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Saturday, August 31, 2019

Jeremy Lin

Chink in the Chain Webster’s Dictionary defines success as the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors, or, successful performance or achievement. On February 4th 2012 Jeremy Lin made his NBA debut against the New Jersey Nets. Twelve minutes into the game, the non-starter Guard entered the game to make his debut as a New York Knick. To everyone’s surprise Lin came off the bench cold to put up big numbers against the Nets that would both change the pace of the game and give birth a new sensation in the NBA.In his debut game, Lin put up twenty-five points, seven assists, and two steals which was a team high in all three categories (NBA. com). Lin’s initial success was foreshadowing to what was soon to come. According to Webster’s Dictionary’s definition, Lin’s twenty-five point achievement in his first performance as a Knick can be deemed successful. Over the next three games of his career, Lin’s success continued. I n his first four NBA starts he had achieved a 27. 3-point per game average proving him to be an elite NBA player (NBA. om). Not only was his point per game average impressive it was also a new NBA record, surpassing players such as Allen Iverson and Michael Jordan, who are largely considered to be two of the best players to play the game. Along with Lin’s success in the NBA came a lot of attention in the media, a growth in Asian-American attendance at Knick games, and increase talk around the league. Jeremy Lin’s success in his initial performances as a Knick sparked a media hit, on Television, in Newspapers, and on the Internet as well.One of the most popular expressions about Lin’s success was â€Å"Linsanity†, which is a combination of the player’s last name, Lin, and the word insanity to describe the players up and coming success. Not all of the postings and expressions in the media were as warmhearted as the trending â€Å"Linsanity†. L in’s attention in the media quickly shifted from his success as a player to attention towards his Chinese heritage. For example, The New York Post, a very highly respected new paper in the Northeast released an article titled â€Å"Amasian! , which was not perceived to be offensive or racist by many peoples, because Asian is not by any means an offence term. As time progressed so did the offensive news articles and names given to the successful athlete. Lin was deemed ‘Super-Lintendo’ and ‘The Yellow Mamba’. Super-Lintendo was in reference to Super Nintendo, and Chinese manufactured video game, while The Yellow Mamba is a spin on Kobe Byrant, and African American NBA player’s nickname. The Yellow Mamba was given to Lin because of his success in the NBA comparable to Bryant’s and his Chinese skin often associated with a yellowish hue.As Lin’s success in the NBA continued his attention in the media and Chinese association grew. Fe bruary 18th 2012 at 2:30 am ET, Anthony Federico posted his article titled â€Å"A Chink in the Armor: Jeremy Lin’s 9 Turnovers Cost Knicks In Streak-Snapping Loss to Hornets† on ESPN. com. Shortly after the article was posted, at 3:05 am the article was removed from the website. Though the article was only online for a brief thirty-five minutes, the article was viewed by many, received a lot of attention and was exceedingly controversial.Shortly after its publish, many different new sources and individuals debated whether the article was racist or not. In addition to removing the article from the website, ESPN decided to suspend the articles publisher, Anthony Federico for a thirty day work period and then later that month fire him. ESPN received a great deal of negative attention and many people both agreed and disagreed with Federico’s article being deemed racist. Fererico’s article received a significantly more attention than New York Post’s ar ticle â€Å"Amasian! because ‘Chink’ is a often considered to be an offensive term to Chinese-Americans. Federico’s article went under great scrutiny from members of the Chinese American Community. U. S Representative and Chinese-American, Judy Chu was appalled by ESPN. com’s article. â€Å" I think the use of the term is appalling and offensive,† said Judy Chu to MSNBC, one of the world’s most successful new networks. The word ‘Chink’ is a very offensive word to the Chinese-American community.Chink is a negative ethnic slur towards Chinese people and other Asian Americans because they are commonly assumed to be Chinese because of their appearance and the large Chinese population. â€Å"The ‘c’ word is for Asian Americans like the ‘n’ word is for African Americans,† Said Chu. Judy was highly offended by the Federico’s use of the ‘c’ word. To compare the Chinese slur chink, to the African slur nigger, a word that is perceived to be highly racist and has been taken out of American Literature n some schools, gives a good sense of how offensive it really is. The slur nigger is the most offensive word you could ever call an African American person and is frowned upon due to its negative association dating back to times of slavery in America. If Chu is able to associate chink in the same regard as nigger, it is obvious that its use is highly offensive to Chinese-Americans, because the word nigger is not something that is said in the media, on radio or on basic television because of its so highly offensive.Judy Chu speaks passionately about the vulgar word chink because it’s hateful and is used to so similarly to the word nigger. â€Å"While no one would claim that racism against black people is no longer a problem in America, it is unthinkable that any news network or even half-brained TV presenter would use racial slurs against a black player equivale nt to the Asian ones that have been used against Lin,† stated Hadley Freeman in â€Å"The Guardian† a well-respected Newspaper in London.Freeman compares the Chinese racism to be equivalent to using racism towards black people, where she says that no one would ever think to you use a racist word towards black people because it is so out-casted or restricted, especially in the media. The phrase â€Å"Chink in the Armor† is a reference to a chink, or crack in medieval armor, which would lead to vulnerability and potential injury. Today, this expression is used to describe a weak spot in an object or even a weak member of a group or a team.Anthony Federico used the expression â€Å"Chink in the Armor† in one of his article’s titles to describe Jeremy Lin’s multiple turnovers in The New York Knicks loss to the New Orleans hours before the article publication. Federico used the expression the correct way being that Lin performed poorly in the game leading to a loss for the Knicks; thus, making a Lin a weak link or Chink in the Armor for the team. â€Å" †¦Had nothing to do with me being cute or punny,† Said Anthony Federico. In his claim given to Politico. om, a popular Internet news source, Federico claims that he was not intentionally racist towards Lin. Federico said that the use of the expression â€Å"Chink in the Armor, had nothing to with Lin being Chinese, and that wasn’t used to be interpreted as pun, or sneaky way to include racism towards Lin and Chinese peoples. † (Freeman 1) Federico’s defense in The Guardian gives his claim that he simply used the expression correctly and did not intentionally use the word chink in its popular meaning describing Chinese people.He believes that the reason why the article’s titles receive so much negative attention was not because of his wrong action, being that he used the phrase the way that it is intended to be used, but because individu als and the media misinterpreted his intentions and accused him of racist intentions. Lin’s success has been turned into many different puns in the media like his nickname ‘Super Lintendo’, where the pun is very blunt, but Federico’s use of the word chink in his own opinion was strictly used to in its obvious expression and a reflection of Lin’s performance in the night before and did not pertain to his ethnicity.Federico went on to apologize to Lin in his statement; â€Å"I’m so sorry that I offended people. I’m so sorry if I offended Jeremy. †(Freeman 1) In Federico’s apology he is saying that he is sorry for offending both the Asian American community and Jeremy, and that his remarks were accidently racist, because he did not mean for his title to be interpreted to be racist. Federico claims that his article’s title containing the expression â€Å"chink in the chain†, was not using the word in a negative manner.He also claimed that if the title was in fact racist that it was strictly because of poor word choice and therefore accidental. Federico’s past use of the word does not support his claim that he did not use the word with an ethnic connotation. â€Å"Federico told the Daily News he had used the phrase hundreds of times in headlines over the year,† taken from an article written by Mackenzie Weigner on Politico. com, a well respected online news source. Federico has used word chink in his publications hundreds of times in his career.Because he has used the word so many times throughout his career he is very aware of its negative and racist denotation. By claiming that he has used the word hundreds of times, Federico should have known the potential risk of publishing an article containing the word chink when talking about a Chinese American. â€Å"And if he was using it all those times, that is extremely sad. The word was used since the 1880s to demean Chinese Amer icans and to deprive them of rights, and it is used on playgrounds specifically to humiliate and to offend Asian Americans. So I don’t know where he’s been all this time. (Weigner 1) Judy Chu is disgusted by the fact that Federico has used the word so many times over the course of his career and not sees a problem with it. Chu finds it to be sad that Federico has used the word so many times in his career as a journalist and still cannot grasp the hateful meaning the word takes towards Chinese Americans. Judy the goes on to give a history of the word chink and how it has been used all along to intentionally be offensive towards Asians and more specifically Chinese Americans. Racism is something that Jeremy Lin has experienced his entire lifetime as a collegiate basketball player.During his time at Harvard University, Lin was a successful basketball player and often the members of the opposing team’s student fan section often chanted racist remarks as he played. F or example, when Lin played University of Connecticut the fans chanted â€Å"wonton soup† as he took his foul shots. When asked about the publication on ESPN. com Lin said, â€Å"Have to learn to forgive and I don’t even think that was intentional. Or hopefully not. † (Weigner 1) Federico had apologized to Lin about the incident, and Lin was very quick to accept the apology, forgive him and move on.Lin states that he thinks that Federico’s article could have potentially been unintentionally racist as Federico claims. In the end of Lin’s statement he says â€Å"Or hopefully not† meaning that if the article was intended to be seen as punny, by slipping in the word Chink while talking about him, he would have found it to be offensive. Racism has been surrounded by racism for a long time and has learned to put it past him and focus on what was important to him, his successful basketball career. Following Lin’s impressive and record-breaki ng start in the NBA came a large amount of media about both his accomplishments and his Chinese heritage.Many of the publications during this times period were warm-hearted and highlighted Lin’s numbers and quick climb to the rank of an elite NBA player, while unfortunately many other publications keened in on Lin’s race and at times were demeaning. Federico’s article received an excess of attention and proved to be controversial as it was highly debated. Though Federico claimed that his article was not intentionally racist, many people were offended, particularly Asian Americans and as a result Federico was highly scrutinized.

