The Myth Of King Arthur Essays - Mythological Kings, Welsh Mythology

The Myth Of King Arthur There has been a lot of material written about King Arthur and his court. He has been a popular figure in literature for over 800 years. People believe he was only a myth and some people believe he was an actual person. Not a lot of information on King Arthur is fact; most is fictional from many types of writers. The earliest reference of Arthur is the poem Gododdin (A.D. 600) also Historia Bitton by Nennius (A.D.800). In Sir Thomas Mallory's Novel Le Morte D'Arthur, people receive a good idea on how he worked and how the life back then was. Many stories have been written and tales have been told of King Arthur but stories can't be proven to be true. There are many different versions and many different styles and languages written about King Arthur. Welsh, Italian, Celtic, and Arabian, are just a few types of origins from where Arthur has traveled. It is believed that Arthur was a fifth-century British king also named Rithoamus (meaning high king)1. The historic Arthur lived in the mists of the dark ages. From the encyclopedia of Arthurian Legends, Arthur was not a medieval king. It is believed that he was a fifth century chieftain who protected his people . Arthur changes from a God-like Celtic king, to a monarch, to an ordinary man. There are many different opinions as of whom King Arthur was. King Arthur appeared as a national hero in Geoffrey of Monmouth's book called Historia Regum Britanniea (meaning, History of The Kings of Britain). Many of the legends told about Arthur and the round table take place in the castle of Camelot. This is to be believed to have been Cadbury Castle. This is near Somerset. There is no evidence that a little castle, Camelot, existed. There is evidence; however, that there was a castle in the large hill, inside the outer walls, believed to be Camelot. Arthur was a wonderful leader and a terrific fighter. When fighting, Arthur based his strategies on his hill forts, and mounted commando's. It is said that Arthur fought wars that gave him power over Britain, Ireland, and France. After he gained control, he made his claim of the Roman Empire. Many of the wars he fought were against the Saxons. Arthur was a great Calvaryman. Sir Thomas Mallory's Book, Le Morte D' Arthur-, one of the worlds famous books about Arthur, his court, and his life, is very important to young readers in all different countries. This is a very important book, and contains immense details on how life was back in those years. In The Book, Le Morte D' Arthur, written By Sir Thomas Mallory, tells the story of King Arthur. In this tale of King Arthur, King Uther Pendragon is his father 2. King Arthur's father Uther Pendragon died while in his bed 3. Uther Pendragon died when Arthur was two years old. King Arthur received his title, king, by pulling Excalibur out of the stone. People in the country looked upon him as his king because he had the power to pull the sword out. In Mallory's book, Arthur is the great king of Britain. Arthur conquers Rome and was the founder of the Knights of the Round Table. Many people saw Arthur as a pure and flawless man, however, he commits incest and adultery with his Queen Margause and conceives with her bastard Sir Modred, whom Arthur tries to drown. King Arthur finally marries Gwynevere, who he later sentences to death 4. He sentences her to burn because of adultery. Mallory's Novel was one of the greatest works published and a wonderful piece to read if one is interested in learning more about Arthur and his court. Another important writer was a Welsh writer, Geoffrey of Monmouth, who also wrote in detail about King Arthur and his life. His piece of writing was called Historia Regum Britanniea, (which means, History of the Kings of Britain). The two pieces of writing differ in ways. Geoffrey was a Welsh cleric. It's been suggested that Geoffrey took Arthur as his last name because it was his father's name. It may not be going too far to believe that Geoffrey's fascination with

