The Role of the Professional Code of Ethics in Addressing Security Threats

Historically, many professional associations have viewed ethical codes as mechanisms used to establish their status professionally. This gives a way of regulating their membership in order to convince the world that they deserve to be as self regulating as possible (Aupperle 2005, p. 1057).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of the Professional Code of Ethics in Addressing Security Threats specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The state of self regulation depends on ways to curb unethical behavior among members. Therefore, a code combined with ethics review board emerged as the solution. This code of ethics has helped in listing possible violations and has also executed threats and sanctions to such violations. The need to execute the ethical review board has not been an easy task at all for ACM. However, they later came to realize that the act of self regulation depends or can work only if there is a consensus and crucial commitment of its members. Recently, the most crucial rationale for ethical code has been the enactment of a set of commitments of the association members. In some instances, those enactments are brought out as rules and regulations as well as ideas. However, the main social function is clarification and stating the ethical requirement that are important to the organization which is acting as a professional association (Hagen, Albrechtsen Hovden 2008, p. 377) The recent codes of ethics put more emphasis on socialization and education rather than compliance enforcement. In addition, these codes can work toward collective well being of the association even if it might be a distillation of collective reflection and experience. Moreover, a code of ethics is usually the major drive for any profession bearing in mind that professionals should be accountable to the public and by so doing; it leads to great returns when public trust is fortified.Advertising Looking for ess ay on ethics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Before exploring the major security threats that can arise from irresponsible behavior among information technology employees, we ought to concur with the submission that the final and the most crucial function of ethical code is the role it plays as a guide towards decision making by an individual and hence it can be quite ideologically helpful if incorporated in every IT firm (Hagen, Albrechtsen Hovden 2008, p. 377). To begin with, it is worth to admit that human beings were not born to be perfect. This can be supported by the fact that they use brains. Every IT firm requires human beings as members of staff for its goals to be achieved and profitable results realized. However, it happens that there arise cases related to misbehavior among employees for one reason or another. Human carelessness, harm to other employees and machines, dishonesty and untrustworthy, confidentiality, unpr ofessionalism, improper crediting of intellectual property, disrespect of other employees, unfairness and discrimination, unreliability, software risks, unauthorized access as well as conflicting interests are among the many shortcomings that may be experienced in an IT firm ( Jin, Drozdenko Bassett 2007, p. 149) Therefore, due to the employees’ shortcomings, the Association of Computing Machinery (ACN) and the Australian Computer Society (ACS) enacted codes of ethics as part of their constitution whereby all members must adhere to at all times even as they pursue their professions. In addition, members are required to be law abiding citizens and they should also act within the given code of ethics by adhering to the set values. Some of the ACS and ACM codes of ethics, values and ideals that have been subscribed to members include standards of conduct, priorities, competence, honesty, social implications, professional developments and computing competence.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of the Professional Code of Ethics in Addressing Security Threats specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Under the main code of ethics, an employee is required to act with high levels of professionalism and integrity whenever dealing with clients, other employees, students and the community at large. By so doing, the interests of the aforementioned parties will be achieved while realizing or attaining the goals of the company (Van, Wempe Theo 2004, p. 385). These firms accept the fact that the standard of conduct are ideal and not can be achieved. It is a practical and a common occurrence for various standards to conflict against each other in various ways. There is need to apply some degree of subjectivity bearing in mind that in any given organization, cases of etjical as well as unethical behaiour will hardly miss out Hawkey Beznosov 2009, p. 4). It is also imperative to mention that variou s cases of poor application of the given code of ethics mainly arise as a result of inadequate accountability on the part of members (Jin, Drozdenko Bassett 2007, p. 149). Finally, it is worthy to mention that according to the standard of ethics, a member is expected to distinguish between ethical and unethical practices in each particular circumstance. In any case, the application of the code of ethics should be exercised by individuals who are well versed with the rules and regulations as provided by the ethical bodies. By doing so, Intellectual properties will be credited properly (Jin, Drozdenko Bassett 2007, p. 149).Advertising Looking for essay on ethics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These firms also share another close aspect in their codes of ethics. It is known as ‘priorities’. In other words, service should be offered to other stakeholders first before engaging in self service or interests. In other words, they are not supposed to put themselves first. Members are required to preserve and maintain continuity of computing information flow on their own (Messikomer Cirka 2010, p. 55).They are also supposed to preserve to security and integrity of every information obtained from clients. Furthermore, a member is required to advise clients or employers in case any conflict arises in course of their work. Finally, members are given priority to advise clients as well as employers whenever there are conscientious objections facing them in connection to their work. As a result of this clause, conflicting interests can be categorized as security threats among IT firms (Long Driscoll 2008, p. 173). Competence is another valuable clause that is shared amo ng the ACS and ACM IT firms. There is also dire need for members to be quite diligent in their service delivery since it is considered to be part and parcel of the ethics. In addition, the tastes and prefarances of clients must be adhered to bearing in mind that clients who are unsatisfied may lead to poor business performance in any organization. Enacting this clause in the professional codes of ethics has helped in dealing with unprofessional security threats among IT firms (Messikomer Cirka 2010, p. 55). Moreover, it is imperative to mention that honesty is a vital tool that can be possessed by either an individual or organization. With a mission to curb the IT security shortcomings that have been existing among employers, these firms considered the virtue of honesty during the enactment of IT codes of ethics constitution. Under this clause, every member is required to maintain honesty while representing skills, knowledge, services and products to clients (Messikomer Cirka 2010 , p. 55). Besides, members are strictly warned against misrepresenting their skills and knowledge but are required to provide objective and unbiased opinion. Realistic estimates for projects are mandated under their control. The professional requirements of members should also be enhanced in order to have a vast knowledge of those who are practicing in the field. In terms of credibility, they are supposed to strictly credit other people’s IT work in order to prevent unfairness and discrimination. In order to ensure that the IT security is enhanced among employers, these firms included ‘social implications’ clause in their constitution. Members are expected to strive in enhancing high quality of life to the users of their work. Moreover, employees ought to be respected at all times. This can be achieved by avoiding sentiments that may depict lack of respect or dignity. Fair treatment should be the basis of operations. Moreover, they should also offer due respect t o peoples’ privacy (Long Driscoll 2008, p. 173). Finally, the involvement of computing profession in the ACM and ACS firms plays a major role in curbing occurrence of human errors. This helps in minimizing chances of losses resulting from errors which happened without being noticed. On a basic business note, involvement of strategies of ethics remains invaluable. One of the crucial things which should not be forgotten is putting in place monitoring mechanisms. From the above credible observations, it is definite that professional code of ethics is the major foundation upon which modern organizations in computing are ethically regulated (Long Driscoll 2008, p. 173). References Aupperle, E 2005, â€Å"Information security and ethics: social and organizational issues†, Choice vol. 42 no. 6, pp. 1057-1059. Hagen, J., Albrechtsen, E. Hovden, J 2008, â€Å"Implementation and effectiveness of organizational information security measures†, Information Management Com puter Security, vol. 16 no. 4, pp. 377-397. Jin, K., Drozdenko, R. Bassett, R 2007, â€Å"Information Technology Professionals’ Perceived Organizational Values and Managerial Ethics: An Empirical Study†, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 71 no. 2, pp. 149-159. Long, B. Driscoll, C 2008, â€Å"Codes of Ethics and the Pursuit of Organizational Legitimacy: Theoretical and Empirical Contributions†, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 77 no. 2, pp. 173-175. Messikomer, C. Cirka, C 2010, â€Å"Constructing a Code of Ethics: An Experiential Case of a National Professional Organization†, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 95 no. 1, pp. 55-71. Van, J., Wempe, B. Theo, W 2004, â€Å"Rethinking Organizational Ethics: A Plea for Pluralism†, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 55 no. 4, pp. 385-393. Werlinger, R., Hawkey, K. Beznosov, K. 2009, â€Å"An integrated view of human, organizational, and technological challenges of IT security management†, Informat ion Management Computer Security, vol. 17 no. 1, pp. 4-19. This essay on The Role of the Professional Code of Ethics in Addressing Security Threats was written and submitted by user Wyatt Gibson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

This essay seeks to compare and contrast the approaches taken by Keith B. Richburg and Karl Maier in discussing Africa.The title is Woes of Africa

