Saturday, January 25, 2020

The Vital Importance Of Mass Media

The Vital Importance Of Mass Media Mass Media is of vital importance in mankinds life. It is a medium for individuals to search for as well as exchange the latest information and knowledge; and it is also a platform for commercial as businesses can promote their products and services via media. Apart from getting academic or official materials, entertainment is another major function of the media. In everyday life, it is common for individuals to get contact with television programmes and advertisements since they exist in most family, restaurants as well as every corner of the street. Moreover, the consumption of internet also increases in the recent years. For example, in the United Kingdom, nearly half of the age group from 9 to 12 has social-networking profile (European Commission, 2011); and a research points out a phenomena that a quarter of British replace their evening major entertainment, television, by computer (UKPA, 2011). The media takes up a significant role in peoples life and society and the trend tend s to be upswing, this shows that people relies very much on the use of media as media are convenient to us. It is interesting to find out the reason of the popularity of different kinds of media and how often individuals spend time on the field of media. Also, the project can help to understand the culture which is being brought out by the television programmes in United Kingdom. Media is beneficial to us to at some point; however, media will do us harm if we misunderstood the implications brought by the media. In this case, media have a great influence on mankind and social behaviours, which includes both positive and negative impacts. As media has become the social norm, therefore, it is possible for project study to investigate the seriousness of how teenagers are being affected by the media, which can be the benefit from the media; and to what extent, their social behaviour is being affected. Aims Objectives In this project study, the main focus will be more on the point of view of the teenagers in the United Kingdom because this age group is easily being influenced and attracted by some new matters. Thus, the aim of this research study is, firstly, to give a brief introduction of the popularity of different types of media in the United Kingdom, such as, television programmes which include news, educational programmes, soup dramas, reality shows and variety shows, advertisements and internet. It is also important to analyse the purpose of the existence of these media and also the age group which they want to target. Secondly, how teenagers can benefit from these media. For example, some meaningful and encouraging programmes not only can help teenagers to gain knowledge and experience, but also establish a positive and strong moral value and raise social awareness. But at the same time, undesirable impacts are also generated from these media. The reason is that, teenagers may have differe nt interpretation or perception of the programmes; they may also develop negative attitude towards life and behaviour, like anti-social behaviour, commit crimes, being impractical or even live in fantasy and lack of motivation to do anything as media helps to beautify and shape the reality. Thirdly, there will be a little discussion on how the government imposes tighter laws and regulations to control the adverse effects brought out from the field of media. Method In this project study, both primary data and secondary data will be used to make this research a convincing and academic one. For the primary data, questionnaire will be used. This questionnaire contains four sections with 18 questions concerning the consumption of television programmes, advertisements as well as internet, and these questions help to reveal the view of teenagers on the effect of media. The survey will be carried out through the Qualtrics (https://s.qualtrics.com), a website which is designed for conducting survey. It targets teenagers who are living in the United Kingdom and the sample size will be 50 or above, so the results can be more objective and comprehensive and then a detailed analysis can be made by using these data. For secondary data, reference books, journal articles as well as video will be used. All these sources are academic and relevant to the topic; they are strong support for the arguments in the project. Firstly, for reference books and journal art icles, one of the books, Crime and Law in Media Culture, and also the journal article, Media made criminality: The representation of crime in the mass media, both discuss about the relationship between crime and media which are connected by a strong bond. The information also points out that; media sometimes maps crimes and law which makes them look playful and trivial. As a result, audiences will have wrong conception and look down upon the law and punishment. The media affect the thinking and behaviour of an individual, if the effect is positive, it can help to shape the community a better one; if not, it will deteriorate the moral value in society. Moreover, media is a two way communication, which means not only the media give out information and knowledge, but the audiences also need to give responses. After talking about the social behaviour, I will focus on how people react and accept the messages. Secondly, the