Macro Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Macro Economics - Essay Example b) In an economy with a fixed exchange rate, the government or the central bank interfere through buying and selling of foreign currency to maintain a fixed exchange rate. However, a continuing current account deficit may propel the central bank to devalue the currency. The managed exchange rate regime of China is not a floating one. In spite of the huge current account surplus of China, the government and the central bank of China have not allowed the exchange rate of Chinese â€Å"yuan† to appreciate in spite of the upward pressure on the currency. 2. The BP or â€Å"FE† curve was first given by Robert Mundell of Columbia University and Marcus Fleming of the International Monetary fund. This curve explains the effect of monetary policy and fiscal policy on the exchange rate of an open economy. According to the BP curve analysis, an increase in government spending or fiscal expansion leads to an increase in output, an increase in interest rate, an appreciation in the f oreign exchange rate and vice-versa. Similarly a monetary contraction leads to a decrease in output, increase in interest rate and appreciation in the exchange rate.

Relationship between fine art and commercial art Essay

Relationship between fine art and commercial art - Essay Example One time Andy was infected with rheumatic fever and was confined to bed. During this period, Warhol read comic literature, made paper dolls, listened to the radio as well as posted images of movie celebrities around his bed. This period of his sickness was very significant in the developing his personality as well as in the forming of his preferences and skill-set. Warhol showed an untimely artistic ability and learned commercial art after recovering at the Carnegie Museum of Art. In several ways, Andy Warhol expanded and refined the idea of what it means to be an artist. He regularly took the producer position, rather than a creator, not just as a painter, but as a filmmaker and with his profitable enterprises as well. He was fond of coining an idea and then overseeing or delegating its implementation. As he advanced this aspect of his work, The Factory grew into an office from an atelier. He became, and he is still a company’s public face and a brand, as well as the core of Pop