Marketing plan for Aleve

Marketing plan for Aleve Using Aleve now that Vioxx and Bextra have been taken off the market Company overview Aleve is a drug that is produced by Bayer HealthCare LLC. This company operates all over the world. It has its headquarters in Leverkusen Germany. The company operates in over a hundred countries in the world and employs over a hundred and ten thousand individuals throughout its channels of operation (Mackenzie, 2011b, para.2). The company deals in a variety of products that are further grouped into different divisions.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Marketing plan for Aleve specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These include Animal health, Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Care and Medical care (Mackenzie, 2011a, para.1). The headquarters of these divisions are located differently. The division of Pharmaceuticals and Animal health are based in Germany whereas those of consumer car and medical care are found in the US, (Bayer Healthcar e, 2011b, para.1). Aleve is a product in the consumer care category. The company makes use of the local companies in the different parts of world where it has its establishment to help in product distribution. These local companies liaise with the local authorities and other regulators to ensure that the company operates within the legal procedures for business. Executive summary of a marketing plan Bayer HealthCare LLC is a company that deals in a variety of health products for human and animals as well (Mackenzie, 2011b, para.1). The company was established in 1863 by Friedrich Bayer and Johann Friedrich Weskott as a dyestuff factory. The company has seen various developments to be the current dealer in health products. The company’s clients are human patients as well as animal keepers. It currently deals in a range of products that are doing well in the market. The company had massive sales in the last financial year. The best sold product last year was Betaferon ®/ Beta seron ® with sales of about â‚ ¬1206 million (Bayer healthcare, 2011a). Aleve was one of the twenty best selling products of the company last year with total sales of â‚ ¬273 million (Bayer healthcare, 2011a). The company has been out to provide quality health care products for human and animal health. It has been the concern of the management to provide products that conform to health requirements as provided by legislation on health matters. This is aimed at positioning their products well above the others in the markets. To improve on the overall sales, the company has made improvements on certain products in the consumer care division. The new products will be available in qualities and quantities that are considered improvements on the previous product.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company shall adopt a marketing strategy that will be u sed to expos the new product in the market and increase sales. The plan will go for one year after which it may be adopted depending on the performance. Description of the target market Aleve is in a pharmacological class of drugs called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Aleve is used to relieve pain and inflammation of the body tissues. Aleve can be used for minor aches, pains, or fever. It is appropriate for the managing pain in arthritis, tendonitis, menstrual camps, gouts, and many others (Drugs.com, 2011, para.2). Thus, the targeted customers for the products are the individuals with such problems. The dosage for this product also differs depending on the nature of the health problem to be managed. Aleve drug has side effects and it is not recommended for use by some groups of individuals. These include young children, pregnant mothers, and nursing mothers. These groups are not included in the target market. The drug is also not recommended for use by individuals with history of heart problems, stroke, high blood pressure, liver or kidney disease, asthma, or bleeding disorder. These individuals may use the drugs under the directions of a physician (Drugs.com, 2011, para.7). Due to the probable side effects even on the recommended users, there is a need to take the dosage as directed by the physician. The medication should not be taken in large quantities and neither should it be used for a long period. In the event that the drug has to be used for a long time, there is need to consult with the doctor who will check if there are side effects following the prolonged use of the drug. Description of the competitors Competition in consumer care products is intensified by factors like the prices of the drugs, their availability to the customers, their suitability and effectiveness in pain relief, and their side effects on the users. Some of the key competitors include Pfizer, Johnson Johnson, and BASF SE among others (Mackenzie, 2011b, para.3). T he companies would always want to medical drugs that have little or no side effects on the users.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Marketing plan for Aleve specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The contraindications will also limit the individuals who would use the drugs thereby narrowing the market. The dosages of the different drugs also differ among individuals. This necessitates packaging in different sizes to accommodate all the users. The company that issues products in varying sizes will have a better market than the others with fixed package sizes will. Several health products were available that can be used for the relief of pain just like Aleve. Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra fall in a category of drugs called Cox-2 inhibitors. These fall in a broader category termed as Non-Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that also include Aleve (Drugs.com, 2011, para.1). Fortunately, some of these products have been eliminated in the market following the adverse side effects that they had on the users. Some of the drugs that have been eliminated in the market had fixed packages that were to be used by every individual regardless of the level of the pain and other factors like body weight that determine dosage. Drugs like Bextra were associated with serious side effects like severe skin reactions that would result into deaths (Cohen, 2004, para.4) the drug is also contraindicated on the individuals who are allergic to sulfa drugs. The drugs have been found to be no better than the old NSAIDs. Drugs like Bextra came in one size that was to be used for everyone. This is different from the older NSAIDs that came in different sizes. It is important to recognize the fact that contraindications of drugs have a high association with the dosage. The contraindication can be reduced by using the lowest dosage that is allowed (Cohen, 2004, para.7). This is achievable if there are smaller packs of the drugs. With the differential packaging, individuals are able to get the lowest dosage for the relief of their pain and inflammation. Description of product or services The company has understood the changing trend in the market for the consumer care product. It has noted some of the weaknesses that saw some competing products being withdrawn from the market. Drugs like Celebrex had effects similar to Vioxx and Bextra creating a possibility of withdrawal as well. The company has improved on its manufacturing processes to reduce the contraindications of the drugs.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company produces various brands of Aleve (Naproxen) namely Aleve, Anaprox, EC-Naprosyn, Naprelan, and Naprosyn (Drugs.com, 2011). However, the company has opted to center more on the production of two main brands Anaprox and Naprosyn. The drugs will only be available as tablets. Due to the differential needs of the users, the two brands shall be provided in varying sizes. The sizes will be 200mg, 300mg, or 400mg. The smallest size is a reduction of the initial tablets that were 220g. The physiological effects of the drugs have been fully established and the drugs could be obtained over the counter. Cases of minor aches and pain can be managed by the drug without a prescription from the doctor as long as the user follows the directives that accompany each package. However, there are certain individuals who have to consult a physician even for the management of a minor ache by these drugs. These include individuals who have history of a heart problem, hypertension, asthma, stroke, respiratory problems, or other related disorders. The drug need not be used by patients who have undergone some surgical operation related to the heart and neither should the drugs be used before such operations. All conditions under which the drugs cannot be used are provided as user directives attached to the packs of the drugs. Marketing budget The current products to be promoted in the market are improvements on the previous products that the company has been dealing in. To get the clients to understand the improvements on the products require an extensive advertisement and product promotions. Much appeal on the adverts will emphasize on the improved contraindication of the drugs on patients and their availability in smaller packages that could be used for any level of dosage. The nature of this appeal requires more of a visual impression. In this regard, the company has scheduled to use four main modes of advertisement. The first priority will be given to advertisement on tele vision. This will be followed by advertisement on press (newspapers and magazines). The other batch of the advertisement funds shall be channeled to internet advertisement. Lastly, the company will have a direct communication with the potential clients to notify them of the latest development of the products. The advertisement through the different media will be carried extensively in the first month following the launch of the new products. During the first month, the company will also provide offers for purchases of large amounts of the drugs. Products like Aleve T-Shirts, drinking water, washing soaps and body lotion will be provided for purchases worth â‚ ¬20 or more. The company will also sponsor an athletics competition drawing key participants from all over the world. The event that is scheduled to take four days will be held in the first week of the marketing period at the headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany. The company has set aside â‚ ¬40 million for the purpose of advertisements, sales promotion, and the athletics championships. The amounts shall be distributed among the different tasks as follows: Amounts in millions Advertisement on television†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â‚ ¬12.5 Advertisements on newspapers and magazines†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â‚ ¬8.0 Advertisement through Internet†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..â‚ ¬5.0 Direct mails†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â‚ ¬5.0 Product offers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â‚ ¬2.0 Athletics championships †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â‚ ¬10.0 Other expenses†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â‚ ¬2.5 An allowance of â‚ ¬2.5 million is put aside for the other expenses that might emerge in the marketing period. It could be used for filling the gaps caused by a deviation in the estimated expenses. Other adjustments might also be made depending on the circumstances that will be identified in the due course. Description of location The company (commonly termed as Bayer Group) has locations in the five different continents in the world. It has major offices at its headquarters in Germany and in the United States. There are retail stores in over 100 countries in the world with some 315 operating companies (Mackenzie, 2011b, para.1). The products are readily available in these retail stores. There are arrangements with the local companies to distribute the products to clients in different parts of a given country. The clients that require large amounts of drugs like health institutions can be served easily through this mode. The company has also established an online retail shop. Through this mode, a client can order for products from any part of the regions online. By quoting the order quantity and the physical address, the management of the company will arrange for shipment of these products from the regional retail stores to the clients. All the transactions of this purchase will be carried out online. The clients may be required to take part in the distribution depending on their physical location from the company’s nearest retail store. Pricing strategy The company will offer products at relatively competitive prices. The products will be available in packets containing 100 tablets of each of the sizes (200mg, 300mg, and 400mg). A 200gm packet will go for â‚ ¬6.0; a packet of 300gm will be available at â‚ ¬8.5 whereas a packet containing 400gm tablets will go for â‚ ¬10. A 5% discount will be provided for cash sales throughout the first month of the new pro duct in the market. Another 5% discount will be provided for large purchases throughout the product’s period in the market. Summary and implementation There are competitors all over the world that deals in the same drugs. For instance, there are companies producing painkillers in countries like India. These provide challenges to the operations of the company in those regions. With the identification of the trend in the health products and making the necessary adjustments, the new products are bound to perform well in the market. The varying sizes of the tablets are and the subsequent differential prices will provide a strong advantage to the products over the competitors. The promotional strategy is developed depending on the popularity of the media and the kind of information that is to be delivered. The strategy is likely to expose the improved products to the targets. The sports event drawing individuals across the globe will attract a global audience thereby adding on the popularity of the products. With the proper management at, these advertisement and promotion, strategies will be implemented and the marketing objectives achieved. The new products will be launched at the beginning of the last quarter of this year (October 1, 2011) and the plan will be used for a period of one year. A sales analysis will be performed in the first two months after the launch. Sales report will be obtained from twenty retails stores form each of the continents. The retail stores will be selected to ensure that the different regions are presented to provide information that is more reliable. The progress of the plan towards achieving the marketing objectives will be revealed by this sales analysis. A significant deviation from the set targets will require an intervention by the sales team. References Bayer HealthCare. (2011a). Bayer HealthCare Products. Web. Bayer HealthCare. (2011b). Bayer HealthCare Worldwide. Web. Cohen, J. (2004). What Now for Users of Vioxx, Cele brex, and Bextra? MedicationSense.com. Web. Drug.com. (2011). Aleve Consumer Information. Web. Mackenzie, K. (2011a). Bayer HealthCare AG. Hoover’s Company Records, p. 116564. Austin. Retrieved from Proquest. Mackenzie, K. (2011b). Bayer AG. Hoover’s Company Records. Austin. p. 41808 Retrieved from Proquest.

