The Online Music Industry

The Online Music Industry Introduction In today’s business world, technology plays a fundamental role and very few businesses can boast of success without the use of technology. The music industry is one of the businesses which has greatly benefited from the technological advances that have characterized the 20th century. In particular, the computer and the internet have had a huge impact on the music industry. As a result of the two, a new business entity; the online music industry, has emerged and continues to flourish.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Online Music Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More While the manual system which includes selling music over the counter still plays a role in the distribution of music, online distribution has taken ground and is fast becoming the preferred form of distribution. Considering the importance of the online music industry, this paper shall set out to examine the history of the same, its challenges and the future of the industry. The Music Industry From a commercial perspective, music has become a big business in America contributing over a billion dollars to America every year. One can therefore extrapolate that the music industry is an important facet of the American economy. Through the various components e.g. recording artist, production houses, agents and concert venues to name but a few, this industry creates employment for a big number of American citizens and also increases the government’s revenue accrued from taxation on sales made. Music production and the medium through which music is distributed to the consumers has changed through the years as technological advances are made. The cassettes and records which were the preferred mode in the 1980s are now rendered obsolete by even more efficient mediums. The invention of the MP3 audio encoding and compression format had a huge bearing on the manner in which music was distributed. Lehma nn documents that the significant reduction in size required for the storage of audio files while maintaining quality was a huge breakthrough to the music industry (6). This technology was used in CDs which quickly replaced the cassettes and records of the 1980s. In the past decade, there has been an unprecedented high adoption rate of internet usage. This is because the costs of computers and internet access have reduced drastically over the years. This has resulted in internet connectivity becoming widely available to a majority of the population. Technological advances which have resulted in higher rates of transmission over the internet have led to a situation whereby transferring of data over the internet can take place at very high speeds. This perversity of the internet has resulted in CDs becoming superfluous as digital media takes a front seat in music distribution. New technologies that have emerged as a result of the internet have changed the classic business model for mu sic in profound ways. Ground-breaking inventions such as the iPod revolutionalized the manner in which music is listened to by consumers.Advertising Looking for research paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The iPod has made it possible for one to listen to their favorite music literally anywhere owing to their compact nature and allows users to buy music online from internet music stores hence rendering traditional music stores redundant since users can in most cases get the same music provided by the stores at significantly reduced rates (Ivan 2). Strengths of the online Music Industry The online music industry has given music marketers a new tool with which they can better target their products. Bruno documents that by examining the online sales made through the information that is provided by the internet, listening trends can be established therefore giving record companies the opportunity to make even higher sales (25). By using the data that is collected on the consumers, music companies are now able to market to consumers more effectively since they have a profile of the tastes and preferences of the particular consumer. This may result in higher profits for the music industry as well as better customer satisfaction. The internet is a very potent promotional tool and for this reason, many record labels have benefited from its promotional abilities. Through one of the online music service providers which is the internet radio, musicians have been able to promote their music. Castro declares that â€Å"getting your music played on the internet provides a huge boost for an artist† (8). This is so because high visibility results in the artist gaining a wider audience therefore giving them a chance to more effectively market their music. As such, the internet creates more value for the copyright holders who are mostly the music label companies. This results in high er profits for the players in the industry. An increase in sales is one of the primary goals for any business and the music industry is no exception. The internet can assist in the increase in sales by a number of ways. Castro states that internet radio helps increase music sales by providing the listeners with links to online stores where they can buy their favorite music (8). Also, by playing music by a particular artist, the profile of the artist increases which is goof for marketing and branding purposes. Another means through which the sales have been increased is through the iPod which assists users legally download millions of songs from the internet.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Online Music Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Burkart and McCourt theorize that the online music industry may result in the reduction in the role played by record labels in the music industry (7). Before the advent of online music, artists greatly relied on their record labels to market their music and increase their popularity. Without the online music industry, most artists were force to transfer the complete copyright of their songs to the record label or the producers therefore reducing their profits. The internet provides a cheap way through which an artist can popularize his/her work and therefore gain popularity without the record label. Challenges Arguably the biggest threat that the online music industry faces is that of piracy. The Business Software Alliance defines software piracy as the unauthorized copying or distribution of copyrighted music. Despite pirating constituting copyright infringement and therefore being an illegal action punishable by law, it has over the last decade become so prevalent in modern society that most people engage in it without hesitation. While a country may impose strict copyright laws within its borders, there is no guarantee that the same will be obeyed in other countries which is what makes piracy so hard to curb. The BBC documented that a website which was offering illegal MP3 tracks for sale could not have any legal action taken against it since it was operating in Russian and the Russian laws did not cover digital media therefore making it ok to pirate from the country. Such discrepancies in law are detrimental to the online music industry. Piracy not only denies the players in the music industry off their rightfully earned pay but it also translates to a slowing in the growth of the music industry as the much needed revenue is siphoned off by pirates The Future of Online Music The future of music lies with the emerging technology and at the moment, the leading technology is the internet. As has been noted in this paper, while the online music industry holds a lot of promise, its challenges threaten to reduce the income of the music industry substantially. The major challenge posed is that of piracy through illegal do wnloads. If piracy is to continue unabated, it will dry up the income of artists and with this, there will no longer be an incentive for musicians to keep on coming up with new music. Solutions to this must therefore be sought if the online music industry is to remain profitable. To curb the threat that piracy brought about to the music industry, Castro reveals that major record labels are beginning to license their music to online services (8). These services such as Imeem give listeners an opportunity to listen to music online legally for a minimal fee thus discouraging them from participating in piracy.Advertising Looking for research paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While there has been a significant growth in digital music sales as a result of new strategies adopted by key players in the industry to tackle the copyright infringement issues, this sales still fail to compensate the losses that the industry faces. Castro suggests that the creation of a nationwide database of sound recordings would enable the copyright holders to gauge the popularity of their songs therefore enabling them to set competitive market rates resulting in higher sales (9). Conclusion Online music is potentially big business for all the players in the music industry. This paper set out to examine the growth of online music, its relative benefits and the challenges that it posses in the music industry. From this paper, it is clear that while online music can give a competitive advantage to the music industry players who take advantage of it therefore allowing them to thrive, it can also result in huge losses and even threaten to collapse the music industry. These problems must be dealt with to ensure the long-term survival of the music industry. BBC. Legal okay for Russian MP3 site. 8 Mar, 2005. Web. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4328269.stm Bruno, Antony. Companies are now fighting for data as well as dollars. Billboard, Vol. 121, No. 20. 2009. Burkart, Patrick and McCourt, Tom. Digital music wars: ownership and control of the celestial jukebox. Rowman Littlefield, 2006. Print. Castro, Daniel. â€Å"Internet Radio and Copyright Royalties: Reforming a Broken System.† The Information Technology Innovation Foundation, 2007. Ivan, Gregor, How the iPod has Changed the Way we Listen to Music. 2007. Web. Lehmann, Volker. Copyright in the Music Industry. Aug. 2005. Web. https://emle.org/