Course outline

Aims This course will provide students with an understanding of six ancient civilizations through archaeological and documentary sources. These SIX ancient civilizations are Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, northern China, Mesospheric, and the Andes. The course has three related goals: (1 ) to trace the historical formation and collapse of these six societies; (2) to examine explanations that attempt to account for their trajectories; and (3) to explore the methods researchers use to study these topics.Outcomes By the end of the course it is expected that the student will be able to: locate six major ancient civilizations and their cities on maps; understand and critically analyze the range in current theoretical approaches to the development of violations; recognize and critically evaluate the methods employed to access the past organize material and to articulate arguments effectively Grading Quizzes The quizzes will consist of multiple-choice questions and map identifications .Quiz 1: Quiz 2: Quiz 3: Examinations examination: 30% Final examination: 30% Extra Credit Students may add 5 points to their midterm or final through extra credit work at museums or lectures relevant to this class. Among the suggested exhibits are the permanent Egyptian displays at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum, and the Micronesian and South American exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History, but many other exhibits may also be appropriate. Students must write one page assessing the exhibit or lecture and provide proof of visit.Knowing them well will allow you to proceed to graduation efficiently and with a strong transcript. Study carefully everything in Brush's statement about academic honesty. You can access it easily from the Burch College home page, where the link â€Å"For Current Students† leads to a page where you can find a link to â€Å"Academic Honesty Policy' under â€Å"Resources and information†. Also feel free to ask a ny instructor for clarification or for explanation of why professors take this issue so seriously. This course has a ‘zero tolerance' policy on cheating and improper behavior during quizzes and exams.Any student who breaks academic rules in this course has violated the mutual trust on which teaching and learning are based and will receive not only a zero on that assignment, but a grade of F for the course. For serious infractions the instructor will ask the College's Disciplinary Panel to suspend the violator from all Burch courses. By College policy, all suspected violations, whether infirmed or not, are reported to the Dean of Students. Disruption of class is not permitted. Rude behavior is disruptive. Arriving late/leaving early is also not acceptable and repeated latecomers/early leavers will be penalized. Pods and cell phones off before class. Please do not eat food within the classroom. It is distracting to other students and to yourself (you should focus on the lecture! ). Content Overview The areas that we will study are Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, northern China, Mesospheric, and the Andes, that is, the birthplaces of the pristine states that armed the core of early civilizations. Their societies occupy a special place in human history, because they produced the first social classes, economic specialization, state government, and urban settlements.Their populations created the earliest formal philosophies, religions, monumental architecture, legal codes, market economies, institutionalized militaries, and writing systems. Their members began to define separate spheres of secular and religious activities and public and private life. In short, if we want to understand how human societies were transformed from small roofs to diversified empires organized on a grand scale, these are the regions that we study. Brief description of teaching and learning methods: Illustrated lectures requiring preparatory reading.Students will take a midterm and a final. Students have the option of an essay. Blackboard Most lectures in this course are illustrated with a substantial number of visual images, typically maps, site plans, and architectural and artifact photos. Lectures are provided on Blackboard as a resource only; students will not be responsible for a visual identification of any specific image in an exam. All handouts are available on blackboard. You can find the blackboard site for this course on the Burch website.If you miss a class, check blackboard for study sheets and assignments. Check with the Burch Computing and Technology Center (BCC) for information on how to use blackboard. Call the help desk at 646-312-1010. Attendance Class attendance is required and very important as a key part of active participation. Attendance is recorded at the beginning of every class. Freshmen and sophomores (fewer than 61 credits completed) will be dropped if more than four classes are missed. Juniors and seniors (over 60 credits) wil l be dropped if more than six classes are missed.Absences for medical, religious, family reasons or subway delays are counted as part of the four or six classes missed and will not be excused even with a note. If you have special medical or other ongoing circumstances, please discuss them with the professor ahead of time. If you are absent for whatever reason, please keep the professor informed by calling or emailing her. All class assignments and study sheets will be on blackboard, so please check the website if you are absent so that you will be prepared for theSpecial Needs Burch College is committed to being fully accessible to all students, including those with disabilities. To establish appropriate accommodations, please alert your instructor to your needs and contact Ms. Barbara Souris, Coordinator of the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities, part of the Division of Student Development and counseling, at NV 2 271 or at (646) 312 4590. Please contact me directly i f you require additional aids prior to your lectures. Course Outline This course aims to equip you with the necessary understanding of IS fundamentals, as they stand, and also equip you with critical thinking tools and techniques that will allow you to understand IS in the future. Information systems are complex things that are an integral part of every business and our society. Information systems are difficult to study in the abstract and are best understood through the use of real world examples and case-studies, room which we then look for theory to explain their behavior.Our course takes this approach – lots of cases and examples from which we distill our understanding of what IS are, how they are (and should be) used, and how they are best acquired. During Summer Semester we will cover a lot of material in a short time, so it is vital that you study from Week 1. This means you should read the set chapters in the textbook and prepare for your workshops. The course team will facilitate your learning by providing the guidance as to what you need to study, and working with you on problems you may encounter.It is, however, your responsibility to make a concerted and timely effort to study. If you make this effort you will find the material interesting, the course worthwhile and the interaction with you fellow students stimulating. You should also do well. INFAMOUS – International systems In 5 Business 3. 2 Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies The course involves three key components – lectures, workshops and your private study. Each lecture will focus on the topic outlined for that week (see section 10).The lecture will help you understand the organizational and societal context in which IS are built and utilized, and will roved guidance on how to use workshops, laboratories and private study to improve your understanding. A lecture slide pack for each week will be supplied to you 24 hours before the lecture via the course website. This is a ‘skeleton' pack only. You are advised to take notes d uring the lecture to supplement the slides. Workshops will help build your understanding of each course topic through the application of what you have learnt in the lecture to case-study and real-life scenarios.They also give you the opportunity to discuss your work with your colleagues, and hence gain an indication of your own progress. Further information on workshop preparation and participation is provided in section 4, and will be discussed in your first workshop. Your private study is the most important component of this course. The textbook and accompanying website contain self assessment exercises to help you. The self assessment exercises are designed to test your understanding of the topic at hand and include review questions, application questions and discussion questions of varying difficulty. Course Outline This course aims to equip you with the necessary understanding of IS fundamentals, as they stand, and also equip you with critical thinking tools and techniques that will allow you to understand IS in the future. Information systems are complex things that are an integral part of every business and our society. Information systems are difficult to study in the abstract and are best understood through the use of real world examples and case-studies, room which we then look for theory to explain their behavior.Our course takes this approach – lots of cases and examples from which we distill our understanding of what IS are, how they are (and should be) used, and how they are best acquired. During Summer Semester we will cover a lot of material in a short time, so it is vital that you study from Week 1. This means you should read the set chapters in the textbook and prepare for your workshops. The course team will facilitate your learning by providing the guidance as to what you need to study, and working with you on problems you may encounter.It is, however, your responsibility to make a concerted and timely effort to study. If you make this effort you will find the material interesting, the course worthwhile and the interaction with you fellow students stimulating. You should also do well. INFAMOUS – International systems In 5 Business 3. 2 Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies The course involves three key components – lectures, workshops and your private study. Each lecture will focus on the topic outlined for that week (see section 10).The lecture will help you understand the organizational and societal context in which IS are built and utilized, and will roved guidance on how to use workshops, laboratories and private study to improve your understanding. A lecture slide pack for each week will be supplied to you 24 hours before the lecture via the course website. This is a ‘skeleton' pack only. You are advised to take notes d uring the lecture to supplement the slides. Workshops will help build your understanding of each course topic through the application of what you have learnt in the lecture to case-study and real-life scenarios.They also give you the opportunity to discuss your work with your colleagues, and hence gain an indication of your own progress. Further information on workshop preparation and participation is provided in section 4, and will be discussed in your first workshop. Your private study is the most important component of this course. The textbook and accompanying website contain self assessment exercises to help you. The self assessment exercises are designed to test your understanding of the topic at hand and include review questions, application questions and discussion questions of varying difficulty.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Benjamin Franklin’s Declaration of Independence

The phrase â€Å"true American† does not have a definition, although the word â€Å"American† does. The definition of American is â€Å"belonging to or characteristic of America.† It is hard to relate Benjamin Franklin to this definition of an American, but it does apply to many of his characteristics. Franklin†s loyalty to America shows greatly throughout his life in his writings and jobs. Franklin†s many jobs included being an inventor, politician, author, statesman, philosopher, soldier, scientist, citizen, and a printer. Franklin helped stabilize America by helping to write the countries declaration of independence, which is only one of his many works. Benjamin Franklin†s leadership did not only influence the people of his time, but this great quality still influences the people of today. Many people today think of Franklin as a proud pillar of our national heritage. Most of Franklin†s education was self-taught through his hard work and dedication to learning. This education helped Franklin in many ways to write many books, outsmart other politicians, and create new inventions. Franklin knows he can not relive his life so decides that writing a book would be the next best thing. In Franklin†s autobiography, which he writes to his son, he tries to retell his mistakes so others will not do the same. One of Franklin†s strongest beliefs includes his religion. Franklin did not believe in organized religion and believed strongly in Deism. This shows his concern for other Americans. One of Franklin†s most contributive works to America besides his diplomacy was the Declaration of Independence. Not only did Franklin help write this document, but he was also the oldest person to sign it. Franklin published an annual book called Poor Richard†s Almanac. In this book Franklin included both important and useless information. Franklin predicted temperatures, told tales, included some of his favorite quotes, and had many fun facts published in this book. This is one of Franklin†s most famous quotes â€Å"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.† (Perkins) This saying shows Franklin†s intelligence on time management. Here Franklin claims to be a precise, healthy, and wise person. Franklin†s inventions contributed greatly to both the world then, and the modern world. Franklin invented bifocals, the dumb waiter, the Franklin stove, and completed many experiments on electricity. Another of Franklin†s great contributions to America was establishing the first lending library, hospital, and fire station. Franklin worked on ideas such as better-paved and lighted streets. Benjamin Franklin was a â€Å"true American† because of his dedication to starting, sustaining, and stabilizing America as a country.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Explain a Marketing concept for MKGT 3000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Explain a Marketing concept for MKGT 3000 - Essay Example After a promising idea is identified, concept development is performed by analyzing possible product ideas that could be developed and further refined. Afterward concept testing is performed where the product concept is presented to a panel of your target customer base and their reactions and comments are gauged. After a particular product idea or concept is chosen based on customer acceptance a market strategy analysis is devised in order to devise a cost effective marketing strategy that is tailored to the targeted market segment. A business analysis is then performed in order to determine if the product meets the firm's financial goals. From then product development, market testing, and finally commercialization or product launch finishes the process. The whole product development process is one that is full of risks and uncertainty. Costs overrun, changes in technology, and consumer behavior or preferences can have disastrous results in the success of a new product launch.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

