Response essay to case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Response to case study - Essay Example When children face sexual or physical abuse at a tender age, it is nevertheless surprising that they may show violent behaviors to their peers (John, 2011). This expository essay seeks to describe, explain and explore a scenario in a society setting where violence is witnessed though a young girl named Ebony. It further compares and discusses problems revolving around the school in question and effects arising. In this case study, Ebony a 14 year old girl is depicted as a morally upright girl who appears innocent and free of blame. This tells much about her back ground and upbringing. From a teacher’s perspective, it is obvious from the case that Ebony hails from background that values morals. She has showed exemplary performance in school which is an indication of high level of discipline. In fact, at her age, it would be difficult to maintain such good performance given that this is a highly precarious moment when most teens are out to discover the world which in turn affects their performance. On the same note, her stature speaks much about herself. She is tall above average for her age and this places her as more mature compared to her peers (Ness, 2010). In fact, it is evident from the case that Ebony is less social and shy. In this respect, it may have been possible that her peers had great expectations from her in the social world. This implies that she might have turned down their offer from time to time. It is possible that, due to her outstanding traits that are different from her average peers, she may have felt totally incompatible with them. In addition, she stands out as ingenious which implies that she has out grown her actual age mentally and she has started to have self discovery making her identify her purpose in life and work towards achieving her goals in life. This is why she is seen as totally different in comparison to her

Functionalist Views Essay Example for Free

Functionalist Views Essay Functionalism is a predominant perspective.The functionalists see education as a miniature society, where the individual develops a sense of commitment to the social group; it is a place to learn rules where the individual learns to conform to societies cultural norms and values. The functionalist perspectives of Emile Durkheim are, he believed that the major function of education was the transmission of societies norms and values. This would allow an advanced division of labour, which contributes to the economy. He believed in the process known as socialisation, where cultural norms condition an individual, allowing entry to modern society. The economy greatly relies on educational conditioning, and it is essential that educational achievement is well balanced in the meritoractic society, for role allocation to occur. The individual must be suitably-fitted for his or her post. From a functionalist perspective schools sieve individuals in accordance to their ability for example by tiered examinations. This process in which educational failure is seen positively, aids role allocation. Parsons backed Durkheim s theory. He believed that education fulfils the function of secondary socialisation, thus allowing role allocation to occur. He firmly believed that role allocation was necessary for the functioning of society and the economy. His perspectives encouraged meritocracy, where the individual is rewarded on the basis of merit or ability and not thier background. There are various conflict theories, which give different views regarding the role of education. For example the Marxist perspectives of education argue that the education system imposes values of a higher class origin. In addition, achievement is based merely on social background and therefore makes failure inevitable. They belive that the education system serves capitalism and say that functionalists only look at the positives of the education system. Bowles and Gintis believed that the hidden curriculum benefits only the employer in a capitalist society, whereas a functionalist perspective would argue that without socialisation in educa tion, the individual would not recognise the norms and values of modern society. They believed that there is a strong relationship between capitalism and the educational system. The correspondence theory of Bowles and Gintis illustrates school as entry into a world of exploitive work, where the individual learns to believe in meritocracy. In contrast to a functionalist perspective, Giroux believed that the educational system is a site of ideological struggle, where the enforcement of class differences by aiding the middle class and neglecting the working class from achieving are obvious. Marxists believed that functionalism was to blame for the failure of the educational system, and because individuals are made to conform, they mostly oppose values emposed by schools. The enforcement therefore encourages a counter school culture. A functionalist would argue that bad behaviour, is exactly why individuals need to reform to the cultural norms of a modern day society if they are to succeed at all. Marxist and Functionalist perspectives of the role of education in modern Britain are evidently very different. Functionalism seems to be the main consensus perspective. Analysis of Functionalist views conveys the positive contribution made by education to the social system. Whereas the Marxist theories argue that the education system imposes dominant values of the middle class and neglects the working class. Marxists perspectives also believe that a disproportional amount of lower class individuals will continue to higher education as a result of ideological factors such as class and race. Marxists believed that the myth of meritocracy made the individual feel responsible for his or her own failure in education as opposed to the functionalist factors such as role allocation and the hidden curriculum which are clearly to blame for the inevitable failure of the individual. A Marxists perspective is probably more relevant to my own experience. I have experienced pressure from peer groups from higher social backgrounds of my own, and feel that without dress sense and money we are all able to achieve to similar standards, despite allowances sometimes made for richer more fortunate individuals.

American Media Influence on Global Culture Essay -- Television Enterta

American Media Influence on Global Culture Pop culture is a term coined by sociologists to define American media influence today. Society is bombarded with themes that define pop culture: progress, material gain, individual freedom and wealth. Media, in particular television commercials, movies, newspapers and radio stations, encourages Americans how to think, what to buy and where to live. According to a study done by graduate students at Harvard, as technology expands and media corporations seek audiences in foreign countries, fear of global cultural homogenization by American pop culture increases.[1] However, many barriers prevent American influence from producing cultural changes. Although American media companies develop overseas, their influence is not as powerful or acceptable as it is in the United States. Media Expansion It’s no surprise seeing CNN, MTV or the faces of Hollywood movie stars on European television. American media has increased in exports so much that the goal of every major media giant is to set up new markets outside the United States. Books, magazines, movies, T.V. programs and computer software have surpassed agricultural and traditional factory products as the United States largest category of exports.[2] Exporting entertainment products in 1996 totaled $60.2 billion and has been drastically increasing every year. In Turkey and Greece, recent state-owned monopolies have been replaced by private-owned industries under pressure from the United States government, the IMF and the World Bank, making access to foreign media more common and easy. Since then, particularly in broadcasting, American corporations have intensified their reach to foreign countries.[3] Media Giants... ...p://countrystudies.us/turkey/86.htm> [14] Peterson, Laura. CNN Meets the Turkish High Council. American Journalism Review. July 2000, Page 1. [15] Peterson, Laura. CNN Meets the Turkish High Council. Page 4. [16] Inside VOA. [17] Vernon, Wes. Voice of America Uses Eminem and Britney to Represent U.S. NewsMax, 10 October 2002, Page 1. [18] Vernon, Wes. Page 2. [19] Tardieu, Jerry. Fear of US Pop Culture Dominance Drives Anti-Globalization Sentiment. 7 February 2000.

Relationship Conflict Resolution Model

About a month ago, my girlfriend (whom I will refer to as â€Å"Kelly†) and I were not getting along very well, and I attributed our difficulties to a mounting mess of unresolved disputes from our past. So I invited Kelly to sit down and talk about our problems. Kelly happily accepted. We agreed to take one resentment at a time, and talk each one through before moving the next. We ate dinner together, sat down on her couch and faced each other. I encouraged Kelly to have this talk between us, so I respectfully let her pick an issue hat is bothering her to talk about.It was difficult to hear about a problem that she has used against me many times already and I had hoped that she Just forgot about it†¦ But I sucked it up and listened anyway. The festering resentment that Kelly had been lugging around every day for over 3 years started when she had discovered explicit text messages on my phone between me and another woman. I tried to Justify my â€Å"dirty-talk† with this woman by blaming Kelly for rejecting me in the worst way imaginable. I had witnessed Kelly having sex tit another man Just after we had started dating.Kelly knew I was there, but she was so caught up in her own pleasure and enjoyment that my existence was no more significant than a fly on the wall. Kelly ignored everything I did and said as I attempted to get her stop what she was doing, and continued having sex with him until she became satisfied. I was completely devastated and overwhelmed with rejection. I could have left Kelly after what she had done. But I felt that if I can forgive her for this then I will hold all of controlling cards in our relationship.So I chose to stay with her, and see how things go†¦ I expected Kelly to suck up to me, kiss my ass, and make up for her actions in every way she possibly could†¦ But that never happened. Kelly ignored it and never even gave me the chance to express my feelings of betrayal and devastation to her about it. Conse quently, I let the resentment build up in me over time, mainly because I lacked assertiveness, so I buried my feelings to avoid conflict and reliving that dreadful event. So when Kelly initially confronted me about my text messages with this other woman,I responded to it by becoming defensive, trying to Justify my actions by blaming her for betraying me with another man. I tried to make her believe that my behavior was the result of her actions. I tried to make her believe that my interest in another woman was all her fault and that my dirty little secret was only talk and not sex, and against me. Ultimately, I felt entitled to do whatever I wanted because she had cheated with another man and she did it right in front of me. Since then, I have tried to figure out what it is that I had done prior to Kelly's actions hat may have influenced her choice to reject me that way.I started to realize allot of things about myself while progressing through psychological treatment, and through t his process I have practiced expressing empathy, sharpening my listening skills and I have been doing much better with each new skill that I have learned. But as I continued to use each new skill in my daily life, I could not avoid feeling somewhat coercive when I used empathy and assertiveness at times with Kelly. I had been purposely thinking out how to use the right tone if voice, overlapping ententes and using memorized feeling words Just to show empathy†¦ Inconsequently, my new communication style started to feel somewhat rehearsed, fake and coercive to me†¦ I knew I was saying the right things, but I started to feel that sometimes my words were liking real meaning and sincerity†¦ Speaking to people as if I were following directions from a book about how to communicate. But this particular sit-down talk with Kelly turned out to be more positively significant than any other talk that we have ever had. Everything that I have learned in therapy has been a benefit to my relationship with Kelly , and everyone else in my life for that matter..But reflecting back a few months, before having this conversation with her, I realized that I still hadn't been able to sort of tie it all together and use everything that I have learned so far without thinking too much about communication styles and details. I have been using listening skills, expressing empathy, taking accountability, and modifying my behavior more and more each week, and I have taken every opportunity to use each new skill as much as possible. But I have recently realized hat I was only getting better at using each skill independent from the others.Toward the end of our â€Å"conflict resolution talk†, I felt the greatest sense of relief in our relationship to see how happy Kelly was becoming as our conversation progressed. I had not realized how powerful of an impact that genuine empathy and listening to her every word would have on both of us. I believe that I actually felt the s ame pain that she had felt when she read those words on my phone. It was overwhelming!.. I felt a brick in my stomach made of betrayal and devastation s Kelly expressed the embarrassing details of my dirty text messages.She had said these same words to me before, describing her heartache over it, but I must have Just blocked her words out or I interrupted her in selfness and denial each time . The feelings inside of me made the event seem much more significant than I had realized. I could see it the way that she had experienced it but this time, the event upon me was very profound and I was taken over by guilt and shame. Truly understanding and experiencing Kelly's feelings caused emotions inside of me that kook control of my body language.I forgotten about my own resentments. I tried to hide my emotions, because I felt that have no right to cry over the pain that I had inflicted on her, but I couldn't stop the tears.. Kelly, moved to my side, laid her head on my shoulder and wrappe d her arms me. This was the first time that I had ever been successful in expressing pure empathy. This one particular dispute was resolved, but the scar will last forever. But Kelly and I now share this scar and we view our remaining unresolved disputes as teammates from the opposing dugout.

