Public Relations in media and cultural contexts Free Essay Example, 2000 words

This research poses the question, how is the social media influencing the role of sales persons during their discharge of duties? The author of this discourse hypothesizes that the social media is developing into a standard element of role played by experts in the sales industry. Methodology The author puts into use secondary and primary research to assess the influence of the social media on the role of sales persons in the sales sector while discharging their common duties. Evaluation and analysis of gathered information using both quantitative and qualitative techniques come into perspective while getting information compiled in this discourse. The secondary research technique was effective in helping in the designing and development of the problem statement in this research. Furthermore, it played a significant role in isolating elements of the social media within the levels of sales important for examination. A literature review of journals, articles, textbooks by people on the same topic formed part of the secondary method of study applied in compiling information in this discourse (Misa, 2003, 151). Among analyzed information was the influence of the social media, current state, and future state of the work of sales persons in the sales industry. We will write a custom essay sample on Public Relations in media and cultural contexts or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Evaluation of secondary research resulted in the formulation of the primary research and in the process developed questions that strengthened the problem statement. One-on-one interviews as well as a general survey among sales persons in the sales sector entailed the primary research applied in this study. The researcher and his assistants distributed research questions on Survey Monkey receiving responses from different practitioner in the communication as well as public relations. The study covered among other things comprehension of the social media, personal involvement with social media, professional engagement with social media, as well clear understanding of the importance of the social media. Improvements of sales by the social media using the public relations theory Description of the Public Relations Theory The discipline of public relations continues to advance and this moves it away from the traditional perspectives of research. Traditionally, the research centered on campaigns, promotional activities, publication of messages, as well as the influence of the mass media on consumers. Various scholars offer bases for the entire process of re-conceptualization of public relations. This entails the management of the aspects of communication within different institutions and the public’s.

