Human Resource Management :: Business Management

One could suggest that common sense tells us human Resource Management matters. So many challenges and successes in business are due to the actions of firms human resources, especially since service is becoming a distinguishing competitive reward naturally the management of such resources would be vital. Productivity, efficiency and supremacy can be attributed to human resources. In the same respect, human resources can also be to blame for idleness, incompetence and other hindrances. When prompted about the importance of HR, Kevin Wheeler, founder of Global Learning Resources, Inc. and The Future of Talent Institute, argues, If we believe, as I do, that innovative and engaged citizenry will be the most important raw material of future organizational and national prosperity, the answer is obviously yes. No corporate function represents people, advocates for people, or develops strategies to improve people other than HR (Wheeler). Susan Heathfield goes on to say No matter what other work I am doing with a company, employee performance or the need to change or improve employee performance is always part of the discussion. As a member of the Society for Human Resources Management and an HR consultant, Ms. Heathfield has facilitated everyplace 2,000 training sessions, thus demonstrating the importance of investment in human capital (Heathfield). More precisely, Human Resources Management serves to guide, benefit and protect several parties. Corporations, managers, employees, the market and the conclusion consumer can experience an elevation in welfare due to HR Management. Corporations benefit and are inherently protected by many of the guidelines and literature in Human Resource Management. This includes workplace issues regarding organizational relationships, retention, risk management, safety and health in regards to the work environment, disaster preparedness, and union dealings. Understanding these guidelines allows for corporate policies to be created and soundless prior to their need or development. For example, Human Resource Management actively trains employees on disaster preparedness and respective corporate policies if such an occasion should arise. A disaster policy would do little justice if created after such an event, despite the fact that it would aid in recurrences of disasters. Similarly, managers benefit and are guided by many HR practices, such as understanding their employee advocate and strategic roles, recognizing the value of the planning process, cultivating and predicting employee effectiveness, fostering a high-quality recruitment method, developing and integrating round-the-clock training, and accurately and appropriately conducting performance appraisals.

harry potter :: essays research papers

Book Report1.My countersign report is on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling.2. The setting of this book takes place at Hogwarts, a magical school for wizards that Harry Potter attended the previous year. The story doesnt exactly have a conflict in which the story takes place but its in modern times.3. The plot of the story is most Harry and his adventure in trying to queue out the mystery of the chamber of secrets hidden somewhere in Hogwarts.4. A.Harry Potter is the main character of the story. Hes a twelve year disused boy with messy hair and glasses who became famous within the wizard community. He often finds himself in dangerous adventures but always lives to tell about it. B. Ron is Harrys best friend at Hogwarts. Hes tall with red hair and is from a respected but poor family. Ron uses encounter and a process of trial and error to solve most mysteries.5. A. One major conflict that had happen in the story was how Harry thought he couldnt go to Hogwart s because his aunt and uncle wouldnt let him out of his room. This conflict was solved however because Harrys friend Ron came in a riotous car and picked him up out of his window. B. Another conflict that happened in the story was how Rons sister started acting strangely weird and kept being set apart under these trances. She somehow disappears and is missing. This conflict was resolved by Harry conclusion the chamber of secrets and looked for her. He eventually found her. C. One more conflict that happened was who was create all the mischief at Hogwarts. This conflict was resolved when Harry found the chamber of secrets and fought Tom Riddle.6. The story ends by Harry going into the chamber of secrets and finding Tom Riddle there with Ginnys still body. Tom summons a giant snake. Harry fights the snake and defeats it. Harry then sticks one of the snakes fangs into the daybook and defeats Tom.

Capital Punishment Essay: Benefits of the Death Penalty :: Persuasive Essay, Argumentative

The Benefits of the Death Penalty Crime is everywhere. Wherever we look, we find criminals and crime. culpables have create a part of our daily lives. Does this mean we let them be the darkness of our society? No, definitely not. Eliminating crime and criminals is our duty, and we cannot ignore it. Getting the rightly accused to a just retaliatement is very important. Some criminals commit a crime because they have no other option to survive, but some do it for fun. I do not advocate death penalty for everybody. A person, who stole bread from a grocery store, definitely does not deserve death penalty. However, a serial killer, who kills people for fun or for his personal gain, definitely deserves death penalty. Death penalty should continue in order to eliminate the garbage of our society. non everybody deserves to die, but some people definitely do. I support death penalty because of several reasons. Firstly, I believe that death penalty serves as a deterrent and helps in reduc ing crime. Secondly, it is true that death penalty is irreversible, but it is hard to kill a wrongly convicted person due to the several chances wedded to the convicted to prove his innocence. Thirdly, death penalty assures safety of the society by eliminating these criminals. Finally, I believe in lex tallionis - a life for a life. Deterrence means to punish somebody as an example and to create fear in other people for the punishment. Death penalty is one of those extreme punishments that would create fear in the mind of any sane person. Ernest van den Haag, in his article On Deterrence and the Death Penalty mentions, One abstains from dangerous acts because of vague, inchoate, habitual and, supra all, preconscious fears (193). Everybody fears death, even animals. Most criminals would think twice if they knew their own lives were at stake. Although there is no statistical evidence that death penalty deters crime, but we have to adjudge that most of us fear death. Suppose there i s no death penalty in a state and life imprisonment without parole is the level best punishment. What is stopping a prisoner who is facing a life imprisonment without parole to commit another murder in the prison? According to capital of Minnesota Van Slambrouck, Assaults in prisons all over US, both against fellow inmates and against staff, have more than doubled in the past decade, according to statistics gathered by the Criminal Justice Institute in Middletown, Connecticut (Christian Science Monitor, Internet).

rights fees in sport :: essays research papers

The steadfast rule when it comes to sports and rights fees is that its the business of entertainment. The dollars are going to go where the value is. With Rights fees, networks fee fees to have the rights to a particular broadcast, for example process madness, the NFL or the Olympics.Rights fees are determined by the value a certain property holds, this is determined by the ratings. The most important ratings market world all-inclusive is undisputedly the North American, and in particular the US market as we will later discuss with the Olympic media coverage. With in the US it is a fight field to increase ratings because of the dollar value associated with the opportunity to sell advertising and consequently the rights fees.Personally I believe that 1.725 jillion is a ridiculous gist for NBC to pay for the rights fees of March Madness. But obviously they are not mad. The economics and financials behind their decisions to continually pay more and more is andifiable. Once again boiling down to the ratings. The 70 hours of March Madness are extremely universal in the US and boast extremely high ratings. Therefore, advertisers are willing to pay the big bucks to get their ads on the air. The same is true about the Superbowl, with 30 second advertising sports reaching astronomical highs networks are lining up to pervert the rights fees for the event. As Bill Brown the senior vice president of Fox Sports stated, we want entertainmentwe want to televise the teams that will deliver us the highest ratings. That unfeignedly summarizes the essence of sport media today, and why rights fees are working. Fox, paying MLB about $417 million a year in a deal, which expires next year. With baseballs popularity on the rise again the rights fees for the league are undoubtadly going to increase. But as the numbers have shown the Fox network is the big spender when it comes to rights fees, dispensing $2.5 billion from 2001 to 2006 on MLB alone. While Fox has a hold on b aseball, Time Warner and ABC/ESPN seem to be focusing their dollars on the NBA, both handing over just over $2 billion over a 6 year period . But as aformentioned the rating speak volumes and while the NBA is very popular in the US, from a network point of view March Madness, NCAA basketball is a winner.

Character Analysis of Roderigo in Othello Essay -- Othello Essays

In Shakespeares coquet, Othello, some(prenominal) incidents occur that portray the purpose of Roderigos character. If one event is isolated from the rest, the thematic go for is lost. It is solely when the events are looked at as a whole that the actual theme is obtained. Roderigo is a minor character who carries out a vital employment in the play. Although Roderigo has very few lines, he plays a crucial role on a thematic level. The play begins with a conversation between Roderigo and Iago. The firstly step lines are significant in that they set the tone and initiate the plot. Roderigos thematic purpose is portrayed through Iagos manipulation in the lines, Tush, neer tell me I take it much unkindly/ That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse/ As if the strings were thine shouldst know of this. (1.1.1-3). Roderigo learns about the elopement of the Moor and Desdemona. He questions Iago in pursuit of the silver he has given him in order to woo Desdemona. These lines show that e ven before the play begins Iago greatly influences Roderigo. The relationship and trust the two characters have is do apparent through the first lines. Iago takes enjoyment in influencing people, as seen through his first soliloquyThus do I ever make my dupe my purse For I mine own gaind knowledge should profaneIf I would time expend with such a snipe except for my sport and profit. (1.3.374-377).Iago states that the only reason he spends time with Roderigo is for his own wealth and pleasure. His plan is to continue giving Roderigo unfulfilled promises. Iago continues to manipulate Roderigo. He convinces him that Desdemona will shortly grow tired of Othello and begin to search for a younger, handsome man to fulfill her desires. Continuing to build on Rod... ... sake of his reputation, Iago persuades Roderigo to kill Cassio. In doing so, Roderigo only injures the lieutenant. Iago sees his plan collapsing and rushes in to kill Roderigo. Betrayed by his friend, Roderigo died in pursuit of Desdemonas love. As a minor character, Roderigo has a significant impact on several themes such as manipulation, jealousy and betrayal. Throughout Shakespeares drama, Roderigo is manipulated into performing tasks in which Iago does not want to take part in. Roderigos jealousy towards Othello increases as the play progresses. His endless love for Desdemona leads him to his tragic death where he has be betrayed by a person in which he once called his friend. At a first glance, a minor character may appear to have an insignificant role, but upon observing them in detail, their role can be much much significant that first perceived.