Identifying stress among UTM students

Identifying stress among UTM students Chapter 1 Introduction Background of Study Stress is the expressive and physical strain caused by our response to pressure from the outside world. Common stress reactions include anxiety, bad temper, inability to concentrate, and a variety of physical symptoms that include headache and a fast heartbeat. Its almost impossible to live without some stress. (Whitman, 1985) The ability to identify when we are under stress and what is stressing us can greatly improve both our mental and physical well being. A model that is useful in understanding stress among students is the person-environmental model. According to a variation of this model, stressful events can be appraised by an individual as challenging or threatening (Lazarus, 1966). Students respond to college in a variety of ways. For some students, university is stressful because it is a rapid change from high school. For others, separation from home is a source of stress. Although some stress is necessary for personal growth to occur, the amount of stress can devastate a student and affect the ability to cope. Often, undergraduate students perceive that faculty exert great power over their lives and feel that they live in a state of substantial powerlessness (Altbach, 1970). Another source of stress is the difficulty of achieving social intimacy. It is difficult to find a friend or maintain a relationship with an existing one. The solution to reduce a student stress is providing students with a sense of control over their education, information about what to expect, and feedback regarding what can be done to improve their performance. Students who do not feel powerless will adopt their own coping strategies. (Whitman, 1985) Immediate coping such as dealing with ones own thoughts and feelings, can be facilitated by accessible professional and peer counseling, student support groups, and adequate faculty advising. Active coping, that is, dealing with the actual stressful situations or events, can be strengthened by providing students with early success. Excellent teaching cannot be overrated as a key to preventing and minimizing stress among students. Sometimes, faculty may not be good teachers if they are themselves stressed and if they feel unrewarded for good teaching. How to reduce stress among faculty and reward good teaching are questions for further study. Solutions for alleviating stress include improved orientation for new graduate students, more flexibility in core requirements, and expanding the role of faculty advisors. Solutions suggested for reducing stress in college students include stress inoculation for example, informing students in advance of what difficulties they might face and encouraging them to develop their own strategies to achieve personal goals. Other suggestions include improving campus mental health services and organizing peer counseling and self-help groups. (Falk 1975; Hirsch and Keniston 1970; Katz and others 1969). Problem Statement Stress is any situation that evokes negative thoughts and feelings in a person. (Whitman, 1985)The same situation is not evocative or stressful for all people, and all people do not experience the same negative thoughts and feelings when stressed. A critical issue concerning stress among students is its effect on learning. Based on the research conducted in a local public university in Malaysia, the adjustment difficulties faced by first year students were found to be academic problems, health problems, financial crisis as well as social and personal problems. (Kolko, 1980) The aim of this particular study is to assess what relationship perceived levels of stress in university students have and what suitable solutions can be recommend these variables have on levels of anxiety and depression. It must be noted that this study uses participants from the lower end of a normal distribution and therefore the analysis is on a skewed population sample. The participants will be UTM students. Purpose of Study In this case the purpose of the study is to identify the stress among the students in UTM. Nevertheless, the study will also will focus on the effects and solution of the students stress in UTM. Research Objective To achieve the target, several objectives are outline as follow: To identify the student stress in UTM. To determine the factors of student stress in UTM. To investigate the effects of the stress towards student in UTM. To provide solution and suggestion to improve and encourage students to handle stress in UTM. Scope of the Study The study will focus on the students in UTM only. This research will study through questionnaire survey where the survey only studies on random students selected in UTM. They are chosen as the respondents because they play a very important role in the university and are also involved in the teaching and learning in UTM. Limitation of Study The study will focus among the students in UTM. The conclusion of this study will represent the stress of the UTM random selected students only. There is several limitation of this study which is: The respondents of this study will be limited on UTM students in Skudai, Johor area only due to the limitation of the time, distance and also cost. The result of the study only accurate within the duration of the study only because the planning and development in teaching and learning will be change in future. Therefore, the result might be different in the future. Importance of the Study Provide a guideline to handle the stress among the students more effectively. It is hopeful that the result of this research may give contribution to further study on the university. The study can also help the university to monitor the students closely. This study is used to determine the major sources of stress, effects and the solutions among university students. Chapter 2 Literature Review Introduction The literature review examines relevant studies in the student field and highlights of most relevant reference in this stress topic. The review includes a detailed description of the factors of stress, effects of stress and solution that can help to reduce the effects of stress on students performance. Factors of Student Stress Studying Stress is a necessary thing in human beings lives because stress adds flavor, challenge and opportunity to our world. Nearly no one feels free from stress and each of us defines stress somewhat differently (Youngs, 1986). It is also a part of every students daily life. In the right dose, stress can be healthy, or even enjoyable. However, it provides many benefits; it can be very damaging for students when stress becomes excessive. Stress can harm students health, happiness, work performance, relationships and personal development. Studying can be as stressful as working because studying is a process that requires a lot of determination. However, stress in learning is also a subjective phenomenon. For some students, making a presentation in front of the class is not stressful while but for others it may mean is the end of the world. Some students consider quizzes as good challenges to their potential while others find them hard to handle. In other words, how one labels, interprets, thinks about and reacts to events in ones life has a lot to do with determining whether those events are stressful (Corey Corey, 1997). Moreover, students who prepare themselves for such events are most likely to experience less stress than those who fail to do so. Ineffective Time Management Many students reported experiencing stress during their studies in universities. One of the causes of stress among college and university students is ineffective time management. Quality time is something often neglected by students whether good or average. The good students often over-scheduled their time for study-related tasks while others under planned their valued time with inadequate activities thus increasing their stress level. Furthermore, a lack of proper time management brings stress to students. With a good time management it will help students become more organized in their academic and social life. Some are lucky enough to be blessed with lecturers who teach them the ways of proper management of time. But for most, it is left up to them to learn about it the difficult way. Without proper time management, students might have overloaded schedules because they will have a tendency to put things off until the last moment. Managing coursework and preparing for exams are stressful for every student. Expectation of Academic Achievement Another famous stressor among students is the expectation of academic achievement. This includes the expectation of examination performance and expectation of the academic results. A survey conducted by West and Wood (1970) reported that 65 percent of 331 students in nine American high schools experience stress just by thinking about the examination before they actually sit for it. Meanwhile, 59 percent of the students expressed that low achievement in the examination also causes a high level of stress. Perhaps one of the obvious mistakes in stress management among students, besides time management, is the inability to plan for upcoming obstacles in the study process. Students should foresee challenges and problems and prepare themselves for anticipatory stress which is more manageable. They can gather information on possible stressors through various ways including discussion with their seniors, advisors, lecturers, counselors and other resources in the university. However, many students are unaware of the need to prepare in advance for academic challenges. This will lead to reactive stress coping style once they experience situational stress. If the students fail to manage the situational stress effectively, it may later lead to residual or chronic stress. Frustration, conflict, change and pressure have been identified by Weiten and Lloyd (1994) as the main elements of psychological stress. Continuous stress can result in burnout among students; the students usually feel emotionally exhausted and lose interest in their studies, thus neglecting their pursuit of studies. According to Corey and Corey (1997), the problem with students is that they do not notice the warning signs that they have pushed themselves to the breaking point. They give too much time to their studies and assignments that they fail to realize the importance of maintaining relationships and spending some leisure time for themselves. New University Environment The cause of stress for university students is the new university environment itself. Human emotion and behavior are influenced by the surrounding. Change of social circumstances can make the university students stress. (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2004, pg. 157-8) If they go to university straight out of high school, they face the difficult challenges. Leaving home, separating from their parents, and beginning the process of finding their own identity as an adult and their place in the world. New Relationships Next, relationships among new friends and partners will bring stress to students. Students often seem more interested in the view out of the window or their pretty classmate in the next row than in what the instructor is saying. The Competitive Circumstances and Exams Moreover, university students want to get good grades and want to have higher scores than their friends since the course evaluation is based on the statistics. The stress happens when desires are not the same. They have an intense need to fit in and to be accepted by their friends. The serious competitive environment makes the students try hard to adapt themselves stressfully. Parental Pressure Parental pressure is also the most important source of stress for the university students. Children do not want to disappoint their parents, so they overwork and do everything to reach the goals no matter how much stress it produces. To avoid the undesirable disadvantages of stress, students should consider the causes of stress important as it help students make plan to reduce it. Effects of Stress Effects of stress to three categories (Dr. Jay Pearson, 2003) Stress happens when the body has to react suddenly to certain situations either mentally, emotionally, or physically. Physically The heart pumps faster and making the heart pound and blood pressure rise which can be said as some people experience palpitations. Muscle tension increases, leading to headaches, dizziness, jaw ache and even insomnia. The mouth goes dry and digestion slows causing butterflies in the stomach. (Dr. Jay Pearson, 2003)Breathing is faster and less efficient which can lead to over breathing and breathlessness. Changes in the flow of blood to the skin can cause sweating, blushing or clammy hands and feet. Mentally A certain amount of stress can be mentally stimulating but too much can affect our thinking ability. Thoughts may become disorderly and confused. Thinking becomes focused on worrying. We may become preoccupied with problems. It becomes much harder to make decisions or find solutions to problems. Thinking negatively and fearing the worst increases worry and stress. Stress when handled positively is beneficial to us. It helps keep us alert, active, and more energetic. When stress gets too much it turns into distress, and if we handle it in a negative manner, it begins having an effect on us mentally. This is really bad for us because it can strain our relations with everyone around us and deteriorate our mental condition. When stress is handled in a negative manner it usually leads to depression. To come out of this depression many take the harmful help of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, all of which give a sense of stress relief. In reality your body and mental still remains stressed, and these substances just help make matters worse. There are numerous mental responses as illustrated by the following list of some signs and symptoms of stress to our mental. (Bill Burniece, 2008) Increased frustration, irritability, edginess Insomnia, nightmares, disturbing dreams Forgetfulness, disorganization, confusion Trouble learning new information Difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts Emotionally People respond to stress in many different ways. Common emotional effects are irritability, impatience, anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, self-doubt, panic, and despondency, feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, hopelessness, unhappiness, emotional withdrawal and depression. Stress can change peoples behavior towards one another. We may become less sociable, less caring, more hostile and insensitive towards others. When stress is accompanied by anger we may become less tolerant. Many people respond to stress by eating, drinking or smoking much more than is usual: some engage in risk taking behavior. Students often complain that when they feel stressed they find it hard to concentrate, feel tired all the time, perhaps start to miss lectures and deadlines and feel they cant cope. That extra rush of adrenalin, released during stress gives us a needed burst of speed when we escape from danger or an extra surge of power when we decide to stand and fight. However, when we fail to release stress by coping with lifes situations, it builds up until we either get angry or collapse. The consequences of stress can cause specific disorders in both mind and body. In addition to raising levels of the stress hormones, a buildup of stress can cause headaches, digestive problems, eating disorders, insomnia, fatigue, and lower our resistance to other illnesses like colds and flu. When we are overflowed by a sequence of stressful situations, our bodies dont have time to adjust and our minds dont have to make the decisions necessary to deal with stress in a healthy manner. This is episodic stress. Over time, unrelieved stress, like episodic stress, can result in increased heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure, which in turn put undue stress on bodily organs such as the heart and lungs. (Dr. Jay Pearson, 2003) Emotionally, stress can near literally burn us out. Long-term stress becomes chronic stress. Stress becomes inconspicuous, hiding behind feelings of hopelessness, constant anxiety, depression, and in severe cases serious mental aberrations such as paranoia and delusions. Of course, the worst-case consequence of stress is suicide. Just as each individual differs from the next in his or her responses, there is no set limit as to how much stress each of us can endure. Each of us seems to be endowed with our own stress thermometer. When the mercury rises or plummets, in order to stay healthy we need to have a planned strategy to manage stress. We need to know and use a few stress management tips that can make all the difference in the consequences of stress. (Dr. Jay Pearson, 2003) Overall Effects on Physically, Mentally and Emotionally Stress is complicated for scientists to identify because it is a highly subjective incident that differs for each of us. Things that are stressful for some individuals can be pleasurable for others. As demonstrated in the above list, stress can have wide ranging effects on emotions, mood and behavior. Equally important but often less appreciated are effects on various systems, organs and tissues all over the body, as illustrated by the following diagram. In fact, its hard to think of any disease in which stress cannot play an aggravating role or any part of the body that is not affected or not. This list will show the extensive results of stress are increasingly in human being. Solution and Suggestion of Stress Keep stress under control The key to success is to think positively and take control of your stress and anxiety by learning effective techniques to combat it. The most helpful method of dealing with stress is learning how to manage the stress that comes along with any new challenge, good or bad. Here are some things that can help keep stress under control. (Whitman, 1985) Take a stand against over scheduling. If youre feeling stretched, consider cutting out an activity or two, opting for just the ones that are most important to you. Be realistic. We dont try to be perfect no one is. And expecting others to be perfect can add to your stress level. If you need help on something, like schoolwork, ask for it. Get a good nights sleep. Getting enough sleep helps keep your body and mind in top shape, making you better equipped to deal with any negative stressors. Because the biological sleep clock shifts during adolescence, many teens prefer staying up a little later at night and sleeping a little later in the morning. But if you stay up late and still need to get up early for school, you may not get all the hours of sleep you need. Go to bed early, every night, before 10pm is best. Its almost impossible to function at your best if you are not getting quality sleep every night. This is a very worthwhile discipline that will help you enjoy your activities and be more successful. Learn to relax The bodys natural antidote to stress is called the relaxation response. Its your bodys opposite of stress, and it creates a sense of well-being and calm. The chemical benefits of the relaxation response can be activated simply by relaxing. You can help trigger the relaxation response by learning simple breathing exercises and then using them when youre caught up in stressful situations. And ensure you stay relaxed by building time into your schedule for activities that are calming and pleasurable: reading a good book or making time for a hobby, spending time with your pet, or just taking a relaxing bath. Relaxing bodily tension in order to reduce the physical sensations of stress is a good place to start. If your body is free of tension your mind tends to be relaxed. This helps you concentrate and study, take decisions and solve problems. When you are relaxed, you can view each task as a positive challenge, and use stress as a stimulus to help you to carry it out giving you a relaxing glow of achievement afterwards. Treat your body well. Experts agree that getting regular exercise helps people manage stress. And eat well to help your body get the right fuel to function at its best. Its easy when youre stressed out to eat on the run or eat junk food or fast food. But under stressful conditions, the body needs its vitamins and minerals more than ever. Some people may turn to substance abuse as a way to ease tension. Although alcohol or drugs may seem to lift the stress temporarily, relying on them to cope with stress actually promotes more stress because it wears down the bodys ability to bounce back. Watch what youre thinking. Your outlook, attitude, and thoughts influence the way you see things. A healthy dose of optimism can help you make the best of stressful circumstances. Even if youre out of practice, or tend to be a bit of a pessimist, everyone can learn to think more optimistically and reap the benefits. Solve the little problems. Learning to solve everyday problems can give you a sense of control. But avoiding them can leave you feeling like you have little control and that just adds to stress. Develop skills to calmly look at a problem, figure out options, and take some action toward a solution. Feeling capable of solving little problems builds the inner confidence to move on to lifes bigger ones and it and can serve you well in times of stress. Try to stand back and look at the problem carefully. Break it down into manageable parts. Talk it through with someone else, brainstorm solutions, or get help if you need it. Try to manage your time effectively and learn to say NO. Avoidance wont make the problem go away and can often make it worse. Leaving everything to the last minute is a major source of stress for students. Think about why you are finding it hard to get started: uncertainty about how to do the assignment, fear of being judged or failing? Starting a piece of work effectively reduces stress levels as it frees your mind, putting the thoughts of failure back into perspective. If youve had a row or a misunderstanding with someone, it rarely helps to avoid the issue. Talking it through with the other person or with someone outside the situation, often helps you express your feelings, regain a sense of proportion, and identify a way of resolving the differences. Accept the Inevitable Accept what you cannot change. Develop patience with the process of going to university. There is a lot it can offer you. Practice Gratitude Be grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow and build a better future for you. Get Organized Write down your homework assignments so they dont get lost. Write down your schedule of classes in more than one place so you always know where you are supposed to be. Be Disciplined Become disciplined about doing your assignment can reduce the stress and university syndrome. Attending classes when you have done your assignment is much less stressful then showing up without your assignment.Be disciplined about attending classes and studying daily. Cramming for exams creates unnecessary stress. Real learning and success is built on a foundation, step by step and class by class. Practice Time Management Skills Time management stress relief skills can help you achieve more and still have time for rest and play. Be Systematic Understand that your university success never depends on any single exam, teacher or class. You will naturally enjoy some classes more and do better in them. Simply do the best you can with each class and each challenge you face. Learn How to Take Tests Gather tips for test taking will help your improve your test taking skills and make your school days much easier. It will also build your self confidence and success. Be Determined and Persistent Even though stress and University may sometimes be a problem, dont let setbacks stop you. Just stay committed and keep going. At times you may think that youre a failure but just keep going anyway. You dont really fail until you stop trying. Breathe Deeply Breathing for stress relief means breathing slowly and deeply several times a day. Do this especially any time you feel tense, angry or worried. This can help you stay calm and focused. It can help you avoid doing or saying things that may get you in trouble, or that you may later regret. Be Kind Be kind, polite and respectful to everyone you meet and deal with, including yourself. When you treat people with kindness and respect you will find yourself making friends more easily and having fewer problems in your relationships. Communicating to reduce stress with improved listening skills will help avoid misunderstandings and promote harmony. Be Forgiving The benefits of forgiveness are many. Be forgiving of yourself and others. As human beings we are fallible. We inevitably make mistakes. Apologize for your mistakes and move forward. Dont hold grudges. They will only bring you down with bitterness. Recognize that we all do the best we can at the time. Exercise Regularly Be absolutely committed to using stress relief exercise almost every day! This is important for health and stress relief. Bodies are built to move and be active. Its much easier to sit patiently in university behind a desk when you have a daily opportunity to run, move and play. It can be sports, or dancing, or weight lifting, or simple walking or jogging. I found that the more hours I spent sitting and studying, the more time I had to spend exercising in order to think clearly and stay healthy. Sport and physical activity helps you to relax physically and also releases endorphins in the body which produce a real feeling of well-being. Walk, cycle, swim, join a gym or a sports team. Joining a club or society, maintaining an existing hobby or learning something new, talking to other people can all help you to take a mental and physical break. Eat Nutritious Food Avoid eating junk. Eliminate refined sugar and caffeine from your diet. Sure the soda pop and candy bars are fun to eat. And they can give you an immediate energy boost. But its an artificial energy boost that does not support your long term health. Request Help Ask for help when you need it. Sometimes an explanation from a classmate, teacher or tutor can help you understand a difficult topic. Lend a similar helping hand to your classmates when they ask for it. Cooperation can help everyone do better. Talk about it, write about it, shout or moan about it. By expressing your feelings can help to relieve stress. Acknowledging a problem to yourself and to others can be the first step in dealing with it. Sometimes having a good cry or bashing a pillow can release emotional pressure and calm your feelings of anxiety. Pray for Guidance Remember, prayer for stress relief is always available, and can help with school stress, work stress, family stress, or whatever challenge you may be facing. Past Researches Past researches are very important for researcher to do research scientifically. Although college student is Past researches has been done for the related title of student stress in university and colleges. Research conducted by Ida Hartina Ahmed Tharbe (2003) using the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (Holmes Rahe, 1967) on 58 subjects identified several changes in lifestyle as the cause of stress for students. Among the changes are: the change in eating habit (66 percent), change in sleeping and living habit (64 percent respectively), change in social activities and change in financial status (50 percent respectively). Using the Teen Scene: Stress Test (Youngs, 1986) the same research found other stressors which include: not performing as well as expected (66 percent), putting too much hope on oneself (64 percent), not being as popular as one wanted (56 percent), fear of being let down by friends (56 percent) and peer pressure (50 percent). Therefore, it is relatively true to say that stress is not merely caused by a single event but rather by a combination of life events. A study by Samsiah Jayos (2005) among 155 matriculation students found that 91 percent of the students regard not having enough time for revision as the main source of stress. Meanwhile, 65.2 percent argued that they do not have enough time to complete assignments. Academic workload is undoubtedly another source of stress for students. The same research reported that too many assignments and too many subjects to be taken have caused stress for 73.5 percent and 72.3 percent of the students respectively (Samsiah Jayos, 2005). Similarly, a research study on 94 students of an institute in South Alberta found that among the stressors for both female and male students is academic workload (Arthur Hiebert, 1994). Conclusion In conclusion, various past researches showed that the stress appear because of several factor that may create effect to our body and health. The effects were severe if we did not control it because from the past researches, it shows a problem that can make our life miserable. The effects to us include physically, mentally and emotionally. Various past study also make evident that the solution for stress management include think positively and take control of your stress and anxiety by learning effective techniques to combat it. Stress-management skills are best when we practice it correctly. Knowing how to de-stress and doing it when things are relatively calm can help us get through challenging circumstances that may arise. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY Introduction This chapter is a vital part of the study that clarifies all features about how the survey will be carry out, beginning from the data collecting procedure to the analysis and understanding of d