Presenting the Gospel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Presenting the Gospel - Essay Example For the secular humanist I would take a different approach. Secular humanists are people who do not believe in God or have turned away from him. I would read to them Roman 1:16. I would also tell them about Jeremiah was one of the great prophets of the Holy Bible. He probably lived in the 6th century B.C. Jeremiah is famous as "the broken-hearted prophet," whose sad life, and prophecies of dire warning to the Jews went largely unheeded. God reportedly told Jeremiah, â€Å"You will go to them; but for their part, they will not listen to you.† Many hundred of years later he is still famous as a powerful prophet and man of God. With a better understanding of Christian history, they would get a better sense of the gospel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some people to this day think of Jeremiah as a kind of prophet of doom whose life was given over to telling people how terrible the destruction of their city was going to be. There is something in this idea. But Jeremiah was more significant than a simple doomsayer. He also believed people had turned away from God and should turn back to him. He also said in his prophesies that the destruction of Jerusalem and the terribleness of the wars to be fought would be transitory; the people of Israel would be able to eventually get through them and find themselves in a better place sometime in the future. As such, there was a hopefulness about this famous

Demand and supply theory Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Demand and supply theory - Term Paper Example Thus, for the exchange of interests (expressed in terms of goods and services) to occur, demand and supply has to exist, but at some costs. From the field of academia to industrial circles, the basic premises of supply and demand are integrated into the daily actions of the society. To be sure, the theoretical mastery of economics depends much on the understanding of the theory at hand (Gandolfi, Gandolfi, and Barash 5-6). The theory of demand and supply is, therefore, an organization principle that coordinates the production of goods and services (in quantities, often referred to as output) to satisfy societal needs through the market (price) mechanism. Intuitively, the price mechanism functions in a perfectly competitive environment to maintain equilibrium of compensation to goods and services delivered by suppliers (supply side) and paid for by the consumers (demand side). The theory of demand and supply applies best to a theoretically free market structure in which no group of bu yers or sellers holds the power to set market prices. Accordingly, the theory has two sides: the demand side and the supply side, which both function in the interest of the social needs. For a given commodity delivered in the market for exchange, demand measures the quantity that buyers would be willing and able to acquire at a unit price (Gandolfi, Gandolfi and Barash 17). According to the theory, all consumers are rational decision makers who seek to maximize their utility by choosing the "best" bundle (in terms of quantity) of goods that their money (income) can buy (Silberberg and Suen 252–254). Noteworthy, the two units of measurements in the theory of demand are inversely related; a relationship that sums up the law of demand. That is, ceteris paribus, any increase in the price of a commodity in a purely competitive market environment lowers the number of people (buyers) willing to buy the product. Higher product prices in this case may cause a massive shift by consumer s towards more relatively cheaper substitute commodities; a scenario summarized in economics as price substitution effect. Conversely, consumers’ purchasing power acquired through a reduction in the price of a commodity offered for sale in the market increases their ability to buy the product with a possible consequential effect of a massive shift from other commodities considered expensive (income effect). It is important to note that the changes in product prices as well as the quantities along the demand curve occur with all other determinants predominantly held constant (constrained utility maximization) (Samuelson 79). That is, there are many other factors such as income, tastes and preferences, prices of substitute goods among others that occasionally come into play to affect demand of a given product or service. A change in the amount of income, for instance, shifts the demand curve either to the left or right depending on whether the change in income is negative or po sitive respectively. A sample shift in demand curve due to a decrease in income is shown in the diagram below. Supply on the other hand measures the quantity of commodities made available for exchange at a unit price in the market by sellers (Gandolfi,

Silvio Napoli Case Summary Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Silvio Napoli Summary - Case Study Example Being a general manger, he should understand the difference between being disciplined and over burdening and suffocating to the other team members and employees (Sullivan, 2013). Napoli needed to show Flexibility according to the culture and needs of the country in which he was trying to set up business. Schindler made the right choice in sending Napoli to India, as they wanted someone young and innovative in approach to be there as compared to a veteran, as they wanted him to take bold decisions. As Napoli himself recalls that it was an ideal opportunity, but not an ideal situation given to him to adapt and make a bright career for himself; â€Å"Mr. Napoli, if you fall on your face here you are finished! But if you succeed, you will have a very nice career† (Flagan, Yoshino & Bartlett, 2006). Napoli was young and energetic and knew the project from scratch. He had been conducting research into the Indian market and was also important in terms of social capital as he understood the market and prospects better, for he had travelled to India three times for the project (Flagan, Yoshino & Bartlett, 2006). Napoli even demonstrated inflexibility in the business plan when he did not leave room for any customization allowance leading to the major problem faced in terms of Indian market; where there was constant demand for customization (Flagan, Yoshino & Bartlett, 2006). He should have been flexible and insightful to change (Sullivan, 2013) and should have tried to find out why glass wall elevators were being ordered? Napoli demonstrated good managerial skills when he hired a local management team who were fully aware of the local business cultures and market; at the same time displaying that he had no faith in the choices they made (Sullivan, 2013) and got angry when they accepted an order for glass wall elevator. He should

Investigate the impact of video gaming on society to determine whether it leads to aggressive, violent, anti-social behaviour