Performance Indicator Case Analysis

PRODUCT FLOW ALONG SUPPLY CHAIN: SOURCING IN CHINA vs. HONG KONG They are many aspects involved making a decision on which styles to source from China and which styles to source from Hong Kong. The differences between the producing the products in China and Hong Kong are: * ORDER SIZES: The minimum production quantity for a style in China is 1200 units while in Hong Kong it is 600 units. Thus Hong Kong factory can produce smaller order quantities effectively, thus enabling the company’s to increase the range of products it offered and manage the inventory risk.Reason: This difference in production abilities is mainly due to the high skilled labor coupled with shorter production lines in Hong Kong compared to the low skilled and long production lines in China * LABOUR The workers in Hong Kong worked about 50% faster compared to the workers in China. As a result the parka line in Hong Kong requires only 10 workers to complete all the operations whereas the parka line in China re quire up to 40 workers. This resulted in the longer production lines.In spite of the high quality of workers in Hong Kong, the unemployment rate in the country is very low and most of the younger workers prefer office jobs. Hence it is difficult to acquire labor in Hong Kong. Reason: The differences in the efficiency might be due to the variances in the trainings given to the workers in China and Hong Kong. The workers in Hong Kong were more cross functional and were trained to work in broader range of jobs compared to the Chinese workers. * TOTAL COST The overall cost of production is lower in China as compared to Hong Kong.Though there is a definite cost advantage, there are strict quota restrictions by the U. S government on shipping goods from China when compared to Hong Kong. Reason: The lower production costs in China can be mostly attributed to the low wage rates compared to the wage rates paid in Hong Kong. The workers are paid $0. 16 per hour in China compared to $3. 84 per hour paid in Hong Kong. * QUALITY Another main difference between sourcing in China and Hong Kong is the quality of the products. The quality and reliability of the products from China is relatives low when compared to Hong Kong.Reason: The difference in quality could mainly be attributed to the labor skill and efficiency in both the regions. The workers in Hong Kong have the capability to ramp up the production faster and thus they had the shorter production lines. Longer production lines in China led to the greater imbalances both in the quality and time required in manufacturing the product. Recommendation Based on our analysis we found the order quantity for each of the 10 parkas. A detailed order quantity for each of the 10 parkas is given in appendix 3. Steps for calculating order quantity: For Obermeyer we have Cu = $27 and Co = $9 from this we calculate CSL for Obermeyer = . 75. This means that there is 25% probability for a stock out applicable for each of the 10 parkas. * We used two standard deviations for the normal distribution of demand. * By using the formula Q=Z. S. D+mean for 25% stock out the overall quantity to be ordered is calculated to be 26412. * Since we need to order 10,000 units the summation of order quantity of all the 10 parkas is equal to 10,000. * We assume that the demand for each of the 10 parkas will be in same proposition.Using this we calculate for Z; Z=1. 06. * Using the z value, mean and standard deviation we calculate the order quantity for each of the 10 parkas. (See appendix 3) * Also total expected profit for 10 parkas is approximately $2. 3 Million and average left over quantity is 69 units per parka. APPENDIX 1) Cost analysis at different stages of production. OBERSPORT| Â  | | | cost if made in hongkong | $60. 08 | | | cost if made in China | $51. 92 | | | weighted average cost | $56. 00 | | | | | | | Greig Shell fabric | $9. 00 | | | Finishing of Shell fabric | $3. 90 | | |Finished lining fabric| $3. 90 | | | Ins ulation | $4. 80 | | | Zippers | $3. 60 | | | Thread| $0. 60 | | | Logo,Patches etc | $3. 00 | | | Snaps| $0. 90 | | | Dyeing of snaps | $0. 30 | | | | $30. 00 | | | | | | | Agent fee| Â  | | | Hong Kong | 3. 49| | | China| 2. 98| | | | Â  | | | Labor cost per unit | Â  | | | China| 0. 78| | | Hong Kong| 10| | | | | | | Tranportation cost (weighted average ) | Quantity| charge/unit| total| Ocean | 160000| 1. 4| 224000| Air | 40000| 5| 200000| weighted average | 200000| | 424000| weighted average/unit| Â  | Â  | $2. 12 | Appendix 2 Appendix 3

The Fine Arts Reduced to a Sin essays

The Fine Arts Reduced to a Sin essays The Fine Arts Reduced to a Single Principle? The theory that all art is imitation is a good starting point to deciphering what exactly art is, but it is not the cornerstone, contrary to Plato, Aristotle, and Batteuxs beliefs may be. Batteauxs Single Principle of the fine arts suggests that all art is imitation of beautiful nature conveyed through colours, relief, and attitudes. An obvious counter argument to that theory is music. As one of the fine arts Music in general is not imitative. Possibly earlier chanting rituals could be related to imitative animal sounds, as Carroll suggests, and even Rap artists from today such as DMX might fit in this category; who imitate animal sounds in their music, whether it be by barking, or even cooing like a pigeon. But to suggest that symphonies that were in existence at the time of Batteauxs text are imitative is absurd. Most of the early theories on art are irrelevant to todays work, the definitions dont seem to have a very long shelf life as the artists are constantly trying to ou t do the philosophers. Its almost like a game. To classify all art under one category is a daunting and in my opinion futile task. Consider all the different genres of art, from music to painting to sculpture to dance to film, and then from there, divide those into their own respective genres, abstract, symbolist, surrealist, et al. There cannot be a single definition for all forms of art today. In each philosophys time, Im sure they were fairly accurate in their theory of their art, but to think of relating these primitive theories to todays art is absurd to say the least. Neo-representationalism is the closest theory of art in the first readings. To say that art has to be about something is very accurate, art has a purpose, it is created for a reason, therefore it is about something. To be able to classify such difficult art pieces such as ready- ...

Free Essays on Women Of 911

Free Essays on Women Of 9/11 Women Of 9/11 September 11, 2001, will be remembered as one of the most horrific and unbelievable days ever experienced in the United States. The events of this day certainly changed every American, and likely affected every person in the world in some way, form or fashion. The events that occurred on September 11, 2001: Four commercial airliners are hijacked by an organized group of terrorists. Two of the airliners crash into and obliterate the twin World Trade Center towers in NYC. One airliner crashes into the Pentagon in Washington DC and destroys a side of the building. These terrorist acts were meant to bring on the demise of America, bring a country so strong to its knees. They succeeded in their mission they brought America to her knees, but what happened next no one expected. America stood up and came together like never before. We regained our composure the men of America came to the plate and performed. The men of the NYFD and NYPD came together and held the country together. Wait a minute where were the women while all this was happening? This is what the media failed to show. When we turned on the television we didn’t see the women digging through the rubble or carrying out survivors, but they did. I am happy that I went to see Women of 9/11 because the thought of women helping never crossed my mind. Its funny how all the women were left out by coincidence, something about that just doesn’t seem right. It would seem that it would make the women involved bitter about it, but that’s not the case at all. The two women who came and spoke were the nicest ladies I have met. They didn’t say anything negative about media stations or other media outlets, they just came to let us know the truth. They came to let us know that the same work we seen the men on the cover of â€Å"Time† or â€Å"Newsweek† doing their were women right besides them....