S4 W7 one pager Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

S4 W7 one pager - Assignment Example This scenario seems not to change as the organization sticks to mediation rather than the use of force. A good example is the situation in Syria where the organization has all the reasons to use force to restore peace in Syria. However, the organization opted to provide mediation chances between the government and the rebellion. This decision was questionable as many Arab nations felt that the organization would have used force to restore the peace in Syria. Clement & Smith (2009) argues that even if the organization wanted to use force in Syria, they would have lacked an experienced group to deal with the situation. The only option was to outsource peacekeeping troop from the United Nations. This move would be a breach of the organization’s rules and regulations. The capabilities of the League of Arab States are not beyond finding other means of resolving conflicts other than mediation. Their peacekeeping ambition may be only implemented if the member states change the constitution and amend the clause on using force in its member

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Personal Development through Reflective Practice Essay

Personal Development through Reflective Practice - Essay Example The organisational structure for Outcomes UK Ltd is mainly controlled by the strategic director along with a number of secondary employees working under him. In the executive management group, officers have been assigned with the task of corporate management of the council, ensuring timely and regular meetings for discussion of current issues perceived to have a significant impact on the council and its services. The executive management has the responsibility of managing projects and other day-to-day activities in order to establish an entity that holds consistent values and views (NRC 2002). Their fixed responsibility lies in a number of tasks such as providing tactical advice and skillful plans to the council; making sure that policy objectives are effectively integrated within their services; managing the development of all strategies; providing information and establishing strong communication with councilors, managers, and staff members; supervising the working relationships between councilors and staff members; keeping watch over organisational values, attitudes, and structure; bringing together the council’s work with other organisations and establishing working relations; and handling resolution of conflicts. All these duties reflect Devlin’s (2006) assertion that executive management plays a major role in every action that the organisation takes. Often times, the members of the executive management group are handpicked by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) based on their individual strengths and the values that they have displayed. Those who can liv e up to the specific tasks assigned to executive management are selected. On the other hand, though much of the organisation’s responsibility lies upon this high ranking group, there is still a need for every member of the council to be involved in daily tasks for organisational goals to be successfully

Monday, August 26, 2019

Service marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Service marketing - Essay Example One-third of revenues is from advertising, one-third from companies distributing products through gift packs, and one-third from sales of consumer information. Spin-off publication â€Å"One Step Ahead† is likewise successful. The firm upgraded by changing its name to CD Marketing Services, while maintaining â€Å"Circular Distributions† for the existing door-to-door distribution. Under CD Marketing , Lifestyle Marketing brand concentrated on the sale of marketing information, and invested heavily in new technological capacity; ?400,000 of investment reaped additional ?33 million in sales and ?2.4 million in profits. Two new publications are Emma’s Diary Pre-School Guide and Married Life†¦The Small Print, which both attracted higher than average response rate and additional revenue through advertising and sample packs. More importantly, the new publications aimed to collect new data and build a database about its consumers. CD publications enjoyed a high res ponse rate. Services offered by Lifecycle Marketing were availed of most especially by financial services and home shopping businesses. These services include: Segmented lists of consumers that organizations can rent for one-off use Licenses by which other organizations may incorporate CD’s data in their own databases Inclusion by client-companies of specific questions in its publications; the data generated shall be for the contracting client’s exclusive use Later, the firm embarked on systematically supplying information to companies as a regular activity. In the meantime, the traditional fmcg business was still strong, and the company is ways by which it can be improved. New clients were attracted by the door-to-door service include Internet Service Providers which distributed free CD ROMS to targeted households. The Analysis for New Service Development strategy During its early days, Circular Distributors distributed generic products in a homogeneous market, for tr ial purposes that, it was hoped, would encourage future purchases. The company eventually developed the B2B consumer information service by which data it has gathered from its consumers are organized, packaged and sold to companies. Somewhere in between the company has been able to successfully create four publications, the latter two of which are used to gather data from consumers who are constantly expanding due to lifestyle changes. All three types of services – door-to-door distribution, publications, and information databasing and sales – are growing significantly, but while information sales is highly competitive because of the number of players already established in the industry, door-to-door distribution and publications have a huge following but few competitors. These three classes of services shall be analysed in the following discussion. Marketing Analysis Size – The market size for the door-to-door delivery service is substantial, but due to the phy sical nature of the service reliance on manpower limits the extent of the service and the geographical scope is limited. Publications would have a wider reach, as far as GPs (for obstetrics and paediatrics), vicars (for weddings), registrars (for births) and similar channels of survey questionnaire

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Differences between online and traditional marketing Research Paper

Differences between online and traditional marketing - Research Paper Example Although it is referred to as traditional, it is still commonly used by both the local and international businesses in order to pass a message to the customers. Some of the common traditional marketing strategies include use of radio, newspapers, magazines, television, etc. Other common methods that are still used include direct mail and referral (Singh, 2010). However, this form of advertising is being replaced by the online marketing. This paper will therefore discuss the major differences between online and traditional marketing. Online marketing can be able to reach a large geographical location. With the penetration of the internet in the global market, companies can be able to reach customers who are located in different parts of the world using an online platform. For instance, social media can reach customers all over the world irrespective of their geographical location. However, this is not the case with traditional marketing. Traditional marketing can only be able to reach customers who are located in areas that are covered with the media used. For instance, when a marketer uses a local media, either print or audio, the message can only reach the customers who are located in this geographical location (Singh, 2010). As a result, traditional marketing is more limited in comparison with online marketing. Online marketing is cheaper than traditional marketing. The cost of using internet has reduced tremendously over the years. This has resulted from increased levels of competition among the internet providers. Furthermore, with the current technological changes, more people have been able to get access to gadgets such as smart phones, tablets, and ipads which has made it easy for them to get access to the internet. As a result, many people can now get information concerning the existence of a certain product or service in the market at ease. The cost of using the online platform to pass the message to the customers is very low. For

Saturday, August 24, 2019

My son, the fanatic by Hanif Kureishi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My son, the fanatic by Hanif Kureishi - Essay Example The author hints at this,†His dreams of doing well in England†¦.† Here ‘Parvez’ the father in the story has his vision of perfectness only in a place like Britain. The story can only be viewed as the clash between a father and a son and not as the clash between two different culture and religion because the father and son both belong to the same culture and religion. According to Patricia Pisters â€Å"In My Son the Fanatic however the generational conflict is complicated culturally, most particularly by Parvez, who doesn’t belong to the old British tradition and doesn’t fit into his own newly found home in religious fundamentalism either†. The difference of opinion arises when Ali begins to turn away from his father’s wishes by breaking with the â€Å"British girlfriend† and throwing away his possessions saying that â€Å"there are more important things to be done†. Later he abandons his studies in accounting also. An understanding of the Muslim religion is essential to unravel the inconsistency between father and son. Parvez fails to stick to the strict rules followed by a Muslim throughout his life. This is evident from his childhood studies. Being a Muslim is not easy especially in British culture. He was taught ‘Koran’ in Lahore but his faith in the Holy Script is shallow unlike that of his son Ali. The ‘father’ is an admirer of British culture. His eager efforts to assimilate himself to the British culture do not always please his college going son. Parvez exhibits some non Islamic qualities like alcoholism and fondness for pork. It is obvious from the words of Parvez â€Å" You are not in the village now, this is England ,we have to fit in â€Å". The ‘fanatic ‘Ali fuses to the olden traditional ways of his religion and mocks his father for worshipping the alien culture. Ali slowly grows to a perfect Muslim but that was misunderstood by his son as behavioral problem. The