The Importance Of Fairy Tales - 1065 Words

Expository All fairy tales continue to be relevant in today’s world. The adventurous stories are continually thriving through the different techniques that writers use including the themes that each tale embraces to draw their readers in and remember them. This allows for the fairy tales to be prevalent to the world today. Before fairy tales were the sources of many movie adaptions, they were only spread word of mouth, where story tellers would share them with their communities. These story tellers would strive to make sure that the stories that they told were remembered by their listeners, because their listeners may then tell their stories to other people. The stories were filled with enthusiastic voices as they pretrained their†¦show more content†¦It makes it easy for them to escape reality for a little bit by imagining a whole new world. The stories each have their own special world that they create for their plot lines and characters. The media then amplifies these worlds so that they are predominant in what we believe them to be (â€Å"The Irresistible Fairy Tale: The Culture and Social History of a Genre† 20). Technology has expanded fairy tales by using all different types of genres and art to embrace them by making it easier and more effective. The tales attract people to listen and pay attention to them as they change and are recreated (â€Å"The Irresistible Fairy Tale: The Culture and Social History of a Genre† 40). Fairy tales are written to be relatable for the everyday person. They stick because they use their characters to reflect the actions of how the human species as evolved. Similarly to when people go through a crisis, the characters of fairy tales adapt to a new situation. They may also use a survival method or have to protect themselves. While the exact circumstances are not the same , the same emotions are played that make people to connect to with their own lives. This allows for a psychological connection to occur (â€Å"Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution an Relevance of a Genre 26). These stories will people with hope since they provide instructions, guidance, counseling, and how others may take advantage of us in their themes. Fairy tales emphasize theShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Fairy Tales717 Words   |  3 Pagespurpose of including a moral into a fairy tale is that it teaches the reader a valuable lesson that one may not have understood before. Sometimes children do not listen to their parents when it comes to right versus wrong, but instead look up to fairy tales. For example, in the story, Little Red Riding Hood, the story ends with the girl saying, â€Å"As long as I live, I wont go out of the road into the forest, when mother has forbidden me† (Lusatia). The importance of this story is for young childrenRead MoreThe Importance Of Fai ry Tales782 Words   |  4 Pageswhat fairy tales mean to me as an artist, which is everything. (Ever since I was a child I have been happiest living in the sphere of a story. That in itself is a fairy tale.) I’d also like to demystify the idea that fairy tales are of use only to writers of fantasy or fabulism. I’d like to celebrate their lucid form. And I’d like to reveal how specific techniques in fairy tales cross stylistic boundaries. For while the interpretation of fairy tales is a well-traveled path among writers, fairy-taleRead MoreThe Importance Of Fairy Tales952 Words   |  4 Pagescertain control over the popular reception of fairy tales by determining to a great extent not only the nature of the tales that are made accessible to children, but also the context of their reception† (445). Haase believes that teachers are the problem why children are having a hard time claiming their power over fairy tales. Apparently, teachers hold the power over what children can observe in fairy tales. The perception of teachers who read the fairy tales to children can maneuver through the storyRead MoreThe Importance Of Fairy Tales1754 Words   |  8 Pagesmovies. These stories provide an escape from reality for children and adults alike. Many fairy tales were originally thought to be enchanting and were meant to please a child’s endless imaginations and presents different teachings and morals (Moore 175). In the society seen today, many a spects of life are changing and fairytales have not been adapting consistently to these changes. The biggest contributor to fairy tales today, is Disney. Disney utilizes their popularity by shaping and dominating the worldRead MoreFairy Tales : A Child1739 Words   |  7 Pagesgoing to read your child fairy tales as you did for me when I was a child. As a child I, remember sitting on your lap and listening to you read me fairy tales in funny accents as you tried to put me to sleep, and even adding your own twist to them. By the time you were done with the first story I would want another and another until I was actually asleep. By you reading me fairy tales, when I was a child, it made me closer to you and gave us a special bond. The fairy tales you read to me as a childRead MoreThe Deeper Meanings that Lies in Fairy Tales1121 Words   |  5 Pagesin common fairy tales used to start an adventure. These adventures have been around for years. The importance of some tales might be mo re significant than others, also based on culture. My goal for this paper is to educate my readers with the importance of fairy tales, especially for younger children. Fairy tales have been around for centuries from generations to generations. Different cultures, such as the Japanese and Western, have also expressed them differently. All these fairly tales teach childrenRead MoreEssay about An Analysis of Fairy Tales1684 Words   |  7 Pagesprincesses, beauty, magic, and love, fairy tales like Snow White and Cinderella among others have become children’s favorite bedtime stories. However, as parents tuck their sons and daughters in, they fail to realize that there is a much more daunting purpose to these stories. American writer and poet, Jane Yolen suggests that fairy tales indicate life values. Furthermore, Yolen insists that these tales are â€Å"thumbprints of history† (Yolen 27). Studying fairy tales in depth, she proves that the â€Å"functionsRead MoreFairy Tales by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm1359 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: Fairy tales were a big part of my childhood. I started my research on fairy tales written by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm. Fairy tales often have a character that goes on a journey or an adventure. During his journey he encounters mystical beings that help or hurt the characters success. When I was a child, my grandparents would tell my sister and I stories like â€Å"Jack and the Bean Stalk† and â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood†. My grandfather would always act out the part of the wolf or the giant,Read MoreEssay Fairy Tales Shape Our Childhood and Our Future1252 Words   |  6 Pageswhen each story is told orally, something changes. Each story becomes a little more unique and has a different moral each time it’s told, depending on the storyteller. They teach us about life and help us tell whether or not the story is really a tall tale. Stories have been entertaining us since the beginning of time and they make life just a bit more interesting. Telling fairytales gives us something to do to pass the time and without a story every so often people would become bored and unimaginativeRead MoreThe Tale Of Fairy Tales Essay1507 Words   |  7 PagesFairy tales have been told throughout time ever since gathering of people there’s been demand for telling stories to an audience. What started out as oral tales eventually evolved into written fairy tales. People now began to write stories for the young children that would teach them important life lessons that would be of major importance to them in the years to come. These lessons that were introduced into fairytales played an important role in the development of their unshaped minds because

