CMG490 MOD SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CMG490 MOD SLP - Essay Example al criteria as the system alerted when a contract was close to expire, had mistake proof that informed managers on contract dates, and observed regal standards in meeting all regulatory criteria before a contract is executed. Saxena (74) regulatory compliance has to be addressed in details to avoid costly penalties, and even cancellation of contracts by a government. The company has detailed system that ensures all regulatory mechanism in contracts are met; contracts have to go through the required regulatory approval before commencement. In contractual criteria, Apics (6) argues that a company has to develop and put in place measures and strategies that offer an integrated action plan in achieving the desired level of performance, as well as process maturity, which addresses all components of contract management, capability, and cover the contract period. For example, the company in question can adequately compare and analyze data from several contracts, they can report and analyze a contract by a particular vendor, and conform to the required contractual terms. On the other hand, the company meets some procedural criteria in that standards are used in gauging and analyzing each contract, there is strict adherence to legal and regulatory requirements, and each contract is considered and analyzed before it is commences to ensure it meets all the laid down criteria. Despite the above strengths, the company has glaring faults in its contractual system that makes it prone to major risks and even may edge closer to closure. For example, the company does not coordinate contracts across departments and cannot locate any contract in a short time with ease or any reliability. This indicates that in procedural approach, the company cannot manage its contracts effectively; they cannot link different departments to analyze all the details and have a holistic contract management system. The system cannot facilitate maintenance of a contract portfolio, implying the company

Innovative Infection Control Measures Annotated Bibliography

Innovative Infection Control Measures - Annotated Bibliography Example It should be a collaborative effort between nursing schools and infection control departments in hospitals. Despite numerous efforts that have been made to institute the culture of infection control in hospitals, serious incongruities are still being observed in most clinical practices. This has been associated with lack of basic infection control measures, limited devices and equipment, inadequate physical facilities for patient isolation, and limited resources to run such programs. Murphy, C. (2006). The 2003 SARS Outbreak: Global Challenges and Innovative Infection Control Measures. The online journal on issues of nursing. Retrieved on 21/01/2012fromhttp://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/A NAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Volume112006/No1Jan06/tpc29_516064.html This is an international article and the author provides a brief overview regarding the global challenges that the healthcare workers face in instilling infection control during an outbreak. The author has used the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) case of 2003 to illustrate how ineffective infection control system is today. He filed his observation while working for WHO during the outbreak of the SARS. The article is based on reports and field observations. He clearly describes SARS-related infection control practices that were observed in some of the affected countries and gives a suggestion of what is required in today’s infection control practices. Most infection control inefficiencies are associated with attitudes and behaviors of health workers and not the setting under which they carry out the practices. Medical institutions in developing countries are the most affected because they lack infection control education measures and appropriate curriculum for delivering such information to the medical practitioners. This is why there are minimal efforts in their medical facilities for controlling the transmission of these infections.