Investigate the impact of video gaming on society to determine whether it leads to aggressive, violent, anti-social behaviour Abstract Video games have become one of the favorite activities of adolescents worldwide. A growing body of research is linking video game play to violent, aggressive and anti-social behavior. The purpose of this study was to Investigate the impact of video gaming on society to determine whether it leads to aggressive, violent, anti-social behavior. The first aim of this study was to document the different type of video games and how they work through electronic devices and also to examine associations among video game exposure and the impact it has on school grades and obesity levels. The second aim was to indentify factors which lead to violent, aggressive and anti-social behavior and the extreme lengths in which advertisers and players reach to enjoy the benefits of video games. In addition this study also presents brief outline of the current ratings and censorship on video games in Australia. The overall result of the study revealed that adolescents who expose themselves to greater amounts of video game violence were more were more likely to perform more poorly in school and increase obesity levels. The research also suggested that exposure to violent video games may increase angry and hostile feelings while interacting with peers, teachers and adults. Other results include that the encouragement of violence and the use of weapons like guns, knives, pipes and bombs in video games can ultimately lead to real life situations of violence. The study also goes to length by examining some video games which have been banned due the violent and inappropriate content. The study altogether reveals that modern technology for example video games have an association with many current issues in society like violence, obesity and the extreme addict adolescent have to video games. Section One: Introduction The impact of video games has become a controversial issue in modern times. The gaming industry has grown enormously through the evolution of modern consoles, games and accessories. The hype that surrounds new technology and technology gadgets is unprecedented even in the world of gamers. Video games now play a huge role in society affecting many people around the globe. According to many studies, Video games can increase aggressive behavior and emotional outbursts and decrease inhibitions in many people. (Kardaras 2008). Teenagers are mostly affected by video games because nowadays in many of the richer countries it is perceived as a necessity in their lives, rather than a privilege. This paper provides an investigation into the impact of video gaming on society to determine whether it leads to aggressive, violent, anti-social behaviour. For the purpose of this examination the information has been broken up into six sections. The first section examines what video games are and the different types of games found in the gaming industry. Next I look at how video games have an impact on society and then the possible factors which lead to aggression, violence and anti-social behaviour. Section five explores how video games have been used to form a second life. The final section will discuss how effectively game ratings restrict anti-social and adult content The information presented in the first three sections is instrumental for the factors which lead to aggression, violence and anti-social behavior. There is no question that video games have an impact on society and it has become a huge problem in recent years. One thing that is certain is that the gaming industry is growing rapidly which increases the impact of video games on the society. Section Two: What are video games and the different type of video games? A video game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The electronic systems used to play video games are known as platforms .There are many different platforms which video games can be played on. These are personal computers and video game consoles. These platforms range from large computers to small handheld devices (Video Game 2009) Video game platforms have become very common in households around the world. The Australian Bureau of Statistics completed an extensive investigation into the Australian Gaming industry and the results clearly show that gaming is widespread in society and that it continues to grow. Some of their findings include: The Australian games industry is worth an estimated $140 million per year Australians spend over A$2 million per day on interactive computer games Annual compound growth of the industry is 12.3% 12.5 million games were sold in 2006 6.1million video game consoles have been sold since 2000 3.6million Australian households have a video game console 4.8million Australian households have an internet enabled PC which is capable of playing games (Booker 2008) The platforms continue to evolve and become more and more sophisticated with time. Some platforms have been designed so that a gamer can access their video games at any time; for example with the PSP (play station portable) a gamer is able to carry his console around with him/her anywhere. The Wii console set a new precedent for the gaming world, trying to create a physical gaming experience. When it was released in December 2006 it was the fastest selling gaming console in Australian history, In the first four days of its launch in December 2006, 32,901 Wii units were sold nationwide (Moses 2006). It bought a new dimension to the industry; its main selling point was that it had games that allowed gamers to exercise reducing the need for outside activity and trying to curb obesity. Due to the revolution of new game consoles there are many different types of games which are being played these days. These games range from action to puzzle to driving games. According to Caruana, Caruana and Bruner 2009 the seven different types of game that can be identified are action, adventure and role playing, arcade, strategy, simulation, driving and puzzle games. Action games usually have a large amount of violence due to their fast-paced nature. Many of these games fall under the category of mature rated games which are inappropriate for children. Some games are milder but may contain suggestive themes. Action games may allow the user to play person against person or person against animal/alien. Some examples of such problematic games include Halo, Star Wars, Jedi Knight and Enter the Matrix (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Adventure and role playing games are usually less graphic than action games and typically have an element of surrealism and fantasy. Many times these games are combined with a role playing element and allow the character to initiate dialogue. These adventure and role playing games are designed to be less intense than action games; they often do include violence. These games tend to be among the most addictive due to the narrative fantasy themes. Examples of this genre are Starfox Adventures and Billy Hatcher. (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Arcade games can be almost anything from the violent Street Fighter to the classic Pacman. This category includes games that cover the entire spectrum of ratings. Many older arcade games have been updated and turned into 3-D. Some examples are Pacman and Soul Caliber 2. (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Strategy games most often involve tactical movement of troops and/or players. These games may be warfare based or may be as simple as chess. The content of many of these games can be appropriate for children but they tend to be difficult to play. Combat is often slower paced and allows time for strategic thinking. Some examples are Advanced Wars I II and Chessmaster 2000 (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Simulation games are often aircraft simulations. You get to fly a jet or a helicopter. Most have nothing more to them than the destruction of enemies; rarely do they use excessive language. Some games in this category include Secret Weapons Over Normandy and SimCity. (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Driving games are most often racing, but some are also crash derby or mission-based. Players usually get a choice of car and get better and better cars over time. Some of these games are Project Gotham Racing, ATV Offroad Fury, and the highly offensive Grand Theft Auto. (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Puzzle games are rated for everyone. They all involve thinking and logic skills. A common puzzle game is Tetris. Many others are Tetris-like or involve color matching skills. Many games incorporate puzzle aspects but are not true puzzles. Some of the puzzle-incorporating games fall under Action or Role-Playing games. (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Section Three: How do video games have an impact on society? Adolescents and children are the groups most exposed to video games. They are at such crucial stages in their development and highly influenced by their environment which is why they are deliberately targeted time and time again by the gaming industry and advertisers. It is a common belief in society that they are becoming increasingly exposed to games that cause some to become violent, aggressive and antisocial. According to Gentile, Lynch, Linder and Walsh (2004) the average child in the USA aged 2-17 years old plays video games for seven hours a week. This average masks wide differences between boys and girls and children of different ages. There is a gender difference in the number of hours spent playing games. In modern studies it has been shown that adolescent girls played video games for an average of five hours a week whereas boys averaged thirteen hours a week. The two aspects of video game use that are of interest are the amount of time involved and the content. With respect to content, researchers have been most interested in violent games compared with non-violent games. Although not all studies have differentiated between violent and non-violent content this is an important distinction as it is likely that the effects of amount of