This essay seeks to compare and contrast the approaches taken by Keith B. Richburg and Karl Maier in discussing Africa.The title is Woes of Africa Over the past years, many writers have made bold attempts to address issues confronting Africa. The views expressed by these writers in their books are influenced by the major happenings on the continent within the time period the book is to be written. But one thing that leaves much to be desired about the approaches taken by some of these authors is the generalizations they make about the whole African continent, using the woes of just a few countries as a marker for the others. This paper seeks to compare and contrast the approaches taken by Keith B. Richburg and Karl Maier in discussing Africa.Richburg's confrontation of Africa in his book, Out of America, discusses his traumatic experiences in Africa. His approach reveals to the reader that the present-day Africa is just a replica of the Dark Continent described by early explorers. Richburg describes Africa as a "senseless continent" (153), "violent" (227), and a "strange and forbidding place" (237) where fighting and other nefa rious activities is the order of the day.Richburg, New YorkHe states that:"It's one of those apocryphal stories you always hear coming out of Africa, meant to demonstrate the savagery of "the natives." Babies being pulled off their mothers' backs and tossed onto spears. Pregnant women being disemboweled. Bodies being tossed into the river and flowing downstream. You heard them all, but never really believed" (xiii).Richburg thus imposes on the reader the "vicious" nature of Africans. He tries to justify this image he puts forth to his readers by his unrealistic and over-exaggerated descriptions of his encounters and experiences at the hands of civilians, the military, and guerilla fighters.Richburg does not have any positive thoughts about Africa during his travels from the time he "smells" (1) the continent till his departure. In Richburg's eyes,

Information systems security management Research Paper

Information systems security management - Research Paper Example In 1915, there were 250 automobile manufactures in the United State that were utilizing information technology on large bases. By the 1994, this figure had increased up till 500 automobiles. In the field of telecommunication, around 2000 radio stations across the United States were found (Laudon, 2011). In 1925, these radio stations were broadcasting to local neighborhoods and run by non-professionals. By the year 1990, only 500 independent stations were functioning. Therefore, it is clear that the e-commerce will follow the same pattern along with some noticeable difference that is discussed further (Laudon, 2011). The development in the field of e-commerce has been increased significantly, but it is also not obvious that this field will tend to grow on this rate forever. Moreover, its growth will be limited in future as it is confronting its own fundamental limitations. For example, the B2C e-commerce is still a small part around 3% of the net retail market. In fact, in 2008, all t he B2C e-commerce will approximately equal to the annual revenue under recent projections. This research includes Wal-Mart, which is the world’s largest and most effective retailer. On the contrary, with the only 3% of the entire retail sales, it is now introducing online methods (Laudon, 2011). Early Years of E-Commerce E-Commerce Today Technology-driven Business-driven Revenue growth emphasis Earnings and profits emphasis Venture capital financing Traditional financing Ungoverned Stronger regulation and governance Entrepreneurial Large traditional firms Disintermediation Strengthening intermediaries Perfect markets Imperfect markets, brands, and network effects Pure online strategies Integrated, multi-channel bricks-and-clicks strategies First mover advantages Strategic follower strength; complimentary assets Figure 1.1 1.1 Emphasizing Privacy One more study shows that online companies emphasize and focus more on online privacy policy rather than any other aspect. Even onli ne security is considered as the second option. Moreover, the study also concluded that online customers are more worried about their privacy rather than online threats as they are considered to be in control. In addition, the study also demonstrated a comparison between the two decades, i.e. 1999-2001 and 2005-2007, which highlighted the factors that are mentioned previously (Parayitam, Desai, & Desai, 2008). 1.2 Focusing on Customer Demands However, study concluded one interesting factor, i.e. the rankings and ratings of policies created for the Internet continues to focus on demands of the web users. Moreover, consumer privacy continues to be on top in both the decades (Parayitam, Desai, & Desai, 2008). The amplified awareness by the contributors, i.e. legislators and advocates, shows that the interest level is comparatively high. 2 Technology Infrastructure E-commerce is also described as the development and growth of digital computing, and communications technology is at the co re of modern technology of global digital economy. In order to understand the future of the digital e-commerce, we need to understand the technological basics on which it is dependent. The e-commerce is, basically, a technological motivated phenomenon that depends on a cloud of information technologies. Moreover, the fundamental ideas from computer science have developed this over for a

Q3-4-5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Q3-4-5 - Essay Example Industry partnerships also come in shape when organizations are socially robust, having a strong backbone of top executives with respect to size, presence and connections (Kathleen M. Eisenhardt & Claudia Bird Schoonhoven, 1996). To be specific, there are three major aspects of partnerships: foundation, formation, and structural preferences. The ‘foundation’ for partnership implies to the likelihood of organizations to add value to the overall business by their shared resources. When we say ‘formations’, it refers to properties such as limitation of convenience and commutability. By structural preferences we mean the types of ventures, which can be equity joint ventures, minority equity alliances, bilateral contract-based alliances, and unilateral contract-based alliances (T. K. Das & Bing-Sheng Teng, 2000). Strategic business partnerships enable organizations to achieve competitive advantage through access to shared resources. These shared resources may be based on potential markets, technology, capital, or human resources. As organizations have to input less individually, their goals are more focused thus leading to improved performance. Partnering organizations share their limited resources and business responsibilities as per the availability and expertise to expedite the process. It’s best to focus one’s resources on what they do the best and partner for the rest. Mostly those companies agree to work together which have same goal but lack in certain areas, let it be budgets, human resources, or technical expertise yet having same set of goals or share same purpose of existence. A research company Trendsetter Barometer, PWC states that â€Å"nearly 2/3 of fast-growing companies are involves in strategic alliances. In average, each fast-growing company is engaged in 5 different types of strategic alliances may it be related to joint marketing & promotion, joint selling or distribution, technology licenses,

Boston - Geological Development and Human Settlement Research Paper

Boston - Geological Development and Human Settlement - Research Paper Example This will be in regard to the liquefaction phenomenon, and what considerations need to be put in place, with regard to overall safety measures. The Boston area, part of the larger New England region, is often vulnerable to different earthquakes of varying measures, many of which are small and therefore largely destructive. However a few of these, over 30-40 strikes annually, are critical due to the effective destruction they can cause in terms of lost lives and damage to property and infrastructure (Miller 1). Furthermore, the region surrounding Boston is also vulnerable to shocks and earthquakes, which can be felt in the area as well. A study conducted by John Ebel, a Boston College seismologist evidently places the epicenter of these different quakes to New Hampshire portraying them as aftershocks of a bigger historical occurrence. Importantly is that he predicts a future mega-quake occurring (Miller 1/ Rashed and John 11). Fundamental to the discussion is Boston’s distinguishable feature of having â€Å"elegant brick-and-mortar architecture, which in many cases sits on loose, unstable soil† (Klee 1). Furthermore, expert opinion is of the view that the aging state of the city’s utilities and infrastructure is also a major area of concern. The Beacon Hill’s history as an abolitionist center, especially its northern streets, makes it more prone to such occurrences (Klee 43). This is complemented by Mcphee in his article Travels of the Rock in the New Yorker, who is able to investigate the region’s rock formation origin; relating the concepts of geological history and settlement schemes in the region (Mcphee 108). Accordingly, this provides a basis on which target audiences are able to link the current state of affairs, the architecture involved, and the general vulnerability; to different aspects such as historical settlement, as well as