A History of Dance Through the Ages

A History of Dance Through the Ages Dance and communications How dancers have related and communicated with their environment throughout  time. Please write about the change of dance and communications using examples  of primitive and tribal communities, and throughout biblical societies, to the  present day how this form of spiritual and natural form of communication with  a connection to the natural environment and (the divine) has been lost due to  Industrialisation and become a commercial form of communication. (Add aspects of  dance as a healing method and dance and communications). ABSTRACT This project carries out an investigation on how dancers have related and communicated with the environment throughout time. The importance of dance in religious and magical gatherings is probably older than its use for recreation and entertainment. There is little doubt in many scholars mind that for the primitive man, dance was integrated in everyday activity expressing every kind of conceivable emotion; from the hunter dancing around his prey, to the prospect of war against another tribe and to the ritual ceremonies performed in dedication to the Gods. It was only as a result of when more difficult social and economic structure; (invasions and urbanisation) did dance become commercialised as a source of entertainment. Table of Contents (Jump to) CHAPTER 1:   Introduction Project Aims Project Objectives CHAPTER 2: History of Dance Dance Dance in the Bible Ancient Egypt Ancient Greek Mythology The Christian era Oriental Dancing Ancient Belly Dancing Evaluation of Ancient Dance CHAPTER 3: Tribal Dance Kerala Bangladesh Tribal Dance Anlo-Ewe Tribe The Sun Dance ABAKUA Tribes in existence today CHAPTER 4: Development of Dance Muslim Influence The Gypsy Movement Shugendo and nomai Dance Persian Heritage Black Dance Australian Dance CHAPTER 5: Effects of industrialisation Africa Changes in Western Societies CHAPTER 1: Introduction 1.1 Project Aims History shows that dance was used as an expression of how our ancestors would communicate with the divine. It was used as a fundamental part of life in healing, worship, family and connection to the natural environment. The use of dance in religious and magical gatherings is probably older than its use for recreation and entertainment. Research has shown through ancient archaeological findings how dance was an essential part of everyday life. It was only when industrialisation and urbanisation emerged did it now became a commercial form of communication. The aim of this project is to investigate how dance was used as a method of communication throughout biblical societies, to this present day using primitive and tribal communities as examples. This project explores the history of dance from ancient to modem and how dance has changed dramatically due to industrialisation, highlighting whether any of these tribal dances are still in existence today, died or have been transformed with society 1.2 Objectives Introduction to the meaning of dance in history and how it has changed through modernisation. Look into ancient tribal societies and how they lived their lives. A look into biblical societies, how dancing was used as an expression of joy, thanksgiving and enhancing their relationship with the divine. Provide information on how primitive and tribal communities used dance as a spiritual method to connect with the natural environment. The foundation of modern dance and whether any of it has derived from old tribal sacred dance that related to the communication of the divine. How the natural form of dance used for communicating with the natural environment has been lost due to industrialisation becoming a commercial form of communication Finally, a conclusion of whether dance in its natural form still exists in some parts of the world and how its being preserved through commercialisation, CHAPTER 2:  HISTORY OF DANCE 2.1 Dance Dance can be described as artistic form of non communication or to move in a graceful or rhythmical way. Its origins are lost in prehistoric times, but, from the study of many primitive tribes and ancient cultures, both men and women danced as a form of spiritual release intertwining the environment and the divine. History shows that there are two types of dances that evolved as cultures developed; Social dance and spiritual dance. Social dances are those used on occasions that celebrated birth and commemorated deaths whilst magical or religious dances were used as an active worship to communicate with the Gods as well as to cure the sick. In religious dance, the medicine men of primitive cultures were believed to have powers that invoked the assistance of a God and were both feared, respected and were considered by many to be the first choreographers, or composers of formal dances. 2.2. Biblical dance The bible is known as the sacred writings of the Christian religion which tells the faith and history of ancient Israel. It dates back many centuries ago and is believed to be the eldest book that dictates how the first human beings from this world lived their lives. In this book, dance is said to play a prominent role in communication and the expression of emotions to the divine. The bible was originally written in Hebrew, Greek and some bits of Aramaic language which resembles Hebrew. Some of the original Hebrew words in the Old Testament were kheel or khool meaning to twist or writhe, raw-kad meaning to jump or stamp and kaw-rar meaning to whirl. In the New Testament, the Greek term kheh-om-ahee means a circular motion. Like other historic religions, dancing was used to communicate with the divine Many biblical passages show how the people of Israel danced as expressions of happiness, gratitude, and praise for the higher being: Ladies dancing in the vineyard to celebrate the yearly festival – Judges 21:21-23 Jephtah’s daughter dancing and playing the tambourine judges -11:34 Miriam led dancing and singing and praise to the lord – Exodus 15:20-21 David danced before the ark of the lord to honour the Lord†¦ King David dancing and jumping around in his sacred dance – 2 Samuel 6:14-23 The bible emphasises dancing only to be used as a religious rite that was to be practiced for joyful occasions, national feasts and victorious battles. Males and females usually danced separately, not as form of courtship which is now seen in the modern society. Any form of dance not used for the glorification of the high being was regarded sinful. The only records in the bible of dancing for social entertainment were those of ungodly families who spent their time in luxury who’s end was believed to eventually come to a sudden destruction (Job 11:11-13); and the dancing of Herodians which led to the murder of John the Baptist. (Matthew 14:11) Hebrew words that have meanings related to physical movement were translated into English as rejoice. Every instance of dancing in the bible that was acceptable was done in worship and in praise to the God of Israel. It was a way to express the emotions and keep in contact with the divine one. 2.3 Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was the birth place of one of the world’s first civilisations. This advanced culture rose 5,000 years ago. It thrived for over 2,000 years and so became one of the longest lasting civilizations in history. Dance was an essential part in ancient Egyptian culture. According to Wendy Burk, [1] it evolved from the simple rituals used by hunters to find their prey. Performing the dances was believed to help in later hunts. A leader, called a priest-dancer, was responsible for seeing that the dances were performed correctly so that the hunt would be successful. Eventually these dances were separated from their ritual and became an art of their own. This development paralleled the emergence of Osiris as Egyptian’s most important God. He was the symbol of a more developed civilisation on Earth, and belief in him guaranteed everlasting life. Dance was a crucial element in the festivals held for Osiris. These occurred throughout the year—in the summer, for instance, when the river Nile began to rise and the corn was ripening, and in the fall on All souls night—the ancient ancestor of Halloween. Egyptian art shows that Men and women never danced together, and the most common scenes depict groups of female dancers were often performing in pairs. Dancing within the ancient Egyptian culture could be spontaneous as were orchestrated for religious festivals: â€Å"All the people of all the dwellings of the court heard (of the coronation of Hatshepsut); they came, their mouths rejoicing, they proclaimed (it) beyond everything, dwelling on dwelling therein was announcing (it) in his name; soldiers on soldiers [], they leaped and they danced for the double joy in their hearts.† James Henry Breasted Ancient Records of Egypt, Part Two,  § 238 As true in most primitive cultures, music was a part of these celebrations but not as important as the dancing itself. Egyptians had developed stringed, wind and percussion instruments as well as different sorts of whistle and harms in order to communicate with their Gods. 2.4 Ancient Greek mythology Research shows that dance was used by the Greeks to honour their Gods and therefore used it for religious, fellowship and worshiping ceremonies. They believed the Gods offered this gift to some selected morals only who in return taught the dancing to their fellow men. The following exerts that talks about the origins of dance comes from H.B. Cothherhills book on Ancient Greece who’s extensive research talks about the origins of dance in ancient Greece. â€Å"Every fifth year the birth of the twin deities was celebrated with magnificence, amidst a great concourse, vividly described in the ancient hymn to Apollo: ‘hither gather the long-robed Ionians with their children and chaste wives. They wrestle, they dance they sing in memory of the God. He who saw them would say they were immortal and ageless, so much grace and charm†¦ † Ancient Greece: A sketch of its Art, Literature and philosophy Book by H.B Cotterill, Goethe, Milton, Virgil; Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1913 In the classic Greek song, Apollo, another one of the Gods who is son to Zeus is regarded as the dancer. Zeus is regarded as the the God of medicine, music and poetry. In a Greek line Zeus himself is represented as dancing. In an ancient province in Greece known as Sparta, Apollo was worshipped through the Gymnopaedia festivals and celebrations. They were performed by young boys, mature men and old men who focused on performing in a very dignified manner. As well as for religious ceremonies, dance was also used for education. It was thought to promote physical health and encourage education positively. Aristotle, a famous philosopher in Greek history, born in Greece (384-322) B.C, studied philosophy, taught that education should be a blend of music and gymnastic training in order to improve moral training. Socrates who also is an ancient philosopher in Greece said that dance should be taught even more widely than it already was. He said that those honouring the gods most beautifully in dance were those who were the best in war; he claimed that to sing and dance well was to be well educated. As with the Jewish festivals described in the bible, Greek dances were not based on the relationship between men and woman but were either performed either my males or by the females. 2.5 The Christian era As the Christian faith grew, along came dramatic rituals to be used for prayer. It came along with the Latin mass were dance was included along with the music and drama. Performed were what was known as miracle plays, mystery plays and morality play that taught the Church’s lesson in a theatrical manner. It became a form of entertainment rather that just part of a ritual practice. Both dance and song were used to communicate and express a full range of emotions. Other dances that evolved in the era were the sword dances that were performed in Germany, Scotland and Western Europe. This was most likely due to the Vikings. Sword dances link the swords to form a pattern or lock and in some dances a man enacts a ritual beheading. 2.6 Oriental dancing In various parts of Asia, traditions of dance date back to many thousands of years. Most theatrical dance forms of Asia were performed originally as parts of religious worship. Many folk dances also developed in Asia, but modern social dances reflect western influences. In some Asian dances, slight movements of the upper body, especially facial expressions and hand gestures communicate the message of dance. Many dances describe through gesture a historical event, a legend or a myth. One particular dance in the Hindu religion that showed expression of spirituality and deep commitment to the environment is known as the Bharata Natayam. This dance was originally performed in the temples of India and combines rhythmically complicated dancing with Hindu legends told in a song. The dance has been described: â€Å"†¦an offering of one self to the divine used by the devotee to connect with the supreme† Vasanthi Srinivasan: Teacher of the Bharata Natayam This particular type of dance dates back to second century AD., and was performed by young women who were offered to the Gods of the temple. According to Vasanthi Srinivasan, this type of dance fell into dispute with Islamic law which came about as invasions from the Muslim community who outlawed it. The Bharata Natayam was originally used to pay homage to the Gods but as a result of invasions, it now emerged as a state art form and has never left the hearts and minds of the Hindu people. [2] Despite the modernisation of the Bharata Natayam, the dance still shows its dedication and honour to the natural environment and divine in its movement. â€Å"Before the dance starts, the earth on which it is to be performed is sanctified. And since dance is like trampling on the earth, the dancer asks permission of the mother earth to trample on her. In this way, the dance bears similarities to other native and indigenous dances. The dancer dances in her bare feet out of respect for mother earth.The Bharata Natayam is a narrative type of dance. The dancer uses hand and body gestures put to music to tell a story. The stories are traditional ones based on nature and human emotion. There are two primary texts from which the stories are drawn: the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The Mahabharata is about two fighting cousins, similar to the Greek Iliad. The one who brings about resolution is the Lord Krishna. The Gita, a special chapter in the Mahabharata representing the song of the Lord, is an elaboration of a moral code.† Mei-Lin Stichbury Dance in the Hindu scriptures show how the manifestation of the whole universe was brought into existence by the dance of the supreme dance Nataraja. It is part of a sacred temple ritual were they pay homage to the divine. The temple dance had now evolved to what is known as the Hindu classical dance however as shown in the Bharata Natayam, still preserves many ritualistic ideology of Hindu worship. China The ‘Sun Chia Chai’ one of the first most significant forms of Dance found in ancient China. Archaeological findings show pictures of dancers that were in the middle of a mimetic process connected to their hunting. Early writings show how dancing was incorporated within every aspect of Chinese culture since the beginning of civilization. As described by Yaron Moargolin, many can still feel the spirit of the ancient dances. In those, the dancers describe the course of the stars in the sky and bring the idea of heaven. In the dance known as the â€Å"yangoo† we can see the great movements of the dancer’s hands and legs which express the admiration to the universe. Those mimetic expressions has developed during the passing years and become an important part of everyday life in china. The dance was inspired by everyday relations between the regular Chinese man and his emperor, his friends or his body. It became very physical and after a while the classic dance came out of this. Until now, we saw only the happiness and joy in the ancient dances, but there were also bad feelings as fear and evil, which were expressed through dances. It was a war inspiration. http://www.israeldance.co.il/dance By Yaron Margolin Ancient paintings and pottery show that there are believed to have been two types of dances that emerged, one being the military dance, this dance is highlighted with dancers holding their sticks full of feathers. There were also amour, flags, hunting and fishing equipments that were used in the dance. The second kind of dance was the religious dance to communicate with the earthly surroundings and to honour the environment. These worship dances were believed to have been developed through hunting. [3] 2.5 Ancient Belly Dancing Belly dancing is a very ancient form of dancing. It retains its connections to the cycles of nature, the celebrations of fertility and light. It started out just as the many other historic dances began, a religious rite, it then evolved into folk art and through modernisation turned into a form of lascivious and entertainment. Belly dance is identified by swaying hips, undulating torso and articulated isolations employed in a range of dynamic and emotional expressions. The focus is on isolated movements of individual parts of the body with little notice given to footsteps. During its history, belly dancing was performed as a separate dance between the sexes. To them, women were the goddesses who created the mystery of life through their bodies. The rolling of the stomach imitates birthing contractions and the kneeling of the floor is similar to how women of more earthly, primitive cultures would squat to give birth rather than lying on their backs in a hospital bed [4] 2.7 Evaluation of Ancient Dance Dancing was sacred to the people who performed these acts. It was mainly used in worship rites. and served as a meditating force between people and the world of Gods. Prehistoric people made up religious dancing to gain favour of their Gods. In many of these cultures, dancing provided on of the most effective and personal methods of communication. It was used to express feelings such as joy, anger or happiness without saying a word CHAPTER 3: TRIBAL DANCE A tribe can be described as a unit of socio-political organisation consisting of a number of families, clans or other groups who share a common ancestry and culture and among whom leadership is typically formalized or neither permanent. For many tribes, dancing was very much their way of life, where each tribe has its own distinctive dance traditions that were interwoven with life. In some secret societies in Africa, a special initiation dance is known only to its members. When new members learn the dance, it represents their acceptance into the group. This chapter explores how tribes used dancing as an effective way of communication and whether any of these tribes still exist in our society today or have been lost due to the forces of industrialisation and modernisation. 3.1 Kerala Kerala is now known as a popular holiday resort state in India, however early archaeologist findings show that the first citizens of Kerala were hunter-gathers. These people still inhabit the mountains of southern Indians today. The next race of people in Kerala is believed to be the Austriches. The Austric people of Kerala are of the same stock as the present-day Australian Aborigines. They were the people who laid the foundation of Indian civilizations. They also introduced snake-worship in Kerala. Traces of such worship and ancient rites have been found among the Aboriginal tribes of Australia. Austric features can still be seen fairly and clearly among the people of Kerala today The tribal inhabitants of Kerala are believed to be about two hundred thousand years old. There are roughly about 35 different types of tribal chiefs among them. Centuries have failed to change them completely. They have been described as â€Å"A unique example of communities in isolated existence, still preserving their life, customers and manners almost untarnished by the advancing waves of urban civilization. Though adapted to different dialects and customs, their artistic expression evidently reflects the distinct, secluded and primitive social structure and nature of people and it still survives as virile as state as ever in the tribal hamlets of the hilly tracts.† http://www.kalakeralam.com/visual/tribaldance00.htm The tribes of Kerala have its own distinct dance traditions, like all tribal arts the dancing is the most direct expression of the innermost spirit. One type of ritual dance performed by is known as the Gadhika. The performance can be done as a ritual for having the safe delivery of a child. It begins with the principle performer invoking Lord Shiva for his help to cure the patients. Central to the belief is that a person falls sick when the Gods are angry. The participants of the dance involve both sexes whose function is to welcome both the Gods and Goddesses. 3.2 Bangladesh tribal dance Tribal dance in Bangladesh regions were based on their customs and beliefs. Before they will go on a hunt, hunters would draw pictures of their prey and dance in a body imitating a hunt. The hunter for example will dance around his prey and even at times donned the fur of his prey. With the evolution of society, human activities have undergone many changes resulting in different dance styles. Tribes in Bangladesh that still exist include the Santals, Oraons, Murongs and Chakmas. They live in the hilly regions of Bangladesh and although some changes have taken place in the livelihood and religious beliefs they still tend to follow their ancestors in various religious and cultural festivals. The Garos tribe perform their dance through what is known as a Nokma, [5] which is pleasing to the leader of the community. The dance is intended to express joy. A dance known as jariyali is also quite common in this region. The technique of picking fruits from the trees has been converted into a dance by the Garos. Dances are even based on the daily lives of pigeons. Thus, one dance shows how pigeons collect their food, feed and fondle each other. The Chakmas are known to celebrate a religious fair called the Mahamuni. At the beginning of the festival the statue of Mahamuni (the great sage) Buddha is placed at the temple. Then the young men and women perform together in a dance which is inspired by deep devotion. In addition, dances are performed by Chakmas [6] to have a good harvest and rainfall, and sometimes just for entertainment. The dance arranged for rainfall is participated not only by young people, but also by the older members of the community who come forward with full pitchers to spray water on the young ones A dance popular by the Oraon tribe is the karam dance which is performed on the occasion of planting and harvesting. It’s possible for this dance to last for a number of days and nights. Also the jhuma dance is performed for harvesting and the increase growth of crops. It is a unique and integral part of their social life. It begins with the dancers paying tributes to the god of crops with the dancers raising their hands and kneeling down to express their love and devotion to the Gods and Goddesses. [7] Through the dance they beseech the God to make them happy throughout the whole year to let them have better crops and to prevent them from various epidemics. Tribal dances for the Bangladesh people were traditionally performed without any stage, makeup room, lighting etc. They were mainly to pay homage to the Gods and communicate through the environment. The musical instruments used could merely be a pair of bamboos. Television and tourism have had an impact on tribal dancing, and stage, musical instruments, lightning and makeup have all become made more elaborate. 3.1 Anlo-Ewe Tribe The Anlo Ewe tribe is based in the southern east of Ghana in Nigeria. They are believed to have settled there in the 15th century (1474). For this tribe, dance drumming is an integral part of community life and an important necessity in the pursuit of the collective destiny, perhaps essence of their shared experience. For the Anlo-Ewe Tribe everybody must participate in dance. According to CK Ladzekpo Non participation amounts to self excommunication from society as a whole and carries with it severe consequences in a similar manner as non performance of some civic obligations in other cultures of the world. The most severe penalty for non participation is to be denied a proper burial. Receiving a good burial is extremely important to the Anlo-Ewe. In contrast to other societies of the world that demonstrate the importance of having a good burial by buying funeral insurance from commercial funeral homes, the participation of the Anlo-Ewe in the collective and shared experiences of the community is the only insurance towards receiving the proper burial. CK Ladzekpo http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/anlo_ewe.htm This describes how essential it is for the Anlo-Ewe tribe to belong to a good dance group as way of communicating its social culture with other members. An old Anlo-Ewe proverb translates â€Å"You should join a dance group before you die.† Dances such as this are a non profit venture as seen in western society. [8] You don’t receive monetary compensation in the manner that hired musicians or dancers receive. 3.4 The Sun Dance On of the most sacred ceremonies practiced by the north American Indians is known as the Sun dance. This ceremony was practiced by many different tribes but shared many things in common, such as dancing, singing, experience of visions, vows and for some tribes self torture. Those who participated in the dance would have believed to have a sense of well being, contentment and harmony with the environment. Animals such as buffalos and eagles were also incorporated in the ceremony to act as the communicator between man and the spirit. â€Å"Common elements of the Sun Dance ceremony involves a pledger who makes a vow to perform the dance as a result of a dream or vision, a sweat lodge purification, the building of the Sun Dance lodge, smoking the sacred pipe, and the actual dance itself†¦Participants dances while gazing at the sun and blowing eagle-bone whistles, while attached to the sacred pole by thongs and skewers through chest the muscles and pulled outwards until the muscles tore free. The original sun dance was an occasion when all the tribe would gather to reaffirm their basic belief about the universal and the supernatural through ceremonies, words and symbolic objects.† The Native American Sun Dance Religion and ceremony Philip M. White The buffalo was the symbol of life, some attached the buffalo’s skull to their back. This form of self torture was considered highly honourable to the participants. The dance was a celebration of the generative power of the sun. It was important to their spirituality and a significant part of their life. It was only after intervention from the American government they banned the dance as it was seen insignificant to the new life of the west and they were repulsed by this new form of self torture inflicted. There were many who tried to bring the sun dance back to its original form and meaning but have not been successful. 3.5 ABAKUA Dance The term Abakua dance comes from a secret society in Cuba. The Abakua tradition relates back to the African slaves brought to Cuba in the 18th century. The Abakua society was founded in Havana Cuba by the Efik, a subgroup of the Ibibio tribe. Their dance consists of basic motives: self expression and physical release. One of the most basic motives of dance is the expression and communication of emotion. These motive forces can be seen not only in the spontaneous skipping, stamping and jumping movements often performed in moments of intense emotions, but also in the more formalised movement of â€Å"set† dances such as tribal war dances of festive folk dances. Yvonne Daniel (Rumba Dance and Social Change 1995, p36) describes the legacies in secret society coming from Africa being transported, replicated and transformed to a certain extent to fit the social environment of Cuba. Their dancing often re-enacts stories of mysterious beings who communicate through postures and gestures and the use of spirit masks. Here the emotions help generate emotions as well as communicate them through to others. The Abakua dance (founded October 2000 by Franke Martine) company try’s to portray this in their performances. They are made up of both dancers and drummers, the percussion marking out of the rhythm helps intensify the emotion. Frequently the dancers take turns performing, and there is usually a great deal of informal communication among the members of the stage. 3.6. The Tribes in existence Present in our society today, there are a few tribes who keep their dance culture of paying homage to the Gods and divine. There are also some who use it as an aspect of healing and the preparation of a hunt. Despite all this, it does not seem to be an essential way of life as it was used during those times. Many have now been marked to entertain and impress the public. The next chapter will now attempt to investigate these chang