Introduction to Elasticity in Economics

Introduction to Elasticity in Economics When introducing the concepts of supply and demand, economists often make qualitative statements about how consumers and producers behave. For example, the law of demand states that as the price of a good or service increases, the demand for that good or service decreases. The law of supply states that the quantity of a good produced tends to increase as the market price of that good increases. While these laws are useful, they dont capture everything that economists would like to include in the supply and demand model; as a result, economists have developed quantitative measurements such as elasticity to provide more detail about market behavior. Elasticity, in short, refers to the relative tendency of certain economic variables to change in response to other variables. In economics, it is important to understand how responsive quantities such as demand and supply are to things like price, income, the prices of related goods, and so on. For example, when the price of gasoline increases by one percent, does the demand for gasoline go down by a little or a lot? Answering these sorts of questions is extremely important to economic and policy decision making, so economists have developed the concept of elasticity to measure the responsiveness of economic quantities. Types of Elasticity Elasticity can take a number of different forms, depending on what cause and effect relationship economists are trying to measure. Price elasticity of demand, for example, measures the responsiveness of demand to changes in price. Price elasticity of supply, in contrast, measures the responsiveness of quantity supplied to changes in price. Income elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness of demand to changes in income, and so on. How to Calculate Elasticity Measures of elasticity all follow the same basic principles, no matter which variables are being measured. In the discussion that follows, well use price elasticity of demand as a representative example. Price elasticity of demand is calculated as the ratio of the relative change in quantity demanded to the relative change in price. Mathematically, the price elasticity of demand is just the percent change in quantity demanded divided by the percent change in price: Price elasticity of demand Percent change in demand / Percent change in price In this way, the price elasticity of demand answers the question What would be the percent change in quantity demanded in response to a one percent increase in price? Notice that, because price and quantity demanded to tend to move in opposite directions, the price elasticity of demand usually ends up being a negative number. To make things simpler, economists will often represent price elasticity of demand as an absolute value. (In other words, the price elasticity of demand could just be represented by the positive part of the elasticity number, eg. 3 rather than -3.) Conceptually, you can think of elasticity as an economic analog to the literal concept of elasticity. In this analogy, the change in price is the force applied to a rubber band, and the change in quantity demanded is how much the rubber band stretches. If the rubber band is very elastic, the rubber band will stretch a lot. If its very inelastic, it wont stretch very much, and the same can be said for elastic and inelastic demand. In other words, if demand is elastic, it means a change in price will result in a proportional change in demand. If demand is inelastic, it means a change in price will not result in a change in demand. You may notice that the equation above seems similar, but not identical to, the slope of the mand curve (which also represents price versus quantity demanded). Because the demand curve is drawn with the price on the vertical axis and quantity demanded on the horizontal axis, the slope of the demand curve represents the change in price divided by the change in quantity rather than the change in quantity divided by the change in price. In addition, the slope of the demand curve shows absolute changes in price and quantity whereas price elasticity of demand uses relative (i.e. percent) changes in price and quantity. There are two advantages to calculating elasticity using relative changes. First, percent changes dont have units attached to them, so it doesnt matter what currency is used for the price when calculating elasticity. This means that elasticity comparisons are easy to make across different countries. Second, a one-dollar change in the price of an airplane ticket versus the pr ice of a book, for example, are likely not viewed as the same magnitude of change. Percentage changes are more comparable across different goods and services in many cases, so using percent changes to calculate elasticity makes it easier to compare the elasticities of different items.

Steve Jobs management style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Steve Jobs management style - Essay Example Unlike most successful managers, Steve Jobs was not famous for his approach of consensus building or consultation. For the most part, he could be defined as a high-maintenance coworker that required the staff to show excellence in their work. Steve Jobs was famous for offering blunt criticism. The sheer genius of Steve Jobs together with his skill of bringing the investors, customers, and staff members on the same journey and of articulating a vision as well as the lessons he learnt from a main setback in his career took his management style to a level where it has gained global recognition for success. The main qualities that helped Steve Jobs achieve a unique style of management and leadership included but were not limited to vision-mindedness, drive for innovation, foresightedness, passion-mindedness, and drive for engagement and excellence. In order for a company to be successful, it is imperative that all of its employees are well-versed with the vision of its management. Steve Jobs placed emphasis upon recruiting innovative people who had a drive to create something out of nothing. Steve Jobs selected applicants for their willingness to create. Apple’s employees are driven by the vision of the leader. Each employee is owner of the market’s future because of their knowledge of their ability to create it. Steve Jobs looked for passion-mindedness in the employees. â€Å"Applicants who do not demonstrate a genuine passion and â€Å"love† for the company’s purposes and business philosophy will never make it† (Valtin, 2012). Jobs placed a lot of e mphasis on excellence. One very important lesson that can be learnt from Steve Jobs’s style of leadership and management is that one should never give up no matter how hard the circumstances. Rather than being affected by his getting fired from Apple in a negative way, he drew positive lessons out of it as it reflects from this statement that he made, â€Å"I didnt see it then, but it turned out

Impact of Technology on Customers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Impact of Technology on Customers - Essay Example that investing a significant amount of money on new technology could cause severe losses for the organization if the relevant investment is not paid back within a particular period of time. Current paper focuses on the new technology that Macy’s introduced to its customers. This technology incorporates a wide range of advanced technological features, such as digital receipts and free Wi-Fi. The initial responses of the firm’s customers to this technology seem to be positive, at least as revealed through the reports developed in regard to this issue. In the near future, a more accurate view of the effectiveness of new technology introduced in Macy’s would be available. Taking into consideration the existing findings in regard to this project, as presented below, it could be noted that the particular initiatives have significantly supported the performance of the organization helping towards the improvement of its relationship with its customers. In Macy’s the introduction of new technology was considered as the most effective method for improving the relationship between the firm and its customers. The term ‘new technology’, as used in the case of Macy’s refers to a wide range of features of advanced technology and not to just one technology. In this way, it is expected that the firm will acquire an advantage towards its rivals, a target that has been achieved, as proved by the performance of the firm up to now. Currently, the firm’s stores have been estimated to 850, operating under the name of Macy’s and Bloomingdales (Business Wire 2011). The successful implementation of new technology in all the firm’s stores can be characterized as a challenging task, even if the capital availability of the organization is significant, taking into consideration the fact that in 2010 the sales of the firm reached the $25 billion (Business Wire 2011). ‘free Wi-Fi, digital receipts, cosmetics kiosks and computer tablets for product demonstrations and

Teenagers and Parasocial Relationships Research Paper

Teenagers and Parasocial Relationships - Research Paper Example According to the report findings,  parasocial relationships refer to one-sided relationships in which one party knows more about the other party. For example, relationships between the general population and famous people such as members of parliament, celebrities, and news anchors. In parasocial scenarios, strong bonds are formed although one party is completely unaware of the other party. For example in the case of media, viewers may have strong bonds with media personalities yet the media personalities do not really have a social relationship with the viewers. In such a scenario the viewer feels that the media personalities are directly addressing them. Knowledge of parasocial relationships has come in handy to explain relationships between media users and media personalities. In this essay, I will describe the theory/concept of parasocial relationships and then illustrate it with an example from a perspective of media influence on teenagers.   This essay highlights that  parasocial relationships are generally based on illusions and influence is expected to develop with time since they heavily rely on recurrence. Parasocial relationships are considered to be one-sided because they only have effects on one party. For example, parasocial relationships do not have an influence on media personalities but rather on viewers only. However, the concept of parasocial relationships does not only apply to media communication but also in other aspects of life. For example, long before the exploration of the subject by Horton and Wohl, there existed parasocial relationships such as those between people and the gods. Little was known about the gods yet they had a great influence on people’s lives and shaped the day to day activities.

OPERATION MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

OPERATION MANAGEMENT - Essay Example Conclusively, it can be stated that operations management or management of operations is dependent on not just the production process but also the internal process that take place within an organization, thereby, including the various processes and their structures (Heizer and Render, 2004). In order to define the term Operations Management at Intel, we can consider the two words separately; Operation, at the most basic level at Intel, is all about the transformation or conversion of inputs into different kinds of outputs. Inputs can be the traditional resources such as equipment, labor, various facilities, the raw materials, all the processed components, time, and also the non-traditional resources in the form of skills, knowledge and customer relationships and also the Intels reputation. Where as the outputs can be the services, products, information and also the experiences. Where as the term management means that how the work is done. Intel is a leading company which produces goods and services in order to make their customers happy. If their managing style is good, then only they can produce better outcomes. Management means how to manage things, how to manage production and also how to manage development. Intels managing power is much strong, because the aim is to generate better results. Various strategies are being implemented in this company in order to conduct or to take implementing, drafting and also the evaluating cross-functional decisions which really help this company in order to achieve their long-term objectives. With the help of various strategies Intels mission, objectives, vision, various developing policies and different plans which are either in terms of programs or projects can be very easily specified. (Heizer and Render, 2004) Intels strategic management is basically a level of managing various activities under setting different tactics and goals. It also provides an overall direction to the company and it is

Engineering Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Engineering Management - Essay Example The significant scope of the task is to deal with a bottleneck in health recuperation center computerization techniques face. When this is finished, the existing doctor's facility automated systems can incorporate this solution to make their structure more self-sufficient. The equipment and coding skeletons, which are relied upon to give a result, will prompt complete health recuperation center automation. This structure is produced with a rich API and a skeleton so this will be adopted in any sort of requisition, which needs a modern remote input/output structure. As an illustration, in the retail business managers can utilize this structure as a simple access point. An alternate utilization of this structure is in the plant and warehouse computerization structure. Particularly, creation administrators can utilize this structure to stay informed regarding the issues on the spot(Stefanos Zenios). This approach will be an application of the scheme and is meant to give overall interfac es to any electronic biomedical instrumentation utilized within the clinic structure. Hence, this will prompt simple operation of those exceedingly specialized instruments by making information-recovering procedure practically self-sufficient. Likewise, the yield of this mission will give equipment and coding bases to the advancement of models in the specific field, which will be an extraordinary quality for the item improvement procedures and research process in the field.

