Bipedalism Essays - Terrestrial Locomotion, 2, Animal Anatomy

Bipedalism Essays - Terrestrial Locomotion, 2, Animal Anatomy Bipedalism Grant Kahler Bipedalism The evolution of bipedalism for the early hominids was merely an adaptation to the newfound lifestyle that early man began to lead. No longer was the body adapting to better climbing and life in the trees as this species was slowly becoming a hunting and gathering population. One of the main reasons for this change is the conservation of energy. As these hominids began to spend much of their day on foot in search for food, this bipedal form of walking was adapted as it uses much less energy than the creatures that walk on all fours. The mechanics of bipedal movement was simply a more energy efficient act, but at the same time, this posture decreased the direct exposure to the sun, keeping the individual cooler, and ultimately saving even more energy. Also, as an advantage to hunting and gathering, hominids were now tall and could reach things and have a better and taller view of the surroundings. This provided a huge advantage over the predators of their time. Two additional advantag es of bipedal locomotion is the allowance of two limbs whose purpose was solely to carry or transport possessions. Whether this is food or wood or whatever it may have been, hominids could now carry just about anything for long distances. This freedom of the arms and hands also allowed an easier and better solution to taking care of the young. All of these reasons show the advantages of bipedalism.

Cmo tramitar excelente visa TN para mexicanos

Cmo tramitar excelente visa TN para mexicanos La tramitacià ³n de la visa TN para profesionales mexicanos para trabajar en Estados Unidos, al amparo del Tratado de Libre Comercio (NAFTA) es una gran oportunidad para obtener una visa de trabajo. Esta visa TN solo aplica a nacionales mexicanos y canadienses, si bien la tramitacià ³n es ms asequible y fcil para estos à ºltimos. Y eso es asà ­ porque los mexicanos deben seguir ms pasos y su cuota por aplicar por la visa es ms cara que la que deben abonar los canadienses.  ¿Pueden aplicar todos los mexicanos por una visa TN para trabajar en Estados Unidos? La respuesta es un rotundo no.  Esta visa TN es una opcià ³n muy buena pero para calificar para  solicitarla es imprescindible cumplir con los siguientes requisitos: En primer lugar, estar en situacià ³n de acreditar que se es un profesionalista incluido en una de  estas 60 profesiones listadas en el TLC .En otras palabras, si no se trabaja en una de esas actividades, esta visa no es la correcta y si se solicita ser denegada. En segundo lugar, es imprescindible tener una oferta laboral de una empresa de los Estados Unidos. Es decir, primero viene la oferta seria y en firme y luego se solicita la visa la visa TN. Este punto tambià ©n quiere decir que no es posible el auto empleo. Es decir, no se puede solicitar la visa con la intencià ³n de trabajar como freelance en Estados Unidos para una o varias empresas o con la de crear una empresa. Los mexicanos que no cumplen con esos requisitos y que desean trabajar en Estados Unidos deberà ­an informarse si pueden aplicar por otras opciones de visa, como la H-1B para profesionales, la O para personas con habilidades extraordinarias, la L para los casos de transfer entre empresas internacionales, las J-1 de intercambio o las H-2A y H-2B para trabajos temporales agrà ­colas y en otros rubros. Cà ³mo tramitar la visa TN para mexicanos Una vez que se tiene la oferta de trabajo por parte de una empresa en Estados Unidos, el primer paso en completar la forma DS-160 en internet, pagar los aranceles correspondientes,  y solicitar una cita en una oficina consular o en la Embajada para la entrevista.   Para presentarse en la misma hay que llevar, entre otros documentos, la siguiente documentacià ³n: En primer lugar, el pasaporte mexicano vlido por al menos seis meses ms all del fin de la estancia prevista en Estados Unidos. En segundo lugar, la  carta de empleo en la que se detalla que la posicià ³n ofertada necesita ser cubierta por una persona que cumple los requisitos seà ±alados en NAFTA. Adems, deber incluir informacià ³n detallada sobre la actividad profesional a realizar en EEUU, la duracià ³n prevista del contrato, cul serà ­a la compensacià ³n econà ³mica, evidencia de que se cumple con los requisitos fijados por el Departamento de Seguridad Interna (DHS, siglas en inglà ©s) y el estado en el que se va a ir a trabajar. La carta no necesita ir acompaà ±ada por prueba de que el solicitante tiene las licencias profesionales necesarias para trabajar en EEUU para ciertos tipos de empleos, ya que tales certificaciones se pueden conseguir a posteriori. Sin embargo, es altamente recomendable que si ya se cuenta con ellas, presentarlas en ese momento. Esta carta es una parte fundamental para que se conceda la visa, por lo que es muy frecuente recurrir a un abogado con conocimientos sobre estas visas para que se ocupe de su redaccià ³n. Finalmente, se debe aportar prueba que demuestre  que se cumplen con los requisitos de estudios o de experiencia laboral que pide NAFTA para este tipo de visas. Este es un requisito importante ya que el oficial consular quiere asegurarse de que los estudios completados en un paà ­s que no es Estados Unidos reà ºnen los requisitos de calidad que se piden para la visa TN, por los que ser necesario validarlos en una agencia reputada. La visa ser denegada si no se cumplen las condiciones que se pide para la visa o si el solicitante es considerado como inelegible para una visa no inmigrante, como es à ©sta, o si es inadmisible para ingresar a los Estados unidos. Familiares del solicitante de una visa TN El cà ³nyuge (marido o mujer) y los hijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±os pueden solicitar una visa derivada para acompaà ±ar al titular de un visado TN a Estados Unidos. No es necesario que los familiares sean de nacionalidad mexicana. Y hay que tener en cuenta que aunque pueden vivir y estudiar en Estados Unidos no estn autorizados para trabajar. Tiempo de duracià ³n de una visa TN para mexicanos En principio las visas son vlidas por un mximo de tres aà ±os, pero esto lo hay que entender.  Es decir, hay que mirar el tiempo mximo que concede el oficial migratorio en el puerto de entrada y seguir cumpliendo todos los requisitos que dieron lugar a que se aprobara la visa. Adems, se puede pedir una extensià ³n de dos formas: que el empleador americano la solicite al USCIS rellenando el formulario I-129   o que el propio titular la solicite en un puerto de entrada cumplimentando esa misma forma y proporcionando la misma documentacià ³n que tuvo que mostrar en el consulado la primera vez que solicità ³ la visa y le fue concedida. En el caso de familiares con visa derivada como es el caso del cà ³nyuge o de los hijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±os, la extensià ³n se pide con el formulario I-539 si estn en los Estados Unidos o aplicando de nuevo en un consulado, si estn fuera. Visas TN y enfermeras Estados Unidos tiene un dà ©ficit de profesionales sanitarios y, en particular, de enfermeras. Por ello, son frecuentes los contratos a profesionales extranjeros. De hecho, hay  agencias que se dedican a reclutar enfermeras, muchas de ellas mexicanas a travà ©s de la visa TN.   Lo importante es asegurarse de que se trata de una agencia reputada y evitar ser và ­ctima de un caso de fraude.