Female Deceit and Gender Bias in Death :: Feminism Feminist Papers

Female Deceit and Gender Bias in Death Death is the end to the natural cycle of life and is represented as dark, melancholic and even menacing. The underworld is depicted as a murky and sinister realm where the dead are trapped in a world of eternal darkness. Ancient drama, however, defies the conventional perceptions and representations of death. Despite the foreboding associated with it, characters in ancient drama embrace death in its frightening glory, rather than face the repercussions of their actions, especially when their honor and pride are at stake. Deceit is also an integral part of ancient drama and characters, particularly women, fall prey to it and unwittingly unleash chaos that more often that, negatively impacts the lives of the characters. This paper demonstrates how gender biases can be interpreted from the depiction of death and the characters’ justifications of it in two of Sophocles’ plays – Ajax and Women of Trachis and also demonstrates how female deception le ads to the death of the principal character(s). Interestingly, the concepts of death and deceit are intertwined. Deceit often leads to death and illustrates gender bias in even the portrayal of death. The woman’s suicide is almost always portrayed as the coward’s way out of a difficult situation, whereas the man embraces death in order to keep intact his pride and glory, being even braver in death than in life. In both instances of male and female death, female deception plays a vital role and the woman is frequently responsible for creating the unsavory situation. Warrior pride plays a vital role in Ajax, eventually propelling the hero to his death. Ajax is portrayed as an accomplished and mighty warrior, eulogized by even his worst enemy, Odysseus, as â€Å"The bravest man I ever saw / except for Achilles, the best and bravest who ever came to Troy† (Aj. 66, 83-85). Ajax’s whole sense of self is shattered in one swift moment of induced madness by Athena. She uses her divine powers and tricks him into confusing sheep as member of his army. Ajax seeking revenge on his army, slaughters the sheep, believing them to be the generals of his army and their followers, who had wronged him.

Alex Pardee

Alex Pardee Born and raised in Antioch, California, Alex Pardee is an up and coming artist who is breaking down many figurative aesthetic barriers. With a style molded from years of horror movies, comic books, old school gangster rap, and severe depression and anxiety, Alex’s style is simultaneously horrific and fascinating. Alex’s struggle within himself had a positive outcome that he intends to share with anyone with an open mind, eyes, and ears. At the age of 14, Alex was diagnosed with anxiety and depression.He was hospitalized for months, growing restless as the doctors tried to find the right combination of pills to make him back to â€Å"normal. † However, pills and therapy weren’t the treatment Alex needed. To keep himself busy during his days at the hospital, he drew to pass the time. His drawings became more elaborate and twisted as the number of days he spent behind white doors built up. When he was released, there was no turning back. As a chil d, Alex enjoyed newspaper comics. He and his sister would trace the comics and add their own captions.Alex Pardee has always been drawn (no pun intended) to â€Å"different† art, whether it be old movies like The Dark Crystal and Star Wars, graffiti, skateboard art, or the likes of Strawberry Shortcake. The first twisted comic that captured his interest was The Maxx, created by Sam Keith. Before he found The Maxx, he never took a liking to comic books, thinking they were all superhero nonsense. This dark, untidy comic about the tragic happenings of a teenage girl changed his view of the comic industry as a whole and inspired his own twisted, powerful, unkempt style.As far as education, Alex has no art degrees of any sort under his belt. When he was a kid, he wanted to be Bobo Fett. But, during high school, his dream was actually to attend film school, but that dream remained dormant due to his extremely introverted personality. The thought of social interactions during projec ts prevented him from pursuing that career. He chose art because he knew he could easily do that from the comfort and safety of his own home. â€Å"What inspires you? † is the most common and hated question that Alex is asked.The possibilities of that answer are always so complex and hard to materialize that he often gives simple answers that leave inquirers unsatisfied. To simplify the near novel-length answer, â€Å"at two it was Star Wars. At four it was Disneyland. At six it was my parents. At nine it was Garbage Pail Kids. At 14 it was Robocop. At 15 it was The Maxx. At 16 it was Street Fighter. At 17 it was graffiti. At 20 it was the discovery of ’zines and self-publishing. At 21 it was Photoshop. At 22 it was Half-Life. At 23 it was painting. At 25 it was screen-printing.At 26 it was Aqua Teen Hunger Forceand Adult Swim. At 30 it was Zerofriends. At 35 it was Chloe (his girlfriend). † Alex Pardee began with small drawings on scratch paper or in notebooks. Once his skills and techniques improved, he made photocopies of his sketches and rough copies of his books and began spreading them like wildfire around his town. Copies were strewn about waiting rooms, public restrooms, magazines, newspapers, and anywhere else he could think of putting them with the hopes that someone would recognize his talent and efforts.This continued until 1999, when a handful of other artists encouraged him to have his books professionally printed. To pay for printing expenses, he got a job at a toy store. He had the job for nine years and maintained a steady love/hate relationship throughout. In the first year at his toy store occupation, Alex released his first book, My Book of Colors. After the release, he began devoting all his time, blood, sweat, and tears into his skyrocketing career. Since then, he has released the book series Bunnywith and The Secrets of Hollywood.These releases branched out into calendars, clothing, posters, plush dolls, figurines, a nd multiple art exhibits. He is a member of the art groups Cardboard City and Zerofriends, which recently opened their own store in San Francisco, California. Alex has done artwork for the bands The Used, Aiden, In Flames, and Cage. His artwork for The Used’s album In Love and Death depicted a signature Pardee character named Chadam, whose story was made into a Warner Bros short film. He also did design and artwork for the movie Sucker Punch. Alex Pardee’s horrifically moving artwork has captured the interest of many around the world.His unique style has inspired that of many upcoming artists to create equally disturbing and fantastic pieces. Not only does he have thousands of sketches, paintings, and short stories to shed light on the warped convolutions of his mind, but he has a less than perfect back story and wicked sense of sarcasm to verify it. That’s all part of what makes him so fascinating. An intelligent and talented man, Alex Pardee is an icon of pers istence and individuality for thousands upon thousands of aspiring artists and seemingly lost inhabitants of Earth.

I Knew This Was My Moment

I could remember when I was young, one day, my mother suddenly dragged me out to a concert that I wasn’t all that enthusiastic about. I was planning on persuading my mother otherwise, but the moment I stepped in and the concert started, I immediately fell in love. I was enchanted by the stage effects, the dancers, and the pure vocal talent of the artist. It was then that everything had started, and my world had changed. At that moment, I knew what I wanted in life.Immediately after the concert, I told my mother that I wanted to sign up for vocal and dancing lessons. Needless to say, she was astonished at my sudden change of attitude, but she seemed to understand. Over the years, I trained, and over the years, my passion grew. My life revolved around the dance and vocal lessons I took. But of course, my studies weren’t neglected; I needed a back-up plan if my plans to become a star fell through, though I would definitely prefer if it didn’t.Many people said that a spiring to become a singer was not realistic, that it was just that, a dream. But I never wavered, I never felt discouraged, and most importantly, I never lost hope. When I was sixteen, I took part in a local singing competition, and was unexpectedly scouted by a representative of a small talent agency. He gave me his name card, introduced himself, and told me to call if I was interested. That day, I ran all the way home, and told my parents.Although they didn’t seem to agree with me, being only sixteen and all, they eventually caved in with my constant begging. With their consent, I immediately dialed the number on the card, I wasn’t about this chance pass me by. After that phone call, my life took another turn. I was thrown into a busy life with almost no free time for myself. I’d spend the whole morning in school, and then my afternoons, and sometimes evenings, as a trainee at the agency. Although every day was tiring, I enjoyed those days.That life lasted fo r about four months. After four months as a trainee, they decided that I had enough training, that I was good enough and could finally have my debut, with all the lessons I had before entering the agency. The moment I received the news, I was ecstatic for days, almost nothing could bring me down. The two months after that were spent writing and composing songs. It was decided that they would strip away all other stage effects and focus on my voice, which was my forte.And now, sitting in the preparation room while make-up artists do their final touch up on my face, I recall the past and how my dream had started. Instead of letting my dream remain a dream, I was about to make it come true. More than nervous, I feel excited. Instead of standing below the stage, watching performers enchant the audience, it was finally my turn to stand upon that ground and demand the attention of the whole stadium. Standing backstage and watching the audience of hundreds, maybe a thousand, I could feel t he nerves getting to me, and then the excitement overriding the nerves.The curtains closed upon the end of the previous act, a signal for me to go on stage. This was it, I thought, as the MC introduced me, the curtains opened, and the lights blinded me. Blinking a few times as my eyes adapted to the light, I could see clearly right in front of me, the thousands of people in the audience. At that moment, I knew. I knew that this was my moment, and it was going to be all or nothing. This was the moment I have been waiting for all my life, the moment I have gone through all the blood, sweat and tears for.This was the moment that would change my life, for good; the moment that would decide if my career as a celebrity would turn for the better or for the worse. After all, in the entertainment industry, it’s the first impression that counts. Standing on the extravagant stage, half blinded by the lights, in awe of the number of people in the audience, and excitement rushing through every pore of my being, I sung my heart out, expressing my ineffable feelings for it, for music. Giving it my all, all I could do now was hope that my all was enough.

