Music and Violence: Still a Concern in 2007

Media effects have been a hot topic in United States social history, especially with the newest in technology, which brings video and film to the personal computer and ipod.   However, one of the most long-standing debates does not concern new technology, but an older medium – music.   For nearly five decades, psychologists, scientists and parents have expressed concern that music lyrics could affect listeners and behavior, even violent behavior.   Despite some switch in focus to violent and sexual content in film and internet video, music lyrics still hold concern for their possible contribution to aggressive behavior in the United States and elsewhere. In response to this concern, many public and private investigations have sought to reach some sort of conclusion on the impact that music lyrics may have on aggressive behavior of young people.   The 1982 National Institute of Mental Health report noted that media violence, including violence in music, was a â€Å"serious threat to public health,† and by the 1990s, most research concluded that â€Å"media violence on aggressive and violent behavior was real, causal and significant† (Anderson, et al. This was followed by a Congressional Public Health Summit which consisted of six medical and public health organizations.  Ã‚   Their conclusion delivered as a joint statement of all was that â€Å"entertainment violence can lead to increases in aggressive attitudes, values, and behavior, particularly in children† (Anderson, et al., 2003). These research organizations define aggression as â€Å"any behavior that is intended to harm another person† and can include not only physical aggression, but also sexual aggression, verbal aggression, and indirect aggression.   Particular attention has be revisited on music lyrics with the rise in popularity during the 80s and 90s of the music video. Researcher found that music videos are laden with violence and â€Å"explicit aggressive content† with â€Å"antisocial overtones† (Anderson, et al. 2003).   In fact, a study by However, Waite, Hillbrand, and Foster (1992) found that aggressive behavior in a forensic inpatient ward decreased significantly after MTV (Music Television) was removed from the television offerings. Additionally another group of researchers found that males who listened and viewed violent music videos exhibited a significant increase in â€Å"adversarial sexual beliefs and negative affect† (Peterson and Pfost, 1989).   Additional this group also found that college students who listed to rock music with antisocial themes self-reported a wider range of acceptance for antisocial behaviors. Additional studies also followed test subjects for several years and report that violent music videos can have long term negative and maladaptive effects on young people (Anderson et al, 2003) One performer who has recently fallen under close scrutiny is Marshall Mathers, known to listening fans as Eminem.   Eminem’s character, Slim Shady, appeals to teenagers because her represents the extreme emotions which range from outrage to helplessness that are so common in the lives of adolescents (Doherty, 2000). Eminem is profane, rebellious, determined to be himself, to speak what he takes to be the truth about his emotions and what he sees around him. He's all the more determined to do so if it pisses off authority figures. And in a world largely dominated by modern liberal cant, the best way to outrage adults is to come across as anti-gay, anti-woman, and pro-violence. As Eminem says in â€Å"Criminal,† â€Å"Half the shit I say, I just make it up to make you mad.† Such an attitude speaks directly to adolescent anomie and rebellion (Doherty, 2000). Lyrics such as this draw teens into the world of Slim Shady, identifying with him and adopting his style of dress, attitudes and behaviors. Now, these lyrics are even more damaging, according to Myronda Reuben of WBLX in Mobile, Alabama.   She says that music now holds less hope and fewer positive possibilities in the lyrics:â€Å"Back in the day, when a rapper was talking about ‘the life,’ it was usually about getting out of away from the violence and the streets.   