Case student of a site of adoult learning in san antoino Essay

Case student of a site of adoult learning in san antoino - Essay Example The clubs operated by curves, however, only provide fitness services to women. The organisation was founded by enthusiasts of fitness, Gary and Diane Heavin, who have been involved in fitness advertising. The founder had a passion for sharing information regarding health and fitness to women. The first club targeted women and provided comprehensive 30 minute fitness sessions, which proved to be highly effective. The successes realised by the first two clubs resulted in the massive expansion of the club. The club began undertaking educational training to people on how to operate fitness clubs, in different communities. This created the current franchise of curves, which reached over 7000 outlets in less than a decade. The organisation has been identified as the fastest growing franchise, globally, with presence in 85 countries and running over 10,000 outlets. Initial training, of the individuals running the outlets, ensures the organisation maintain s uniform operating standards. Within the online site of the company people can learn a lot regarding physical fitness as well as other elements regarding healthy living. The site provides free information on various aspects of fitness, including exercising, losing weight, among many others. The focus of the website is women, who commonly lack information regarding physical exercises which help individuals maintain their fitness. The website provides answers to fitness questions which visitors might have, absolutely free. The organisation provides information to empower members towards adopting fitness measures which enhance their health(Merriam & Bierema, 2014). The organisation itself provides very effective methods of keeping fit through exercise. The organisation has created a signature 30-minute workout which has been fundamental in ensuring the popularity of the clubs, globally. This approach ensures individuals running on a busy

Conscious Obedience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Conscious Obedience - Essay Example In a very general sense, everyone obeys out of their own self-interest. However, this places the fear of punishment on an equal plane with the promise of a reward and does not shed much light on the underlying reasons. The question that needs to be answered is; what self-interest are we fulfilling when we obey Kelman and Hamilton argue that obedience comes from one of three rationalizations. Compliance for self-interest, acknowledgment of authority, or ethical concerns (Tyler 1090). A person may comply with the request to work overtime at no pay in hopes of getting a promotion. In their identification of authority model, a person may act against their better judgment if the boss orders them to take an illegal action. People also have the capacity to exercise free will and act according to their own value system. Psychological theorists can help explain obedience by examining the motivation behind the reward we receive for compliance. Maslow would describe the humanist viewpoint as obeying to gain respect and recognition from authority. Skinner would see obedience as a natural conditioned reaction to doing what we are told. Bronfenbrenner describes a myriad of authorities that we obey on an individual or group level. The echological argument holds that patriotism is obedience to nationalism. Obedience can take many forms and the authority may be abstract. Young children may obey their parents because they understand it is the right thing to do and is an ethical decision. It may be self-interest, as they will obey them to avoid their parent's punishment, or to gain a reward. However, a child's inner logic may not be apparent through their actions alone. Children who have been abused, neglected, or feel abandoned may withdraw and suffer from defeatism (Singer, Dornenbal, and Okma, 601). They will display obedience though it may not be for the self-interest that it appears. In a study of children by Singer, Dornenbal, and Okma, the researchers found significantly more foster children offered little or no resistance to parental authority than their birthchildren counterparts (596). Birthchildren had a much higher incidence of offering fierce resistance in a disciplinary conflict than foster children (596). In the case of the foster children, the researchers noted that, "Their main goal is unilateral-self-saving [...] Their main interests are fear of punishment and a feeling of powerlessness" (601). The birthchildren that were offering intense rebellion were said to have, " [...] unilateral coercive goals to get their own way" (594). The birthchildren were acting in self-interest to exploit the parental authority's lack of resolve, while the foster children were obeying for self-preservation. As children grow into adulthood, they will for the most part become more aware of the need for obedience. The cost of punishment by law enforcement will generally get most people to abide by acceptable customs. The need for a steady paycheck will insure that they will put their feelings aside when taken advantage of in the workplace. They may rationalize to themselves, and others, that they are being obedient in order to live up to a moral or ethical standard. Adults may allow

Social Networking Relationships