Bo Jackson essays

Bo Jackson essays 1985 - Winner of the 51st annual Heisman Memorial Trophy as the Outstanding College Football Player in America ... Consensus All-American, tabbed by KODAK Coaches', Football News, Walter Camp, Football Writers, AP and UPI ... The Sporting News College Football Player-of-the-Year ... Walter Camp Outstanding Player-of-the-Year ... AP and UPI All-SEC selection ... Top vote-getter on SEC Coaches' All-SEC team Leading rusher (162.4 yd. gm.), leading scorer (9.3 p/gm.) and leading all~purpose runner (169.0 yd./gm.) in Southeastern Conference ... Rushed for 1,786 yards on 278 carries and scored 17 touchdowns on the season ... Top game came against Southwestern Louisiana in opener with 290 yards on 23 carries and four TD's....... Set new Auburn single-season rushing record with his 1985 total.. Became first Auburn back ever to rush in excess of 4,000 yards in a career ... Rushed in excess of 100 yards on eight occasions, an Auburn record .. Had four 200-plus games in 1985... Suffered knee i njury vs. Tennessee which forced him to miss most of the second half of the game ... Also was hampered by injury (bruised thigh) vs. Florida and East Carolina ... Played second half of Georgia game and all of Alabama Indoor Track 1983 Baseball l985- Considered one of the premier players in college baseball ... Starting centerfielder throughout th...

A multinational corporation (MNC) is a corporation Essays

A multinational corporation (MNC) is a corporation Essays A multinational corporation (MNC) is a corporation Essay A multinational corporation (MNC) is a corporation Essay Introduction Multinational corporations can be viewed from different positions ( ownership, direction, scheme and structural, etc. ) and have several dimensions. There have been statements in the yesteryear over the importance of each position and theoreticians have shared different positions when it comes to specifying a ‘multinational’ corporation. Franklin Root ( 1994 ) tries to set the statements to rest by giving some lucidity to the definition. Harmonizing to his definition, a transnational corporation ( MNC ) is a parent company that engages in foreign production through its affiliates located in several states, exercisings direct control over the policies of its affiliates and implements concern schemes in production, selling, finance and staffing that transcend national boundaries. ( Howard, 1994 ) In simplistic footings, a MNC is a concern which has production and/or distribution operations in at least two states, via subordinates, keeping companies, joint ventures, licenci ng etc. By and large, because of their munificence, transnational corporations play a powerful function in international dealingss and local economic systems. The survey analyzes one such planetary corporation which plays a major function both in the local economic system and the economic system at the planetary phase. Analysis Indian companies are fast emerging as Global participants with their foreign direct investing and acquisition activities holding gained land in the last twosome of old ages. ( Murray, 2005 ) Tata Group of Companies is one such company which has hit the universe phase large clip with its recent high profile acquisitions and ventures. The Group makes its presence felt today in every continent and over 43 states. The survey examines the growing of Tata Group, its abroad operations, geographic presence and its incursion scheme. Company Profile Tata Group of Companies Tata Group is one of India’s oldest and largest concern pudding stones. The concern spreads across 96 runing companies in seven concern sectors: information systems and communications ; technology ; stuffs ; services ; energy ; consumer merchandises ; and chemicals. It employs some 2,46,000 people and jointly has a stockholder base of over two million and market capitilisation of $ 57.6 billion. ( Web 1 ) It is a genuinely planetary corporation which made concern headlines with its winning command for Corus ( the UK based steel company ) . Some of the Group’s subordinates and its operations are analyzed below. Tata Tea Tata Tea was setup in 1964 as a joint venture with UK-based James Finlay and Company to develop valued-added tea. The group, which includes Tata Tea and the UK-based Tetley Group expands 40 states and is the universe s 2nd largest planetary branded tea operation. ( Web 1 ) The three major location where Tata tea subordinates are based are in India, UK and US. Tata tea entered the UK market with a Joint Venture with Allied Lyons ( proprietors of Tetley ) to make Tata Tea in 1993. ( Web 1 ) Subsequently on, in 2000, Tetley was acquired by Tata tea making one of the largest planetary tea trade names. Tetley, on its ain, sells over 60 branded merchandises and is the taking tea trade name in UK and Canada with important market portions in the United States, Australia, Poland and France. Tetley’s growing scheme focuses on custom-making the portfolio of offerings for each state. While Tetley is headquartered in London, Tata Tetley has an export oriented unit at Kochi in Kerala, India . Tata Tea Inc ( based in Florida, US ) is a subordinate of Tata Tea, established to run into specific demands of wellness witting US consumers. The company has its mill operations in Florida which is used to recycle or intermix instant teas brought from India. Tata tea besides has important presence in plantation activity in Sri Lanka through Watawala Plantations. ( Web 1 ) Tata Tea’s international portfolio of activities is steadily turning its presence in the remainder of Europe, throughout the Caribbean and lesser developed markets such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Russia where Tetley was launched in 2004. The amalgamate worldwide branded tea concern of the Tata Tea Group contributes to around 86 per cent of its amalgamate turnover. ( Web 1 ) Tata Steel Tata Steel signifiers India s largest incorporate private sector steel company. It was late in the intelligence for its coup detat command for Corus ( the UK based Steel maker ) . Tata Steel successfully won thecoup detatcommand and is now the world’s fifth-biggest steel house. Corus itself was a planetary company formed out of the 1999 amalgamation of British Steel and Dutch group Hoogovens and employed 47000 employees. ( Web 2 ) It had a graduated table of 19 million metric tons and a presence in Europe with a important trade name name. Corus is now an unlisted company and is held by one of Tata Steel s subordinates on a 100-per cent footing. Tata Steel’s other major acquisition before Corus was Singapore’s steel house Natsteel. It acquired Natsteel to give itself a bridgehead in seven states, including Australia. Before thecoup detatof Corus and Natsteel, Tata steel was chiefly a place based company and Corus represents its first enlargement outside of Asia. It does hold has subordinates in Sri Lanka ( ajoint venturewith Lanka Special Steel ) . Tata Steel’s typical advantage lies in the efficiency of its operations and inexpensive altogether stuffs which has earned itself a alone ticket of being the lowest cost steel manufacturers in the universe. Tata Consultancy Services Tata Consultancy Services ( TCS ) is one of the taking information engineering companies in the universe holding over 50 planetary bringing Centres. Its clients include seven of the top 10 corporations in the Fortune 500 list of the largest corporations in the United States, corporations such as IBM, GE etc. ( Web 3 ) Through its consulting services, TSC helps clients to optimise their concern processes to guarantee faster and accurate consequences. It besides provides client such as GE proving integrating and proving solutions. Its outsourcing maps allow companies like IBM to concentrate on their nucleus operations. TCS besides offers cognition based outsourcing for clients like Danone ( France ) through which it spouses to do its IT substructure flexible, scalable, and secure, while maximising public presentation. Tata Motors Tata Motors is India s largest car company which began its fabrication with a 15-yearcoaction understandingwith Daimler Benz of Germany. It is a quickly turning company and like other Tata Group of companies pursues growing through amalgamations, joint ventures and acquisitions. In 2004, itacquiredthe Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Company, Korea s second-largest truck shaper, now named Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicles Company. ( Rao, 2003 ) Following Year, Tata Motorsacquired a 21-per cent interestin Hispano Carrocera, a reputed Spanish coach and manager maker, with an option to get the staying interest every bit good. This acquisition has made Tata Motors the universe s fifth-largest medium and heavy commercial vehicle maker. It nowexportsvehicles to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South and South East Asia and Australia and hasassembly operationsin Malaysia, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Kenya and Russia. Some of its other associates include Tata Cummmins ; a joint venture with US based engine maker Cummins, Telco Construction Equipment Company ; a joint venture with Nipponese based Hitachi Machinery for earthmoving and heavy equipments like Cranes etc. ( Web 3 ) Tata AutoComp Systems ( TACO ) Tata AutoComp System is a genuinely planetary engineering company in the automotive sector offering merchandises and services to vehicle and constituent makers every bit good as end-users of cars. It has built its base through partnerships and joint ventures with planetary constituent and vehicle makers. Its three major countries of concern include fabrication, technology and supply-chain direction. TACO has entered into a joint venture with fabrication companies across the universe which include states like Japan, South Korea, US and Germany. Some of its joint ventures are with Johnson Controls ( US ) , Yazaki Corporation ( Japan ) , CHKK ( Japan ) , Ficosa International ( Spain ) , Nifco Corporation ( Japan ) and Stadco ( UK ) ( Web 1 ) Tata BP Solar Tata BP Solar is ajoint venturebetween Tata Power Company and BP Solar, one of the largest solar companies in the universe. It uses state-of-the-art engineering to offer high-quality, advanced solar solutions that cater to the demands of single clients, big establishments every bit good as full communities. ( Source ) Tata BP solar can besides be termed transnational because it exports its merchandises and systems to a host of states and more than half ( 60 % ) of its gross revenues come from exports with more than 95 per cent of the exports traveling to Europe and America. Tata Group’s other large acquisitions list includes the acquisition of South Korean Automaker Daewoo. Daewoo’s domestic market portion has risen from 26 per cent to 33 per cent after the coup detat. ( Newing, 2005 ) Ratan Tata, the president of Tata Group is a steadfast truster in spread outing globally through acquisitions and joint ventures. He advises other Indian companies to turn organically and through amalgamations and acquisitions because he feels that a broader base equips a house against economic downswings. In line with his thought, the Tata Group’s planetary amalgamations hasn’t stopped. It sees the hotel section as the following large chance for growing and is actively seeking to turn its Tata Hotel Group by amalgamations, acquisitions and joint ventures with major hotel groups. Features of a good transnational company Company’s internationalisation and abroad enlargement affect all facets of the concern. For a MNC to be successful, the first measure is to take the right manner of incursion ( Acquisition, Stakeholder, Joint Venture, Licensing etc ) . How a company enters into understanding with the other company is a strategic determination which can take to a successful relationship. Eg. come ining a Chinese market can be really different to the US because Chinese companies and the authorities has greater control over distribution channels which can act upon the incursion scheme. Government ordinances, once more, can play a large portion in taking the best incursion scheme. Eg. Companies can merely keep up to 5-10 % interest in an Indian retail sector harmonizing to authorities ordinances. But, taking the right incursion scheme is merely the first measure and does non vouch success. Other facets such as concern scheme, Research and Development, production, procurance, gross revenues A ; se lling, trade name A ; rational belongings, direction, human resources, financing As ; accounting, IT direction hold to be considered. Companies could besides be required to alter their organisation construction and the manner work is carried out. Eg. A US based company come ining into a joint venture with a Nipponese house may hold to flatten its organisational construction harmonizing to Nipponese demands. Cultural and societal factors besides come into image, particularly, if the amalgamation is between two companies coming from different parts. Eg. Japan and US. All these facets of the concern has to be clearly understood before make up ones minding on a scheme. Decisions Tata Group of companies has been successful because of its model of communicating and value systems which cater to the demands of different demographic groups around the universe. Its experience in diverse sectors has armed it with the ability to visualise the merchandise from the end-users point of view which is critical to any MNC’s success. ( Skapinker, 2005 ) The Group and its transnational subordinates has helped further the development of domestic intermediate good bring forthing houses and has had a positive impact on the development of domestic fabrication houses and later on the Indian economic system. Through its Tata Consultancy, Tata Motors and now Tata Steel trade name, it has shown the manner to other Indian companies who have ever shied away from amalgamations and acquisitions. Taking a cue from Tata Group, other Indian companies have began spread outing their concern overseas. Tata Group have besides contributed to bettering the fabricating state of affairs in India and across the universe through good fabrication patterns. Another ground for its success is its control of abroad subordinates which is much stronger than that of Western companies. The group as a whole is cohesive and integrated which allows it to meet on ends. Ratan Tata ( 2006 ) sums up his Group’s success by saying that the group had allowed the companies that were taken over to retain the face, touch and experience of a local company while still pull offing to incorporate merchandise programs and schemes. Mentions Most of the company specific information was taken from Tata Group’s web site and Company Reports Books and Diaries Howard V. Perlmutter ( 1994 ) , The Tortuous Evolution of the Multinational Corporation, Columbia Journal of World Business, pp. 9-18. Lacity, M.C. , Willcocks, ( 1995 ) L.P. A ; Feeny, D.F. , ‘IT Outsourcing: Maximize Flexibility and Control, ’Harvard Business Review, May-June, pp.84-93 Murray, S ( 2005 ) ‘Managing Relationships’Financial Times, London, 2 June, p.29 Newing, R ( 2005 ) ‘Tactical out Tasking for operational benefits’Financial Times, 1 June, p.4 Prahalad, C.V. A ; Hamel, G. , ( 1990 ) ‘The Core Competence of the Corporation, ’Harvard Business Review, May-June, 79-91 Rao, H. R. , Nam, K. A ; Chaudhury, A. , ( 2003 ) ‘Information Systems Outsourcing, ’Communicationss of the ACM, Vol.39, No.7, pp.27, 28 Skapinker, M ( 2005 ) ‘Changing industry enters fresh era’Financial Times, London, 2 June, p.28 Web sites Web 1:Tata Group( online ) ( cited on 14 March 2007 ) Available from lt ; URL: //www.tata.com/ gt ; Web 2:Tata Corus But Who’s following( online ) ( cited on 14 March 2007 ) Available from lt ; URL: //http: //www.fool.co.uk/news/investing/company-comment/2006/10/19/tata-corusbut-whos-next.aspx gt ; Web 3:Tata Corus( online ) ( cited on 15 March 2007 ) Available from lt ; URL: // hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ft.com/cms/s/887968fa-54d7-11db-901f-0000779e2340.html

