younger villagers that way, so that they could later control them more easily. They were kind of brain washed to believe and trust whatever they do. Education is not bad, of course, but they were not educating them to be better and more intelligent villagers, they were educating them to be other persons.They changed their minds. Young boys were dragged out of farming into the school. In other words, they were dragged out of their lives, from whom they really are. Another cultural change imposed by the white men were hospitals, we can’t say that’s something bad, but that is not how Umuofia is. When we say that it â€Å"fell apart†, we are not actually saying that everything went wrong for them, that all changes were bad. Some, like the introduction of hospitals in the tribe, were actually a massive improvement.Indeed, some of the politics imposed do try to make Umuofia a â€Å"safer† place, where killing is punished, and leaving twins in the forest to die is seen as an abomination. That’s perfectly fine, they may be improving in some ways their lives, but the culture, the old tradition s, their beliefs, everything was lost. Everything Umuofia was, suddenly banished. Everything it represented, their gods, their traditions, and their culture were destroyed. Nobody left to defend their customs, nobody left to respect them. Only memories were left of Okonkwo, Umuofia and their old lives. Everything Umuofia was†¦ fell apart.

Research Proposal Management Essay

The population of Cameroon is one of diverse backgrounds,with over 260 tribes with each tribe having its own distinct dialect. of which its indigenous population constituting the Youthful and Middle age group. As the first settlers of the territory constituting present-day Cameroon, the Bantus should provide a strong cultural and economic base for the country. Yet throughout this land’s history, the Bantus have always been the segment of the population that has suffered the most. Their exploitation began when the Portuguese â€Å"discovered† Cameron in 1472,later in 1884 came the German annexation of Cameroon: and in 1919: Cameroon was divided between France and Britain: and finally in 1960: was the Independence of French Cameroon, con After Cameroon gained its independence form Britain and France in the 1960’s, the subordination of the indigenous population remained active throughout the years of restucturing and reform. Because the first Bantu-tribes immigrated to Cameroon from North (Nigeria),The English speaking have maintained the lowest level in the socioeconomic hierarchy of Cameroon since after independence. The abuse throughout these five centuries has been manifested through the exploitation of indigenous labor, degradation of Indian culture, lack of political voice, and exclusion from social work programs, leaving indigenous areas without the necessary social and economic infrastructure for their advancement. In Cameroon today, these characteristics plague the areas with a high concentration of indigenous population. The abuse of power and corrupt government practices on behalf of the past and present Cameroonian President coupled with the accepted belief that the Anglophones allowed for two disparate worlds to emerge from Cameroon. One is increasingly modern and industrialized, centered in urban areas in the Center region of Cameroon. It is this vision that leaders of Cameroon actively promote in order to convince the rest of the globe that Cameroon has achieved the status of a Developing or even second World Nation. The other world, hidden from view, is that of the indigenous and peasant population, that lives in abject poverty,misery and oppression. This group suffers from the same marginalization and exploitation that it has endured for the past 50 years. In today’s era of globalization, the situation facing the Anglophone as they are called in Cameroon remains bleak. As Cameroonians moves forward into regional trade agreements, the indigenous must overcome their history and current state of deprivation in hope of advancement. The Cameroonian government has begun to enter the world market through economic liberalization policies initiated in the past two decades. One of the largest was the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. The Cameroon government has began implementing the WTO Agreement on Customs Valuation in July 2001, And the Communaute Economique et Monetaire de l’ Afrique Centrale (CEMAC) which established a free trade region between Cameroon and most countries of the franc zone like Tchad,Central african republic, Congo. Gabon. And Equatorial Guinea. States. Reforms necessary for the implementation of the WTO Agreement have proved to be detrimental to the indigenous population in Cameroon and sectors that were poor prior to the WTO are falling farther behind. Yet the Cameroonian government continues to plow forward, negotiating larger regional trade agreements with its neighbors for the good of the already wealthy sector of the population, leaving the Anglophones open to further marginalization. A practical example of this marginalization is found in the south and northwest regions which are purely English spraking regions The Anglophones in Cameroon, whose social situation is one of the bleakest in all of West Africa. lack basic human rights, a political voice, schools, hospitals, electricity, and clean water. As Cameroon pushes further ahead with its economic reforms, the few programs that had been in place to aid the English speaking have been repealed, and the Anglophones continue to be ignored. Throughout history, these Anglophones have been repealed, and the Anglophones continue to be ignored. Throughout history, these Anglophones have endured poverty, exploitation, and oppression, while attempting to revolt and ignite change. Yet no movement has ever been successful. With the advent of WTO and further global integration, the Anglophones realized their situation would only continue to worsen if they did not begin to fight for change. To cut things short my thesis paper examined both the manifest and latent functions of Social work in the protection of the indigenous population within the Cameroonian society, specifically in the English speaking region. It examined the prospect for the Southern Cameroons National Council (S.C.N.C)Movement to meet with future success; analyzing the role that Social work will play in this movement’s effectiveness. Globalization, with its increasing connectedness and spread of technology could prove to be a beneficial tool in the process of gaining solidarity and support. Or globalization could allow for the gap between the rich and poor on both a national and international level to grow, leaving the poor segments in oblivion. This problem is not limited to Cameroon. As the world economy has become increasingly interdependent, the emergence of trans-national social movements may produce serious consequences for citizens in many nations. If these protest movements gain enough support, every person alive has the potential to be affected in some way. To accomplish this research, I have read and will continue to read many books, magazine, newspaper, and journal articles on the history of Cameroon, the treatment of the indigenous population, liberalization policies that have been implemented, and the S.C.N.C Movement.

Activities for ESL Lessons With Multiple Intelligences

Activities for ESL Lessons With Multiple Intelligences Multiple intelligences activities are useful for English teaching in a variety of situations. The most important aspect of using multiple intelligence activities in class is that you will be giving support to learners who may find more traditional activities difficult. The basic idea behind multiple intelligence activities is that people learn using different types of intelligences. For instance, spelling can be learned through typing which uses kinetic intelligences. Multiple intelligences were first introduced by in the theory of multiple intelligences was developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University. Multiple Intelligence Activities for the English Learning Classroom This guide to multiple intelligence activities for the English learning classroom provides ideas on types of multiple intelligence activities you to consider when planning English lessons that will appeal to a wide range of learners. For more information on multiple intelligences in English teaching, this article on using BRAIN friendly English learning will be of help. Verbal / Linguistic Explanation and understanding through the use of words. This is the most common means of teaching. In the most traditional sense, the teacher teaches and the students learn. However, this can also be turned around and students can help each other understand concepts. While teaching to other types of intelligences is extremely important, this type of teaching focuses on using language and will continue to play the primary role in learning English. Teacher-centered explanationsEssays and written reportsReading selectionsBook based grammar and language function explanationsGap-fill exercises Visual / Spatial Explanation and comprehension through the use of pictures, graphs, maps, etc. This type of learning gives students visual clues to help them remember language. In my opinion, the use of visual, spatial and situational clues is probably the reason learning a language in an English speaking country (Canada, USA, England, etc.) is the most effective way to learn English. Mind mapsUsing photos, paintings, etc. to encourage discourseCreating personal roadmaps / other visual aids to use during discourseGraphs used to initiate explanations of statisticsVideosCreating multimedia projectsHighlighting texts in different colors to indicate tense, or functionGames such as Pictionary Body / Kinesthetic Ability to use the body to express ideas, accomplish tasks, create moods, etc. This type of learning combines physical actions with linguistic responses and are very helpful for tying language to actions. In other words, repeating Id like to pay by credit card. in a dialogue is much less effective than having a student act out a role-play in which he pulls out his wallet and says, Id like to pay by credit card. TypingMovement games (especially popular in childrens English classes)Role plays / dramaPantomime vocabulary activitiesFacial expression gamesFor classes with access to athletic facilities, explanation of sporting rules Interpersonal Ability to get along with others, work with others to accomplish tasks. Group learning is based on interpersonal skills. Not only do students learn while speaking to others in an authentic setting, they develop  English speaking skills  while reacting to others. Obviously, not all learners have excellent interpersonal skills. For this reason, group work needs to​ be  balanced with other activities. Small group workTeam competitionsRole plays using dialoguesPeer teaching Logical / Mathematical Use of  logic  and mathematical models to represent and work with ideas. Grammar analysis falls into this type of learning style. Many teachers feel that English teaching syllabi are too loaded towards grammar analysis which has little to do with communicative ability. Nonetheless, using a balanced approach, grammar analysis has its place in the classroom. Unfortunately, because of certain standardized teaching practices, this type of teaching sometimes tends to dominate the classroom. Grammar categorizing activitiesGrammar rules study and inductive explanationsError recognitionCorrecting work based on teacher indicationsDevelop mind-maps and other vocabulary charts Intrapersonal Learning through self-knowledge leading to understanding of motives, goals, strengths,  and weaknesses. This intelligence is essential for long-term English learning. Students who are aware of these types of issues will be able to deal with underlying issues that can improve or hamper English usage. Writing in logs and diariesEstimating learning strengths, weaknesses, progress over timeUnderstanding learner objectivesSpeaking about ones personal history with confidence Environmental Ability to recognize elements of and learn from the natural world around us. Similar to visual and spatial skills, Environmental intelligence will help students master English required to interact with their environment. Exploring outdoors but in EnglishShopping and other field tripsCollecting plants to learn appropriate vocabulary