Social Networking Relationships Social Networking Relation 1.0 Introduction â€Å"Social networking is really recommendation between people about the things that they are interested in and they like†¦ this has stimulated people’s attention in terms of the importance of public relation. The people who are going on these sites didn’t want to be monetised, they didn’t want to be advertised to, so again editorial communication is so powerful, they would rather be communities that can exchange views that are untarnished.† Sir Martin Sorrell Social media is a global phenomenon in which old demographics no longer apply. Conversations happen at the click of a button. New communities are born every day and brands need to be involved; in the first instance to listen, and then to participate. Social media is booming. Every day new statistics, white papers and articles appear discussing its continued growth. Independent market analyst Datamonitor (2008) has revealed how quickly the number of people participating in online social networking is growing: the United Kingdom currently leads Europe, in terms of membership, and is expected to reach 27 million users a threefold increase on todays figures by 2012 (www.datamonitor.com). â€Å"Social networking sites are the reality television of the Internet,† said Jon Gibs (Senior Director of Media, Nielsen//NetRatings). â€Å"The content is relatively inexpensive for publishers to produce, and social networking is not a fad that will disappear. If anything, it will become more ingrained in mainstream sites, just as reality TV programming has become ubiquitous in network programming,† Gibs continued (www.acnielsen.com). â€Å"However, again like reality programming, the concept of ‘reality’ alone, or in this case ‘social networking,’ is not enough. In this competitive marketplace, sites also have to provide consumers with distinct content they can identify with.† A new survey reveals that almost 50 percent of attorneys are members of online social networks and over 40 percent of attorneys believe professional networking has the potential to change the business and practice of law over the next five years. â€Å"Online professional networking is a growing area of importance in the legal industry,† said Ralph Calistri, Chief Executive Officer of Martindale Hubbell and senior vice president of Global Client Development at LexisNexis. â€Å"As we develop a global network for the legal community through Martindale-Hubbell, objective research such as this survey by Leader Networks serves as an important way for us to listen to clients and guide our efforts.† Table: United States: Top 10 Social Networking Sites (March 2008) Source: AC Nielsen The Internet has broadened the area of word of mouth influences from interpersonal communication among acquaintances to online communication to general public (e.g. posting reviews). Harrison-Walker (2001) defined word of mouth as â€Å"informal person-to-person communication between a perceived non-commercial communicator and a receiver regarding a brand, a product, an organization, or a service.† Marketing practitioners try to encourage such â€Å"informal† communication in a positive manner, and several approaches such as â€Å"viral marketing† (Wilson 2000) and â€Å"buzz marketing† (Rosen 2000) have been developed. Facebook was created in February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard University. According to Zuckerberg, â€Å"The idea for the website was motivated by a social need at Harvard to be able to identify people in other residential houses† (Moyle, 2004). Today Facebook has more than 7.5 million registered members at over 2,000 U.S. colleges and is the seventh-most-popular site on the entire Web with respect to total page views (Cassidy, 2006). Social networking sites are online spaces that allow individuals to present themselves, articulate their social networks, and establish or maintain connections with others. These sites can be oriented towards work-related contexts (e.g. LinkedIn.com), romantic relationship initiation, or connecting those with shared interests such as music or politics (e.g. MySpace.com). Users may use the sites’ communication tools to interact with those they know from offline contexts, such as school, or they may use the sites to meet new people. The way in which these sites allow for new connections to be made between individuals has resulted in proposed legislation which would bar libraries and schools to block minors’ access to social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook (McCullagh, 2006). MySpace in particular has generated public concern due to its large member base 78 million registered accounts according to one source (Wright, 2006) many of whom are teenagers. There is little academic work examining online social networks. A 2005 survey of academic community members found that 90% of the undergraduates participated in a social network community, primarily Facebook, MySpace, and Friendster, and that many of them disclosed personal information such as email address (Stutzman, 2006). In her ethnographic work examining self-presentation and social connections among Friendster users, boyd (2004) notes that users have a variety of motivations for using the site, including connecting with old friends, meeting new acquaintances, dating, and furthering professional networks. In one of the few pieces to examine this new breed of online fora, Donath and boyd (2004) point out that one of the chief hallmarks of these sites is that links between individuals are mutual, public, unnuanced and decontextualized. In the sites that Donath and boyd examine, public displays of connections serve to warrant, or signal the reliability of, one’s identity claims. Social networking sites are distinguished from the first wave of virtual community sites in that they allow for both maintenance of existing social ties and formation of new connections. A hallmark of the early research on computer-mediated communication and virtual communities in particular is the assumption that individuals using these systems would be connecting with those outside their pre-existing social group or location, liberating individuals to form communities around shared interests, as opposed to shared geography (Wellman et al., 1996). However, some online community researchers have explored how online communities present opportunities for people in a common offline community to extend their interaction. Such a theme is articulated by Wellman et al. (1996), who note that â€Å"Although CSSNs [computer supported social networks] do transcend time and space, not all ties are either totally on-line or off-line. Much on-line contact is between people who see each other in person and live locally† (p.222). 