video is used as it looks from the perspective of the audiences a nd analyse how they interpret the messages from the media. It is important to know the attitude hold by people towards media because it gives us the clue on how people are affected by the power of media. Section 1: Television Programmes (1) How much time do you spend on watching television? More than 5 hours a day 1-2 hours a day Sometimes (during leisure time) Never (Go to Section 2) (2) Which types of television programme would you prefer? Please rank your choices (1=highest; 6=least) News report _____ Soap dramas _____ Reality shows _____ Variety shows _____ Educational programmes _____ Films/Movies _____ (3) Suggest 2 adjectives which are most suitable to describe television programmes. ______________________________________________________________ (4) In some reality shows, films and dramas, indecent language, violence and sex scenes can be seen, do you think the government need tighter control on them? Yes, this can help to establish good moral value in society No, as these coarse language and scenes are the fundamental element of the programmes No comment (5) Which of the following statement will you support? Television programmes involve positive social value and are mostly beneficial to mankind. Television programmes pose bad impact on mankind as they are generally exaggerated and indecent materials. Section 2: Advertisements (6) Where can you see advertisements mostly? _______________________________________________________________ (7) To what extent, advertisement is attractive? Specify your reason. (1=very attractive; 5=not attractive, it can be neglected) _______________________________________________________________ (If your answer is 5, please go to Question 9) (8) Which aspects of the advertisement can catch your sight? (You can choose MORE THAN ONE option) Colourful and beautiful design Brand name Price and discounts Models or Artists The promoted products or services (9) Do you think advertising is successful in persuading people to make consumption? Yes No (Go to Section 3) (10) Have you ever convinced by the advertisements to buy any products? Yes. Please name one: _____________________________ No. Section 3: The Internet (11) How often do you use the internet? Every day, 5 hours or above Every day, less than 2 hours Sometimes, when there is research work and for leisure Never (12) Which of the following activities will you perform on the internet? (Choose FOUR options) Social-networking (Facebook, Twitter, Skype, MSN, E-mail) Download music and movies Research Settle private matters (Bank statements, Mobile phone statements) Games Watching videos Get the up-to-date information (News, Fashion, Technology, Entertainment) (13) Name ONE advantage and disadvantage of the internet. Advantage: _____________________________________________ Disadvantage: ___________________________________________ (14) Which statement will you support? The internet is convenient; it is a good assistant to make works run smoothly and efficiently. The practice of using the internet makes a person get addicted to it and isolates himself from the outside world. (15) Is it possible to live without the internet in the modern society? Yes No Section 4: Overview (16) Vigorous development of the mass media isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Specify your reason.) Good,______________________ Bad,_______________________ (17) Mass media is everywhere in our life, it is inevitable to ignore it. Do you agree? Yes No (18) Which of the following will influence ones mind and behaviour mostly? Television programmes Advertisements The Internet This is the end of the questionnaire. Your opinions will greatly assist the process of the analysis. Thank you for your precious time and opinions!

Friday, January 17, 2020

Bestbuy’s Strategy

In the last few years, BestBuy has been experiencing fierce competition and has been fighting to gain dominance in the consumer electronic market. Apple, Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Target are the current competitors that are giving them the most problems. A lot of people are coming into BestBuy’s stores to try out the products and then leaving the store to buy online or at a slightly cheaper price. C. E. O, Brian Dunn, is left with many questions about keeping customers in his stores and how to develop and sustain a competitive advantage in today’s economy.According to the case, BestBuy is trying to create a competitive advantage in three areas: customer-centricity, employment policies, and exclusive branding. After studying the VRIO framework, I have found that BestBuy’s three areas of strategy do fit into the VRIO framework. BestBuy believes that an effective strategy is a commitment to customer-centricity. A business that implements customer-centricity caters to sp ecific customer needs and behaviors.According to the book, BestBuy wants to steer away from a product-centered marketing approach to a more customer-oriented marketing approach which will have them asking what problems its customers are facing, and then providing solutions. Furthermore, BestBuy wants to segment its customers into four different profiles: Upscale Suburban, Urban Trendsetter, Empty Nesters, and Middle America. In different regions around the U. S. you will find these diverse groups.BestBuy has been able to utilize the