Bourdieu and social class within the educational system Free Essays

The subject of social class within the educational system seems to be the elephant in the room. Issues of race, gender, discrimination and making safe places are addressed constantly within the pedagogy yet we ignore the realities of social stratification, especially when it comes to the classroom and the curriculum we are expected to teach. According to Bourdieu, the education systems of western societies function in such a way as to legitimatize class inequalities (Bourdieu, 1977). We will write a custom essay sample on Bourdieu and social class within the educational system or any similar topic only for you Order Now Success in the education system is enhanced by the possession of cultural capital (which is etermined the dominate culture) and Lower-class pupils do not, in general, possess these traits. Bourdieu then supposes that the failure of the majority of these pupils is inevitable. This, he postulates, explains class inequalities in educational attainment. , For Bourdieu, educational credentials help to reproduce and legitimatize social inequalities, as higher-class individuals are seen to deserve their place in the social structure. Place in the social structure is not pre determined and education often is a factor in the upward mobility in SES. Muller and his team describe cross-national imilarities and differences in the two steps in which education intervenes in the process of intergenerational class mobility: the link between class of origin and educational credentials attained, and between these credentials and class position allocated to (Muller et al. , 1989). They conclude that the patterns of association between class origin and education, and between education and class destinations are similar across the nine nations. However, the strength of these associations demonstrates cross-national variations. This paper is one of the first comparative tudies of social mobility, which used the data sets collected in the early 1970s from nine European countries investigated in Comparative Analysis of Social Mobility in Industrial Nations (CASMIN) project. Nevertheless, this article supports FJG hypothesis which argues that class origin inequalities in relative mobility chances will be roughly constant across nations . Social mobility, class and education is further explored through a longitudinal study conducted by Johnson, Brett Deary (2009). They proposed that social class of origin acts as ballast, restraining otherwise eritocratic social class movement, and that education is the primary means through which social class movement is both restrained and facilitated, thereby giving weight to Bourdieu’s theory of Cultural Reproduction. They conclude that parental social class attainment contributes to educational attainment, which in turn contributes to participant social class attainment, suggesting that educational attainment contributed to social class stability. Education is important to social mobility and, thus, appears to play a pivotal role in the association between ability and social class attainment. When looking at the relationship between ability and social class attainment, it is useful to also look at the different types of culture capital. Andersen and Hansen (201 1), for example, distinguish between two interpretations of cultural capital: â€Å"narrow’ and â€Å"broad. † The narrow interpretation refers a child’s exposure to ‘high cultural’ products or activities (Bourdieu’s concept ot objectified capital): tor example, having objects of art at home, or a tastefully furnished home, visits to the theatre or art museums, or playing the piano (p. 608). These signs of high culture may not mprove a student’s work in any objective way, but they are rewarded through subjectivity involved in assessing academic performance. The same is true of the broad interpretation of cultural capital, which is â€Å"general linguistic skills, habits, and knowledge, including cognitive skills,† which are â€Å"used in a strategic manner by individuals, who thereby may receive advantages or profits† (p. 608). This kind of cultural capital is passed from parents to children through school work (p. 608). Bourdieu’s description of educational capital encompasses this outlook. One of Andersen and Hansen (2011) implications in schools which supports Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital is that: â€Å"Students from classes with highest cultural capital will perform the best academically, on each horizontal level† (of social class) (p 611) This is often seen played out when looking at the Socio Economic Status schools. Bankston and Caldas (2009) examine how legal desegregation of American schools starting in the 1950s and 1960s was countered by de facto segregation due to â€Å"social class, residential patterns† and other forms of social marginalization. Since the verage socioeconomic status of a student population affects a school’s educational achievement levels, upper and middle class families eluded and hindered desegregation by moving to different school districts, suburban communities, by choosing private schools etc. Bourdieu’s concept of education through institutional capital sees education as a place where one acquires the skills to enter different positions within the labour force -and those positions in turn determines one’s socioeconomic status.. Bankstone and Caldas state that policy assumes that differences in educational achievements are caused by the concrete schools and in articular by its teaching staff. Schools are believed to determine socioeconomic conditions instead of the other way around. As educators, not only must we be aware that class differences are present in the classroom, but, perhaps, look for ways to minimize the gulf between classes and increase capital culture in those who do not possess as much as others. Technology may be one way to do this. There seems to be a push towards using new technologies in the classroom. Considering class inequality and cultural capital, an educational model that aims to bridge the divide by bringing students together to the ame level of technological proficiency would be desirable. Kapttzke (2000), following a case-study in an Australian school, concludes that integrating student- based projects using information technology is a way to bring students with tech sa’. n. y back from the brink of alienation. Kapitzke states that â€Å"teachers who ignore the texts, identities, skills and interests of the young do so at their own peril. † (p. 0) Faced with a growing techno-cultural capital gap, educators need to â€Å"view students as fellow explorers and co-workers† (p. 60) and possibly working on innovative rojects like revamping a school’s computer network. The student who led the project ended up teaching not only students but teachers too. Not only would cultural capital be affected, it is most likely that a student’s social capita l Conversely, a study done in Californian schools shows a different side of the story. Cuban (2001) and fellow researchers explored the paradox of high access to technology with low real use. This was explained by traditional constraints on teachers such as time and structure, as well as annoying deficiencies in the technologies, such as computer crashes, that limited teachers’ initiatives. The teachers stressed â€Å"that using computers in their classes made demands upon them that made their Job harder. † (p. 828) In the end, â€Å"inadequate time in the daily schedule to plan work together goes to the heart of teacher use of new technologies and their preferred teaching practices† (p. 28) and resulted in the teachers preferring traditional teacher-based discussions, lectures and activities supplemented with some time for technologies. Cuban and his colleagues believe that technology will never revolutionize the classroom; instead, â€Å"historical legacies of high schools in their chool structures and technological flaws will trump the slow revolution in teaching In conclusion, the Kapitzke article highlights an innovative practices† (p. 830 ). way of maximizing tech-sawy students’ cultural capital and thereby pushing for equality and integration. However, as the Cuban article points out, technology will likely be relegated to special projects when deemed appropriate by a teacher relying on various methodologies. While dynamic technologically innovative teaching methods have their place they are not the magic answer to solving cultural capital and class inequalities. How to cite Bourdieu and social class within the educational system, Papers