1.1 Research Question This research studies the importance of social networking sites and aims to identify how motivations for using social networking sites influence the degree of interaction and the generation of word-of-mouth. Next, in order to study use patterns of social networking sites between users in United Kingdom and to explore the relationship between the degree of interaction and the generation of word-of-mouth, the following questions are generated. Why / how often do people use social networking sites? Are social networking sites users generating word-of-mouth? If so, what makes users generate word-of-mouth? Do the motivations of using social networking sites influence on the degree of interaction or on the generation of word-of-mouth? H1 Exploring the relationship between the purpose of using social networking sites and the degree of users’ interaction H2 Exploring the relationship between the purpose of using social networking sites and the generation of word-of-mouth H3 Exploring the relationship between the degree of users’ interaction and the generation of word-of-mouth in social networking sites Main Research Question: How effective are motivations for using social networking sites influencing degree of interaction and word of mouth in United Kingdom? At the same time, the growing importance of word-of-mouth on social networking sites is understood and discussed by both marketing practitioners and academics, and online word-of-mouth communication is considered as a new marketing tool (Kozinets, 1999; Croteau, 2006; Peattie, 2007; McKinsey Quarterly, 2007). Due to the similar characteristics between social networking sites and word-of-mouth communication, namely, relationship and interaction among people, a number of researchers tried to find out the connection between online communities and word-of-mouth, then, came up with various ways to measure word-of-mouth in the virtual world (Kozinets, 2002; Godes et al, 2005; Dwyer, 2007). In addition, after their introduction, social networking sites brought in a new organisational framework for online communities. According to Boyd and Ellison (2008), early online communities were constructed as ‘communities of interest’, but social networking sites these days are constructed as personal. In other words, social networking sites are centred around people rather than topics or ‘topical hierarchies’. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 General Overview The study of personal influence and the idea that there are certain people who are especially influential over others has fascinated researchers, practitioners, and the general public for more than 60 years. Variously named in academic and popular circles, these people have been called opinion leaders (Katz Lazarsfeld, 1955), early adopters (Rogers, 1962/2003), influential (Weimann, 1994), and Influential Americans ® (Keller Berry, 2003), while the process of personal influence has been linked to, or synonymous with, various phenomena such as compliance gaining (strategic attempts to seek compliance from others in interpersonal settings; Wilson, 2002), the diffusion of innovations (how ideas spread in a culture; Rogers, 1962/2003), buzz (contagious word-of-mouth commentary about products, services, brands, and ideas; Walker, 2004), and tipping points (the point at which an idea, behavior, or product â€Å"tips,† crossing a threshold from being a minor phenomenon to a wild epidemic; Gladwell, 2000). Numerous organizations, for-profit and not-for-profit, in an assortment of industries (consumer products, fashion, health care, law, higher education, etc.) have sought to capitalize on a renewed awareness and interest in the influential role that informal conversation and relational networks play internally to an organization (e.g., in terms of sharing knowledge within and across organizational units; Cross Parker, 2004; May Zorn, 2002) and especially to external audiences (e.g., in the case of viral and buzz marketing). Thus, although the power of stimulating word-of-mouth and relational networks has been known for some time (Arndt, 1967; Whyte, 1954), a more recent phenomenon is when certain firms seek to consciously engineer buzz in relational networks (Balter Butman, 2005; Dye, 2000; Godin, 2001; Ozcan, 2004; Rosen, 2000;Walker, 2004). For example, some firms (such as Big Fat Inc.) pay people to go out and talk up a brand, either in face-toface or online settings, where the fact that they are employed by a marketing agency is not disclosed (a form of â€Å"undercover† marketing). Other firms (such as BzzAgent, Inc.) actively recruit volunteers who willingly participate in a campaign by going out and buzzing the product or service (oftentimes in exchange for points that can be redeemed for prizes or the knowledge that they are the first among their peers to have access to a new product) and then report back to the buzz marketing company their own and others’ feedback about the product (the company then compiles and analyzes these various reports from the field and presents them to the client). Still others (e.g., Proctor Gamble’s Tremor program) form an extensive network of carefully selected teenagers to create buzz among peers for their clients’ brands and products (Wells, 2004). These distinct kinds of organizational marketing practices have raised a number of ethical concerns, some more than others. In addition to whether or not the institutional identity of the agent is disclosed, whether or not the person buzzing the brand is doing so for some form of compensation, and whether or not agents involve minors younger than age 13 (Wells, 2004), a significant concern is that through buzz marketing marketers are better able to infiltrate everyday conversations and relationships (Walker, 2004), which might be regarded as further instantiation of corporate colonization of the lifeworld (Deetz, 1992). With traditional forms of marketing and advertising efforts, consumer audiences can â€Å"tune out† or â€Å"turn off† the advertising. However, what happens when the marketing is your friend or family member, in online and offline conversations? Is society increasingly falling prey to the â€Å"commercialization of chit-chat?†(Walker, 2004). Although these concerns are not new— for example, marketing to known others has been well-documented and critiqued in terms of Tupperware parties (Frenzen Davis, 1990; Taylor, 1978) and multilevel marketing companies (Biggart, 1989; Carl, 2004; Fitzpatrick Reynolds, 1997)—the fact that increasing numbers of well-known, mainstream organizations seek to amplify buzz in social networks has elevated the concern (Vranica, 2005). 