play and the content of games may be independent of each other. For example most evidence suggests that amount of play affects school performance whereas violent content affects aggressive outcomes (Gentile, Lynch, Linder Walsh 2004). Although Greg Thom reports that The games which have the most positive impact on users are educational games which help users with the enhancement of visual and communication skills (Thom 2009). A good indicator of the negative effects of video games is its impact on school and grades. School performance is very essential for many adolescents and their families all around the world. Performance at school will offer more opportunities for the students in the future. While students are provided with these opportunities for the future many adolescents around the world choose to spend hours on video games rather than focusing on studies. Video games can have some positive aspects but studies have shown a negative association between the amount of video game playing and school performance for children, adolescents and college students. Games can be played in moderation but for many who are avid gamers it becomes more important than other things that they should be focusing on. Studies show a fairly consistent negative connection between leisure video game play and grades. For example, high-school students who report spending more time playing video games or who report spending more money on video games had poorer grades in English classes. This indicates the huge impact it has on students because students are addicted to the enjoyment of different games. The content of the games being played certainly could affect the relationship between amounts of play and school performance (Gentile, Lynch, Linder Walsh 2004) However, regardless of content the amount of play could affect grades negatively by displacing time spent in other educational and social activities. This suggests that electronic media can influence learning and social behavior by taking the place of activities such as reading, family interaction and social play with peers. If the average child plays video games for seven hours week, those are seven hours that the child is not engaged in reading, homework or participating in creative activities. The content of the games being played certainly could affect the relationship between amounts of play and school performance The overall impact that video games has on students affects them both mentally (addiction of the game) and physically (lack of movement and exercise). Video games become a necessity in their lives leading them to forget other responsibilities like school and social interaction. As shown before with the impact of video games on school performance affecting adolescents, it can be said that adolescents are also affected by video games through the increasing obesity levels. Numerous studies have shown that sedentary behaviours like watching television and playing computer games are associated with increased prevalence of obesity(Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh Merchan 2005) The cause of teenage obesity is generally because of lack of physical activity combined with unhealthy eating habits. Society has become very inactive especially adolescents because they have become addicted to video games which becomes part of their daily routine rather than their regular exercise. Adolescents spend hours sitting in front of computers, video games or televisions. One survey showed 43% of adolescents play video games for more than two hours games per day (Teen Obesity Statistics 2009). Obese teenagers may also suffer from depression which can lead to a viscous circle of staying at home watching TV, snacking and gaining more weight feeling worse about themselves (Teen Obesity Statistics 2009). This cycle attracts people to play video games because it can be played at home and they are able to snack during their games. It harms a video gamer both mentally and physically which further increase obesity levels. Obesity is one of the biggest unsolved issues around the world with USA having the highest obesity levels in their population. According to research, 14% of adolescents in the United States are overweight. This figure has nearly tripled in the last 20 years (Teen Obesity Statistics 2009). This clearly indicates that obesity is an enormous problem for adolescents in the USA and countries with advanced technologies such as video games consoles like the PS3, PSP and Xbox 360. Section Four: Factors which lead to aggression, violence and anti-social behavior. Violent video games have been a high discussion issue for many years now. Many violent video games have been linked back to aggressive, violent and anti social behavior, for many the line between reality and fantasy is lost through their addiction. For many gamers they are able to live out their fantasies for example in the game Second Life in this game players are able to live their fantasies to the point where they can no longer make the distinction between whats real and whats not. Even though the games on their own dont make a person aggressive violent or anti-social they are still a contributing factor. In modern times games are designed to be entertaining, challenging and sometimes educational. Many companies and advertisers want to push the boundaries, so games are released where it is better to kill people, attack police and drive dangerously, all illegal acts in real life. Recent content analyses of video games show that as many as 89% of games contain some violent content and that about half of the games include serious violent content towards other game characters. Therefore among the games being purchased and played by youth, a majority contain violence. The popularity of video game violence has driven much research on the possible harmful effects on children and adolescents. (Gentile, Lynch, Linder Walsh 2004). Although violent video game exposure is related to negative social outcomes, some experimental work suggests that video game exposure independent of content is related to improvements in certain types of cognition and learning. (Barlett, Anderson and Swing, 2008) With some research for positive outcomes of video games, the negative outcomes are clearly more evidence of negative outcomes through surveys and analysis. For example a meta-analysis by Anderson and Bushman (2001) found that across 54 independent tests of the relation between video game violence and aggression, involving 4262 participants, there appear to be five consistent results of playing games with violent content. Playing violent games increases aggressive behaviors, increases aggressive awareness, increases aggressive emotions, increases physiological arousal and decreases pro-social behaviors. These effects are strong and have been found in children and adults, in males and females and in experimental and non-experimental studies. These modern games due to consumer demands are made to have violent and disturbing scenes in them. Research by Anderson has suggested that exposure to violent video games may increase angry and hostile feelings while interacting with peers, teachers and adults which leads users to violent behavior. (Anderson et. al. 2004) Perhaps the best example of violent video games influence over adolescents is the case of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. They opened fire in their Colorado high school in 1999, killing 13 people. Experts made a link back to the continuous playing of video games by these two young men. Reports revealed that Harris and Klebold played a lot of violent video games including Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Mortal Kombat. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold enjoyed playing violent video games and these games played a role in their violent acts at Columbine High School. Eric Harris had actually modified a version of the game Doom and placed it on his Website. In his version there were two shooters, extra weapons, and the other people in the game couldnt shoot back. Eric and Klebold essentially acted-out their version of Doom on innocent classmates (Holmes 2005). The dramatic rise in violent shootings by teenagers many of whom have been like to be play violent video games is fueling the argument that video game violence translates into real-world situations (Layton 2007). In many violent video games players are encouraged to actively participate as a character by choosing how they will interact with other characters including which weapons will be used while fighting or attacking other characters. Weapons often include guns, knives, pipes and bombs. (Anderson et. al. 2004) In cases of extreme violence like the case of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris as described above encouragement of violence in video games can ultimately lead to real life situations of violence. The addictive nature of video games can cause anti- social behavior. Often gamers can connect with people around the world without even meeting them or knowing who they really are. From the comfort of your own home, one can communicate via countless chatrooms, twitter, msn, facebook, email and my space; the list goes on and on. The easy access of the internet and the speed which one can do it eliminate the need to go out and socialise in order to meet people. Time spent on video games results in time lost socializing and interacting. Although reports by Greg Thom suggests fun games which encourages teamwork and friendship, can lay the groundwork for positive interaction between children, leading to better behavior and academic results show some positive connection with video games (Thom 2009). The negative linkage with video games is shown more with players spending hours alone on a video game which isolates them from the rest of the world physically, which weakens their social skills. Basic social functions are forgotten. The video game player does not know how to handle social behavior. One cause of the anti-social disorder is even more time spent in front of video games. Another cause is isolation, aggressiveness, and disregard for rules and regulations. An initial