Now the music glorifies it, and there are so many contradictory messages out there† (Hall, 2000). Another example is the phenomenon known as Hip-Hop. Researchers note that these songs target what is known as â€Å"marginalized youth,† which is defined as those that experience the â€Å"most dramatic social pressures† (Violent Music Lyrics Increase Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings 2003)   in life, such as economic, family and behavior issues.   These individuals who listen to rap are more likely to become violent. Hip hop music seems to have the common theme of drug use, alcoholism, Aids, and murder. Thus, results of several experimental studies show that subjects who listened to violent songs were more likely to interpret ambiguous words and phrases as aggressive, and to having â€Å"increased feelings of hostility without provocation or threat†Ã‚   (Violent Music Lyrics Increase Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings 2003). These violent songs with their aggressive thoughts and feelings have daunting implications for real world violence, notes Anderson cited in the aforementioned article: Aggressive thoughts can influence perceptions of ongoing social interactions, coloring them with an aggressive tint. Such aggression-biased interpretations can, in turn, instigate a more aggressive response–verbal or physical–than would have been emitted in a nonbiased state, thus provoking an aggressive escalatory spiral of antisocial exchanges†¦(Violent Music Lyrics Increase Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings 2003). It is easy to see why these concerns are in place when one examines the lyrics from two hip hop songs that have been at the very top of the Billboard charts as cited by Senator Brownback (1998): â€Å"F– home we capture with more hits and slaughter more kids†¦ You know for real the nig– came f–in' sucked my d–†¦ I have nig–z falling like white b in a scary movie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"I'm known in the ghetto for slangin' narcotics†¦ I come up short I'ma bust yo'f–in' lip up Cuz money and murder is the code that I live by Come to ya set and do a muthaf–in' walk-by.† These lyrics from the songs â€Å"Get at Me Dog,† by DMX and â€Å"Come and Get Some† by Master P show the explicit references to killing, racial slurs, sexuality and drugs. Ironically, these chaotic songs are highly organized and effective at targeting youth and maximizing profit, which tends to squelch legislative attempts at censorship.   Scholars have identified some particularly disturbing rap styles:   hustler rap, booty rap, pimp rap, gangsa rap, and don rap – all of which are considered as hardcore rap.   Hustler rap features a bad guy figure who dominates others through force, intimidation and/or seduction. Booty rap applauds sexual shock and nonconformity with titles from the group 2 Life Crew like â€Å"Dick Almighty,† â€Å"Me So Horny,† and â€Å"The Fuck Shop.†Ã‚   Pimp rap focus on money and sex; an example is P Diddy’s song â€Å"It’s All about the Benjamins.†Ã‚   Finally, gangsta rap emphasizes the acceptance of antisocial, often violent, behavior.   For example, NWA’s   (Niggaz Wit Attitude) album Straight Outta Compton offers a written thank you to: â€Å"All the gangsters, dope dealers, criminals, thieves, vandals, villains, thugs, hoodlums, killers, hustlers, baseheads, hypes, winos, bums, arsonists, police, maniacs and bad ass kids for listening to our shit†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lena, 2006). Finally, don rappers (like Master P and Junior M.A.F.I.A.) combine gangsta rap’s emphasis on violence with the pimp rap emphasis on money and sexual dominance (Lena, 2006). These songs do translate into aggressive action.   For example, in the case of Mitch Johnson, the boy who was charged with killing four fellow students and a teacher in Jonesboro, Arkansas, frequently listened to violent rock and rap.   Mrs. Pelley is a junior-high-school teacher there who notes that after the shootings, several students revealed that Mitch had a morbid fascination with this type of music.   