2.2 Word of mouth Word-of-mouth has grown in popularity over the past several years as a marketing and research medium (BzzAgent, 2005). Marketers seeking to find new methods for reaching customers and communicating with them have wondered if word-of-mouth could provide a potential solution to the dwindling return of traditional marketing platforms. Since the beginning of organized marketing programs, marketers viewed word-of-mouth as an incredibly valuable, yet uncontrollable, result of effective marketing practices. Many marketers have implemented plans to fool word of mouth into occurring, seeding the marketplace with shills (paid actors talking up products and services). They found the results effective but extremely risky, since consumers didn’t like being deceived. In recent years, a number of companies have formed, seeking to harness the power of authentic word of mouth (BzzAgent, 2005). By organizing real consumers, they train them to share their honest opinions more effectively. Defining word of mouth can be tricky, especially in light of the Internet and recent emergence of buzz marketing firms. According to Buttle’s (1998) review of marketing research, Arndt (1967) discussed word of mouth as face-to-face communication about a brand, product, or service between people who are perceived as not having connections to a commercial entity. Bone’s (1992) definition is similar though she noted that word of mouth could be a group phenomenon: â€Å"An exchange of comments, thoughts, and ideas among two or more individuals in which none of the individuals represent a marketing source† (p. 579). Stern (1994) distinguished word of mouth from advertising in that word of mouth is face-to-face, interactive, ephemeral, spontaneous, and does not include such features as clever turns of phrases or jingles. Buttle (1998), however, found these definitions unsatisfactory because (a) Word of mouth can include talk about an organization (in addition to a brand, product, or service), (b) it can be electronically mediated (such as cell phone, chat rooms, e-mail, Web sites, â€Å"tell-a-friend† hyperlinks, etc.), and (c) more and more companies may offer incentives or rewards for consumers to spread word of mouth or make referrals (e.g., to refer friends and family members for a company’s services). Buttle concluded that currently the only distinguishing feature of word of mouth may be that â€Å"word of mouth is uttered by sources that are assumed by receivers to be independent of corporate influence† (p. 243). In contrast to traditional word of mouth marketing research, research on buzz marketing is still in its infancy. Verlegh, Verkerk, Tuk, and Smidts (2004) mentioned, but did not study, buzz marketers in their experimental research on whether or not financial incentives used when stimulating customer referrals alter the meaning of the situation such that consumers would perceive the word of mouth episode to be â€Å"persuasive† rather than just friendly, peer advice. Thomas (2004) represented an early conceptual piece on buzz marketing where it was defined as the â€Å"amplification of initial marketing efforts by third parties through their passive or active influence† (p. 64). An early empirical study that applied insights from existing word of mouth and social network research from a firm’s perspective was conducted by Godes and Mayzlin (2004). Abundant research demonstrates that word of mouth (WOM) is one of the most influential channels of communication in the marketplace. The reasons for WOMs power are evident: word of mouth is seen as more credible than marketer initiated communications because it is perceived as having passed through the unbiased filter of people like me. At a time of declining trust in institutions, research shows that its influence is growing stronger. In a recent national survey (Harris Interactive, 2006a), U.S. consumers were asked which information sources they find useful when deciding which products to buy in four common product categories. WOM and recommendations from friends/family/people at work/school were by far the most influential sources for fast food, cold medicine, and breakfast cereal. For personal computers, a highly technical category, we saw a strong reliance on expert advice in the form of product reviews and websites, followed by WOM as the next most useful. The consumer marketplace in which any enterprise operates is a complex, dynamic system. A study found that disinterested, ill-prepared and unwelcoming salespeople lead to more lost business and bad word-of-mouth than any other management challenge in retailing. There are a variety of different triggers for having a bad shopping experience, including things like parking or how well the store is organized. Some of those things retailers can do something about and some of them they cant. But frankly, a very important part of the retail experience is the interaction with the sales associate, says Wharton marketing professor Stephen J. Hoch, director of the Baker Initiative. In a telephone survey of 1,000 shoppers who were asked about their most recent retail experience, 33% reported they had been unable to find a salesperson to help them. Many of these shoppers were so annoyed by this one problem that they said they would not return to the store. According to the Wharton analysis, sales associates who are missing in action cost American retailers six percent of their customers. Add to that the 25% of consumers reporting they were ignored outright by sales associates no greeting, no smile, not even eye contact (Arndt, 1967; Aaker et al, 1996; Reingen and Kernan, 1986). This lack of engagement turned off three percent of customers to the point where they said they would permanently stay way from the store in which they encountered this behaviour. Hoch remains puzzled by sales associates who retreat from potential customers. You would think that if these sales associates are spending the whole day interacting with people, they would be a lot happier in their own life if they were friendly. Instead, they pull into their shell (Brown and Reingen, 1987). Whats wrong with saying, Hi, how are you doing?' According to Paula Courtney, president of the Verde Group, survey respondents were not frustrated by sales associates who seemed overworked or outmanned by shoppers. Its the conscious ignoring that irritates them, she says. Customers would walk into a store and the store representative would see them and continue to put items on the shelf or watch the cash register or do administrative work absolutely ignoring the fact that an actual person was in the store (Cox, 1963, cited in Brown at el, 2007). In the above example, the degree of interaction was bad with consumers at a particular retail outlet. This provided bad word of mouth and hampered long term sustainability for the retailer. In other words, this forms the central part of the dissertation that degree of interaction and word of mouth are slightly interrelated. 