History of the Yellow Star Inscribed With Jude

History of the Yellow Star Inscribed With Jude The yellow star, inscribed with the word Jude (Jew in German), has become a symbol of Nazi persecution. Its likeness abounds upon Holocaust literature and materials. But the Jewish badge was not instituted in 1933 when Hitler came to power. It was not instituted in 1935 when the Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews of their citizenship. It was still not implemented by Kristallnacht in 1938. The oppression and labeling of the Jews by use of the Jewish badge did not begin until after the start of the Second World War. And even then, it began as local laws rather than as a unified Nazi policy. Whether Nazis Where First to Implement a Jewish Badge The Nazis rarely had an original idea. Almost always what made the Nazi policies different was that they intensified, magnified, and institutionalized age-old methods of persecution. The oldest reference to using mandatory articles of clothing to identify and distinguish Jews from the rest of society was in 807 CE. In this year, Abbassid caliph Haroun al-Raschid ordered all Jews to wear a yellow belt and a tall, cone-like hat.1 But it was in 1215 that the Fourth Lateran Council, presided over by Pope Innocent III, made its infamous decree. Canon 68 declared: Jews and Saracens [Muslims] of both sexes in every Christian province and at all times shall be marked off in the eyes of the public from other peoples through the character of their dress.2 This Council represented all of Christendom and thus this decree was to be enforced throughout all of the Christian countries. The use of a badge was not instantaneous throughout Europe nor were the dimensions or shape of the badge uniform. As early as 1217, King Henry III of England ordered Jews to wear on the front of their upper garment the two tablets of the Ten Commandments made of white linen or parchment.3 In France, local variations of the badge continued until Louis IX decreed in 1269 that both men and women were to wear badges on the outer garment, both front and back, round pieces of yellow felt or linen, a palm long and four fingers wide.4 In Germany and Austria, Jews were distinguishable in the latter half of the 1200s when the wearing of a horned hat otherwise known as a Jewish hat - an article of clothing that Jews had worn freely before the crusades - became mandatory. It wasnt until the fifteenth century when a badge became the distinguishing article in Germany and Austria. The use of badges became relatively widespread throughout Europe within a couple of centuries and continued to be used as distinctive markings until the age of Enlightenment. In 1781, Joseph II of Austria made major torrents into the use of a badge with his Edict of Tolerance and many other countries discontinued their use of badges very late in the eighteenth century. When the Nazis Decided to Re-Use the Jewish Badge The first reference to a Jewish badge during the Nazi era was made by the German Zionist leader, Robert Weltsch. During the Nazi declared boycott upon Jewish stores on April 1, 1933, yellow Stars of David were painted on windows. In reaction to this, Weltsch wrote an article entitled Tragt ihn mit Stolz, den gelben Fleck (Wear the Yellow Badge with Pride) which was published on April 4, 1933. At this time, Jewish badges had yet even to be discussed among the top Nazis. It is believed that the first time that the implementation of a Jewish badge was discussed among the Nazi leaders was right after Kristallnacht in 1938. At a meeting on November 12, 1938, Reinhard Heydrich made the first suggestion about a badge. But it wasnt until after the Second World War began in September 1939 that individual authorities implemented a Jewish badge in the Nazi German-occupied territories of Poland. For instance, on November 16, 1939, the order for a Jewish badge was announced in Lodz. We are returning to the Middle Ages. The yellow patch once again becomes a part of Jewish dress. Today an order was announced that all Jews, no matter what age or sex, have to wear a band of Jewish-yellow, 10 centimeters wide, on their right arm, just below the armpit.5 Various locales within occupied Poland had their own regulations about size, color, and shape of the badge to be worn until Hans Frank made a decree that affected all of the Government General in Poland. On November 23, 1939, Hans Frank, the chief officer of the Government General, declared that all Jews above ten years of age were to wear a white badge with a Star of David on their right arm. It wasnt until nearly two years later that a decree, issued on September 1, 1941, issued badges to Jews within Germany as well as occupied and incorporated Poland. This badge was the yellow Star of David with the word Jude (Jew) and worn on the left side of ones chest. How Implementing the Jewish Badge Helped the Nazis Of  course, the obvious benefit of the badge to the Nazis was the visual labeling of the Jews. No longer would the rabble only be able to attack and persecute those Jews with stereotypical Jewish features or forms of dress, now all Jews and  part-Jews  were open to the various Nazi actions. The badge made a distinction. One day there were just people on the street, and the next day, there were Jews and non-Jews. A common reaction was as Gertrud Scholtz-Klinks stated in her answer to the question, What did you think when one day in 1941 you saw so many of your fellow Berliners appear with yellow stars on their coats? Her answer, I dont know how to say it. There were so many. I felt that my aesthetic sensibility was wounded. 6   All of a sudden, stars were everywhere, just like Hitler had said there were. How the Badge Affected Jews At first, many Jews felt humiliated about having to wear the badge. As in Warsaw: For many weeks the Jewish intelligentsia retired to voluntary house arrest. Nobody dared to go out into the street with the stigma on his arm, and if compelled to do so, tried to sneak through without being noticed, in shame and in pain, with his eyes fixed to the ground.7 The badge was an obvious, visual, step back to the Middle Ages, a time before Emancipation. But soon after its implementation, the badge represented more than humiliation and shame, it represented fear. If a Jew forgot to wear their badge they could be fined or imprisoned, but often, it meant beatings or death. Jews came up with ways to remind themselves not to go out without their badge. Posters often could be found at the exit doors of apartments that warned Jews by stating: Remember the Badge! Have you already put on the Badge? The Badge! Attention, the Badge! Before leaving the  building,  put on the Badge! But remembering to wear the badge was not their only fear. Wearing the badge meant that they were targets for attacks and that they could be grabbed for forced labor. Many Jews attempted to hide the badge. When the badge was a white armband with a Star of David, men and women would wear white shirts or blouses. When the badge was yellow and worn on the chest, Jews would carry objects and hold them in such a way as to cover their badge. To make sure that Jews could be easily noticed, some local authorities added additional stars to be worn on the back and even on one knee. But those werent the only rules. And, actually, what made the fear of the badge even greater were the other innumerable infractions for which Jews could be punished. Jews could be punished for wearing a creased or  folded  badge. They could be punished for wearing their badge a centimeter out of place. They could be punished for attaching the badge using a safety pin rather than sewing it onto their clothing.9 The use of safety pins was an effort to conserve badges and yet give themselves flexibility in outfits. Jews were required to wear a badge on their outer clothing - thus, at least on their dress or shirt and on their overcoat. But often, the material for badges or the badges themselves were scarce, so the number of dresses or shirts that one owned far exceeded the availability of badges. In order to wear more than one dress or shirt all the time, Jews would safety pin a badge onto their clothing for easy transfer of the badge to the next days clothing. The Nazis did not like the practice of safety pinning for they believed it was so the Jews could easily take off their star if danger seemed near. And it very often was. Under the Nazi regime, Jews were constantly in danger. Up to the time when Jewish badges were implemented, uniform persecution against the Jews could not be accomplished. With the visual labeling of Jews, the years of haphazard persecution quickly changed to organized destruction. References 1. Joseph Telushkin,  Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History  (New York: William Morrow and Company, 1991) 163.2. The Fourth Lateran Council of 1215: Decree Concerning the Garb Distinguishing Jews from Christians, Canon 68 as quoted in Guido Kisch, The Yellow Badge in History,  Historia Judaica  4.2 (1942): 103.3. Kisch, Yellow Badge 105.4. Kisch, Yellow Badge 106.5. Dawid Sierakowiak,  The Diary of Dawid Sierakowiak: Five Notebooks from the Lodz Ghetto  (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996) 63.6. Claudia Koonz,  Mothers in the Fatherland: Women, the Family, and Nazi Politics  (New York: St. Martins Press, 1987) xxi.7. Lieb Spizman as quoted in Philip Friedman,  Roads to Extinction: Essays on the Holocaust  (New York: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1980) 24.8. Friedman,  Roads to Extinction  18.9. Friedman,  Roads to Extinction  18. Sources Friedman, Philip. Roads to Extinction: Essays on the Holocaust. New York: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1980.Kisch, Guido. The Yellow Badge in History. Historia Judaica 4.2 (1942): 95-127.Koonz, Claudia. Mothers in the Fatherland: Women, the Family, and Nazi Politics. New York: St. Martins Press, 1987.Sierakowiak, Dawid. The Diary of Dawid Sierakowiak: Five Notebooks from the  Lodz Ghetto. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.Straus, Raphael. The Jewish Hat as an Aspect of Social History. Jewish Social Studies 4.1 (1942): 59-72.Telushkin, Joseph. Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1991.

Gender Dynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender Dynamics - Essay Example The difference of sex and gender implies a great deal today as social reforms have transformed the world since the rule of the masculine species to a more restrained co-existing living with the feminine species. Just to draw a clear line between the two, sex refers to the biological characteristics distinguishing male and female. Sexual definition of the male and female species is characterized by their differences in the physical aspects such as chromosomes, anatomy, hormones, reproductive systems, and other physiological components. On the other hand, gender refers to the social, cultural, and psychological traits linked to males and females through particular social contexts. Therefore, sex makes people male or female while gender makes people masculine or feminine. Sex is an attributed status because a person is born with it, but gender is an acquired status because it is a learned behavior through a person’s interaction with society and culture (Lindsey 4). Citing the dif ference between sex and gender did not totally entail gender equality and societal restructuring but has largely contributed especially in behalf of the female species and all the feminists who work for the value of women in the society such as equality in all terms with men which have moved many people all over the world, not just females but as well as feminists males who believe in justice between both genders. From all the years that gender roles issues have gone through, modern day gender dynamics is an outcome of years of reforms and challenges in bringing gender equality in all aspects of the society. Despite all these changes, a question in mind still possess a degree of doubt of whether if the world has totally evolved into a society of equal co-existence and gender dynamics. Within the chapter are some readings that fall under this category. One of the readings, authored by Phyllis Chesler, talks about how gender dynamics are still biased in the modern society where everyb ody seems to be enjoying freedom and feminism seem to fail on this concept. Within the essay Chesler (231) defined the victors and pitfalls of feminism that lead to the modern day gender dynamics. According to Chesler (229), today is the time when woman can and must make a difference. Truly the world presently has well known feminine leaders, professionals, scientists, researchers, etc. that contributes as much if not more than the male counterpart. Feminism had ended gender biased injustices such as violence against women, rape, many forms of oppression and neglect directed to women and has paved way for equality in education, healthcare and workforce (Chesler 230). Today the world has more literate, productive and empowering women contributing to better outcome in economy, education and healthcare which is far from the traditional woman of the dark past who were stripped off the rights to power, to education, to freedom of choice and the right to property just assuming a secondary caring role behind the strength of a man (Chesler 230). Despite the remarkable changes gender roles leaped over the years still women are encouraged not to rest among these victories. Chesler (231) notes that gender inequality still exists in other parts of the world and the contemporary thinking has led feminism into passivity. The modern feminists are focused on sexual rights and issues of women that the movement for more significant changes for societal benefit lies behind. Today, though women can go for a man’s work same wage level is not assured. The society should be penetrated with equal gender dynamics to provide equality in all a