What happened when we left an error in an email to 7,000 people - Emphasis

What happened when we left an error in an email to 7,000 people What happened when we left an error in an email to 7,000 people I love my job, on most days. We help people with a task that millions find very stressful and problematic. So its incredibly rewarding to be able to relieve that pain. For me, its the best job in the world. Most days. Then there are the other (thankfully) much rarer days, when things don’t quite go according to plan. I had one of those days last Tuesday. That was the day we sent out our e-bulletin, complete with a howling typo, to seven thousand subscribers. Now, dear reader, if you’re ever looking for a guaranteed way to show up every mistake in a piece of writing, that method takes some beating. I can’t honestly say its one Id recommend though. We spotted the mistake in the email as soon as we’d sent it (and before we sent it, in fact – see below). You probably did, too. But in case you missed it, here it is again (because we’re nothing if not gluttons for punishment): While your on that page, don’t forget to sign up to Jacob’s free, seven-part grammar and punctuation course. I know: it’s awful. So awful that I could barely bring myself to type those words. (It should, of course, have read you’re.) Other people may be able to get away with a slip of the fingers, but not us. We obviously need to be squeaky clean in these matters, simply because of what we do. Nor was the irony of such a basic mistake in a sentence advertising a grammar course lost on us. Believe me, a typo like that really is the stuff of nightmares for us. The response from our enthusiastic subscriber base was as swift and uncompromising as it was understandable. My email inbox quickly filled up with messages from loyal readers wondering what on earth we were playing at. Initially, I was blissfully unaware of the grammar firestorm that had erupted back at Emphasis HQ. I was on a half-term holiday with my family, and my WiFi connection was relaxed at best. When I did finally get a connection, I almost wished I’d stayed offline a little longer. The first thing that came through was an instant message from one of my team, warning me of the error. I spent the next hour on the phone to them, trying to piece together just how the mistake had slipped through the net. Then I started working my way through sending a personal email of apology and explanation to every person who’d emailed me. (It was the digital equivalent of putting on a hair shirt.) I also promised them free access to our new e-learning course, Writing better email, to thank them for their trouble. (If you were one of those people, Ill be emailing you a link today.) Ill tell you how they reacted in a minute. But first, what exactly did go wrong? Well, as I mentioned, my initial slip of the fingers had been spotted during our proofreading process and duly corrected. But the correction had been made in the HTML code. Then, somehow, it was an older version of the code that our mailing system sent out. Now, our proofreading methods are pretty good (as you would hope). But any process is only as good as its weakest link, which in this case was making the final corrections in the code. Needless to say, we won’t be doing that again. (We’ve since changed mailing systems, so that we don’t have to.) Im sorry, and I hope you can forgive us this one. Please rest assured that, whatever effect it’s had on your view of us, it’s nothing compared with the soul-searching that’s still going on at Emphasis HQ. However, there is what may be a helpful postscript to this story: the reactions I received to my emails of apology. More than two-thirds of the people I personally emailed took the trouble to write back (in most cases immediately) to say that no harm had been done and that, if anything, our reaction to what were already calling Yourgate had enhanced their view of Emphasis. Im not so vain or naà ¯ve to think that leaving in the error was a good thing. But that feedback suggests that, should you ever mess up, you could do worse than adopt a similar approach. As one correspondent put it, ‘These things happen in business. But, as you’ve proved, it’s how you respond to them that counts.’ That was from the MD of a large investment bank, no less, who took time out from his evening to write me that email. (I was – and still am – so grateful for his response and the many others I got over the next few days.) Unfortunately, the only certain way to avoid mistakes in what you write is never to write anything at all. Weve got no intention of doing that and well continue to provide our free advice for as long as we can. Realistically, at some point, another error will eventually slip through the net, no matter how hard we try to stop that happening. For us, its a terrifying prospect. So, the next time you have writer’s block, perhaps you can draw comfort from the fact that you don’t have to put ‘business-writing adviser’ at the end of every email. Because, believe me, that is the best way I know to paralyse even the most fluent of writers. Image credit: Guilhem Vellut