2.3 Motives of Social networking British anthropologist Robin Dunbar estimates that humans can only maintain stable relationships with around 150 people. That number refers to significant relationships like those in a family or tribe and other purposeful groups. Yet in todays over-informed digital business world, where bloated data moves at the speed of thought, its not who you know that really counts, but who knows you (Kozinets, 1999; Boyd and Ellison, 2008). Professional online social networking tools are invaluable in creating personal brand equity and raising awareness about who you are, especially beyond your 150 closest friends (BBC News, 2005). Online social networking software enables you to find quality people who may not be familiar with you, or with your organization, and creates an opportunity to connect with them and sell them on your opportunities (Boyd and Ellison, 2008). They may be unfamiliar with your company or business, or may not have even been looking for something. Because you already know someone who knows them, you can feel more comfortable that they are a quality prospect or at least can do some checking around (Boyd and Ellison, 2008). Also, because of that mutual connection, you can more easily overcome cumbersome barriers and begin a relationship with a little more trust and warmth than with a total stranger. Like Six degrees of Kevin Bacon, social networking sheds light on the contacts you never knew you had. For example, you can contact people in your network to: Rekindle old connections Maximize value in your weak connections Build business relationships with clients or hiring managers Find and meet prospective job-seekers Grow a referral network Heighten your corporate and personal brand Make new connections and grow your sphere of influence Open doors to future career opportunities, increased pay, or promotions Increase visibility, which improves influence and effectiveness internally with your organization as well as externally Social networking also helps you find new leads for networking into companies to: Educate yourself and ask questions about other organizations Conduct competitive intelligence on companies, industries, or individuals Make fewer cold calls and better prepare for them Leverage contacts you already have With the help of existing literature, Ridings and Gefen (2004) categorised four reasons to join online communities: ‘information exchange’, ‘social support exchange’, ‘friendship, and ‘recreation’. Firstly, people choose to use online communities to access and exchange information. By using online communities, people can access a huge amount of information generated by other users since online community providers offer effective systems or technologies in order to make their users easily exchange, create, request and search information (Hagel and Armstrong, 1997). The second reason why users participate in online communities is to obtain the social support. Wellman et al (1996) suggested that online communities give emotional support and sociability to their users by giving ‘a sense of belonging’. For instance, Mickelson (1997) gave examples of online communities which focus on recovering social problems such as alcohol and drug addicts in order to explain why the social support can be the motivation of using online communities. Thirdly, people join online communities to manage relationships. To seek friendship or to generate social capital, which can be defined as the resources gathered through the relationships among people (Coleman, 1988), online community users interact with other users with the aim of establishing and continuing relationships. For example, offline social capital can be generated by means of online tools, especially using social networking sites when people want to expand or keep up their offline relationships. Lastly, recreation is another reason why people experience online communities. In conclusion, how word-of-mouth affects consumer behaviour can be described by those three factors; tie strength, homophily, and source credibility. As mentioned above, Brown et al (2007) and other researchers (Silverman, 1997; Money et al, 1998; Bansal and Voyer, 2000) explored the nature of word-of-mouth in online communities. Finally, the summary of the research above is compared by Brown et al (2007) as the following Table 1. Table 1: A Comparison between offline and online social network constructs Offline Online Tie Strength Definition The intensity of a social relation between pairs of individuals The intensity of an interactive and personalised relationship between an individual and a website Homophily Definition The degree to which pairs of individuals are similar in terms of certain attributes The congruence between a user’s psychological attributes and website content Source Credibility Definition Perceived competence of the individual source providing information Perceived competence of the website and its membership Source: Brown et al, 2007, pp. 10 Table 1 Bottom line: It could be seen that different internet users have diverse motives to enter social networking sites. Fulfilment of motives can enhance positive word of mouth and higher degree of interaction of a particular website. As per previous academic literature there have been negligible cases that internet users have entered social networking with out motivations. This forms the foundation of dissertation. 3.0 Research Model 3.1 Research approach The research strategy we intend to adopt is a combination of multi-methods, of deductive, inductive and exploratory. Quantitative data will be collected throughout the life cycle of the project, from secondary sources: journals, databases, past dissertations, newspapers and magazine articles etc. We propose to use the following secondary databases to conduct quantitative data research: Emerald Full text Emerald Reviews Emerald Abstracts Swet Wise Reuters Business Insight Regional Business News Questia Media Primary research will be conducted, using a closed questionnaire designed to predict average behaviour of children in general (Saunders et al. 2003). The inductive approach takes to account interpretivism or social considerations, which enables to establish the intentions of the respondents more clearly. Saunders et al (2003) says that data collected using open-ended questions allows individuals more flexibility in answering, which may confirm a hypothesis or other wise. The limitation or disadvantage of this approach is that it is subjective and can only be applied to a limited sample of participants (Saunders et el. 2003). Exploratory research will be conducted on a pilot group consisting of young internet users (mainly with Orkut profiles) within the age group 15-20 who will participate in a discussion on the following; the influence of motivations for using social networking sites on degree of interaction and word of mouth in United Kingdom. 