Friday, August 23, 2019

International Finance and Financial Management Essay

International Finance and Financial Management - Essay Example The bottom-up approach is the opposite of top-down approach, dealing first with companies and then the industry groups and finally the economy. Fundamental analysis has its strengths in forecasting long-term trends, determining the company's fair value in terms of asset valuation, strong balance sheet, earnings stability, and staying power1. There are certain risks that investors have to put up with when investing in stocks. A company may face one or more of the several sources of fundamental risk, namely, business risk, financial risk, liquidity risk, exchange rate risk, country risk, interest rate risk, and credit risk2. Domiciled in Seattle, US, Microsoft has its offices in 100 countries. As per the information excerpted from its annual report for the year 2006, Microsoft reported a net income of $12.5 billion. Such profitability, however, does not get achieved without taking risks. Investors need to be aware of what risks Microsoft tackles with in order to satisfy its stakeholders. Microsoft, in its operations, encounters business risk which is the risk of uncertainty over cash flows caused due to a number of reasons. Microsoft faces intense competition across all markets for its products and services. 1Jones, C.P. (1996). Investments: Analysis and Management. John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York. 2Clark, E., Levasseur, M., & Rousseau, P.(1993). International Finance. Chapman & Hall, New York. Its competitors range from Fortune 100 companies to small, specialized single-product businesses. With low barriers to entry, this business segment is facing a fierce competition worldwide. These competitive pressures have the capability to threaten Microsoft's sales volumes and operating costs resulting in lower revenue. Microsoft faces a challenge in combating unlicensed use of its software and intellectual property rights3. It spends a fortune every year to educate the public regarding abuse of its software. However, continued educational efforts may not succeed in implementing Microsoft's desired security objectives and any reductions in the legal protection of its intellectual property rights can adversely affect revenue. Due to its geographic dispersion, Microsoft is subject to tax risk. Tax risk affects investors because it affects net earnings4. Being accountable for tax in the US as well as numerous foreign jurisdictions, there is uncertainty over Microsoft's tax liabilities . Therefore, tax provisions may not be accurate which can significantly impair its earnings. Other examples of business risk that may affect Microsoft's revenue are delays in product development, lawsuits and claims, changes in accounting standards, and maintaining uniformity in pricing structures due to global presence. Another challenge for Microsoft is to tackle with market risk that comprises of foreign exchange risk and interest rate risk. It is quite obvious that having operations worldwide Microsoft is deemed to face risk of foreign currency losing value relative to its domicile currency. However, as mentioned in its annual report, Microsoft manages this risk by hedging its foreign

Working in Organisations - Organisational Analysis Report Essay

Working in Organisations - Organisational Analysis Report - Essay Example The next pÐ °rt of report describes orgÐ °nizÐ °tionÐ °l structure of orgÐ °nizÐ °tion bÐ °sing on the interview conducted. Ð mong numerous dimensions of retÐ °il orgÐ °nizÐ °tionÐ °l structure it reflects complexity, formÐ °lizÐ °tion, Ð °nd centrÐ °lizÐ °tion. The finÐ °l, fourth pÐ °rt of report is Ð ° concluding pÐ °rt where I describe orgÐ °nizÐ °tionÐ °l design of Tesco. BÐ °sing on the interviews thÐ °t I conducted previously Ð °nd literÐ °ture thÐ °t I hÐ °ve reseÐ °rched, I evÐ °luÐ °te orgÐ °nizÐ °tion Ð °nd suggest its design. MÐ °ny retÐ °il shopping centers hÐ °ve tried Ð °nd fÐ °iled to perform excellently outside their home mÐ °rkets. Likewise, some retÐ °ilers hÐ °ve led Ð °strÐ °y trying to develop Internet shopping. Ð s Ð ° result, TESCO, the United Kingdoms biggest grocer, hÐ °s drÐ °wn significiÐ °nt Ð °ttention becÐ °use of its Ð °mbitious overseÐ °s strÐ °tegy Ð °nd its successful on-line home delivery service. Ð nother successful key fÐ °ctor thÐ °t inputs to TESCO sustÐ °inÐ °ble development Ð °nd growth is the mÐ °rketing communicÐ °tion plÐ °n thÐ °t provides the detÐ °iled overview of the CompÐ °ny’s fiscÐ °l policies Ð °s for meeting the clients’ needs Ð °nd providing competitive prices within wisely locÐ °ted grocers Ð °ll over the world. TESCO understÐ °nds thÐ °t successful mÐ °rketing strÐ °tegy should be bÐ °sed on customers’ need, thÐ °t is why the Mission StÐ °tement declÐ °red for the CompÐ °ny sounds Ð °s it f ollows: â€Å"One of our vÐ °lues is to understÐ °nd customers better thÐ °n Ð °nyone. We go to greÐ °t lengths to Ð °sk customers whÐ °t they think, listen to their views, Ð °nd then Ð °ct on them. We look both Ð °t whÐ °t customers sÐ °y Ð °nd whÐ °t they do. This feedbÐ °ck guides the decisions we tÐ °le† (www.TESCO.com) Tesco is the lÐ °rgest food retÐ °iler in UK, operÐ °ting Ð °round 2,318 stores worldwide. Tesco operÐ °tes Ð °round 1,878 stores throughout the UK, Ð °nd Ð °lso operÐ °tes stores in the rest of Europe Ð °nd Ð siÐ °. Tesco.com is Ð ° wholly-owned subsidiÐ °ry offering Ð °

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence Essay Example for Free

The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence Essay Hagar Shipley is main character in The Stone Angel written by Margaret Laurence and goes through a rough life after growing up in the little town of Manawaka, Canada. At the age of ninety, she realized how stubborn and reserved she was to people she was closest to, her father, her brothers and her own son. In Hagars younger years she was skating on the pond with Dan and Matt, her brothers when one of the, Dan, fell in the pond skating backwards, trying to impress some ladies. Back home Matt then asked Hagar to get and put on the old plaid shawl their mother used to wear, then comfort Dan who has pneumonia, just as their mother used to comfort the boys when they were little. But Hagar refused: He turned to me then, and held both my hands in his, theonly time I ever recall my brother Matt doing such a thing. [] I cant. Oh Matt, Im sorry, but I cant, I cant. Im not a bit like her. [] Before Matt let himself mourn or even tell me it went over, he came close to me and put both his hands on me quiet gently, except that he put them around my throat. Pg. 25-26 This shows parts of Hagar and her stubbornness, she can not even comfort her own brother as it would make her appear as a weak young woman, thus completley against what she grew up with, her dad always drilled Hagar not to show any emotions in any situation but also the way she liked to be since she did not know the other Hagar. She was taught to be stubborn, selfish and emotionless. Hagars relationship to her own father was not the greatest since he never treated her the way a father is supposed to by showing pride of his girl, treating her with respect and actually show emotions, rather then just nodding after she has done something correctly: When I repeated them all through [] hed nod. Thats all hed ever say, when I got it right. He never believed in wasting a word or a minute. Pg. 7 She was taught to be the cold-hearted lady and never to sympthasize with anyone. Hagars entire life was a tragedy, she did not even hug her own son before he left to fight in the war. I didnt know what to say to him. I wanted to beg him to look after himself, to be careful, as one warns children against snowdrifts or thin ice or the hooves of horses, feeling the flimsy words may act as some kind of charm against disaster. I wanted all at once to hold him tightly, plead with him, against all reason and reality, not to go. Pg. 129 Hagar did not know what to say to him but she knew exactly what she would have done to him, hold him tightly and hug him for maybe the last time in her life, but then she is ashamed of doing so. Hagar, once again, is emotionless to people she is closest to, even her own son. But I did not want to embarrass both of us, nor have him think Id have taken leave of my senses. While I was hesitating, he spoke first. Pg. 129 Hagar is embarrassed of hugging her own son, as she says she does not want him to think that she would have taken leave of her senses, which, for her, was the total emotionless, stubbornness and monotonuesness. Hagar even hesitates to talk to him, she is totally lost with the feeling of insecurity about herself, her life and the way she lived it. Those four incidents show how tragic Hagar was in her lost life, her own world created by herself with her stubbornness and her father, drilling into her head that showing emotions to anyone is the weakest thing to do. Hagar, ninty years old, does not know what emotions are, does not know what love is or even feels like. You call that love. Lady, if that wasnt, what is? I dont know. I just dont know, Im sure. Pg. 228

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Blake v DPP, a summary of criminal case law