Mrs. Pelley discovered in a discussion with her students that while nearly ball of them could recite the violent and aggressive lyrics of songsw by Bone, Thugs-N-Harmony, and Tupac Shakur, nearly none of their parents had any idea about these songs and performers (Brownback, 1998). The tragedy of Columbine is also linked to the music of the controversial Marilyn Manson, primarily because shooter Eric Harris’s website contained frequent laudatory references to the odd performer, and both shooters wore Manson t-shirts and recited his lyrics frequently.   However, many psychologists note that this type of violence hails from an inability to communicate hatred and rage, a characteristic that these lyrics definitely do NOT have (Sanjek, 1999). Violent results from these songs are not limited to school kids.   In fact, one of the newest controversies concerning music lyrics hails from the dancehalls of reggae.   Dancehall reggae lyrics have a long history of aggressive content.   One popular artist is Buju Banton, whose 1992 chart topper called ‘Boom Bye Bye† explicitly urged listeners â€Å"to burn, shoot and pour acid on gay people†Ã‚   (Werde, 2004), and Artist Beenie Man's hit â€Å"Weh Yuh No Fi Do† similarly argues that   gay men should die. Luckily, gay rights activists have been able to convince some of these dancehall sponsors such as Red Stripe Beer and Pepsi, to exert pressure on these performers to tone down their acts.   A group of sponsors did issue a statement to this effect, saying â€Å"that the continued use of violent lyrics could ultimately lead to the decline of our music industry, as well as a social and economic backlash† (Werde, 2004). It’s disappointing to realise that in the 21st century there are still people who want to belittle or frighten other people for their own amusement. Aren't we better than this? Aren't our musicians better than this† (Debbonaire, 2006).   While violence is rarely linked to only one source, certainly the draw of aggressive music lyrics must share in the responsibility for aggressive behavior in youth. Possibly because of the enormous profit to be made by this music and possibly because of the first amendment, which protects speech, these lyrics are allowed onto CDs and on videos.   Despite warnings and labeling movements, any youngster who wants to obtain a CD is likely to be able to.   If not, the most vulgar of these artists perform and release their CDs underground, where they can be copied and spread among these teens. The best defense against song lyrics is parent involvement and participation.   Open discussion will do a lot towards deflecting some of the adverse effects of violence in music.   While song writers will do what makes money and kids will buy what music is hot, adults need to take a stand to ensure that this sad trend does not get any worse. References Anderson, Craig A. (2003). The influence of media violence on youth. Psychological Science in the Public Interest 4 (3), 81-100. Brownback, Senator Sam. (1998). The melodies of Mayhem. Policy Review, 92 Debbonaire, T. (2006).   Domestic Violence: Are Song Lyrics Really To Blame?   BBC Radio.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Retrieved 2 June 2007 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/personal/relationships/ hh_songlyrics.shtml Doherty, B. (2000). Bum Rap.   Reason 32 (7) Hall, D. (2000). Violence In Lyrics, Life An Issue For Radio. Billboard 112.27 Lena, J.C. (2006). Social Context and Musical Content of Rap Music, 1979-1995. Social Forces    85.1: 479-495 Peterson, D.L., & Pfost, K.S. (1989). Influence of rock videos on attitudes of violence against women. Psychological Reports   64, 319–322. Sanjek, D. (1999). Paying the Cost to Be the Boss. Popular Music & Society 23 (3), 25-29 Violent Music Lyrics Increase Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings. (2003). Journal for Quality & Participation 26 (2):46-47 Waite, B.M., Hillbrand, M., & Foster, H.G. (1992). Reduction of aggressive behavior after removal of Music Television. Hospital and Community Psychiatry 43, 173–175. Werde, B. (2004). Reggae Boycott. Rolling Stone, 961, November 11.   