Character Analysis of Roderigo in Othello Essay -- Othello Essays

In Shakespeares play, Othello, several incidents occur that portray the purpose of Roderigos character. If one progeny is isolated from the rest, the thematic desire is lost. It is only when the events are looked at as a whole that the actual theme is obtained. Roderigo is a minor character who carries tabu a vital role in the play. Although Roderigo has very few lines, he plays a crucial role on a thematic level. The play begins with a conversation between Roderigo and Iago. The opening lines are epoch-making in that they set the tone and initiate the plot. Roderigos thematic purpose is portrayed through Iagos manipulation in the lines, Tush, never tell me I take it much unkindly/ That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse/ As if the strings were thine shouldst know of this. (1.1.1-3). Roderigo learns about the elopement of the Moor and Desdemona. He questions Iago in pursuit of the money he has given him in order to woo Desdemona. These lines show that even before the play begin s Iago greatly influences Roderigo. The relationship and organized religion the two characters have is made apparent through the first lines. Iago takes enjoyment in influencing people, as seen through his first soliloquyThus do I ever make my fool my purse For I mine own gaind knowledge should profaneIf I would time expend with such(prenominal) a snipe But for my sport and profit. (1.3.374-377).Iago states that the only reason he spends time with Roderigo is for his own wealth and pleasure. His plan is to continue giving Roderigo unfulfilled promises. Iago continues to pull strings Roderigo. He convinces him that Desdemona will soon grow tired of Othello and begin to search for a younger, handsome man to fulfill her desires. Continuing to build on Rod... ... pastime of his reputation, Iago persuades Roderigo to kill Cassio. In doing so, Roderigo only injures the lieutenant. Iago sees his plan collapsing and rushes in to kill Roderigo. Betrayed by his friend, Roderigo died in pursuit of Desdemonas love. As a minor character, Roderigo has a signifi give the axet impact on several themes such as manipulation, jealousy and betrayal. Throughout Shakespeares drama, Roderigo is manipulated into performing tasks in which Iago does not want to take part in. Roderigos jealousy towards Othello increases as the play progresses. His endless love for Desdemona leads him to his tragic death where he has be betrayed by a person in which he at a time called his friend. At a first glance, a minor character may appear to have an insignificant role, but upon observing them in detail, their role can be much more significant that first perceived.