Gender Differences In Mathematics Performance

Gender Differences In Mathematics Performance This study investigates gender differences in performance on the mathematics component on the Standard 3 National Assessment in Trinidad and Tobago. Of interest is whether there is a relationship between attitudinal differences regarding mathematics and student beliefs in their mathematical abilities and student gender classification. Results indicate that whereas girls performed better than boys on all categories and all skill areas on the test, the effect sizes were small. The results of a MANOVA with follow-up descriptive discriminant analysis also indicate that while boys and girls did not differ with regard to the perception of the school environment, educational values and goals, and general academic self-concept, they differ significantly on the persistence and mathematics self-concept factors. Girls tend to persist more, but hold lower mathematics self-concept than boys. Keywords: persistence, mathematics self-concept, Caribbean Despite some inconsistencies in results, most of the early studies on mathematics achievement found that boys, consistently scored higher than girls on a number of indicators of mathematical proficiency (Fennema Sherman, 1977; Kloosterman, 1988; Manning, 1998; Peterson Fennema, 1985; Randhawa, 1991, 1994). This study examines the phenomenon in the English speaking Caribbean, specifically Trinidad and Tobago, where girls consistently have outperformed boys, and has become a matter of concern for Caribbean governments and educators (Caribbean Education Task Force, 2000). A review of the literature from the USA and other Western societies on gender and mathematics achievement has revealed an inconsistent relationship between gender and mathematics attainment during the early years of schooling. For example, in a 3-year longitudinal study conducted in the USA that examined the strategies that students in the lower primary grades (grade 1-3) utilized in solving mathematics problems, Fennema, Carpenter, Jacobs, Franke, and Levi (1998) did not find gender differences in the ability to solve mathematics problems in grade 3 (8-10 year olds). They found however significant differences in problem-solving strategies in which girls tended to employ concrete solution strategies like modelling and counting, while boys tended to use more abstract solution strategies that reflected conceptual understanding (Fennema Carpenter, 1998, p.4). However, Tapia and Marsh (2004) contend that up to 1994, measurable gender differences in mathematics scores are apparent only f rom age 13 and since that time, whatever gap existed seems to have disappeared. Hanna (2003) contends similarly with regard to the disappearance of the gender gap, while Hyde et al. (1990) and Leahey and Guo (2001) extend this argument and caution against the assertion that there is an evident gender difference in mathematics achievement favouring males. Leahey and Guo (2001) further state that at the elementary level existing differences were not consistent across mathematics skill areas, and where differences existed, were small but in favour of girls. Nevertheless, they did confirm that at the secondary level, males exhibited a consistent but slightly superior performance in the areas of problem-solving (Hyde et al., 1990) and reasoning skill and geometry (Leahey Guo, 2001). Brunner, Krauss and Kunters (2007) examined the performance on mathematics items of students in Germany. In their study they compared gender differences in overall mathematics ability (which as they explain is the standard model commonly found in the literature), and specific mathematics ability, i.e., an ability that influences performance on mathematics items over and above general cognitive ability (p. 405). They found that girls slightly outperformed boys on reasoning ability, but on specific mathematics ability, boys had a significant advantage over girls. Cooper and Dunne (2000) in their study of the influence of the socio-cultural background on students interpretation of realistic mathematical problems on the National Curriculum in England also found that the means for boys were higher than those for girls. Overall, they noted that service class students those from the higher socio-economic levels exhibited superior performance on realistic items than students in the lower socio-economic categories. However, they also observed that boys achieved slightly better scores than girls on realistic items (i.e. items to which they could relate, or were part of their experiences) in comparison to esoteric items (i.e. items that were more abstract.) More recent studies provide additional support for the above findings. For example, Williams, Wo and Lewis (2007) in their investigation of 5-14 year old students progress in mathematics attainment in England indicated that in the early years of schooling, individual differences in mathematics attainment are difficult to establish. In extending the discussion, Neuville and Croizet (2007) in a study of 7-8 year olds conducted in France, found that when gender identity is salient, girls perform better than boys on easy problems. On the other hand, boys performance on mathematics was not affected by gender identity. They were not subjected to stereotype threat that made negative assumptions about their mathematical ability, and so, they performed better on the more difficult problems. The study concluded that young girls are more susceptible to the salience of their stereotyped gender identity than boys. An examination of the Fourth Grade data from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)s Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), to some extent, contrasts slightly with Leahey and Guos (2001) findings. The TIMSS data show that in the majority of the participating countries boys attained higher mean scores in mathematics, however in only three countries Japan, Korea and the Netherlands- were these means statistically significant at alpha = .05. The averages of all country means were: males = 535 and females = 533 (Mullis, Martin, Fierros, Goldberg Stemler, 2000) indicating that differences attributed to gender were minimal and random. In an analysis of the OECDs 2000 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Marks (2008), found that in most countries, girls on average, have à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ lower scores in mathematics than boys and the average across-country gender gap was 11 score points in favour of boys (p.96). He further explains that while in 15 of the 31 countries the gender difference in mathematics was not significant, in three countries, the difference was a sizable 27 score points, and in another two, the gap was moderate. In only three countries did girls do better than boys but the difference was not statistically significant (p.96). Despite the consistency in the research, there remains a growing concern over the academic performance of boys, a concern which is echoed loudly in England (Gorard, Rees Salisbury, 1999; Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), 1996; Younger, Warrington Williams, 1999) as evidenced from the running debate and commentaries in the BBC News (09/18/2003), and the mentoring programme for underachieving Afro-Caribbean boys implemented by the British Government (Odih, 2002). From the above review, while there are slight inconsistencies in the findings, we can conclude that overall at the primary or elementary level, there is no significant difference in the mathematics performance of boys and girls. The differences only become noticeable at the secondary level where boys perform better than girls in geometry and on the more difficult mathematics items. Mathematics Achievement Patterns: The Trinidad and Tobago Contexts The concern over the gender differential in mathematics performance remains the subject of intense debate in the English-speaking Caribbean (Caribbean Education Task Force, 2000). Specific to Trinidad and Tobago, and in contrast to the literature coming out of the U.S. and Western Europe, Jules and Kutnick (1990), Kutnick and Jules (1988) found that girls perform better than boys on teacher-made tests at all ages between 8 and 16, across all curriculum areas and in all curriculum subjects. They achieve better results on the Secondary Education Assessment (SEA) taken in Standard.5 (Std. 5) (age 11-12) and also achieve better results on the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), the Caribbean equivalent to the British GCSE, administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), taken at age 16-17 in Form 5 (Kutnick, Jules Layne, 1997; Parry, 2000). Brown (2005) corroborates the above findings, at least for students in the lower primary school classes. In examining the performance of 7-9 year olds on the mathematics component of the 2000 Trinidad and Tobago National Test, he found that overall the mean achievement score of girls was higher than that of boys. Additionally, he found that the non-response to items was significantly greater for boys than girls, and a significantly greater number of boys than girls were in the lower tail of the distribution. In an attempt to determine whether the tests were biased in favour of girls, Brown and Kanyongo (2007) conducted differential item functioning (DIF) analysis on test items on the mathematics component of the 2004 National Test: Std. 1 (age 7-9). They found that though five of thirty items on the test significantly differentiated in favour of girls, in practical terms, the differences in item function were negligible and therefore could not explain the gender differential in perfo rmance on the test. With regard to Kutnick et al. (1997) and Parrys (2000) observation of student performance on the CSCE, a review of the 2000-2002 CSEC ordinary level results for Trinidad and Tobago allows for alternative interpretations. The results showed that of the students taking mathematics at the general proficiency level, a greater percentage of boys than girls earned Grades I-III (Brown, 2005). This finding seems to give support to the claim that boys on average perform better in higher-level mathematics (Leahey Guo, 2001; Manning, 1998; Randhawa, 1991, 1994); however, it needs to be qualified by the fact that a greater percentage of girls take general proficiency level mathematics the more rigorous course whereas more boys take basic level mathematics (Brown, 2005). Caribbean scholars have tried to understand this phenomenon and have offered a number of possible explanations. Miller (1994) frames his argument in the context of the historical marginalization of the black male in the Caribbean of which disinterest in education has been an inevitable outcome. Chevannes (2001) and Parry (2000) contend; while Conrad (1999) implies that the problem may be due to socialization practices and cultural expectations of gendered behaviour which for males conflict with the ethos of the school, but alternatively, encourage females to be academically successful. Figueroa (1997), on the other hand, posits that what the Caribbean has been witnessing is the result of the traditional independence of Caribbean women, and historic male privileging of which one consequence has been male educational underachievement. The explanations presented all seem plausible. However, with the possible exception of studies by Kutnick et al. (1997) and Parry (2000) which looked at classroom variables, they are yet to be tested. In 2004-2005, the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Education (MOE) began collecting data that went beyond analysis of student performance on the National Tests. While the instrument did not address socio-cultural factors, it addressed affective factors that predict academic achievement. From the instrument, we extract items that examine student motivation, academic self-perception, emphases on the value and purpose of education, and perception of the school. Each of these factors has been found to be predictors of academic achievement in previous research. (Dweck Leggett, 1988; Marsh, 1992). Student Motivation, Academic Self-perception and Beliefs Dwecks Motivation Process Model (Dweck Leggett, 1988) posits that performance is impacted by an individuals belief about his or her ability (or lack thereof). This argument she frames within the concept of learning goals and performance goals. Students with high learning goal orientation are focused on the acquisition of new knowledge or competencies. They place an intrinsic value on knowledge, which is reflected in a desire to learn. Implicit to the desire to learn, is the willingness to make the effort to achieve their goal. As a result, they are more likely to persist with challenging material, responding with increased effort to master the material. Performance oriented students, although also motivated to achieve, place greater emphasis on proving their competence (Grant Dweck, 2003). In the present competitive atmosphere of the school, this often means achieving a desired grade: not as a validation of their learning, but as validation of their ability. The conceptualization of ability as a reflection of ones performance (Burley, Turner Vitulli, 1999) creates the tendency to avoid material that could result in poor performance. They display what Dweck and Leggett (1988) refer to as helpless response low persistence when challenged by difficult material. The emphasis is on demonstrating ones competence and avoiding the appearance of incompetence (Ryan Deci, 2000, Lapointe, Legault Batiste, 2005). Researchers have studied the motivational orientations and student academic self-perception from a variety of theoretical perspectives (Dweck Leggett, 1988; Heyman Dweck, 1992; Ryan and Deci, 2000; Ryan Patrick, 2001; Schommer-Aikens, Brookhart, Hutter Mau, 2000). A summary of the findings suggests a positive relationship between student motivation, self-esteem, academic engagement and academic achievement (Nichols, 1996; Singh, Granville, Dika, 2002). Further, the literature shows that underlying motivation is the individuals beliefs self theories (Lepper Henderlong, 2000). It is this belief in ones ability and its relation to achievement that drives persistence. Therefore, with regard to this study, students who believe in their mathematics ability, and further believe that their ability is linked to their effort in learning mathematics are motivated to work harder and as a result achieve at a higher academic level. But there are other factors both intrinsic and extrinsic to students that are related to their performance in mathematics. While we recognize that the classroom environment created by the teacher and other institutional variables are critical elements in student learning, we also recognize it is students perception of the school and classroom environments that make these environmental factors powerful