Peer Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Peer Review - Essay Example The writer also provides a lot of quotes from the writings of both the feminist writers to support the arguments. The paragraphs are organized in a coherent manner with each paragraph building on the previous one. However, it lacks a conclusion and there are few grammatical and punctuation errors e. g. the writer writes â€Å"oppression† instead of â€Å"oppression†. This writer provides a catching introduction by directly addressing the two writers, Anzaldua and Kingston. It is important to highlight the creativity when the writer notes that the two women share more than just their XX chromosomes. After the introduction paragraph, the writer provides a background of how the writers encountered sexist oppression. In the next paragraph, the writer adequately describes how the two writers use their languages as the strongest weapons against sexist oppression and patriarchy. This writer also provides relevant quotes that support these arguments. In conclusion, the writer describes examples of use of language as both shields and methods of attack. The essay is well organized, with each paragraph complementing the other. Though there are extremely few punctuation errors, the writer uses a few paragraphs. These errors can be fixed by proofreading through the essay again, while the paragraphs can be divided up to cover different points that are in a si ngle paragraph. This writer does not adequately capture the needs of the question. While the question demands that the writer develop a detailed argument that compares how Anzaldua and Kingston use language as a weapon against patriarchy with detail, this writer only provides summaries of the two writings. The writer just details the events that took place in the book including instances of sexist oppression and patriarchy. However, the writer fails to derive the differences and similarities of how the two writers tackle these issues. At the

British Petroleum Sustainability in Project Management Essay

British Petroleum Sustainability in Project Management - Essay Example It would be crucial to depict that sustainability, in business, generally refers to the approach of minimizing the unfavorable impacts caused by the operations of the business to the local or the global environment, the community, the society and the people altogether (Deloitte, 2010). Correspondingly, during the management of any project, gaining sustainability is quite mandatory as it works towards the welfare of the business in the long-run. In order to get a comprehensive understanding to this notion, the discussion of the paper will consider the example of BP Plc and its approach towards attaining maximum sustainability when managing projects. The primary aim of this particular study is to determine the approach of BP Plc in attaining sustainability in its worldwide operations through effective project management. The paper will also analyze the data gathered with the assistance of a sustainability framework that would be developed from the review of various literatures and jour nals. Literature Review Importance of Sustainability in Business It is apparent from the above discussion that sustainability is quite a vital component in various areas of the business of the companies irrespective of the industry they are operating in. It will not be ambiguous to depict that in order to ensure the long term survival of the business; companies need emphasize on enhancing their performances regarding sustainability. Businesses in the contemporary scenario need to deal with various challenges that are quite distinct and separated from the day to day activities of the organization. One such challenge for businesses today is dealing with the aspect of sustainability within various operational areas. Contextually, Clayton & Radcliffe (1996) argued that organizations in the modern scenario face challenges in terms of social and environmental issues that have hardly bothered the companies operated in the past. There is an extreme pressure from the government and other ext ernal non-profit bodies that instructs business units to conduct their business in a way that hampers the environment and the society to the minimum level. In many of the large organizations now-a-days, operations of the business largely focuses toward fulfilling the needs of the customers without harming the interests of the environment and the society altogether (Clayton & Radcliffe, 1996). Again in similar regard, in Fordham University (2013), it was depicted that sustainability in various operational areas of business lays a strong foundation for maximum profitability with regard to the long term operations of the business. According to the report, a sustainable business acquires the capability to deliver innovative products and services to the customers, promote accountability of the business and address the welfare of the shareholders and stakeholders of the business (Fordham University, 2013). In precise, it can be stated that sustainability in business can be regarded as a c ornerstone for the success of the same.

Statistics Problems Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Statistics Problems - Speech or Presentation Example The mean of the distribution was 60,000 miles and the standard deviation 2,000 miles. 38. The mean amount purchased by a typical customer at Churchill’s Grocery Store is $23.50 with a standard deviation of $5.00. Assume the distribution of amounts purchased follows the normal distribution. For a sample of 50 customers, answer the following questions. 54. Families USA, a monthly magazine that discusses issues related to health and health costs, surveyed 20 of its subscribers. It found that the annual health insurance premiums for a family with coverage through an employer averaged $10,979. The standard deviation of the sample was $1,000. 42. During recent seasons, Major League Baseball has been criticized for the length of the games. A report indicated that the average game lasts 3 hours and 30 minutes. A sample of 17 games revealed the following times to completion. (Note that the minutes have been changed to fractions of hours, so that a game that lasted 2 hours and 24 minutes is reported at 2.40 hours.) 58. The amount of income spent on housing is an important component of the cost of living. The total costs of housing for homeowners might include mortgage payments, property taxes, and utility costs (water, heat, electricity). An economist selected a sample of 20 homeowners in New England and then calculated these total housing costs as a percent of monthly income, five years ago and now. The information is reported below. Is it reasonable to conclude the percent is less now than five years ago? 42. Martin Motors has in stock three cars of the same make and model. The president would like to compare the gas consumption of the three cars (labeled car A, car B, and car C) using four different types of gasoline. For each trial, a gallon of gasoline was added to an empty tank, and the car was driven until it ran out of

Paragraph Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Paragraph - Essay Example The partnership is beneficial for Recycline in two basic ways; it gets easy access to raw material and a brand assistance to enter new markets. 2. Hudson has already played a good role in creating certain competitive advantages for his firm. However, as the new trends and changing business environments demand, he can initiate more interactive advertisements. Hudson can also deploy some celebrities for promoting his brand because celebrities are of great market value these days. Other marketing tactics he can initiate involves announcing price reduction, special offers, gifts etc. 3. As the company grows Hudson should heed more attention to marketing strategies. Greater emphasis must be given to making more innovative designs. In the same way, company has to shift its focus from domestic market to international markets too. As part of the business expansion, like any other international firm, personal style of business management must be substituted by more collaborated and integrated way of management. Since current trends give priority to consumer based marketing, Recycline can also rely on market segmentation strategies. In addition, company can launch regional outlets in order to become more interactive and consumer friendly.

Food Culture of Hong Kong Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Food Culture of Hong Kong - Essay Example Other than a short period when the island was under the hands of the Japanese, it has been under the British rule and has grown from its first state to become a great industrial and manufacturing center with many foreign firms relocating to the island. The people of Hong Kong attach great importance to food and express these in many places, including websites and even on Facebook and Twitter. The city has been aptly referred to as the culinary capital of Asia due to the diversities of foods and dishes that are found on restaurant and family tables of Hong Kong. The food culture is one that they attach great importance to what they eat, and take great care in picking it (Anderson, 2005). For example, iced lemon tea is a very common drink in restaurants and it comes in different prices pertaining to the amount of ice or sugar the customer would like, many taking into consideration that a great amount of sugar will make one fat or that more ice will have the customer drinking more water than the lemon tea. The people of Hong Kong are very meticulous in their food display and arrangement, attaching great detail to each food category. A certain type of food arrangement can even be some smaller divisions derived from the main division but have some changes in the ingredients. A type of dish called the ‘Shao Mai’, for example, is made of pork and shrimp wrapped in a thin white layer of flour and displayed in a steamer basket, but however, there are smaller dishes of the same made of purple rice or a very traditional dish of ‘Shao Mai’ made of quail’s eggs as the wrappings (DeWolf et al, 2010). This latter dish has existed through the ages but is becoming outdated, becoming replaced by the other two. The people of Hong Kong generally have no fixed time for eating and, thus, will be found eating very early or very late. The working culture due to industrialization and manufacturing makes them very hard working people who put in

Statistics Problems Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Statistics Problems - Speech or Presentation Example The mean of the distribution was 60,000 miles and the standard deviation 2,000 miles. 38. The mean amount purchased by a typical customer at Churchill’s Grocery Store is $23.50 with a standard deviation of $5.00. Assume the distribution of amounts purchased follows the normal distribution. For a sample of 50 customers, answer the following questions. 54. Families USA, a monthly magazine that discusses issues related to health and health costs, surveyed 20 of its subscribers. It found that the annual health insurance premiums for a family with coverage through an employer averaged $10,979. The standard deviation of the sample was $1,000. 42. During recent seasons, Major League Baseball has been criticized for the length of the games. A report indicated that the average game lasts 3 hours and 30 minutes. A sample of 17 games revealed the following times to completion. (Note that the minutes have been changed to fractions of hours, so that a game that lasted 2 hours and 24 minutes is reported at 2.40 hours.) 58. The amount of income spent on housing is an important component of the cost of living. The total costs of housing for homeowners might include mortgage payments, property taxes, and utility costs (water, heat, electricity). An economist selected a sample of 20 homeowners in New England and then calculated these total housing costs as a percent of monthly income, five years ago and now. The information is reported below. Is it reasonable to conclude the percent is less now than five years ago? 42. Martin Motors has in stock three cars of the same make and model. The president would like to compare the gas consumption of the three cars (labeled car A, car B, and car C) using four different types of gasoline. For each trial, a gallon of gasoline was added to an empty tank, and the car was driven until it ran out of