Social Media and Business

Business Horizons (2010) 53, 5968 www. elsevier. com/locate/bushor Users of the world, unite The challenges and opportunities of accessible Media Andreas M. Kaplan *, Michael Haenlein ? ESCP Europe, 79 Avenue de la Republique, F-75011 Paris, France KEYWORDS brotherly Media User Generated Content Web 2. 0 Social networking sites Virtual worlds Abstract The concept of Social Media is top of the schedule for m whatsoever business executives nowadays. Decision makers, as well as consultants, try to identify shipway in which ? rms female genitalia make pro? able utilise of exertions such(prenominal) as Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, sulfur c beer, and Twitter. Yet despite this interest, there seems to be very limited generaliseing of what the term Social Media exactly means this condition intends to hand over some clari? cation. We begin by describing the concept of Social Media, and discuss how it differs from related concepts such as Web 2. 0 and User Generated Content. Bas ed on this de? nition, we then provide a classi? cation of Social Media which stems applications currently subsumed under the generalized term into to a greater extent speci? categories by characteristic collaborative projects, blogs, pith communities, cordial networking sites, practical(prenominal) game worlds, and practical(prenominal) well-disposed worlds. Finally, we present 10 pieces of advice for companies which decide to utilize Social Media. 2009 Kelley discip nervous strain of Business, Indiana University. All rights reserved. 1. The specter of Social Media As of January 2009, the online cordial networking application Facebook registered very much than 175 one thousand thousand industrious work placers. To put that number in perspective, this is only slightly less than the population of Brazil (190 meg) and over double the population of Germany (80 trillion)At the identical time, every minute, 10 hours of gist were uploaded to the flick sharing weapons pl at general anatomy YouTube. And, the image hosting site Flickr provided access to over 3 one thousand million photographs, making the world-famous Louvre * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses emailprotected eu (A. M. Kaplan), emailprotected eu (M. Haenlein). Museums collection of 300,000 objects seem tiny in comparison. fit to Forrester Research, 75% of meshwork surfers use Social Media in the second quarter of 2008 by joining companionable networks, reading blogs, or contri furthering reviews to shopping sites this represents a signi? ant rise from 56% in 2007. The growth is not limited to teenagers, either members of Generation X, direct 3544 years old, increasingly populate the ranks of joiners, spectators, and critics. It is therefore reasonable to presuppose that Social Media represent a r exploitationary new-made trend that should be of interest to companies operating in online spaceor any space, for that matter. Yet, not too many ? rms seem to act comfortably in a world where consumers can speak so foreswearly 0007-6813/$ see front matter 2009 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University.All rights reserved. doi10. 1016/j. bushor. 2009. 09. 003 60 with each new(prenominal) and businesses learn increasingly less control over the reading easy practical(prenominal)ly them in cyberspace. Today, if an meshwork user types the name of any leading brand into the Google search, what comes up among the top ? ve results typically includes not only the unified weather vanepage, but in addition the corresponding intromission in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Here, for example, customers can read that the 2007 model of Hasbros Easy-Bake Oven whitethorn lead to serious burns on childrens hands and ? gers due to a poorly-designed oven door, and that the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company has been accused of using child labor in its Liberian rubber factory. Historically, companies were able to control the in signifieration available ab disc over them through strategically placed press announcements and good public relations carry awayrs. Today, however, ? rms have been increasingly relegated to the sidelines as mere observers, having neither the knowledge nor the chanceor, sometimes, even the rightto alter publicly have a bun in the ovened comments provided by their customers. Wikipedia, for example, expressly forbids the participation of ? ms in its online community. Such an evolution may not be surprising. after all, the Internet started out as nothing more than than a giant Bulletin Board System (BBS) that curbed users to convert softwargon, data, messages, and news with each other. The late mid-nineties saw a popularity surge in homepages, whereby the Average Joe could shargon information round his private life todays equivalent would be the weblog, or blog. The era of corporate web pages and e-commerce started relatively recently with the launch of Amazon and eBay in 1995, and got a right ticking-off only 6 years later when the dot-com bubble burst in 2001.The current trend toward Social Media can therefore be seen as an evolution back to the Internets roots, since it retransforms the ara Wide Web to what it was initially created for a platform to facilitate information exchange mingled with users. But does that mean that Social Media is just old vino in new bottles? Probably not As we allow for delve into further, the expert advances that have been made over the past 20 years now alter a form of realistic subject field sharing that is fundamentally different from, and more powerful than, the BBS of the late 1970s.This article discusses the challenges and opportunities that emerge from this evolution for ? rms, and provides structure to crack understand the rapidly evolving ? eld of Social Media. We begin by providing a de? nition and classi? cation of Social Media by looking at their historical roots, technical speci? cities, and differences from other entities such as Web 2. 0 and User Generated Content. We then focus on six types of Social Mediacollaborative projects, blogs, A. M. Kaplan, M. Haenlein content communities, social networking sites, practical(prenominal) game worlds, and virtual social worldsand present ways in which companies can ef? iently make use of these applications. Based on this analysis, we then derive a s spirit of 10 recommendations companies should follow when thinking about building their own Social Media strategy, be it with reckon to these aforementioned types or other applications which might emerge in the future. 2. What is Social MediaAnd what is it not? As lavishlylighted, the idea behind Social Media is far from groundbreaking. Nevertheless, there seems to be confusion among managers and academic researchers alike as to what exactly should be included under this term, and how Social Media differ from the seemingly-interchangeable related concepts of Web 2. and User Generated Content. It therefore makes sense to take a step back and provide insight regarding where Social Media come from and what they include. By 1979, Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis from Duke University had created the Usenet, a world roomy discussion system that allowed Internet users to post public messages. Yet, the era of Social Media as we understand it today probably started about 20 years earlier, when Bruce and Susan Abelson founded Open Diary, an early social networking site that brought together online diary writers into one community. The term weblog was ? st used at the same time, and truncated as blog a year later when one blogger jokingly transformed the noun weblog into the sentence we blog. The growing availability of high-speed Internet access further added to the popularity of the concept, leading to the creation of social networking sites such as MySpace (in 2003) and Facebook (in 2004). This, in turn, coined the term Social Media, and contributed to the prominence it has today. The most recent addition to t his glamorous grouping has been so-called virtual worlds figurerbased simulated environments inhabited by threedimensional avatars.Perhaps the best known virtual world is that of lime Labs Second Life (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2009c). Although the list of the aforementioned applications may give some idea about what is meant by Social Media, a formal de? nition of the term ? rst requires drawing a line to two related concepts that ar frequently named in conjunction with it Web 2. 0 and User Generated Content. Web 2. 0 is a term that was ? rst used in 2004 to describe a new way in which software developers and end-users started to Users of the world, uniteThe challenges and opportunities of Social Media utilize the innovation Wide Web that is, as a platform whereby content and applications are no longer created and published by individuals, but instead are continuously modi? ed by all users in a participatory and collaborative fashion. While applications such as individual(prenominal) ised web pages, Encyclopedia Britannica Online, and the idea of content publishing belong to the era of Web 1. 0, they are replaced by blogs, wikis, and collaborative projects in Web 2. 0. Although Web 2. 0 does not refer to any speci? technical modify of the World Wide Web, there is a set of basic functionalities that are necessary for its functioning. Among them are adobe Flash (a popular method for adding animation, interactivity, and audio/video streams to web pages), RSS (Really Simple Syndication, a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content, such as blog entries or news headlines, in a standardized format), and AJAX (Asynchronous Java Script, a proficiency to retrieve data from web servers asynchronously, allowing the update of web content without interfering with the display and behavior of the whole page).For the point of our article, we consider Web 2. 0 as the platform for the evolution of Social Media. When Web 2. 0 represents the ideologica l and technological foundation, User Generated Content (UGC) can be seen as the sum of all ways in which stack make use of Social Media. The term, which achieved broad popularity in 2005, is normally applied to describe the various forms of media content that are publicly available and created by end-users. According to the government activity for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, 2007), UGC take to ful? l three basic requirements in order to be considered as such ? rst, it needs to be published either on a publicly accessible website or on a social networking site accessible to a selected group of pot second, it needs to show a certain amount of creative effort and ? nally, it needs to have been created outside of professional routines and practices. The ? rst condition excludes content interchange in e-mails or instant messages the second, mere replications of already existing content (e. g. , posting a copy of an existing newspaper article on a ad hominem blog wit hout any modi? ations or commenting) and the third, all content that has been created with a commercial market scene in mind. While UGC has already been available former to Web 2. 0, as discussed above, the combination of technological drivers (e. g. , increased broadband availability and hardware capacity), economic drivers (e. g. , increased availability of tools for the creation of UGC), and social drivers (e. g. , rise of a generation of digital natives and screenagers younger age groups with substantial technical knowledge and 1 willingness to engage online) make UGC nowadays fundamentally different from what was observed in the early 1980s. Based on these clari? cations of Web 2. 0 and UGC, it is now straightforward to give a more stoped de? nition of what we mean by Social Media. In our viewand as used hereinSocial Media is a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2. 0, and that allow the creation and exchan ge of User Generated Content. Within this general de? ition, there are various types of Social Media that need to be distinguished further. However, although most people would probably agree that Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, and Second Life are all part of this large group, there is no systematic way in which different Social Media applications can be categorized. Also, new sites appear in cyberspace every day, so it is important that any classi? cation scheme takes into account applications which may be forthcoming. To create such a classi? cation scheme, and to do so in a systematic manner, we rely on a set of theories in the ? ld of media research (social presence, media richness) and social processes (self- launching, self-disclosure), the two key elements of Social Media. Regarding the media-related gene of Social Media, social presence theory (Short, Williams, & Christie, 1976) states that media differ in the degree of social presencede? ned as the acoustic, visual, and phys ical contact that can be achievedthey allow to emerge between two communication partners. Social presence is in? uenced by the intimacy (interpersonal vs. mediated) and immediacy (asynchronous vs. ynchronous) of the strong point, and can be expected to be deject for mediated (e. g. , telephone conversation) than interpersonal (e. g. , face-to-face discussion) and for asynchronous (e. g. , e-mail) than synchronous (e. g. , live chat) communications. The high the social presence, the larger the social in? uence that the communication partners have on each others behavior. Closely related to the idea of social presence is the concept of media richness. Media richness theory (Daft & Lengel, 1986) is based on the assumption that the determination of any communication is the resolution of ambiguity and the reduction of uncertainty.It states that media differ in the degree of richness they possessthat is, the amount of information they allow to be communicable in a given time interval and that therefore some media are more effective than others in resolving ambiguity and uncertainty. Applied to the context of Social Media, we assume that a ? rst classi? cation can be made based on the richness of the medium and the degree of social presence it allows. With respect to the social dimension of Social Media, the concept of self-presentation states that 2 in any type of social interaction people have the desire to control the impressions other people form of them (Goffman, 1959). On the one hand, this is done with the objective of in? uencing others to gain rewards (e. g. , make a positive impression on your future in-laws) on the other hand, it is driven by a wish to create an image that is consistent with ones personal identity (e. g. , wearing a fashionable out? t in order to be perceived as young and trendy). The key reason why people decide to create a personal webpage is, for example, the wish to present themselves in cyberspace (Schau & Gilly, 2003).Usually, su ch a presentation is done through self-disclosure that is, the conscious or unconscious revelation of personal information (e. g. , thoughts, feelings, likes, dislikes) that is consistent with the image one would like to give. Self-disclosure is a critical step in the development of close relationships (e. g. , during dating) but can also occur between complete strangers for example, when speaking about personal problems with the person seated next to you on an airplane. Applied to the context of Social Media, we assume that a second classi? ation can be made based on the degree of self-disclosure it requires and the type of self-presentation it allows. Combining both dimensions leads to a classi? cation of Social Media which we have visualized in Table 1. With respect to social presence and media richness, applications such as collaborative projects (e. g. , Wikipedia) and blogs score lowest, as they are often text-based and hence only allow for a relatively primal exchange. On t he next level are content communities (e. g. , YouTube) and social networking sites (e. g. Facebook) which, in addition to text-based communication, enable the sharing of pictures, videos, and other forms of media. On the highest level are virtual game and social worlds (e. g. , World of Warcraft, Second Life), which try to replicate all dimensions of face-to-face interactions in a virtual environment. Regarding self-presentation and self-disclosure, blogs usually score higher than collaborative projects, as the latter tend to be focused on speci? c content domains. Table 1. A. M. Kaplan, M. Haenlein In a identical spirit, social networking sites allow for more self-disclosure than content communities.Finally, virtual social worlds require a higher level of self-disclosure than virtual game worlds, as the latter are ruled by hard guidelines that force users to behave in a certain way (e. g. , as warriors in an imaginary fantasy land). We will now provide more detail on each of the se six different types of Social Media, and discuss the challenges and opportunities they offer companies. 3. The challenges and opportunities of Social Media 3. 1. Collaborative projects Collaborative projects enable the joint and simultaneous creation of content by many end-users and are, in this sense, probably the most democratic manifestation of UGC.Within collaborative projects, one differentiates between wikisthat is, websites which allow users to add, wrap up, and change text-based contentand social bookmarking applicationswhich enable the group-based collection and rating of Internet links or media content. Exemplary applications within this category include the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, a wiki currently available in more than 230 different languages, and the social bookmarking web service Delicious, which allows the storage and sharing of web bookmarks.The main idea underlying collaborative projects is that the joint effort of many actors leads to a better outcome th an any actor could achieve individually this is interchangeable to the ef? cient-market hypothesis in behavioral ? nance (Fama, 1970). From a corporate perspective, ? rms must be aware that collaborative projects are trending toward becoming the main source of information for many consumers. As such, although not everything written on Wikipedia may actually be true, it is believed to be true by more and more Internet users. This may be particularly crucial as regards corporate crises. For example, Classi? ation of Social Media by social presence/media richness and self-presentation/self-disclosure Users of the world, unite The challenges and opportunities of Social Media when online book retailer Amazon started to test the idea of dynamic pricing, comments declaring such a practice as cheating(prenominal) showed up instantaneously under the Wikipedia entry on time-based pricing. Yet, collaborative projects also provide some unique opportunities for ? rms. Finnish handset manufact urer Nokia, for instance, uses internal wikis to update employees on project status and to trade ideas, which are used by about 20% of its 68,000 staff members.Likewise, American computer software company Adobe Systems maintains a list of bookmarks to company-related websites and conversations on Delicious. 63 3. 3. Content communities The main objective of content communities is the sharing of media content between users. Content communities exist for a wide range of different media types, including text (e. g. , BookCrossing, via which 750,000+ people from over 130 countries share books), photos (e. g. , Flickr), videos (e. g. , YouTube), and PowerPoint presentations (e. g. , Slideshare). Users on content communities are not required to create a personal pro? e page if they do, these pages usually only contain basic information, such as the date they joined the community and the number of videos shared. From a corporate viewpoint, content communities carry the risk of being used a s platforms for the sharing of copyright-protected materials. While major content communities have rules in place to ban and remove such illegal content, it is dif? cult to avoid popular videossuch as recent episodes of comedy dramasbeing uploaded to YouTube only hours after they have been aired on television.On the positive side, the high popularity of content communities makes them a very attr progressive contact channel for many ? rms this is easy to believe when one considers that YouTube serves over 100 million videos per day. In 2007, Procter & Gamble organized a contest for its over-the-counter drug Pepto-Bismol, whereby users were encouraged to upload to YouTube 1-minute videos of themselves singing about the ailments Pepto-Bismol counteracts, including heartburn and nausea. In a similar spirit, kitchen appliances manufacturer Blendtec became popular for its bevy of inexpensive Will it blend? videos, which have been watched by millions of people. Other ? rms, such as Cisco and Google, rely on content communities to share recruiting videos, as well as keynote speeches and press announcements, with their employees and investors. 3. 2. Blogs Blogs, which represent the earliest form of Social Media, are special types of websites that usually display date-stamped entries in reverse chronological order (OECD, 2007). They are the Social Media equivalent of personal web pages and can come in a multitude of different variations, from personal diaries describing the authors life to summaries of all relevant information in one speci? content area. Blogs are usually managed by one person only, but provide the possibility of interaction with others through the addition of comments. Due to their historical roots, text-based blogs are still by far the most common. Nevertheless, blogs have also begun to take different media formats. For example, San Francisco-based Justin. tv allows users to create personalized television channels via which they can broadcast images from their webcam in real time to other users. Many companies are already using blogs to update employees, customers, and shareholders on developments they consider to be important.Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun Microsystems, maintains a personal blog to improve the transparency of his company so does self-propelling giant General Motors. Yet, as is the case with collaborative projects, blogs do not come without risks. These generally present in two fashions. First, customers whofor one reason or anotherturn out to be dissatis? ed with or disappointed by the companys offerings may decide to engage in virtual complaints in the form of protest websites or blogs (Ward & Ostrom, 2006), which results in the availability of electromotive forcely damaging information in online space.Second, once ? rms encourage employees to be active on blogs, they may need to live with the consequences of staff members writing negatively about the ? rm. Microsofts former technical evangelist Robert Scoble , for example, had a tendency to ? ercely criticize the products of his employer earlier he decided to leave the Redmond-based software company in 2006. 3. 