Poem Response Essay -- essays research papers

In just one paper, I am going to go from two inspirational poems, to a more depressing one. The inspirational poem I will be responding to is â€Å"The Tyger†, written by William Blake. This piece is by far one of my favorite poems read. I read it often just to remind me not to wimp around with my lifting and my getting bigger, just like the song by Survivor, â€Å"Eye of the Tiger†, does for me. It keeps in mind what it’s going to take to do this. The second piece of inspiration I like is, â€Å"I will put Chaos into fourteen lines†, by Edna St. Vincent Millay. On a depressing side of things, I am then moving on to a more disheartening type of poem. This poem is â€Å"Facing It†, by Yusef Komunyakaa.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"The Tyger†, by Blake, I really enjoy many lines of this poem. This whole poem gets me going. In line six, the words â€Å"Burnt the fire of thine eyes† give me a picture of a tiger lying in the jungle and all you can see are his eyes lying somewhere within those woods. The tiger is definitely a very intimidating creature, especially at night. Then late the author talks about a furnace burning inside the tiger’s head, just upsetting the tiger even more, getting him to feel a rage within. His heart began to beat Crilow 2 from this intensity. It mentions many powerful objects, such as a hammer, a chain, an anvil, and a deadly grasp. All of these you could probably feel when the tiger would pounce on you. I can venture to say, it wouldn’t be a very good feeling. These a...