Firefighter Essays

Firefighter Essays Firefighter Essays Domestic Fires.† National Dangers. Georgia Line, 23 Jan. 1/â€Å'/â€Å'09. Web. 23 Aug. 2011. firefighters.edu. Fire fighters spend much of their time at fire stations, which are usually similar to dormitories. When an alarm sounds, fire fighters respond, regardless of the weather or hour. Fire fighting involves a high risk of death or injury. Common causes include floors caving in, walls toppling, traffic accidents, and exposure to flame and smoke. Fire fighters also may come into contact with poisonous, flammable, or explosive gases and chemicals and radioactive materials, all of which may have immediate or long-term effects on their health. For these reasons, they must wear protective gear that can be very heavy and hot. I learned a lot of information from this piece, tells me a little bit more about what firefighters deal with. This will be very useful to me, in my Senior Project. Ellyn, Glen Lewis. â€Å"How to Become a Firefighter.† Academic Programs. College of DuPage, 2 Mar. 3/â€Å'/â€Å'. Web. 24 Aug. 2011. http://home.cod.edu//â€Å'programsDegrees//. Firefighters today do much more than fight fires. They provide rescue services, handle hazardous chemical emergencies and conduct fire prevention, investigation and inspection activities. Firefighters also do most of the cleaning and maintenance work required to keep their tools, equipment, buildings and apparatus ready for immediate response. Many Illinois communities depend on their fire departments to provide emergency medical services and sometimes ambulance services. If you become a firefighter, you will be assigned to a team, called a â€Å"company,† that provides some or all of these services. This information was not very helpful to me. I have already read, and learned about this. â€Å"FireFighters.† Bureau of Labor Statistic. United States Dept. of Labor, 17 Dec. 2009. Web. 22 Aug. 2011. bls.gov//â€Å'ocos329.htm. During duty hours, fire fighters must be prepared to respond immediately to a fire or other emergency. Fighting fires is complex and dangerous and requires organization and teamwork. At every emergency scene, fire fighters perform specific duties assigned by a superior officer. At fires, they connect hose lines to hydrants and operate a pump to send water to high-pressure hoses. Some carry hoses, climb ladders, and enter burning buildings, using systematic and careful procedures, to put out fires. This information is very useful to me, because it gives me a little of an idea how Firefighters work. This information will help me in my research to describe to people what firefighters do. â€Å"Fire Information.† Fire Nation. Golden South, 11 Apr. 4/â€Å'/â€Å'2008. Web. 25 Aug. 2011. firenation.com. Fire marshals and fire inspector s work to prevent fires. They conduct building inspections. They make sure that laws about fire safety are followed. They also work with builders and city planners. They often visit schools to teach fire safety. Fire investigators study fires to see how they started. They collect evidence from the scene and talk to witnesses. Fire fighters live at fire stations much of the time. Most fire stations have living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms. When the alarm sounds, fire fighters must respond rapidly. Fire fighting is dangerous work. During a fire, floors can cave in and walls can topple. Flames and smoke can burn or kill. Fire fighters may come in contact with poisonous gases or other hazardous materials. To protect themselves, fire fighters wear protective gear which can be heavy and hot. Many fire fighters work more than 50 hours a week. Their hours are often longer and more varied than the hours of other workers. In some agencies, fire fighters can be on duty for 24 hours straight. This section is very helpful to me. This would be great in my project. â€Å"Fire Safety.† Kids Zone. Rescue 1, 5 Oct. 10/â€Å'/â€Å'2006. Web. 25 Aug. 2011. firesafetyforteens.org/safety-rules.html. -

Labor Relations,Unions and Organization

Labor Relations,Unions and Organization Free Online Research Papers In today’s business market, some of the employees in the workplace either belong to a union organization, or are seeking to organize one, especially in the state of California. In many cases this idea is not the employer list of main concerns. Employees are always looking to obtain the best possible benefit when becomes to work efforts. Employees want to be able to select jobs, negotiate pay, benefits, working hours, and working conditions (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhert, and Wright, 2009). When employees are seeking of all these working conditions terms, and employees believe that are not being hear by the management team, employees will look for other alternatives such as coming together to form, or be part of a union organization. The constant balancing act between the needs of the employee and the goals and needs of the company are a fine line. Each of these should be protected and preserved. The purpose of this paper is to define unions, labor relations, and the impact on organ izations. The paper will then examine the impact of changes in employee relations strategies, policies, and practices on organizational performance. Last, describe if unions are still relevant in the United States. Unions, labor relations, and their impact on the organizations Unions Union is defined as an organization