motivators or demotivators to their academic performance (Ireson Hallam, 2005; Ryan Patrick, 2001). Additionally, student attitude toward mathematics is highly correlated with achievement in mathematics (Ma, 1997; Ma Kishor, 1997). Their belief that mathematics is important to achieving their future goals results in greater effort to succeed in mathematics and as a result, higher achievement scores (Bouchey Harter, 2005). Therefore, students scores on items that address these factors are expected to be related to their scores on the mathematics component on the national test. As part of the growing interest in gender differential in academic performance that is evident at all levels and across disciplines in Trinidad and Tobago, this study seeks to determine whether students attitude towards mathematics and students beliefs in their mathematical abilities are related to the differential in mathematics attainment between boys and girls. Specifically the study asks: Do mean achievement scores differ by gender on a Std. 3 (age 9-10) large-scale mathematics assessment in Trinidad and Tobago? Is there a difference between boys and girls on their perception of school, their persistence when faced with academic challenges, their general academic self-concept and mathematics self-concept, and their educational values? Method Trinidad and Tobago Education System: A Brief Review Trinidad and Tobago is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society in which no area is exclusive to one ethnic or religious grouping. The education system is run by a central authority the Ministry of Education (MOE). The country is divided into eight educational districts which, with the exception of Tobago which is predominantly of African descent, are representative of all socio-economic levels, ethnic and religious grouping in the country. Each educational district is headed by a School Supervisor III (SS III) assisted by SSIIs responsible for secondary schools and SSIs responsible for primary schools. Early Childhood Care and Education is a separate department in the MOE. All educational policies and mandates emanate from the central office to the respective supervisory levels (Oplatka 2004). The public education system of Trinidad and Tobago comprises four levels: early childhood care and education (3-4 year olds), primary education (5-11/12 years) the secondary education (12-16/17 years) and the tertiary level. The public primary education system consists of 484 schools. Of this number, 30 percent are government-funded and managed non-religious schools. The remaining 70 percent are government-funded schools but managed by denominational boards representing Christian, Hindu and Muslim religious persuasions (MOE, 2001). Parents have the right to send their children to any school within their school district. Each primary school is divided into an infant department where students stay for two years (1st and 2nd year infants), and the primary level where students stay for five years Standards (Std.) 1-5. Participants The participants were 561 public elementary school students from an educational district in northern Trinidad. The choice of the educational district was appropriate because its student population is representative of the student populations in the other six educational districts in Trinidad ensuring that the sample represented the demographic make-up of the country (See the-world-factbook). Sixteen students were removed before analysis due to failure to include the student identification code, leaving 545 students (girls = 253, boys = 292, age range 8-10 with a mean of 9.53 years). Of these students, 226 identified themselves as Trinidadian of African descent, 201 of East Indian descent, 4 Chinese, 3 White and 100 Mixed. Eleven students did not indicate their racial/ethnic origin. However, it is important to point out that ethnicity is not a variable of interest in this study. Instruments The national test. Two sources provide the data for this study; student scores on the mathematics component of the Std. 3 National Test and their responses to items on the questionnaire to provide supplementary data. The examination consisted of 25 items which fell into either of the following categories: Number: 11 items, Measurement and Money: 8 items, Geometry: 3 items, and Statistics: 3 items. The national exam tested the following competency (skill) areas: knowledge computation (KC), algorithmic thinking (AT), and problem solving (PS). Some items had multiple parts, with each part testing a different skill, whereas some items tested all three skills simultaneously (Table 1). Items on the examination were dichotomously scored as either 1 for a correct response or 0 for an incorrect response, or polytomously scored as either 2 correct, 1 partially correct or 0 incorrect. The cut scores on the test separated students into the following four mastery levels: Level 1: Below Proficient. Score range 0-17. Level 2: Partially Proficient. Score range 18-29. Level 3: Proficient. Score range 30-39. Level 4: Advanced Proficiency. Score range 40-55. Table 1 Examination questions (items) by category and skill area Category Standard 3 (n=45 parts) KC AT PS No. Parts Total Score Number (11 items) 9 8 4 21 24 Measurement and money (8 items) 7 5 4 16 19 Geometry (3 items) 1 1 1 3 5 Statistics (3 items) 1 3 1 5 7 Entire exam 18 17 10 45 55 We consulted with a mathematics education expert to determine the cognitive demand of the items on the test. The majority of the items were at the procedural without connections, or memorization difficulty level as described by Stein, Grover and Henningsen (1996), and therefore, elicited low-level thinking and reasoning. Only four items were at the level of procedures with connections and had the potential to elicit high-level thinking (Stein et al., 1996). The following are examples of the types of items on the test. Ruth had 7/8 of a kilogram of cheese. She used 3/8 of a kilogram to make pies. How much cheese was left? Answer _______________________ Mrs. Jack is teaching a lesson Measuring Distances to her Standard 3 class. She teaches that 100 centimetres = 1 metre Petrina used a tape marked in centimetres to measure the length of her classroom. She got a measurement of 600 centimetres. 1. Write what Petrina must do to change the length of the classroom into metres. 2. The length of the classroom is ________ metres Figure 1. Examples of types of test items. The questionnaire. Factor analysis was performed on the questionnaire to develop the five factors (Persistence, Academic self-concept, Values and Goals, School Environment, and Mathematics self-concept) that were used in this study as dependent variables. Because these five dependent variables were considered simultaneously, (with gender as the independent variable), we utilized the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) procedure. Although one of the assumptions for the use of factor analysis is that the data are measured on an interval scale, Kim and Mueller (1978) note that ordinal data may be used if the assignments of ordinal categories to the data do not seriously distort the underlying metric scaling. In a review of the literature on the use of data collected on Likert scales, Jaccard and Wan (1996) concluded that, for many statistical tests, rather severe departures from intervalness do not seem to affect Type I and Type II errors dramatically. Other researchers like Binder (1984) and Zumbo and Zimmerman (1993) also found the robustness of parametric coefficients with respect to ordinal distortions. Additionally, we used the Principal Axis Factoring procedure as our method of extraction because it seeks the least amount of factors that account for the most amount of common variance for a given set of variables. We also employed oblique rotation because it often reflects the real world more accurately than orthogonal rotation since most real-world constructs are correlated. (See Fabrigar, Wegener, MacCallum and Strahan, 1999; and Preacher and MacCallum, 2003 for a detailed but non-technical discussion of the topic). The five constructs that we extracted in this study are correlated, another justification for using MANOVA with the five constructs as dependent variables. The questionnaire comprised 50 items. Items 1 to 10 sought demographic information. Of the remaining forty items, twenty eight were variables of interest. These measured academic self-esteem, perception of school/classroom environment, relationship with teacher, goals and value of education, mathematics self concept and persistence on a 5-point scale anchored by 1 disagree very much and 5 agree very much. To test whether the items really measured the underlying dimensions of interest, we subjected the items to a Principal Axis Factoring with Oblique rotation, suppressing loadings on variables lower than .40. This yielded a six-factor solution. The sixth factor accounted for only an additional four percent of variance; therefore, five factors were specified. This resulted in the four items pertaining to student-teacher relationship loading on student perception of school/classroom creating the school environment factor. All other factors remained the same. Additionally, two of the i tems measuring academic self-concept yielded loading values less than .40, and therefore, were deleted from the scale leaving 26 items to provide the data for the study. Two items addressed mathematics self-concept. These items consistently loaded together yielding loadings of .846 and .772 respectively (see Appendix). Table 2 Eigenvalues and variance percentages and scale reliability values Factors Eigenvalues % of Variance Cumulative % Cronbachs alpha Persistence 7.397 28.449 28.449 .85 General self-concept 2.953 11.359 39.808 .80 Math self-concept 2.112 8.123 47.931 .79 Values and goals 2.001 7.696 55.628 .74 School environment 1.297 4.988 60.616 .85 Overall scale reliability: Cronbachs alpha = .90 On this sample, the five factors accounted for 60.62 % of the variance in the set of variables with the first and second factors accounting for 28.45% and 11.36% of the variance. All factors yielded inter-item correlations > .35 with several correlations > .70. Inversely, matrices of partial correlations were very low supporting the presence of factors. The factors were: perception of school/classroom (8 items) e.g., I am glad I go to this school, persistence (6 items) e.g. When work is difficult I try harder, general academic self-concept, (6 items), e.g., I can learn new ideas quickly in school, goals and values (4 items) e.g., Doing well in school is one of my goals, and mathematics self concept (2 items) e.g., I am good at mathematics. Internal consistency reliability for the entire instrument was .90. Table 2 shows the five sub-scales (factors) in the final instrument and their reliability values as well as the percentage of the variance they account for. Procedure Using the student ID numbers, student scores on the mathematics assessment were paired with their responses on the supplementary data questionnaire. Before conducting the statistical analyses, all appropriate statistical assumptions were tested. The assumptions homogeneity of variance and covariance, and linearity were tenable. As expected, all factors displayed negative skewness. To reduce skewness and kurtosis, and by doing so, achieve a better approximation to a normal distribution, variables displaying moderate to substantial skewness and kurtosis were subjected to either a square root or logarithmic transformation. Despite these transformations, some variables still yielded skewness and kurtosis slightly greater than 1, (Sk = 1.5 and K = 1.27). However, with N > 500, and pairwise within group scatterplots revealing no discernible patterns, these small deviations from normality should not present any concerns. Tests for multivariate outliers identified five cases with values abov e the criterion, à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ² (df, 4) = 18.47, p =.001. To remove their undue influence, these cases were deleted from the sample. Further screening identified an additional case. This case was removed resulting in a final sample n = 539. Data Analysis First, to investigate gender differences on the mathematics assessment, independent t-tests were performed. Second, to determine the extent to which the male and female examinees differed on the five constructs, a univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted on the school environment factor because this was not correlated with the other factors. Third, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed on the four correlated factors (persistence, mathematics self-concept, general self-concept, and goal values) as dependent variables. Descriptive discriminant analysis was conducted as follow-up to a significant multivariate F to determine which variable or variables contributed most to differences between the groups. We used effect size to measure the magnitude of the difference between the mean score for boys and girls on each mathematics category tested. Effect size was obtained by dividing the difference between boys and girls mean by the pooled within-gender stand ard deviation. According to (Cohen, 1992), effect sizes of less than .20 are considered small and represent small practical significance; effect sizes between .20 and .50 are medium and represent moderate practical significance. Effect sizes greater than .50 are considered large. Results The first step in this study sought to determine whether boys and girls differed in performance on a Standard 3 large-scale mathematics assessment in Trinidad and Tobago. To make this determination, we performed an independent t-test between the means of the two samples for each category and skill area. Table 3 shows the means and the effect sizes of the differences between the two samples for each category, cognitive demand level and skill area. In the table, we also report standard error of the means (SEM) to provide an index of the sampling variability of the means. The results indicate that while girls achieved higher mean scores in all categories, difficulty levels and all skill areas on the test, the differences between boys and girls were statistically significant at p Table 3 Mean normal curve equivalent(nce) scores of the test categories, difficulty levels and skills for male and female examinees Category Boys(n=289) Girls (n=250) Sig. Effect Size Mean SEM Mean SEM p D Number 52.20 1.17 57.83 1.22 .001 .29 Measurement and money 52.73 1.18 56.48 1.26 .031 .19 Geometry 52.89 1.20 56.04 1.22 .068 .16 Statistics 50.53 1.16 56.87 1.23 .002 .27 Skill Area Knowledge and computation 51.01 1.16 57.44 1.24 .000 .33 Algorithmic thinking 53.81 1.11 57.92 1.24 .013 .21 Problem-solving 53.60 1.22 58.41 1.25 .006 .24 Cognitive Demand Low memorization 49.08 1.26 51.04 1.31 .754 .09 Low procedural 46.55 1.25 53.92 1.28