Bacteria Relationships - Bacteria and Humans

Bacteria Relationships - Bacteria and Humans Bacteria are all around us and most people only consider these prokaryotic organisms to be disease-causing parasites. While it is true that some bacteria are responsible for a large number of human diseases, others play a vital role in necessary human functions such as digestion. Bacteria also make it possible for certain elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen to be returned to the atmosphere. These bacteria ensure that the cycle of chemical exchange between organisms and their environment is continuous. Life as we know it would not exist without bacteria to decompose waste and dead organisms, thus playing a key role in the flow of energy in environmental food chains. Are Bacteria Friend or Foe? The decision as to whether bacteria are friend or foe becomes more difficult when both the positive and negative aspects of the relationship between humans and bacteria are considered. There are three types of symbiotic relationships in which humans and bacteria coexist. The types of symbiosis are termed commensalism, mutualism, and parasitism. Symbiotic Relationships Commensalism is a relationship that is beneficial to the bacteria but does not help or harm the host. Most commensal bacteria reside on epithelial surfaces that come in contact with the external environment. They are commonly found on the skin, as well as in the respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal tract. Commensal bacteria acquire nutrients and a place to live and grow from their host. In some instances, commensal bacteria may become pathogenic and cause disease, or they may provide a benefit for the host. In a mutualistic relationship, both the bacteria and the host benefit. For example, there are several kinds of bacteria that live on the skin and inside the mouth, nose, throat, and intestines of humans and animals. These bacteria receive a place to live and feed while keeping other harmful microbes from taking up residence. Bacteria in the digestive system assist in nutrient metabolism, vitamin production, and waste processing. They also aid in the hosts immune system response to pathogenic bacteria. Most of the bacteria that reside within humans are either mutual or commensal. A parasitic relationship is one in which the bacteria benefit while the host is harmed. Pathogenic parasites, which cause disease, do so by resisting the hosts defenses and growing at the expense of the host. These bacteria produce poisonous substances called endotoxins and exotoxins, which are responsible for the symptoms that occur with an illness. Disease-causing bacteria are responsible for a number of diseases including meningitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and several types of food-borne diseases. Bacteria: Helpful or Harmful? When all of the facts are considered, bacteria are more helpful than harmful. Humans have exploited bacteria for a wide variety of uses. Such uses include making cheese and butter, decomposing waste in sewage plants, and developing antibiotics. Scientists are even exploring ways for storing data on bacteria. Bacteria are extremely resilient and some are capable of living in the most extreme environments. Bacteria have demonstrated that they are able to survive without us, but we could not live without them.

Capital One Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Capital One - Essay Example The external environment can be analyzed by using various tools like that of PEST analysis. The PEST analysis stands for Political factors, Economical factors, Social factors and Technological factors. The analysis of Capital One can be undermined as below: Political factors – The markets in which the company was operational did not have much political disturbances and therefore it could be said that the company experienced conducive political factors for its new strategy on acquisition. Economic factors – This was undoubtedly the most vital aspect for a company operating in the domain of financial services and products. The economic slowdown and the global meltdown really hampered the growth of the company. The financial performance of the company worsened on year – to – year basis even after following the strategy at an aggressive way. The faith of the general public upon the financial system was disturbed as one after the other too – big – to – fail companies became bankrupt. Social – Capital One had considerable social acceptance and that proved beneficial for the company to continue the business even in the trying times of financial slowdown. The company had taken number of efforts and initiatives that contributed towards the community development and corporate social responsibility and those have paved ways for the sustainable growth of the company. Technological factors – The company has been observed to be technologically sound and it was found that that Capital One offered best of the attributes based on the technological developments. It could be said that the research and development in the technological segment paid well as the environment is continuously changing. In spite of having an aggressive policy based upon acquisition, it could be said that Capital One Financial Corporation did not had a great year. Though the reasons were primarily external, like that of the global meltdown and economic slowdown, yet

Controversial analysis about the consumption of luxury brand Essay

Controversial analysis about the consumption of luxury brand - Essay Example Two of these factors namely the increased adaptation of the western lifestyle among the China population and especially the youth and the increase in consumer buying power within this population, are considered the driving force behind the obsession with luxury brands. Luxury is a subjective concept which is ever evolving. However, to most of us, luxury is basically an inessential but desirable things or a state of obscene comfort or indulgence. In this regard, one can looks at luxury brands as any other product whose only difference from its counterpart is only in its extra premium that is not backed by obvious functional advantages. However, consumers are always willing to pay the premium simply because of a set of unique characteristics, recognizable, reputation, or exclusivity of the luxury brand. The irony of these features working for a luxury brand is that majority of them vary across culture and therefore societies, something that can essentially be blamed on varying consumer attitudes and belief. This particular characteristic of luxury market exposes it main contradiction because it exposes the greatest level of hedonistic and irrational that consumption can ever get. In this paper I will be exploring the contradiction and ironies of the phenomenal surge in luxury market in China. In doing so, I will use an interview that I have conducted to a Chinese youth by the name Crystal. This will complement the tomes of literature on this topic that are available and that I will be heavily relying on to navigating this topic. Chinese are paying attention to luxury brand, a phenomenon that is raising the overall price of the luxury brand without necessarily adding any functional advantage on them as would be expected. They also cut across various retail sectors that include; footwear, jewellery, perfume, liquor, automobile, cosmetics, and fashion wear and accessories. One thing that one notes about

How does buying a cup of coffee from Starbucks affect the environment Dissertation - 1