4. Social networking sites Social networking sites are applications that enable users to connect by creating personal information pro? les, inviting friends and colleagues to have access to those pro? es, and sending e-mails and instant messages between each other. These personal pro? les can include any type of information, including photos, video, audio ? les, and blogs. According to Wikipedia, the largest social networking sites are U. S. -based Facebook (initially founded by Mark Zuckerberg to stay in touch with his fellow students from Harvard University) and MySpace (with 1,500 employees and more than 250 million registered users). Social networking sites are of such high popularity, speci? cally among younger Internet 4 users, that the term Facebook addict has been included in the Urban Dictionary, a collaborative project focused on developing a mount dictionary for the English language. Several companies are already using social networking sites to support the creation of brand communities (Muniz & OGuinn, 2001) or for marketing research in the context of netnography (Kozinets, 2002). To promote the movie Fred Claus, a 2007 Christmas comedy ? lm, Warner Brothers created a Facebook pro? le via which visitors could watch trailers, download graphics, and play games.Likewise, the Adidas custom association football community on MySpace allows visitors to associate themselves with one of two brands of elite soccer cleats produced by the German sports apparel manufacturer, and to access product reviews and information on professional soccer players who play using their shoes. Some ? rms even go one step further and use Facebook as a distribution channel. Consider U. S. -based ? orist 1-800-Flowers. com, which offers a convenience on Facebook called Gimme Love whereby users can send virtual bouquets to f riends or, with a click of the mouse, be directly transferred to the companys website to send real ? wers. A. M. Kaplan, M. Haenlein hunterstarts to more and more closely resemble their real life personality. Besides their use for ingame advert (similar in idea to product placement in blockbuster movies), the high popularity of virtual game worlds can also be leveraged in more traditional communication campaigns. Japanese automotive giant Toyota, for example, used pictures and mechanics from the World of Warcraft application in its latest Tundra commercial to reach the 2. 5 million players in the U. S. lone. 3. 6. Virtual social worlds The second group of virtual worlds, often referred to as virtual social worlds, allows inhabitants to choose their behavior more freely and essentially live a virtual life similar to their real life. As in virtual game worlds, virtual social world users appear in the form of avatars and interact in a three-dimensional virtual environment however, in this realm, there are no rules restricting the range of possible interactions, except for basic physical laws such as gravity.This allows for an unlimited range of self presentation strategies, and it has been shown that with increasing usage intensity and consumption experience, users of virtual social worldsor residents, as they prefer to be calledshow behavior that more and more closely mirrors the one observed in real life settings (Haenlein & Kaplan, 2009 Kaplan & Haenlein, 2009a, 2009b). Arguably, the most prominent example of virtual social worlds is the Second Life application, founded and managed by the San Francisco-based company Linden Research Inc.Besides doing everything that is possible in real life (e. g. , speaking to other avatars, taking a walk, enjoying the virtual sunshine), Second Life also allows users to create content (e. g. , to design virtual clothing or furniture items) and to sell this content to others in exchange for Linden Dollars, a virtual currency t raded against the U. S. Dollar on the Second Life Exchange. Some residents are so successful in this task that the virtual money earned that way complements their real life income.Virtual social worlds offer a multitude of opportunities for companies in marketing (advertising/communication, virtual product sales/v-Commerce, marketing research), and human resource and internal process management for a more detailed discussion, see Kaplan and Haenlein (2009c). 3. 5. Virtual game worlds Virtual worlds are platforms that replicate a threedimensional environment in which users can appear in the form of personalized avatars and interact with each other as they would in real life.In this sense, virtual worlds are probably the ultimate manifestation of Social Media, as they provide the highest level of social presence and media richness of all applications discussed thus far. Virtual worlds come in two forms. The ? rst, virtual game worlds, require their users to behave fit in to strict ru les in the context of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). These applications have gained popularity in recent years, as standard game consolessuch as Microsofts X-Box and Sonys PlayStationnow allow simultaneous play among a multitude of users around the globe.Examples of virtual game worlds include the cod-medieval World of Warcraft, which counts around 8. 5 million subscribers who explore the virtual planet of Azeroth in the form of humans, dwarves, orcs, or night elves, to ? ght monsters or to search for treasure and Sonys EverQuest, in which 16 different races of players (e. g. , wizards, clerics) give-up the ghost the fantasy world of Norrath. The rules of such games usually limit the degree of self-presentation and self-disclosure possible, although some users spend so much time with these applications that their characterbe it a warrior, a wizard, or a dragon . Ten pieces of advice for companies deciding to use Social Media Social Media is a very active and fast-moving domain. What may be up-to-date today could have Users of the world, unite The challenges and opportunities of Social Media disappeared from the virtual landscape tomorrow. It is therefore crucial for ? rms to have a set of guidelines that can be applied to any form of Social Media, whether they are part of the aforementioned list or not. Next, we provide such a set of recommendations. Given that Social Media have both a social- and a media-component, we split our advice into two sections ? e points about using media and ? ve points about being social. 65 4. 1. Five points about using media 4. 1. 1. Choose carefully there are dozensif not hundredsof Social Media applications, and new ones are appearing on the horizon every day. If you still need time to run your core business, you simply cannot participate in them all, especially since being active is one key requirement of success (see below). Choosing the right medium for any given purpose depends on the target gr oup to be reached and the message to be communicated.On the one hand, each Social Media application usually attracts a certain group of people and ? rms should be active wherever their customers are present. For example, if your main target audience is book lovers, a content community via which users share self-written novels or poems is likely better suited to your purpose than a virtual world which centers on ? ghting dragons and ? nding treasures. On the other hand, there may be situations whereby certain features are necessary to cover effective communication, and these features are only offered by one speci? c application. For example, when the U. S.Army undertook an initiative in 2007 to reach the Hispanic community, it decided to utilize the social networking site Univision quite a than the more popular Facebook. This choice was driven in part by the fact that Univisiona Spanish-language television network in the U. S. and Puerto Ricois the social networking application wit h the largest Latin American audience, due to an extensive range of telenovelas and Mexican programs produced by Grupo Televisa. However, another reason Univision was chosen is because it offers a moderating service which checks comments from users for appropriateness onward posting them on the site.In contrast, other applications, including Facebook, allow users to post messages without supervision. 4. 1. 2. Pick the application, or make your own Once you know which game youre playing, the next closing involves whether to make or buy. In some cases, it might just be best to join an existing Social Media application and bene? t from its popularity and user base. aft(prenominal) all, there is no need to reinvent the wheel if somebody has already done it, especially given that Social Media show positive network externalities in the sense that they get more attractive to join the more participants they already have.But in some cases, the right application might just not be available yet. Japans Fuji? lm, for example, recently launched its own social network to build a community of photo enthusiasts. In a similar spirit, U. S. -based department store ? rm Sears collaborated with MTV music television to create a social network around back-to-school shopping. Yet, whatever the ultimate decisionto buy, make, or both it is zippy that there is an understanding of the basic idea behind Social Media. Its all about participation, sharing, and collaboration, rather than straightforward advertising and selling. 4. 1. 3.Ensure activity alignment sometimes you may decide to rely on various Social Media, or a set of different applications within the same group, in order to have the largest possible reach. In this case, it is crucial to ensure that your Social Media activities are all aligned with each other. A prime example in this context is computer manufacturer Dell and its Digital Nomads campaign. Dell uses a combination of social networking sites (Facebook, LinkedIn), blogs, and content communities (YouTube videos) to show how its range of laptop computers enable individuals to become a erratic energetic workforce.In a similar spirit, Chryslers Jeep brand connects with its customers by combining photos shared on the content community Flickr, with groups on social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. victimization different contact channels can be a deservingwhile and pro? table strategy. But remember one mark of communication is the resolution of ambiguity and reduction of uncertainty, and nothing is more confusing than contradicting messages across different channels. 4. 1. 4. Media plan integration What is true for different types of Social Media also holds for the relationship between Social Media and traditional media Integration is keyWhile you may consider these two arenas to be completely different, in customers eyes they are both part of the same your corporate image. Consider the actions of soft drink giant Coca-Cola. In J une 2006, a pair of performance artists shot a video featuring a series of geysers they created by dropping Mentos brand mints into 2-liter bottles of Coke the clip became a major hit on YouTube. Realizing customers enthusiasm for this performance, Coca-Cola fostered the sensation by spread the video on late-night television and ensuring broad digital distribution across different content communities.Besides the advantage of 66 high impact/low woo media coverage, the campaign also resulted in a measurable sales uplift. 4. 1. 5. Access for all Although this might sound elementary, once the ? rm has decided to utilize Social Media applications, it is worth checking that all employees may actually access them. Commonly, ? rms block Facebook, YouTube, and Second Life on corporate PCs for fear that staff might spend too much time networking instead of working. While this is certainly a consideration, it cannot imply that employees must have special permission to be able to access the c ompany blog.At the same time, there is a need to curtail the possibility of the entire organization spending all its time producing funny videos and uploading them to YouTube. One possible approach involves de? ning groups of employees whose primary objective is the management of corporate Social Media all other staff members are treated as occasional participants. Under this scenario, the ? rst group is given executive director rightswhich allows the opening of new discussion threads and deletion of inappropriate postswhile the second group is not.Also, at some point, it will be necessary to develop certain guidelines for Social Media usage as done, for instance, by Big Blue IBM, which has a corporate charta for appropriate behavior within Second Life. For example, it is important to high spot that every employee needs to identify himself or herself as such when posting a comment on the corporate blog. Otherwise, end-consumers could get the impression that anonymous accounts are used to enable employees to post fake messages and overly-positive feedback, which could severely damage the credibility of your whole Social Media campaign. A. M. Kaplan, M.Haenlein elses than it is about engaging others in open and active conversation. Participants on Social Media applications have the desire to actively engage and to become both producers and consumers of information, so-called prosumers (Tof? er, 1980). Be considerate of this need and act accordingly. 4. 2. 2. Be fire Lets face it nobody is interested in speaking to a boring person. As such, if you would like your customers to engage with you, you need to give them a reason for doing soone which go acrosss beyond saying you are the best airline in town, or manufacture the most robust kitchen blender. The ? st step is to learn to your customers. Find out what they would like to hear what they would like to talk about what they might ? nd interesting, enjoyable, and valuable. Then, develop and post content that ? ts those expectations. Coffee powerhouse Starbucks, for example, created the My Starbucks topic platform, via which customers can submit new ideas for the company. These ideas are subsequently voted on by other users, with the winners being considered for implementation by Starbucks top management. As stated by Oscar Wilde in his novel, The Picture of Dorian Grey The one sin for which there is no forgiveness is ennui. . 2. 3. Be humble Never forget that Social Media existed originally you decided to engage in them indeed, in many cases, even before you knew about their existence. In this light, do not expect that you know better how to use them than others who have spent countless hours on Facebook or Second Life, for example. Before you enter any application, ? rst take some time to discover it and to learn about its history and basic rules. Only once you have gained the necessary understanding, start to participate. When aerospace and defense ? rm Boeing decided to launch its ? st corporate blog, the site was designed such that users were not allowed to comment on what they saw. Yet, interaction and feedback are critical elements of all Social Media, blogs included. Hence, many readers perceived the Boeing blog as a fake, and simply corporate advertising in disguise. If there is one certain path to failure, it involves thinking that Social Media is just about posting existing TV spots on YouTube or putting prefabricated press announcements on corporate blogs. 4. 2. 4. Be unprofessional Have you ever noticed that in Hollywood blockbuster ? ms, its not usually the handsome guy who ends up with the girl, but rather the clumsy, charming one? The same goes for Social Media, and ? rms 4. 2. Five points about being social 4. 2. 1. Be active If you want to develop a relationship with someone, it is always advisable to take the lead and to be active. Social Media are all about sharing and interaction, so ensure that your content is always fresh and that you enga ge in discussions with your customers. Consider the aforementioned blog kept by Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz. Via this outlet, the ? urehead discusseson an current basishis corporate strategy, new product development projects, and company values, and replies directly to correspondence received. In considering your Social Media efforts, be aware that ? rm involvement must extend beyond responding to negative comments and defending product offerings. Social Media is less about explaining why your baking mix, detergent, or shampoo is better than anyone Users of the world, unite The challenges and opportunities of Social Media would be wise to avoid overly-professional content offerings.Theres no need to spend $100,000 to design the perfect MySpace presence, or hire a professional writer to manage your corporate blog. Instead, try to blend in with other users and dont be afraid to make mistakes Bill Marriott, Chairman and CEO of the Marriott International Hotel chain, uses hi s blog, for example, to post regular updates and stories from his travels to Marriott properties around the worldvery much in the same way as would a work colleague when describing her last vacation. Social Media users are people like you, who understand that things do not always go smoothly.And, if youre nice to them, they may even give you free advice on how to do it better the next time. 4. 2. 5. Be honest Last but not least, be honest and respect the rules of the game. Some Social Mediasuch as Wikipedia may not allow companies to be involved, so do not try to force your way in. Consider Anheuser-Busch, owner of SeaWorld marine mammal parks. Anheuser-Busch tried to determine misleading information on Wikipedia through the use of PR ? rms, and failed miserably at it. Never expect that other participants may not ? d out who stands behind some anonymous user account after all, youre dealing with some of the most technologically sophisticated people on the planet. 67 5. Nothing to l ose but their chains Today, everything is about Social Media. Some industry gurus claim that if you do not participate in Facebook, YouTube, and Second Life, you are not part of cyberspace anymore. Social Media allow ? rms to engage in timely and direct end-consumer contact at relatively low cost and higher levels of ef? ciency than can be achieved with more traditional communication tools.This makes Social Media not only relevant for large multinational ? rms, but also for small and medium sized companies, and even nonpro? t and governmental agencies. Using Social Media is not an easy task and may require new ways of thinking, but the authority gains are far from being negligible. Dell, for example, states that its use of Twittera micro blogging application that allows sending out short, text-based posts of 140 characters or lesshas generated $1 million in incremental revenue due to sales alerts. Some ? ms may even be too successful for their own good, as illustrated by Burger Kin gs Whopper Sacri? ce campaign In December 2008, the fast food giant developed a Facebook application which gave users a free Whopper sandwich for every 10 friends they deleted from their Facebook network. The campaign was adopted by over 20,000 users, resulting in the sacri? cing of 233,906 friends in exchange for free burgers. Only one month later, in January 2009, Facebook shut down Whopper Sacri? ce, citing privacy concerns. Who would have thought that the price of a friendship is less than $2 a dozen?A new trend is on the horizon, though Watch out for planetary Social Media Mobile Web 2. 0 is very similar to Web 2. 0, as discussed earlier. In contrast to its predecessor Mobile Web 1. 0, which relied on proprietary protocols (e. g. , WAP) and use-based pricing, Mobile Web 2. 0 is characterized by open standards (e. g. , a transition to the transmission control protocol/IP protocol, the technical foundation of the World Wide Web) and ? at-rate systems. Even the manual entry of w eb addresses using small and dif? cult-to-handle keyboards is becoming history.Soon, all items around you will be equipped with Radio Frequency Identi? cation (RFID) tags that will be able to automatically connect to your mobile phone and send URLs to them, similar to todays text messages. This technical evolution is laying the groundwork for moving Social Media applications away from desktop PCs and laptops, toward mobile devices. Why log into Facebook if you can easily update all your friends using Twitter? Why wait until you return home to watch the new YouTube video if you can do so conveniently on your iPhone? According to Jupiter Research, the market for Mobile Web 2. evolutions will grow from a mere $5. 5 billion today to an impressive $22. 4 billion by 2013. Mobile Social Media applications are expected to be the main driver of this evolution, soon accounting for over 50% of the market. In one way, this surge toward Mobile Social Media can even be seen as another step toward Internet democratization and closing the digital divide between developed and appear countries. In India, for example, mobile phones outnumber PCs by 10 to 1. In Thailand, only 13% of the population owns a computer, versus 82% who have access to a mobile phone.It is therefore not surprising that the Pew Research Centera Washington-based think tankestimates that by 2020, a mobile device will be the primary Internet connection tool for most people in the world. Making Social Media applications mobile is likely to tap a currently untapped base of new users. Even if percapita spending in these countries may still be low, vast population numbers make them relevant for virtually any ? rm. Obviously, Mobile Social Media does not come without a price. Some would argue that while it enables the detailed following of friends half-way across the world, it can foster a rescript where we dont now the names of our own next-door neighbors. Be that as it may, and independent of 68 whether or no t one approves of such an evolution, it seems undisputable that (Mobile) Social Media will be the locomotive via which the World Wide Web evolves. Businesses, take noteand dont miss this train A. M. Kaplan, M. Haenlein Kaplan, A. M. , & Haenlein, M. (2009b). Consumers, companies, and virtual social worlds A qualitative analysis of Second Life. Advances in Consumer Research, 36(1), 873874. Kaplan, A. M. , & Haenlein, M. (2009c). The fairyland of Second Life About virtual social worlds and how to use them.Business Horizons, 52(6), 563572. Kozinets, R. V. (2002). The ? eld behind the screen Using netnography for marketing research in online communities. Journal of Marketing Research, 39(1), 6172. Muniz, A. M. , & OGuinn, T. C. (2001). Brand community. Journal of Consumer Research, 27(4), 412432. OECD. (2007). Participative web and user-created content Web 2. 0, wikis, and social networking. Paris Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Schau, H. J. , & Gilly, M. C. (200 3). We are what we post? Selfpresentation in personal web space. Journal of Consumer Research, 30(3), 385404.Short, J. , Williams, E. , & Christie, B. (1976). The social psychology of telecommunications. Hoboken, NJ John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Tof? er, A. (1980). The third wave The classic excogitate of tomorrow. New York Bantam Books. Ward, J. C. , & Ostrom, A. L. (2006). Complaining to the masses The role of protest framing in customer-created complaint web sites. Journal of Consumer Research, 33(2), 220230. References Daft, R. L. , & Lengel, R. H. (1986). Organizational information requirements, media richness, and structural design. focus Science, 32(5), 554571. Fama, E. F. (1970).Ef? cient capital markets A review of theory and empirical work. Journal of Finance, 25(2), 383417. Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. New York Doubleday Anchor Books. Haenlein, M. , & Kaplan, A. M. (2009). Flagship brand stores within virtual worlds The impact of virtual stor e exposure on real life brand attitudes and purchase intent. Recherche et Applications en Marketing 24(3). Kaplan, A. M. , & Haenlein, M. (2009a). Consumer use and business potential of virtual worlds The case of Second Life. The International Journal on Media Management 11(3).