Food Culture of Hong Kong Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Food Culture of Hong Kong - Essay Example Other than a short period when the island was under the hands of the Japanese, it has been under the British rule and has grown from its first state to become a great industrial and manufacturing center with many foreign firms relocating to the island. The people of Hong Kong attach great importance to food and express these in many places, including websites and even on Facebook and Twitter. The city has been aptly referred to as the culinary capital of Asia due to the diversities of foods and dishes that are found on restaurant and family tables of Hong Kong. The food culture is one that they attach great importance to what they eat, and take great care in picking it (Anderson, 2005). For example, iced lemon tea is a very common drink in restaurants and it comes in different prices pertaining to the amount of ice or sugar the customer would like, many taking into consideration that a great amount of sugar will make one fat or that more ice will have the customer drinking more water than the lemon tea. The people of Hong Kong are very meticulous in their food display and arrangement, attaching great detail to each food category. A certain type of food arrangement can even be some smaller divisions derived from the main division but have some changes in the ingredients. A type of dish called the ‘Shao Mai’, for example, is made of pork and shrimp wrapped in a thin white layer of flour and displayed in a steamer basket, but however, there are smaller dishes of the same made of purple rice or a very traditional dish of ‘Shao Mai’ made of quail’s eggs as the wrappings (DeWolf et al, 2010). This latter dish has existed through the ages but is becoming outdated, becoming replaced by the other two. The people of Hong Kong generally have no fixed time for eating and, thus, will be found eating very early or very late. The working culture due to industrialization and manufacturing makes them very hard working people who put in

Jack Shepherd Essay Example for Free

Jack Shepherd Essay ABC’s hit television series, Lost, portrays interesting characters. From all walks of life, the characters have one thing in common. They are all stranded on a deserted island somewhere off of the airline’s charted flight course. Forty- eight remaining passengers are thrown together as a result of this terrible plane crash, the literary complication. As the plot continues, they must all try to survive. A few of the survivors are badly injured, a few are hysterical, some are angry, and some are scared. No one appears to know what to do. Jack Shepherd is the protagonist who represents the hero of the pilot episode. Through indirect characterization, the writer presents Jack as a dynamic, round, and fully developed character. Jack Shepherd, as the protagonist, is a take-charge sort of guy who is the natural leader on the island, as illustrated by his actions early on in the episode. He calms a pregnant girl who is traumatized and having contractions, gives mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to an African American woman who has quit breathing, and he rescues, at the very last possible minute, a heavy-set guy and the expectant mother from disaster when he sees the plane collapsing. They are both unaware of the impending danger, and almost in superhero fashion, Jack runs down the beach and rescues them as the plane’s broken wing almost falls on the pair. The author presents him as an unselfish character who takes care of the needs of others first before seeking help for his own wounds. The Jones 02 author gives the viewers a glimpse into Jack’s background through his conversations with Kate, an attractive passenger, who sews up Jack’s wounds with a travel sewing kit. He tells Kate that he is a doctor, which explains his helping of the injured people on the island. Through this conversation, we learn that Jack, almost a superhero is a normal human being. He shows fear and vulnerability by telling Kate the story about the horrible experience that he had with the surgery of the 16-year-old girl. He shows strength by telling Kate his method for dealing with fear. The author is using indirect methods of characterization in presenting Jack’s personality, and doesn’t just tell the viewer about Jack. Through showing the viewer Jacks full range of emotions, the author presents Jack as a round character who is able to push fear aside. This character is the most developed character in the pilot episode. As a fully developed character, we know more (through his conversations and actions in trying to save the injured people), about Jack than we do any other character. His main traits are stability, leadership, and emotional stability in a time of crisis. Jack is a dynamic character who changes based on his experiences. He talks about how he never lets fear take hold of him anymore as he relates the story of the surgery mistake to Kate. He shares his method of dealing with fear, and she later uses that method for herself later in the episode. â€Å"I decided to give into the fear for 5 seconds and I counted 1,2,3,4,5,† (Lost) Because of this experience in the past, he changed. Therefore we can assume that he is a real character with real emotions who is affected by what happens around him. The author never becomes the simple narrator who tells the viewers about Jack. It is left up to the viewer to decide what kind of character he is based on Jack’s actions. This is indirect characterization. The main character traits of this character are caring, control and sense of duty to help others. His emotions are in control. The author or screenwriter reveals this when Jack goes off to himself to examine the situation. The camera pans to a shot where Jack is surveying the situation and catching his breath from all that has just happened. His facial expression reveals that he knows that the group is in serious trouble, but he knows he must remain in control. Jack is a â€Å"thinking† character who actively begins searching for answers. Through a flashback scene, the writer reveals to the audience through Jack’s eyes, the moments before the crash. The epiphany occurs when he realizes that something much more serious may be happening on the island, and they are all stranded in a very dangerous place. Jack Shepherd is the hero of the pilot episode. He confronts danger, takes charge, and begins to make decisions for the group. He does not let destiny control him. He seeks a solution to the problem, becoming a proactive leader. The author uses his presentation of Jack to show that he is a dynamic and round character who has caught the viewers’ attention, enticing them to tune in next week. Works Cited â€Å"Pilot Episode. † Lost. Abrams, Lieber, Lindelof. ABC. New York. 22 September 2004. Television.