How does buying a cup of coffee from Starbucks affect the environment - Dissertation Example Unfortunately, when it comes to Starbucks, their biggest negativity is the non –recyclable cups of synthetic nature which pollute the earth on a considerable level. Starbucks being a huge food chain have captured the coffee market globally by taking on the increased demand of coffee lovers. According to (Austin,2004) â€Å"Starbucks had revenue of $2.7 billion in 2001, up from $465 million in 1995 (see Exhibit 1 forfinancials). Nearly two-thirds of revenue came from coffee beverages, 15% from coffee beans, and24% from food and coffee-related items†.They also maintain their good will by means of powerful advertisement they display in the international business arena. This coffee chain have spread over much part of the globe and have influenced people many people in buying their product , as it is assured to be the best and perfect in the market. As per (Laminetez)â€Å"Starbucks switched its plastic cups from polyethylene (No. 1) to polypropylene (No. 5), which uses 45% less greenhouse gases†. ... The Starbucks in order to save on the cost factor ignore the natural disaster their coffee cups can bring about in the nature. Even though people feel convenient in drinking from their non –recyclable cups, they are less knowledgeable about the consequences it can bring to the natural sustainability of the planet. â€Å"Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for—and in many cases is already affecting—a broad range of human and natural systems† (Clooney,2010, pg.484-48). There are many studies done in order to perceive the amount of waste disposed in nature by Starbucks by taking into account various factors. The first phase was considering the determinants of waste generation in South Eastern America by keeping in mind the elements like economic, structural and demographic variables. In this per capital retail sales, urban population percentage and per capital income was taken it account to calculate the waste generation quotient. However, the study concluded that when retails sales increased the per capital waste generation also increased. So an effective solution for Starbucks is to consider recycling cups which reduce pollution of the environment According to (Zaida,2009)â€Å"One of the many challenges in reducing the use of disposable products is that the true social cost of using these disposable products, the externalities, are not incorporated into the price we pay for them†. It is a general fact, that the cups used by Starbucks for hot beverages are made out of paper fiber and low density plastic materials. This plastic element in the cups is the main culprits in

Distributed Systems Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Distributed Systems Security - Essay Example Client and data encryption are highly recommended on the storage devices which means that corresponding blocks of data corresponds both in the directory and the file but does not know content interpretation, below are the various methods of ensuring secure distributed file system. The initial secure distributed file sharing system was the use of AFS which was later followed by the use of DFS. In the AFS system, servers store data on subtrees in the file system and use the Kerberos in the provision of the authenticated access to all trees. Every server is the one in the management of the meta-data which has full access to the file data. The DFS advanced in the options link in the encryption level in order to prevent the eavesdroppers from the discovery of file systems content (Kistler, 1995). This file server has improved the security of the NFS by providing the ability to encrypt the traffic in between the server and its clients by doing a strong authentication; the NFS has access to data by managing the entire file server. The security of a distributed file system calls for the use of unique and assigned id for every user in the system. This name must be used in line to a password created in the system, which helps the user to gain access in the system. This prevents unauthorized users to go into the system. Distributed file systems require a security protocol to check and verify the login names and password on protection to the system's file from illegal access, this makes the system to improve its security. Every user on the system must have a personal profile in which allows them to gain access to certain areas of the programs and files within the distributed system. This protocol assists in keeping the system’s information and data confidential.

Importance of Eminent Domain and the Negative Financial Effect Essay

Importance of Eminent Domain and the Negative Financial Effect - Essay Example This paper seeks to explain the economic importance of eminent domain and the negative financial effect it has on ordinary citizens. Eminent domain has helped in economic development as it has provided land that has revitalized communities and increased the welfare of cities and states (Godwin 69). It has enabled smart growth. Eminent domain has helped to correlate development and improvement of the quality of life. It promotes development with economic cautiousness and it does keeping in mind environmental prudence. Eminent domain offers the government with the power to be able to assemble or utilize underutilized land or the land portion in depressing and decaying neighborhoods. This helps in revitalizing such areas so that can help economic development. Over the years, there are various case studies that have revealed the significance of eminent domain and how it has helped the government to assemble different parts of land in order to promote economic development. This has helped to savage depressed or failing communities. Eminent domain has also led to economic development or ordinary citizens. In Lakewood, Colorado there was a Villa Italia Mall that was approximately 1.4 million square feet. This was an area of gross leasable. In the early 1990s, the land began to decline. The city later initialed eminent domain proceedings in the quest to acquire this land. This was closely monitored and orchestrated by Continuum as the proposed a new city plan. From this proceedings, they anticipated sales tax revenues of about 90$ million with a future projection over the next 20 years. Up until now Belmar is known as Lakewood’s thriving and uprising downtown. The second case that has shown the importance of eminent domain is of Best Buy that is located in Richfield, Minnesota. Best Buy decided to purchase a headquarters complex that was about the area square of 43 acre in the year 2000. This was not taken lightly and, after the condemnation proceedings, the cou rt had to intermediate this issue. The case was ruled in favor of Best Buy. They were able to acquire the land and were able to relocate their offices to this place by March 2003 (Mich 70). Economists assert that it is possible for the redeveloped site to be generating about 8$ million on a yearly basis. This is about ten times what was initially gotten as taxes from that land. Eminent domain has also helped in making the life of ordinary people safer and their environment much habitable. A case to support this fact is the New York City’s Time Square. Back in 1980 there was a memorandum of understanding between Empire State Development Corporation with regards to the development of the 42nd St. This project was focused on building new offices towers hotels entertainment facilities amongst other improvements. This eventually turned Times Square into a lively center that has shopping, entertainment and business facilities. This Corporation was able to purchase parcels of land t hrough two means. It was either through outright public development, regulation or condemnation. This parcel of land has been having constant public litigation and controversy. Revitalization of Times Square has made it to become a model for other cities to enumerate. Despite the importance of eminent domain to ordinary citizens, it has some negative financial effect on them. The major issues and challenges that eminent domain presents

Econmetrics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Econmetrics - Essay Example For instance, when a property undergoes growth, the price of houses goes up. On the other hand, when a property undergoes decay, the price of houses goes down. Thus, these circumstances will affect the general value of houses severely. Demand for houses is a vital aspect in the model. In situations when the demand for houses exceeds the available houses in the market, the price of houses increases as people willingness to purchase also increase. As the demand for houses reduces, the price of houses also reduces since people will not have the will to purchase. Supply of houses has always surpassed its demand. For instance, when the supply of houses increases, the price of houses goes down since the property owners will need to off-load the houses in their possession. Thus, increase in supply will create or rather offer opportunities for the potential buyers in the real estate market. The regression principle in real estate refers to a high value property, in a location of low value property, being affected by the lower price of houses in the neighborhood. The real values of such houses are not always achieved. On the other hand, the progression principle refers to the increase in the general value of a low value house which is located among the houses of higher value. Thus, the low value houses are always priced relatively higher than their real prices. Therefore, the econometric model: House price= Demographic changes + Demand + Supply + Progression + Regression, is a statistical model. The dependent variable (House Price) on the left hand side is fully determined by the independent variables (Demographic changes, Demand, Supply, Progression, and Regression) on the right hand side. The independent variables are the factors that determine the value of houses in the real

Importance of Eminent Domain and the Negative Financial Effect Essay

Importance of Eminent Domain and the Negative Financial Effect - Essay Example This paper seeks to explain the economic importance of eminent domain and the negative financial effect it has on ordinary citizens. Eminent domain has helped in economic development as it has provided land that has revitalized communities and increased the welfare of cities and states (Godwin 69). It has enabled smart growth. Eminent domain has helped to correlate development and improvement of the quality of life. It promotes development with economic cautiousness and it does keeping in mind environmental prudence. Eminent domain offers the government with the power to be able to assemble or utilize underutilized land or the land portion in depressing and decaying neighborhoods. This helps in revitalizing such areas so that can help economic development. Over the years, there are various case studies that have revealed the significance of eminent domain and how it has helped the government to assemble different parts of land in order to promote economic development. This has helped to savage depressed or failing communities. Eminent domain has also led to economic development or ordinary citizens. In Lakewood, Colorado there was a Villa Italia Mall that was approximately 1.4 million square feet. This was an area of gross leasable. In the early 1990s, the land began to decline. The city later initialed eminent domain proceedings in the quest to acquire this land. This was closely monitored and orchestrated by Continuum as the proposed a new city plan. From this proceedings, they anticipated sales tax revenues of about 90$ million with a future projection over the next 20 years. Up until now Belmar is known as Lakewood’s thriving and uprising downtown. The second case that has shown the importance of eminent domain is of Best Buy that is located in Richfield, Minnesota. Best Buy decided to purchase a headquarters complex that was about the area square of 43 acre in the year 2000. This was not taken lightly and, after the condemnation proceedings, the cou rt had to intermediate this issue. The case was ruled in favor of Best Buy. They were able to acquire the land and were able to relocate their offices to this place by March 2003 (Mich 70). Economists assert that it is possible for the redeveloped site to be generating about 8$ million on a yearly basis. This is about ten times what was initially gotten as taxes from that land. Eminent domain has also helped in making the life of ordinary people safer and their environment much habitable. A case to support this fact is the New York City’s Time Square. Back in 1980 there was a memorandum of understanding between Empire State Development Corporation with regards to the development of the 42nd St. This project was focused on building new offices towers hotels entertainment facilities amongst other improvements. This eventually turned Times Square into a lively center that has shopping, entertainment and business facilities. This Corporation was able to purchase parcels of land t hrough two means. It was either through outright public development, regulation or condemnation. This parcel of land has been having constant public litigation and controversy. Revitalization of Times Square has made it to become a model for other cities to enumerate. Despite the importance of eminent domain to ordinary citizens, it has some negative financial effect on them. The major issues and challenges that eminent domain presents

How Psychological Research Has Helped in the Understanding of Criminal Behaviour Essay Example for Free