3.2 Research Design A research design is a program that guides the investigator in the process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting observations. According to Nachmias Nachmias (1987) it is logical model of proof that allows the researcher to draw inferences concerning causal relationships among the variables under investigation. Consequently, the appropriate research design will depend on the problem to be investigated (Churchill, 1991), the purpose of the research, the research questions, and the state of the knowledge existing prior to the research plan (Eisenhardt, 1989). Research methods and data collection, form an elementary part of the research design. Typically, the research methods and the data collection techniques are functions of the purpose of the research design. The purpose of the research may be organized into three groups based on what the researcher is trying to accomplish: explore a new topic, describe social phenomena or explain why something occurs. The three basic types of research designs are: Exploratory (Case Studies), Descriptive and Casual. 3.2.1 Case Study The case study approach is the most widely used in management fraternity. A Case study is the collection and presentation of detailed information about a particular participant or small group, frequently including the accounts of subjects themselves. It’s a form of qualitative descriptive research and it deals intensely at an individual or small participant pool, drawing conclusions only about that participant or group and only in that specific context. This research design is not used to focus on topics such as discovery of a universal, general

Experience Brings Success

Experience Brings Success Bonnie R. Humpherys Instructor: Carol Bartlo Daemen College April 24, 2012 Introduction After graduating college, many students are often confused about the next step in life. While the main goal is to achieve success, college students are faced with many different opportunities after graduation. Some of these opportunities include becoming and entrepreneur, pursuing more education or working for an existing business to gain experience.The cost of college tuition continues to rise and as a result we are asking ourselves whether it is really worth spending years working towards a degree when the same time could be spent earning money. Pursuing more education and working for an existing business promises and provides students with knowledge and experience needed to succeed. Generally, in this fast pace society both knowledge and experience are needed to succeed in the workforce. According to â€Å"Entrepreneurship and Development† Lazaer quotes â€Å"m any college graduates are unemployed due to lack of experience in their field of study. Instead of thinking of different options many students automatically believe that they will obtain a high paying job as soon as they graduate college. Gaining experience in their field of study while acquiring more knowledge in graduate school can prepare students for career advancement. â€Å"As new social groups enter higher education, socially privileged groups, whose reproduction was traditionally ensured by college degrees, increase their investments in education to stay ahead of newcomers. (Lazaer 2005) Being that more people are going to college every year the work force has become very competitive.Generally an undergraduate degree is no longer valued as an advanced degree in the work force. After conducting a survey of twenty-five college students and five professionals I was able to make inferences and draw statistical conclusions. Being that I surveyed a wide variety of majors and prof essions the results varied greatly. Generally 71% of the respondents, both graduates and undergraduates chose to â€Å"pursue more education† as a plan after graduation. In addition to pursuing more education 46% of respondents chose to â€Å"work for an existing business while pursuing more education. Though 71% of respondents chose to pursue more education it can be concluded that most undergraduate students do not have the financial ability to pursue an advanced degree. It can also be concluded that many college graduates do not pursue an advanced degree because they do not have the financial ability to attend. Being that many of the respondents who chose other graduation plans agreed to pursue an advanced degree if they had the financial ability, this conclusion can be deemed valid. Appendix AAccording to the results, many of the Undergraduate respondents that chose to work for an existing business want to gain experience. Being that 75% of the professionals responded to pursue more education while getting experience, it can be concluded that work experience is very important in your career. Along with gaining experience, over 75% of the professional respondents agreed that an advanced degree is very important to obtain a job and for career advancement. Being that many of these respondents are already in their career fields their opinion can be deemed valid because they have first hand experience in their daily lives.Over 50% of the student respondents agreed that there is a lot of competition to obtain job and an advanced degree is essential for career advancement. Overall, due to the results from the other questions and the charts below the overall conclusion of not having the financial ability is what limits students from pursuing an advanced degree. Appendix A Conclusions In the society that we live, having a college degree is very important. Most businesses and practically all government agencies require at least a bachelor’s degree for an entry-level position.In order to obtain these entry-level positions it is very important to have experience. Gaining experience while pursuing an advanced degree is very essential to career advancement. As more people go to college each year undergraduate degrees are no longer as valuable for employment and advancement. Although many college students do not have the financial resources to attend, investing in an advanced degree opens up a vast amount of opportunities. Generally, pursuing more education while working for an existing business helps students gain the necessary knowledge and experience for employment and advancement.Refrences Lazaer, E. (2005). Entrepreneurship and development. Journal of Labor Economics23(4), 649-680. Retrieved from www. jstor. org. daeme. iii. com/stable/10. 1086/491605 Leibebstein, H. (1968). Entrepreneurship and development. The American Economic Review, 58(2), 72-83. Retrieved from http:/www. jstor. org. daeme. iii. com/stable/ Pringle, C. (n. d. ). Perceived fulfillment of organizational employment versus entrepreneurship: Work values and career intentions of business college graduates. Journal of Small Business Management, 29, 23-56. Zemke, R. (2001).Where do leaders come from? . Training, 38, 44-48. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/203413677? accountid=10399 Appendix A The Future for College Graduates The purpose of this survey is to gain insight into advanced degrees and professional employment. What is your undergraduate major? __________________________________________ What are your plans immediately after graduation? * Become an entrepreneur * Become an entrepreneur and pursue more education * Go to work for an existing business * Go to work for an existing business and pursue more education * Pursue more education Other, please specify ___________________________ Why do you feel your choice in the above question will be best for you? ______________________________________________________________ _______________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Will your choice give you the immediate and future earnings potential you most desire? Definitely Most likely Not sure Unlikely What level of interest do you have for becoming an entrepreneur immediately after graduation?Much interest Some Interest Little interest No interest What level of interest do you have for pursuing an advanced degree immediately after graduation? Much interest Some Interest Little interest No interest Do you feel you have the financial ability to attend graduate school immediately after graduation? Yes No Page 1 of 2 If you did have the financial resources to attend graduate school immediately after graduation, would you then choose to go to graduate school? Yes NoWhat level of interest do you have for going to work for an established business immediately after college? Much interest Some Interest Little interest No interest What is the value of an advanced degree f or business professionals to obtain employment? Very valuable Valuable somewhat valuable Not very valuable What is the value of an advanced degree for business professionals for career advancement? Very valuable Valuable somewhat valuable Not very valuableWhat is the value of professional work experience for business professionals for career advancement? Very valuable Valuable somewhat valuable Not very valuable Do you feel you would be at a disadvantage entering the professional workplace without an advanced degree? Yes No How do you feel about the competition for obtaining employment? Very competitive Competitive Somewhat competitive Not competitive How much pressure do you feel about the amount of experience professional positions now require?Much Pressure Some pressure Little pressure No pressure Page 2 of 2 Appendix B The Future for College Graduates The purpose of this survey is to gain insight into advanced degrees and professional employment for college graduates. What shoul d college graduates do immediately after graduation? * Become an entrepreneur * Become an entrepreneur and pursue more education * Go to work for an existing business * Go to work for an existing business and pursue more education * Pursue more education Other, please specify ___________________________ Why do you feel your choice in the above question is best for college graduates? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Will that choice give graduates the immediate and future earnings potential they desire? Definitely Most likely Not sure Unlikely Do you feel new graduates have the financial ability to attend graduate school immediately after graduation?Yes No If college graduates did have the financial resources to attend graduate school immediately after graduation, do you think they would then choose to go to graduate school? Yes No What is the value of an advance d degree for business professionals to obtain employment? Very valuable Valuable somewhat valuable Not very valuable What is the value of an advanced degree for business professionals for career advancement?Very valuable Valuable somewhat valuable Not very valuable What is the value of professional work experience for business professionals for career advancement? Very valuable Valuable somewhat valuable Not very valuable Do you feel workers would be at a disadvantage entering the professional workplace without an advanced degree? Yes No How do you feel about the competition for obtaining employment? Very competitive Competitive Somewhat competitive Not competitive

Stereotypes And Stereotypes Of The Media - 1734 Words

In our media-intensive culture, it is not difficult to find different opinions as well as stereotypes. Stereotypes are found in the media every day and affect our opinion as well as how we perceive others. Stereotypes of the GLBT community in the media are most commonly found in movies or in TV shows but they rarely talk about their sexual identity. When their identity is being portrayed, it is shown with some form of stereotype. The identity of the homosexual seems to stem from a stereotype itself; sometimes as if the GLBT community has formed their identities based on stereotypes. Men are commonly shown as â€Å"feminine† while women are portrayed to be â€Å"masculine†. Other stereotypes such as that all gay men are all into fashion or that†¦show more content†¦These very stereotypes have influenced all of our views on LGBT men and women. Stereotypes are damaging ideas about how a group of people are supposed to behave and act. It dehumanizes them by lumping them into broad categories it takes away their traits that makes them unique and it does not define their personality and turns them into a form of objects. The idea that the male homosexual is directly linked to feminism is inaccurate. While there are some males who express themselves in behaviors that are considered to be feminine, there are others who do not. Gay men are displayed to seem interested in fashion, are meticulous, and are emotional but in reality not all men display these characteristics. This stereotype damages gay males in the extent that they are playing a role in which gay men are hiding their uniqueness as individual human beings because of the formation of these stereotypes. Sexual behavior and desire varies from person to person and like all humans, gay people also have sexual needs. The stereotype of them having sex with multiple partners also increases the generalization that all gay people may have AIDS or HIV. According to US statistics, gay people of all races are in fact the most severely affected with HIV but the misconception that they all have AIDS or HIV is wrong. This is harmful to the gay community because men and women who are heterosexual fear