Benefits of Social Network Marketing for the Business

Benefits of Social Network Marketing for the Business Chapter One Introduction For some marketing managers, the twenty-first century may appear a very strange place indeed. Much of that strangeness comes from the ‘electronification of traditional marketing practices. OConnor et al (2004) said that direct and database marketing might be fairly well understood, but what about the concepts such as social network marketing. This is one of the latest tools available to todays marketing managers. The most popular social network marketing tools are Facebook, Twitter, My Space, LinkedIn, etc., but there are some other different social network marketing methods like blogs, e-mail marketing, video promotion on YouTube and many more. In truth, the migration from traditional marketing to internet marketing is part of a process that has taken place over the past decade. But what is Social network marketing and how it is different from ordinary marketing, advantages and disadvantages of social networking, its impact on other businesses has been researched in this disse rtation. Aim To analyse how social network marketing can help in the effective marketing of a business Objectives Analyse the impact of social network marketing on other businesses. Analyse the advantages and the disadvantages of the social network marketing in a business context. Analyse the effectiveness of social network marketing. Chapter two Research Background The Cumin Restaurant The Anand family have a long and successful history of catering, originating from their home in Nairobi, Kenya. They came to the UK in 1975 and have been in the catering business ever since. Their first restaurant in the UK was The Brilliant, followed by Madhus, both in Middlesex. These were followed by Curry Craze in Wembley, Curry Special in Ilford and Curry Fever in Leicester, all of which are still very successful today. The restaurant capacity is 74 cover over two floors 20 on the ground floor and 54 on the first floor. Being in the city centre, they are also an ideal place to hold business meetings or lunches. (The Cumin Restaurant online, 2011) Chino Latino, Park Plaza Their central Nottingham hotel features Chino Latino, the multi award-winning, on-site restaurant.Chino Latino serves fresh, gourmet Pan-Asian cuisine and Latin-inspired cocktails in a relaxed, modern atmosphere. One of the top Nottingham restaurants, Chino Latino offers a fantastic choice of a la carte, set, tasting and bento box menus. The bar offers an array of exciting cocktails, bottled beers and bar platters in a distinctively Latin atmosphere. Chapter three: Literature Review Introduction A literature review is a survey and discussion of the literature in a given area of study. It is a concise overview of what has been studied, argued, and established about a topic, and it is usually organised chronologically or thematically. A literature review is written in essay format. It is not a commented bibliography, because it groups related works together and discusses trends and developments rather than focusing on one item at a time. It is not a summary; rather, it evaluates previous and current research in regard to how relevant and/or useful it is and how it relates to your own research. (University of Toronto Online, 02.12.2009) Ridley (2009) described literature review as the part of the thesis where there is extensive reference to related research and theory; it is where connections are made between the source texts and the research among these sources. It also refers to the process involved in creating the review that appears in the thesis. The changing media environment The mainstream print and broadcast media have faced major challenges in recent years, with many newspaper titles facing closure and television channels facing shortfalls in revenue. An important reason for this has been migration of significant amount of advertising budgets to online channels. Research by Forrester Jennings (2007) has indicated that audiences and attention is shifting to online channels as 52 per cent of Europeans are regularly online at home. Around 36 per cent of European internet users watch less TV, 28 per cent have reduced their newspaper and magazine reading and 17 per cent have decreased listening to the radios since going online. This shift away from conventional media has been further exacerbated by the recession from 2008 which led many advertisers to cut their budgets, resulting in print and broadcast media receiving a diminishing share of the declining total budget (Jennings, 2007). Online advertising has been the beneficiary of recent changes in the allo cation of advertising budgets, but this general shift hides a number of different formats for communicating with target audience, ranging from mass appeal banner ads placed on frequently visited websites, through to personalised e-mail campaigns in which the message can be uniquely tailored to the requirements of individual target buyers. Social media can be characterised as â€Å"online applications, platforms and media which aim to facilitate interactions, collaborations and the sharing of content† (Universal Maccann International, 2008, p.10). the importance of social network media lies in the interaction between consumers and the community, and in the facilitation of asynchronous, immediate, interactive, low-cost communication† (Miller et al, 2009, p. 306). Social network sites allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system; to articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and to â€Å"view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system† (Boyd and Ellison, 2007, p. 211). On larger social network sites a connection, individuals are typically not looking to meet new people but are more interested in managing relationships by maintaining contacts with old friends who are already part of the extended so cial network (Boyd and Ellison, 2007; Hart et al, 2008). To sum up, social network sites can be seen as alternative communication tools which support existing relationships and activities in a fun and colourful way that can enrich the users experience (Ofcom, 2008). Many social network websites have emerged; attracting distinctive groups on users in terms of their demographics, for example the average age of users of Bebo is lower than for Facebook. Many appeal to communities with specific shared interests. In addition to consumers-oriented social network sites, many professional and trade associations have set up networks to exchange information of particular interest to member, for example the social networking site â€Å"LinkedIn† is particularly aimed at professionals. There is now lot of evidence that social network sites have become mainstream and it has been reported that globally, these sites account for one in every 11 minutes spent online. In the UK, this figure is even higher one in every six minutes (Neilson Company, 2009). Over half (54 per cent) of internet users between 16 and 24 have set up their own page or profile on a social networking site (Ofcom, 2008). The take up of online social media has been at the expense of traditional media, and a study by Ofcom of the media habits of UK 15-24 year olds shows that since using such media for the first time, the amount of time spent reading national newspapers declined by 27 per cent; reading local newspaper by 22 per cent; reading magazines by 21 per cent; listening radio by 15 per cent and watching TV by 13 per cent (Ofcom, 2006). Online social media offers opportunities to connect these hard-to-reach audiences drifting away from traditional media. Social Network Marketing Marketers need to be where their customers and potential customers are, and increasingly this is on social networking sites. Most of their marketers have started using social networks to market their businesses and to gain financial freedom. It also markets and then offers the product or service to the relevant audience and provides significant benefits using the dialogues and personal connections and to gain a wider audience for the product, but according to Scott (2007, p.229), ‘marketing on these sites can be tricky because the online community at social networking sites hates open commercial messages. There are abundant amount of active users across sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Hi5; 2.6 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (Shih 2009). Social networking has become a rapidly growing global phenomenon spreading across the world. According to Chaffey and Smith (2008) well-run communities on the social networks strengthen relationships, trust and loyalty, as well as maintaining brand awareness in the minds of the community members. Communities also allow a unique opportunity to stay close to customers, their concerns, their worries and their desires. Despite these benefits, building an active community can be time consuming and difficult though cheap. Careful moderation and seeding of topics from a subject expert may be required. An alternative approach is to link up to an established community that has greater independence. Either way social networks are the part of the dynamic dialogue and dynamic opportunities that todays marketer enjoy. Social network networking has many advantages which makes it an interesting and a useful marketing tool for any business. This tool is cheap compared to other methods of advertising, when it comes to costing to reach the target audience. Another advantage is that it is easy to record and review any marketing campaign which makes it easier to analyse the changes that need to be made in service or products. But when we look at the negative side of it, social network marketing has got some disadvantages as well. According to Shih (2009), the biggest drawback of social network marketing is that the business could be the main targets for the detractors and their criticism which would make people who are interested in the business turn off by reading the negative comments. Some of the common disadvantages of social networks are security and safety of the business, violation of copyrights, vulnerable to thefts and scams. (Sethi and Adhikari, 2010) In general, the problem with the social networks is they need frequent updating and it is time consuming as well. Branding on Social Networks Social networking sites offer brands many opportunities for engagement. When brand profiles are created, the brands can exist as â€Å"people† on the sites. Friends can interact with the brands, share information, photos, and videos, and participate in two-way communication. The brand as person enhances the ability of a brand to use conversation marketing. Building a brand persona strengthens brand personality, differentiates brands from competitors, and sets the stage for a perceived relationship. Assuming the brands persona is likable and credible, it can facilitate message internalisation (the process by which a consumer adopts a brand belief as his or her own). (Tuten, 2008) Why would a person â€Å"friend† a brand? There are lots of incentives for friending brands, as explained in the Never Ending Friending report. These include incentive-driven motives like getting invitations to upcoming events, receiving information on sales and special offers and relationship-oriented motives such as a desire to support the company because it offers high quality products, to associate with the brand and its image, and to respond to a friends recommendation about the brand. The value proposition is already in place. (Clifton, 2009) Ultimately, branding on social networking sites promotes brand awareness, brand recall, and, if done well, builds on brand loyalty and brand equity. Social networks offers opportunities for brand promotion and engagement for those brands that learn to leverage the unique attributes of network in question. (Clifton, 2009) However, social networking is not without its flaws. Advertising, even when developed and distributed in superlative online venues, still suffers from the limitations facing all forms of advertising. Clutter is a tremendous distraction for people as they are faced with advertising in and on every imaginable media. Online readers are bombarded with sometimes numerous ads on a single page. With the many display ads, profile components, and widgets visible on social network pages, clutter is an issue. There is also limited inventory for advertising space on the sites. (Tuten, 2008) Social networks offer the greatest benefits to brands when the brands play to a networks culture, developing brand personas and engaging friends in dialogue. However, the workhorse of social network advertising is still the display ad. Unfortunately, display ads are not nearly as effective on social networking sites as they are on other types of websites. Clickthrough rates are much lower. (Clifton, 2009) Marketing in Post Modernism world Postmodernism invites a unique perspective of how to manage marketing and how to understand the consumer. Postmodernism says that social experiences are an interplay of myths which produce regimes of truth and that much of what we understand or believe about the individual, self, freedom, structure and so on is arbitrary and short-lived, fleeting rather than essential and fixed. We need to change our views as the customer changes. â€Å"The main conditions of postmodernism marketing are hyper-reality, fragmentation, reversals of production and consumption, decentring of the subject, paradoxical juxtapositions (of opposites) and loss of commitment.