Overhead allocation methods

In manufacturing costs are incurred, these costs represents the cost of production that will be used in determining the price that will be charged by the company to make profit or to breakeven. There are two forms of costs Direct and indirect costs. Before one attempts to charge costs to cost centre or cost units it is important to consider why costs are incurred. Direct costs are costs that are traceable to a specific production center, service, products or department. Raw materials will be direct cost as regards the finished product, and a time clerk’s wages are a direct cost for a particular department.indirect cost is one which arise during the course of operations of the business but it is very difficult to attribute it specifically to a single unit. For example rates paid to a local authority is an expense which benefits a number of cost centre’s, and the time clerk’s wages referred to above would be an example of an indirect (wages) cost of the units produ ced by his department. Overhead allocation methods Direct costs normally present little difficulty in being allocated to cost units; materials requisitions and workers’ time-sheets will give sufficient indication of where the costs are to be changed.With indirect costs, however, whole items of costs may need to be divided between various cost centers and accumulated cost centre costs will then be allotted to costs units. These costs will first be classified according to function, i. e. production, general administration, marketing, research and development between functions. Each particular cost centre will then be allotted with its own costs and a cost centre total obtained. While apportioning indirect variable overhead to various production units or cost centers, cost and management accountants have many methods to use.One of the methods that is used is traditional methods and they give distorted costs where at times customers may be charged high prices due to over allocati on of the productions costs. They include method of allocating costs using direct labor, direct machine hours ,volume produced and other many other methods in most instances they give wrong results which at times may undervalue or overvalue produced units which may cause the firm to make less profits or abnormal profits from some units. It may also if they over value the produced product cause customers to shy away from the company.Therefore, the method used in apportionment of overhead used should be accurate in order to give the firm good profitability at the same time maintain the customers by charging them the right price. In order to overcome the shortcoming of the traditional method of cost allocation modern methods are used. One of the methods that assist in overhead allocation with minimal shortcomings is costs is activity based costing. Activity based costing reduces the shortcomings by focusing on individual activities as the fundamental cost objects in allocation of costs . An activity is defined as an event, task, or unit of work with a specified purpose; e.g. designing products, setting up machines, operating machines, and distributing products. This method uses costs of each activity and assigns this costs to costs units such as products or services as per the activities incurred while producing those units. Activity based costing focuses on individual costs, refining the assignment of indirect costs to departments, processes, products, and other cost objects that are to certain organization. To identify these activities, the company may organize a team from design, manufacturing, distribution, accounting and administration or in various production units such as product A, B, C, D and so on.This method uses the following producers in identifying the activities:- 1. Direct cost tracing – a feature of Activity based costing systems is aiming to indentify some costs or cost by subdividing existing cost pools. Costs in some new pools may qualif y as direct costs. Direct tracing of costs improves cost accuracy and is simpler because, unlike indirect costs, cost pool and allocation bases do not have to be identified. 2. Indirect cost pools- Activity based costing systems create smaller cost pools linked to the different activities. 3.The apportionment bases-activity of each cost pool is used to measure not the direct labor as the traditional method for the apportionment of indirect overhead. The level of activity therefore is an economic factor which affects the calculation of the unit costs of output produced. Since fixed and overhead costs remain constant as output fluctuates, the greater the output, the lower will be the fixed overhead cost per unit. This problem does not affect the variable overhead rate; variable costs per unit remain constant at all levels of activity, assuming always that prices remain stable.For management decision –making based on full unit costs, however, the level of activity is an importan t ingredient which must be taken into account when providing relevant information for such decisions. Based on an activity based costing allocation method of the overhead costs, each of the activity that goes into the product is computed its own overhead rate based on that activity’s driver which is the activity charge/unit. Given this overhead rate, the total overhead cost allocated to the production of the original version other system i. e. other than the overhead allocated using the direct labor hours method.From the foregoing discussion activity based costing approach method identifies activities and Cost centers that allocations with which costs may conveniently be associated for the purpose of product costing. Basically, there are two types of cost centers for which cost are accumulated – production and service cost centers. Production cost centers are those actually involved in production, such as machining and assembling departments. Service cost centers are t hose which exist to facilitate production, for example, maintenance, stores and canteen.The first stage in the allotment of the factory overheads costs to production costs centers is o collect and classifies factory overhead costs to production and service cost centers. Then it is apportioned the costs of the services cost centers to the production cost centers. If I assume that a firm has three service cost centers and two production cost centers, the apportionment of the service cost center costs involves selecting appropriate methods for apportioning these costs to the production cost centers. The accounting system of resource allocation am familiar with is activity based coating.Activity based accounting system is an accounting system that is used in resource allocation to various activities in multinational manufacturing firms and is yet to adopted by small firms. The allocation of total general overhead by this system is allocated based on direct labor hours and machine hours in my organization. The activities of production for the company are allocated the total overhead using calculated overhead rates per hour of machine and labour. Then the figure obtained is multiplied per the number of hours each activity is using. The Labour and machine hours are taken as cost drivers for each activity.This method has assisted the company reduce customer complains of over charging in prices. Activity based costing system of accounting considers a number of activities that takes place in various production units. It is considered the best method of allocating overhead within production unit. In my organization direct cost are those cost which are directly and easily costs that are attributable to production and indirect costs are those costs which arise during the existence of the business as whole. Indirect cost can not be attributed to any production unit it is only distributed various production units based on activity based system.The underlying principles, conv entions and objects of this method similar to other methods, but the application of those principle and the methods by which the objects are to be achieved must vary with circumstances. This does not mean, however, that the processes and procedures of a business must remain unaffected by the introduction of a system of cost accounts. This method of costing influences price because they affect supply. The lower the cost of producing a product relative to the price customers pays for it, the greater the quantity of a product the company is willing to supply.Managers who understand the cost of producing their companies’ products set prices that make the products attractive to customers while maximizing their companies’ operating incomes. In computing the relevant costs for a pricing decision the manager must consider relevant costs in all value. This method is also used in assessing the performance of manager responsible for running production units independently. The bes t criteria according to my view are the one without the allocation of indirect costs. This is because of manager should be held responsible for the costs that is under their direct control.They are free to make decisions that could increase or decrease the cost of operation of a unit. The efficiency and effectiveness of a manager should be judged from his ability to generate maximum revenue from operation and to keep the cost associated with this revenue at a minimum level. This will present a clearer picture to evaluate the performance of a manager of a unit. Although each unit produce certain amount of indirect costs but these cannot be directly attributed to the unit from which it had originated.So the company devised a formula of allocating this cost to each unit based on unit’s revenue producing capability. However as said earlier, there is no set criterion to allocate indirect cost to different units and it varies from business to business. This allocation of indirect c osts is discretionary and could create distortion in evaluating the performance of a manager. So in order to help manager accountable for results they are evaluated on the basis of operation under their direct control. Activity based costing considers a number of activities that takes place to allocate different types of costs unlike other methods.Activity based costing method is considered the best way in overhead allocation and allotment within production units. It considers a variety of activities and it gives a more accurate answer as compared to other methods of allocation. Case Study It is the policy of Dealogic, LLC to give their managers a high level of independence to make decisions for which they are held accountable for the results. That means they are free to run their units as they like. They are responsible to generate maximum revenue from unit under their command and to restrict cost incurred during the year.There are two type of costs generated at each unit. 1) Direc t costs ( Traceable consulting costs) 2) Indirect costs (Non-Traceable consulting costs) Direct costs in this case is that cost which can be directly and easily attributed to revenue generating operations of the business and indirect cost is one which arise during the course of operations of the business but it is very difficult to attribute it specifically to a single unit. So whole of the indirect costs from all the units are combined and then allocated a fair portion of this cost to each unit based on some criteria.In case of Dealogic, LLC, this criterion is based on revenue generation from each unit and indirect cost is then allocated to each unit depending upon the amount of revenue generated from each unit. This criterion varies from business to business. But the purpose is to allocate this indirect cost based on a criteria that has some direct relationship with this indirect costs. Conclusion The choice of one particular overhead rate as against the others may substantially a ffect the amount of overhead costs apportioned to a unit of product.Consequently, variations in full- product costs may result simply from the manner in which the overhead rate is selected. The rate to use depends on the particular circumstances facing the firm. The ‘direct labor cost, base is easy to use since the necessary information is usually readily available. There may be no relationship, however between direct labor costs and overhead costs; indeed, most factory overhead costs are incurred on a time basis and are not related to the labor payroll. However Activity based Accounting is the most appropriate has it allocates accurately than the other methods. ReferencesAtril, P. F. and McLaney, E. J. (2002). Management accounting for non-specialists, 3rd edn (financial times prentice Hall) pp. 102-108 Drury C; (2000); Management and cost Accounting;5th edition ,business press Thomson Learning78-85 Horngren, C. T. , Bhiman A. , foster G. , and Datar, S. M. (1999). Cost accou ntin: A managerial Emphasis, (prentice Hall Europe) pp. 135-160 Larson D, Kermit, Wild, J. john & Chippetta Barbara;(1996); fundamentals of accounting principle; London; Irwin. Wald J (2000) Biggs’s Cost accounting; The English Language Book Society and MacDonald and Evans Ltd London & Plymouth pp 98-136

A Rose for Emily: the Metaphor Like the Fallen Monument Essay

Emily Grierson is described as small and fat elderly women. She seems to be angry and confused. She’s always been a lonely person, she never went outside much. She is a very mysterious character. Colonel Sartorisis the former Mayor of Jefferson. His is very generous because after Emily’s father died he does not force her to pay taxes. Tobe is Emily’s servant. He is African American, his voice is rusty for the lack of use. For years he took care of her and her needs. After Emily dies, He leaves and never returns. Judge Stevens is the Mayor of Jefferson. He feels bad for Emily, and he does not nother her with the complaints. He just sprinkles lime on her yard at night. Homer Barron was known as a funny man in the town, He helped with the construction. The townspeople said he was not a man to marry, but he took Emily out on buggy rides on Sunday Afternoons. He is killed by Emily. Part two: 1. The metaphor used in the first paragraph to describe Miss Emily is â€Å"A fallen monument.† 2. The house is personified in the second paragraph by when the author describes it as coquettish. 3. In 1894, Colonel Sartoris told Miss Emily that she did not have to pay taxes because her father had given money to the town. 4. On the next year the new generation of town leaders mailed her tax bills. 5. In the sixth paragraph, Faulkner describes Emily has a short, fat elderly woman with a cane. He describes her as bloated and pale with coals as eyes. 6. At the beginning of Part two, Emily’s father had been dead for about 30 years. 7. The neighbors are complaining about a gruesome odor. Judge Stevens said its probably from a rat or snake her servant killed. 8. Miss Emily told her visitors after the day her father died, that he was still alive. 9. Homer Barron started to date Miss Emily. He was in town for construction. 10. The townspeople thought she was going out of her class dating Homer, but in a way they were happy to see her with someone. 11. Miss Emily purchased a silver toilet with his initials on it and a night gown to convince the townspeople they were getting married. 12. The last tie the townspeople saw Homer Barron was when he is seen entering her house on evening. 13. The men had sprinkled lime around her yard in part two because they intended to get rid of the odor and thought the acids would help if there was something decaying in the yard. 14. In the sealed room that no one has been in forty years, the townspeople find Homer Barron’s decomposing body and the room is frozen in time. 15. Miss Emily poisoned Homer Barron with Arsenic that she bought to â€Å"kill rats.† I believe the author decided to leave a second pillow with a strand of Emily’s hair on it to leave the reader thinking about how the hair got there.