Blake v DPP, a summary of criminal case law Introduction In addition to the general defences seen in criminal law (duress, coercion, diminished responsibility etc) the offence of criminal damage has a number of specific defences which are found in the Criminal Damage Act 1971. In particular section 5 (2) states that a defendant has a lawful excuse, if: He believed that the person whom he believed entitled to consent to the destruction or damage of the property would have consented, had he known of the circumstances; or he acted ‘in order to protect’ the property of himself of another, or a right or interest in property that the property, right, or interest was in immediate need of protection, and the means adopted were reasonable, having regard to all the circumstances. This defence has been used in a number of cases that will be dealt with below. The leading authority on the defence is Blake v DPP[1]. However, one must look at the law prior to this judgement and after it. Prior to Blake In R v Ashford[2] it was held not top be a lawful excuse for the defendants to cut the wire at an airforce base in order protest against the use of nuclear weapons even if they subjectively believed that they had a lawful excuse to act. Michael Jefferson states that the ‘defendants argued that the reduction of the risk of the use of nuclear weapons would protect property in England because the risk of retaliation would be reduced.’[3] It was an already viewed as an objective test that the courts employed. R v Hill[4] involved the defendants cutting a wire fence in order to prevent nuclear war. The Court of Appeal held that the act of cutting was too remote from the prevention of nuclear war and they confirmed that it was an objective test rather than a subjective test. Jefferson notes that the property was not in ‘immediate need of protection’ and so it did not matter that the defendants believed they were acting to protect ‘property belonging to another’. Blake v DPP The defence would apply if the defendant honestly believes X is the owner and consents, even though X is not the owner. However in Blake v DPP, the Divisional Court rejected the defendant vicar’s argument that he believed that God owned the property and had consented to the damage. The court acknowledged that his belief was sincere it was however impossible to produce any evidence other than the defendant’s own belief that the command was in fact given. If this defence was indeed accepted then the defence could be raised regarding murder where the accused could simply claim he was carrying out the intentions of God. His marker pen graffiti on the Houses of Parliament in protest against the Gulf war was held to be unlawful. The defendant also claimed that he had a lawful excuse under section 5 (2) (b) as he damaged the pillar in order to protect property in the Gulf States. The Divisional Court held that, even if the defendant had believed that he had a lawful excuse, the court needed to adopt an objective view, if on the facts believed by the defendant, what was done by him protected, or was capable of protecting property. Richard Card states that the offence was to protect the property in the Gulf States; as such protection was too remote from his conduct[5]. Card states that this objective requirement read into s 5 (2) (b) is not easily reconcilable with the words of the statute, which seem to be a clear expression of a test that is solely subjective. Post Blake The case of Chamberlain v Lindon[6] showed that the defence has some success. This case deals with a ‘right of way’ as the accused was held to be protecting it when he demolished a wall. This was held to be in an ‘immediate need of protection’ as it was being obstructed and it would continue until litigation resolved the case. R v Kelleher[7] involved a defendant who knocked the head off a statue of Baroness Thatcher in a protest regarding the policies of democratic governments (UK and USA). The defendant believed that these policies made the world a more dangerous place to live in and would lead to the destruction of the world. The defendant was convicted but then appealed on two grounds. First, he stated that the ruling of the judge that the defence of ‘lawful excuse’ was not available was wrong. Secondly, the judge wrongly directed the jury to return a verdict of guilty. Regarding the first issue, the court held that the trial judge was correct in deeming the defence of lawful excuse as unavailable to the defendant. Regarding the second ground for appeal, William Priestley states that as the jury was invited to retire after the judge’s direction, this showed that the jury had in fact acted independently as they then returned and delivered a verdict of guilty.[8] In Jones v Gloucestershire Crown Prosecution Service[9] the defendants relied on section 5 (2) (b) as they damaged property at RAF Fairford in order to protest at illegality of the war in Iraq. These acts were done in order to preserve the homes of their family and friends. It was held that none of the defendants could reasonably believe that their actions of cutting wire around an RAF base would protect their homes. Conclusion As we have seen the defence of s 5 (2) has been used by a number of defendants. Its use has been primarily used by individuals protesting against the policies of the government. With the Human Rights Act 1998 cementing the European Convention of Human Rights into the UK legal system, Article 10 and 12 will be relied on in order to give individuals the right of assembly and free speech. This right however does not extend to criminal acts of damage against property. The objectivity that surrounds s (5) (2) shows that defendants will find it increasingly difficult to rely on this defence however compelling and sincere these subjective thoughts may well be. Bibliography Books Ashworth, A. Principles of Criminal Law 5th ed. 2006. Oxford Card, R. Criminal Law 16th ed. 2004. Lexis Nexis. London Herring, J. Criminal Law: Text, Cases and Materials 3rd ed. 2008. Oxford. Jefferson, M. Criminal Law 8th ed. 2007. Lexis Nexis. London. Journals The Police Journal. Vol.76 (4) 2003 Footnotes [1] [1992] 93 Cr App R 169 [2] [1988] Crim LR 682 (CA) [3] Jefferson, M. Criminal Law 8th Ed. 2007.p.707 [4] [1989] 89 Cr App R 74 [5] Richard Card. Criminal Law 16th Ed, 2004. [6] [1998] 2 All ER 538 [7] [2003] EWCA Crim 2846 [8] Priestley, W. Lawful Excuse to the Offence of Criminal Damage. Police Journal vol.76 2003. [9] [2005] QB 259

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Importance of Teaching Listening Skills