rare attribute of the VRIO framework with its ability to serve the needs of the predominant customer segment in a given region. BestBuy is unlike any company in the consumer electronic industry because as the book mentions, â€Å"Nearly all companies claim to be customer oriented, but being customer centric required a radical reorganization and shift in employee mindset. † BestBuy has reformatted the physical space in its stores and related produc ts have been bundled together to meet the needs of certain segments.Store teams have also been trying to answer the following questions: What kind of traffic do we have coming in our stores today, how effectively are we selling to the people in the stores, what does our customer information look like, what segments do we have coming in, and what kind of market share do we have for those segments? To answer those questions BestBuy has been investing in the right tools so that the field knows what to focus on. BestBuy has taken customer interest a step further, and so far it has given them a rare advantage. BestBuy has also done a good job of organizing its employment policies to capture value.According to the book, BestBuy has set up an employee listening program that uses open communication to better understand the needs of its workers. This program has done a great job of exploiting the company’s capabilities because it is implementing tools such as annual company-wide surve ys, a virtual discussion board, and one-on-one dialogue sessions. BestBuy is capturing value because they are listening to their employees and discerning information that was previously unknown to management. The final area that BestBuy is focusing its strategy on is exclusive brands.This last area is very important to BestBuy because it is valuable, rare, and costly to imitate. BestBuy currently owns these private labels: Insignia, Dynex, Init, Rocketfish, and Geek Squad. As far as background goes, Insignia produces TVs, monitors, home-theater systems, and portable video/ audio players. Dynex produces storage media, data and power cables, webcams, and office supplies. Init produces media storage, equipment bags, totes and furniture for home theaters. Rocketfish is a top notch producer of cables that are mostly used for TVs. And most famously, Geek Squad provides computer repair and installation services.BestBuy realizes that they cannot solely rely on these small private labels to create, on their own, enough revenue to stay in business. But nevertheless, these private labels are valuable because they add attractive features to the company. Most of the products offered by these small labels are accessories that add value to the more expensive products which in turn increase the profitability of BestBuy. In particular, I think Geek Squad is valuable because a lot of older people do not know how to set up the more complex electronics and often run into problems.Easy-to-setup installation and troubleshooting is a very attractive feature to most consumers. Along those same lines, these small labels are rare because their products are only being sold in BestBuy stores. If you’re a huge fan of Rocketfish cables or really appreciate the helpfulness of Geek Squad then you have to come to BestBuy to get you want. These private labels are also costly to imitate I imagine because it could be costly to implement and staff a repair and installation service in all o f your stores like BestBuy has done with Geek Squad.Also, these private labels have a few unique products that could be hard to replicate. I know that Init has created some nice, high quality equipment bags and furniture for home theaters. I believe that after weighing the benefits of all three of these areas that BestBuy has indeed created a competitive advantage. In one way or another they have valuable, rare, costly to imitate, or are organized to capture value with their products and services. BestBuy’s business level strategy is to focus on its people through customer centricity and employment policies.The managers in both areas want to listen to the people and discern how to best appeal to them. Managers have planned to become customer centric by profiling its customers and then design the stores and provide products according to the profiles in the region. The cost driver associated is the cost of input factors because it requires a radical reorganization and shift in employee mindset. Stores need to be reformatted and related products need to be bundled. The main value driver for this focus has been customer service.BestBuy has excelled at customer service because they are able to identify customer needs and appeal to their wants because of the unique profiles that have been created. The main cost driver for employment policies has also been cost of input factors because I imagine it has been costly to implement the new annual company-wide surveys, a virtual discussion board, and one-on-one dialogue sessions. The main value driver for the employment policies is customer service. BestBuy has created distinctive techniques for company-wide communication that in turn provide better customer support.Managers now know what the consumers are thinking because the employees are able to share information with their superiors in an efficient way. The competition between BestBuy, Amazon, Apple, and Wal-Mart has been fierce over the last several years. Best Buy has found itself to still be at the top of consumer electronics in the minds of its customers with 40% of the votes. However, BestBuy comes in 11th place in the Top 15 most valuable retail brands. Furthermore, Apple has recently made a large push in the race by reaching $2. 