Media Racism, Sexism, and Stereotyping free essay sample

His wife constantly has to tell him how to take care of the kids. His children outsmart him and are shown to be out of control at times. On the other hand, the middle class family has a calm, brilliant child. He constantly has to give the working class dad guidance in his day to day decision making. The working class dad is represented as a failure at life, at supporting his family, and the main element highlighted in his role is how stupid he is. The middle class dad is always the calmer one, he takes care of everything whenever a crisis arises, he teaches his kids manners, and is shown as a loving husband. I cannot find any examples of middle class men that are portrayed in the same demeaning way as working class men. Butsch’s piece discusses how inferior statuses are represented by using negative stereotypes of minorities, women, old, and young. We will write a custom essay sample on Media Racism, Sexism, and Stereotyping or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These stereotypes are placed into character roles. The problem with this is that viewers are not consciously thinking about the negative images they are watching and the ways in which it affects their view of the depicted group. Think of children and teens watching shows with such inaccurate representations. They start believing and connecting these made up characters with how the real world works. If blondes or black people are portrayed on television as dumb then teens will assume that all people belonging to this category are of inferior intelligence. Butsch also mentions that television can devalue higher status characters by making them have opposite characteristics. He gives example like men acting feminine and adults acting childish. They often will use this strategy when showing a person with contradicting status positions and the lower status characteristic will overshadow the high status characteristic. This is greatly degrading to both sides. For instance, a man in real life that is very feminine will be thought of as a less than for demonstrating characteristics associated with femininity. This sends the message that acting like a woman is a horrible thing to do because women are the lesser gender. The reading was extremely interesting because you can think of numerous examples in our day to day life of stereotyping and character roles. It is frightening how racist and prejudice these shows can be. With the documented impact that advertising has on our culture, we realize how significant the portrayals of different minority groups in advertising can be. In the case of Native Americans, American advertising has a long tradition of exploiting their image and names in order to sell goods. This commodification and corruption of their names and images leads to distorted views of Native Americans by not only other populations, but by Native Americans themselves. Native Americans â€Å"must† act or look a certain way in order to be â€Å"true† Native Americans. Merskin stated, â€Å"Racial and ethnic images, part of American advertising for more than a century, were created in â€Å"less enlightened times† but have become part of American popular culture and thought and persist to this day† (Merskin, 2001, p. 480). The image that has emerged of Native Americans is â€Å"always alien to white† and, thus, seen as not fully human (Merskin, 2001). As Merskin (2001) wrote in her article, we have, to a great extent, become desensitized to the use of Native American imagery and names in advertising. So much so, that we often do not realize how prevalent this practice still is. I know that I am guilty of this as well. When I first read Merskin’s article I thought she was referencing advertising of the past. Then I opened an old issue of Glamour magazine and found a full color, two-page advertisement for American Spirit cigarettes with its use of an American Indian in headdress in its branding. As I looked at the advertisement with disbelief, I glanced at the bottled water I was drinking from; the bottled water company was Arrowhead. There is certainly something to this notion of Native American imagery playing a negative role in advertising today. Reference Section Butsch, R. (2005). Five Decades and Three Hundred Sitcoms about Class and Gender. The Social Construction of Difference amp; Inequality: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality. Merskin, D. (2001). Winnebagos, Cherokees, Apaches, and Dakotas: The persistence of stereotyping of American Indians in American advertising brands. The Social Construction of Difference amp; Inequality: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality.