The benefits of cryotherapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The benefits of cryotherapy - Essay Example In order to achieve this, cryotherapy has become one of the most preferred approaches by doctors to boost the immune system of the human body. Researchers have proved that cryotherapy comes with numerous benefits and patients who have been subject to this technology have indicated admirable outcomes. Cryotherapy basically involves a simple process that entails exposing the human body to very low temperatures. It is â€Å"therapeutic use of cold† (Archer 262). It involves spraying patients with a dry nitrogen mist the cools then skin immediately patients enter a chamber that is specially designed for this purpose. Even though the temperature of the skin is lowered just for a few minutes, the result of spraying patients with skin-chilling dry Nitrogen is often wonderful (Archer 262). When the temperature of the body drops, the immune system of the body is activated to respond, thereby leading to pain or inflammation relief (Eaves 72; Kenner 662; Aigner and Stephens 48). Perhaps, some people are wondering about how it feels when one undergoes cryotherapy. The therapy is very quick and the whole treatment procedure is absolutely painless, which is one of the main advantages of cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is also beneficial because it treats numerous health conditions (Knight and Draper 5). Cryotherapy can be used to treat serious debilitating diseases like arthritis and Fibromyalgia. It is also known to boost the performance of athletes (Millis and Levine 314). According to CryoClinics, cryotherapy remains crucial for facilitating recovery in sports and ensuring highly competitive sports (CryoClinics Para 11). Do you recall the ice bags that team doctors usually put on the head of players when there is head collision of some soccer player hurt his leg? This is fundamentally what cryotherapy technique. â€Å"Welsh rugby team began using cryotherapy in the run-up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup in order to aid their

Critical Thinking and Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Thinking and Technology - Essay Example Critical thinking also enhances the communication and presentation skills of employees, students and even employers as the information presented is thoroughly thought over and researched. With critical thinking, our ability to express our ideas, opinions and beliefs to other people is enhanced and this promotes cooperation and productivity in organizations that are dependent on technology. Creativity is important in success of individuals, organizations and institutions across the globe in this technology age. According to Plato (Pinliucci, 2011), critical thinking increases the inventive ability of people and this enhances entrepreneurship and business growth. To think critically, an individual must be able to develop a strong purpose and develop a problem upon which different questions will be used to understand it. The position of critical thinking in modern day world has remained a major issue as a result of the emergence of technology and more so, the internet (Whitney, 2010). Information technology and especially the internet improve critical thinking ability of students and employees as it enhances judgment and decision making processes. With information technology, data processing is enhanced due to the massive sources that readers are subjected to and this enhances critical thinking. The development of critical thinking skills is essential in the development of students and employees as it enhances the process of gathering information and developing skills. As a result, the questioning information presented to an individual enhances their understanding of the area and improves their discussion skills. The global economy is currently reliant on technology, an aspect of development that is dynamic and influenced by the level of knowledge of an individual. As a result, the development of flexible skills is essential, a process that can only be achieved through developing strong analytics skills found among critical thinkers (Taylor, 2012). Technology

A Message to Garcia Essay Example for Free

A Message to Garcia Essay A Message to Garcia is an award winning essay written in 1899. It serves as an inspiration to some as well as a lesson. In the essay President McKinley needed to have a message delivered to Garcia in the jungles of Cuba, he trusted one man with this mission, Rowan. He gave Rowan clear instructions on what to do. He gave him no tips nor told him any way he could complete this mission, he simply trusted Rowan to get the job done with his skill alone. What I’ve taken from this is the leadership and trust that is put into action throughout a unit. The company commander passes down an order to the platoon commander who in turn passes it down to the platoon sergeant and then to the squad leaders and fire team leaders who are tasked with accomplishing the mission. The trust that was put in Rowan is the same trust that is tasked throughout squads and fire teams. We have to be able to use the resources that we have on hand and the skills we learn throughout our training to be able to accomplish whatever mission and task is set before us. It gives examples at the end of the essay of different types of people who could be tasked out for missions but get lost along their way and lose sight of what needs to be done. It talks about people who need to do work when the â€Å"boss† is away and does work as well when he is at home. The man who when given an order doesn’t question it, but obeys without hesitation and does his job proficiently and thoroughly. The leaders who step up when it is needed and when it is not to be able to build trust in one another and earn the respect of his peers. A Message to Garcia highlights a prime example of the leadership that is need in a battalion, company, platoon and squad sized element, as well as the society we live in.