addiction of video games can easily turn into a psychological anti-social personality disorder (The Dark Side of the Internet). Section Five: Second Life: Escape from reality. The gaming world has developed enormously in the last ten years. Today there are virtual reality games invented for users to interact with other users online in a whole new world. Second Life is a program that has taken the world by storm. The second life offers similar worldly commitments like business, leisure and friendship. When there is a place to turn and virtually become anything you want to be, why would any user want to leave that fantasy life. This virtual world promotes itself as an escape from reality. Second Life is a 3D virtual world created by its residents thats bursting with entertainment, experiences and opportunity. The Second Life Grid provides the platform where the Second Life world resides and offers the tools for business, educators, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs to develop a virtual presence (Holmes 2005). The main in-world activity is the building of interactive objects using a scripting language that is theoretically designed to be simple enough for those with no previous programming experience. This fits in with Second Lifes stated goal of encouraging widespread group participation and creativity. Objects can be either donated to the world or can be brought for Linden Dollars the Second Life currency. Once you have been through the Second Life orientation a user will be able to explore the world of Second Life. There are so many things to do in Second Life. Just about anything you can do in real life you can do in Second Life. Some of these things which you can do in Second Life are shopping, partying, attending events and having sexual relationships. These types of activities make Second Life such a popular game because it allows users to live a life of fantasy and glamour. Although with all the fantasy of Second Life there has been cases were inappropriate actions have taken place. While Second Life has taken technology to new heights the platform also has been severely criticized for interesting many visitors and turning them into Internet addicts (Linden Lab 2009). The attraction of second life is that users can enter a world that would allow them to be whatever they want and have a life different to their real one. When one can turn into a millionaire with mansions and cars at their disposal, why would they want to go out into the real world. Section Six: Overview of ratings and censorship in Australia. The intention of a rating system is to restrict people from playing certain games. It is designed to provide users with adequate information to make informed decisions. However the current system is open to manipulation quite easily whether that be by corrupt retailers or careless parents. Games that are rated MA15+ or AO are at risk of falling into childrens hands. With pirated media rampant in society a game that is banned in your country could be located and downloaded from a destination where is has been released. Two of the main reasons that games are banned are because they promote anti-social behaviours and expose users to high violence and adult content. For example Marc Ecko Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure was banned, for amongst other things, its glorification of graffiti (List of banned games 2009). While one could argue that it is harmless, the fact remains that graffiti costs approximately 300 million each year in Australia, which families end up paying for with higher cost for services, rates and insurance premiums. Of the thirty three games that have been banned in Australia fourteen of them contained images that were deemed inappropriate for users and considering that the average age of a video gamer in Australia is 30 years old that is indicative of just how explicit the content is (List of banned games 2009). There are already issues in todays society with children being exposed to images/cultures which are not appropriate. The game, Phantasmagoria goes so far as to have a rape scene in it. Without censorship games like these that are highly inappropriate could easily make their way in to children hands. Ratings are vital because they are a tool by which companies must abide to produce a game that can be made available to the masses. However while it is possible to control the content of what hits the shelf, it is what happens once they have been bought that remains the issue. Section Seven: Conclusion The impact of video games is enormous and is increasingly affecting people around the world daily. From street fighter to FIFA 09 these games are impacting society through mental and physical conditions. People are becoming addicted to games and they are impacting some people in a way that they act like the characters they play in the games. In one case, a murder, as explained in the essay, was linked back to the playing of violent video games. Young people in society are mostly attracted to video games. Games with contain violent content and lead aggressive and anti-social behavior are reaching our childrens hands. One question which we should ask Are we to blame the video game companies for producing very harmful games, the parents for buying inappropriate games for their young children or the young people who play the games?. The impact of video games on society is evident with the gaming industry estimated to be worth millions and the development in technology over the years. The research revealed that an estimated 6.1million video game consoles have been sold since 2000.Video games impact society in many ways like school performance, obesity levels and violent behavior. Many games have been banned for there violent and inappropriate contain for example in Australia the game Phantasmagoria was because of its caused huge controversy with rape scenes in it. The issue of video games and there negative effects is evident as shown in the essay. The gaming world had has become so dominant that people are playing games more and more every day because of the releasing of different games daily. The adventure and role playing games were found to be among the most addictive due to the narrative fantasy themes. With new technology like PS3 players allowing the users to use the internet for daily purposes like online banking and shopping. The gaming world has come part of many peoples life and it has either affected them positively or negatively. In many cases gamers have been affected negatively with outcomes like violent, aggressive and antisocial behavior from the exposure to video games and there inappropriate contain in some cases. There is no definitive solution to the issue of gaming and the effect that it has one the user. There needs to be more regulation and parents should become more aware of what they are allowing their children to play. Ultimately, people need to be more conscious of separating the gaming world from the real world and try and maintain a reasonable balance between reality and fantasy. For many the line between reality and fantasy is lost through their addiction of gaming. Reference list: Anderson, C.A. Bushman, B.J 2001. Effects of violent games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychological Science, 12 , pp. 353-359. Anderson, C. A., Carnagey, N. ., Flanagan, M., Benjamin, A.J., Eubanks, J., Valentine, J. C. (2004). Violent Video Games: Specific Effects of Violent Content on Aggressive Thoughts and Behavior. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 36, p. 199-249. Barlett, C. P, Anderson C.A, Swing, E.L (2008) Video Game Effects- Confirmed, Suspected, and Speculative: A Review of the evidence, Simulation Gaming, vol. 40, pp. 337. Booker, L 2008, Australian Bureau of Statistics Releases Data On Local Games Industry, viewed 4 September 2009, http://www.kotaku.com.au/2008/04/australian_bureau_of_statistics_releases_data_on_local_games_industry/#. Caruana, V, Caruana, C Bruner O (2009), Types of Video Games, Focus on the Family, viewed 28 June 2009, http://www.focusonthefamily.com/entertainment/mediawise/parents_guide_to_video_games/types_of_video_games.aspx. Dehghan, M, Akhtar-Danesh, N Merchant, A. T (2005) Childhood obesity, prevalence and prevention, Nutrition Journal, vol. 4, pp.24 Familari, P 2009, Virtual games, real pain, Herald Sun, 3 October, p. 15. Gentile, D.A, Lynch, P.J, Linder, R.H Walsh, D.A 2004, The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance, Journal of Adolescence, vol. 27, pp. 5-22. Holmes, L 2005, Violent Video Games Produce ViolentBehavior, viewed 6 September 2009, http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/familyresources/a/vidgameviolence.htm. Kardaras, E 2008, The Effect of Video Games on the Brain, Serendip, viewed 2 September 2009, http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1742 Layton, J 2007, Do violent video games lead to real violence? , viewed 25 June 2009, http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/video-game-violence.htm. List of banned video games 2009, Wikipedia, viewed 28 July 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_video_games#Australia Linden Lab 2009, Linden Lab Research, viewed 2 September 2009, http://lindenlab.com/. MacDonald, A 2009, Violent video rating under scrutiny again, Hearld Sun, 28 September, p.20. Moses, A 2006, Wii breaks Xbox sales record, The Sydney Morning Herald, December 14. Teen Obesity Statistics 2009, Troubled Teen 101, viewed 4 September 2009, http://www.troubledteen101.com/articles42.html. The Dark Side of the Internet, A social, psychological and economic study of the positive and negative impact the internet has on children and families, viewed 27 June 2009, http://people.hamilton.edu/bhouse/DoWeEncourage/DoWeEncourage5.html. Thom, G 2009, Videos part of game plan for happy kids, Hearld Sun, December 10. Video Games 2009, Wikipedia, viewed 1 July 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_games#cite_note-0. Weinstein,B 2009, Second Lifes founder responds to criticism, MetaVerse Journal, viewed 4 September 2009, http://www.troymedia.com/NewsBeats/Technology_News_Beat/2009/06/TMC062609.htm.