How Psychological Research Has Helped in the Understanding of Criminal Behaviour Essay Albert Bandura created the bobo doll experiment in 1961, the aim of this experiment was to show that if children where witnesses to aggressive displays by an adult of some sort they would imitate this behaviour when given an opportunity. The tested group contained 36 young girls and 36 young boys all aged between 4 and 5 years which was then divided into 3 groups of 24 – the aggressive condition, the non aggressive condition and the control group. The first group involved the children watching aggressive models, where the children where then subdivided by sex of the role model they were exposed to. The second group involved the children watched non aggressive models, where the children were also subdivided by the sex of the role model which they were exposed to. This left the two conditioned groups subdivided into eight experimental groups each containing 6 subjects. They were 6 boys with the same sex model, 6 boys with opposite model, 6 girls with the same sex model and 6 girls with the opposite model. With 3 different groups, Bandura had created a complicated design for the study which resulted in 3 independent variables; the conditions the children were exposed to, the sex of the child and the sex of the role model. Each child was then tested individually and the findings where then recorded. The experiment was done in an artificial environment and the researcher manipulated the independent variables into the conditions. In stage one of the experiment, the children were brought into the experimental room by the examiner. The room was set out as a nursery play room since that was the appropriate setting for the age of the children. One corner of the room had been arranged as a child’s play area consisting of a small table and chair and picture stickers. In the opposite corner of the room was where the adult models would be followed by a small table and chair, tinker toy set and a five foot bobo doll. In the aggressive condition the model began by playing with the tinker toy set but after a couple minutes the model turned its attention to the bobo doll and was aggressive towards the doll in a very distinctive way. Were as in the non aggressive condition the model ignored the bobo doll and played with the tinker toys in a gentle manner. After 10 minutes the children where then taken into new room. In stage two of the experiment the children were brought into a room with relativity attractive toys. In this room the children were to be subjected to mild aggression arousal. Once the children started to play with the toys, the experimenter took them off the children claiming they had been reserved for the other children. The children were then taken into the last and final room for stage three of the experiment. In this room the children were told they could play with any toys in there, the toys in stage three consisted of both non aggressive and aggressive toys. The children were kept in the room for 20 minutes where observations were made through a one way mirror by judges. With the observation and findings of this experiment, three measures of imitation were obtained. For this study the observers’ looked specifically for responses from the children that were very similar to the display by the adult model. They included; imitation of physical aggression, imitation of verbal aggression and imitation of non verbal aggression. With these observations, the researchers were able to consider which children imitate the models, which models the children imitated and whether the children showed a general increase of aggressive behaviour. The main findings of this study were that the children in aggressive model condition made more aggressive responses than the children in the non aggressive condition. They also found that the boys made more aggressive responses than girls, as well as the sex of the children being more aggressive if the model was of the same sex. These findings support Bandura’s social learning theory that children learn social behaviour through observation learning, which children learn through imitation. This study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as children learn through imitation and the environment which they grow up in have an effect on their behaviour. If a child has been brought up around abuse, criminal activity or consistent aggression then the child is most likely to offend by imitating their role model which could be a parent, sibling or even just a role model which they look up to. Philip Zimbardo (1971) Stanford prison experiment – Dr Philip Zimbardo created the Stanford prison experiment in 1971, the aim of this experiment was to find out the psychological effects of prison life, and to what extent can moral people be seduced to act immorally. The study consisted of 24 students selected out of 75, the roles of these 24 men were randomly assigned, 12 to play prison guards and 12 to play prisoners. The prison set up was built inside the Stanford’s psychological department, doors where taken of laboratory rooms and replaced with steel bars in order to create cells. At the end of the corridor was the small opening which became the solitary confinement for the ‘bad prisoners’. Throughout the prison there were no windows or clocks to judge the passage in time, which resulted in time distorting experiences. After only a few hours, the participants adapted to their roles well beyond expectations, the officers starting displaying authorisation and subject some of the prisoners to humiliation and torture whilst the prisoners developed passive attitudes towards the guards and accepted the physical abuse that was given to them. On the second day with surprise an unexpected rebellion broke out, reinforcement was called and more guards where to be on duty however the prisoners refused to leave their cells, barricading themselves in. This early in to the experiment the prisoners had already felt a loss of identity to the extent they started to refer to themselves as their inmate number rather than name. Even Dr Zimbardo himself started to lose sight of his role in the experiment believing he was in fact a ‘prison superintendent’ rather than a psychologist. Due to the extent of the rebellion the guards were forced to show more authority over them which led to the creation of the ‘privileged cell’. In order to break down the ‘superior’ inmates the guards placed the good prisoners in the privileged cell for a few hours, then placed the good prisoners back into the bad cells causing confusion within the inmates, breaking the trust and isolating them. Within a week the study was abandoned as the experiment was no longer a simple simulation, instead the guards saw the prisoners as troublemakers they were made out to be. In response to this they began stepping up control, surveillance and aggression whilst the prisoner started breaking down emotionally being unable to handle the situation anymore. From the observations and information given by Dr Zimbardo’s reports, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it relates to imitation and conformity. The guards imitated the behaviour of real guards adapting the role quiet quickly. The prisoners also adapted the role quickly falling into depression and conforming to each other. This also helps how a person mental state can change their behaviour, with the prisoners they soon became depressed and mentally unstable, and this shows that when put into a certain disciplinary situation the mind adapts causing them to act immorally. Solomon Ashce (1951) Conformity experiment- Solomon Ashce conducted the conformity experiment in 1951. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the extent of social pressure from a majority group can affect a person to conform. For this experiment Ashe used a lab experiment. Ashe used 8 participants for this experiment, 7 confederates and 1 naive participant. The 7 confederates had previously agreed to what their responses would be when presented with the line task. However the real participant had no knowledge of this and was led to believe that the other 7 participants were also real. With this experiment each person had to state aloud which line was most like the target line, (A, B or C). The answer was always an obvious one. The real participant always gave his or her answer last in order to see if they conformed or not. In some trials, the confederates gave the wrong answer whereas in some they gave the correct obvious answer. In the experiment there was 18 trials altogether and the confederates gave the wrong answer 12 out of the total 18. Ashce main observation was to find out if the real participant would end up conforming based on the majority views given by the other 7 participants. The results were then drawn up and out of the 18 trails, around 75% of the trials the real participant conformed even though he or she knew the answers were wrong. From the observations, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it explains that criminals may have previously been highly exposed to such aggressive behaviour causing them to conform. This shows that publicly any source of aggressive behaviour or criminal activity can lead to conformity causing more criminal behaviour. Anderson and Dill (2000) – Violence in video games study- Both Anderson and Dill conducted the relation between violence and video games study in 2000. The aim of this study was to find out how violent video games relate to aggressive behaviour. Their first study consisted of 227 students which were given a questionnaire in order to get data on their aggressive behaviour patterns. This study looked at the long-term exposure to video games and what effect it has on aggression towards people. The findings of the first study relating to the questionnaire came back with positive relations between the violence portrayed in video games and aggressive behaviour. The second study which Anderson and Dill conducted was to approach the impact that video games have on aggressive thoughts, social view and mood of a person. This study consisted of 210 students which were given a choice of 2 video games a non violent game ‘Myst’ or a violent interactive video game ‘Wolfstein 3D’. With the non violent game the objective was to travel the island of Myst, finding clues and making your own ending depending on the journey you took. With the violent game the objective was to eliminate the enemy ‘Adolf Hitler’ choosing your own hero and variety of weapons. With each game the students were allocated 3 slots for a period of 15minutes each. The findings of this study concluded Anderson and Dills knowledge and opinions that those exposed to the violent video game gained more aggressive behaviour than those who were not exposed to violence. From the observations, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it states that playing video games may increase aggressive behaviour because the violent acts are continually repeated throughout the game. Video games also encourage players to identify and interact through role play of their favourite characters causing them to imitate the character they are playing. Referring to first person in a game, it causes lead players to make their own decisions in the game affecting the actions of the character. Anderson and Dills studies show that after a limited amount of time playing violent video games, a player can start to automatically prime aggressive thoughts which can lead to aggressive behaviour. This shows that continually playing violent video games can affect a person’s thought patters leading to automatic aggressive behaviour through imitation of their favourite characters which could lead to criminal activity. Jahoda name study (1954)- Jahoda created the name study or as it is also called the self fulfilling prophecy. Jahoda studied the Ashanti tribe people who gave their boys ‘soul names’ depending on what day of the week they were born. For example, boys born a Monday were expected to be peaceful and full of good, whereas boys born on Wednesday which were called ‘Kwaku’ were expected to be aggressive and quick tempered. Jahoda found that when looking at prison and court records 13. 5% of boys that had been referred to court to court where from boys that were born on Wednesday, yet they were responsible for over 22% of violent crimes which was significantly higher than would be expected and shows that Wednesdays boys tended to live up to their reputation. However as for the boys born on Monday, they found that only 6. 9% of all juvenile cases where of minor offences. This implies that stereotypes of the boys behaviours depending on which day of the week they were born caused them to live up to expectations of their names. Jahoda concluded from all this that there was indeed nothing magical about the day of the week the boys were born on but of effect of expectations has on a person’s behaviour. From the observations and findings, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it links to the effect of rehabilitation and the study of the self fulfilling prophecy. If the offenders have the expectation that they should behave in such a way, rehabilitation may be more difficult. Overall the psychological theory of criminal behaviour suggests that negative expectations cause curtain’s to behave towards others in a specific way because their stereotypes – self fulfilling prophecy. Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) – Self fulfilling prophecy- Both Rosenthal and Jacobson also conducted a self fulfilling prophecy study and the way that people behave according to profiling or being stereotyped in 1968. Their study was conducted on students in a classroom which was also known as the ‘Pygmalion in the classroom’. The students were then put into groups of what the students think they will achieve, where they were then treated in a way that their ability group could achieve. All students completed an IQ test before the study. The findings of this study concluded Rosenthal and Jacobson’s theory that when people are put into groups or have been stereotyped into a group can cause people’s behaviour to change as they will live up to the expectations of the stereotype. The findings found were that after two years the students that were put into the group for higher levels achieved higher than the other students in any other group. These students were known to have been given additional feedback and extra attention so the finding expected had were correct. From the findings, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it shows that when categorised into a stereotype, people soon learn to live up to that expectation, behaving in a certain way. This also has an impact on a person’s self esteem, causing them to act undesirably and maybe even lead them to turn to crime. Eden (1990) – Self fulfilling prophecy- Eden also conducted the self fulfilling prophecy study in 1990, this study explains why some people turn to crime due to the way they have been stereotyped or labelled into a certain group. For this study, Eden looked at the training of 1000 Israeli soldiers and had them organised into 29 platoons. Some platoon trainers were told their groups were above the average potential but other trainers were told nothing. The findings of this study showed that after 10 weeks the performance of all soldiers were assessed and was found that on both the written exam and weapon test, the soldiers who had been told they were above the average potential did overall better than others, even though all soldiers were at an average level. These findings concluded Eden’s expectations that when labelled into a certain group, a person can adjust to behave according to expectations within the labelled group. This study has helped in understanding of criminal behaviour as it shows the stereotypes and labelled groups can influence a person’s self esteem leading them to behave in a certain way and if the stereotype is negative it can cause a person to turn to crime. Sheehan (1983) – TV violence and aggression Sheehan conducted the TV violence and aggression study in 1983. This study consisted of a group of middle class children aged between 5 and 10 to help find the link between children’s TV viewing and aggressive behaviour. Throughout the study data was gathered about the participants’ parents and the researchers also asked about the children’s aggressive fantasies to whether it would physically injure a person. Sheehan found that there were correlations between viewing violence and peer rated correlations for children that were aged between 8 and 10, with the correlations being stronger for the boys than the girls. The results were recorded by looking whether the child injured of irritated another person. These findings can relate to the social learning theory as he found that boys were more likely to imitate male models but overall looking at the data Sheehan collected, those who watched violent TV and films became more aggressive towards others than those who did not. This study has helped in understanding of criminal behaviour as it shows that continuously watching violent and aggressive TV programmes can affect a person’s thought patterns leading to automatic aggressive behaviour and imitation of their favourite characters which could lead to criminal activity.