Gas Laws Essay -- Chemistry Gas Gasses Essays Science

Gas Laws Since the days of Aristotle, all substances have been classified into one of three physical states. A substance having a fixed volume and shape is a solid. A substance, which has a fixed volume but not a fixed shape, is a liquid; liquids assume the shape of their container but do not necessarily fill it. A substance having neither a fixed shape nor a fixed volume is a gas; gases assume both the shape and the volume of their container. The structures of gases, and their behavior, are simpler than the structures and behavior of the two condensed phases, the solids and the liquids Pressure and the Law of Boyle Quantitative measurements on gases were first made in a rational manner by the English chemist Robert Boyle (1627 - 1691). The instruments used by Boyle to measure pressure were two: the manometer, which measures differences in pressure, and the barometer, which measures the total pressure of the atmosphere. A manometer is simply a bent piece of tubing, preferably glass with one end closed. When the liquid level in both arms is the same, the pressure of the sample of gas inside the closed end must equal the pressure of the external atmosphere since the downward force on the two columns of liquid is then equal. When the liquid levels are unequal, the pressures must differ. The difference in pressure can be measured in units of length of the vertical column of liquid. The mm Hg, or its modern version the torr, originated in this use of the manometer. Mercury is particularly convenient for use in manometers (and barometers) because at room temperature it has low vapor pressure, does not wet glass, and has a high density. Other liquids such as linseed oil or water have also been used in manometers. The barometer is a device for measuring the total pressure of the atmosphere. A primitive barometer can easily be constructed by taking a glass tube about a meter long, sealing one end, filling the tube completely with mercury, placing your thumb firmly over the open end, and carefully inverting the tube into an open dish filled with mercury. The mercury will fall to a height independent of the diameter of the tube and a vacuum will be created above it. The height of the mercury column will be the height which the atmospheric pressure can support. The standard atmospheric pressure, one atmosphere (atm), is 760 mm Hg but the actua... ... taking enough chemistry, you will see it showing up over and over and over. The Numerical Value for R R's value can be determined many ways. This is just one way: Assume we have 1.000 mol of a gas at STP. The volume of this amount of gas under the conditions of STP is known to a high degree of precision. We will use the value of 22.414 L. By the way, 22.414 L at STP has a name. It is called "molar volume." It is the volume of ANY ideal gas at standard temperature and pressure. (Siebring, Richard, Page 54) Let's plug our numbers into the equation: (1.000 atm) (22.414 L) = (1.000 mol) (R) (273.15 K) Notice how atmospheres were used as well as the exact value for standard temperature. Solving for R gives 0.08206 L atm / mol K, when rounded to four significant figures. This is usually enough. Remember the value. You'll need it for problem solving. Notice the weird unit on R: say out loud "liter atmospheres per mole Kelvin." This is not the only value of R that can exist. It depends on which units you select. Those of you that take more chemistry than high school level will meet up with 8.3145 Joules per mole Kelvin, but that's for another time.

An internal locus of control Essay

An internal locus of control is â€Å"the belief that one’s fate is determined by one’s own behavior. † While the external locus of control is â€Å"the belief that what happens is determined not by one’s own actions but by powerful others, luck, and external forces† (Kassin and Wrightsman 1988, 32). What this is saying is that the psychological process of defining the reasoning behind why someone is doing something is that there is either an internal or external locus of control that is determining the factors around the individual. According to the book on page 313 there are times when a judge can decide that a person who has a particular background, occupation or situation would not be a good juror for a trial. This is because their internal locus of control could sway their decision making ability based on what they know and what they have utilized in their profession. In one instance that was described in the book there were two jurors that were kept out of a trial based on their own internal locus of control. One of these jurors was a scientist while the other worked in credit management. Based on the case it was considered that these two potential jurors might not be able to look at the situation completely unbiased and therefore these two jurors were let go from the jury. This is one example on how an internal locus of control can affect someone who is a potential juror (Greene, Heilbrun, Fortune, and Nietzel 2006). A way that the external locus of control can affect someone who is a juror is a bit different. What this means is that someone is being influenced by outside influences which would make them biased in some way to the decision making process. According to the book on page 303 there is a discussion about the interviewing that occurred in the O. J. Simpson trial when looking for jurors. The overwhelming conclusion was that there was a prevalence for African American women to think that some forms of abuse were okay in relationships and this is an external influence to their overall opinions of things. Therefore this influence could influence how the jurors felt about the abuse that O. J. ’s wife had suffered from and therefore they might have a bias (Greene, Heilbrun, Fortune, and Nietzel 2006). Provide an opinion on whether jurors are able to disregard inadmissible evidence using theories discussed in the text, why or why not? According to the book on pages 338-340 there are a number of ways that a juror can look into disregarding evidence that has been determined to be inadmissible. Whether or not this is really possible is a different story. The text describes some different ways that the evidence can be disregarded. These include the reactance theory which is if instructed to disregard certain information the overall decision making ability of the juror could be compromised. Through this theory it is common that someone would use some type of thought suppression to block the material from their thoughts. It is thought that even though this material has been marked as inadmissible that it could possibly still influence the jury’s overall decision (Greene, Heilbrun, Fortune, and Nietzel 2006). In my opinion it could be possible for a juror to disregard inadmissible information however it would be very difficult and it might cause problems for the individual as well. It would be difficult to forget something that was mentioned if it was something that would strongly influence one’s decision however if it was material that was not a big deal then it would not be likely that this would have much influence. In one study that was conducted jurors who were given proacquittal inadmissible information were less likely to convict than those who were given proconviction inadmissible information (Thompson, Fong, and Rosenhan 1981).