† (Kotler, 2009, p. 27) Ø Hyper-reality: Exemplified by the virtual words of cyberspace and the pseudo worlds of theme parks, hotels and heritage centres, hyper-reality involves the creation of consumption sites and marketing phenomena that ‘more real then real. Here the distinction between reality and fantasy is momentarily blurred. (Kienscherf, 2004) Ø Fragmentation: Marketing in postmodernity is unfailingly fast, furious, frenetic, frenzied, fleeting and hyperactive. (Kotler, 2009) Ø Reversals of production and consumption: Postmodern consumers are active in the production of meaning, of marketing, of consumption. They do rather than have ‘done to them. (Kotler, 2009) Ø Decentring of the subject: Centeredness is where individuals are defined by their occupation, social class, demographics, postcode, and personalities and so on. Postmodernism suggests that this is not so, and that the harder marketers try to pin down the decentred consuming subject the less successful they will be. Ø Paradoxical juxtapositions (of opposites): We have examples of the mixing and matching of opposites and the combination of contradictory styles in the world famous Irish dance show Riverdance or Lord of Rings. (Kienscherf, 2004) Ø Loss of commitment: Growing disillusionment with the delivery of promises and the willingness to try different experiences has resulted in a loss of commitment. The postmodern consumer takes on multiple, sometimes even contradictory projects, to which he/she is marginally and momentarily committed. This is observed in all walks of life: in relationships, in professions, and consumption. Marketing managers experience this when consumer loyalties to brands change. (Kotler, 2009) Customer Perception and satisfaction Customers perceptions of the quality of a service and their overall satisfaction have some observation indicators. Customers may smile when they talk about the product or service. They may say good things about the product or service. Both actions are manifestations or indicators of an underlying construct we might call customer satisfaction. The term customer satisfaction and perception of quality are labels we use to summarise a set of observable actions related to the product or service. (Hayes, 2008) The largest contributor to customer satisfaction, however, is something an organisation cant fully control; the customers perceptions. Whether theyre based in fantasy, fiction, or some other state of unreality, perceptions have the weight of fact. In the business of pleasing customers, perceptions are fact. Perceptions are also wildly inconsistent. Two different customers can consume the exact same product and have radically different perceptions about its quality. The differences may result from expectations each customer brought to the transaction, or they may simply result from varying powers of perception. Moreover, even one customer with consistent expectations might have varying perceptions about a products quality, depending on his or her mood, or stress level, the time of day, the alignment of the planets whatever. Its tempting to conclude that customer satisfaction is whatever the customer happens to think it is at any point in time. (Hayes, 2008) Customer Psychology and behaviour Apruebo (2005) defined consumer Psychology as the study that deals with the activities directly involved in selecting, obtaining, and using products, services and ideas to satisfy needs and desires, including decision process that precede and follow these actions. It is an applied branch of psychology on consumer behaviour. Consumer behaviour is the study of buying units and the exchange processes involved in acquiring, consuming, and disposing of goods, services, experiences and ideas. First and foremost, emerging definition refers to the concept â€Å"an exchange process,† as a fundamental element of consumer behaviour. A consumer is inevitably at one end of an exchange process in which resources are transferred between two parties. (Solomon, 2009) Consumer behaviour is an interesting field of study. Its nature is dynamic and an interactive process. All of us are consumers because our tendency or impulse can direct us to market our everyday purchase decisions in the marketplace or any shopping place. Summary The review also identifies the impact of social network marketing on businesses along with its advantages and the disadvantages. The literature review gives a greater understanding on the chosen topic set out in the aims and objectives, by the comparative study by different authors, and by highlighting areas of research that have not been fully explored. The information found enabled the researcher to come across different theories and ideas that need to be considered so as to proceed further into the research. The limitation that was faced while doing the literature review were that it was sometimes quite difficult to find the information on certain areas of subject as topic being very contemporary and not many books or journals being published on this topic. The upcoming section will be examining methodology, where the usage of different types of research will be discussed in order to gain appropriate and thorough information. Chapter four: Methodology Introduction to methodology The research methodology defines what the activity of research is, how to proceed, how to measure progress, and what constitutes success. It provides advancement of wealth of human knowledge, tools of the trade to carry out research, tools to look at things in life objectively; develops a critical and scientific attitude, disciplined thinking to observe objectively; skills of research particularly in the ‘age of information. According to Fisher (2007) methodology is the study of a whole academic field. It is a stepping-back from a subject and a consideration of it at a broader and deeper level. The research methodology is a science that studying how research is done scientifically. It is the way to systematically solve the research problem by logically adopting various steps. Also it defines the way in which the data are collected in a research project. Several different methods are commonly used in research project and it would vary according to the nature of the aim and objective, scope of the topic and thesis and the sources of data which are used. (Jankowicz, 2005) Triangulation Triangulation is the use of multiple methods; usually quantitative and qualitative research, in the study of the study of the same research problem. Triangulation is a complex methodology that usually requires a term of qualitative and quantitative researchers to maintain the integrity of both methodologies. The philosophical basis and assumptions for both quantitative and qualitative research must be maintained when these methodologies are combined, if the findings are to be meaningful. (Grove, 2005) Objective one: Analyse the impact of social network marketing on other businesses. Marketing managers from two organisations will be interviewed in order to justify the first objective which helped him to have a thorough knowledge of the impact of social network marketing on the businesses. They are very short personal interviews which will mainly offer realistic data which is much appropriate to obtain a detailed vision into the first objective, with the hopefulness of achieving first-hand knowledge or primary data. The questions which are designed will be same to all the marketing managers. The researcher was encouraged by the words of Fisher (2007) that the idea of an interview is straightforward, the interviewer engages in informal conversation with the respondent about a particular area of interest. The interviewer may steer the conversation a little, by picking up on the cues and themes raised by the respondent, but generally the respondent leads the direction of the interview. More comprehensive information can be obtained during an interview, however the co re strength of an interview cannot always be accurate as some interviewees may feel forced into providing better responses, but actually contributing prejudiced data. Some online articles, books and case studies will also be referred to elaborate the impacts of social networking marketing on the businesses. Objective two: Analyse the advantages and the disadvantages of the social network marketing in a business context. The mix of personal and the email interview will the method which will be relevant for second objective and will justify the same. It will be made sure that the format of the questions is simple, easy to understand, concised and precise so that the respondents are able to understand each one of it. There would be around 8 questionnaires in the interview with the mixture of closed and open questionnaire. The difference between closed and open questionnaire is simple. The closed ones have lots of tick boxes for respondents to fill in, whereas open questionnaires allow a free response so that people answer using their own words. (Long, 2007) The second objective which will analyse the advantages and disadvantages of the social network marketing, mix of secondary resources like books, internet, journals, case studies etc. may be helpful to the research and to get some elaborated information because some people may feel shy sharing the information during face-to-face interview and questionnaires and therefore giving a good backup to the objective. Objective three: Analyse the effectiveness of social network marketing. The third objective is to analyse the effectiveness of social network marketing so in order to obtain exceptional outcomes the researcher thinks that it is reasonable to procedure explanatory research, making a precise blend of interviews, statistical data and facts, books and various other methods. The researcher thinks that the information or data relevant to objective three is very limited and hence using a blend of interview, statistics, books etc. is very simple in the growth of knowledge to gain a better understanding. Fisher (2007) thinks that observation is relatively underused method in research hence it will be sensible thing to use this method as it provides good examples and information to illustrate the objective. Observation can be used as a technique to gather quantitative data, and quantitative data may be combined into a participant observation study as it is most commonly associated with qualitative research derived from an ethnographic tradition of studying different peoples way of life (Long, 2007). The researcher would be observing his workplace (Cumin Restaurant) to justify third objective as Facebook community page was made by the researcher so as to observe the effectiveness of the social network marketing. Summary This report has examined some insight into the theoretical outline that constructs the essentials of the methodology. It demonstrates and explains the choice and use of various research methods that are appropriate to the aims and objective of the research project chosen. It is a sound justification of chosen methods, including evidence of secondary data supporting the choice of methods. Alternative methods have been demonstrated confirming malfunction is not a possibility because of external restrictions and limitations. Some objectives are justified by a single method but there are some objectives which required more than one method to justify it. Chapter five: Findings Introduction to aim and objectives This is the largest and probably the most important part this research. This chapter gives an opportunity to discuss the research findings, based on the methods used that were already been discussed in the methodology. These findings are derived from the analyses of statistical data and interviews used for research collection and the measurement of data. Important points of this chapter are linked back to principle ideas in the Literature Review with the evidence obtained in the research. Aim To analyse how social network marketing can help in the effective marketing of a business. Objectives Following are the objectives of the report: Analyse the impact of social network marketing on other businesses. Analyse the advantages and the disadvantages of the social network marketing in a business context. Analyse the effectiveness of social network marketing. Findings from Personal Interview Mr. Sandeep Anand Owner, Manager, The Cumin Restaurant, Nottingham 1. Do you or your business have a profile on any social network? Which? Sandeep: Yes I had a personal profile on Facebook previously but as I came to know that now businesses can make their community page on it as well, I made my business profile. 2. How often do you update your profile? Sandeep:My web designer generally updates my business page which is usually updated once a week. 3. Did it make any difference to your business? Sandeep: Not really at the moment, because the profile is quite new, not many people know that we are in Facebook but I hope as the time passes we will get some customer through it. In my knowledge I have got three costumers giving reference from Facebook. 4. Did anybody recommend you to have a profile on social network? Sandeep: Yes, my web designer recommended me to have one, which I thought is a good idea. 5. If no, then what made you join? 6. Have you identified any business advantage of using Facebook over traditional media? Sandeep:The biggest advantage of using Facebook is there are good choices which you can make according to your budget and if you are not interested to spend any money just make a profile page and dont publish it. But you have to put extra effort to make it more effective. 7. What are the drawbacks of social networks to the business? Sandeep:I have seen some business which has got negative comments which can be viewed by all viewers which is not good for the business. So I think privacy and security is the biggest drawback. 8. Would you recommend anyone to have a business profile on social networks? Why? Sandeep: Yes definitely, because it gives you an edge over other businesses with very little cost and is more effective than the traditional forms of advertising if used effectively. I will highly recommend to the small and medium businesses which are coming into this sector as a fresher with a minimal budget. Findings from Email Interview Ms. Srijana Gurung Restaurant Supervisor (Chino Latino)/Duty Manager, Park Plaza, Nottingham A same set of questions was sent to Ms. Srijana Gurung who is a Restaurant Supervisor and a duty manager in Park Plaza Hotel in Nottingham. Answer 1: Yes I have a personal profile and a profile for my hotels restaurant Chino Latino. My hotel gave me liberty to make a profile page for their restaurant as it is good for their hotels business and for their restaurant as well. Answer 2: I go on to the profile daily just to have a look and to make necessary updates for eg. I introduced a new staff uniform for my restaurants staff, so I have put the pictures of it. Answer 3: Fan following and liking has gained good publicity of our restaurant but we havent measured any difference but I hope it goes well in the future. Answer 4: No, nobody recommended me. Answer 5: It is one of the most upcoming trends of having a profile on the Facebook and in this post recessionary period many businesses have made their pages on Facebook and results are very positive. So I thought of having one for my restaurant. Answer 6: Yes, I am sure there are many advantages of social network marketing over traditional media. They are very cheap, cost efficient, easy to manage and operate and the bst one is they are very contemporary. Answer 7: They take time to show results. There is very less privacy. Anybody can have their profile page on these social networks and even fake profiles can be made and some of these fake profile. Answer 8: Yes absolutely, they are here for us to use and to use efficiently and as they are very cheap they are very affordable but has to be managed properly and updated regularly. But do maintain the businesss privacy level so as to protect from spam and fraud. Statistical Data (Econsultancy, 2010) * Facebookclaimsthat 50% of active users log into the site each day. This would meanat least 175 million users every 24 hours†¦ A considerable increase from the previous 120 million. * Twitternow has75 million user accounts. * LinkedInhas over50 million members worldwide.This means an increase of around 1million members each month since July/August last year. * Facebook currently has in excess of350 million active users on global basis.Six months ago, this was 250 million†¦ meaning around a 40% increase of users in less than half a year. * More than 35 million Facebook users update their status each day. * Wikipediacurrentlyhas in excess of14 million articles, meaning that its 85,000 contributors have written nearly a million new posts in six months. * Photo uploads to Facebook haveincreased by more than 100%.Currently, there are around2.5 billionuploads to the site each month this was around a billion last time I covered this. * There are more than70 translations availableon Facebook. Last time around, this was only 50. * Back in 2009, the average user had 120 friends within Facebook. This is now around 130. * Mobile is even bigger than before for Facebook, withmore than65 million users accessing the site through mobile-based devices.In six months, this is over 100% increase. (Previously