Legally Blonde 2 and De Tocqueville Essay -- Character Analysis, Elle

What do you do when no one wants to change something that you see as a problem? In Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde, Elle Woods decides to change the problem of animal testing when no one else will. Elle takes the initiative after looking for the mother of her chihuahua, Bruiser, so she could invite her to Elle’s wedding. She finds out that Bruiser's mom is trapped at the V.E.R.S.A.C.E. company as a test animal. Instead of planning her wedding, which is what she was currently involved in, Elle goes to Washington D.C. and presents a bill to end animal testing as she stands up for what she knows is right. This movie which presents an important issue in a light-hearted movie is a great example of a melodramatic film. Legally Blonde 2 follows the structure of victim, villain, and hero of melodramas. In this case Bruiser’s mom, along with all other test animals, the V.E.R.S.A.C.E company, along with the adversity that Elle receives in congress, especially Rep. Victo ria Rudd who goes behind Elle’s back to counter her bill, and of course Elle woods is the hero. This movie shows how one person can make a difference in democracy. The idea that â€Å"society governs itself for itself† (De Tocqueville, 51) is called popular sovereignty and was created by Alexis De Tocqueville. In his book, Democracy in America, De Tocqueville describes how America had the perfect democracy in the mid 19th century, when he wrote this book. He explains how true democracy uses popular sovereignty to create an ideal political system free of tyranny. Over time this government system has changed in practice, as can be seen by the lackluster workers in congress that are spotlighted in Legally Blonde 2. However in cinema justice still prevails in US democracy. L... ...ially young females. One teenage-girl’s reaction was just that. Carrie Dean, of Wisconsin walked out of the movie theatre and gave Legally Blonde 2 her own personal spin for a way for her to get involved herself. Carrie wanted to emulate Elle in her hometown by saving the animals in her town from euthanization at SPCA shelters. Along with Small Dogs Paradise, an interest group who also was looking to stop harmful treatment of dogs. Carrie ended up getting an internship in their office and is in the process of writing her own bill. Who knows how far Carrie will get but if a ‘chick-flick’ can have this kind of impact on the youth, then there needs to be more of them. If more people, especially young people, follow Carrie’s example and get involved in what is going on with our government, then maybe we could one day reach a version of De Tocqueville’s ideal democracy.