Bernadine Healy

There is a sea of difference in being a leader and manager of an organization. Each one of the two persona can fit in a type of organization. But in the case of the Red Cross in the US,public interest, administrative responsibility and some of the recent ethical obligations confronting public administrators in their day to day decision making. Also examine the recent trend in privatizing government functions and appeared to have not fit at all occupying the presidency.She was a victim of the position not for becoming a tough, passionate, too-driven leader, but for not coming a manager of the international Red Cross that is largely resistant to change. It has been said that managers â€Å"do things right† while leaders, on the other hand, â€Å"do the right things†. Managers are concerned primarily with managing things. Leaders, on the other hand, are show concern for leading people.Dr. Healy’s short stint in the Red Cross showed that she was more than a leader th an a manager of the gargantuan relief service organization, whose organizational grandeur, financial resources and manpower are greater than the Philippine military establishment. In fact, she was described as â€Å"a tough professional who ruffled feathers but made things happen† and â€Å"a change agent for a culture resistant to change†.But amidst controversies generated from her tough program thrusts, changes and innovations and her strong leadership in the international Red Cross, she had to cave in to pressures even as the powerful board of governors had decided to fire her out. It came to pass that the Red Cross Red is after all a conservative, non transparent organizations with heavy decentralization down in its hierarchy, with people and chapters enmeshed in turf wars and to some extent rocked with financial anomalies and a blood business that has to be rectified. It was described to have a militaristic management and a politburo-like board of governors.Dr. He aly, who came in too passionate like a savior knight in shining armor, failed these to understand. Moreover, empathy as a vital organizational trait of a leader – as espoused by US Army logistics officer William Pagonis- was evidently lacking in the upmanship and leadership of Dr. Healy. In her rush to institute dramatic changes in the international Red Cross in the wake of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing she failed to factor in the use of empathy in drawing out support of Red Cross organizations under her leadership. As she was already hounded by criticisms right even in Red Cross board of governors, unlike Pagonis, Dr.Healy failed to build up team work and design a communication structure that could complement the Red Cross chain of command, the reason why her good intents and passions were misunderstood. She failed to approach Red Cross by managing than by leading, and to pursue a long-haul of transformation process. It worth to ponder that change requires time and pro cesses. In John Kotter’s Transformation Process in his book â€Å"Change or Die†, it takes many processes to transform men and in effect the organization, and many things have to be recognized and to make and unmake. On various areas where Dr.Healy was brought down particularly in her evident over zeal to make Red Cross perform and take novel pursuits with least shoring up of empathy to the men and women across and down the line of the organization, Kotter’s organizational processes are given much rationale*. Changing the behavior of people is the most important challenge for organizations trying to compete in a turbulent world, says John Kotter, a Harvard Business School professor who has studied dozens of organizations in the midst of upheaval: â€Å"The central issue is never strategy, structure, culture, or systems.The core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people. Those people may be called upon to respond to profound upheavals in mark etplace dynamics — the rise of a new global competitor, say, or a shift from a regulated to a deregulated environment — or to a corporate reorganization, merger, or entry into a new business. And as individuals, we may want to change our own styles of work — how we mentor subordinates, for example, or how we react to criticism. Yet more often than not, we can’t. † In relevance to ours, the Philippine Army has to â€Å"Change or Die† if wanted to survive in the high-technological, constantly changing times.There have been more critiques leveled to the Philippine military in its organizational mission, efficacy and those relating organizational stresses and dysfunctions. The current thrusts and posturing of the country’s military for transformation have still a long way to go in so far as hurdling and taking tasks along the generalist processes spelled out. And let it be said now that changing the behavior of men and officers towards a m ission an ever-changing times is a daunting task of the Philippine Army.

