Ethics and Governance Essay

With reference to the Oxford English Dictionary (2012), ethics is described as the science of morals. It is also the agency of study with regards to the values of moral obligations of what is right or wrong. It also covers human behaviour. A company makes many decisions in a course of one day. It may include, launching new products, doing Public Relations, making sales, rewriting company policies and the recruitment or retrenchment of people, just to name a few. All business aims to do so ethically. To conduct business ethically, a business must first commit to adhering to laws and regulation (Timms, 2009). These are clearly defined, as they are in black and white. However, once the definition of what is ethical becomes contested, ethical dilemmas will arise. An ethical dilemma occurs when there is a situation which all alternate choices and behaviours have been deemed undesirable, and that there may be potential ethical consequences when one is unable to identify the right from the wrong. An example of an ethical dilemma is of follows, where one faces a conflict between his ethical code and his business aims. Cadbury, the chocolate producer, was offered a contract by Queen Victoria to send decorative tins of chocolates to every single one of her soldiers in the Anglo-Boer war in South Africa (Andrews, 1989). However, since he was against the war, which resulted in him deciding to resolve this conflict by completing the order without profit. According to Sir Adrian Cadbury (1987), his grandfather â€Å"made no profit out of what he saw as an unjust war. The additional work benefitted his employees, the royal presents consisting of tins of chocolates were sent to the soldiers, and it was a win-win situation. In a business, there are 3 levels of ethics: the ethics of the governing body, workplace ethics and individual ethics (Trevina & Nelson, 2011). A governing body usually is made up of a board of directors, whose aim in the company is to make good corporate practices easier and more available for employees. They too must drive and motivate employees to strive for good performance, conformance and results. Workplace ethics are important, as it ensures a conducive and supportive environment to work in. There must be equal treatment among and within subgroups, open communication between levels, and information must be transparent and readily available. Individual ethics is affected by four complementary elements. Individuals must be able to identify ethical issues; recognise the values and priorities through their grasping of principles, rules, norms and theories; developing their individual sets of reasoning and perception; and improving the strength of one to act upon such decisions (Trevina & Nelson, 2011). Before a difficult decision is made, the shareholder or the manager has to think a problem though. One way to do so is using Kidder’s Ethical Checkpoints (2006). He has 9 checkpoints which he feels will lead to an ethical decision being made. First, the manager needs to recognise that there is a moral issue. After determining the actor, he has to gather the relevant facts. Next, he tests for right-versus-wrong issues as well as paradigms. After applying resolution principles, he has to look for a third way before making the decision. After the decision is made, he has to revisit and reflect on the decision. After much research, I feel that Utilitarian approach is the most useful in guiding company decisions. I will explain why below. A decision is only ethical, according to the utilitarian principle, if it has the greatest net utility as compared to any other alternatives. As a decision maker, he must evaluate and weigh every option present to him. He must determine if there any positive or negative utilities arising from the option, before selecting the option that has the greatest net utility (Fuitzsche, 2005). It is very similar to the cost-benefit analysis used by stakeholders to consider the costs and benefits of a potential business decision. According to someone applying the utilitarian principle, a decision is only ethical if it has the greatest net utility and benefits the most people. An example of the utilitarian approach is when, during office hours, a company monitors their employee’s habits like tobacco consumption, as one man’s actions can affect the entire workplace. A prominent example is in Singapore, where there is the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act. This act aims to protect the public from the hazardous effects of second-hand smoke. (Smoking Prohibitions, 2012) By making sure that employees do not smoke around the office, there would potentially be less health problems, so lesser sick employees which mean improved productivity and greater yields. There are two types of utilitarianism, act and rule. Act utilitarianism targets problems in the short run while rule utilitarianism targets problems in the long run. While act utilitarianism looks at the total aftermath of a single act, rule utilitarianism looks at the repercussion over a series of acts (Fuitzsche, 2005). For example, bribing is frowned upon. An example of bribing occurred in NES China in 1998. NES’s government affairs co-ordinator proposed giving gifts to government officials to establish a working relationship to help get its application approved. The other members were horrified, as this was considered bribery and a criminal offence in their country (Joerg & Xin, 2009). Under act utilitarianism, if bribing means that the company will get the business contract, thus allowing the employees to keep their jobs, it is ethical. However, under rule utilitarianism, this is not the case. Bribing, thou it will work in the short run by generating