8 billion in sales in 2010 which puts them in third place behind BestBuy and Amazon.However, BestBuy is in last place according to share performance in 2010 and 2011. After looking at all of the different results and surveys I would say that BestBuy is right in the thick of things and battling for the top spot. Amazon may be more a valuable company but the consumers still view BestBuy as the leading consumer electronic company. One of the critical problems facing BestBuy is people coming into the store and testing the products and then leaving and buying the product elsewhere. I think that BestBuy’s strategy to become customer centered is a good strategy.Many of the same products are sold by multiple c ompanies, but if BestBuy can appeal to the segments and profiles of people coming into their stores then they can get people to buy the products in their stores. Identifying the profiles of people coming in is the first step and then being able to bundle products and arrange displays in an appealing way is a good strategy. If BestBuy continues to value its consumers I think they will find a way to sustain a competitive. After all, people want to feel important and be given what they need and desire.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Tempest Character Analysis - 1047 Words

The nature of discovery entails a journey that is transformative and concerns an individual’s relationship with them selves or their world. Discoveries can be either pursued or unexpected through the motivation of need, curiosity and wonder and can lead to good or bad consequences, but ultimately they are all concerned with the gaining of greater knowledge and a new perspective. In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero comes to realise not only the limitations of his power, but also the importance of love and redemption in redefining one’s place in the world, as well as one’s view of it. Theodore Melfi’s film Hidden Figures represents the importance of new perspectives on the familiar in order to realise the self, in the face of†¦show more content†¦Ultimately he comes to realise that his powers are based on illusions. By contrast Hidden Figures, the title acting as an obvious double entendre where inquisition and human legacy interweave, is set in Virginia, in the time of the 1950-60s at the time of the Cold War and the space race. The United Sates were engaged in frantic operation with the Soviet Union to launch the first Earth-orbiting satellite, place a human in space and ultimately set foot on the moon. Labouring behind the scenes in this monumental technological effort were what NASA labelled â€Å"coloured computers† – the African-American female mathematicians responsible for critical calculations and other technical works. During the time, there was a very real fear of espionage, people were looking for Soviets around every corner. This was evident when Katherine, one of the negro women, were questioned about being a Russian spy after being able to crack a programme name which had been blacked out. Life for a coloured woman in the society was rigorous and tough. At this point , the African-Americans were segregated from the rest of society evident in the scene where a white woman and her daughter are drinking at a water fountain clearly labelled as ‘white’ and a black man is drinking from the separated fountain labelled as ‘black’. Being an educatedShow MoreRelatedThe Tempest Character Analysis1424 Words   |  6 Pagestheme in The Tempest, just as in many fantasy stories. The Tempest shows this theme though its characters. The most obvious pair of characters for this contrast is Ariel and Caliban. Ariel is good and Caliban is bad. This is a common opinion held by many scholars and critics, namely, Charles Boyce and Derek Traversi. However, there are many ways in which these two characters are similar—there are various parallels and similarities which are not always covered by critics. Neither character is purelyRead MoreThe Tempest Character Analysis948 Words   |  4 Pagesget it. Yet it is how they obtain this power that shows their true nature. 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Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Savior Sibling Ethical Dilemmas - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 979 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2019/05/15 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Ethical Dilemma Essay Did you like this example? Ethical dilemmas present themselves every day, especially within the healthcare field. Over the years, there has been the development of different viewpoints on how to navigate through these dilemmas. In this paper, the ethical issue commonly referred to as savior sibling will be discussed. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Savior Sibling Ethical Dilemmas" essay for you Create order A savior sibling is an individual who is conceived through in vitro fertilization for the sole purpose of being a donor to a sick child. During the process of conceiving a savior sibling, fertilized eggs are tested for genetic compatibility using Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) with a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and only eggs that are compatible with the existing child that is sick are selected. This process has also led to many questions including if it is ethical to dispose of all of the other embryos that were not compatible with the existing child. Since the first savior sibling was born in the United States in 2000, there have been varying viewpoints and stances regarding this ethical dilemma. The ethical problem will be dissected by looking at it through the utilitarian viewpoint as well as the deontological viewpoint. Utilitarian Viewpoint The question of whether or not it is ethically correct to conceive a child for the purposes of the child being a donor for a child that is sick is one that still debated today. The utilitarian ethical approach supports that decisions should be made in regard to what is best for most people. This approach is fixed in the assumption that the right decision is made if it leads to a balance of good consequences or to the least amount of bad consequences. (Jacob and Cherry, 2017). From the utilitarian stance, the conception of a child that will be either an organ, bone marrow or cell transplant donor to a child that is sick is right because it will result in the sick child being treated or cured. In a case similar to the Nash family, the health authorities in the U.K. approved of the authorization of the creation of a savior sibling to cure the illness of a child. The U.K. health authorities deemed the conception of the child therapeutic because the family would be selecting an embryo tha t would be free from the genetic disease of the existing child (Zuniga-Fajuri, 2018). The utilitarian ethics theory focuses on making decisions that are based on the greatest amount of benefit for the greatest number of individuals. It is ultimately guided by the benefits outweighing the risks (Mandal, Ponnambath, Parija, 2016). In the case of PGD and savior siblings, studies have shown that families motivating factors in choosing to go through the process were to avoid suffering of the existing child, the desire to improve the health and quality of their child as well as the desire to raise a child that is healthy (Garzon, Rubin, Lobel, Stelling, Pastore, 2017). These motivating factors align with the utilitarian point of view because they are rooted in the result being good for the parents and the existing child. In line with the utilitarian ethical theory, the benefit of going through with PGD and conceiving a child that will be able to help the existing child outweighs the risks and is done for the overall wellbeing and good of the family. In regard to the poten tial disposal of unselected embryos during the PGD process, the utilitarian viewpoint would view that as ethical because unselected embryos present with the risk of being born with genetic diseases and studies have shown that families who consider PGD would feel guilty and see no benefit in passing on genetic health problems to future generations (Pastore et al., 2017). Deontological Viewpoint According to Jacob and Cherry (2017), the deontological view point is rooted in the belief that ethics are to be based on the principle of consistently acting one way and doing what is right. This is a contrast to the utilitarian viewpoint because it is centered on harm being unacceptable (Mendal et al., 2016). The originator of the deontology theory, Immanuel Kant, believed that human beings should not be treated as a means to an end but as an end in themselves (BBC, 2014). The deontological stance views the process of PGD and conceiving a savior sibling as unethical because it violates human rights by disregarding the dignity of the savior sibling for the sake of the overall good and social well-being (Zuniga-Fajuri, 2018). According to Zuniga-Fajuri (2018), studies have shown that infant donors have an increase in anxiety and stress. The article goes to state that there are a number of physiological problems that infant donors deal with that arise from the medicines given for anes thesia during the transplant procedure and the adverse effects of the transplant itself. In cases of bone marrow transplant, problems such as fatigue, pain, bleeding, headaches, nausea, and difficulty walking, and sleeping were all reported. From the deontological viewpoint, the decision to have a savior sibling would be wrong because it violates the sibling and does harm to them as an individual. In regard to the potential disposal of unselected embryos during the PGD process, the deontological viewpoint would view that as unethical because there is the belief that at the time of conception there comes into existence a new life a living cell from the father fertilizes a living cell from the mother Each such new life is the life not of a potential human being but of a human being with potential (Dickens, 2016, p. 115). Conclusion The utilitarian theory and the deontological theory provide opposing views on the ethics of savior siblings and PGD conception. While the utilitarian theory would deem the conception of a savior sibling as right because the result would benefit the sick sibling and allow for treatment of the illness, the deontological theory deems it as wrong because harm would be done to the savior sibling as they would be seen as a means to an end.