Importance of Teaching Listening Skills Listening comprehension is an important language skill to develop. Language learners want to understand target language (L2) speakers and they want to be able to access the rich variety of aural and visual L2 texts available via network-based multimedia. Furthermore, listening comprehension is at the heart of L2 learning and the development of L2 listening skills has demonstrated a beneficial impact on the development of other skills (e.g. Dunkel 1991; Rost 2002). Therefore, it is important to develop L2 listening competence; yet, in spite of its importance, L2 learners are rarely taught how to listen effectively (e.g. Mendelsohn 2001, 2006; Berne 2004; LeLoup Pontiero 2007). In addition, listening is an essential skill which develops faster than speaking and often affects the development of reading and writing abilities in learning a new language (Scarcella and Oxford, 1992; Oxford, 1993). According to them, the main reason is that one receives input through listening to instructions or explanations prior to responding orally or in writing. Listening is not an easy skill to acquire because it requires listeners to make meaning from the oral input by drawing upon their background knowledge of the world and of the second language (Byrnes, 1984; Nagle Sanders, 1986; Young, 1997) and produce information in their long term memory and make their own interpretations of the spoken passages (Murphy, 1985; Mendelsohn, 1994; Young, 1997). In other words, listeners need to be active processors of information (Young, 1997). Meanwhile, Vandergrift (1996, 1997, and 2003) asserts that listening is a complex, active process of interpretation in which listeners try to su it what they hear with their prior knowledge. According to Richards (1983), this process is more complex for second language learners who have limited memory capacity of the target language. Therefore, it is necessary for them to utilize various listening strategies. As most English teachers Iran believe, although we have learned a lot about the nature of listening and the role of listening in communication, L2 listening has been considered to be the least researched of all four language skills. This may be due to its implicit nature, the ephemeral nature of the acoustic input and the difficulty in accessing the processes. In order to teach L2 listening more effectively, teachers need a richer understanding of the listening process. Research into L2 listening is important because a better understanding of the process will inform pedagogy. According to Vandergrift (2007), students who learn to control their listening processes can enhance their comprehension; This, in turn, affects the development of other skills and overall success in L2 learning. 1.2. Statement of Problem Listening comprehension may seem relatively straightforward to native language (L1) speakers but it is often a source of frustration for second and foreign language (L2) learners (e.g., Graham, 2006). Further, little attention has been focused on systematic practice in L2 listening (see DeKeyser, 2007) i.e.; on the integrated instruction of a sequential repertoire of strategies to help L2 learners develop comprehension skills for real-life listening (Berne, 2004; Mendelsohn, 1994; Vandergrift, 2004). A review on recent research on second or foreign listening instruction suggested a need for an analysis of the effectiveness of metacognitive instruction for developing L2 listening comprehension. Current approaches for effective L2 listening are toward real-life authentic ample-input listening with more of top-down approaches and process instruction. Most of the studies, support real-life listening with authentic materials (Buck, 2002; Goh, 2008; Richards, 2005; Vandergrift, 2007; Veenman et a1., 2006). Top-down approaches have drawn more recent favors than bottom-up approaches (Goh, 2008; Rost, 2002; Vandergrift, 2004). Process listening was favored to product listening (Vandergrift, 2004; Field, 2003; Buck, 1995; Krashen, 2008). Interest was also indicated in raising student awareness of the listening process (Vandergrift, 1999; Mendelsohn, as cited in Vandergrift, 2004). Among the approaches to L2 listening, metacognitive instruction for L2 listening was noted to be a most recent trend (Annevirta et al., 2007; Beasley et al., 2008; Chen, 2007; Derwing, 2008; Field, 2008; Goh, 2008; Graham et al., 2008; Lee Oxford, 2008; Vandergrift, 2007; Veenman et al., 2006; Zohar Peled, 2008). In general, comprehension historically has received only minimal treatment in the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL), but it is, in fact, one of the most important skills a second language (L2) learner must master to succeed in academic studies (Jung, 2003, Thompson Rubin, 1996). For learners to become proficient in listening comprehension, they must receive comprehensible input (Vandergrift, 1997, p. 495) as well as have ample opportunity to practice using, or producing, the language. In second language acquisition, listening comprehension used to be considered a passive activity; thus, it did not merit researchers attention (Jung, 2003; Thompson Rubin, 1996; Vandergrift, 2004). It had been assumed that a learners ability to comprehend spoken language would develop entirely on its own in an inductive way through repetition and imitation. As recently as the 1970s there were no textbooks devoted to teaching the skill of listening in a second language. It was assumed that the ability to comprehend spoken language would automatically improve because learners with exposure to the oral discourse would learn through practice. Listening texts are a relatively recent addition to the ESL or ESL curricula; the focus of earlier second or foreign language learning texts which included a focus on listening comprehension was primarily on testing students ability to listen to oral discourse and then answer comprehension questions based upon the information (Carrier, 2003; Field, 1998). Today, however, a growing body of research indicates that the focus has shifted to actively and intentionally teaching strategies for learning how to process, comprehend, and respond to spoken language with greater facility, competence, and confidence (Rost, 2007). Despite, recognizing the importance of listening strategies for the development of foreign language proficiency, very limited studies have been performed in Iran concerning the strategies employed by Iranian EFL learners in relation to listening proficiency levels. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine how strategies training may benefit L2 learners in their development of listening comprehension. 1.3. Significance of the Study The current study addresses the need for further research in the area of systematic teaching of listening strategies. Accoding to Carrier (2003), for L2 learners, the ability to use strategies effectively in their academic listening is crucial (Carrier, 2003). He believed that learners need to be able to actively and selectively choose the strategies most applicable for a given listening situation and evaluate strategy effectiveness in their everyday learning tasks. As Carrier (ibid) indicated in her study, students can benefit from instruction in strategies for academic listening in a variety of settings and incorporating many types of media. This study adds to the growing body of research of how adult EFL students pursuing academic study may benefit from explicit, systematic teaching of listening strategies. Doing this research contributes a method to introduce and model L2 listening strategies. Results of the study provide insight into participants self-perceptions of their use of listening strategies both before and after systematic classroom instruction. 1.4. Research Questions The following research questions formed the basis of the study: 1. Does explicit listening comprehension strategy training based on CALLA instructional model increase Iranian EFL learners listening comprehension 2. What metacognitive listening strategies, based on Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ), do Iranian EFL learners report before and after metacognitive training program? 1.5. Research Hypotheses Based on the above questions, the following hypotheses will be estimated: 1. Explicit listening comprehension strategy training based on CALLA instructional model cannot play any role in increasing Iranian EFL learners listening comprehension. 2. There is no significant difference in using metacognitive listening strategies, based on Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ) by Iranian EFL learners before and after metacognitive training program. 1.6. Limitations of the Study One limitation of this study relates to the selection of participants. It was anticipated that the body of participants was likely to be of predominantly one language and cultural background. While this could provide insights into the strategy use of that particular language group, it might preclude broader multicultural generalizations of the study. In addition, it was impossible to randomize the selection of participants because of the structure of the research. The study needed to be conducted as a component of regularly scheduled EFL coursework. Limited randomization was provided in the anonymity of participant responses on the research instrument questionnaires as well as with proficiency leveling. Participants prior exposure to listening strategies instruction or to the manner in which such instruction may have taken place is another area that was impossible to determine. Indeed, students may consciously or unconsciously use strategies transferred from their learning and listening experiences in their first language. In addition, instructors may offer strategies instruction without intentionally planning to do so. If students have friends who are native speakers of English, spend much time watching American movies or listening to news broadcasts, or in other ways have a lot of exposure to English outside of class time, they may have adopted a variety of listening strategies that their classmates who do not engage in such activities have not. 1.7. Definition of Key Terms The following terms are used throughout this study and are defined as related to use in this research. Listening: an active process in which listeners select and interpret information that comes from auditory and visual clues in order to define what is going on and what the speakers are trying to express (Thompson Rubin, 1996, p. 331). For this study, the focus is on listening for academic purposes. That might include listening during academic lectures, seminars, group work, or any other aural discourse that is likely to occur in an academic classroom setting. Metacognition: Metacognition refers to the learners knowledge of whatever strategies s/he might use for specific tasks and under what conditions those strategies will be most effective (Pintrich, 2002). Strategy training: teaching explicitly how, when, and why to apply language learning and language use strategies to enhance students efforts to reach language program goals (Carrell, 1996; Cohen, 1998; Ellis Sinclair, 1989, as cited in Chen, 2005, p. 5). CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 2.1. Overview This chapter presents a brief historical timeline of the teaching of listening comprehension in EFL and ESL context. Of note is that listening research and teaching has a relatively short history as compared to that of reading, writing, grammar, and speaking. Certainly, the process of learning how to listen in a second language shares features with learning to listen in ones mother tongue; however, some features are different. The literature provides insight into these similarities and differences. Within this section, top-down and bottom-up processing as they function in the L2 listening process are explained, as is the interaction between the two processes. Finally, learning strategies, in particular, those used in the L2 listening process are presented. In most of the research accomplished to date, strategies have been classified in a descriptive manner. Researchers agree to the dearth of studies showing what types of intervention-or instruction-of listening strategies will help L 2 students to improve their listening comprehension. It is to this end that the current study was undertaken. 2.2. History of Teaching Listening Comprehension Though one of the most important but also most difficult skills a second language (L2) learner must master to succeed in academic studies, L2 listening comprehension has not received the research attention it deserves (Jung, 2003, Thompson Rubin, 1996). Though the focus in teaching today is on presenting listening as an active receptive skill which needs special attention in language study (Morley, 2001, p. 72.), listening was traditionally considered to be a passive skill, unlike speaking or grammar (Vandergrift, 2004). Even as recently as the 1970s there were no textbooks devoted to teaching the skill of listening in a second language. One hundred and fifty years ago, it was thought that speaking and writing in a second language were productive, or active skills, while listening and reading were receptive, and thus passive. In some of the earliest recorded language classes, listening was not taught at all. In one of the earliest of the language teaching approaches, Grammar Translation (Felder Enriquez, 1995; Flowerdew, Miller, 2005), teaching was conducted in the learners native tongue, and only the grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary of the foreign language, generally Greek or Latin, were taught so that learners could translate texts. The first of the language teaching methods that touched upon the importance of listening comprehension is known as the Direct Approach (Felder Enriquez, 1995), in which learners were immersed in the target language, with the L2 being the language of instruction (Flowerdew Miller, 2005). Taught inductively, learners mastered the grammar by creating rules based on their ever-growing experience with the language. Correctness in all aspects of the language was emphasized. In the Direct Approach, by necessity, listening comprehension played a major role. However, the development of listening comprehension was not actively taught; it was assumed that learners would pick up this skill in an inductive way, through repetition and use. Certainly, with its focus on inductive learning, no listening strategies were actively taught in the Direct Approach. Although listening comprehension was a component of the Grammar Approach also, students were constantly tested on their listening ability only as it related to their ability to simultaneously read and listen to a recorded piece of discourse and make sense of the grammatical and lexical rules of the language. One major drawback of this method was that the classroom activities did not relate in any meaningful way to everyday listening activities outside of the classroom (Flowerdew Miller, 2005). Students using this method were called upon to fill in missing words, a task they could easily perform without having any idea of the actual meaning of the discourse. The Audiolingual Approach (Larsen-Freeman, 2000), which became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, required the listener to recognize and practice utterances and then create similar utterances patterned after the ones they had heard in a dialogue. It was during this time and with this approach to teaching languages that the audio-cassette language labs became widely used (Ross, 2003). The language lab focus was based on drill and practice, requiring much repetition and error correction with the goal of instilling in students correct patterns of discourse. Developing listening comprehension strategies, again, was not the focus of this approach; rather listening skill was taught only as it