Athletes Salaries Essays (2087 words) - Employment Compensation

Athletes Salaries What should athletes deserve to be paid? Many players have risen to stardom by becoming a professional athlete. Athletes have come from many different backgrounds; some from wealthy and some from poverty raised backgrounds. Salaries are continuing to rise, and money doesnt seem to be an issue. Athletes are getting what they want from the owners by negotiating through their agents. Athletes salaries arent from their owners, but they come from other sources (Athletes Salary). Athletes get paid an extremely high salary for the work they do, and should consider the value of their work. They do not deserve the extreme amount they get paid and something should by done about it. One issue that these high salaries cause is that having all this money spoils the athletes. Athletes buy so much unnecessary stuff after they get their money. For example, Michael Jordan has about 28 cars. Who needs all these cars? He didnt buy all of these, but there is a certain limit on how many cars a person needs. Athletes spend their money on cars, entertainment, clothes, and their big mansions. Another instance of athletes spoiling themselves is the use of illegal drugs (Pro Salaries). Michael Irvin of the Dallas Cowboys has been involved in many of these altercations. He has been through all the punishments there possibly is and still makes his money (Pro Salaries). Athletes think they are at a higher level and that they can do whatever they want. An issue that everyone hears about everyday that a pro athlete has committed a murder/crime. Ray Lewis, a safety for the Baltimore Ravens, is being tried for two accounts of murder. He is an excellent athlete. He is on the pro-bowl team for the 1999 season and led the league in tackles. He has just ruined his career by even being involved in a situation like this. Another player is Robert Lewis, a 20 year-old basketball player from the Dallas Mavericks. He was convicted of beating his girlfriend almost to death. A 20-year-old basketball star doesnt need to feel that he is a king to be a leader. What kind of role model is he setting to other youngsters that want to follow in the same footsteps? The salaries of athletes are extremely high for the effort that they put through. For example, basketball, baseball, and hockey athletes only compete for about 6-8 months a year. Then they have the whole summer off. The highest paid athlete was Michael Jordan (Spiegel 220). He was paid as a free agent 33 million dollars for a single season (Spiegel 220)! This salary is an outrageous amount but who really deserves it? Maybe Michael does, but in the future some no names might get this. Athletes practice maybe no more than 3-4 hours per day. That is half of what an average person works in a day. In the NBA, they only play 82 games a season. So, Michael Jordan was getting paid about .4 million dollars a game. Also, it was calculated from his average that he made about 20,000 dollars for every shot he took. Each game they play is for a total of 48 minutes. After that they travel to the next game. The athletes are getting paid whatever they ask for and they really dont deserve it (Kindred 63). Maybe if they showed that it takes a lot of conditioning and a lot of practice, rather than going on vacations to Hawaii, they might catch a few more eyes looking at them. One of the biggest issues that raise the salaries of the players are the endorsements and advertisements that promote their contributions. It was reported that Michael Jordan made 100 million dollars (profit) last year (Spiegel 220). That means he made almost 70 million dollars from other sources being clothing firm, advertisements, restaurant, and awards. The owners also are paying the athletes from the sponsors that pay them to advertise their company. Owners only get profit from this deal. Corporations are paying athletes millions to advertise their product, because the consumer would rather buy the product if their favorite athlete were supporting it. This is a major source of income for the athletes that they receive. Many athletes

Ejti Stih de Fernandez de Cordova essays

Ejti Stih de Fernandez de Cordova essays Ejti Stih de Fernandez de Cordova, a Yugoslavian-born and educated painter, resides and works in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Over the course of her active studio and exhibition career, she has exhibited her paintings throughout South America and Spain. Ejti, whom is fluent in several languages including English, lectured at the University of Georgia on Tuesday, September 21, 1999. This lecture was held in the M. Smith Griffith Auditorium in the Georgia Museum of Art. She also lectured in Dr. Cochrans Art Appreciation class in the Lamar Dodd School of Art. Although she claimed to possess a lack of confidence in front of a large audience, I believe she portrayed herself brilliantly. Ejtis work is darkly humorous and filled with socio-political satire. She paints metaphorically in an expressionistic and exaggerated style, which is similar to other artists such as Jack Levine. She has been compared to Levine because of her ability to distort or pervert all genders in society, politics, religion, and sexuality with her sarcastic and ironic style. One might differentiate Ejti for her ability to distort reality and her use of symbols and stylization to give objective expression to her inner experience. Ejti also creates book, magazine, poster, and newspaper illustrations. Occasionally, she produces ceramic sculptures and prints, and has been known to design costumes for theatrical performances. During her visit to Dr. Cochrans class, Ejti discussed her twenty-five year career in the arts and the nature of her work. She believes that an artists work is derived from his or her surroundings and society, and that the work should clearly represent what the artist thinks. Ejti focused on the fact that the audience should direct their attention to the work first, and then, they should look at the title only as an extra layer to the work in order to identify s ...