Understanding Heroines Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Understanding Heroines - Movie Review Example Understanding Heroines Characters who cannot longer be understood the same way today because out reviling attitude toward the women have changed so thoroughly since the movie were made. For each of the heroines or leading characters, the following concerns would be addressed: to describe the attitudes that other characters in the Post 80 viewing assignment: choosing from Queen Latifah in " Bringing Down the House", Jennifer Lopez in " Selena" , Julia Roberts in " Erin Brockovich" or " Quinceanera" . What do these protesting women really want? Why did Woopi Goldberg become the first women of color to become a major movie star? And what in the climate of the 90s and early 2000 allowed the careers of Goldberg, Latifa, Halle Berry, J-Lo to flourish? Three Leading Characters Theda Bara was described by Rosen as â€Å"with her waist-length black hair, her darkly kohled eyes and crude exotic make-up, Theda Bara embodied still primitive notions of depravity and wanton lust. She postured triumphantly as the poor m ale on whom she drew a bead was driven to drink, ruin, slavery ...† Theda Bara catapulted to fame during the era of the silent films and her official website depicted the star as â€Å"the first studio-made sex-symbol superstar and the very first ‘vamp’†. Audrey Hepburn, on the other hand, was illumined by Rosen as â€Å"Hepburn simply out-dazzled by the sheer force of her piquant joie de vivre and the apposite way she was put together. Perhaps it was the unusual combination of a narrow, bony body which she carried like a queen and an elfin face whose doe eyes contradicted by the strength of intelligence in the look, the irregular nose and wide mouth whose smile was at once sensuous, mischievous and absolutely sincere† (285). Her career was more colorful and her achievements include becoming the â€Å"special ambassador to the United Nations UNICEF fund helping children in Latin America and Africa, a position she retained until 1993. She was named to People's magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world†¦ She had made a total of 31 high quality movies. Her elegance and style will always be remembered in film history as evidenced by her being named in Empire magazine's ‘The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time’† (Jackson, par. 1). Finally, Mary Pickford was described by Rosen as â€Å"with her thick golden curls, her cherubic body and pretty face, she was, from the beginning, the incarnation of angelic sweetness and childlike innocence† (37). A Canadian, Pickford’s career begun in 1909 and ended in 1933. She acquired the name â€Å"America’s Sweetheart† due to the image, fame and fortune amassed during the peak of her career (Canadaka, par. 2). The three female lead characters who became famous through the 1940s were shown to manifest roles of from focusing on the physical traits of beauty and sexism as the main captivating elements to increasing emphasis on enhanced awareness of women to expand their roles from the traditional housewife to intelligent and participative members of society. Comparative Analysis with Post 80 Heroines 1. Protesting Women When compared with famous heroines during the post 80s, such as Queen Latifah in her portraya l as a an ex-convict who met Steve Martin, a tax lawyer, through the internet, Jennifer Lopez in "Selena", and Julia Roberts in "Erin Brockovich†

Engineering Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Engineering Management - Essay Example The significant scope of the task is to deal with a bottleneck in health recuperation center computerization techniques face. When this is finished, the existing doctor's facility automated systems can incorporate this solution to make their structure more self-sufficient. The equipment and coding skeletons, which are relied upon to give a result, will prompt complete health recuperation center automation. This structure is produced with a rich API and a skeleton so this will be adopted in any sort of requisition, which needs a modern remote input/output structure. As an illustration, in the retail business managers can utilize this structure as a simple access point. An alternate utilization of this structure is in the plant and warehouse computerization structure. Particularly, creation administrators can utilize this structure to stay informed regarding the issues on the spot(Stefanos Zenios). This approach will be an application of the scheme and is meant to give overall interfac es to any electronic biomedical instrumentation utilized within the clinic structure. Hence, this will prompt simple operation of those exceedingly specialized instruments by making information-recovering procedure practically self-sufficient. Likewise, the yield of this mission will give equipment and coding bases to the advancement of models in the specific field, which will be an extraordinary quality for the item improvement procedures and research process in the field.

Game scrabble Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Game scrabble - Essay Example Unfortunately for him, he did not know that he will also become deeply engrossed into the game just as other hard-core players. This paper begins by giving a general overview of the book before focusing on individual characters and analyzing their distinctive features relative to the game. Their lives outside the game are also explored and their roles within the text. Stefan Fatsis, author and character in Word Freak, used to play a reasonably mean game of Scrabble-according to what he thought, until that moment when he chose to investigate the game both intensively and extensively for an article he was due to publish. In a twist and turn of events, Fatsis sooner than later found himself obsessed with the game just as other hard-core players he sought to interview. The book revolves around the characters of G.I. (that is from gastrointestinal) Joel Sherman, Marlon Hill, a fervent youthful black nationalist, and Matt Graham, the pill-popping funnyman. These characters spent a great chunk of their time in dictionaries and other sources just to familiarize with new words to use while playing scrabble tournaments. Something what noting is that they all earned their livelihood through the income and prizes from these events. While some of them loved words for their own selves, others did this just as a means to an end. It because of these that Fatsis takes an issue and warns anyone contemplating engaging in competitive Scrabble to come to terms with the fact that it may require them to learn words that may lack outside utility. Eventually, the game demands for mastering the rules of the game, which for this case are the words. Joel Sherman, also called G.I. (from gastrointestinal), is described as a Walking Manual of physical sicknesses. Among the many maladies associated with him include asthma, postnatal drip, and allergic to lactose. Another funny bit about him is that he uncontrollably belches during tournaments

Benefits of Reading Essay Example for Free

Benefits of Reading Essay Reading maketh a man. Today, we enjoy such a wide array of reading material ranging from books, magazines, newspapers, comics and the latest e-books. However, we still do not make it a habit to read. This fact can be consolidated by a recent survey that has singled out that a majority of citizens hardly read. What a shame! Obviously, we do not realize the importance of reading. In this era of modernization, in order to become a successful person or a top-notch student, we should enrich ourselves with adequate knowledge and perspective. Instead, citizens in developed countries like Russia, China, Japan, Korea and Australia are enriching themselves with knowledge and information. Thus, it is high time that we make it a point to read. First and foremost, reading is the perfect platform for us to improve our knowledge. It is undisputable that, nowadays, the bookstores are flooded with various kinds of reading materials dealing with different subjects. By reading numerous genres of books, we are able to broaden our minds. For example, we can always flip through magazines or books to acquire knowledge and information on particular fields. Magazines like National Geographic, Popular Science, Discovery, Chips , Time and Reader’s Digest provide a colossal of information about science and the latest technologies. Those who are interested in technology will stand a golden opportunity to have a deep understanding on technology and thus helping them to get a promising job in the future. Aside from this, reading helps us to keep abreast with the latest developments in the world. One can know about the news or headlines of the world by just skimming through newspapers or surfing the Internet. People who are informative and knowledgeable are not considered as â€Å"a frog under a coconut shell†. Hence, it is true that reading enable us to widen our knowledge besides of keeping us oblivious of the latest developments in the world. In other words, â€Å"reading is the window of the world†. Furthermore, reading stands us a good stead in improving our command of languages. It has become an irrefutable fact that most of the people around the globe are not highly proficient in English which is an international language. This is because they tend to stick to their mother tongue. Sadly, they do not realize the importance of English. In order to master the language, we should cultivate the habit of reading. By reading we are introduced to a thousand and one words that are seldom applied in speaking but may come in handy when comes to writing. Persons who hardly read will not be able to do well in his essay writing as he fails to acquire the essential writing skills. On top of that, he also fails to learn some useful words that are a necessity in writing a good essay. Thus, it can be said that reading increases one’s vocabulary as well as polishing up one’s writing skills. In addition, by reading we are able to be fluent in foreign languages like Japanese, Spanis h, Italian, Mandarin, French and Arabic, just to name a few. Therefore, we will have the ability to converse with the citizens of other countries. Nevertheless, reading provides relaxation and entertainment. It is an ubiquitous phenomenon that thousands of people in the world are deriving entertainment from reading. This is because reading is the best form of entertainment and relaxation after enduring their mind-boggling work. Reading helps them to vanquish their daily stress and soothe their pressured minds. Needless to say, we do not have to burn a hole in our pockets when we are craving for entertainment. Unlike DVDs or television programs, books are the cheapest source of entertainment which only cost us up to a few dollars, perhaps the most exorbitant books will only cost up to the maximum of 50 dollars which is within the budget of a layman. On the other hand, we should not overlook the advantage of reading which is associated with unleashing our creative powers. By reading thrilling story books like The Lost Symbol, Angels and Demons, Da Vinci Code, Digital Fortress which are written by a prominent author, Dan Brown will definitely keep us thinking about the plots. When we are thinking about the plots, question marks will be popped up in the frame of our minds. Subsequently, we will have to imagine the consequences or the next scenes of the story. All these require creativity, unlike watching movies or videos, where there is little left to the imagination. This is because the scenes are already portrayed using images or pictures. It is a huge fallacy to say that watching movies is far better than reading books to unleash one’s creativity. In a nutshell, it would cost us a fortune if we do not make an effort to read. If we take a close look at people who often read, they are generally creative, it is vital that every citizen in the world picks up the habit of reading. The government should play a pivotal role in promoting the habit of reading. Several awareness campaigns should be held in arm to raise the awareness of the nations on the importance of reading besides boosting the interest of the public in reading. Most importantly, parents should encourage their children to read when they are still young.

Roah Dahl Biography :: essays research papers

Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916, in Llandaff, South Wales, to Norwegian parents, Harald and Sofie (Hesselberg) Dahl. After graduating from Repton School in 1933, he went to work for the Shell Oil Company of East Africa until World War II started in 1939. He then served in the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot and he became a Wing Commander. In 1940 Dahl's plane was hit by a machine gun fire, and he was severely injured. He was rescued by a fellow pilot and took him six months to recover. Although Dahl rejoined his squadron in Greece in the spring of 1941, the pain from his head and back injuries grew worse so that he had to be sent back to England on the disabled list. Dahl was then reassigned to Washington, D.C., as an assistant air attache'. It was there that he accidently began his career as a writer. One day while Dahl was working in his office, C.S. Forester Came to ask if he could interview him for a piece he was writing for The Saturday Evening Post because he had "seen action" in the war. Forester took Dahl to lunch with the intentions of taking notes about his most exciting war experience. However, Forester was having difficulty taking notes while eating, so Dahl offered to write down some notes and send them to him. The notes ended up being a story which he called "A Piece of Cake." Forester sent the story to The Saturday Evening Post under Dahl's name. The Post liked the story so much, they paid Dahl $1,000 and then signed him to write others. Soon his stories were being published in several other magazines, and his writing career had started. In 1943 Dahl wrote his first children's book, The Gremlins. Eleanor Roosevelt read it to her grandchildren and liked it so much that she invited him to have dinner with her and the President at the White House. They had such a good time that he was invited again, and then the visits extended to weekends at their country house. During those visits, Dahl had the unique opportunity to talk with President Franlin Roosevelt about world events as casually as one might have a conversation with an very old friend. It was a very exciting experience for him. In 1945, Dahl returned to England and moved into his mother's cottage in Buckinghamshire.