Benefits of Social Network Marketing for the Business Benefits of Social Network Marketing for the Business Chapter One Introduction For some marketing managers, the twenty-first century may appear a very strange place indeed. Much of that strangeness comes from the ‘electronification of traditional marketing practices. OConnor et al (2004) said that direct and database marketing might be fairly well understood, but what about the concepts such as social network marketing. This is one of the latest tools available to todays marketing managers. The most popular social network marketing tools are Facebook, Twitter, My Space, LinkedIn, etc., but there are some other different social network marketing methods like blogs, e-mail marketing, video promotion on YouTube and many more. In truth, the migration from traditional marketing to internet marketing is part of a process that has taken place over the past decade. But what is Social network marketing and how it is different from ordinary marketing, advantages and disadvantages of social networking, its impact on other businesses has been researched in this disse rtation. Aim To analyse how social network marketing can help in the effective marketing of a business Objectives Analyse the impact of social network marketing on other businesses. Analyse the advantages and the disadvantages of the social network marketing in a business context. Analyse the effectiveness of social network marketing. Chapter two Research Background The Cumin Restaurant The Anand family have a long and successful history of catering, originating from their home in Nairobi, Kenya. They came to the UK in 1975 and have been in the catering business ever since. Their first restaurant in the UK was The Brilliant, followed by Madhus, both in Middlesex. These were followed by Curry Craze in Wembley, Curry Special in Ilford and Curry Fever in Leicester, all of which are still very successful today. The restaurant capacity is 74 cover over two floors 20 on the ground floor and 54 on the first floor. Being in the city centre, they are also an ideal place to hold business meetings or lunches. (The Cumin Restaurant online, 2011) Chino Latino, Park Plaza Their central Nottingham hotel features Chino Latino, the multi award-winning, on-site restaurant.Chino Latino serves fresh, gourmet Pan-Asian cuisine and Latin-inspired cocktails in a relaxed, modern atmosphere. One of the top Nottingham restaurants, Chino Latino offers a fantastic choice of a la carte, set, tasting and bento box menus. The bar offers an array of exciting cocktails, bottled beers and bar platters in a distinctively Latin atmosphere. Chapter three: Literature Review Introduction A literature review is a survey and discussion of the literature in a given area of study. It is a concise overview of what has been studied, argued, and established about a topic, and it is usually organised chronologically or thematically. A literature review is written in essay format. It is not a commented bibliography, because it groups related works together and discusses trends and developments rather than focusing on one item at a time. It is not a summary; rather, it evaluates previous and current research in regard to how relevant and/or useful it is and how it relates to your own research. (University of Toronto Online, 02.12.2009) Ridley (2009) described literature review as the part of the thesis where there is extensive reference to related research and theory; it is where connections are made between the source texts and the research among these sources. It also refers to the process involved in creating the review that appears in the thesis. The changing media environment The mainstream print and broadcast media have faced major challenges in recent years, with many newspaper titles facing closure and television channels facing shortfalls in revenue. An important reason for this has been migration of significant amount of advertising budgets to online channels. Research by Forrester Jennings (2007) has indicated that audiences and attention is shifting to online channels as 52 per cent of Europeans are regularly online at home. Around 36 per cent of European internet users watch less TV, 28 per cent have reduced their newspaper and magazine reading and 17 per cent have decreased listening to the radios since going online. This shift away from conventional media has been further exacerbated by the recession from 2008 which led many advertisers to cut their budgets, resulting in print and broadcast media receiving a diminishing share of the declining total budget (Jennings, 2007). Online advertising has been the beneficiary of recent changes in the allo cation of advertising budgets, but this general shift hides a number of different formats for communicating with target audience, ranging from mass appeal banner ads placed on frequently visited websites, through to personalised e-mail campaigns in which the message can be uniquely tailored to the requirements of individual target buyers. Social media can be characterised as â€Å"online applications, platforms and media which aim to facilitate interactions, collaborations and the sharing of content† (Universal Maccann International, 2008, p.10). the importance of social network media lies in the interaction between consumers and the community, and in the facilitation of asynchronous, immediate, interactive, low-cost communication† (Miller et al, 2009, p. 306). Social network sites allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system; to articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and to â€Å"view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system† (Boyd and Ellison, 2007, p. 211). On larger social network sites a connection, individuals are typically not looking to meet new people but are more interested in managing relationships by maintaining contacts with old friends who are already part of the extended so cial network (Boyd and Ellison, 2007; Hart et al, 2008). To sum up, social network sites can be seen as alternative communication tools which support existing relationships and activities in a fun and colourful way that can enrich the users experience (Ofcom, 2008). Many social network websites have emerged; attracting distinctive groups on users in terms of their demographics, for example the average age of users of Bebo is lower than for Facebook. Many appeal to communities with specific shared interests. In addition to consumers-oriented social network sites, many professional and trade associations have set up networks to exchange information of particular interest to member, for example the social networking site â€Å"LinkedIn† is particularly aimed at professionals. There is now lot of evidence that social network sites have become mainstream and it has been reported that globally, these sites account for one in every 11 minutes spent online. In the UK, this figure is even higher one in every six minutes (Neilson Company, 2009). Over half (54 per cent) of internet users between 16 and 24 have set up their own page or profile on a social networking site (Ofcom, 2008). The take up of online social media has been at the expense of traditional media, and a study by Ofcom of the media habits of UK 15-24 year olds shows that since using such media for the first time, the amount of time spent reading national newspapers declined by 27 per cent; reading local newspaper by 22 per cent; reading magazines by 21 per cent; listening radio by 15 per cent and watching TV by 13 per cent (Ofcom, 2006). Online social media offers opportunities to connect these hard-to-reach audiences drifting away from traditional media. Social Network Marketing Marketers need to be where their customers and potential customers are, and increasingly this is on social networking sites. Most of their marketers have started using social networks to market their businesses and to gain financial freedom. It also markets and then offers the product or service to the relevant audience and provides significant benefits using the dialogues and personal connections and to gain a wider audience for the product, but according to Scott (2007, p.229), ‘marketing on these sites can be tricky because the online community at social networking sites hates open commercial messages. There are abundant amount of active users across sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Hi5; 2.6 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (Shih 2009). Social networking has become a rapidly growing global phenomenon spreading across the world. According to Chaffey and Smith (2008) well-run communities on the social networks strengthen relationships, trust and loyalty, as well as maintaining brand awareness in the minds of the community members. Communities also allow a unique opportunity to stay close to customers, their concerns, their worries and their desires. Despite these benefits, building an active community can be time consuming and difficult though cheap. Careful moderation and seeding of topics from a subject expert may be required. An alternative approach is to link up to an established community that has greater independence. Either way social networks are the part of the dynamic dialogue and dynamic opportunities that todays marketer enjoy. Social network networking has many advantages which makes it an interesting and a useful marketing tool for any business. This tool is cheap compared to other methods of advertising, when it comes to costing to reach the target audience. Another advantage is that it is easy to record and review any marketing campaign which makes it easier to analyse the changes that need to be made in service or products. But when we look at the negative side of it, social network marketing has got some disadvantages as well. According to Shih (2009), the biggest drawback of social network marketing is that the business could be the main targets for the detractors and their criticism which would make people who are interested in the business turn off by reading the negative comments. Some of the common disadvantages of social networks are security and safety of the business, violation of copyrights, vulnerable to thefts and scams. (Sethi and Adhikari, 2010) In general, the problem with the social networks is they need frequent updating and it is time consuming as well. Branding on Social Networks Social networking sites offer brands many opportunities for engagement. When brand profiles are created, the brands can exist as â€Å"people† on the sites. Friends can interact with the brands, share information, photos, and videos, and participate in two-way communication. The brand as person enhances the ability of a brand to use conversation marketing. Building a brand persona strengthens brand personality, differentiates brands from competitors, and sets the stage for a perceived relationship. Assuming the brands persona is likable and credible, it can facilitate message internalisation (the process by which a consumer adopts a brand belief as his or her own). (Tuten, 2008) Why would a person â€Å"friend† a brand? There are lots of incentives for friending brands, as explained in the Never Ending Friending report. These include incentive-driven motives like getting invitations to upcoming events, receiving information on sales and special offers and relationship-oriented motives such as a desire to support the company because it offers high quality products, to associate with the brand and its image, and to respond to a friends recommendation about the brand. The value proposition is already in place. (Clifton, 2009) Ultimately, branding on social networking sites promotes brand awareness, brand recall, and, if done well, builds on brand loyalty and brand equity. Social networks offers opportunities for brand promotion and engagement for those brands that learn to leverage the unique attributes of network in question. (Clifton, 2009) However, social networking is not without its flaws. Advertising, even when developed and distributed in superlative online venues, still suffers from the limitations facing all forms of advertising. Clutter is a tremendous distraction for people as they are faced with advertising in and on every imaginable media. Online readers are bombarded with sometimes numerous ads on a single page. With the many display ads, profile components, and widgets visible on social network pages, clutter is an issue. There is also limited inventory for advertising space on the sites. (Tuten, 2008) Social networks offer the greatest benefits to brands when the brands play to a networks culture, developing brand personas and engaging friends in dialogue. However, the workhorse of social network advertising is still the display ad. Unfortunately, display ads are not nearly as effective on social networking sites as they are on other types of websites. Clickthrough rates are much lower. (Clifton, 2009) Marketing in Post Modernism world Postmodernism invites a unique perspective of how to manage marketing and how to understand the consumer. Postmodernism says that social experiences are an interplay of myths which produce regimes of truth and that much of what we understand or believe about the individual, self, freedom, structure and so on is arbitrary and short-lived, fleeting rather than essential and fixed. We need to change our views as the customer changes. â€Å"The main conditions of postmodernism marketing are hyper-reality, fragmentation, reversals of production and consumption, decentring of the subject, paradoxical juxtapositions (of opposites) and loss of commitment.