Marketing Communications

Introduction Some of the aspects that characterize the present-day business environment include its increasing dynamism, volatility and uncertainty. This poses challenges for businesses that are rigid and not well prepared to change with the transformations in the market (Williamson et al., 2013). On the other hand, it creates opportunities for companies that have the capability of implementing necessary changes that will make them remain relevant to their target markets. Some of the main areas that have been changing in organizations in recent years include management and communication styles, organizational structures, approaches to marketing and the utilization of technology in different departments within organizations (Shimp & Andrews, 2013; Diefenbach & Todnem, 2012). This paper intends to address several issues that relate to the changes and developments taking place in the business environment. It presents an analysis or opportunities and threats that companies like Yahoo and Google face in relation to the rapid technological advancements. It also addresses the appropriate communication approaches that companies should use to facilitate internal and external communication and the communication mix that is used at Apple to market itself to its target clients. In relation to this, the report presents an analysis of a communication campaign used by Nike, a leading sports’ equipment and apparel manufactures in the UK, to establish how effective it is in attaining its marketing objectives. Opportunities and Threats for Google and Yahoo in regard to rapid technological changes Google and Yahoo are some of the well renowned internet-based companies that offer search engine and e-mail services to a wide range of users. Both companies also deal in software development. Based on the services and products offered by these companies, they are directly affected by technological advancements, especially in the ICT sector (Segev & Ahituv, 2010). The opportunities and threat s that these advancements expose the companies to are discussed in this section. Opportunities There are several opportunities presented to these companies as a result of technological advancement. One of these is that it provides a wide range of avenues through which the companies can communicate with their clients and vice versa (Hundal & Grover, 2012). It also provides increased avenues through which the companies can market their products. Technological advancements in the ICT sector across the globe have also led to an increase in internet accessibility. For Yahoo and Google, an increase in internet accessibility provides an opportunity for them to earn more revenue through advertisements (Shih et al., 2013). This is because they are among the most visited websites internationally. Google is ranked as the most visited website, while Yahoo is ranked the fourth (Alexa, 2014). Being business oriented, technological advancement will also make it possible for them to market their products and services to a wider market base through strategic marketing communication strategies. It also provides an opportunity for them to launch e-commerce strategies, which are cost-effective for the company and convenient for clients. Among the advancements that have taken place is the development and increased use of smartphones (Persaud & Azhar, 2012). Given that both companies deal in software development, it provides an opportunity for them to create revenue from developing applications that can be used on these devices. Google has effectively taken advantage of this advancement and has developed the Android operating system (Gandhewar & Sheikh, 2011). The fact that its operating system is compatible with many mobile devices like manufactured by different companies like Samsung and LG increases its usability. With the growing number of global populations using smartphones, the company has a lot to benefit as Android is among the top smartphone operating systems (Butler, 2011). Threats With the increase in the technological advancements in the market, these companies are also exposed to a range of threats (Lovelock & Wirtz, 2011). One of these is the increase in competition from other companies that provide the same products and services. With internet companies like Twitter and Facebook having a growing number of users, they provide a threat for Yahoo and Google in terms advertising revenues (Lagrosen & Josefsson, 2011). There is also a possibility of other internet based companies coming up to provide stiffer competition. In the software business, Google’s Android operating system faces a threat from Apple’s iOS, if it decides to adjust it and make it compatible to other devices (Butler, 2011). Other technology companies may also come up with more innovative products and better marketing approaches than Google and Yahoo, which might reduce their current market shares. Another threat that is associated with technological advancements is posed to the human resources of these companies. Employees face the risk of losing jobs because a wide range of jobs that were initially handled by people can now be done even better by machines (Lovelock & Wirtz, 2011). Even though this might come as a relief for these companies as they cut salary costs, the fact that these advancements may increase unemployment undermines the social responsibility efforts that these companies may have. The increase in technological advancements also increases the levels of cyber crime. Even though the systems of Yahoo and Google may be secure from this risk, given that they have measures in place to address this issue, clients who have opened email accounts with them may not be as secure. Hackers may gain access to their emails, obtain their personal information and use it against them. Even though such cases might occur as a result of low email security measures by the user, some of them tend to blame the email hosting companies like Yahoo or Google as being the reasons for their predicaments. As a result, this ruins the reputation of these companies. Communication at GoogleInternal and external communicationCommunication is among the aspects of a business that are paramount to its success. Internal communication refers to the passing of messages or information within the organization. This could be within the same department or interdepartmental communication (Wright, 2012). External communication refers to the communication that goes on between the organization and external stakeholders, who mainly comprise of customers. When carrying out internal communication, there are several factors that have to be considered. For instance, the messages ought to be confidential to avoid access from external parties. In this case, Google has a company intranet, which consists of an internal message board and email system (Goodman, 2006). This can only be accessed by company employees who have been allocated usernames and passwords. These channels of communications have been highly secured, making it impossible for an external party to access the information or messages passed. Internal communication in organizations also has to be effective and quick. For Google, this is facilitated by the fact that it has a horizontal communication structure. According to Butler (2010), horizontal or lateral communication is the free flow of information or messages across different functional groups in the organization. Employees and managers across all departments and employee levels at Google interact freely without any hierarchical boundaries (The Financial Express, 2005). This approach to communication enhances cooperation among employees and also quickens the process of resolving conflict. On the contrary, it reduces the authority of departmental heads in the organization. External communication is meant to promote products or services offered by the company, or to advertise its clients’ products to a wide range of customers (Wright, 2012). It can also be meant to engage with customers with the aim of making them feel like they are part of the organization. Depending on the aim that is to be met by external communication, there are several measures that can be used. One of the most effective tools that the company uses to accomplish this is through its website. Based on the fact that its website is the most visited in the world, there is a high level of surety that it will communicate to a wide audience (Segev & Ahituv, 2010). Even with the high number of visits on the company’s website, many customers who may be targeted by the messages might not be among the website visitors. Thus, another alternative option that the company uses is through sending e-mail messages directed to certain clients that could be interested in the goods or services of the company. In 2012, the company spent over $231 million in marketing its products, which include the Google+ social media platform, Gmail and the Google Chrome web browser (Efrati, 2012).Market communication theories relevant to the communication str ategyThere are several marketing communication theories that can be considered as being relevant to the communication strategies utilized at Google. One of these is the heightened appreciation model (Dahlen et al., 2010). It is based on the fact that companies need to carry out consumer market research to establish the key attribute that attracts consumers to a brand. Market communication strategies are then designed to link the identified attributes of the product or service to the brand (Fill & Hughes, 2013). For instance, in the advertisement of its Google+ service, the company is aware of the need for people to interact and share instant messages and videos on social media. Google then links this need in the market to Google+, encouraging more clients to subscribe. Another model that can be used to represent the market communication strategies at Google is the advertising exposure model. This model suggests that advertisement objectives can only be met if it created five effects to the target consumer (Fill & Hughes, 2013). These effects are; creation of awareness, conveying messages about the positive attributes of the products, generation of feelings among the target audiences towards the brand, creating a brand personality and triggering purchase intentions (Dahlen et al., 2010). This model also relates to the advertisement efforts that have been implemented by Google as it markets a wider range of its products. The AIDA model can also be used in explaining marketing communication. It is regarded as one of the oldest and most popular market communication models. This model states that there is a hierarchy of events that have to occur for a marketing communication strategy to be termed as having been successful. In chronological order, these are attention, interest, desire, and action. After the attention of the target clients have been drawn, marketers are required to raise their interest in the products or services being advertised through highlighting their advantages. After this has been done a sense of desire is created in the clients by providing them with the assurance that the products or services will satisfy their needs. This will trigger action from the buyer, which is demonstrated by making the purchase. At Google, this model has been widely used, especially when it spent approximately 231 million to market its products in 2012 (Efrati, 2012). However, this model has received criticism for being out-dated and irrelevant for the present market environment.The Communication Mix of AppleThe communication mix is referred to as the specific approaches that are used by companies to promote their services or products to their target customers. There are five elements that make up a communication mix. These are discounts and promotions, public relations, direct marketing communication, advertising and personal selling (Wright, 2012). At Apple, the marketing mix element that is mainly used is direct marketing communication. This approach involves interactive communication with the aim of seeking a certain response from the target audiences. With reference to the recent development at Apple when it was preparing to acquire PrimeSense, an Israeli 3D chip developer, it was vital for the company to inform its external and internal stakeholders or the impending acquisition (Velazco, 2013). Some of the approaches that the company could use to pass this information include direct email communication, social media interaction with its clients and through its website. The company has maintained a large customer data base that contains the contacts of its customers and other Apple stakeholders (Wright, 2012). This also makes it easy for the company to pass such vital information directly to its customers and other external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders, who mainly comprise of employees, can be formally informed through circulation of a memo or posting the message on internal communication platforms.Importance of Cross-functional communicationCross-functional communication is applicable within the organization. It is referred to as the communication among people from different departments or functional groups in the organization (Shimp & Andrews, 2013). The importance of cross-functional communication that is beneficial to Apple Inc is the fact that it enhances cooperation within the organization as different teams work towards attaining the same organizational goal. Encouraging cross functional communication also promotes awareness of whatever is taking place across the entire organization, which eliminates cases of ignorance of misinformation. Some of the challenges that are associated with ineffective cross-functional communication in organizations include the failure for members of certain departments in the organization to appreciate or recognise the contributions made by other departments (Diefenbach & Todnem, 2012). This may result to destructive rivalry that may affect the attainm ent of organizational goals adversely. In a scenario where Apple might plan to acquire another company, cross-functional communication enables all the departments to be equally ready for any changes or additional responsibilities that may arise after the acquisition (Diefenbach & Todnem, 2012).Analysis of an integrated Marketing communications campaignMarketing communication campaigns are defined as strategies that are implemented by organizations with the aim of increasing market awareness about their products or services. This is usually with the aim of increasing the purchasing intentions of the target audience. According to (Bergemann & Bonatti, 2011), ideal integrated marketing communication strategies effectively coordinate all product promotional messages to ensure that they are all consistent. This section presents a market communication campaign that was launched by Nike, a company that deals in the manufacture and distribution of sports equipment (Nike, 2014). The marketin g communication campaign was implemented with the aim of increasing the company’s market share in the UK to extend its lead. This is as a result of the stiff competition from Adidas (Thomasson, 2014). The campaign intended to make use of all the available avenues to increase awareness of the UK market about the brand. It also intended to market the new products that it had launched and seen as appropriate for the target market. These mainly included sports shoes. This marketing communications campaign targeted a wide range of customers, who ranged from 18 to 50 years of age (Nike, 2014).Factors that make the campaign successfulThere are several aspects of the campaign that make this campaign successful in attaining its originally set goals. One of these is the wide range of media outlets were used to pass the message to the audience, basing on the fact that media consumption varies among individuals within different age groups (Bergemann & Bonatti, 2011). Another factor that made the communication campaign successful was the fact that it highlighted the favourable attributes of the company’s products, which included the affordable prices and the comfort of the shoes. Referring to the heightened appreciation model, this is an effective trigger of purchase intentions among the target audiences (Fill & Hughes, 2013). Given that this marketing communication campaign was strategically designed, the only aspect that could undermine its capability to attain the intended goals is the launch of a similar or better campaign by its key competitors.Media UsedDifferent forms of media were used in this campaign to increase the size of the audience that could be reached. These were classified as print, broadcast and interactive media. Print media comprised of newspapers and magazines. These targeted different clients. For instance, ads that were placed in fashion magazines targeted the fashion enthusiasts who could need Nike’s products to work out. Broad cast media basically comprise of radio and TV (Lamb et al., 2008). Different market segments were targeted by advertising on a wide range of TV and radio channels, and at different times. Given that communication campaigns in print and broadcast media are one way, they were designed to contain as much information as possible to answer any questions that clients could have regarding the product (Bergemann & Bonatti, 2011). Interactive media comprised of all the media outlets that could allow the company and its clients to engage real-time with each other (Correa et al., 2010). These comprised of social networking, mobile and via the company’s blog. As opposed to print and broadcast media platforms, interactive media provided capabilities for the company and target customers to engage constructively (Kim & Ko, 2012). Some of the major social media platforms that are ideal for such form of communication between companies and customers include Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Despi te the advantage of real-time engagement that social media presents for companies, information on a flaw of negative attribute on the product spreads very fast (Correa et al., 2010). Conclusion This paper has covered a wide range of issues that relate to the present-day business environment. In regard to the technological advancements that are taking place in the present-day business environment, Google and Yahoo have been used as cases to discuss the opportunities and threats that these advancements present to the company. The paper has also presented an overview of internal and external communication in Google, which has incorporates that factors that are considered and the channels that are used in the communication. Different marketing communication theories have also been presented. These include the heightened appreciation model and the advertising exposure model. In the paper, different organizations have been used in the explanation of various concepts presented. Based on the arguments that have been presented in the paper, companies have to ensure that they effectively communicate with their customers and also encourage cross-functional communication so as to succe ed in the current hypercompetitive business environment. Failure to implement an appropriate communication mix will not only have adverse effects on the marketing efforts of the company, but will also hamper internal operations. For future research, the marketing communication theories and models should be analyzed more broadly so as to establish their relevance to different businesses. References Adler, G., 2013. Management Communication. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Alexa, 2014. Web company Information: Top Sites. [Online] Available at: http://www.alexa.com/topsites [Accessed 7 April 2014]. Bergemann, D. & Bonatti, A., 2011. Targeting in advertising markets: implications for offline versus online media. The RAND Journal of Economics, 42(3), pp.417-43. Butler, C.J., 2010. Internal and lateral communication in strategic alliance decision making. Management Decision, 48(5), pp.698-712. Butler, M., 2011. Android: changing the mobile landscape.Pervasive Computing. IEEE, 10(1), pp.4-7. Correa, T., Hinsley, A.W. & De Zuniga, H.G., 2010. Who interacts on the Web?: The intersection of users’ personality and social media use. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(2), pp.247-53. Dahlen, M., Lange, ?F. & Smith, ?T., 2010. Marketing Communications: A Brand Narrative Approach. California: John Wiley & Sons. Diefenbach, T. & Todnem, R., 2012. Reinventing Hierarchy and Bureaucracy: From the Bureau to Network Organizations. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing. Ef rati, A., 2012. Once Shunning Ad Promos, Google Now Flaunts Itself. The Wall Street Journal, 27 March. [Accessed 7 April 2014]. Fill, C. & Hughes, G?., 2013. CIM Coursebook Marketing Communications. New Jersey: Routledge. Gandhewar, N. & Sheikh, R., 2011. Google Android: An Emerging Software Platform For Mobile Devices. International Journal on Computer Science & Engineering, pp.12-17. Goodman, J., 2006. Intranet Strategy. London: The Ark Group. Haigh, P., 2010. Social Network Websites: Their Benefits and Risks. London: Optimus Education eBooks. Hundal, B.S. & Grover, S., 2012. Consumer Responsiveness towards SMS Advertisements and its Effectiveness in the Present Scenario. Journal of Marketing & Communication, 7(3), pp.34-39. Lagrosen, S. & Josefsson, P., 2011. Social media marketing as an entrepreneurial learning process. International Journal of Technology Marketing, 6(4), pp.331-40. Lovelock, C. & Wirtz, J., 2011. Services Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy. Upper Saddle Ri ver: Prentice Hall. Moore, I., 2005. Does Your Marketing Sell?: The Secret of Effective Marketing Communications. Boston: Nicholas Brealey Pub. Nike, 2014. About Nike Inc. [Online] Available at: http://nikeinc.com/pages/about-nike-inc [Accessed 7 April 2014]. Persaud, A. & Azhar, I., 2012. Innovative mobile marketing via smartphones: are consumers readyMarketing Intelligence & Planning, 30(4), pp.418-43. Petit, C., Dubois, C., Harand, A. & Quazzotti, S., 2011. A new, innovative and marketable IP diagnosis to evaluate, qualify and find insights for the development of SMEs IP practices and use, based on the AIDA approach. World Patent Information, 33(1), pp.42-50. Plunkett, J.W., 2009. Plunkett’s E-Commerce and Internet Business Almanac 2009. Texas: Plunkett Research. Schultz, F., Utz, S. & Goritz, A., 2011. Is the medium the messagePerceptions of and reactions to crisis communication via twitter, blogs and traditional media. Public relations review, 37(1), pp.20-27. Segev, E. & Ahituv, N., 2010. Popular Searches in Google and Yahoo!: A â€Å"Digital Divide† in Information UsesThe Information Society, 26(1), pp.17-37. Shih, B.Y., Chen, C.Y. & Chen, Z.S., 2013. An empirical study of an internet marketing strategy for search engine optimization.. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries, 23(6), pp.528-40. Shimp, T. & Andrews, J.C., 2013. Advertising promotion and other aspects of integrated marketing communications. Mason: Cengage Learning. The Financial Express, 2005. Creative motivation at Google Inc. The Financial Express, 14 May. Thomasson, E., 2014. Adidas sees hit from emerging market currency swings. Reuters, 5 March. Velazco, C., 2013. Done Deal: Apple Confirms It Acquired Israeli 3D Sensor Company PrimeSense. [Online] Available at: http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/24/apple-primesense-acquisition-confirmed/ [Accessed 7 April 2014]. Williamson, D., Cooke, P. & Jenkins, W., 2013. Strategic Management and Business Analysis . New Jersey: Routledge. Wright, M., 2012. Gower Handbook of Internal Communication. Burlington: Gower Publishing.