What is Voice Recognition? :: essays research papers

First off, what is voice recognition technology? Voice recognition is a computer application that lets people control a computer by speaking to it. In other words, rather than using a keyboard to communicate with the computer, the user speaks commands into a microphone (usually on a headset) that is connected to a computer. By speaking into the microphone, users can do two things. First, they can tell their computers to execute commands such as open a document, save changes, delete a paragraph, even move the cursor--all without touching a key. Second, users can write using voice recognition in conjunction with a standard word processing program. When users speak into the microphone their words can appear on a computer screen in a word processing format, ready for revision and editing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Voice recognition has gained tremendous popularity over the past few years. It has gone from imagination, to rumor, to reality and this trend is not going to stop. It this will be better explained by Jeffrey C. Scott from Computer Shopper in the paragraphs below. â€Å"The ability to interact with computers by talking to them may help bridge the gap between human beings and machines. Once deemed a fantastical glimpse into a science-fiction-like future, voice-recognition technology has undergone several significant developments recently, and it now seems destined to move us toward a humanized computer interface. But that's for the future. At present, voice-recognition technology at its best lets us focus on our daily tasks and needs rather than on the computer's commands and syntax. Imagine inputting all your requests, numerous e-mail messages, routine correspondence and numerical data simply by telling them to the computer. Executives with limited typing skills, individuals who are physically challenged, and users who suffer from pain associated with the repetitive motion of typing can all benefit from voice-recognition applications. In fact, almost anyone can profit from this technology, though it may take some adjustment and a little patie nce to scale the learning curve. Today's voice-recognition products are notably easier to use than those of the past. In addition, veterans of voice recognition should find that the new and improved dictation systems require substantially less training and customization.† â€Å"The Virtues of Training :Training a voice-recognition system consists of a defined dictation session where you are prompted to say words, phrases, and sentences. This exercise, which can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and a half, allows the computer to become accustomed to your pronunciation.