pertained to the manipulation of newly learned grammatical and lexical structures. An unfortunate result was that in their learning process, students interacted much more with machines than with other humans. Then focus shifted toward student interaction in authentic language situations so that students could have exposure to comprehensible input as well as practice using the target language in real life situations. While cassette language laboratories are still in use today, many of these have been replaced or supplemented with computer laboratories and digital language laboratories. Emphasis on authentic tasks and projects, particularly those using the Internet, has become highly regarded (Ross, 2004). In the 1980s and 1990s, the Communicative Approach (Oxford et al., 1989)-one in which error was tolerated, provided the learners intended message could be conveyed and understoodbecame popular. The Communicative Approach, in which the focus is on use of authentic language, places the learner in a real exchange of meaning; the learner must process input and produce output such that each participant can understand the other. Once again, we see that listening strategies are assumed but not actively taught. Within this method, two schools developedthose who embrace the Cognitive Approach (Ellis, 1999) and those who embrace the Sociocognitive Approach (Warschauer Meskill, 2000). Another approach which came into existance was Cognitive Approach, the first of the two schools, which focuses on the view that all language learning is a unique psycholinguistic process (Warschauer Meskill, 2000, p. 3). Learners are said to have a built-in cognitive ability to interact with and communicate in language that is both meaningful and comprehensible to them and construct their own meaning. Making errors is seen as a positive learning process through which learners construct the rules of the target language based upon input/output. Technologies that support this learning theory/style include text-reconstruction software, concordancing software, telecommunications, and multimedia simulation software (p. 4). Teachers can easily manipulate authentic text to create meaningful exercises (cloze-type), and students can use all sorts of software and Internet access to discover computer microworlds that, at their best, simulate an immersion or a linguistic bath environment (p. 5). They can experience the target language by conducting searches, interacting with and manipulating their findings. In many cases, students need not actually interact with other humans at all. The other school within the Communicative Approach embraces Sociocognitive Approaches. This school of thought contends that learners benefit greatly from interaction with people. Students need to interact with other humans in authentic language situations so that they can have comprehensible input as well as exposure and practice in the types of speech acts in real life outside the classroom. Authentic tasks and projects, particularly those utilizing the Internet, are highly regarded in this approach. Teaching methods that exploit computer-assisted discussion have become accepted. We see synchronous and asynchronous chat becoming a major component of language learning. While this medium is seen as somewhat artificial, it is still said to give students authentic practice in extended discourse and to provide an extra layer of language practice for students, one that is democratic. Students who are hesitant to use oral language in the classroom have greater opportunity to use language w ithout fear of making mistakes and thus losing face. The result can be class discussions that are both highly democratic and collaborative. Next in the progression of accepted language teaching approaches is one known as the Task-Based Approach (Brown, 1987; Bruton, 2005). This approach requires the learner to listen and, based on the input, complete some sort of task, perhaps note-taking or filling in a chart or form. The tasks tend to be oriented to real-world needs of the learner but are frequently based upon discourse (lectures or passages) that is at least partially contrived. While not exactly authentic, these types of activities provide practice in completing the types of tasks students might be called upon to use in real life, such as noting information or completing forms. In current language learning approaches, we have the Learner-Strategy Approach (Floweredew Miller, 2005; Mendelsohn, 1994). This approach accounts for learners needs to initiate and recognize their own listening strategies what works for each individual learner. The Learner-Strategy approach examines listening comprehension from the perspective of individual learners and their independent learning with activities created to help learners discover what particular strategy works for them, including foci on schema activation, authentic tasks, presentation of many types of activities in many different contexts, and total interaction with the task. It is in this approach that metacognitive realization plays a significant role. Metacognition refers to the learners knowledge of whatever strategies s/he might use for specific tasks and under what conditions those strategies will be most effective (Pintrich, 2002). Pintrich pointed out that metacognition refers to knowledge of strategies; h aving the knowledge doesnt necessarily mean that the learner actually uses the strategies. It is important, however, for learners to identify which of their own listening strategies produce success, and it is helpful for them to share their strategies. Not only does the sharing help them to activate schemata and to recognize how the strategy works for them, their sharing may also serve to activate other learners schemata and be instructive for fellow learners. Both learner and fellow students become more autonomous and develop more control over their own learning, the goal of this particular approach. The more aware learners are of the learning process, more specifically, their own learning process, the greater the chance they can influence conscious learning (Nakatani, 2005, p. 77) and enhance their own strategic competence. According to Osada (2002), with the development of research, new theories, and development of second language curriculum, researchers interest in listening comprehension has grown. The 1990s showed a far greater interest in this skill than had previously been realized. Today, it is a widely accepted belief (Flowerdew Miller, 2005; Jung, 2003; Savignon, 2001; Wilson, 2003) that all skills, certainly including listening comprehension, require active negotiation with the language. Savignon (2001) likened the collaborative process involved in oral/aural communication to the game of football. The different strategies players use and the different moves they make as they avoid, block, or tackle the opposing teams players are similar to the strategies language learners use to negotiate meaning with their interlocutors in the new language. Not only do learners need to know the sound system, grammar, and syntax of the new language, but they also need to understand the pragmatic, or discourse meanings of the language. A final learning approach that is worth mentioning here is the Integrated Approach (Flowerdew Miller, 2005). Teachers of today recognize readily the need to actively teach strategies for developing accuracy in listening comprehension. The goal is to make students able to listen for and identify main ideas as well as details, to develop their critical listening and thinking skills, and to enable them to manipulate the language and show that they comprehend and can use what they have heard. An expected outcome is for students to be able to use heard information and present it in an intelligent and intelligible way. In the Integrated Approach, we see complementary strategies at play as students use aspects of the various approaches to language teaching and learning to comprehend, manipulate, and produce language in authentic, meaningful language tasks. 2.3. Different perspectives toward listening 2.3.1. Listening as Negotiation of Meaning That most peoples daily experiences are often not linked to reading and writing- but to situations where the spoken word is the dominant medium has already been noted in the context of first language (LI) listening (see, for example, Bohlken, 1999; Frest, 1999; Furnis, 2004). In academic contexts, for example, research on LI listening has shown that listening comprises more than 50% of college students total average communication day followed by reading (17%), speaking (16%) and writing (11%) (Emanuel et al, 2008). With the significant role that listening plays in our lives, therefore, it would be worthwhile to examine what facilitates and/or hinders listening. Changes in listening behavior have been associated with different factors including purpose for listening (Wolvin Coakley, 1996), types of interaction possible or required in a listening situation (Rost, 1990; 2002), personal dispositions (Sargent, Fitch-Hauser, Weaver, 1997), gender (Sargent Weaver, 2003), and cultural context (Keiwitz, Weaver, Brosius, Weiman, 1997). Imhof (2004) posits that, while listening, individuals tend to adjust swiftly to perceived characteristics of the [listening] situation (p. 43) such as the status they hold as compared to their speaking partner. In a study of listeners and speakers with English as a first language (ELI), Harms (1961) found that listeners comprehension was highest when listeners held the same status as the speakers. These findings accord with the results of the Varonis and Gass (1985) study on EL1-ESL and ESL-ESL interlocutor dyads, which demonstrated that meaning negotiations occurred less frequently between EL1-ESL interlocutors t han ESL-ESL. Varonis and Gass (1985) concluded that ESL speakers recognize the inequality of the conversation situation (p. 85) and thus are reluctant to attempt any further negotiation of meaning. In a critique of the cognitively-oriented L2 listening studies that have ignored the social context in which conversation occurs, Carrier (1999) argued that unequal status between ELI and ESL interlocutors hinders negotiations of meanings and thus has an adverse effect on comprehension. Carrier also suggested that status unequals may perceive their relationship as sharing no common base socially, occupationally, and economically (p. 74). In the context of L2 classroom settings, Pica (1992) reported that social relationships between teachers and students give them unequal status as interlocutors, which can hinder L2 comprehension, production and ultimately acquisition (p. 4). In an interesting case study of an intermediate level learners progress in listening comprehension during and after a pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes course, Lynch (1997) reported the discrepancies between performance within the sheltered setting of the language classroom and success in real interaction in the (non-sheltered) academic world. The study, which included evidence from performance (entry and exit listening tests), process (negotiation of meaning in the classroom) and perceptions (of listening difficulties after the course), pointed to the ways in which the listeners fears about being labeled as an ESL student hindered his negotiations of meaning in the classroom and ultimately his performance. When asked to make a conscious effort in applying meaning negotiation strategies (which he had learned in the sheltered language course) in his academic courses, the ESL listener replied, But I am the only foreign student and so I cannot interrupt very much (Lynch, 1997, 394). These results are in line with other work on first language listening, which demonstrate that inter-individ ual differences affect patterns of communication between listeners and speakers (Beatty, Marschal, Rudd, 2001; Imhof, 2004). 2.3.2 Listening as Comprehension Listening has been demonstrated to be one of the essentials of language learning (Rost 2002; Tafaghodtari Vandergrift, 2008; Vandergrift, 2007). Yet, with the diffusion of new technologies, which have particularly changed the ways in which university students spend their time (Emanuel et al., 2008), listening has become one of the most challenging aspects of L2 development for adult learners (e.g. Hasan 2000; Graham, 2003; Kim, 2002; Vandergrift, 2007). In a review of the recent developments in L2 listening research, Vandergrift (2007) rightly points to the significance that listening has in todays reality of L2 learners lives: Language learners want to understand target language (L2) and they want to be able to access the rich variety of aural and visual L2 texts available today via network-based multimedia, such as online audio and video, YouTube, podcasts and blogs (p. 191). Given its central role in the new media age, listening has remained surprisingly underresearched in the field of L2 education, and those studies which seem to address this neglected aspect of language development have been generally concerned with listening as an end-point, rather than an active process of meaning making. Many, for example, reduce listening to finding the right answer to a set of comprehension questions at the end of a passage. This focus, which reflects the nature of commercial and high-stakes tests, ignores the processes involved in any meaning making situation, listening being no exception. This trend has also fallen short of providing a framework for adequately taking account of the variables which affect listening ability (Tafaghodtari Vandergrift, 2008). 2.3.3 L2 Listening: A Cognitive Perspective Drawing on a wide range of disciplines (e.g., cognitive psychology, LI speech education, language pathology and artificial intelligence), current L2 listening theorists recognize that L2 listening draws on multiple sources of information such as linguistic, contextual, and schematic knowledge (e.g., Buck, 2001; Lynch, 1994; Vandergrift, 2006). A consequence of such recognition has been a focus on different textual, cognitive and affective variables such as memory, discourse markers, prior knowledge and anxiety which are believed to affect performance in L2 listening. Based on earlier work by Buck (2001), at least three types of variables are posited to be critical to L2 listening success: linguistic, strategic and learner variables. Linguistic variables entail knowledge of the sound system (phonological), grammar (syntactic), vocabulary (semantic) and contextual influences on interpretation (pragmatic) of the L2 (Flowerdew Miller, 2005). Listeners use L2 phonological knowledge to se gment the stream of sound into meaningful sound units. This includes knowledge about phonemes, stress, intonation, assimilation and elision. Grammatical or syntactic L2 knowledge helps listeners to process or parse the sound stream for meaningful units of language and contributes to comprehension by assigning semantic roles to words (Rost, 2002). L2 semantic knowledge helps listeners assign meaning to word-level units as well as the relationship between those words at the discourse level. L2 pragmatic knowledge helps the listener to infer the speakers intention, particularly if there is any ambiguity in the literal meaning of the utterance. This is closely related to sociolinguistic knowledge (e.g., formal/informal registers, idioms and slang) which listeners use to further interpret the utterance (Buck, 2001). These five elements of linguistic knowledge involved in speech perception are an essential part of any model of listening. Yet, research has shown that listening comprehension is more than speech perception (e.g., Rost, 2004; Schmidt-Rinehart, 1994). Comprehension includes matching what is heard with what is known. According to Rost (2004), the central component in the comprehension process is the activation of schemata in the listeners memory structures to anticipate and monitor,