Social Security at Gunpoint Essay -- American Government Politics Pape

Social Security at Gunpoint Nothing is born perfect. Numerous glorious concepts are born everyday, some survive some do not. Helping the citizens' through their hard times and even in their glory has been the effort for many governments in many countries in the last few milleniums. In the United States of America Social Security was conceptualized and then realized during the years of the Great Depression that divided and then reunited the country to prosper in the long run. Today Social Security is something that politicians make a lot of promises about in their campaign days, Congress has numerous debates on, and the people whose everyday living depend on the benefits they receive from Social Security have little hand on their own fates. The rise of the Social Security program in the U.S. owes mostly on some drastic demographic, political and economic changes. These altered the face and structure of the whole society, and also the living standard of many citizens. The industrial revolution caused massive urbanization. In 1890 it was 28% in 1930 it doubled to be 56% in a short period of time (Pre-Social Security Period, par. 30). Both of these together catalyzed the fall of the extended family system. The security that people enjoyed in such a family was also banished with it. Another noticeable fact in this period was the sudden increase in life expectancy. Because of all these reasons the chronically enhanced of that generation went through a sudden shock. There was no family to shelter and support them. Even though they survived, there were not enough jobs that they could have to support themselves, nor did they have any savings, which they could use during their retirement years. This worsening situation of the eld... ...ember 1999. Pars 560. 14 Sept. 1999. <http://www.ssab.gov> "How You Earn Credits." Social Security Administration. SSA Publication No. 05-10072. Jan 1999. Pars 26. 16 Sept. 1999. <http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10072.html> John Trollinger and Rich Hensley. "Save Social Security First Commitment Reflected In President Clinton's Financial Year 99 Budget Proposal For Social Security Administration." Social Security Administration. February 2, 1998. Pars 8. 16 Sept. 1999. <http://www.ssa.gov/press/budget_press.html> "Key Dates." Social Security Administration. 13 Sept. 1999. <http://www.ssa.gov/history/keydates.html> "Pre-Social Security Period." Social Security Administration. Pars 79. 16 Sept. 1999.<http://www.ssa.gov/history/early.html> "Presidential Quotes." Social Sceurity Online. 14 Sept 1999. <http://www.ssa.gov/history/wjcstate.html>

The Impact of Violent Media on Children

The Impact of Violent Media on Children Submitted to: Mme. Daisy R. De Jesus Submitted by: Kimberly Anne C. Cimafranca Javi Dawn A. Generoso Title: The Impact of Violent Media on Children Thesis Statement: Psychologists found that watching television is the single factor most closely associated with aggressive behavior. I. Introduction II. Description of Violent Media A. History B. Forms of Media 1. Lyrics 2. Television 3. Video Games III. Exposure to Violent Media A. Violent Video Games Exposure B. Violent Lyrics Exposure C. Violent Shows/Advertisements ExposureD. Juvenile Aggression 1. Cases Related to Media Violence 2. Theories Related To Media Violence 3. Factors Interacting with Youth IV. Effects of Violent Media A. Social Effects B. Psychological Effects V. Effective Ways in Trampling Media A. Methods on Approaching Children B. Government Policies to Benefit Children Viewers C. Parental Guidance 1. Curbing Children’s Television Habits VI. Conclusion I. Introduction Child ren would likely develop their violent characters from watching violent medias such as televisions, radios, video games, and magazines.According to the article â€Å"The Psychological Effects of Violent Media on Children† by Aimee Tompkins, there are three main impacts of bad medias. First, they become less aware to the hurt and sorrows of other people. Second, they would be more afraid of their environment. And lastly, they would be more argumentative. Although surveys say that harmful video games can make children become more quarrelsome to others, a few parents and psychologists believe that some kids gain some good things from it.The researchers of the paper believe that watching violent media either brings good or bad effects to children, depending on how see it. Everything that children see or hear in the media affects them in some ways. They imitate what the television portrays in cartoons, primetime and reality shows. Parents should limit their children’s expos ure to violent acts. Unfortunately, violence is the preeminent form of entertainment. Current research shows that violent media is related to aggressive behavior. Some of these risky behaviors include cruelty to others and lack of self-reproach to one’s mistakes.On the other hand, the media such as films, video games and televisions argue that violent children are attracted to these kinds of uptight entertainment. These people believe that a child, in order to exhibit actions they have seen on the big screen, must have been exposed to more than just programming. Violent situations are all too common in everyday entertainment and there are far less programming choices that are not. Even if the choices do exist, a research has proven that parents have no big idea what their children watch on television.Many parents are more lenient or less concerned about possible negative influences brought by these violent medias. Parents are also seen bringing their children to watch feature films not suitable for their young age. As parents, they should be attentive to the content of what these forms of media have and ask whether it is appropriate for their child’s age. And the writer’s of this paper also believe that parents who allow their children to be exposed to violent medias are the reason why their children become disrespectful and disobedient to them.A lot of research has been conducted and most of these concluded that children learn aggressive attitudes and behavior from the contents of violent media. The children take in everything of what are shown in television whether it is beneficial for them or may be damaging to their minds for they still do not understand reality from fantasy. Psychologists found that watching television is the single factor most closely associated with aggressive behavior. The question now is: â€Å"Does watching violent media cause children to be violent? † This is what the makers of this paper and as well as t he readers are going to find out.

When bullet points are a bad choice

When bullet points are a bad choice Why bullets wont make your case Bullets are designed to call out key points and help the reader scan large amounts of information. Or at least, thats the idea. You can start out with good intentions when you use them – youre probably trying to make life easier for your readers. Perhaps youre trying to create a document thats snappy, easy to understand, and that looks clean and modern. Unfortunately, in practice, bullet points can do the exact opposite. Endless bullets can be tedious to read. Theyve been around since the 80s, so they no longer automatically make a document look particularly modern. And when theyre used in the wrong context, theyre anything but easy to understand. One way that using bullets can badly misfire is when the author uses them to present an argument. A bullet list does not an argument make The theory: When you have a complex argument or analysis to explain, bullet points are a great idea. By breaking your argument into separate bullet points, you can make it easy to understand. Your reader just takes in each idea, one by one. The reality: This often doesnt work, largely because of what psychologists call the illusion of transparency. The illusion of transparency is the mistaken idea that whatever is going on in our own heads is obvious to other people. A classic demonstration of this is for one person to tap out a familiar tune (like Happy birthday or their national anthem) with their finger and then ask another person to guess the song. Try it for yourself. Think of a famous tune and tap it out to a friend or colleague. You will be amazed at how few people can correctly guess the song youre tapping out – experiments find that listeners guess correctly only around 3 per cent of the time. To you, it seems utterly obvious that youre tapping out a well-known tune. But the listener can only hear disconnected taps. Disconnected points Bullet points do exactly the same thing in writing. If you dont explicitly draw the connections between the ideas in your writing, you cant rely on your readers spotting the connections for themselves. The illusion of transparency reminds us that this is usually the case even when the connections between your bullet points are obvious to you. Of course, you can draw connections in ordinary running text. Our language is full of connective words that show the relationships between ideas. These include words like but, and, so, because, or, either and instead. But while you can (and probably naturally would) use words like these in regular structured prose to link your ideas, bullet points strip all of them away. And without them, you cant say – unequivocally – how ideas relate to each other. You cant talk about how or why a particular point is important – or not. And you cant expect your reader to fill in the blanks between your bullet points, as theyll often miss the links that seem obvious to you. Assemble the pieces You may have seen whole reports, proposals or emails that are little more than a list of bullets. The fact is, sometimes we might reach for bullet points as an alternative to fully planning out what it is were trying to say. It can be tempting, especially under time pressure, to try to skip over this part of the process and leave our reader to put the pieces together. But simply laying out a list of facts in bullet points does not by itself constitute a document, or an analysis, or a summary – its just a shortcut to nowhere. Documents like that never do your expertise and analysis justice, and theyre very unlikely to leave the reader informed, persuaded or happy. Instead, you need to make sure you do the work to assemble your argument first. If you start by being clear in your own mind what the connections are, you can then make these clear to your reader – and be sure theyll get your point. This post is taken from a larger lesson about the perils of misused bullet points (and better alternatives) in our online-learning programme, Emphasis 360. The programme is designed to transform your writing step by step in practical, bite-sized lessons. You can try it out for free here. Image credit: hin255 / Shutterstock