Risks and Benefits of Children Using the Internet

Risks and Benefits of Children Using the Internet INTRODUCTION Technology tools such as radio, television, telephones, computers, and the Internet can provide access to knowledge in sectors such as entertainment, education and human rights, offering a new realm of choices that enable the person to improve their knowledge for future needs. The curiosity of the Internet makes children and young people to try to know or learn as much as possible about new things to be more advanced than adults in using the Internet. Optimists view the emergence of the Internet as a chance for democratic and community-based participation, for creativity, self-expression and play, and to enhance the expansion of knowledge, whereas pessimists lament the end of childhood, innocence, traditional values and authority (Livingstone, 2002) Children are being described as the ICT generation or the computer generation in information and communication with this technology. Now, many children know more than or as much as their parents or teachers know about these technologies. This scenario shows that internet can be one of the tools to develop the children knowledge in this new urban life. When a child has a project or homework to do, the internet is a portal to extensive amounts of information, a superb resource for children nowadays. There are many useful sources to be found, such as libraries, bookstores, news room and even virtual school. While the Internet is an amazing resource, parents have reasonable concerns about how they can secure a wholly beneficial Internet experience for the children. There are few risks for children who use online services such as internet. Children are particularly at risk because they often use the computer unsupervised and because they are more likely than young people to participate in online discussions regarding companionship, relationships, or social activities. In another survey, it was disclosed that 9 out of 10 children and teenagers between 8-16 years old had seen pornographic websites accidentally while searching for information for their school home-works (Utusan Malaysia, 2005) Maximizing the benefit of the internet for children may require more than just controlling what they have access to but to monitor how much time their child spends online, whom the child come in contact with online, and what is viewed. In a newspaper column, a journalist relates the flow of harmful information in the Internet with escalating numbers of murder and rape by young juveniles in the year 2003 in Malaysia (Abdul Malek, 2004). Some solution can be implemented to balance the abundant educational value with the need for security and protection. Something entirely new is the idea of a web browser with filtering because children are anxious to explore cyberspace, so parents need to supervise their children and give them guidance about using the Internet. Filters can give parents and guardians a false sense of security to believe that children are protected when they are not around. However, did the use of this web filters provide more benefits in the development of knowledge or it just constrain for children learning process through internet. For these such of reasons, the aim of this study is to examine the kind of monitor the children that participate in the activities by using web filter software and to know how the use give a significant or effect to development of children knowledge in learning process through internet. The underlying of these reasons also, there are several questions that need to be resolved in order to answer some questions that may arise in this paper: Can be internet be beneficial to development of children knowledge? Can we allowing the children to make full use of internet outweigh the risks of exposing to harmful or inappropriate content to them? How dangerous exactly is the internet for unsupervised children? Do the benefits of using web filter in controlling children activities through internet? Is it practical/ necessary to monitor the availability of internet content to children? Who should responsible for this? Method In this study also involved a survey aimed at obtaining a general view of the concern about the development of childrens knowledge through the Internet. Target respondents for this paper is in an area of housing in urban areas of the Taman Bukit Kemuning, Section 32 Shah Alam that most residents here have the internet as a tool as one way of living. The survey involved responses via questionnaire to be answered by the parents of 20 families who have children under the age of 6 to 17 years and have Internet service at home. This range of ages had been chose because most of children at these ages are fascinating in using internet seeking materials or information for homework while they currently still study in school. Of the total respondents, 12 of which are made up by mothers and the rest are among fathers. From the survey results will conclude a few questions and the actual scenario happens and also about topics discussed through the feedback given by them. Development of Children Knowledge through Internet The participation of children and young people in the Internet is considered a positive development towards enhancing their educational skills and knowledge. This type of skills is more than accessing an online encyclopedia and looking up a subject. It is making use of sites that are designed specifically to help them with their homework. Some online services provide specific areas to assist with homework given by teachers, including the ability to send questions or homework problems through e-mail to the experts in that subject area and receive responses within seconds. In Malaysia, the full support and encouragement from the Malaysian government to the use of ICT in schools can be seen from the development of Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and other programs related to ICT such as provide and increase the number of computer laboratories to facilitate schools in Malaysia whether in urban or rural areas(Syahirah, 2006). A total of 70% of respondents said they provide Internet service at home is to facilities for their children to develop their learning process. Only 25% said it was for equipment for their own work and 5% were said to provide Internet services because it is considered a mandatory tool in every home today. This shows that parents today are also aware of the importance of the Internet as a learning tool for children in exploring their knowledge to be more advance than others. Many of people communicate through e-mail with family and friends around the world and use the social network website and chat engine to make new friends who share common interests and children are not excluded. The Potential Risks of the Internet on Children The Internet has changed the way we communicate, learn and live by opening up our world to endless possibilities. The Internet has an amazing potential as a learning and communication tool, but it also contains hidden threats to the safety and well-being of children, including online gaming sites that can result in unhealthy addiction, cyber bullying and victimization through mobile phones that can bring about severe consequences to a childs self-confidence and personal development, as well as exploitative marketing that may have financial consequences on the child and his parents. Another threat that may not be immediately obvious but is of great concern is the potential for children to be exposed to sexual harassment, exploitation and pornography through online chats and social networking sites. Children are also vulnerable as targets of fraudsters who try to gain knowledge about them to abuse, terrorize, blackmail, steal or even kidnap them. Besides, they also expose to inappropriate and potentially dangerous contact. The predators may use the Internet to befriend vulnerable children and teens by pretending to be another child or a trustworthy adult, or by playing on teens desire for romance and adventure, and then trying to persuade kids to meet them in person. The children are also potential risk by the cyber bullies. Most people play nice online, but some use the Internet to harass, belittle, or try to intimidate others. Attacks may range from name calling to physical threats and are rarely seen by parents. Furthermore, the children are also invasion of their privacy and online fraud. Children may innocently share photographs or personal information about themselves or their families on personal Web pages, when playing games, or in registration forms. Such information could put children at risk from Internet thieves or child predators. To counter these threats, parents and caregivers are primarily responsible for protecting their charges, by supervising their access to cyberspace, coaching children in personal safety and installing parental control software. Schools, public authorities, community groups, Internet service providers, media industries and regulatory bodies also have a responsibility to ensure that children are properly advised on the benefits and perils of cyberspace and equipped with the skills to safeguard themselves. Web Filter to Monitor Child Safety on Internet A Web filter is a program that can screen an incoming Web page to determine whether some or all of it should not be displayed to the user. The filter checks the origin or content of a Web page against a set of rules provided by company or person who has installed the Web filter. A Web filter allows an enterprise or individual user to block out pages from Web sites that are likely to include objectionable advertising, pornographic content, spyware, viruses, and other objectionable content. Vendors of Web filters claim that their products will reduce recreational Internet surfing among employees and secure networks from Web-based threats. Web filters have been around since the early days of the Web and they can play an important role in preventing young children from accessing inappropriate content. But theyre not a replacement for parental involvements. Before installing and configuring a filter, parents need to decide if their child needs to have software controlling how they can use the Internet and, if so, how the filter should be configured. Filters can be a convenient way to keep young children from stumbling onto material that might gross them out or disturb them. Young children generally seek out a limited number of sites, but its certainly possible for them to stumble onto inappropriate ones. The Responsible Party of these Issues Keeping children safe on the Internet is everyones job. Parents need to stay in close touch with their kids as they explore the Internet. Teachers need to help students use the Internet appropriately and safely. Community groups, including libraries, after-school programs, and others should help educate the public about safe surfing. Kids and teens need to learn to take responsibility for their own behavior with guidance from their families and communities. Its not at all uncommon for kids to know more about the Internet and computers than their parents or teachers. If thats the case in your home or classroom, dont despair. You can use this as an opportunity to turn the tables by having your child teach you a thing or two about the Internet. Ask her where she likes to go on the Internet and what she thinks you might enjoy on the Net. Get your child to talk with you about whats good and not so good about his Internet experience. Also, no matter how Web-literate your kid is, you shoul d still provide guidance. You cant automate good parenting. Just as adults need to help kids stay safe, they also need to learn not to overreact when they find out a child or teenager has been exposed to inappropriate material or strayed from a rule. Whatever you do, dont blame or punish your child if he tells you about an uncomfortable online encounter. Your best strategy is to work with him, so you both can learn from what happened and figure out how to keep it from happening again. The challenges posed by the Internet can be positive. Learning to make good choices on the Internet can serve young people well by helping them to think critically about the choices they will face. Today its the Internet; tomorrow it may be deciding whether its safe to get into the car of someone a teen meets at a party. Later it will be deciding whether a commercial offer really is too good to be true or whether it really makes sense to vote for a certain candidate or follow a spiritual guru. Learning how to make good choices is a skill that will last a lifetime. References: N.a. (2005) 90% sekolah layari laman lucah. Utusan Malaysia. 27th July Livingstone, S. (2002). Young People and New Media, Childhood and the changing media environment, London: SAGE Publications,p 2. Abdul Malek, Yusri. (2004). Laman Web-Rogol-Boleh pengaruhi remaja jadikan kanak-kanak mangsa seks ganas. Op cit., n. 12. Syahirah Abdul Shukor (2006). Protecting Children s Rights in the Internet: Challenges A Preliminary Study Based on the Malaysian Experience, UK: Keele University, Staffordshire. Educational Cyber Playground (1997), Internet Safety Rules For Parents learn how to keep children safe on the Internet.