formed to represent its member’s interest, and deals with the employers to achieve these interests (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhert, and Wright, 2009). Some of the union roles is to deal with problems when is a conflict between the employees and the employers. An example of this occurs when employees believe that are not being paid the right amount of money for the job performed, employees believe that they have been exposed to a non-safety working environment, and employees do not have access to enough benefits. When the employees have exposed these concerns to the employer, and the employer’s response is without feedback from the employee, the employees will believe that the staff’s concerns were not given enough consideration from the manager side of view. Therefore, union organizations will step in to assist. Unions will deal with the employer, and try to accommodate the employees concerns within the organization. Labor Relations Labor relations can be defined as relations between company management and staff. Labor relations are also referred to as industrial relations. Personnel or a group of workers are represented by trade unions. Labor relations with unions can take place on a variety of different levels from regional and national to an international stage. The main challenge is the labor relations ability to adapt to changes in the market. Technology develops at a rapid rate as should the relationship between union workers and management. Labor relations is considered the management skills of a union leader who are used on effective ways to minimize expenses on conflicts such as strikes, and work to accomplish a win-win situation for any disagreement (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhert, and Wright, 2009). Strikes can be very cost-effective for the patties involved. Without any lead on a situation like this, the results could be very unsatisfactory. Leaders are seeking for the best solution that will meet the empl oyee’s interests. Impacts on the Organizations Unions and labor relations have caused some negative impacts within the organization. Unions are not cost-effective to the organization. Some organizations try to avoid union organizations in the workplace by providing and meeting employee’s interests. Once a union has started within a company, the union will weave itself into every part of the organization as it pertains to the employee while the mother company has no control over that entity as to where the union ends and the company begin. However, some of these interests are not reachable, and occur when the conflict between employees and employers begins. Changes in employee relations strategies, policies, and organizational performance Some of the impact changes in employee relation strategies are that management will make decisions within the organization with employees who are part of union organizations or are not. The organization’s policies and procedures will be followed the same to accomplish the organization’s goals and objectives. The organizational performance is measured to accomplish the same goals. Companies are concerned about union organization’s activities and how they will affect the performance and impact profit, productivity and stock performance (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhert, and Wright, 2009). â€Å"Are the unions still relevant in the United States?† Unions are still relevant in the United States organizations. This is an every day debate between the workforce and organizations. The workforce is always looking on how to accomplish the best employee’s interest in the workplace, and organizations are always finding how to keep unions off in the workplace. Unions as was mentioned are organizations that deal with employers in any union’s members concerns. Unions help its members on different ways. Unions are responsible for campaigns and elections. These campaigns and elections are performed to support and re-enforce the union organizations. Unions are responsible to negotiate contracts. In these contracts decisions such as: pay structure, job security, work rules, and workplace safety are discussed and negotiated. Employers and employees are part of the terms and are affected by these contracts (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhert, and Wright, 2009). If the contract is violated, or it was a disagreement of terms between the two parties, the unions will form a union strike to fight for the employees rights. An example of this event is at the San Francisco’s California Pacific Medical Center. This hospital had been on strike from union workers for several weeks. This strike was caused by the rejection of the management contract and violations of the guidelines of a settlement. The contract was based on three terms. First, allow third party arbitration to assist employee’s concerns. Second, set up union organization’s rules. Third, establish terms of training and education firms for union members. The strike continued until an agreement between the unions and organization parties were convened by civic leaders as the mediator (Colliver, 2005). Conclusion In conclusion, unions are organizations that seek employee’s interest and concerns in the workplace. Unions are brought to the workplace to develop a labor relation. This will cause an impact to any organization. Unions are still relevant in the United States. Therefore, organizations try to keep out unions in general by providing for the employees needs. The key strategy in providing for the employees needs is to provide clear and open communications between management and staff to be able to address the employees concerns as they arise. References Raymond Andrew Noe, John R. Hollenbeck, Barry Gerhert, Patrick M. Wright. (2009). Trends in Human Resources Management. (3 ed.). The McGraw-Hill Companies Colliver, V. (2005) Hospital Workers set day to strike at St Luke’s. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 25, 2005 from: www.sfgate.com Research Papers on Labor Relations,Unions and OrganizationTwilight of the UAWAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaThe Project Managment Office SystemPETSTEL analysis of IndiaResearch Process Part OneNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalPersonal Experience with Teen Pregnancy

Explore a Career as a Marine Biologist

Explore a Career as a Marine Biologist Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms that live in salt water. A marine biologist, by definition, is a person that studies, or works with a salt water organism or organisms. That is a fairly brief definition for a very general term, as marine biology encompasses many things. Marine biologists may work for private businesses, in non-profit organizations, or at universities and colleges. They may spend most of their time outdoors, such as on a boat, underwater, or in tide pools, or they may spend much of their time indoors in a laboratory or aquarium. Marine Biology Jobs Some career paths that a marine biologist would take include any of the following: Working with whales, dolphins or pinnipeds in an aquarium or zooWorking in a rescue/rehabilitation facilityStudying smaller organisms like sponges, nudibranchs or microbes and using them to learn about neuroscience and medicineStudying shellfish and the best way to raise animals like oysters and mussels in an aquaculture environment.Researching a particular marine species, behavior or notion; and teaching at a university or college. Depending on the type of work theyd like to do, there may be extensive education and training required to be a marine biologist. Marine biologists usually need many years of education at least a bachelors degree, but sometimes a masters degree, Ph.D. or post-doctorate degree. Because jobs in marine biology are competitive, outside experience with volunteer positions, internships, and outside study are helpful to land a rewarding job in this field. In the end, a marine biologists salary may not reflect their years of schooling as well as, say, a doctors salary. This site indicates an average salary of $45,000 to $110,000 per year for a marine biologist working in an academic world. That may be the highest-paying job path for marine biologists. Marine Biology Schooling Some marine biologists major in topics other than marine biology; according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric  Administrations Southwest Fisheries Science Center, most of the biologists are fishery biologists. Of those who went on to do graduate work, 45 percent got a B.S. in biology and 28 percent got their degree in zoology. Others studied oceanography, fisheries, conservation, chemistry, mathematics, biological oceanography, and animal scientists. Most got their masters degrees in zoology or fisheries, in addition to oceanography, biology, marine biology, and biological oceanography. A small percentage got their masters degree in ecology, physical oceanography, animal sciences, or statistics. Ph.D. students studied similar topics including operations research, economics, political science, and statistics. Click here to learn more about what marine biologists do, where they work, how to become a marine biologist, and what marine biologists get paid.

Key Consumer Psychology & Buying Behavior Essay

Key Consumer Psychology & Buying Behavior - Essay Example This essay stresses that marketers view each consumer as a single decision-making unit. They collect information relating to a product or service from various sources and through various dimensions analyze it. The decision resulting from their analysis is the buying or rejection of the product. Marketers look to understand the types of stimulating information that arouses the favorable consumer action towards their product and the extent of their understanding affects their success. This process is in fact based on the underlying philosophy of â€Å"consumer sovereignty† which dictates that the consumer plays the role of the king responsible for all decisions and the activities done by the vendors should therefore be focused on satisfying these customers. This should go along with the primary business objective of making profits. This paper makes a conclusion that the process of decision making means the underlying steps the consumers experience in order to select between the different market alternatives. Alternative products include, for example, different choices to achieve the same set of goals, like whether to fly by plan, travel by train; whether to select regular briefs or boxers etc. This is mainly a five step process. Each step occurs in succession to the previous step without any gaps. These steps are briefly discussed hereunder. Depending on the circumstances the consumer may undertake a heavy research, a little search or no further research on the needs and the available products.