Capsule 2 Revised Version Essay

Jose Antonio Vargas wrote Outlaw My Life In America As An Undocumented Immigrant, for the New York Times (June 22, 2011), and in it, he claims that being an illegal immigrant is more complicated than it seems on the surface. Like Vargas, many a(prenominal) illegal immigrants are often sent to America at young ages and have to hide their true identities to succeed. Vargas develops this fact when he begins to adapt to his new life and continues to fake documents and lie to those around him to maintain his place in America. Vargass purpose for writing is to settle to that immigrants come to America seeking endless opportunity to gain success however often have to do this by deceit. Vargas does this by telling his story in this narrative to grasp the interest of other immigrants. He acknowledges the fraudulent identity he has developed, that clashes with his morals and his character and creates major(ip) issues while growing up and trying to adapt to society.Vargas unfolds his story by first discussing how he is forced to migrate to America. This immediately resembles many of those who came to America at a very young age and also had to find their own way to success while maintaining confidentiality. Vargas originally doesnt understand the struggles he bequeath face in society. His family, the beginning of his support system, creates his fake identity without his knowledge while he was at a young age. He discovered the virtue while attempting to get his drivers permit (Vargas 326), and when he gets turned down he began his pursuit to prove to everyone around him that he is American. Vargas sharing his take in at the DMV and how it taught him how to adjust easier to society without others noticing his illegal status, makes the narrative more relatable and somebodyalized. Once he realizes he is an immigrant and isnt welcomed in society, he understands the hostility attached to the enunciate he is given by his family and by Americans. Throughout Vargass writi ng, he continues to find ways to relate to other immigrants using his profession that is all some truth-telling (Vargas, 330). He discusses the issue of finding ferment in journalism which is his passion and finding jobs are often major issues for immigrants. He also talks more or less the constant sense of deficiency and dislocation he felt living in America and having to live a fabricated lifestyle.Vargass purpose was eternally encouraged throughout his story to pursue his dreams which gave him the incentive to keep pushing regardless of his unknown legal status. Vargas shows that if he increases the amount of work he achieves he can gain citizenship even if he lies about who he is to do so. Vargas and his family make multiple sacrifices, that could reveal their secrets, in order to grant him some gentle of way into success. When he got the hang of living in America undocumented, it became the norm for him, and he had no intention of acknowledging his problem (Vargas 331). Va rgas clings to the new version of himself and constantly overcomes his hardships to prove his citizenship. His determination consumed his morals and he forgot about his integrity to maintain success. On the surface, he seems like the perfect American citizen living The American Dream (Vargas, 326) but he knows deep down that his career validated his success and his presence. Vargas used the idea of using hard work to gain citizenship to encourage him to continue covert his legal status especially since claiming full citizenship was actually easier than declaring permanent resident (Vargas, 328). His fabricated lifestyle allowed him to succeed professionally for the majority of his life, proving that his hard work does use up the displacement he felt as an immigrant. Vargas allows people to just see the surface qualities he displays to validate his presence here (Vargas, 327) and to keep his secret more concealed. The image he creates as an outlaw becomes the only life he knows and coming to terms with the truth was definitely liberating.Vargas attacks the ideas of what an illegal immigrant really is, a person searching for a dream that America displays but doesnt fulfill. There is obvious tension in America when it comes to how society defines them. The article as a whole makes an attempt at reaching out to other immigrants who are experiencing the same struggles. Vargas does this by telling his story to be authentic. Understanding that the life of a successful immigrant is possible if your dreams for a better future are your constant motivation, is the purpose that Vargas had for writing this piece. Vargas constantly uses his narrative to show that even though many immigrants develop an identity established in deceit, their struggles emotionally, mentally, and socially, help shape them and in the end make them the American citizens they fight to be. Vargas proves that once you value hard work it makes it easier to earn status and build an identity for yours elf.