Free Essays on The Image Looking Back

The Image Looking Back The poem â€Å"Mirror† is wrapped up in the idea of reflections. The author Sylvia Plath uses reflections to explore images that are not always pleasant. Plath examines the shortcomings and self-esteem issues that all people encounter time and again upon reflection. Looking at an image of ones’ self often brings questions of self worth and approval. The mirror and the lake as used by Plath are both effective ways of revealing her self-esteem issues by their constant reminder of faults in appearance and life, their brutal honesty about the aging process, and their ability to show the distorted way we tend to see ourselves. The mirror hangs as a constant reminder of our faults. It does not care that we have feelings, needs, or emotions. The mirror does not lie, no matter how long we stare at our reflection the image will not change. The mirror shows us each wrinkle as a cut into our once innocent beauty. The reflections that we see often bring us memories of hardships and pain we may have endured along the way. A bad haircut or severe acne as an adolescent that brought laughter and ridicule from our peers. The mirror reflects hair out of place like all the things that have gone astray in our lives. Looking at that unruly hair that no matter what will not fall into place brings an image to all the things we cannot control in our lives. The bills always exceed the income, loved ones will die, marriages will fail, and we shall all grow old. The aging process can be brutal and there is nothing like true reflection to point that out. The way Plath uses the lake to demonstrate this is very powerful. â€Å"In me she has drowned a young girl†(line 17) creates the notion that she is feeling old and useless. The young girl she had once been is now dead along with many hopes and plans that were made for the future. Looking at one’s aged and tired reflection one can no longer see the young vigorously a... Free Essays on The Image Looking Back Free Essays on The Image Looking Back The Image Looking Back The poem â€Å"Mirror† is wrapped up in the idea of reflections. The author Sylvia Plath uses reflections to explore images that are not always pleasant. Plath examines the shortcomings and self-esteem issues that all people encounter time and again upon reflection. Looking at an image of ones’ self often brings questions of self worth and approval. The mirror and the lake as used by Plath are both effective ways of revealing her self-esteem issues by their constant reminder of faults in appearance and life, their brutal honesty about the aging process, and their ability to show the distorted way we tend to see ourselves. The mirror hangs as a constant reminder of our faults. It does not care that we have feelings, needs, or emotions. The mirror does not lie, no matter how long we stare at our reflection the image will not change. The mirror shows us each wrinkle as a cut into our once innocent beauty. The reflections that we see often bring us memories of hardships and pain we may have endured along the way. A bad haircut or severe acne as an adolescent that brought laughter and ridicule from our peers. The mirror reflects hair out of place like all the things that have gone astray in our lives. Looking at that unruly hair that no matter what will not fall into place brings an image to all the things we cannot control in our lives. The bills always exceed the income, loved ones will die, marriages will fail, and we shall all grow old. The aging process can be brutal and there is nothing like true reflection to point that out. The way Plath uses the lake to demonstrate this is very powerful. â€Å"In me she has drowned a young girl†(line 17) creates the notion that she is feeling old and useless. The young girl she had once been is now dead along with many hopes and plans that were made for the future. Looking at one’s aged and tired reflection one can no longer see the young vigorously a...

Poverty Research Proposal

Poverty Research Proposal Introduction For a long time, poverty has been perceived to constitute lack or inadequacy of basic needs, including food, clothing, and shelter. The levels by which different societies achieve these three basic essentials vary, and this explains the differences in poverty levels among different societies. Today, America is described to have the highest level of poverty rate compared to other industrialized countries (Garcia, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Poverty: Research Proposal specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To justify this, the recent and most current statistics from the Census Bureau shows that the level and rate of poverty in USA is increasing, with minority ethnic groups being the most disadvantaged (Dye, 2010). In the past, numerous poverty reduction policies have been formulated and implemented, but their overall impact remains below expectations, as the main beneficiaries are the middle class in expense of the poor (Dye, 2010). Therefore, the situation calls for paradigm shift in policy formulation and implementation. Problem statement In the year 2010, poverty rate in USA stood at 15.1% up from 14.3% recorded in the previous year-2009 (USA Census Bureau, 2011). At the same time, it was noted that poverty rate for the last four years has been increasing at an estimated rate of 2.6%. On overall, in 2010, estimates indicated that about 46.2 million Americans are poor and the rate of poverty increased was observed to affect almost all major ethnic groups in America: Whites, African American, Asians, Hispanic (USA Census Bureau, 2011). Furthermore, the 2010 official statistics indicated the highest rate of poverty the country had experienced and recorded since 1993. Therefore, in order to address this issue of increasing poverty, there is need to conduct an action research that investigates public policy initiatives in USA with regard to poverty, and subsequently propo se the most effective public policy that can be pursued successfully. Significance of the study Poverty remains an issue that ought to be addressed in the American society as a way of achieving the American Dream. Social inclusion goals and objectives postulate that, the well-being of humankind is the essence of stability, peace, and societal development.Advertising Looking for research paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, addressing poverty is one way of achieving social inclusion goals. At the same time, there is need for an effective public policy that comprehensively addresses the issues of poverty in the country. Therefore, this study possesses the ability to create a sound body of knowledge that in turn can be used to create an effective public policy framework. Relevant Literature Review Poverty level in USA is increasing at gradual rate, and the overall impact of this to the society is huge (Garcia, 2011). Addressing poverty has assumed and utilized unilateral public policy models that in turn have led to inadequacy in tackling the issue of poverty. For instance, many of the convectional poverty policies address education, employment, social security, health, economic growth, and tax (Anonymous, 2006). This has been done in separatedness and the result has been construction, formulation, and implementation of skewed and weak poverty reduction models. There is need to establish broad-based understanding of poverty and know that it interplays with other factors and elements simultaneously, hence any attempt to address poverty requires addressing the interplay of accompanying factors. According to Corak (2005), in order to fight poverty, social and physical infrastructure and services can be funded and maintained effectively if the target groups are involved in designing, implementing, and monitoring them, as well as in ensuring accountability of the government o fficials responsible for such policies. Methodology Primary and secondary research methods will be utilized, where primary data will be generated through actual field research techniques, while secondary data will be generated from works already done in the field. Furthermore, reliability and validity of information will be enhanced through use of both quantitative and qualitative techniques. This will see the use of questionnaires, field interviews, poverty program surveys, and in-depth discussion. The aim of this will be to ensure that the public policy to be designed captures the aspect and essence of poverty and subsequent reduction strategies in broad perspective.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Poverty: Research Proposal specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion Poverty remains a social issue that requires clear strategies of addressing it. Efforts in the past have bore fruits, but given recent tren ds of increasing cases of poverty in the society, there is an urgent need to address poverty comprehensively. It is from this fact that it is recommended that addressing poverty in modern America require an action plan originating from an inclusive and integrated social equity policy strategy. References Anonymous. (2006). How can we solve the problem of poverty. Web. Corak, M (2005). Equality of Opportunity and Inequality across the Generations: Challenges Ahead. Policy Options, 26(3), 78–83. Dye, T.R. (2010). Understanding public policy (13th ed.). Longman: Pearson Prentice Hall. Garcia, G. (2011). Mexican American and Immigrant Poverty in the United States. NY: Springer. USA Census Bureau. (2011). ‘Poverty Highlights. USA Federal Press. Web.