The Impact of Global Economy Shifts In Our World Article

The Impact of Global Economy Shifts In Our World - Article Example Modern technology and improvement in communication coupled with decrease in tariffs and trade barriers have contributed to the global economy. Across the world many countries and regions have formed trade groups aimed at promoting the movements of goods and services across borders, and making each group a stronger body among existing competing markets. These trade groups range from the European Union in Europe, to North American Free Trade Agreement and several different regions and countries becoming attached to at least one agreement. These try to cultivate an economic bloc to deal as one entity with the rest of the world. During the Cold war era the United States and its allies controlled the western market while the Soviet Union dominated the markets of Eastern Europe as well as those countries that were sympathetic to the communist cause. Capitalism was seen by many as the means by which financial and economic stability could be obtained. However, with the fall of the Soviet Union the power of the United States in the global economy began to decrease. At about the same time many countries, in Latin America, for example, began to form themselves into trading blocs that did not project the Unites States of America and other major industrialized countries as their main trading partners. In recent times China and India have been emerging as the countries of global economic influence. The large workforce of both countries and the ever increasing technology exports of India have caused pushed both countries to the forefront. There will be several implications, however, as these countries take on added dimensions. One great impact that this will have is on the developing countries in the world. Based on the trend in recent years developing countries are becoming potentially major gainers from improvements in the economic performance of other developing countries (Winters, Yusuf 2007). The countries in the western world will become less relevant to

Bottled water industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bottled water industry - Essay Example The problem is succinctly stated in the third paragraph of the case, â€Å"the reputation of Quench is currently under threat.† Specifically, its brand image is suffering because its customers â€Å"are increasingly concerned with environmental issues linked to packaging, sustainable resources and ecological logistics.† The Guardian recently reported that, â€Å"the latest beverage research from Mintel states that 2008 will be the beginning of a significant backlash against plain bottled water.† (Siegel, 2008) Quench is sold in small quantities in plastic bottles and consumers are becoming concerned about the energy costs of their production and, most importantly, the waste that these bottles constitute. In brief, Quench is developing an image problem related to the environmental impacts of the containers its products are sold in. This problem has been exacerbated by its competitors behaviour. They have experienced the same problems with customer perceptions of their lack of environmental commitment and responded quickly to address these concerns. This has put pressure on Quench to also respond quickly or risk a continually declining reputation while their competitors restore their public image. One solution would be to reduce the waste left from the containers. This could be achieved through three means. The water could be sold in larger containers producing less waste by volume of water sold. However, their market is sporty, active people and this would reduce the convenience factor associated with smaller bottles and impact negatively on sales. Secondarily, the company could introduce containers with thinner sides, reducing the waste by producing less waste per container. If the company manufacturers its own bottles this would be an expensive an time consuming alternative as it would necessitate retooling their bottle production lines. If the company purchases its bottles this would present its suppliers with the same problem. However, whether it

Geography writing assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Geography writing assignment - Research Paper Example Series of Quakes Rattles South West China, Killing at least 64† (McDonald) examined multiple occurrences of quakes and aftershocks within a 5.6 magnitude strength causing more damage to property, displacing 100,000 people and killing at least 64 civilians. In the month before that, the Reuters news agency reported â€Å"Two Earthquakes in Iran Kill 300 and injure 5,000† near the towns of Ahar, Varzaghan and Harees. (Torbati) Earthquakes are naturally occurring phenomena that are beyond human control. People can however initiate early warning systems to help them escape the rather deadly effects of the earthquakes. Faulting and earthquake effects that must be taken into consideration during planning and in design for the restitution of the coastal lands around the world are always overlooked. This should always include the construction as well as the maintenance of the coastal infrastructure. The continued shifting and adjustment of the plates has a dramatic effect on the landscape. These range from the development of large depressions on the surface caused by the subsidence and tilting of the land surfaces due to down throwing of adjacent fault blocks. The effects of all these are experienced both in the human-economic spheres as well as on the physical landscape. The huge geographical components of the Asian-Pacific region has worst cases of natural hazards occasioned by frequent earthquakes, eruptions, and yearly monsoons due to its relative position on the ‘Pacific ring of fire.’ Moreover, the region harbors the highest number of mega-cities with more than over 8million populace exposed to the effects of natural hazards. Foregoing research further suggests that developing countries are highly exposed to risks of natural disasters as opposed to developed nations. At the same time, the high number of natural disasters experienced along the Asian-Pacific region is largely attributed to urbanization, increased population pressure on natural resources and the