Bu204 Macroeconomics Unit 2 Assignment

Renea Frymoyer BU204 01 kinsfolk 29, 2012 ? Questions 1. A representative of the Ameri crapper turn industry recently made the following statement Workers in Asia often make believe in sweatshop conditions earning only pennies an hour. American workers are more(prenominal) productive and as a result earn higher reinforcement. In high society to preserve the dignity of the American workplace, the government should enact legislation censor imports of low-wage Asiatic garment. declaration the following a. Which parts of this quote are positive statements? Which parts are normative statements?Positive statements are claims that attempt to describe the world as it is (Mankiw, 2011, p. 31). Normative statements are claims that attempt to prescribe how the world should be (Mankiw, 2011, p. 31). Positive statements * Workers in Asia often work in sweatshop conditions earning only pennies an hour. * American workers are more productive and as a result earn higher wages. Normativ e statements * In order to preserve the dignity of the American workplace, the government should enact legislation banning imports of low-wage Asian change state. b.Would such a policy make some Americans better send off without making any separate Americans worse off? Explain who, and wherefore. In order to preserve the dignity of the American workplace, the government should enact legislation banning imports of low-wage Asian clothing. Sweatshops once existed in the United States. With the accumulation of capital, technology was developed and implemented workers became more educated, productive and their income increased and working conditions improved (Hendrickson, 2006). This is the process of scotch development.The explosion of sweatshops abroad has led to the decline of the apparel industry in the United States (Hendrickson, 2006). Economists are known to curb conflicting views due to differences in set and perceptions (Mankiw, 2011, p. 34-35). Economist Josh Hendricks on believes it is in the best interest of Americans to import garments at lower appeal because it allows the United States to focus capital and educated and skilled labor movement on ventures and enterprises that increase the standard of living and overall wealth of our country (2006).The United States has an absolute advantage in producing apparel and the prospect cost is higher. Conversely, third-world countries with sweatshops have a comparative advantage and the opportunity cost is lower (Mankiw, 2011, p. 54-56). In regards to the preservation of dignity, sweatshops offer troubles where none existed before. Voluntary sweatshop workers are generally paid salubrious in comparison to many an(prenominal) in their country. The concern really should be for those who have jobs that pay less with worse working conditions and for those who have no job (Hendrickson, 2006). The standard of living in the locality of sweatshops increases.United States workers are incited to become edu cated and work hard to obtain high paying jobs. The majority do not feel in competition with third-world sweatshop workers. c. Would low-wage Asian workers benefit from or be hurt by such a policy, and why? Without a doubt, low-wage Asian workers would not benefit from such a policy. First, due to the difference in sparing development and the standard of living, we cannot compare wages in the United States with (sweatshop) wages in third-world countries. Asian sweatshops generally offer their workers higher wages and acceptable working conditions.Because the work is manual, hours are long and productivity is low. Realizing that many have jobs with lower wages and worse working conditions or no jobs at all (Hendrickson, 2006), voluntary sweatshop workers are glad to have their jobs and enjoy a higher standard of living. 2. Referring to the equivalent situation in question 1, but instead of legislation banning the imports, assume that the government enacts a special tax on imported clothing that is so high that the wandering price of the imports would be equal to the selling price of the same clothing made in America.This kind of tax is called a tariff and is enacted to protect domestic pleadrs of the same items that can be imported at much lower costs. Answer the following a. What would shoppers see when they shopped in Wal-Mart and the other big box stores that sell so many imported items? If the government enacted a special tax on imported clothing making the selling price equal to the selling price of clothing made in the United States, shoppers would see imported items with much higher prices in discount stores.If the prices of clothing made in sweatshops and in the United States were comparative, shoppers would consider the trade-offs and opt to buy clothing made in the United States for higher quality, loyalty to United States workers, and the wellness of our delivery (Mankiw, 2011, p. 4). Wal-Mart and big-box stores that sell so many imported cloth ing items would see a decrease in sales. Shoppers would choose to buy clothing at stores that sell clothing made in the United States. These stores would see an increase in sales. b.Would this tax policy have a better effect, worse effect, or no different effect on American workers than the legislation banning the imports discussed in question 1? What kind of effect would the tax have on the Asian workers? Trade between two countries can make each country better off (Mankiw, 2011, p. 10). Third-world countries with sweatshops have a comparative advantage in producing clothing at a lower opportunity cost (Mankiw, 2011, p. 54-56). Sweatshops play a vital role in economic development by bringing investment, technology, and the opportunity for workers to build skills and improve their standard of living.By importing clothing, the United States is allowed to focus capital and educated and skilled workers on more lucrative ventures and enterprises aimed at advancing economic development a nd our standard of living (Hendrickson, 2006). Trade allows countries to specialize in the activities they do best and to benefit from a multiplicity of goods and services at lower cost (Mankiw, 2011, p. 10). The tax would negate the economic development of third-world countries with sweatshops. Further, when Americans purchase imported goods and services, we are in effect, providing aid to poorer countries. . Atlantis is a small, isolated island in the South Atlantic. The inhabitants grow potatoes and soak up fresh fish. The accompanying table shows the maximum one-year output combinations of potatoes and fish that can be produced. Obviously, given their limited resources and available technology, as they use more of their resources for potato outturn, there are few resources available for catching fish. Maximum annual output options Quantity of potatoes Quantity of fish (pounds) (pounds) A 1,000 0B 800 300 C 600 500 D 400 600 E 200 650 F 0 675 a. Examine the Maximum annual out put options table above and the resulting Production calamity Frontier Graph below and answer parts b f. Production Possibility Frontier Graph b. Can Atlantis produce 500 pounds of fish and 800 pounds of potatoes? Explain. The economy of Atlantis can produce any combination of fish and potatoes on or inside the frontier. Given the economys resources, points outside the frontier are not feasible (Mankiw, 2001, p. 26).Because point b is outside of the frontier, Atlantis does not have the resources to produce 500 pounds of fish and 800 pounds of potatoes. c. What is the opportunity cost of increasing the annual output of potatoes from 600 to 800 pounds? If the annual output of potatoes is increased to 800 pounds, only 300 pounds of fish can be produced. Because the production possibilities frontier is bowed outward, the opportunity cost of potatoes is highest when the economy is many pounds of potatoes and fewer pounds of fish. It is sharp at point 800/300.When producing fewer pound s of potatoes and many pounds of fish, the frontier is flatter and the opportunity cost of pounds of fish is lower. It is flatter at point 600/500 (Mankiw, 2001, p. 26-27). Answer the opportunity cost is higher. d. What is the opportunity cost of increasing the annual output of potatoes from 200 to 400 pounds? If the annual output of potatoes is increased to 400 pounds, 600 pounds of fish can be produced. Because the production possibilities frontier is bowed outward, the opportunity cost of potatoes is highest when the economy is many pounds of potatoes and fewer pounds of fish.It is steeper at point 400/600. When producing fewer pounds of potatoes and many pounds of fish, the frontier is flatter and the opportunity cost of pounds of fish is lower. It is flatter at point 200/650 (Mankiw, 2001, p. 26-27). Answer the opportunity cost is lower. e. Can you explain why the answers to parts c and d are not the same? When Atlantis is apply the majority of its resources to produce pounds of fish, the resources best suited for producing pounds of potatoes are being used to produce pounds of fish.Because these workers likely are not good at producing pounds of fish, the economy will not have to forfeit producing many pounds of fish to increase producing more pounds of potatoes. The opportunity cost of pounds of potatoes is low and the frontier is flatter (Mankiw, 2001, p. 27-28). When Atlantis is using the majority of its resources to produce pounds of potatoes, the resources best suited for producing pounds of potatoes are already producing pounds of potatoes. Producing more pounds of potatoes means transferring some of the most(prenominal) skilled fishermen from producing pounds of fish to produce pounds of potatoes.Producing more pounds of potatoes will mean a significant loss in producing pounds of fish. The opportunity cost of producing pounds of potatoes is high and the frontier is steeper (Mankiw, 2001, p. 28). f. What does this imply about the slope of the pr oduction possibility frontier? The production possibilities frontier shows the trade-offs of producing fish and potatoes at a point in time. Due to a variety of circumstances, trade-offs can change. For example, the development and use of new fishing nets increases the pounds of fish that can be produced.Atlantis can now produce more pounds of fish compared to pounds of potatoes using the same resources. If Atlantis does not produce and pounds of fish, it can still produce 1,000 pounds of potatoes. One end point of the frontier stays the same (pounds of potatoes) but the rest of the production possibilities frontier shifts outward allowing economic growth (pounds of fish) (Mankiw, 2001, p. 28). The slope of the production possibilities frontier denotes the scale of the trade-off (Beggs, 2012). Beggs, Jodi. 2012). The production possibilities frontier. About. com Economics. Retrieved September 29, 2012, from http//economics. about. com/od/production-possibilities/ss/The-Production-Po ssibilities-Frontier_4. htm Hendrickson, Josh. (May 18, 2006). The economics of sweatshops. The Everyday Economist. Retrieved September 29, 2012, from http//everydayecon. wordpress. com/2006/05/18/the-economics-of-sweatshops/ Mankiw, N. Gregory. Principles of Macroeconomics. United States Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.