Truth or Fiction 11 Biggest Fears About College

Truth or Fiction 11 Biggest Fears About College There’s really no fiction involved when it comes to the legitimate fears that current and aspiring students experience about college. In this article we’re going to get to the truth behind the 11 most common college fears so that you can rest easy and make an informed decision. Sound like a plan? We thought so. Let’s do this. 1. â€Å"I Don’t Know What I Want to Be!† This is by far the most common. Students have no clue what they’ll be doing four, five or six years down the road. They have no clue where the economy will be. The speed of technological innovation is compounding uncertainty like nothing else. What major should they choose? Is it good enough? How will it impact their career? Wait†¦career?! Relax. You don’t have to make a decision from the get-go and many of those who do end up changing their minds anyway. A very tiny percentage of people know what they’re destined to be. That’s a fact. For the first year just get the basic core classes out of the way and while you’re at it do some dabbling (if you can afford it or don’t mind extra debt). Or, you could just hold back from going to college for a little while until you have a better idea. 2. â€Å"I Won’t Know Like Anybody† Social anxiety and fear of not being accepted is common. It follows us everywhere in life beginning in grade school all the way through adulthood. When you step back and look at another way, it looks like this, â€Å"I Won’t Know Freaking Anybody!† That’s right, it’s a chance for a fresh start which is always cool. You’re going to be in college so meeting people is going to happen whether you want it to or not. It’s par for the course so to speak. You’ll meet people. You’ll make friends. You’ll get into relationships. You know†¦life. 3. â€Å"OMG, This is Expensive!† True. Whether you’re paying it with cash upfront (who does that?) or by using a mixture of loans, grants and scholarships. The cost of higher education is inflated by leaps and bounds, over 130% in the last 30 years alone. If you’re worried by how expensive it is, GOOD! Then this should help you fail less classes, take the ones you need as a junior and senior, and make smarter decisions. 4. â€Å"Am I really Ready for This?† The balancing act of priorities during college is meant to prepare you for what it’s like in the â€Å"real world.† So at the end of the day you can’t escape it. Part of growing up is taking on more responsibility and if you’re going to live within society you really can’t go away scot free. Don’t worry, juggling a job, classes and friends is actually an amazing experience. It really is. You’re so productive! You’re in school bettering yourself. You’ve got a social life happening. And, you’re working part/full time so there’s some extra cash laying around. It’s awesome. You’re as ready as you choose to be. No more, no less. 5. â€Å"What if My Roommate Totally Sucks?† You can get a new one. 6. â€Å"What If I Can’t Hack the Classes?† There’s no class you cannot pass. That’s the flat out truth. I don’t care if we’re talking quantum mechanics, organic chemistry or some sort of advanced theoretical astrophysics. If you truly dedicate your mind to passing that class it will happen. Yes, your IQ does determine things to a certain degree. More categorically than anything else. But, we’re all aware of how powerful the human spirit is as well. Don’t fear classes. Don’t fear intellectual challenge. Yes, you can do it. The real question is, â€Å"Do I have the passion it’s going to take to succeed in this major?† 7. â€Å"I’m All On My Own.† No you’re not. Not by a long shot bub. 8. â€Å"I Don’t Want to Get Fat!† Getting fat, or being obese isn’t technically a good thing regardless of where you happen to be. That’s life. If you’re worried, make sure to exercise and eat smart (yep, big shocker). 9. â€Å"What if I Lose Touch with Home?† If you’re going to school on the other side of the country or perhaps in the other hemisphere, you’ve got modern technology to keep you connected. It’s not as good as in-person, but it’s working wonders for the human species. Try it! 10. â€Å"What if I Pick the Wrong University?† Hmm. Yeah about that. In all honesty, focus more on the quality of your education rather than the educational institutions themselves. For the lion’s share of us, our potential employers only care about the knowledge and what results we can bring about. If it’s a reputable college you’re going to be fine. Now, if it’s just the flat out wrong university altogether, then don’t stick around for two years before working up the nerve to bug out. If it’s just purely not a good place for you, leave immediately and fine a better school for you. 11. â€Å"What If My Dream School is a Nightmare?† See #10 pretty much, but this does happen. What you thought was the best school ever for your particular goals ends up being a nightmare. Bail! Does that pretty much cover it or are there some fears you have/had about college that we missed? Let us know!