Outline Muslim teachings on wealth and poverty Essay

Poverty: a state of being poor the status of having no money to take care of yourself and the basic needs of life such as, food, clothing and housing. Muslims believes poverty to be as a test to mankind form god. There are different types of evil and suffering which cause poverty such as: ? Moral evil ? actions done by humans which cause suffering. ?Natural evil ? things which cause suffering but have nothing to do with humans e.g. earthquakes. (I will explain it in the following paragraphs) When god created the earth he also made a being called Adam (pbuh) to take care of it, Allah order the angles to bow down to Adam (pbuh) (humans are superior to the angles as they have free will-which is why they can be vice-regents- but they are inferior because their free will means they can sin) means they can sin) all Angels except one ignorant Satan (iblis) refused to follow Allah’s commands to bow down to Adam so Allah rejected him and throw him out of the heavens. However Allah allowed Satan to do mischief and disrupt mankind form worshiping Allah until the last day then Satan shall be sent to hell and those who were tempted by his evil shall follow him into the fire. Muslims believe that suffering is a test from god. But if there faith stays strong and they lead a good and devote themselves to Allah they shall rewarded with eternity paradise. â€Å"be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits of your toil, but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere calamity, ‘to god we belong and to him shall we return† Muslims believe that the way to succeed and pass the test is to help those who suffer such as the floods in Bangladesh through Muslim charities such as Muslim hands, Islamic relief e.c.t. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has said: ‘Poverty can lead to Kuffar (ungratefulness)’. This is because a deprived human being may feel that his Lord is being unjust on him, but a human being cannot understand that this life is a test from Allah and the real life is the life hereafter. What does Islam say about Zakat & Charity Wealth in the English dictionary is defined as, having huge sum of money or possession, riches, state of being well off. In Islam whatever wealth you posses is regarded as a trust from Allah (God). You are not free to do what you want with your wealth, as you will be accounted for how you release it. Islam teaches that wealth is something given by god for the benefit of humanity and there for it should be shared. ‘Then (on the day of judgement) you will certainly be questioned about all the favours you enjoyed.’ (102:8) According to Islam, the wealth you posses does not show your superiority, neither or nor does it give you distinction or make you a part of honoured class. The one who posses the riches of Faith is the one who is wealthiest in the sight of Allah, not the one who posses material riches. Islam says that there is nothing wrong to posses wealth, as long as you earn it in the right (halal/lawful) way and discharge it in the right (halal/lawful) way. Islam has given guideline for the ways of life which mainly concentrates on the earning and use of wealth. Earning and spending is essential for living, but we do not live only for this. We have a greater purpose in life. Everything in Islam is for the benefit of mankind. The main principle of Islam aim to establishing a just society wherein everybody will behave responsibly and honestly, and not as cunning people who fight for as big share of something as possible without regard for honesty, truth and responsibility. Islam has given rules for earning wealth which all Muslims should abide by. Muslims must follow the Qur’an and the Sunnah: 1) Any earnings from the production, sale and distribution of alcoholic drinks are unlawful, as are earnings from gambling, lotteries and from interest (riba) transactions (5:90-91, 2:275). 2) Earning by falsehood, deceit, fraud, theft, robbery and burglary is unlawful. Deceitful acquisition of orphans’ property has been particularly banned ( 2;188, 4:2, 6:152, 7:85, 83:1-5). 3) Smuggling and the artificial creation of shortages are unlawful (3:180, 9:34-35) 4) Earning from brothels and from such other practises which are harmful to society are also unlawful. Islam strikes to the root of evil and wants to establish a just and fair society. A Muslim must earn his living in halal ways and he should always bear in mind that what ever he does, it is known to Allah. He will be accountable for his actions on the day of judgement. He cannot hide anything from Almighty Allah. Unlawful outgoings are also not allowed in Islam. It does not at all benefit a Muslim to spend money irresponsibly. Over-spending and waste are strongly discouraged (7:31, 17:26, 19:27, 25:68) What is Zakat Zakah (welfare contribution) is the third pillar of Islam. The Arabic word Zakah means â€Å"to purify or cleanse†. Zakah is to be paid once a year on savings at the rate of two and a half percent. This rate applies to cash, bank savings, gold and silver and silver jewellery. The rate for cattle and agricultural produce is different. Payment of Zakah is a means of keeping our wealth clear of greed and selfishness. SCHEDULE OF ZAKAH Wealth on which zakah is payable Amount which determines the payment of zakah (nisab) Rate of zakah 1 Agricultural produce 5 Awsuq (653 kg) per harvest * 5 per cent produce in case of irrigated land; 10 per cent of produce from rain-fed land. 2 Gold, silver, ornaments of gold and silver of gold and silver 85 grams of gold or 595 grams of silver * 2.5 per cent of value 3 Cash in hand or at the Bank Value of 595 grams of silver * 2.5 per cent of amount 4 Trading goods Value of 595 grams of silver * 2.5 per cent value of goods 5 Cows and buffaloes 30 in numbers For every 30, one- year old; for every 40, one 2- year old 6 Goats and sheep 40 in number One for first 40; two for 120; there for 300; one more for every 100 7 Produce of mines Any quantities Per cent of value of produce 8 Camels 5 in number A up to 24, one sheep or goat for each five camels B 25-35, one 1-year-old she-camel C 36-45, one 2-year-oldshe-camel D 46-60, one 3-year-oldshe-camel E 61-75, 4-year-old she-camel F 76-90, two 2-year-old she-camel G 91-120, two 3-year-old she-camel H 121 or more, one 2-year-old she-camel for each additional 40, or one 3-year-old she-camel for each additional 50 * Fiqhuz zakah It also encourages us to be honest in our dealings, earnings and outgoings (spending money). Zakah is a compulsory act in Islam it is not charity or tax. Charity is optional and taxes are used by states for any purpose, but zakah is only allowed to be spent in certain places such as helping the poor, even for needy or travellers in need and for the cause of Allah. Zakah is a form of ibadah. Ibadah (Arabic) the word meaning worship or obedience. It can be done in any activity in life, if they it is done to please Allah and Allah alone. We all so pay zakah to gain Allah’s favour. Zakah is a way of contributing our excess wealth with those who are less fortunate then our selves. Truly we our selves do not own the wealth it belongs to Allah. He is the real owner of the wealth and mankind, we have to fulfil Allah’s commands by paying zakah as an obligatory it is a part of ibadah. Zakah is a basic principle of Islam, based on social welfare and the fair distribution of wealth . In addition to zakah, Muslim are encouraged in the Quran to make voluntary contributions to help the poor and needy, and for other social purposes. These voluntary contributions are called Sadaqa (charity). Through zakah, rich share their wealth with the poor. Zakaah al-Fitr Zakaah al-Fitr is the name given to charity, which is distributed at the end of the fast of Ramadan. Zakaah al-Fitr is a duty, which is Waajib on every Muslim, whether male or female, minor or adult as long as he/she has the means to do so. Ibn `Umar reported, â€Å"that the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) made Zakaah al-Fitr compulsory on every slave, freeman, male, female, young and old among the Muslims; one Saa` of dried dates or one Saa` of barely.† The head of the household may pay the required amount for the other members. The significant role played by Zakaah in the circulation of wealth within the Islamic society is also played by the Zakaah al-Fitr. However, in the case of Zakaah al-Fitr, each individual is required to calculate how much charity is due from himself and his dependents and go into the community in order to find those who deserve such charity. Thus, Zakaah al-Fitr plays a very important role in the development of the bonds of community. The rich are obliged to come in direct contact with the poor, and the poor are put in contact with the extremely poor. This contact between the various levels of society helps to build real bonds of brotherhood and love within the Islamic community and trains those who have, to be generous to those who do not have. The main purpose of Zakaah al-Fitr is to provide those who fasted with the means of making up for their errors during the month of fasting. Zakaah al-Fitr also provides the poor with a means with which they can celebrate the festival of breaking the fast (`Eid al-Fitr) along with the rest of the Muslims. Ibn Abbaas reported, â€Å"The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) made Zakaah al-Fitr compulsory so that those who fasted may be purified of their idle deeds and shameful talk (committed during Ramadaan) and so that the poor may be fed. Whoever gives it before Salaah will have it accepted as Zakaah, while he who gives it after the Salaah has given Sadaqah.† The goal of Zakaah al-Fitr is to make Believers more aware of Allah. By making them give up some of their wealth, through this the believers are taught the higher moral characteristics of generosity, compassion (sympathy for the unfortunate), gratitude to God and the righteousness. But, since Islaam does not neglect man’s material need, part of the goal of Zakaah al-Fitr is the economic well-being of the poorer members of society. Zakaah al-Fitr is only Waajib for a particular period of time. If one misses the time period without a good reason, he has sinned and can not make it up. This form of charity becomes obligatory from sunset on the last day of fasting and remains obligatory until the beginning of Salaah al-‘Eid’ (i.e. shortly after sunrise on the following day). However, it can be paid prior to the above mentioned period, as many of the Sahaabah (companions of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to pay Zakaah al-Fitr a couple days before the `Eid. Naafi reported, â€Å"That the Prophet’s companion Ibn `Umar used to give it to those who would accept it and the people used to give it a day or two before the `Eid.† Ibn `Umar reported, â€Å"that the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) order that it (Zakaah al-Fitr) be given before people go to make the Salaah (al-‘Eid).† And Ibn `Abbaas reported, â€Å"That the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, â€Å"Whoever gives it before the Salaah will have it accepted as Zakaah, while he who gives it after the Salaah (will not, for it will only be considered as) ordinary charity.† Therefore, one who forgets to pay this Zakaah al-Fitr on time should do so as soon as possible even though it will not be counted as Zakaah al-Fitr. The amount of Zakaah is the same for everyone regardless of their different income brackets. The minimum amount is one Saa` (two handfuls) of food, grain or dried fruit for each member of the family. This calculation is based on Ibn `Umar’s report, † that the Prophet(sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) made Zakaah al-Fitr compulsory and payable by a Saa` of dried dates or a Saa` of barley.† The Sahaabee, Abu SA`eed al-Khudree said, â€Å"In the Prophet’s time, we used to give it (Zakaah al-Fitr) as a Saa` of food, dried dates, barley, raisins or dried cheese.† Aqiqah The word ‘Aqeeqah’ means the â€Å"the hair of the forehead†. It also means the animal that is sacrificed after the birth of a child. Some people call it â€Å"Nusukiyah or Dhabihah†. The purpose of ‘Aqiqah is to give thanks to Allah, to express happiness on the birth of a child, and to announce the birth so that people know to whom the child belongs. ‘Aqiqah is a highly recommended Sunnah (scholars). According to other scholars it is wajib (mandatory). The proper time for ‘Aqiqah is the 7th day (or after), counting from the day of the birth of the child. Parents or grandparents should perform ‘Aqiqah for their children or grandchildren. In some traditions it is said that one should sacrifice two lambs for a boy and one for a girl. But it is not required. One can sacrifice even one for the boy. Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him – sacrificed one lamb for Hasan and for Husain. The meat of the animal should be divided like the sacrificial meat at Eidul Adha, one third for the poor, one third for friends and one third for the family. One can also give all the meat to the poor and needy people. Children are Allah’s gift. We should be thankful to Him and we should take good care of them. From the beginning we should pay attention to their Islamic upbringing and education. Parents should be a good role model for their children and they should also make sure that their children are learning right values, have right teachers and good friends. Someone rightly said that children are like sponges. They absorb whatever they see. It is very important that we give them the right message. We should also be careful about what they watch on TV and Internet. In Arabic the word â€Å"‘Aqiq† is also used for a precious stone. One can also say that ‘Aqiqah is a ceremony that helps us realize the preciousness of our children. Salman bin ‘AamirAd-Dabbi narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said, â€Å"Aqiqah is to be offered for a newly born boy, so slaughter (an animal) for him, and relieve him of his suffering.† It is Sunnah to slaughter 2 (or 1) animals for a boy, and 1 for a girl. This meat is then to be shared with all the people in the community. At the time of the prophet meat was scarce. So eating and distributing meat became a special way of celebrating the birth of a baby. Giving something of the wealth over which Allah has given us temporary custody is a critical part of our deen. The Prophet (sas) said: â€Å"Man yatasaddaqa bi ‘idli tamratin min kasbin tayyibin – wa laa yaqbalu Allahu illa at-tayyib – fa inna Allaha yaqbaluhaa bi yameenihi thumma yurbeehaa li saahibihaa kamaa yurbiy ahadukum falwahu hattaa takoona mithla al-jabali.† â€Å"Whoever gives in charity the value of a single date from pure earnings – and Allah accepts nothing but the pure – verily Allah receives it with his right hand then he makes it grow like the way one of you causes a dowry to grow until it becomes like a mountain.†(Translation) Muslim & Bukhari Sadaqa The meaning of sadaqa is the giving of wealth to another as an act of worship and seeking to come closer to Allah Most High. It is an effective barrier between the giver and evil. It repels trials and hardships and prevents an awful death. All of this is only by the permission of Allah and the giving of sadaqa is the cause which Allah has attached to these benefits. It is also used allegorically to refer to all acts of â€Å"giving† and kindness other than those involving wealth such as giving the greeting, smiling in your brother’s face, seeking to solve a problem between two others for no gain to yourself, being attentive to your spouse in your bed and other actions. As the hadith says, giving of your wealth to another while physically between you and another human is an action received directly by Allah Most High. This has also been mentioned in the Qur’an: â€Å"A lam ta’lamoo anna Allaha huwa yaqbalu at-taubata ‘an ‘ibaadihi wa ya’khudhu as-sadaqaati wa anna Allaha huwa at-tawaabu ar-raheem.† â€Å"Did you not know that Allah is the One who accepts repentence from his slaves and takes their charities and that Allah is the ever-Forgiving, the Merciful.† (Translation) At-Tauba:104 Generally, the best way to give sadaqa is in secret, although it can also be done publicly. Sometimes it is actually better to give publicly if that will encourage others to follow suit and increase the amount of giving among the Muslims. Because the Prophet (sas) said: â€Å"Whoever starts a good practice will get its reward and the reward of all those who do it after him without that decreasing his reward in the least and whoever starts a bad practice will get its sin and the sin of all those who do it after him without that diminishing their sin in the least.† Allah said: â€Å"In tubdoo as-sadaqaati ta ni’immaa hiya wa in tukhfoohaa wa tu’toohaa al-fuqaraa’a fa huwa khairun lakum wa yukaffiru ‘ankum min sayyi’aatikum wa Allahu bimaa ta’maloona khabeerun.† â€Å"If you show your charitibal giving that is just fine and if you conceal it and give it to the needy that is better for you and it will expiate for you some of your bad deeds and Allah is fully aware of all that you do.† Al-Baqara:271 While giving may seem like a growing of one’s wealth and putting it in a savings account or lending it out for interest may seem like an increase in one’s wealth, the really it is quite the opposite. Allah said: â€Å"Yamhaqu Allahu ar-ribaa wa yurbiy as-sadaqaati wa Allahu laa yuhibbu kulla kaffaarin atheemin.† â€Å"Allah obliterates interest and causes charity to grow and Allah does not love every one of those extreme in disbelief and extreme in sin.† Al-Baqara:276 Sadaqa, to be acceptable must be an act done for the sake of Allah with consciousness that what is being given is not truly â€Å"yours† or something you have earned or deserved. Rather, it is the sustenance (rizq) of Allah and His favor upon you and something which Allah has simply made you the temporary custodian (mustakhlaf) over. It was possessed by others before you and will be possessed by others after you. When one has this consciousness, then they will realize that the receiver is actually giving them a great gift and a great help by allowing them to worship and come close to Allah in this way – and not the other way around. So Muslims of understanding will never humiliate or belittle those to whom they give nor feel that they have done them a favor or that the receivers â€Å"owe† them anything like the ignorant and disbelieving do. If one does these things, it shows that their sadaqa is not genuine and it is invalidated and does them no good with Allah no matter how big and generous it may be. Allah said: â€Å"Yaa ayyuhaa alladhina aamanoo laa tubtiloo sadaqaatikum bi al-manni wa al-adhaa ka alladhiy yunfiqu maalahu ri’aa’a an-naasi wa laa yu’minu bi Allahi wa al-yaumi al-aakhiri.† â€Å"O, you who believe do not invalidate your charities with claims of generosity and harmfulness like the one who spends his wealth for the people to see but doesn’t believe in Allah and in the Last Day.† Al-Baqara:264 Islam encourages the giving of charity, but does not encourage the taking of charity let alone asking for it. Since there are always among us those who need assistance, this means that it is obligatory upon those with the means to look for places to put their sadaqa such those in need never need to ask and seek their help. The Prophet (sas) said: â€Å"Al-yadu al-‘ulyaa khairun min al-yadi as-suflaa wa ibda’ bi man ta’oolu wa khairu as-sadaqa maa kaana ‘an dhahri ghinaa wa man yasta’fif ya’iffuhu Allahu wa man yastighni yughnihi Allahu.† â€Å"The upper hand is superior to the lower hand. Start with those for whom you are responsible. The best charity is the one which leaves you free of need. Whoever abstains, Allah will dignify them and whoever maintains self-sufficiency, Allah will make them self-sufficient.† Al-Bukhari Sadaqa is one of the seven things which will get you shade in the Throne of Allah on the terrifying day of al-mahshar when there is no shade except for the shade of Allah. In the hadith: â€Å"Saba’atun yudhilluhum Allahu fiy dhillihi yauma laa dhilla illa dhilluhu†¦ wa rajulun tasaddaqa bi sadaqatin fa ikhfaahaa hattaa laa ta’lamu shimaaluhu maa tunfiqu yameenuhu† â€Å"Seven who Allahu will shade in His shade on the day when there is no shade except His shade†¦ and a man who gave something in charity secretly such that his left hand did not know what his right hand had given.† Muslim & Bukhari Before you think that your property is little or that you need to receive and not give, remember your standing before Allah. If two Muslims have a little and cling to it thinking â€Å"I have only a little†, then they will get no good deed from their wealth with which to face Allah. If the same two people give something of their minor wealth and, because Muslims are giving they also receive, they may end up with the same or more sustenance but also have a good deed with which to face Allah Most High. Giving is win-win situation! On that day, we will need everything possible to help us. Do not neglect any opportunity to send something forward for that day. Even a tiny act of giving could be the critical item which determines your fate in the eternal hereafter. The Prophet (sas) said: â€Å"Maa minkum min ahadin illa sayukallimuhu Allahu laisa bainahu wa bainahu turjumaan. Fa yandhuru aimana minhu falaa yaraa illa maa qaddama wa yandhuru ash’ama minhu falaa yaraa illa maa qaddam wa yandhuru baina yadaihi falaa yaraa illa an-naara tilqaa’a wajhihi fa ittaqoo an-naara wa lau bi shiqqi tamratin.† â€Å"There is not one single one of you but that Allah will speak to him with no interpreter between them. He will look to his right and see nothing but what he has sent forth. He will look to his left and see nothing but what he has sent forth. He will look in front of him and see nothing but the fire facing him. So beware of the fire – even if with just half a date.† Muslim & Bukhari Sadaqh e jariyah To spend in the path of Allah Ta’ala by way of helping the Deen of Allah is highly creditable and rewarding. Reward gained through sadaqh e jariyah attains continues reward even after our death. Indeed fortunate are those who have gained such tremendous benefits and Insha Allah will succeed in the hereafter. Some of the common contributions made in this respect are: donations towards the Masjid, building of Madrassahs, printing of Namaz, Yaseen Shareef, Durood and Salaam booklets etc. Undoubtedly these projects are required and should be encouraged because it benefits Islam. â€Å"Hazrath Abu Hurairah (RadiAllahAnho) has reported the messenger of Allah has said, â€Å"Among the actions and good deeds for which a believer will continue to receive reward, after his death, are knowledge which he taught and spread, a good son whom he left behind, or a copy of the Qur’an which he left as a legacy, or a mosque which he erected, or a house which he built for the traveller, or a stream which he caused to flow, or a Sadaqah which he gave from his property when he was alive and well, for which he will continue to receive reward after his death.† The above hadith indicates various ways to attain the reward of Sadaqa e Jariyah, and building a House of Allah Ta’ala is indeed one of the best form of Sadaqa-e-Jariyah. Riba/intrest Riba (Usury and Interest): According to Quran and Sunnah Riba (Usury) is of two major kinds: Riba An-Nasia – Interest on lent money Riba Al-Fadl – Taking a superior thing of the same kind of goods by giving more of the same kind of goods of inferior quality, eg, dates of superior quality for dates of inferior quality in great amounts. The definition of Interest, the literal meaning of interest or Al-Riba as it is used in the Arabic language means to excess or increase. In the Islamic terminology interest means effortless profit or that profit which comes free from compensation or that extra earning obtained that is free of exchange. Riba has been described as a loan with the condition that the borrower will return to the lender more than and better than the quantity borrowed. Due to the trend of interest money is going from the poor to the rich, whereas the rich are supposed to give money to the poor. Consequently, the rich are getting richer and the poor are becoming poorer. Islam completely prohibits interest as it clearly states in the Quran: â€Å"O you who believe, do not take interest, doubling and quadrupling, and keep your duty to Allah, so that you may proper.† Conclusion Overall, I feel that it is a fact of life that poverty exists and no being can deny this fact and say that there is no poverty in the world. As Allah has created poverty he has also created enough wealth to support the poor, and needy. Allah has gave wealth to some people and poverty to some both are a test from god, the one who is likely to succeed is the one who gives his extra wealth to the needy if he is wealthy or the one who is patient and keeps faith in god if he is poor. The system of usury has been introduced in to the world but Islam says whoever restrains from usury and earns and spends his wealth loyally to Islam and pays zakah will indeed succeed in the next life.   