Analysis of Menos Question to Socrates

However, Socrates attempts to explain to Meno why it is that he will be able to find what virtue is by introducing the idea that knowledge is inherent in the individual as it is passed along through the soul. When Meno demands proof of this concept, Socrates provides an example of a slave boy using â€Å"inherent knowledge† to calculate the length of a square needed to double it’s own area. This experiment shows Meno that virtue, along with other knowledge, can indeed be discovered through the inherent knowledge in one’s soul, and only has to be â€Å"remembered† to become of use. When Meno proposes his argument to Socrates that a search for what you do not know is impossible, he is reasoning that if one does not know what it is they are trying to find, one will never know if they have found it. Meno seeks to understand how an individual can find new knowledge if they have no clue how to find it or how to comprehend the discovery of it. Socrates acknowledges Meno’s argument and states that â€Å"man cannot enquire either about that which he knows, or about that which he does not know; for if he knows, he has no need to enquire; and if not, he cannot; for he does not know the very subject about which he is to enquire† (Meno, Plato). Meno believes that this proves his own argument, but Socrates proposes an alternate way to attain knowledge. Socrates speaks of â€Å"priests and priestesses† who â€Å"say that the soul of man is immortal† (Meno, Plato). Also, he says the soul has kept all the knowledge from previous â€Å"lives† that it has had, and therefore knowledge is obtained through recollection instead of learning. Socrates attempts to prove his theory by providing an example with one of Meno’s slaves. His experiment is simple. Socrates calls over a slave boy and asks him about squares. The boy knows has some knowledge of the properties of squares including the fact that they have four equal sides, they can be divided in half, and the area is equal to the side multiplied by the other side. However, when Socrates asks the boy to determine the length of a side necessary to double the area of a 2Ãâ€"2 foot square, the boy mistakenly says 4 feet (which would yield a square 4 times too large). The slave proposes a length of three feet, but is wrong again. Here Socrates makes a note of the â€Å"torpedo’s touch† (Meno, Plato) or â€Å"aporia† (Aporia, Burbules), which means that the boy knows that he does not know. Socrates states that this state of mind is better than believing false knowledge, because one will know that there is knowledge to seek. Socrates maintains that throughout the experiment he was never teaching the slave, but only asking of his opinions. Therefore, the knowledge that the slave called upon must have already been inherent if he had not learned it before (since slaves had little education the boy was the perfect example for Socrates to demonstrate this â€Å"inborn knowledge. ) Socrates makes his argument clear: if the slave had no knowledge of what is was he was searching for (the length of the side), and the information was not taught to the boy, then the information must have already been inherent in the boy’s soul. Here is Socrates’ argument in Premise/Conclusion form: P: Slave isn’t taught. P: Slave has no prior knowledge. P: Immortal soul contains knowledge. C: Knowledge must come from one’s immortal soul. P: You do not know what you are trying to find. P: You are not taught what you are trying to find. P: Your soul contains inherent knowledge. C: You can find what you are searching for through recollection of the knowledge â€Å"stored† in your soul. Socrates’ proofs are meant to enforce his views that knowledge such as virtue must be searched for, â€Å"that a man should enquire about that which he does not know† (Meno, Plato). Citations: Burbules, Nicholas C. â€Å"Aporias, Webs, and Passages: Doubt as an Opportunity to Learn. † Curriculum Inquiry 30. 2 (2000): n. pag. Aporia. 2000. Web. 12 Sept. 2012. . Plato, and R. S. Bluck. Meno. Cambridge [Eng. : University, 1961. N. pag. Print. Analysis of Menos Question to Socrates However, Socrates attempts to explain to Meno why it is that he will be able to find what virtue is by introducing the idea that knowledge is inherent in the individual as it is passed along through the soul. When Meno demands proof of this concept, Socrates provides an example of a slave boy using â€Å"inherent knowledge† to calculate the length of a square needed to double it’s own area. This experiment shows Meno that virtue, along with other knowledge, can indeed be discovered through the inherent knowledge in one’s soul, and only has to be â€Å"remembered† to become of use. When Meno proposes his argument to Socrates that a search for what you do not know is impossible, he is reasoning that if one does not know what it is they are trying to find, one will never know if they have found it. Meno seeks to understand how an individual can find new knowledge if they have no clue how to find it or how to comprehend the discovery of it. Socrates acknowledges Meno’s argument and states that â€Å"man cannot enquire either about that which he knows, or about that which he does not know; for if he knows, he has no need to enquire; and if not, he cannot; for he does not know the very subject about which he is to enquire† (Meno, Plato). Meno believes that this proves his own argument, but Socrates proposes an alternate way to attain knowledge. Socrates speaks of â€Å"priests and priestesses† who â€Å"say that the soul of man is immortal† (Meno, Plato). Also, he says the soul has kept all the knowledge from previous â€Å"lives† that it has had, and therefore knowledge is obtained through recollection instead of learning. Socrates attempts to prove his theory by providing an example with one of Meno’s slaves. His experiment is simple. Socrates calls over a slave boy and asks him about squares. The boy knows has some knowledge of the properties of squares including the fact that they have four equal sides, they can be divided in half, and the area is equal to the side multiplied by the other side. However, when Socrates asks the boy to determine the length of a side necessary to double the area of a 2Ãâ€"2 foot square, the boy mistakenly says 4 feet (which would yield a square 4 times too large). The slave proposes a length of three feet, but is wrong again. Here Socrates makes a note of the â€Å"torpedo’s touch† (Meno, Plato) or â€Å"aporia† (Aporia, Burbules), which means that the boy knows that he does not know. Socrates states that this state of mind is better than believing false knowledge, because one will know that there is knowledge to seek. Socrates maintains that throughout the experiment he was never teaching the slave, but only asking of his opinions. Therefore, the knowledge that the slave called upon must have already been inherent if he had not learned it before (since slaves had little education the boy was the perfect example for Socrates to demonstrate this â€Å"inborn knowledge. ) Socrates makes his argument clear: if the slave had no knowledge of what is was he was searching for (the length of the side), and the information was not taught to the boy, then the information must have already been inherent in the boy’s soul. Here is Socrates’ argument in Premise/Conclusion form: P: Slave isn’t taught. P: Slave has no prior knowledge. P: Immortal soul contains knowledge. C: Knowledge must come from one’s immortal soul. P: You do not know what you are trying to find. P: You are not taught what you are trying to find. P: Your soul contains inherent knowledge. C: You can find what you are searching for through recollection of the knowledge â€Å"stored† in your soul. Socrates’ proofs are meant to enforce his views that knowledge such as virtue must be searched for, â€Å"that a man should enquire about that which he does not know† (Meno, Plato). Citations: Burbules, Nicholas C. â€Å"Aporias, Webs, and Passages: Doubt as an Opportunity to Learn. † Curriculum Inquiry 30. 2 (2000): n. pag. Aporia. 2000. Web. 12 Sept. 2012. . Plato, and R. S. Bluck. Meno. Cambridge [Eng. : University, 1961. N. pag. Print.

European Competition Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

European Competition Law - Essay Example What follows is a general discussion of State Aid in the European Union followed by the Judicial and Academic attitudes towards it in the United Kingdom. Although in the past State Aid was considered a "poor relative" of European competition law and viewed as a rather politically motivated/policy based phenomena. Things have changed in the past two decades however and the EU version of State Aid control has assumed the significance of its American counterpart pertaining to antitrust enforcement and merger control. Every year the EU commission reviews thousands of state aid cases each year, as lengthy investigations are undertaken to and many companies have found themselves going bankrupt following large illegal State Aid repayments. Social contributions and tax benefits and subsidies have been recognised as State Aid alike and likely to distort market competition.The EU's basic aim is to achieve a perfect competition like situation with liberalisation and State Aid control.The EU sta te aid control framework has not spared large financial institutions and multinationals (take the example of high profile disputes like Alstom, France Tlcom, British Energy or WestLB) and this has put these corporate "big fish" much favoured by State Aid previously at their guard from loans and large capital injections,shady compensation for public services, lenient tax measures, and feigned Research and Development measures. 1- introduction ''Effective competition is the best and strongest means to create natural incentives for companies to come up with new ideas and new products.' - Neelie Kroes, EU Competition Commissioner, 2004-2009 It is a trite principle of Economics that State Aid can have detrimental effects on the economy of a country and its trading partners and rivals. It can potentially distort competition and cause wastage of the society's resources by e.g. supporting an outdated industrial structure and delaying a necessary restructuring process in firms. The European Unions efforts to control any measures by its member states to curb competition have made their presence felt for the member states mainly because of the European Unions strict control over competition policy which gives it the power to rule on mergers, takeovers, cartels and the use of state aid. In the recent years the European Union has been able to develop competition regulation into a key area of EU leadership by imposing its rules/policies pertaining to open market competition on member states. Most of these measures have often proved controversial1 as threatening the social market model of its members with its open market policies competition policy dates back to 1957 in the Treaty of Rome wide ranging powers were given to EU authorities to oversee and prevent anti-competitive activities in the firms of its member states. The decades of the nineties saw an increase in the control and activism of the EU in pursuing breaches of competition law, and this contributed to a significant amount of case law as well. Until 2004 these rules were accused of being hot potch and allowing too much interference by the EU authorities in what it deems to be breaches of its Competition regulations.The Treaty of Rome empowers the EU commission2 to investigate the allegations of price fixing, abuse of

Goal Statement Management of Secure Information System Personal

Goal Management of Secure Information System - Personal Statement Example In addition to that, I completed my Associate program in Computer Studies in August 2014. These basic ingredients coupled with determination to excel and ability to learn under any condition will enable me to succeed in this program. I possess strong communication skills which will contribute to my success in this study program since I am well informed that it involves a lot of communication and interaction. Others skills that I have gained over time that will increase my level of competency in this program include excellent quantitative and analytical skills, data analysis, keen to details, ability to deliver excellent customer service, conceptual thinking skills and proper time management ability. I am a person who can work effectively with others so as to realize a common goal. I have great leadership skills which were made evident when I served as a youth coordinator for my community. Under that docket, I handled a number of duties such as meeting the needs of the youths by initiative a number of programs that favored them, initiating formation of youth organizations, creating a platform through which youths from various parts of the world can interact and network, initiating recreational activities for the youth among other activities. I am a self-motivated person who is guided by set principles pertaining any program or institution that I am based in. I have had a number of work experiences which are closely related to the program that I am applying for. I am currently working as an IT specialist by providing second level support for the Information Technology help desk. I have also worked under department IT support in which I handle various issues affecting IT customers and clients. That position exposed me to handling very challenging clients thus being able to strengthen my customer relation skills.