Paid News In The Indian Media

Paid News In The Indian Media The emergence of Media Corporation, through growing cross media ownership is having their impact on medias public service commitments. In recent times, the Indian media and its journalistic practices have been criticised for breaking the trust of the public. Indian media have successfully succeeded in growing their economy through cross-ownership and advertorials. Under the influence of profit making, commercial interests which are controlling the news content, as editorial contents are being sold like other commodities. This commercialization of the media content is evident in phenomena like paid news. News is meant to be objective, fair and unbiased. This is the only difference between news and opinions. But, recently, the lines between news and advertisements are blurring because paid advertisements are deceived as news which favours a particular organization or a person by selling editorial spaces. The media organizations misguide the readers by providing no true information to them. By doing this, the media questions its own credibility and is fast losing the trust of the society. The readers/viewers cannot distinguish the difference between a news report and advertorials. This paper argues that the media is no longer the fourth estate of journalism and has become like any other marketable product with reference to paid news. The face of journalism in India has changed. The press is mostly owned and controlled by the capitalist class (i.e. the rich and powerful in society; opinion leaders; gatekeepers), who can use the press to report facts which are convenient to them. Over years, the ownership pattern, organizational structure and the content of the newspapers have changed. They are on sale for paid news and private treaties. In addition, this paper also tires to observe the impacts and analyse the responses of the media, civil society and the state on paid news. Paid News and the Private Treaties Phenomenon 1Paid news is run to pass off an advertisement, apiece of propaganda and advertisementpass that as news, pretend that it is news that is paid news P. Sainath. It is a deal signed by the media organizations with an individual especially corporate houses and the candidate standing for elections, assuring them a fixed amount of coverage through advertisements and news reports in favour of them. In addition, additional fee can be charged to run negative campaign against their rivals. The paid news operation is done secretly and no disclosure is made before such news printed or broadcasted. Journalists willing or otherwise practice this phenomenon on a large scale. Journalists who do not wish to practice this phenomenon are either sacked from their organizations or the individuals are denied coverage and also suffer media blackouts. 2The advertisers, who are ever anxious to catch consumers off guard, believe that simply there cannot be a better way of breaking into consumer mind space than disguising the brand messages as news, which is more credible and convincing than raw advertising, says Santosh Desai, managing director and CEO, Future Brands. Such content is priced more than the regular advertising rates. Private Treaties Private treaties are signed with corporate organizations because media owners want to grow their organizations. In 2002, Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd (BCCL) launched this phenomenon of private treaties by singing deals with potential advertisers who could not afford mainstream advertising in return for equity shares in their companies. Many corporate leaders say that when the news space is available for sale, there are many buyers for it, especially when it meets their needs. Example: In The Times of India, Delhi Edition, Olay brand articles were a part of paid marketing campaign by Proctor and Gamble, India. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) reported that media organizations are entering into agreements called private treaties with corporate organizations whose equity shares are listed on the stock exchanges that come out with public offer of their shares. The media organizations are picking up stakes in such companies and in return are providing favourable coverage through advertisements, news reports and editorials. Repercussions of Selling Editorial Space Most media organizations are interested in making profits for which they sacrifice the ethical norms of journalistic practice in favour of paid news. The first paid news phenomenon was broken down by P. Sainath. Paid news is common in Lok Sabha and state assemblies elections especially in states like Maharashtra and Haryana.  [3]  As per media reports, the size of the paid news market in Andhra Pradesh in the elections in 2009 alone, was said to be over Rs 1,000 crore. In Maharashtra, it is said to be in multi thousand crores. A lot of evidence is available of the malpractice. Example: Ashok Chavan used the print media effectively during the Maharashtra state elections in 2009. Identical articles with photographs and headlines having appeared in competing publications carrying by-lines of different authors around the same time praising candidates claiming that both are likely to win the election hints at some unholy dealings. Nowhere, is there any indication that the publication of such news reports has entailed financial transaction or has been sponsored by certain individuals or political parties. Press Council of Indias draft report of enquiry titled Paid News: How corruption in the Indian Media Undermines Indian Democracy points out that the deception that paid news involves takes place at three distinct levels (Sainath, 2010a): 4The reader or the viewer is deceived into believing that what is essentially an advertisement is in fact, independently produced news content. Moreover, candidates contesting elections do not disclose the true expenditure incurred on campaigning thereby violating the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, which have been framed by, and are meant to be enforced by, the Election Commission of India under the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The newspapers and television channels concerned usually receive funds for paid news in cash and do not disclose such earnings in their company balance sheets or official statements of accounts. Thus, by not accounting for the money received from candidates, the concerned media company or its representatives are violating the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 as well as the Income Tax Act, 1961, among other laws. Edelman, an independent public relations firm, in its 2010 Trust Barometer Survey states that the Indian news media have been losing their credibility and trust among the people.  [5]  Over the past two years, trust on television news dropped sharply from 61 per cent to just 36 per cent, that of business magazines has gone down from 72 per cent to 47 per cent, and that of newspapers has gone down from 61 per cent to 40 per cent. Trust in the media in India as a whole declined by 7 per cent (from 65 per cent in 2009 to 58 per cent in 2010). This decline in trust speaks volumes about the future role of the media in India and the threats to its hard earned freedom. According to the 2nd Press Commission report, the role of press should be constructive critic. It must oppose an official policy when needed; support it when it can at most of the times, bring out instructive opinions on important issues covering all aspects/ angles to provide knowledge to people. Journalists are accepted as moral guides in the Indian society. They are accepted because of the foundation on which the concept of media freedom was built. India guaranteed freedom of speech and expression to its citizens. It is a fundamental right under Article 19(1) (A) of the Indian Constitution, which allows everyone to express their views as well as allows the right to print matters which are borrowed from someone or printed under the direction of that person. Paid News Syndrome and Need for Greater Accountability The paid news syndrome has become a debateable topic for various platforms. When the credibility of the media is lost, its freedom gets restricted. Hamid Ansari, the Vice President of India said that the explosive growth in the media had highlighted the fact that the Fourth Estate is only one among the pillars of democracy that has an identifiable commercial and profit facade. Disapproving paid news in any form, Sitaram Yechury says that paid news is not merely a serious matter influencing the functioning of a free press, but it is an issue that also concerns the future of parliamentary democracy in India. Providing access to unbiased, unfiltered and objective news or information is the role that media are supposed to play in a parliamentary democracy. This comes under very severe strain with the emergence of the paid news syndrome. Strongly arguing against paid news, Arun Jaitley claims that those who are in a position to pay more for information expressed as paid news shape the human minds in this country accordingly. This cannot be free speech. At best, it could be trade, it could be business, and, therefore, the government has to take this out of the arena of free speech and put it in the arena of business or trade, all in public interest. Favouring deterrent penalty against those who indulge in such practices he suggests that in the case of (a) candidate, it has to be an offence under election law (The phrase) corrupt practice must be amended in the Representation of the People Act and this should be a ground for setting aside the election and disqualifying the candidate, and if parties indulge in thisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦there must be action against this.