American expressionism: art and social change Essay

Art is a dynamic concept that has continued to evolve. Since its inception, art has evolved through various movements representing diverse themes and philosophies. Artists aligned to specific art movements have contributed in advancing their philosophies in the specific periods represented. From the 18th to the 21st century, art movements have impacted greatly on the society. The Romanticism Movement               Ã‚  The Romanticism movement originated towards the end of the 18th century in Europe. The movement advocated for the bold use of color to bring out the authentic emotional feel of an aesthetic experience. According to Dempsey (2002), the validation of intense emotional experience in visual arts stressed on emotions likes anxiety and horror. The liberal expression of an artist was an imperative aspect in the Romantic era; an artist’s feelings and expressions formed the basis of inspiration towards the production of art work (Scaglia, 2011). Creativity formed the basis of innovation upon which the Romanticism movement thrived. Nationalism and nature were central themes advanced by Romantic artists (Scaglia, 2011). The Romanticism movement placed an immense interest in nature. The reason behind the love for nature in artistic work during the movement was the philosophical tenet that a connection with nature was emotionally and ethically healthy. Moreover, artists based their works on a nationalism platform by fostering national development. The graphic design of the period drew strong influence from the political circles. The aristocratic political and social norms of the period triggered the rise of Romanticism. Romantic artists revolted against aristocracy sought to instill liberal tendencies through their expressions. On an economic ground, the industrial revolution had an influence on the movement. The movement was opposed to the corrupt nature that the society was adopting. The culture of liberalism and free expression contributed in the development of the movement. Thomas Jones’, The Bard (1774) Egide Charles (1834) The Belgian Revolution The visual arts explore the connection between Romanticism and nationalism. The paintings illustrate the artists’ use of nature as well as showing society’s need for nationalism respectively. Synchromism               Ã‚  The movement started in 1912 under the innovative works of Stanton Mc-Donald-Wright and Morgan Russell (Scaglia, 2011). The artists are acknowledged as among the pioneer abstract painters in the US. Wright and Russell used the â€Å"syncromy† style in their abstract paintings. The style was based on the artistic innovation, that sound and color have a connection. The idea behind Synchromism posited that colors in art can have the similar harmonious character as notes in music. The innovation behind the movement was that a painting can have the same complexity as music, if colors are arranged in scales. Contrary to other forms, Synchromism did not use lines, but only color and shape in artistic expressions. Having begun before the First World War, the movement posited that realism was no longer significant in visual art; there was need for a meaningful expression of art in the modern world (Scaglia, 2011). The culture of realism in the modern art world was fading; hence, the rise of the movement was attributed to the philosophy that innovation, and an artist’s feelings, as opposed to realism, was more dominant. Stanton MacDonald-Wright, Airplane Synchromy in Yellow-Orange (1920) Morgan Russell, Cosmic Synchromy (1913-14) The paintings by Wright and Russell display the use of color to come up with abstract paintings. The shapes illustrate the influence of imaginative artistic expression to come up ideas that are not in the realist physical nature. The style of the movement affects the graphic design of today by emphasizing on the use of color, particularly in the amount of hue used in painting. The intensity of color in contemporary art is an important factor to consider. Classical Realism               Ã‚  The movement became prominent towards the end of the 20th century. Designers in the movement regarded skill and beauty as imperative factors in their paintings (Scaglia, 2011). The movement’s style is edged on the visible world; this brings out its realism nature. Through an artist’s observation, he is in a position to bring out beauty and completeness (Scaglia, 2011). In Classical Realism, an artist concentrates on drawing and painting, and avoids mechanical aids. Classical Realism artists employ the artistic eye to explore harmony and skill in their paintings. A major cultural tenet behind the growth of Classical Realism is the belief that most artistic movements of the 20th century disregard the contribution of traditional art; hence, leading to the degradation of skill (Scaglia, 2011). Therefore, artists in this movement seek to restore the traditional concept of drawing and painting objects seen in the modern world. Jean-Là ©on Gà ©rà ´me. The artistic works illustrate the traditional art of drawing and painting objects from what people see. The emphasis on order, skill and harmony on the visual arts is a reflection of the realistic culture in artistic expressions. The movement influences modern graphic designs in using color to achieve harmony, and the utilization of skill. Expressionism               Ã‚  The movement started in Germany at the turn of the 20th century; Franz Marc and Alvar Cawà ©n were among the pioneer designers of the movement (Dijkstra, 2003). Stylistically, the movement sought to illustrate the world in a subjective perspective. In essence, artists in this movement sought to create meaning from their paintings, which was distant from the physical reality (Dijkstra, 2003). Artists achieve this through distorting the physical reality and evoking subjective emotional experience and mood. The growth of the movement in the early 20th century is attributed to the dehumanizing influence of industrialization. Moreover, expressionists were not in favor of realism; hence, sought to introduce an artistic style that would capitalize solely on the expressions of an artist. Alvar Cawà ©n, (Blind Musician), 1922 Franz Marc, Fighting Forms (1914) The paintings show an emphasis on the expression of emotion and mood. The paintings evoke a subjective meaning from what is intended in the physical world. The contemporary graphic industry draws inspiration from the movement through the use of color, foreground and background features to drive meaning. The Pop art movement               Ã‚  The Pop art movement begun in the 1950s in Britain and the United States; it was a break from the conventional orientations of art. Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns were among the prominent artists of the movement (Spilsbury, 2009). Argued as a reflection of modern art, the pop art movement introduced the use of imagery. The imagery used in the pop art movement derived its inspiration from the popular culture. Consequently, as a reflection of popular culture, pop art expressions are understood from the perspective of the approaches that produce them. The mass culture in the 1950s influenced the growth of the artistic movement; pop artists employed the images of the dominant culture in their graphic designs (Spilsbury, 2009).Technology also played an important role in the growth of the movement particularly in the expansion of abstract expressionism (Spilsbury, 2009). Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup I (1968) Jasper Johns, Flag 1954–1955 The artistic works by the above artists shows the reflection of the impact of popular culture in artistic expressions. Andy Warhol shows the influence of pop art in the advertising industry, while Jasper Johns expresses liberty as a popular culture through the representation of the flag. The movement influences contemporary graphic design by expanding the use of advertisement as an important platform of communication. Constructivism               Ã‚  The art movement, which started in 1919, popularized the use of art for social purposes. Experts assert that the movement sought to eliminate autonomy in art (Jones, 2006). Consequently, the growth of the movement is attributed to its participation in the Russian revolution. Constructivists came up with street designs that had social connotations during the revolution. During the early years of the movement, artists used their paintings as a means of communication to the people during the Russian civil war (Jones, 2006). The philosophy behind the movement was the advancement of social reconstruction. Constructivists used bright colors, arithmetic shapes and conspicuious lettering in their paintings in order to evoke emotions from the viewers and trigger deep understanding of the intended message. Vladimir Mayakovsky, An advertising construction (1921) Tatlin’s Tower (1919) The paintings above show the social connotations explored by constructivists. The use of bold colors and geometric shapes shows the intensity of communication developed by the artists. The constructivism movement affects modern graphic design by emphasizing on the use of art for social construction. Sensitizing people for political action through is an example of constructivist’s influence on contemporary art. Conclusion               Ã‚  Certainly, art is a dynamic phenomenon that represents the social, cultural and political expressions of different societies. The use of artistic features to demonstrate the influence of graphic design on a society shows that art is a powerful instrument; its ability to trigger emotional and objective connotations demonstrates its communication authority. References Dempsey, A. (2002). Art in the modern era: a guide to styles, schools & movements 1860 to the present. New York: Harry N. Abrams. Dijkstra, B. (2003). American expressionism: art and social change, 1920-1950. New York: H.N. Abrams, in association with the Columbus Museum of Art. Jones, A. (2006). A companion to contemporary art since 1945. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub..Scaglia, B. (2011). The aesthetic variable: defining the contemporary art movement of the 2000s (classical realism, relational art, street art, stuckism, superflat, and more). United States: Webster’s Digital Services? :. Spilsbury, R. (2009). Pop art. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library. Source document