Much Ado About Nothing

The Jokes which society tells atomic number 18 a significant index of that societys fears and anxieties. (M. Mangan, A preface to Shakespeares comedies, 1996) If this is the case what can we mark off from oftentimes pettifoggery About Nothing about the concerns and anxieties of the society in which Shakespeare was living? Sir H Walpole once remarked that a funniness should make us think, Shakespeare exploits this function of comedy by utilizing jokes on the themes of cuckoldry, infidelity and honour to permit the audience to think about the concerns and anxieties associated with these jokes within Shakespeares society and what can be learnt from these jokes told. The figure of the Cuckold in often pettifoggery About Nothing, a husband of a wo valet de chambre who commits adultery, is a running joke throughout the play.In the play, the character benedick, who carries a misogynistic muckle of wo workforce, is the main instigator of these jokes, he enunciates that being a cucko ld is what happens when you get married and you would have to hang his bugle in an invisible baldrick and he vows never to drop out the plucking off of the bulls horns and setting them on his forehead, nitty-gritty he does not demand to get married.Even though Benedick may be slightly bestial, it is clear thither is a fear of getting married in Benedicks opinions. As Michael Mangan2 comments in Huddling jest upon jest, the jokes made in much Ado About Nothing about husbands and cuckolds aim to the audience the underlying anxieties about gender roles and about womens possible inner licence special K in Shakespeares society. The cuckold theme was the subject of many ballads and pamphlets in the Elizabethan Era.An Elizabethan Audience would have been familiar with cuckold jokes and would even probably know the place in London known as Cuckolds Haven. However, they would also affiliate to the concerns of infidelity amongst women, especially the men and some would share these mis ogynistic views and fears of women. These fears were so strong as a result of the male honour and pride which virtually men had and also the accosted idea of being the natural heirs.A newfangled-day audience would be able of relate to the ideas of adultery, as often portrayed in ensuant Dramas such as Eastenders or Coronation Street, nevertheless, they would probably not have the same fears as the Elizabethans as more people cohabit rather than unify and are more aware to such problems as adultery and that husbands are involved adultery as much as women. In most of Shakespeares comedies on that efflorescence is a shrew, an outspoken, independent, strong, female stock character, in The Taming of The Shrew this is Katerina and in ofttimes Ado About Nothing there is Beatrice.The strong female character or shrew is one of the idiotic principles that feature in all of Shakespeares comedies and moreover it, is not unusual that there are jokes aimed towards the stereotype. In the play, the men refer Beatrice as Lady Disdain and that she has a shrewd tongue being too curst. It can be acknowledged that as the men make light of Beatrices outspoken, shrewish demeanor, underneath it, they are intimidated by her intelligence and strength.An Elizabethan Audience would recognise the stock character further also correlate themselves with the anxieties of strong women. The social hierarchy was of common knowledge where divinity came low gear, wherefore the king or monarch who would be appointed by God, the man, the women and then beast. The Elizabethan men were just accepting Queen Elizabeth I, and would find it heavily to adjust to women becoming strong and independent, feeling intimidated as a strong female character placed a threat to the social hierarchy.On the contrary, a modern audience would be accustomed to the idea of the strong woman as of the female rights campaigns throughout the Twentieth Century, women now occupy a more central and public role in society. Nevertheless, sexism does still exist in all spheres of society even after womens rights In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare applies sexual innuendos as jokes to comment subtly, on the freedom sexuality in his society and the limits. In the play the sexual innuendos were remarked by women, which would appear unsung to an Elizabethan audience.In Act 1 Scene 1 Beatrice remarks whether Signor Mountanto has returned from the wars meaning Signor Benedick and the word Montanto meaning the thrust of male genitals and the mounting of a partner. Margaret also uses a sexual innuendo by commenting on the weight of a man making grinders heart heavier. It was common in Shakespeares comedies to use lower location characters to make such commons as not to offend any of the higher status audience and appeal to the lower status.Furthermore, Shakespeare has not only use these sexual innuendos to entertain the more bawdy members of the audience but also, to convey the concerns and anxi eties on sexuality in the Elizabethan era, as even though, illicit sexual behavior was not heard of in the courts and upper classes of society, it was extremely common among the lower classes and Shakespeare was trying to inconspicuously, portray his concern that the Upper classes ignored such behaviour and places such as brothels.An Elizabethan audience, would be able to relate, however, a modern day audience would be used to sexual innuendos as jokes as modern day morals are less religious and restricted. Love as a disease is an other joke used in Much Ado About Nothing, to highlight the concerns and anxieties in Shakespeares society over love.In Act 3 Scene 2 , after Benedick has apparently fallen in love with Beatrice he claims to have the toothache and sham Pedro and Claudio tease him suggesting he draws it or hang it and in Act 3 scene 4 after Beatrice has supposedly fallen in love with Benedick she claims to be sick and Margaret and wedge heel suggest cardus benedictus, a holy thistle and a clever pun on Benedicks name. Shakespeare discreetly portrays how Benedick and Beatrices alliance with their honour provokes them to fear being reliant in other soul and this explains Benedicks fear of marriage.Shakespeare is vividly commenting on the fears of love and its effects in Messina as a microcosm of Elizabethan England. An Elizabethan and a modern day audience could relate to this concern, as there are many pressures and problems that come with falling in love such as suitability, personality, appearance and many more. They could also make a connection to the effects love has on a person where it makes them a victim, oblivious to all things around them, gives them a loss of their sense of reality and a blindness to their lovers faults.In Shakespeares society panache was very topical and in Much Ado About Nothing he addresses this with jokes about fashion. In Act 2 scene 3 Benedick ponders to himself why Claudio is interested in the fashion of a new do ublet remarking that love has changed Claudio and yet, ironically, in Act 3 scene 2 Claudio and wear down Pedro teasingly comment that Benedick now has the appearance of interpret in him and that he rubs himself with civet a perfume. Furthermore, being interested in fashion was a sign of a loss of dignity and honour and a person without substance, also the theme of fashion exposes the superficiality of the male code of honour.An Elizabethan audience would appreciate the connection between fashion and a loss of dignity, whereas, in a modern day audiences society, appearances are the threading that holds together all impressions of a person and wearing the latest style or fashion has become a owing(p) necessity for most people. Subsequently, they would not comprehend the concerns and anxieties over fashion. In the Elizabethan era, the Male Code of Honour was a foundation established and seen of great impressiveness, however, in Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare exposes this code of honour, by means of jokes, to depict how shallow it was.In the play Beatrice mocks this code of honour by employment Benedick a stuffed man and a very valiant trencher man. She also remarks less humorously, manhood is melted into curtsies and that men are turned into tongue and trim ones. wherefore through Beatrice, Shakespeare discloses the concerns and anxieties of the male code of honour and how it is superficial and lacks substance in the behaviour and speech which is always very fanciful and uses a lot of overstatement Shakespeare shows this by having the men speak in verse in iambic pentameter to demonstrate them as one-dimensional.Especially, in the scene after Claudio has seen poor boy and is professing to be in love with her. An Elizabethan audience would be able to network with this theme as they would have held this code in high esteem, on the other hand, a modern day audience would not identify with why the male code of honour would be so highly valued and they w ould be concerned with matters such as money, status, fashion, love and others. In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare discreetly uses the malapropisms of the Police Constable Dogberry as a joke to debunk the concerns and fears over the law in Shakespeares society.In the play, Dogberry says such things as senseless instead of sensible, tolerable instead of intolerable and many more. These malapropisms appeal to the audience showing the humour of Dogberrys behaviour and the stereotypical behaviour the law and authorities in Elizabethan society, who were not taken seriously and often laughed at, which proved to be a major concern in that society. An Elizabethan audience would find the joke humorous but also be aware of the serious undertone, that there is an anxiety over the incompetency of the police force not keeping society safe and secure.A modern day audience would not shoulder the same fears, as the police authorities are respected and feared by law abiding citizens. Out of a ll the several factions of humour, incongruity of practical jokes are used the most in Much Ado About Nothing as forms of fraudulence. This conveys the anxieties and concerns that Shakespeare was trying to demonstrate. All of the pretence is plotted by men which parallels back to Balthasars song men were deceivers ever and prevarication comes by nature to men.In Kenneth Branaghs adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing Balthasars song is implemented with all the men listening to the song and paying particular attention to it, this places the importance on to how relevant the song is to the men of the play. In the famous gulling scenes founder Pedro, Claudio, Leonato, adept and Ursula try to bring Benedick and Beatrice into a mountain of affection with them fashioning it. As considerably, Don John and Claudio try to cross the marriage of Claudio and hoagie and they misuse the prince, to vex Claudio.As the deception of these practical jokes may appear comical, they underline the concerns, in Shakespeares society, of deception, as Shakespeare uses it in all of his comedies Twelfth Night, The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Nights Dream, As you like it and Much Ado About Nothing this illustrates that deception was not only an entertaining comic convention but a serious and sever anxiety within his society because in that stage of time there were many who tried to deceive others, however, the deception was well hidden.A modern day and an Elizabethan audience would be able to connect to this as deception was and still is a very common occurrence witnessed by many in societies. In the title of 3Peter Holindales essay on the subject of comedy remarks that there are serious voices in a Comedic world, this is viewed in Messina and paralleled to Elizabethan England.The jokes crafted and exploited by Shakespeare in Much Ado About Nothing elaborate and reiterate the anxieties that not only the Elizabethan era set about but every generational society faces and adds to as each day passes and furthermore, make each new generation of audience laugh at these anxieties.Much Ado About NothingIn the criminal record Hero & Claudio love is the main plot. the whle story line is based on Hero and Claudio. When one reads the book it may bring up many questions do they or dont they love each other? There are many situations when in the book when you say there is no way they love each other. For example when Claudio returns from war, and he first laid eyes on Hero he insisted that he was that he was in love with her because he was with Benedick and he says Can the world buy such a jewel? he then goes on and says I would scarce trust myself, though i had sworn the contrary, if Hero would be my wife. I think it was abit too fast for Claudio to say or to conclude his already in love with someone he has just seen. To make things worse Claudio allows his very good friend Don Pedro to woo the woman that he insists he loves, Don Pedro tells Claudio I know we shall have a revelling tonight I will assume thy part in some disguise, and tell fair Hero I am Claudio, i think if Claudio loved Hero as much as he says then he wouldnt let another man go woo her he would r he should confidently tell her how he feels.Even after Don Pedro woos Hero, there is never a point when Hero and Claudio talk or express their feelings for each other . Like Benedick and Beatrice whos love story is the sub-plot of the story. Beatrice and Benedick fight alot but ina way its inderstandable but after they were ttricked they actually admit their love to each other Benedick tells Beatrice I do love nothing in the world so well as you Benedick even allows to kill his own friend just to prove his love for Beatrice he says, enough, I am engaged, i will challege him, Claudio shall make out me a dear account. That to me is true love. I dont see or feel any of this passion with Claudio and Hero. Another point is when Claudio sees Margret in the window with Borachio and thinks its Hero. His reaction at first is justified, but in my opinion he should have taken time to calm down and go confrim the story for himself. It was stupid to trust Don John again because when Don Pedro was wooing Hero, Don John went to Claudio and told him he heard Don Pedro went to Claudio and told him he heard Don Pedro swear his affection to her.Borachio then adds fuel to the fire by saying so so did i too, and he swore he would marry her tonight. After he hears this immediately gives up on her because he says farewell therefore, Hero. And at the wedding his reaction was too exaggerated if he really loved her, he would not have publicy mistreated and embarassed Hero the way he did, and all these actions just proves how much Claudio does not trust Hero. Another strange event is when Heros name is cleared and Claudio realises that it was his fault that shes dead.At first his reaction is exactly what you would except what you would except but after he told Leonato to take revenge, Leonato told him he would marry Antonios daughter and he immediately agrees to marry her. Hero the woman he claims to love just died and it was his fault, and his already agreed to marry another woman. If he truly loved her he would have told Leonato with all repayable respect i need time to mourn but he didnt he just agreed to it. but at the same time by chance Claudio wanted to punish himself, because Leonato would remained him of what he did to sweet Hero.With all these poits we cant ignore that there were also some signs that indicated that they were in love. Like in the end when Hero is revealed we could tell also Heros reaction when she started crying it showed that they definetly had feelings for each other. If i was in Heros position i would definetly not take Claudio back because he humiliated me infront of my family and friends at my wdding and two he has caused my death . So there is a possibility that they loved each other. This could be an I can live with you and cant live without you relationship.Much Ado About NothingTo what extent is Much Ado about Nothing a dramatic representation of the comedy of deception? The title of Much Ado about Nothing indicates that there is a lot of fuss over topics which have little importance in the play-for example if Claudio wasnt peak and hot headed then Don johns ill deceived plan would not of worked at all. The use of deception throughout makes the plot so complex.An evident example is when Don John who operates as a plot-device falsely slanders Hero for his own mischievous behaviour, the lady is disloyal (Act 3 Scene 2, 87-88), (he is not one of Shakespeares most complex villain which reminds the audience that Much Ado about Nothing isnt supposed to be a tragedy), countered by Friars deception who pretends Hero is dead to get back at Claudio for publicly humiliating Hero. Alternatively, the Friars plan to pretend that Hero is dead is yet another illusion created to prevent the truth being told.He knows of the strange misprision in the princes yet recommends further plotting. Hero becomes a passive character throughout the play as she does little in the play but becomes an interesting character through the other characters deceptions. Hero is supposed to be the main female character in the play though she has the fewest lines, she only reacts to the actions and commands from the other characters, she hardly acts herself.Even when Claudio publicly humiliates Hero at their wedding she doesnt defend herself at all meaning the audience wont question Claudios accusations and believe him. Even when the accusations against her are cleared and after shes witnessed Claudios reckless behaviour, she accepts him back into her flavour without asking for an apology. This exposes Heros vulnerability to circumstances and the minimum distinguishing characteristics she has. though deception is known to be bad it is used to bring out collateral results in the play of which are actually artifi cial and easily undone.An example of a positive result is in Beatrices and Benedicks gulling scenes. The deception in these scenes is used in a comic style manipulating Beatrice and Benedick into falling in love with one another. The use of deception in these scenes is indispensable as its the only way to convince the other characters to allow in their lives. In Much Ado about Nothing, all of the characters reckon to be willing to be deceived for example Claudio doesnt think to suspect that Don John may be lotting against him Benedick and Beatrice seem to change their views on love in both of their gulling scenes Claudio is willing to marry Hero whom he doesnt appear to know that well to appease Leonato. Deception is so closely linked into the play that it becomes too familiar to the characters of Much Ado about Nothing. Shakespeare shows that deception does not have to be evil in Much Ado about Nothing he reveals that it can be used for positive and negative results.However, in the play it is difficult for the audience to differentiate between good and bad deception During the masked ball, Claudio declares his desire to woo Hero but hes too nervous, Don Pedro woos Hero claiming its for Claudios benefit, Don John uses this opportunity to convince Claudio that hes being deceived, similar to how the audience temporarily believe. The theatre creates illusions for the audience and also for the characters, which become caught up in these illusions of which they help create for each other.The illusion of Heros honour is debated in public by Claudio-she is the sign and semblance of her honour- for Claudios appearances are not only deceiving but amount to honour itself. Furthermore, in the masked ball Benedick and Beatrice flirt with one another, pretending not to know who is concealment behind the mask but in fact are aware of each others presence. Another example of screen is when after Heros death Claudio is made to marry Leonatos niece (who is actually Hero w earing a mask), Claudio must wed blindly. Hero assumes the mask of passive victim, the masking of Hero exposes how marriage has little to do with love.Claudios willingness to marry an unknown person relates to his guilt of slandering the innocent, and the fact he was deceived by male passions not by women, he cares more about appeasing Leonato then marrying for love. Shakespeare uses deceit for neither a positive or negative effect, it is a means to an end. In the period of time of which the play is set, nothing was a homophone of noting. There are various examples throughout the play of noting type statements, for instance Claudio notes the scandal with his own eyes.The characters see what they want to see and take note. In the play there is much ado about nothing lots of things happen and by the end nothing has changed really. Though Benedick and Beatrice declare their love for each other and they get married, perhaps they already loved each other, but just know it now. Deception is not the result for the mishaps in Much Ado about Nothing, the main plots in the play occur by the characters susceptibility to suggestion. The characters see what they want to see, theyre no more mislead then which they allow themselves to be.