† (Kotler, 2009, p. 27) Ø Hyper-reality: Exemplified by the virtual words of cyberspace and the pseudo worlds of theme parks, hotels and heritage centres, hyper-reality involves the creation of consumption sites and marketing phenomena that ‘more real then real. Here the distinction between reality and fantasy is momentarily blurred. (Kienscherf, 2004) Ø Fragmentation: Marketing in postmodernity is unfailingly fast, furious, frenetic, frenzied, fleeting and hyperactive. (Kotler, 2009) Ø Reversals of production and consumption: Postmodern consumers are active in the production of meaning, of marketing, of consumption. They do rather than have ‘done to them. (Kotler, 2009) Ø Decentring of the subject: Centeredness is where individuals are defined by their occupation, social class, demographics, postcode, and personalities and so on. Postmodernism suggests that this is not so, and that the harder marketers try to pin down the decentred consuming subject the less successful they will be. Ø Paradoxical juxtapositions (of opposites): We have examples of the mixing and matching of opposites and the combination of contradictory styles in the world famous Irish dance show Riverdance or Lord of Rings. (Kienscherf, 2004) Ø Loss of commitment: Growing disillusionment with the delivery of promises and the willingness to try different experiences has resulted in a loss of commitment. The postmodern consumer takes on multiple, sometimes even contradictory projects, to which he/she is marginally and momentarily committed. This is observed in all walks of life: in relationships, in professions, and consumption. Marketing managers experience this when consumer loyalties to brands change. (Kotler, 2009) Customer Perception and satisfaction Customers perceptions of the quality of a service and their overall satisfaction have some observation indicators. Customers may smile when they talk about the product or service. They may say good things about the product or service. Both actions are manifestations or indicators of an underlying construct we might call customer satisfaction. The term customer satisfaction and perception of quality are labels we use to summarise a set of observable actions related to the product or service. (Hayes, 2008) The largest contributor to customer satisfaction, however, is something an organisation cant fully control; the customers perceptions. Whether theyre based in fantasy, fiction, or some other state of unreality, perceptions have the weight of fact. In the business of pleasing customers, perceptions are fact. Perceptions are also wildly inconsistent. Two different customers can consume the exact same product and have radically different perceptions about its quality. The differences may result from expectations each customer brought to the transaction, or they may simply result from varying powers of perception. Moreover, even one customer with consistent expectations might have varying perceptions about a products quality, depending on his or her mood, or stress level, the time of day, the alignment of the planets whatever. Its tempting to conclude that customer satisfaction is whatever the customer happens to think it is at any point in time. (Hayes, 2008) Customer Psychology and behaviour Apruebo (2005) defined consumer Psychology as the study that deals with the activities directly involved in selecting, obtaining, and using products, services and ideas to satisfy needs and desires, including decision process that precede and follow these actions. It is an applied branch of psychology on consumer behaviour. Consumer behaviour is the study of buying units and the exchange processes involved in acquiring, consuming, and disposing of goods, services, experiences and ideas. First and foremost, emerging definition refers to the concept â€Å"an exchange process,† as a fundamental element of consumer behaviour. A consumer is inevitably at one end of an exchange process in which resources are transferred between two parties. (Solomon, 2009) Consumer behaviour is an interesting field of study. Its nature is dynamic and an interactive process. All of us are consumers because our tendency or impulse can direct us to market our everyday purchase decisions in the marketplace or any shopping place. Summary The review also identifies the impact of social network marketing on businesses along with its advantages and the disadvantages. The literature review gives a greater understanding on the chosen topic set out in the aims and objectives, by the comparative study by different authors, and by highlighting areas of research that have not been fully explored. The information found enabled the researcher to come across different theories and ideas that need to be considered so as to proceed further into the research. The limitation that was faced while doing the literature review were that it was sometimes quite difficult to find the information on certain areas of subject as topic being very contemporary and not many books or journals being published on this topic. The upcoming section will be examining methodology, where the usage of different types of research will be discussed in order to gain appropriate and thorough information. Chapter four: Methodology Introduction to methodology The research methodology defines what the activity of research is, how to proceed, how to measure progress, and what constitutes success. It provides advancement of wealth of human knowledge, tools of the trade to carry out research, tools to look at things in life objectively; develops a critical and scientific attitude, disciplined thinking to observe objectively; skills of research particularly in the ‘age of information. According to Fisher (2007) methodology is the study of a whole academic field. It is a stepping-back from a subject and a consideration of it at a broader and deeper level. The research methodology is a science that studying how research is done scientifically. It is the way to systematically solve the research problem by logically adopting various steps. Also it defines the way in which the data are collected in a research project. Several different methods are commonly used in research project and it would vary according to the nature of the aim and objective, scope of the topic and thesis and the sources of data which are used. (Jankowicz, 2005) Triangulation Triangulation is the use of multiple methods; usually quantitative and qualitative research, in the study of the study of the same research problem. Triangulation is a complex methodology that usually requires a term of qualitative and quantitative researchers to maintain the integrity of both methodologies. The philosophical basis and assumptions for both quantitative and qualitative research must be maintained when these methodologies are combined, if the findings are to be meaningful. (Grove, 2005) Objective one: Analyse the impact of social network marketing on other businesses. Marketing managers from two organisations will be interviewed in order to justify the first objective which helped him to have a thorough knowledge of the impact of social network marketing on the businesses. They are very short personal interviews which will mainly offer realistic data which is much appropriate to obtain a detailed vision into the first objective, with the hopefulness of achieving first-hand knowledge or primary data. The questions which are designed will be same to all the marketing managers. The researcher was encouraged by the words of Fisher (2007) that the idea of an interview is straightforward, the interviewer engages in informal conversation with the respondent about a particular area of interest. The interviewer may steer the conversation a little, by picking up on the cues and themes raised by the respondent, but generally the respondent leads the direction of the interview. More comprehensive information can be obtained during an interview, however the co re strength of an interview cannot always be accurate as some interviewees may feel forced into providing better responses, but actually contributing prejudiced data. Some online articles, books and case studies will also be referred to elaborate the impacts of social networking marketing on the businesses. Objective two: Analyse the advantages and the disadvantages of the social network marketing in a business context. The mix of personal and the email interview will the method which will be relevant for second objective and will justify the same. It will be made sure that the format of the questions is simple, easy to understand, concised and precise so that the respondents are able to understand each one of it. There would be around 8 questionnaires in the interview with the mixture of closed and open questionnaire. The difference between closed and open questionnaire is simple. The closed ones have lots of tick boxes for respondents to fill in, whereas open questionnaires allow a free response so that people answer using their own words. (Long, 2007) The second objective which will analyse the advantages and disadvantages of the social network marketing, mix of secondary resources like books, internet, journals, case studies etc. may be helpful to the research and to get some elaborated information because some people may feel shy sharing the information during face-to-face interview and questionnaires and therefore giving a good backup to the objective. Objective three: Analyse the effectiveness of social network marketing. The third objective is to analyse the effectiveness of social network marketing so in order to obtain exceptional outcomes the researcher thinks that it is reasonable to procedure explanatory research, making a precise blend of interviews, statistical data and facts, books and various other methods. The researcher thinks that the information or data relevant to objective three is very limited and hence using a blend of interview, statistics, books etc. is very simple in the growth of knowledge to gain a better understanding. Fisher (2007) thinks that observation is relatively underused method in research hence it will be sensible thing to use this method as it provides good examples and information to illustrate the objective. Observation can be used as a technique to gather quantitative data, and quantitative data may be combined into a participant observation study as it is most commonly associated with qualitative research derived from an ethnographic tradition of studying different peoples way of life (Long, 2007). The researcher would be observing his workplace (Cumin Restaurant) to justify third objective as Facebook community page was made by the researcher so as to observe the effectiveness of the social network marketing. Summary This report has examined some insight into the theoretical outline that constructs the essentials of the methodology. It demonstrates and explains the choice and use of various research methods that are appropriate to the aims and objective of the research project chosen. It is a sound justification of chosen methods, including evidence of secondary data supporting the choice of methods. Alternative methods have been demonstrated confirming malfunction is not a possibility because of external restrictions and limitations. Some objectives are justified by a single method but there are some objectives which required more than one method to justify it. Chapter five: Findings Introduction to aim and objectives This is the largest and probably the most important part this research. This chapter gives an opportunity to discuss the research findings, based on the methods used that were already been discussed in the methodology. These findings are derived from the analyses of statistical data and interviews used for research collection and the measurement of data. Important points of this chapter are linked back to principle ideas in the Literature Review with the evidence obtained in the research. Aim To analyse how social network marketing can help in the effective marketing of a business. Objectives Following are the objectives of the report: Analyse the impact of social network marketing on other businesses. Analyse the advantages and the disadvantages of the social network marketing in a business context. Analyse the effectiveness of social network marketing. Findings from Personal Interview Mr. Sandeep Anand Owner, Manager, The Cumin Restaurant, Nottingham 1. Do you or your business have a profile on any social network? Which? Sandeep: Yes I had a personal profile on Facebook previously but as I came to know that now businesses can make their community page on it as well, I made my business profile. 2. How often do you update your profile? Sandeep:My web designer generally updates my business page which is usually updated once a week. 3. Did it make any difference to your business? Sandeep: Not really at the moment, because the profile is quite new, not many people know that we are in Facebook but I hope as the time passes we will get some customer through it. In my knowledge I have got three costumers giving reference from Facebook. 4. Did anybody recommend you to have a profile on social network? Sandeep: Yes, my web designer recommended me to have one, which I thought is a good idea. 5. If no, then what made you join? 6. Have you identified any business advantage of using Facebook over traditional media? Sandeep:The biggest advantage of using Facebook is there are good choices which you can make according to your budget and if you are not interested to spend any money just make a profile page and dont publish it. But you have to put extra effort to make it more effective. 7. What are the drawbacks of social networks to the business? Sandeep:I have seen some business which has got negative comments which can be viewed by all viewers which is not good for the business. So I think privacy and security is the biggest drawback. 8. Would you recommend anyone to have a business profile on social networks? Why? Sandeep: Yes definitely, because it gives you an edge over other businesses with very little cost and is more effective than the traditional forms of advertising if used effectively. I will highly recommend to the small and medium businesses which are coming into this sector as a fresher with a minimal budget. Findings from Email Interview Ms. Srijana Gurung Restaurant Supervisor (Chino Latino)/Duty Manager, Park Plaza, Nottingham A same set of questions was sent to Ms. Srijana Gurung who is a Restaurant Supervisor and a duty manager in Park Plaza Hotel in Nottingham. Answer 1: Yes I have a personal profile and a profile for my hotels restaurant Chino Latino. My hotel gave me liberty to make a profile page for their restaurant as it is good for their hotels business and for their restaurant as well. Answer 2: I go on to the profile daily just to have a look and to make necessary updates for eg. I introduced a new staff uniform for my restaurants staff, so I have put the pictures of it. Answer 3: Fan following and liking has gained good publicity of our restaurant but we havent measured any difference but I hope it goes well in the future. Answer 4: No, nobody recommended me. Answer 5: It is one of the most upcoming trends of having a profile on the Facebook and in this post recessionary period many businesses have made their pages on Facebook and results are very positive. So I thought of having one for my restaurant. Answer 6: Yes, I am sure there are many advantages of social network marketing over traditional media. They are very cheap, cost efficient, easy to manage and operate and the bst one is they are very contemporary. Answer 7: They take time to show results. There is very less privacy. Anybody can have their profile page on these social networks and even fake profiles can be made and some of these fake profile. Answer 8: Yes absolutely, they are here for us to use and to use efficiently and as they are very cheap they are very affordable but has to be managed properly and updated regularly. But do maintain the businesss privacy level so as to protect from spam and fraud. Statistical Data (Econsultancy, 2010) * Facebookclaimsthat 50% of active users log into the site each day. This would meanat least 175 million users every 24 hours†¦ A considerable increase from the previous 120 million. * Twitternow has75 million user accounts. * LinkedInhas over50 million members worldwide.This means an increase of around 1million members each month since July/August last year. * Facebook currently has in excess of350 million active users on global basis.Six months ago, this was 250 million†¦ meaning around a 40% increase of users in less than half a year. * More than 35 million Facebook users update their status each day. * Wikipediacurrentlyhas in excess of14 million articles, meaning that its 85,000 contributors have written nearly a million new posts in six months. * Photo uploads to Facebook haveincreased by more than 100%.Currently, there are around2.5 billionuploads to the site each month this was around a billion last time I covered this. * There are more than70 translations availableon Facebook. Last time around, this was only 50. * Back in 2009, the average user had 120 friends within Facebook. This is now around 130. * Mobile is even bigger than before for Facebook, withmore than65 million users accessing the site through mobile-based devices.In six months, this is over 100% increase. (Previously