Free Essays on Poes The Cask Of Amontillado

Poe’s â€Å"The Cask Of Amontillado† Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is a story about revenge and the workings of the twisted mind of a man who is fixed on it. In this short story, there are many examples of symbolism and foreshadowing. The theme that is prevalent is man’s domination of his fortune which has been unkind to him. Edgar Allen Poe utilizes the characters, Montressor and Fortunato, to represent two distinct psychological entities in his short story, "The Cask of Amontillado." Montressor, who represents the human emotion of revenge, portrays an angry man who will stop at nothing to seek revenge on his friend, Fortunato, who insulted and humiliated him. Fortunato, on the other hand, represents the human emotion of pride. Because he insists that he is the only one who can tell the difference between "Amontillado and Sherry," he ultimately sets himself up for his own demise. Montressor, like many villains who prey on the faults and weaknesses of their victims, realizes early on in his plot to kill Fortunato, that his friend's passion for wine will be the most effective way to seize him down into the vaults where he intends to bury him. He nonchalantly mentions to Fortunato that he has purchased a bottle of wine at the carnival, but is unsure if the wine is Amontillado or an imposter. He tells Fortunato that he is going to ask Luchresi, a proclaimed vintage wine connoisseur, to decipher the type Caputo 2 of wine in the bottle. Montressor knows that Fortunato's pride will not allow him to let Luchresi test the wine. Fortunato insists that he is the only one that can accurately tell what type of wine was purchased, and therefore insists on tasting the wine himself. Montressor acts surprised by his friend's decision and even acts sympathetic towards Fortunato's failing health issues, but deep down he knows that his plot is working e... Free Essays on Poe's The Cask Of Amontillado Free Essays on Poe's The Cask Of Amontillado Poe’s â€Å"The Cask Of Amontillado† Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is a story about revenge and the workings of the twisted mind of a man who is fixed on it. In this short story, there are many examples of symbolism and foreshadowing. The theme that is prevalent is man’s domination of his fortune which has been unkind to him. Edgar Allen Poe utilizes the characters, Montressor and Fortunato, to represent two distinct psychological entities in his short story, "The Cask of Amontillado." Montressor, who represents the human emotion of revenge, portrays an angry man who will stop at nothing to seek revenge on his friend, Fortunato, who insulted and humiliated him. Fortunato, on the other hand, represents the human emotion of pride. Because he insists that he is the only one who can tell the difference between "Amontillado and Sherry," he ultimately sets himself up for his own demise. Montressor, like many villains who prey on the faults and weaknesses of their victims, realizes early on in his plot to kill Fortunato, that his friend's passion for wine will be the most effective way to seize him down into the vaults where he intends to bury him. He nonchalantly mentions to Fortunato that he has purchased a bottle of wine at the carnival, but is unsure if the wine is Amontillado or an imposter. He tells Fortunato that he is going to ask Luchresi, a proclaimed vintage wine connoisseur, to decipher the type Caputo 2 of wine in the bottle. Montressor knows that Fortunato's pride will not allow him to let Luchresi test the wine. Fortunato insists that he is the only one that can accurately tell what type of wine was purchased, and therefore insists on tasting the wine himself. Montressor acts surprised by his friend's decision and even acts sympathetic towards Fortunato's failing health issues, but deep down he knows that his plot is working e...

Employability and Professional Development Essay

Employability and Professional Development - Essay Example My main focus was to improve my skills in report writing, because as a spinal research coordinator, I am required to write various projects and business cases. In addition, my skills in budgeting, assertiveness, leadership, team working and knowing how to deal with difficult situations in line with HR policies are all important skills. 2.0 Evaluation of my Employability Skills Evaluation is an important stage in the self-reflection as it helps me to focus on my career goals and those of the organization (Pedler, 2001). In my role as a spinal research coordinator I am required to liaise and coordinate with different levels of staff - medical and non-medical - within the spinal deformity unit and across the hospital. The coordination of various research projects, managing elements of operational delivery of the spinal deformity unit, and resource planning and assessment, are all requirements of my role. These requirements are in line with my plan to become more conversant with HR polic ies. Thus I have developed team building skills since this role involved ffamiliarizing myself with HR policies and regulations would enable me to work with human resource activities which require management. This plan has helped to improve my service delivery in the field of human resources and use my time more effectively to fulfil my potential and further my career. My personal development plan was to improve my report-writing skills which seem to meet the requirements of my organisation. The role of a spinal research coordinator in my organisation requires someone with knowledge of writing various reports and working on business cases. Since at the moment I have little skills in regard to report writing, developing these skills shall be of paramount importance in attaining my organisation’s requirements in this area (Schon, 1991). Other requirements of my organisation, such as assisting the human resources department in recruitment and resource planning, are tasks that a resource manager should be accountable for. These are skills I planned to achieve but I have not yet achieved them since my writing skills are still low. I have not achieved them but I hope to apply my strengths to report-writing to be able deliver reports quickly and on time, so I am confident I can develop in this area. My career objective is to one day work as a service manager. However, being a manager requires the ability to perform a lot of tasks and use problem solving skills in various situations. In my plan I wanted to develop team-working skills and decisions making. Having to deal with the problem of team working and knowing how to make decisions in difficult situations might be important in the realization of my dream of becoming a service manager, as I can apply my problem-solving skills to improve in these areas. Public speaking is an important skill in management (Pedler, 2001). I realized after my SWOT analysis that I have a fear of public speaking which I needed to develop. Since I want to be the service manager of my organisation I need to work on being confident at public speaking as during the course of my role as a service manager I might be required to represent my organisation at meetings or give speeches regarding the vision and mission of my organisation. 3.0 A Review of Theoretical Principles I have developed leadership skills that would enable me in

Holistic Nursing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Holistic Nursing - Research Paper Example The term complementary is preferred because it conveys the idea that these therapies are used together with, rather than as a replacement for biomedical treatment. On the other hand, the term alternative conveys the thought of a therapy being used in place of a biomedical treatment. Finding a good definition for complementary therapies has been an uphill task. Several definitions have been proposed. The complementary therapy is a broad area of medicine that is made up of health systems, practices and modalities plus their accompanying beliefs. In the definition, the term complementary medicine is used n place of complementary therapies. However, the word â€Å"medicine† can be changed to â€Å"therapies†. There are more than 1700 identified complementary therapies. Classifying these therapies is as daunting as coming up with their definition. This is because the therapies vary and they encompass indigenous cultural practices that are vastly unknown in the western world. Additional challenges come up because the mechanisms of action for many complementary therapies are not known (Lange & Zahourek & Mariano 2013). NCCAM has suggested the following groups for complementary therapy: biological based therapies, mind-body therapies, manipulative and body-based therapies and energy therapies. NCCAM has noted that a complementary therapy is no longer classified as a complementary therapy once it becomes an accepted treatment for specific conditions (NCCAM, 2005). The boundaries between complementary therapy and the dominant health care systems keep changing. As a result, what may be considered as complementary at a point in time can be recognized as part of the mainstream healthcare later on . Complementary and alternative therapies are healthcare topics that have instigated discussion and debate in a large way. Many people in the US have shown considerable interest in these topics. This is evident