Lucy, by Jamaica kincaid

There are a lot of ways of reading this novel. It could be read, somewhat conventionally, with focus on Lucy, people and places. But if we give ear into the deep, well see well-marked psychological picture of the young woman, her everyday struggle with herself.In Lucy, Jamaica Kincaid challenges the idea of passive/pathological sexuality in women. Lucys deepest conflicts and her greatest displeasure arise from her relationships with her mother and then with her substitute mother, Mariah. Her own family seems fragmented, and in some sense her island community does, as well. The novel itself, however, does seem to connect mother and homelandthe island. That may explain somewhat the intensity of her choler and feeling of suffocation. Her rage against her mother is not simply psychological, an especially strong version of the usual parent-child conflict.Lucys relationship to her mother is highly complex she has very ambivalent feelings about her. She is cruel to her, but also loves h er deeply she hates her and admires her at the same time. Although Lucy constantly discusses her anger toward her mother and Annies inadequacy and failure as a mother, she also peppers the novel with tender stories of their interactions. I reminded her that my whole upbringing had been devoted to preventing me from becoming a slut.it is one lesson, which mother gave to Lucy. Lucy describes her mothers large hands, and her love of plants she tells us of Annies lessons to Lucy about sex, men, and stillbirth, and of sitting on Annies lap as a child and caressing her face. Lucy also proudly shares stories of her mothers life and her various triumphs. Despite Lucys anger toward her mother, she still feels a deep federation to her and identifies with her in many ways.Until she was nineteen years old, Lucy Potter had not ventured from her own little world on the small island where she was born. Now she is living with a family and schooling a culture that is very different from her own. Lewis and Mariah and their four daughters want Lucy to feel like she is part of the family but at first she finds it difficult to fit in. She but wants to do her duty and in her off-hours discovers a new world through her friend Peggy and sexuality through young men, Hugh and Paul.Lucy often reflects on her life tail end on the island the conflicts between she and her mother, and the British influence on the islanders. She remembers the time her mother showed her how to mix herbs that supposedly would cleanse a womans womb but what they both knew was an abortion remedy. Lucy knows what is expected of her, to study for a respectable job like a nurse and to honour her family. She finds out that the tidy, neat world of the family she has come to love is not all it purports to be and how silence is a universal language.Lucy comes to North America to work as an au pair for Lewis and Mariah and their four children. Lewis and Mariah are a thrice-blessed catchhandsome, rich, and seemingl y happy. Yet, almost at once, Lucy begins to notice cracks in their beautiful facade. With mingled anger and compassion, Lucy scrutinizes the assumptions and verities of her employers world and compares them with the vivid realities of her native place.Lucy has no illusions about her own past, but uncomplete is she prepared to be deceived about where she presently is. At the same time that Lucy is coming to terms with Lewiss and Mariahs lives, she is also unravelling the mysteries of her own sexuality. Gradually a new someone unfolds passionate, forthright, and disarmingly honest.Lucy leaves the novel crying with shame over her wish to love someone so much that I would die from it. Lucy does love someone that much, but she has impel that love away because she could not adequately create a space for herself within it. When her mother tells her You can run away, but you cannot escape the fact that I am your mother, my blood runs in you, I carried you for nine months in spite of ap pearance me,Lucy interprets that as a prison sentence. To myself I then began calling her Mrs. Judas, and I began to plan a separation from her that even then I suspected would never be complete. Yet this is a prison sentence that all human beings must face, and Lucys way of dealing with it leaves her empty and ashamed at the end of the novel. Indeed, she states, I was now living a life I had always wanted to live. I was living apart from my family The feeling of bliss, the feeling of happiness, the feeling of longing fulfilled that I had thought would come with this situation was nowhere to be found inside me.