Gender and Sexuality in Asia

Gender and Sexuality in Asia Introduction Asia is known for its rich cultural and national identities. Asians derive their sense of nationality and identity from their daily lives. Gender and sexuality are some of the areas where Asians find their identity and citizenship. This essay discusses how gender and sexuality are implicated in the construction of identity, citizenship, or community in an Asian perspective.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Gender and Sexuality in Asia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Body Gender is a term that is used to refer to roles performed by men and women. The roles are learnt by young people as they grow, and are often prescribed by culture. There are roles for men and other roles for women. Sexuality refers to individual sexual tendencies, beliefs, experiences, and advocacy. Sexuality denotes experiences and is revealed in thoughts, attitudes, values, desires, and beliefs which can be expressed. Sexuality is deve loped when people interact with one another socially, politically, religiously or culturally. Sexuality is influenced by ethics, spirituality, and culture (Toffler 1980). Peletz (2011) mentions that cultural practices in Asia that go hand in hand with genders are still being practiced. There are a few changes that have emerged with modernization. Women’s role as care givers is still being practiced, although women have joined men in providing for their families. Women now get educated and work with men. According to Misra and Chandiramani (2005, p. 17), Asian states gain their identities by exercising the rights of all groups in the society. Women have their rights to make choices on matters of their sexuality. This extends to their healthcare needs and reproduction. They exercise their freedom from being discriminated or coerced to do something because of their gender. National laws that protect women are stipulated. International laws that protect women rights are recognize d and safeguarded in Asian countries. Men and women in marital union have the right to space and get the number of children they desire. Moreover, they are free to choose the family planning practices that are suitable for them. The decision to attain the highest standards of reproductive and sexual health is on their hands (Misra and Chandiramani 2005, p. 18). Access to healthcare should not be discriminatory.Advertising Looking for essay on asian? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There are cases of people being discriminated because of their gender, sexual health (in the case HIV positive), political view, social status, disability, and sexual orientation. The vice is strongly discouraged by the government and stakeholders fighting for human rights. When the government encourages equality, it creates a sense of identity and citizenship among the citizens. Thornburgh and Lin (2002) mention that there are initiatives by the government to create opportunities for all. The initiatives also encourage people to work without discrimination. Institutions are encouraged to employ both genders and give equal opportunities at work. Unfairness against pregnant women seeking opportunities or those dismissed from work because of their maternal roles is condemned by the law in different states. Slocum (2009) argues that there are incidents where women have been shown favoritism and denied opportunities, while men have been granted opportunities. The favoritism makes women feel that they do not enjoy their citizenship and that they deserve an equal opportunity. In an age with digital information technology, the performance of gender or sexuality is different from the previous ages. In the past, traditional values had rules. The agricultural revolution and the industrialization that followed gave way to modern technology. Using the technology as a means of communication has affected the way Asian communities i dentify perceptions and social structures in the world. What people experience and interact with shapes their attitudes about the world. The media have been used to shape Asians’ awareness, which is a major influence on gender and sexuality. The emerging technologies have, therefore, played a major role in setting the standards for the Asian’s attitudes and identities (Jensen 2002). The availability of materials on the region in print, on television, on the internet, or even on the radio made people begin questioning the translation and the origin of the information. The modern society began making its own judgment and created an opinion of gender and sexuality. A sense of nationalism or communalism is facilitated by the presence of the Asian materials in the media. According to Levinson (1999), the media provides information that is used by the community to form discussions and reactions to various issues. The content also gives information on the reality that is ofte n used in conversations with others. Examples of the content include music, creative arts, drama, musical and verbal expressions, dance, and paintings.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Gender and Sexuality in Asia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The content makes Asians develop an identity and a sense of belonging to the community. The media content carries attitudes towards gender and sexuality. The content gives opinion on specific or general understanding of sexuality. The development of drama with Asian background, for instance, gives a sense of communalism and opens an avenue for discussion of a certain gender and sexuality ideas amongst Asians. Views on gender and sexuality have been present as the developments in technologies grew. The use of mobile phone has rapidly increased in Asia, allowing interactions between the genders to be increased. The use of the internet has also played a part in creating differe nt perspectives about gender and sexuality. Education is accessible to both genders. Therefore, both genders have access to internet knowledge when granted the opportunity. Information technology has allowed access to libraries and sites that have information on all aspects of life, including sexuality. All genders have access to information without discrimination. Asians choose what information to access, depending on their educational, sexual, or reproductive health needs. The information provided gives content on biomedical information, contraceptives, homosexuality, abortion, and sexual workers with an explanation on what they entail. The information provided then indicates the kind of issues that surround each of the concepts and their benefits. Materials concerning sexuality have also been categorized as private by some of the information technology users. It is no wonder that some people secretly keep folders of porn, sex, and nude photos on their electronic gadgets (Peletz 2 011). All these materials can be accessed on different electronic devices including mobile phones, television, and computers (McLuhan 1994). The entertainment features of information technology have more competing needs for recreation than for academic motives. The recreational features have clear themes concerning sex and gender perceptions. The available contents of media entertainment being offered without any charges are very high. The content is available for free. This makes a large number of people to access this content. Many people, therefore, get influenced by this content, especially in the area of sexuality (Slocum 2009). Communication via electronic devices has revolutionized interactions and means of passing on messages. The physical boundaries that existed amongst opposite sexes are slowly fading away. Information technology helps in communication and also in overcoming inhibitions (McLuhan and Fiore 1967). Social structures that would allow a certain level of interac tion have now been overtaken by expansion of communication channels. The internet allows people to begin relationships that are no-sexual and online dating. This has been enabled by mobile, email, Skype, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP).Advertising Looking for essay on asian? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Social networks have become common. Social networks entail grouping of people with similar interests on the internet. People with similar social interest, as well as sexual interests, organize themselves in groups. Through the use of social networks, people are able to interact and share experiences they face in life. Social networks have been successful in organizing groups of sexual minorities such as lesbians, transsexuals, heterosexuals, and unlawful sexual relations among others. These sexual networks can enable people to select the genders of people to interact with and select people with specific interests. The groups are highly segmented such that people can select people with specific sexuality, as well as those who believe in a specific religion. New contacts are obtained from the social networks. Social networks are used to pass on information on certain issues and conduct discussions. The social networks go beyond physical borders and can be very powerful. Electronic com merce (es of these fantasies are strip tease and people impersonating to be the opposite gender. People have used new technology to give their views on sexuality. The views are political and have increased awareness about policies and actions of the state on certain matters concerning gender and sexuality. Expression forums have been created by different groups to deal with gender and sexuality-related issues. Discussions on sexuality and gender roles are conducted via the internet. Blogging is also common and useful in discussions regarding sexuality and gender issues. Such discussions and forums of expressions enable people within Asia to have a sense of identity and exercise their rights as citizens. Prohibition and laws concerning sexuality is discussed in the forum or blog. National issues concerning sexuality are also discussed. These include: prohibition of pornographic sites and sites that are subversive. Once in a while, the sites are also used to pass on political expressi on, gather support for specific candidates who advocate for their interests, give an avenue for interaction, and recreation at the same time. Sexual ideologies and gender have distinct perspectives. Some ideas support adherence of cultural norms according to the Asian culture, while others have different ideas that other sexualities should be recognized in society. Asians use sites to represent their personal ideas about sexuality and gender. Experiences regarding discrimination are shared, and advice is given on how to have it mitigated. The ideas are challenged by people who hold cultural norms and explain why they support the ideas. When a lot is happening on the internet, young people get exposed to the material that is shared. They get deeply involved in sexuality and gender issues when they read materials provided via the internet. The challenge is that they grow up perceiving the gender and sexuality perspectives they are exposed to and how to assimilate them. Getting the int ernet to accept the perceived cultural norms in line with Asian culture is another challenge. Getting the internet audience to reject discrimination on the basis of gender and sexuality is a major challenge. There is fragmentation of the society, religion, culture, and science, which have had an influence on gender and sexuality in Asia. People take refuge, growth, diversity and identity in the ideas that are generated in the internet. Some of the supporters of the internet believe that sexual minorities should be considered and allowed to practice their ideologies. There are those who strongly believe that some laws and policies that outlaw sex, pornography, and sexuality material should not be embraced. Strong believers of tradition and culture would view that as moral decay. Given an opportunity, they would impose strict laws that would ensure that people are faithful to Asian norms. There is moral panic among people who support cultural norms. Young people are involved in the ex change and activities on sexuality. The challenge is that the sexuality materials are also related to violence, murder, drugs, gambling, and obscene materials. Young children have access to internet and mobile phones. Religious institutions have strongly increased their campaigns on morality. Some have suggested filtration of unlawful and immoral sites. These actions are to prevent materials on sexuality that may not be appropriate from being accessed on one’s computer internet admittance. It is made possible if a card is used, where internet access blocks specific sites from being accessed. There is a dilemma on the morality of the internet. The internet provides access to material that could destroy morality, while at the same time providing information on heath that could be helpful in dealing with medical issues on sexuality. The material is not categorized and there is no distinct way of excluding a particular area completely. As religious institutions, governments, and other stakeholders promote the development of information technology in the modern world, fears emerge because there is no clear way of regulating the effect of dealing with sexuality and gender issues that raise moral concerns. Developing individual ways of safeguarding oneself from inappropriate content and unsafe networking is the main challenge. It is no wonder that there are gendered sites. For instance, some gendered sites dedicate sites with cars to men and sites with households to women. Content for the young people could be emphasized to allow the young people take control of their sexuality and learn about gender as Asian culture has dictated. The internet sites and cafes are known to have more male clients than female clients. Sexual material showing explicit content tends to give titles that relate the material to women than to men. Like in many parts of the world, homosexuality is not acceptable in Asia (Tan 2009). Homosexual and transgender people have who have been di sproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections are treated with hostility by members of the Asian community. Those seeking treatment face discrimination when accessing healthcare. Sex workers face similar challenges as homosexuals. The Asian culture discourages promiscuity and prostitution. Those who do not conform to the laid down rules on sexuality and gender are not identified as true followers of the Asian culture. They are considered to have deviated from the teachings of the culture. Religious institutions fear that people are strongly getting entangled with the fast growing technology that provides materials on sexuality and gender. It is no wonder that those who purchase, participate, and visit the sites are people belonging to specific religions. Churches, mosques, and other religious institutions fear that some believers are strongly trapped by their sexuality. The other alternative would be to withdraw access to those sites, which may not be applicable or ma y work for a short time. There is more knowledge about sex and gender than there was before. People are able to express themselves more openly through the internet than was the case before. However, the developments challenge the existing traditions and norms. Norms and culture that held people together and gave understanding of sexuality and gender could be eroded. People identify with one another to find identity and feel a sense of citizenship when discussing matters of gender and sexuality. Conclusion Asian gender and sexuality has contributed to identity and citizenship in the community. Gender roles are well defined and are known by the citizens. The law recognizes the norms and culture. Policies that foster and support the norms together with culture are enacted. These policies promote equality and good relations among the Asians. Discrimination on the basis of sexuality or gender in all aspects is discouraged. Technology has played a major part in defining today’s gen der and sexuality perspectives. The emerging technologies have increasingly created and distributed content that raise concerns. The norms and culture that are used as a foundation for the Asians state that all people are entitled to their rights irrespective of their gender and sexuality. There are specific laws and policies that take care of special groups such as women, homosexuals, and transsexuals who have faced discrimination because of gender or sexuality. The challenge is that the government may not be able to control access to explicit material, leaving the task of selecting appropriate sites to individuals. The internet has been used to organize people with similar interests together, where they have shared concerns and experiences. Social networks have been used for supporting sexual and gender minorities. Some sites are configured to suit either men or women. Technology allows people to make choices concerning their reproductive health and sexuality. Access to the materi al makes the Asian community develop identities and exercise their rights as citizens. Reference List Jensen, B 2002, A Handbook of Media and Communication Research, Routledge, New York. Levinson, P 1999, Digital McLuhan: A Guide to the Information Millennium, Routledge, London. McLuhan, M 1994, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, Routledge, London. McLuhan, M. and Fiore, Q 1967, The Medium is the Messagem, Penguin, Harmondsworth. Misra, G Chandiramani, R 2005, Sexuality, Gender and Rights: Exploring Theory and Practice in South and Southeast Asia, SAGE, India. Peletz, G 2011, Gender, Sexuality and Body politics in Modern Asia. Web. Slocum, H 2009, Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak, Harper Perennial, New York. Tan, L 2009, Reflections on Digital ICTs, Gender and Sexuality in Asia. Web. Thornburgh, D and Lin, S 2002, Youth, Pornography and the Internet, National Academies Press, Washington, DC. Toffler, A 1980, The Third Wave, Collins, London.