Strategic Marketing Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Marketing Management - Essay Example The group was founded in the year 1968 and its first restaurant was opened up in the district of Causeway Bay of Hong Kong in the year 1969. At present, the group has over 540 retail outlets all over the world with its several brands. This paper will deal with the study and analysis of the fast food industry in Hong Kong and accordingly will penetrate into one of the strategic business units of Cafe de Coral. The strategic business units of Cafe de Coral consist of fast food, specialty restaurants, institutional catering, food processing and distribution and overseas. In this research paper, the fast food unit of Cafe de Coral at Hong Kong will be taken up for evaluation. With respect to the analysis of the industry and strategic business unit of Cafe de Coral, specific strategic direction and relevant execution explanation will be provided (Cafe de Coral, 2011). 2.0 Industry Competition The fast food industry competitiveness in Hong Kong will be discussed in this section with refere nce to the Porter’s Five Forces Model. The forces of the model consist of barriers to entry into the Hong Kong’s fast food industry, bargaining power of the buyers in the industry, bargaining power of the suppliers, threat of the substitutes in the industry and the rivalry among the existing players in the industry. 2.1 Threats of New Entrants The threats of the new entrants have to be described in terms of a few aspects for evaluating the factors totally. The aspects are the economies of scale, capital requirements, product differentiation and cost disadvantages. Taking the advantage of the economies of scale, the new entrants interested in the class of limited service restaurants can seek certain favour to economies of scale. But these advantages get weakened by the alleviation of founding a restaurant that provides quick service. Differentiating the products or the fast food being provided is a difficult task in the industry, but for private start-ups this is not a difficulty and thus not a barrier to entry. The requirements of initial capital might repress the development of nation. The cost disadvantages stem from the fact that the established companies in the fast food industry already enjoy the advantage of innovative technology, favourable sites, access to raw materials, experience and government subsidies. There is stiff competition in the Hong Kong fast food industry due to the presence of an enormous number of fast food chains and restaurants. In spite of all these facts, the strategic business unit of Cafe de Coral perceives a high future growth as the receipts of food and beverages have showed upward trend during the past years. From all these analysis, it can be inferred that the entry barriers in the Hong Kong fast food industry is not high and according to the current market condition, the SBU expects growth (ACCA, 2010). 2.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers The Hong Kong fast food industry is characterised by several individual custome rs who place pretty small orders.

IT104 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

IT104 - Essay Example Without successful prioritization of tasks and responsibilities, online courses might turn-out to be a bad experience. Technology makes online classes possible, but they can also be a barrier to success in the online learning environment. One possible technological problem is having a computer that is not capable of delivering the content that the professors have developed for the course. Your computer may be incapable of streaming video, for example, because it is outdated or damaged. If the professor has lots of videos as a part of the coursework, then you will be out of luck due to a slow computer or internet connection. A final barrier to on-line learning is the problem of having a single computer to service multiple learners in the household. This is not an insurmountable obstacle, but it does require a fair amount of foresight and scheduling. Running out to buy additional computers is not in most people’s budgets. By creating a schedule of computer use, just as in a libr ary, everyone can use the computer to get what they need. Exercise 2 I expect this course to give me the skills and information needed for me to improve my teaching. I am currently teaching Aesthetics and have a strong desire to be the best educator possible. I know my subject matter very well, but am concerned that I might not always be using the best teaching techniques. I hope that through the course of this study, I will be able to learn better presentation skills and gain a better understanding of how adults learn best. I realize that teaching children and teaching adults is a very different process. What works for one does not always work for the other. As a result, I am often wondering if the lessons and assignments I am developing are more appropriate for younger learners than the age of student I have. I often have a nagging feeling that there is just more information and knowledge out there that would help me be such a better teacher. The problem is, I only am able to crea te lessons based on my existing teaching experience. I expect this course to broaden my educational understanding so that I will have more confidence in the lessons and assignments I develop. It is my hope that this course will inspire me to alter some of the less effective lessons I currently have developed and to develop new lessons based on my new understanding of how adult learners learn best. In essence, I expect this course to give me the additional skills and information necessary for me to be a more effective and interesting teacher of Aesthetics. My ultimate goal is to have my adult learners transfer their knowledge into their everyday lives. This is true for me in regards to this course as well. Exercise 3 This planner can be a very helpful tool because it helps the adult student returning to the classroom to organize their dreams into concrete plans. It also is very good at helping the student to imagine the far reaching effects of returning to school, gaining an educatio n and possibly changing jobs. Some of the affects might not be as positive as they imagine and I think it is important for adult learners to re-enter school with their eyes wide open. Most adult learners focus on the additional time schooling will take and the economic rewards they will realize with improved education. Rarely do they consider the profound changes