The Chicken Incident :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

The Chicken Incident Everyone has an extremely embarrassing experience, that seems horrifically terrible at the time, but upon reflection becomes a completely hilarious occurrence in their life. This episode can be anything from falling down the grand staircase in high school, to splattering a pan of chicken in the walk-in cooler at work. This is mine. I had been working for the Culver’s Franchise Association for virtually three years, in which my primary job was drive-thru and other â€Å"front house† positions. I occasionally worked in the kitchen, but not enough to know the entire swing of things that well. This particular night was a pretty ordinary night at the restaurant. I was situated on drive-thru, and was also scheduled to close that same position. As closing time rolled around I found myself bombarded with a plethora of tasks, and to accomplish them I needed to be able t! o access the sink. I walked over to the sink to find an enormous bucket filled to the brim with water and chicken. This bucket needed to be carried to the cooler for the night, but whoever left it there had forgotten about it and it remained in my sink. Well, instead of calling for my co-worker to carry the chicken to the cooler, I decided to take it upon myself and help them out. Looking back in hindsight, I now ask myself, â€Å"What wa s I thinking?† I hoisted the pail of chicken and water out of the sink and headed towards the cooler. As I approached the cooler I rested the bucket on a nearby shelf, and proceeded to pry open the heavy metal door. As the door opened I was greeted with a cool, clammy breeze. I entered the cooler and found that the floor had recently been mopped and was still quite damp. On approximately my third step into the cooler I felt my feet slide out from under me. In an effort to brace myself I dropped the bucket of chicken and began flailing my arms in an effort to grab on to anything in sight! I was now lying on the frozen floor saturated in chicken water, while there was an massive puddle of water around me with various pieces of chicken scattered throughout. I managed to peel myself up off the floor and prepared myself to face the management. As I crept to the front of the store, I found Frank, Bruce, Becki, and Jim standing in a huddle discussing the inventory they had been working on that night.