Cosmetic surgery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cosmetic surgery - Essay Example In a society that places great value on a person’s appearance, the demand for cosmetic plastic surgery has only seen a steady increase. This is manifested by the growing number of surgical clinics that offer both invasive and non-invasive procedures. Expectedly, the demand is not limited to just a certain group of people. Rather, it encompasses a variety of nationalities from Chinese to Russians and Italians. People have various reasons for getting cosmetic plastic surgery. Where some believe that their new looks would make them more confident and aid them in moving up the corporate ladder, others, like in those in the entertainment industry, undergo cosmetic surgery to keep their jobs. Still others are of the mind that cosmetic surgery is their chance of improving parts of their body they have long been or have become dissatisfied with. Although Western influence plays a role in the quest for a more â€Å"beautiful† face or body, across the different racial groups, majority of men and women are willing to pay for plastic surgery for the same reason – they want to look better than how they look now. In line with this ideal, cosmetic surgeons have noticed that while requests for some procedures remain similar to all ethnic groups, there are particular surgeries more frequently done on specific nationalities. Injections for Botox are the most common non-surgical methods of looking more youthful, especially for Caucasians. Because individuals from this race have thinner skin, they are more prone to developing wrinkles. The toxin helps in decreasing the appearance of frown lines, giving the patient smooth and wrinkle-free skin. Another popular non-invasive treatment is for skin whitening. Majority of people in India, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea spend large amounts on whitening products believing that being fair is akin to being

Transportation Policy-The paper will discuss the negative impacts of Research - 1

Transportation Policy-The will discuss the negative impacts of free off-street parking and possible solutions to counteract such problems - Research Paper Example ntrols by the ownership of the shopping malls, the development of free off street parking space has been considered as one of the poorest planning events in the history of building (Mukhija & Shoup, 2006). Due to the presence of free off street parking, several Americans have continued to prefer the use of personal cars. However, the state and federal government have been denied an opportunity to increase the revenue collection as mall owners continue to use this approach as a way of attracting customers. It is a good economic policy to have measurable cost for off street parking to enable regional and state governments to enhance their revenue collection activities (Mukhija & Shoup, 2006). The increasing population of motorists in the United States has created the need for the development of proper parking strategies to eliminate the challenges associated with increased vehicle population. Generally, it is estimated that the overall cost of parking ranges from $250 to $2000 which are calculated without the inclusion of other charges. Municipalities across the country have continued to face the challenge of increased management costs and the destruction of the parking spaces due to improve parking arrangement and lack of control on private malls. The emergence of different structures across the towns has reduced the efficiencies and room for the development flexible designs for parking lots (Mukhija & Shoup, 2006). The adoption of different parking strategies has different impacts on the economy and the environment of the country. off street parking facilities impacts on the development and economic benefits of central business districts in a number of ways which makes this approach less effective in busy towns. Due to the nature of our development, the landscape has continuously been occupied with cars as members of the public prefer using private cars as opposed to the public transport system. In most instances, cars spend 95% of their life parked and this has

Concepts in Physical Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Concepts in Physical Science - Essay Example By combining observations rational arguments and experimentation he supported the theory of vision. He corrected the preconceived notion by stating that the rays of light are emitted from objects rather than coming from the eyes. He rejected the old theories of Ptolemy and Euclid about the theory of vision.He also corrected Aristotle’s theory where he had claimed that objects emit physical particles towards the eyes. During the first millennium, BC Babylonian Astronomy evolved into the most successful examples of scientific astronomy. This method of astronomical study was the first successful attempt at refining the mathematical description of astronomical movements. All further developments in astronomy by the Islamic world and the Indian scientists was made possible due to such research. During the middle of the fifth century BC, other great philosophers like Plato mentioned teaching arithmetic, astronomy, and geometry. The field of chemistry is as ancient as the scientific thought process itself. The earliest record of using metals by humans appears to be gold. It is usually found free or raw in nature and does not include chemical processing to obtain it. It also means that other metals like silver, tin, copper, and iron gave the earliest humans an opportunity to work with metals. Democritus was a Greek philosopher who founded the atomistic school where he worked on finding the reasons why different substances had different properties and why they existed in different states.

Cosmetic surgery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cosmetic surgery - Essay Example In a society that places great value on a person’s appearance, the demand for cosmetic plastic surgery has only seen a steady increase. This is manifested by the growing number of surgical clinics that offer both invasive and non-invasive procedures. Expectedly, the demand is not limited to just a certain group of people. Rather, it encompasses a variety of nationalities from Chinese to Russians and Italians. People have various reasons for getting cosmetic plastic surgery. Where some believe that their new looks would make them more confident and aid them in moving up the corporate ladder, others, like in those in the entertainment industry, undergo cosmetic surgery to keep their jobs. Still others are of the mind that cosmetic surgery is their chance of improving parts of their body they have long been or have become dissatisfied with. Although Western influence plays a role in the quest for a more â€Å"beautiful† face or body, across the different racial groups, majority of men and women are willing to pay for plastic surgery for the same reason – they want to look better than how they look now. In line with this ideal, cosmetic surgeons have noticed that while requests for some procedures remain similar to all ethnic groups, there are particular surgeries more frequently done on specific nationalities. Injections for Botox are the most common non-surgical methods of looking more youthful, especially for Caucasians. Because individuals from this race have thinner skin, they are more prone to developing wrinkles. The toxin helps in decreasing the appearance of frown lines, giving the patient smooth and wrinkle-free skin. Another popular non-invasive treatment is for skin whitening. Majority of people in India, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea spend large amounts on whitening products believing that being fair is akin to being

Concepts in Physical Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Concepts in Physical Science - Essay Example By combining observations rational arguments and experimentation he supported the theory of vision. He corrected the preconceived notion by stating that the rays of light are emitted from objects rather than coming from the eyes. He rejected the old theories of Ptolemy and Euclid about the theory of vision.He also corrected Aristotle’s theory where he had claimed that objects emit physical particles towards the eyes. During the first millennium, BC Babylonian Astronomy evolved into the most successful examples of scientific astronomy. This method of astronomical study was the first successful attempt at refining the mathematical description of astronomical movements. All further developments in astronomy by the Islamic world and the Indian scientists was made possible due to such research. During the middle of the fifth century BC, other great philosophers like Plato mentioned teaching arithmetic, astronomy, and geometry. The field of chemistry is as ancient as the scientific thought process itself. The earliest record of using metals by humans appears to be gold. It is usually found free or raw in nature and does not include chemical processing to obtain it. It also means that other metals like silver, tin, copper, and iron gave the earliest humans an opportunity to work with metals. Democritus was a Greek philosopher who founded the atomistic school where he worked on finding the reasons why different substances had different properties and why they existed in different states.