Finals Week Care Package

Finals Week Care Package Theres no doubt that cookie-filled care packages raise the spirits of homesick college students, but when exam time rolls around, stressed-out kids need healthier fare. As the parent of a young adult, you know they may be skipping meals or eating more than their share of pizza and guzzling caffeine when what they need is protein, complex carbohydrates and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Instead of shipping cookies, which send blood sugar soaring and then crashing back to earth, try filling that care package with a few of these instead. Healthy Care Packages Fresh organic fruit, such as apples and tangerines, from your garden, favorite market or a fruit delivery service like the Fruit Guys- theyre a San Francisco-based organic fruit delivery company, known for their workplace fruit deliveries. The DormSnack package includes 16 servings of organic fruit, delivered to any dorm ($49 and up).Spicy chipotle-glazed pecans or other energizing nut snacks.Beef jerky or hard salami.Tasty and satisfying whole-grain crackers, or peanut butter-filled crackers.A small jar of natural crunchy peanut butter and a box of graham crackers.Dried fruit such as apricots, cherries, apples, and more. Also, organic fruit snacks are easy to carry around and eat in a pinch.Instant hot cocoa mix, instant hot soup, instant oatmeal- anything healthy that can be made in a microwave is a good idea.A can of bean dip and a bag of chips.Microwave popcorn or popcorn kernels and plain brown lunch bags, which is cheaper and healthier and without the nasty chemicals or oozing fat: Drop a 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels in a paper bag, fold over the top a couple of times and microwave it for a minute and a half to two minutes. A Starbucks gift card.Biscotti, which offer sweet crunch without a lot of sugar.A mini-loaf of homemade chocolate chip pumpkin bread.Sugar-free throat lozenges, Vitamin C lozenges or Emergen-C packets, along with ibuprofen for sore necks from hunching over a laptop for hours at a time.A DIY set of adorable exam worry dolls that will do the worrying instead.An assortment of teas to calm and relax at the end of a stressful day of studying- chamomile, peppermint, and honey ginger are just a few of the more relaxing teas.A lavender-scented body lotion for the girls is one of the most relaxing scents and is often used during massages. A lavender-scented pillow is a great way to help students who are stressed and have a hard time sleeping- a few deep breaths and theyll be off to dreamland in no time.