Monday, August 19, 2019

Lets Rank the Clique :: essays research papers

Let's Rank the Clique! In case you don't know, the Clique was an infamous backstage of friends (Triple H, Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall and X-Pac/Sean Waltman) who reportedly managed to find ways to manipulate Vince McMahon and the WWF's booking to their own advantage for a few years during the mid-90's. They were all members of the WWF's "Next Generation" of superstars who were supposed to usher in a new era of WWF product. They were all being pushed as young and cool. Not as cool as the Official Ninja Homepage (http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~rahjr79/ninja.htm), but whatever "cool" was to Vince McMahon at the time. Keep in mind, this is the same guy who built an angle on his second biggest PPV around a guy in a turkey outfit. So which member of this group of backstage politicians will make it to the top? Which one will be the undeniable "leader" of this infamous backstage faction? That's the question we will answer today! So let's break this down in a scientific manner.... Most Memorable Moment: Triple H: Steals Stephanie McMahon on WWF TV, then dates her in real life Shawn Michaels: Beating Bret Hart for WWF title Kevin Nash: Formed NWO in WCW X-Pac: Return to WWF in Spring '98 Scott Hall: NWO debut, ladder match with HBK at 'Mania Most Embarassing Moment: Triple H: Breaks kayfabe during infamous MSG incident in '96, gets hung out to dry by fellow Clique members and is depushed for a year Shawn Michaels: Gets ass kicked by "9 regular guys" at bar in Syracuse. Loses smile. "Injures" knee in '97. Cries in locker room after Hart screw job on "Wrestling with Shadows", hung out to dry after appearing in WWF locker room "unready to work" (according to WWF management) last year.................... Kevin Nash: Totally flops as WCW booker, sends company further on road to hell X-Pac: Invented Bronco-Buster and crotch-chop. Ten year olds everywhere begin telling teachers to "suck it" Scott Hall: Post-Divorce party that lasted from 1996 to 2000 Turning Point of Career: Triple H: When he was rehabbing knee injury in '98 and found a way to suddenly get bigger Shawn Michaels: Taking a bad bump from the Undertaker during a casket match in '98, led to career-ending back injury Kevin Nash: Given WWF title after squash win over Bob Backlund at WWF house show X-Pac: Injured his neck and had to give up his trademark high-flying style Let's Rank the Clique :: essays research papers Let's Rank the Clique! In case you don't know, the Clique was an infamous backstage of friends (Triple H, Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall and X-Pac/Sean Waltman) who reportedly managed to find ways to manipulate Vince McMahon and the WWF's booking to their own advantage for a few years during the mid-90's. They were all members of the WWF's "Next Generation" of superstars who were supposed to usher in a new era of WWF product. They were all being pushed as young and cool. Not as cool as the Official Ninja Homepage (http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~rahjr79/ninja.htm), but whatever "cool" was to Vince McMahon at the time. Keep in mind, this is the same guy who built an angle on his second biggest PPV around a guy in a turkey outfit. So which member of this group of backstage politicians will make it to the top? Which one will be the undeniable "leader" of this infamous backstage faction? That's the question we will answer today! So let's break this down in a scientific manner.... Most Memorable Moment: Triple H: Steals Stephanie McMahon on WWF TV, then dates her in real life Shawn Michaels: Beating Bret Hart for WWF title Kevin Nash: Formed NWO in WCW X-Pac: Return to WWF in Spring '98 Scott Hall: NWO debut, ladder match with HBK at 'Mania Most Embarassing Moment: Triple H: Breaks kayfabe during infamous MSG incident in '96, gets hung out to dry by fellow Clique members and is depushed for a year Shawn Michaels: Gets ass kicked by "9 regular guys" at bar in Syracuse. Loses smile. "Injures" knee in '97. Cries in locker room after Hart screw job on "Wrestling with Shadows", hung out to dry after appearing in WWF locker room "unready to work" (according to WWF management) last year.................... Kevin Nash: Totally flops as WCW booker, sends company further on road to hell X-Pac: Invented Bronco-Buster and crotch-chop. Ten year olds everywhere begin telling teachers to "suck it" Scott Hall: Post-Divorce party that lasted from 1996 to 2000 Turning Point of Career: Triple H: When he was rehabbing knee injury in '98 and found a way to suddenly get bigger Shawn Michaels: Taking a bad bump from the Undertaker during a casket match in '98, led to career-ending back injury Kevin Nash: Given WWF title after squash win over Bob Backlund at WWF house show X-Pac: Injured his neck and had to give up his trademark high-flying style

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Godfather Moral Downfall Essay example -- essays research papers

Critics agree that in The Godfather, the protagonist, Michael Corleone (Mikey) changes from a person with moral principles and a legitimate role in society to a cold-blooded mobster. In the beginning of the movie, Mikey shows his reluctance to involve himself in the Mafia when he tells his girlfriend, Kaye, about his father’s (Vito Corleone) business methods of coercion and says he will never be like his family. However, as Mikey’s involvement with the family business increases his violent tendencies become more apparent as he volunteers to murder a rival thug and a corrupt police officer. In the final scene, Mikey kills his brother-in-law, and when confronted by Kaye, he looks her in the eyes and claims no role in the murder. At this point, he completely transforms from a military hero and legitimate citizen, to a Mafia don capable of lies and murder. While Mikey’s transformation is quite obvious, the reason for this change in moral behavior is a more complex i ssue. The change in ethical behavior is a result of Mikey’s decision to become more involved with his family, consequently putting him in an environment that promotes immoral behavior. Michael Corleone’s problem is an internal conflict between loyalty to family and moral principle. After an assassination attempt on Mikey's father, Mikey decides to return to the family and assume leadership, even though he disapproves of Mafia business practices. The strength of family ties, ingrained in Mikey as a youth, influenced his choice. Decisions in choosing between right and wrong should not be confined to just a matter of the individual, but a response influenced by the family. Psychologists feel that the rearing of a child during early years plays a particularly important role in influencing behavior throughout a child's life. So, certain choices simply will not be made due to values established at an early age, since cognitive moral development restricts "free will" to some degree. Obviously, growing up in a Mafia family would put Mikey in an environment where he experiences a tainted view of right and wrong. Also, in the family situation, pressures from the group (the family) often influence the individual's behavior making the individual's decisions more difficult. Therefore, someone not taught independence will have trouble standing up against the family. For example, Mikey holds a notion o... ...uot;no regrets." Mikey only nods in agreement showing his acceptance of his new position. Mikey’s moral downfall is most likely a result of genetic influences, coupled with his current situation in a Mafia environment. His genetic makeup prohibits him from withstanding the pressures and influences of Mafia life. His violent behavior in the killings coincide with the Corleone notion of loyalty, and family business practices. Possible inherited defects in the Corleone family, such as those found in the five generations of Dutch men stated previously, fit well with Mafia methods of coercion and getting rid of competition. Also, the fact that Mikey feels responsible in helping with the protection of his father, and his expected role in the matter, affect his decision about involvement in the family business. Since the viewer only sees a short span of Mikey’s life, it is difficult to predict if Mikey will ever deviate from his current unethical practices. Theory suggests that he will change because altering personalities permanently is nearly impossible. However, only by viewing subsequent parts of Mikey’s life can we know for sure if he will return to moral standards of living.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Interpersonal Communications: Concept Analysis Paper

Katie Latimer November 1st, 2012 COMM 218 Concept Application Paper Communication takes place in any and all locations, intentionally and unintentionally, and it can be positive or negative. Many of our personal traits and character qualities can affect how we communicate with other people, and how they communicate with us. Recently, I had an experience that further proved this point to me in a very real and tangible way. Growing up, I have been known as levelheaded and optimistic. I don’t let a lot of distractions or emotions change or affect the way I act around others.As an athlete, my coaches always knew that if they called me into a game I would handle the pressure and play to the best of my ability, so I decided to change that about myself for a day. The night before my â€Å"experiment†, I somehow ended up in a fight with my parents, (not purposefully, of course) which really set the stage. The next morning I woke up with a negative outlook on the day, the though ts of our fight playing over in my head. I went to school, and no one talked to me, which hasn’t happened since my first day of classes, and even then I felt like people were more convivial with me.I think that because I woke up thinking that it was going to be an awful day, I made choices and acted in ways that made that idea come to fruition. This is called â€Å"self-fulfilling prophecy†. According to Alder, Rosenfeld & Proctor (2013), â€Å"A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when a person’s expectations of an event, and her or his subsequent behavior based on those expectations, make the outcome more likely to occur than would otherwise have been true. (p. 74)† At school, because of my sour disposition and gloomy temperament, I was ignored.Not one person talked to me throughout my three classes that day. It was really quite discouraging. I believe this is because in our culture, we learn (or at least I did) that someone who doesn’t look like the y want to be talked to, doesn’t want to be talked to. Throughout the day I found myself looking around at the pretty, smiling girls and feeling very inadequate. I realize now, what I was feeling was a result of social comparison. According to Alder, Rosenfeld & Proctor (2013), social comparison is â€Å"†¦evaluating ourselves in terms of how we compare with others.We decide whether we are superior or inferior and similar or different by comparing ourselves to what social scientists call reference groups†¦ † (p. 69). Social comparison, in this instance, brought upon feelings of inferiority, as I was displaying undesirable qualities. After a very disheartening day at class, I went home. By the time my mom came home, my attitude had worsened. First she asked me â€Å"What happened? †. I responded by saying, â€Å"Nothing, I’m fine. † Which she took literally, by the content of my words, when I was hoping that she would take them in a relatio nal sense and see that I wasn’t really â€Å"fine†.In this instance, my mother was hearing my words in a contextual form, so when I said, â€Å"I’m fine. †, she heard me saying that I was okay and nothing was wrong. If she had realized that I was communicating with her relationally, she could have been able to tell by the tone of my voice and my non-verbal communications that I was not really â€Å"fine†. At the end of this very long day, I saw my boyfriend. While I am more open with him than I am with other people, I know that he still sees me as a smiling, level-headed person.Somehow he immediately knew that something was wrong. I decided to self-disclose to him, and tell him what was wrong. I told him about the fight between my parents and I, and I believe that my self-disclosure in this instance was more beneficial than risky. He also encouraged me to change my attitude and be more positive, and I believe his words had a more profound effect on me because he is literally a â€Å"significant other†. In every relationship, we can choose what to reveal about ourselves to other people.This is called â€Å"self-disclosure† and it is described as â€Å"The process of deliberately revealing information about oneself that is significant and that would normally not be known by others. (p. G-11)† In this instance, my boyfriend would not have known why I was upset, he would only have known that I was upset. When self-disclosing, honesty is of the utmost importance. If you aren’t honest in your communication, then you aren’t truly communicating. I learned a lot about communication, and I realized that I actually changed my self-concept unintentionally for 24 hours.On that day, I walked around campus feeling as if not one person wanted to converse with me, which was incredibly hard. I also learned that you could never be sure why some people are unfriendly; they may just be having a bad day. I believ e that on that day I relinquished some of the power of my identity management. Never before had I let myself be seen as shy or unfriendly, my presenting self was always approachable and helpful. The presenting self is â€Å"†¦the way we want to appear to others. In most cases the presenting self we seek to create is a socially approved image: diligent student, loyal friend, loving partner, and so on. p. 78)†. I believe that it was a good experience; I let go of my presenting or public self and was able to see more clearly how it changed my communication methods and the way others communicated with me. I also believe that it left me with the knowledge of how to better communicate with people that appear unfriendly or closed off, because you never know, they may just be having â€Å"one of those days†. References Adler, R. B. , Rosenfeld, L. B. , & Proctor, R. F. (2004). Interplay: The process of interpersonal communication. New York: Oxford University Press.