Reward System And Its Impact On Employee Motivation Essay Example for Free

Reward System And Its Impact On Employee Motivation Essay Social networking also referred to as social media. The growing usage of social media indicates a potentially effective new platform for advertisers. Social Media, today, is among the ‘best opportunities available’ to a brand for connecting with Prospective consumers. Social media is the medium to socialize. These new media win the trust of consumers by connecting with them at a deeper level. Social media marketing is the new mantra for several brands since early last year. Marketers are taking note of many different social media opportunities and beginning to implement new social initiatives at a higher rate than ever before. Social media marketing and the businesses that utilize it have become more sophisticated. One cannot afford to have no presence on the social channels if the competitor is making waves with its products and services. The explosion of social media phenomenon is as mind boggling as that and the pace at which it is growing is maddening. Global companies have recognized social media marketing as a potential marketing platform, utilized them with innovations to power their advertising campaign with social media marketing. - KEY WORDS: Social networking, Marketers, Socialize, Media SOCIAL NETWORKING Social networking, also referred to as social media, encompasses many Internet-based tools that make it easier for people to listen, interact, engage and collaborate with each other. Social networking platforms such as Face book, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, message boards, Wikipedia and countless others are catching on like wildfire. People use social networking to share recipes, photos, ideas and to keep friends updated on our lives. SOCIAL NETWORKING IN MARKETING Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining traffic or attention through social media sites. Social media itself is a catch-all term for sites that may provide radically different social actions. For instance, Twitter is a social site designed to let people share short messages or â€Å"updates† with others. Face book, in contrast is a full-blown social networking site that allows for sharing updates, photos, joining events and a variety of other activities. ORIGINATION OF SOCIAL NETWORKING According to a BBC Radio 4 documentary, the origins of social networking can be traced back to the 1970s. While conducting research for the radio show, The Secret History of Social Networking, the BBC’s Technology Correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, found that in 1973 the owner of a record shop in Berkeley California placed an analogue computer in his store and invited people to come in and type messages. The computer quickly became a popular attraction, especially amongst University of California students who would come in to the store to post messages and take part in discussions on the analogue machine. One of the first social networking Web sites, launched in 1997, was SixDegrees. com. This site started the trend of enabling users to create personal profiles and make lists of their friends. Two years after the fall of Six Degrees, Live Journal offered authors options to add a list of friends to their profile page. Other early social networking sites include Friendster and online dateing service Ryze. MySpace launched in 2003. However, the site didnt start drawing the attention of the masses until well into 2004, due largely in part to MySpace changes that allowed teenagers to join the social network. Since their introduction, social networking sites (SNS) have attracted millions of users, whereby many people integrate these sites into their daily practices. The conception of Googlebuzz. com has been recently introduced to rival the likes of facebook, which has 350 million users. Here is a timeline to show the progress of the social networking world. 1995: Classmates. com is a social media website created by Randy Conrad. The website helps members find, connect and keep in touch with friends and acquaintances from school life. Classmates has more than 40 million active members in the US and Canada. In early 2008, Nielson Online ranked Classmates as number 3 in unique monthly visitors among social networking sites. 1997: Sixdegrees. com was named after the six degrees of separation concept and allowed users to list friends, family members and acquaintances and see their connection with any other user on the site. It was one of the first manifestations of a social networking websites in the format now seen today. Sixdegrees closed in 2007. At its height, the website had about a million users. 1999: Cyworld. com is a South Korean social networking service. Users can have â€Å"apartment like† spaces which make for a sim-world like experience. The ‘cy’ in Cyworld could stand for Cyber; however, it also plays on the Korean word for relationship. A 2005 survey showed that 25% of South Korea was users. 2002: Friendster. com has over 115 million registered users and over 61 million unique visitors per global month. Over 90% of friendster’s traffic comes from Asia. The website is also used for dating, discovering new events, bands and hobbies. 2003: Myspace. com launched after eUniverse employees with Friendster saw its potential and mimicked the more popular features of the social networking site. Myspace became the most popular social networking site in US 2006. The 100th million account was created on August 9 2006. 2005: Bebo. com is an acronym for â€Å"blog early, blog often†. It is similar to other networking sites; the site must include two specific modules, a comment section and a list of users’ friends. The site claims 40 million users. 2006: Facebook. com is the most popular social networking site boasting 350 million users. It was founded by Mark Zuckerberg who studied at Harvard University. The websites membership was initially limited by the founders to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges. Facebook has met with some controversy being blocked in countries such as, China, Syria and Iran. The original concept for Facebook came from the colloquial name for books given out at the start of the academic year by universities designed to help students get to know one another better. 2006: Twitter. com is a social networking site that that enables its users to send and read messages known as â€Å"tweets†. Tweets are text based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the authors profile page and are delivered to the author’s subscribers known as followers. It is sometimes described as the â€Å"SMS of the internet† and is widely popular with about 5 million users. ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN MARKETING: Social media is now increasingly becoming an ingrained aspect of political campaigns, national defence strategies, public policy, public relations, brand management and even intra company communication. Since the major task of marketing as tool used to inform consumers about the company’s products, who they are and what they offer, social marketing plays an important role in marketing.  · Social media can be used to provide an identity about the companies and the products or services that they offer.  · Social media helps in creating relationships with people who might not otherwise know about the products or service or what the companies represent.  · Social media makes companies â€Å"real† to consumers. If they need not just talk about the latest product news, but share their personality with them.  · Social media can be used to associate themselves with their peers that may be serving the same target market.  · Social media can be used to communicate and provide the interaction that consumer look for. THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF SOCIAL NETWORKS IN MARKETING According to comScore, a marketing research company that tracks Internet traffic, social networking sites accounted for 13. 8 billion display ad impressions in August 2009, representing more than 25 percent of all display ads viewed online, in a study of U. K. online display advertising on social networking sites. Social media is changing the way marketing is done. No longer can marketers rely on putting out one general message to the public. In Malaysia, 80% of affluent Malaysians use social networking sites. The opinions of bloggers and friends have become more influential than advertisements. Using social media allows businesses to reduce cost on marketing or connect with customers. A number of Malaysian companies use social network to promote their product or service. A recent example is mobile operator DiGi who used social networking to create awareness on mobile broadband. One of the many campaigns DiGi did was Pimp My Broadband which was a contest allowing people to post up creative videos to the site. DiGi used mostly Face book and Twitter to spread the word and communicate with people. In another example, the Prudential insurance company was running in December 2009 a contest for which people were asked to guess the retirement fund a fictional character named Adam would need to retire comfortably. This campaign was heavily promoted over social networks and blogs. Most organisations have jumped onto the social networking bandwagon. Large and small organisations alike maintain Facebook fan pages and groups. The leading budget travel airline, AirAsia, has more than 20 different Facebook pages and groups that promote some aspect of their service. It also has Twitter feeds as well as its own social network located at www. airasia. ning. com. The results have been impressive. It claims to lead all other airlines with a fan base of approximately 100,000. The AirAsia blog is ranked as the world’s second most popular blog site by an airline while CEO Tony Fernandes’ blog is the most popular in Malaysia by a corporate leader. Its YouTube site is very popular while its Twitter account has 15,500 followers. AirAsia’s investment of time and effort to reach out socially to Internet users must be bringing results; it recently announced plans to launch a brand new social network for travellers. The Nielsen Company estimates online advertising spent on the top social network and blogging sites increased 119 percent, from approximately USD49 million in August 2008 to approximately USD108 million in August 2009. Businesses and professionals are also connecting with one another on social networks. It has become commonplace for professionals to maintain accounts at LinkedIn. Using that platform, businessmen are able to find contacts that they can trust as introductions come from people they know and trust. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IN INDIA AN OVERVIEW India has 71 million active internet users. Social Media is really picking up new heights in India. Many companies are coming big way for Social Media Optimization for their Product or Services nowadays. During Election 2009 Social Media was used for Influence Indian Voters. Social Media Marketing in India is being undertaken by brands like Tata Docomo, MTV India, Channel V, Clear Trip, Tata Photon, Axe deodorants, Microsoft, Naukri, Shaadi and many more. Besides, numerous Indian celebrities are also using SMM platform to promote their movies, music and events via Twitter, Facebook and personalized blogs. Social Media Marketing is also boosting public relations business. Several PR agencies in India are undertaking brand building exercises for corporate organizations, brands and celebrities. However, to the delight of many among us, the biggest gainers from SMM till date have been the organizations from the Not-for- Profit sector. Several Campaigns like ‘Bell Bajao’ and ‘Jaago Re’ have been quite successful on Social Networking Sites. These campaigns have been spreading the word about their cause through blogs, Twitter and Facebook. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGIES: SMM is still in its infancy. Most of the online retailers though appreciate its positives fallouts on the brand awareness and promotion; they are still in the early stages of adoption. For an organization willing to invest in social media marketing, it is important to understand why SMM is an important marketing strategy and how it can help: This is the age of consumer satisfaction. It is not about selling it is more about interacting. There is a lot to learn from the customers. Using social media one can identify customers, listen to their feedback and use them to improve and innovate on products or services. SMM is not a mass advertising strategy. It can be used to identify peer groups and advertise to that particular group. Social Media can help in identifying influencers and through them one can guide a prospective customer into making a purchase. SMM calls for novel advertising methods as the attention span of online junta is very low. This is largely due to the multitasking phenomena. A person watching a video clip on YouTube might be simultaneously updating a blog, while reading another one and watching friend’s photographs on Facebook. In order to garner their attention away from distractions the advertisement must be innovative and interesting to hold the imagination and attention of the prospect. At the same time the message must also provoke the recipient into action; like seeking a detailed description of the product/service, or suggesting to a friend, or initiating purchase. So, if the advertisement is trying to sell something then it should be conveniently placed with links so that the prospect can make a purchase with least effort. Similarly Social Media can be used to increase customer loyalty through customer support services and hence improve customer retention. Social Media Marketing can also be used by brands to ward off any negative publicity. But the brands will have to be cautious here as over doing it may further aggravate their customers / stakeholders. There are many things that social media can do for business. Developing a strategy for using it means that the firms need to think about what they want to accomplish this year and determine how social media fits into the plan. One of the benefits of a social media strategy is the fact that the available tools can customized for their particular needs. The firms can choose to concentrate their efforts on the sites that seem to offer the best return on investment, while taking a â€Å"wait and see† stand on the others. Better Marketing Communications Any marketing campaign is only as good as its effectiveness in reaching the client. As the saying goes, you can have the best product in the world but its success depends on its reach to the customers. One advantage that social media networks such as Twitter, Blogspot, MySpace and Facebook possess is that of cross-communication. In other words, much of the information is shared across different social sites. In the past, marketing strategies would target a certain audience based on the resources available. These days, however, if a company has a profile page on Facebook, for example, cross talk alone can generate interest, because of the fluidity of social media websites. Social media sites have helped do away with many geographical and communicative borders; companies who have listings with these sites can place themselves in a position where such communication can be just as effective as a targeted marketing campaign. In the same way, if one person subscribes to a certain company’s web page, it is likely his or her friends will see it and too may become interested. Qualified potential clients can come to the company rather than the other way around! Higher Customer Satisfaction When a company is seen as being active on social media sites, it has just established itself as having its proverbial â€Å"finger on the pulse† of modern society. In a very real way, people take notice and assume that the company has something to say, that it is part of the community rather than simply a static web page. By posting regular updates that subscribers can see, business can appeal to their tastes and, more importantly, that business also has the ability to follow trends and change strategies based on the requirement. A keen observation is always essential for these updates. A close association with current scenario and trends will align the business people to more accurately cater to their audience’s needs. In the past, a happy customer was a customer who could become a regular customer. Today, a happy customer or client has the ability to recommend a company to others grouped under similar target audience. Social networks can accomplish much of the work that in the past was allocated to the more traditional e-mail campaigns. Stronger Financial Returns This final factor should be the most obvious and, at the same time, the most motivating. It only stands to reason that with a larger target base, sales and publicity will naturally increase. One important thing to remember is that there are few if any costs when dealing with social sites. In the past, domain names came with a price tag. Even more relevant was the financial burden which often accompanied building a very good website (web design, maintenance, updates, etc). When a company takes advantage of social media, on the other hand, not only does exposure increase if done in the right manner, but also the financial obligation is little, if any. Why, then, are more businesses not taking full advantage of the tools in front of them? One of the issues is that many out there still consider the social media market a â€Å"niche† sector and haven’t fully implemented their campaigns to include social networking as a part of the overall strategy. Other companies state that not all of their employees are open to newer technologies. Still others just don’t have correct media policies in place; i. e. what can be said, how it can be said, the chain of command to approve updates†¦the list can go on and on. The main issue tends to revolve around the adaptation to changing technologies and sources of revenue. CONCLUSION: There is no escaping social media these days, either for individuals or for businesses. Today, it is impossible to separate social media from the online world. Companies are diverting resources and rethinking their traditional outreach strategies. And as the social media wave dissipates into the vast ocean of connected experiences, the term itself will become an entry in dictionaries and encyclopaedias and we will embark on a new era of knowledge, accessibility and experiences unbound by distance, time or physical walls. It is high time that every business adopts social media and takes it seriously!