American Foreign Policy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

American Foreign Policy - Assignment Example With the current state of international instability, the United States is more likely to venture successfully in protecting its global interests both in economic and political benefits. Discussion The approach of protecting the United States global interest is more likely to succeed in the future given the Americans strong believe that their country should take the leadership position in the world. Even though this does not necessarily mean that the United States should take the watchdog role over the world, the support and conviction of American citizens is likely to create an internationally active united states that is capable of effectively pursuing its global interests. Additionally, scenarios taking place in other nations and in fact the whole world are cable of affecting the United States and indeed the interests of its citizens. This approach is more appreciated now more than ever especially after the 9/11 terrorist attacks (Bartholomees, 2006). In addition, it is quite evide nt that the United States prefers multilateralism rather than unilateralism. To Hough, (2008), Americans have a strong conviction that it is more effective and certainly better to boost cooperation with other nations of the world in an effort to realize the nations’ (US) interest than it could be to work against these nations the rationale behind these approach is that it is more cost effective considering that the united states partners in the globe can willingly share the burden. Thus whilst the invasion of Iraq drummed overwhelming support from the American citizens, their willingness to bear the burden of rebuilding that nation is unclear and this necessitated the assistance of other states. Generally, the United States is known to support the promotion of other nations market based economy or capitalism, free trade and democracy. This is a clear indication that America is more likely to succeed in future through this approach even though as a matter of fact, other values may be prioritized in certain instances, and even though these values may generally serve the united states global interest, the united states national interest takes priority. Consequently, these values perused by the United States are the core values and embracing of these values by other nations is perceived as a positive development. These make the protection of US global interest approach more likely to succeed in future. Furthermore, with the Americans believe that confrontation of international terrorism ought to be prioritized; the country’s global interest is more likely gain momentum if future as more nations in the world are coming up in support of this policy. Conclusion Indeed, even though there are generally four assumed future scenarios for the United States protection of the United States among these four assumed futures is more likely to succeed in future. This approach is supported by Americans strong believe that their country should take the leadership po sition in the world, the country’s preference of multilateralism rather than unilateralism, and Americans believe that confrontation of international terrorism ought to be prioritized. Part 2 Question 2 of 4. Assess what type of structural constraints - if any - the US Congress imposes upon the presidency in general and

International Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Marketing - Case Study Example He contended that a lot depends upon the differences in the extent of geographical location and the degree to which the company is centralized for decision making. International marketing is different from home-country marketing and the success or failure of the decision basically depends upon; International market situations happen to be multilevel in their decision focus, with a hierarchy of decisions from country assessment and performance measurement decisions through to more traditional marketing mix allocations and programs. For the purpose of this assignment we choose 'BARCLAYS BANK', a UK-based financial services group, with a large international presence in Europe, the USA, Africa and Asia. Barclays is one of the largest financial services companies in the world, In terms of market capitalisation. It has been operating for more than 300 years with more than 25 million customers and 118,000 employees in over 60 countries. Barclays origins can be traced back to a modest business founded more than 300 years ago in the heart of London's financial district when goldsmith-bankers provided monarchs and merchants money for funding their business ventures. John Freame and his partner Thomas Gould established one such in Lombard Street in 1690. The name Barclay became associated with the company in 1736, when James Barclay also became a partner. The company amalgamated with the London, Provincial and South Western Bank in 1918 to become one of the UK's 'big five' banks. By 1926 the bank had 1,837 outlets. The modern banking business though started picking up in 1925, with the merger of three banks - the Colonial Bank, the Anglo Egyptian Bank and the National Bank of South Africa to form Barclays international operations. This helped the bank in adding more business in Africa, the Middle East and the West Indies. Besides the banking operations the Barclays' group has business interests in a range of fields like fund/ capital management, investment advisors, insurance, etc. But for our study we'll limit ourselves mainly to the banking operations. Some of the historical milestones and salient features about the Barclays' operations are; Barclays acquired Martins Bank in 1969, the largest UK bank to have its head office outside London. In 1981, it became the first foreign bank to file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and raise long-term capital on the New York market. Taking giant strides towards global acceptance Barclays listed its shares on the Tokyo and New York stock exchanges in 1986, thus becoming the first British bank to do so. In 2000 it took over the Woolwich, a leading mortgage bank and former building society founded in 1847. In July 2003 Barclays acquired the Banco Zaragozano, one of Spain's largest private sector banking groups, which was founded in 1910. Keeping pace with technological advancements Barclays started the telephone banking service Barclaycall in 1994 and later on-line PC banking in 1997. Barclays has also introduced