Average National SAT Scores for 2013

Average National SAT Scores for 2013 More than a million high school students registered for the SAT for 2013. If youd like to know how your cohorts did, here are some results from the national SAT scores for 2013. Overall SAT Scores for 2013 These are the mean, or average, scores of all students who took the SAT from the fall of 2012 through June 2013, by section (they are identical to the the scores from the year before):   Here are the mean scores for all testers by section: Overall: 1498Critical Reading: 496Mathematics: 514Writing: 488 (subscores: multiple-choice: 48.1 / essay: 7.3) SAT Scores by Gender Here are the years scores separated by gender: Critical Reading:Males: 499Females: 494 Mathematics:Males: 531Females: 499 Writing:Males: 482Females: 493 SAT Scores by Reported Annual Income The results indicate consistently that students from wealthier families score higher on the SAT than kids from families with lower incomes. This doesnt mean that higher incomes produce smarter kids. Parents with more wealth might be more willing to purchase SAT prep  or retakes of the test. Here are the results: $0 - $20,000: 1326$20,000 - $40,000: 1402$40,000 - $60,000: 1461$60,000 - $80,000: 1497$80,000 - $100,000: 1535$100,000 - $120,000: 1569$120,000 - $140,000: 1581$140,000 - $160,000: 1604$160,000 - $200,000: 1625$200,000 and more: 1714 SAT Scores by Ethnicity There is no causal relationship between ethnicity and scores, but there are different results based on ethnicity: American Indian or Alaska Native: 1427Asian, Asian-American or Pacific Islander: 1645Black or African-American: 1278Mexican or Mexican-American: 1355Puerto Rican: 1354Other Hispanic, Latino, or Latin-American: 1354White: 1576Other: 1501No response: 1409 To spot trends, you may compare all the above data to the 2012 SAT results.   Other SAT Score Categories There are other categories of mean SAT scores, including the  average SAT scores for students entering the  top public schools  and the  scores for the top private schools.   2013 SAT Scores Summary These statistics represent the mean, but not the individual. Having nothing in common with the groups scoring the highest on the SAT doesnt mean that you cant secure a top-notch score. If you havent taken the SAT or are planning to retake it, there are  free SAT practice quizzes  and free SAT apps  you can use to help prepare yourself. Another authority suggests these additional ways of getting ready: Know the test structure.Write practice essays.Ensure that you have a calculator and spare batteries.Know when to guess on a question and when to skip it entirely.Get a good nights sleep.

The difference between chinese and british consumer behaviour on Literature review

The difference between chinese and british consumer behaviour on coffee consumption - Literature review Example The literature review will give information on how the attitudes affect consumer behaviour. It will investigate the actual and post purchase behaviours where it will include information such as where and how coffee is purchased in the two countries. It will also explain about the factors that affect the post purchase behaviour of the consumers. The literature review will describe the coffee shop atmosphere and how it will influence consumer behaviour. Other models of consumer behaviour will also be discussed under this topic. Consumer behaviour on coffee consumption in China Gillespie, Jeannet and Hennessey have argued that coffee consumption depends on the consumer income. Starbucks gave coffee market in China a priority as it believed in Chinese youth consumers. Coffee sales have increased and shown a positive growth. Starbucks has improved its marketing strategies by reducing coffee prices. The writers have stated that coffee is mostly consumed by elite consumers, tourists and exp atriates as they are the most targeted group by the coffee operators. They influence other consumer to have a coffee preference. Consumers that are attracted or like the luxury products tend to consume more coffee than other consumers. Increase in consumption level has lead to increase in coffee stores in the country who are competing amongst themselves (Gillespie, Jeannet, & Hennessey, 2010). Nagel has also argued that Starbuck has helped to increase coffee preference in China. An increase in coffee consumption has been experienced in the large cities such as Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. These cities have been flexible enough to adapt western culture such as coffee drinking, due to the attraction of the western lifestyle. The Chinese in the big cities have changed their consumer behaviour due to the influence of different cultures and westernisation. The growth of coffee consumption in some cities has been affected by the government and the Chinese traditions. Nagel also believ es that consumer behaviour among the Chinese youth have changed towards coffee consumption. They have accepted the coffee culture and its associated lifestyle. They now prefer premium coffee and they are drinking grounded coffee, due to its sweet smell compared to instant coffee. Nagel also complements that coffee consumption in China is seen to be a luxurious lifestyle, due to its exceedingly high cost. He concludes that the coffee consumption in China is increasing especially among the youth who grew after culture revolution (Nagel, 2008). Zinzius has states that China has been a tea drinking country but it has slowly adapted coffee drinking culture. This has been greatly influenced by the coffee shop atmosphere. Coffee consumption in China is quite low as many have not adapted to its bitter taste. Others complain that it is keeping them awake till late in the night. Starbucks is one of the companies that have affected the consumer behaviour on coffee consumption in China. The com pany has opened stores that increased coffee consumption and has targeted the youth such as students, young managers and employees. Despite the coffee being expensive, the consumers prefer coffee shops to tea shops as they are mostly filled with smoke and a lot of noise. The tea shops are mostly dominated by the adult population. The company has also offered training in coffee classes to enlighten them

The Comprehensive Insight into the Corporation BBC Case Study

The Comprehensive Insight into the Corporation BBC - Case Study Example British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) remains the leading broadcaster in the entire United Kingdom. The company engages in the running of various public global Television stations, digital and cable channels, and worldly radio networks. The BBC One channel is the biggest and provides a broad range of news and entertainment programming. The company broadcasts radio programming through the BBC World Service option in languages that exceed thirty around the globe. Dramas and comedies by the company come in other channels including the discovery channel that aim at reaching particular audiences. This report outlines the major strategic challenges faced by BBC at the stage describes in the case study provided. This results in likely options for future development and growth of the overall corporate strategy generating sustainable competitive advantage for BBC. Other features entail the cultural concepts following implementation of the new strategic approach developed by Greg Dyke. The pa per takes the initial step of assessing challenging factors for BBC covering capabilities, environment, and purpose. This will be crucial in comprehending detailed view of the strategic position taken by the corporation. This analysis leads to a more precise definition of the final future strategic development plan and concepts. The original aim of the British Broadcasting Corporation is to educate, inform, and entertain. It operates on the path line of being the most creative institution around the globe and strives to pursue the same vision through all available means. Values pursued by the company are impartiality and independence, internal collaborations and diversity, value for money, as well as delivery of quality services. These values remain central to the growth and development of BBC as a service company that remains dominant in the United Kingdom and a market leader in the world as well.