Cango Wk 4 Swot

SWOT Analysis: Swot stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The SWOT analysis will assist CanGo understand the opportunities that are obtainable and what threats may have an effect on its business. Before moving onward with new ventures CanGo needs to evaluate the arrangement they currently have in the market. Performing a SWOT analysis technique would be very beneficial at this point and will serve as the baseline to elaborate on a strategic plan for the organization.C&G consultants have been monitoring CanGo’s processes for quite sometime, and we have developed the following preliminary SWOT analysis: Strength: ?Purchasing an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) would help to improve the warehouse, by purchasing an automated storage and retrieval system it is a great solution for CanGo’s handling inventory in a more effective and efficient manner. ?CanGo has had tremendous growth over the past couple of years. CanGo has also been recogni zed for as one of the fastest growing small business in the Hudson Valley. CanGo is continually looking to venture out into other areas, in an effort of improving the overall organization. Weaknesses: ?One of the biggest issues is the fact that CanGo does not have a Vision and Mission Statement. Without a vision and mission the organization does not have a clear direction of the organization. ?CanGo is also missing a Strategic plan, without a strategic plan there is no roadmap for growth and prosperity. Strategic planning will help you foresee and react quickly to market changes and opportunities.CanGo should conduct these strategic plans routinely, by doing so it helps you to see opportunities earlier and set up contingency plans so threats are minimized. ?Lack of a system analysis and programmer is also a weakness for CanGo, in general a system analyst would ensure that the requirements set forth by the business are captured and documented correctly before the solution is develope d and implemented. Currently this is not happening for CanGo, so this is an area that needs to be addressed, without it CanGo would not have the knowledge of understanding how present and future business needs will impact the olutions and the implementation process. Opportunities: ?Investing in an in-house database that incorporates into an automated storage and retrieval system ASRS. Fully automated and integrated storage systems are the ultimate in warehouse management and efficiency. They allow for complete integration of the company’s ERP software with warehouse retrieval storage system. Order picking is optimized and controlled. ?CanGo would also benefit from updating their website to reinforce corporate and brand identity, this would help their existing investment in marketing go further.This would allow for CanGo to advertise services and products, build customer relations through personalized services, they could also benefit by conducting market research through thei r website. The internet is a great opportunity for your business to compete on a much more level playing field with much larger businesses. Threats ?CanGo faces losing business from their website to other websites due to their web search taking too long, where the competition’s website is optimized and produces the results quicker Recommendations Issue 1: Marketing to the right customers and consumers is vital to every business.A company needs to know how to market to a certain target to attract their customers so they can sell their goods and create a profit from their inventory. CanGo built their success onluck and they never bothered to get into the details of how their company became successful. They are lacking important and vital information to keep their company successful. Since there is no marketing department in CanGo, I would suggest for them to hire an outside company to conduct their marketing research; I believe that they would benefit from this.The upper manage ment of CanGo should research the company that would best fit the job; perhaps choosing a company that specializes in the same industry as CanGo. There are many advantages to hiring an outside research company; they would be able to determine who the target customers are, where these customers are located, how to reach the target customers and exactly what type of product or services they are looking for. Once the marketing research company determines all of these issues, CanGo would be more effective in marketing their product.Issue 2: The fact that no one is tracking where the work is and who is supposed to be working on what can lead to many problems. Some employees may be doing more work than others because they are efficient and everything seems to land on their desk while others may be receiving credit for work they are not doing. In the video we saw that Nick was tasked out with creating a process flow chart, but he passed it on to someone else, and that some one pass it down to two more people. I believe in fair and equal work between team members so they should break down the work prior to initiating any task.There is nothing wrong with helping your teammates but not do the work for them. Passing work like that can also lead to it getting misplaced. They should use a flow chart to track where the work is. A Gantt chart or a document flow chart seem like a perfect fit for this occasion. The document flow chart will trace the process flow chart document through the system to avoid it getting lost. Losing information can also lead to the loss of secret or personal information. It can be very costly and time consuming to redo all the work that was lost.No one wants to redo what he or she already did. Issue 3: CanGo has been experiencing issues where customers are browsing the website and even selection items to purchase and placing them in their check-out cart; however the customers are leaving the website without making their purchases. It appears that t he customers are experiencing issues regarding making purchases from the website. C&G consultants have a number of recommendations to enhance the shop experience on CanGo’s website. One of the reasons may be due to trust.With internet connection, people want instant gratification. If your sale process is not hassle-free, many customers will go elsewhere. In order to keep customers coming back and to making purchases, CanGo needs to make sure that it is easy to navigate throughout the website, such as making sure that when a customer click on an item it loads up in a timely fashion, time counts, when shopping on websites. Other things that could enhance the website are having a clean and professional design; your home page has a huge impact on visitors.I would also include a search box that is user friendly, this way customers can locate items that they are interested in quickly. Online customer service is another feature that would enhance business, if customers wanted to cha t about checkout problems, this could prevent cart abandonment. Not only can live support help customers figure out your site, locate products or ask questions, live chat can be reactive, where the system triggers a chat invitation based on user behavior. Last but not least there should be links to social networks, such as (Facebook, Twitter, etc. , all of these functionalities would enhance the customers visit to your website more inviting and pleasurable. Issue 4: At CanGo, there is an increase in customer complaints and returns, and before they bring in a new ASRS system and spend more money, they need to correct the customer issues beforehand. If customers are not satisfied with CanGo products or the way they are handling the ordering process, then complaining is a good way for CanGo to realize they are doing something wrong, so they can fix it.In order to keep loyal CanGo customers as well as gain more, the company needs to address where the customers complaints are coming from . This could be from the website not being user-friendly or the customer is not getting enough feedback and going through with the purchase. If the customer does go through with the purchase, then CanGo seems to be getting more returns of the merchandise bought through the website.What CanGo needs to do is to start at the beginning to to look at the company through the eyes of the customer, and they need to figure out the best way to have the customer feel great and good about their purchases from step one of the buying process to the final purchasing stage of the process. Issue 5: Website optimization is very important to online businesses, when a customer makes a search on the website they do not want to have to wait long periods for the results.To improve the issue with the long search times they need to optimize their website and use website compression, this will allow the website to run much faster and produce the quicker results that the customers are wanting. Issue 6: To sol ve is issue with where the employees that are pickers will go once the ASRS system is implemented is simple, they can look at areas that have performance and possibly quality issues and they can place these employees there as opposed to terminating them. By placing these employees in these â€Å"problem† areas, this can increase the productivity of these areas increasing more work flow.Reference Monique. (2012, January 23). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://upandrunning. bplans. com/2012/01/23/the-benefit-of-market-research/ Best practices for speeding up your web site. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://developer. yahoo. com/performance/rules. html CanGo Video Week 3&4. (2012, November 11). Retrieved from DeVry University: www. devryu. net Harris, D. (n. d. ). Types of Flow Charts. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from eHow: www. ehow. com/about_5061018_types-flowcharts. html CanGo Videos Weeks 3&4. 2012, November 19). Retrieved from DeVry University: www. devryu. net Center for simplified Strategic Planning. (2011, November). Simplified strategic planning. Retrieved November 2012, from The best ways to reward employees: www. cssp. com/http:;www. entrepreneur. com/article/753340 CanGo Videos Weeks 3&4. (2012, November 19). Retrieved from DeVry University: www. devryu. net Top 10 Things Customers Expect from Your Online Store. (2012, 11 20). GetEelastic. Retrieved from http://www. getelastic. com/customer-expectations/