business, however, in the long run, potential customers will question if you got the job through bribing or because of your superior products you are selling. Therefore bribing does not provide the greatest utility (Fuitzsche, 2005). However, the utilitarian approach does have several limitations. Therefore other ethical theories have to be used together with the utilitarian approach in making company decisions. Firstly, there will be some people who will be at a disadvantage. A decision, according to the utilitarian principle, is only ethical if it has the greatest net utility. However, increasing net utility sometimes causes serious issues and affects people negatively. One notable historic example was the construction of the Great Wall of China (Construction of the Great Wall of China, 2006). Three hundred thousand prisoners and peasants were reportedly conscripted to help construct the great wall. It is said that ‘for every block laid down, one labourer lost his life.’ In terms of utilitarianism, a significant positive net utility was creates, as the great wall restricted the nomads and protected China. The Chinese citizens were safe for many years to come, at the expense of these three hundred thousand prisoners. Secondly, it is challenging estimating the results or effects of a business decision made. Also, a unit of currency gives more benefits to a poor person than to a rich person (Fuitzsche, 2005). In April 2012, all national servicemen in Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Civil Defence Force and Singapore Police Force received a $60 p ay raise (Chua, 2012). A Recruit, who once earned $420, now earns $480, while a Lieutenant, who once earned $1120, now earns $1180. This increment would mean more to a recruit, who had a 12% pay increment, as compared to the Lieutenant, who had a 5% pay increment. It shows that it provides more utility to the poorer recruit. Therefore calculating if a decision maximises utility is difficult. Thirdly, not only are the consequences of a decision made hard to foresee, some decisions have consequences which are not easily or unable to be measured. In August, Apple manufacturer Foxconn improved on the working condition of its factory in China, such as introducing more breaks, lowering overtime, doubling wages and having better maintenance of safety equipment. (Rushe, 2012) Louis Woo, special assistant to the chief executive of Foxconn also released a statement, lamenting that reduction of overtime meant that they ‘needed to hire more people and implement more automation, more investment on robotic enginee ring’ (Yip, 2012). These costs to the company are easy to determine. However, the gains in utility from these implementations are difficult to tell. Would productivity increase? Will employees be more loyal? Will turnover rate be significantly lesser? Consequences like these are hard to measure. Lastly, utility gained from these business transactions mean different things to different people (Fuitzsche, 2005). Some managers gain utility from maximising their employee’s happiness. Some managers calculate utility as one which will increase their material wealth. Below I will compare utilitarian ethical theory with egoism and moral rights approach, to show that while utilitarianism has it flaws, it is still the more useful ethical theory. The utilitarian and egoism ethical theories are rather similar. Decisions made using egoism ethical theory will often provide the most favourable outcome to oneself, no matter how others around are affected (Fuitzsche, 2005). The other parties may not be harmed or disadvantages, but to the decision maker, it is of no concern. The decision maker using egoism thinks about how the proposition would involve him (Collins, 2009). If the proposition adds onto his interest, it is right. If it does not, it is wrong. However, the decision maker using utilitarianism thinks about how the preposition involves everyone affected by it. If the preposition done is advantageous to the most number of people, it is right. If it is harmful to the most number, it is wrong. Egoism is very similar to the philosophy of Adam Smith (1790). Egoism according to Smith is an excellent market allocating tool, which benefits society if one cares for their interests in the long run. Egoism usually views things in the short run, which is similar to act utilitarianism, which evaluates what happens in that one incident. However, while utilitarian considerers the total positive net utility, egoism only considers the decision maker’s se lf-interest. Thus decisions made using egoism would be deemed as unethical. The rights a principle gives you assured moral or human rights because you are a human being. The moral rights approach stresses that human beings have essential rights and power of choice that cannot be taken away by an individual’s action. Gerald Cavanagh (1990) explains six rights that he affirms are basic to business work. They include life & safety, honesty, privacy, freedom of conscience, freedom of speech and lastly private property. One example is regarding Firestone and their tires. In America, 1978, the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) began investigating the relation between Firestone’s Wilderness AT tires on Ford’s explore sport utility vehicle. The problem of Firestone’s tire separation was known internally at Firestone and by the automobile manufacturers; however, instead of recalling the tires, they kept it in the market, resulting in 150 preventable deaths and 500 injuries (Henn, 2009). As facts leaked out that were damaging to both companies, they became more aggressive in its defence. Firestone appeared to have violated several human rights. The firm knew that the tyres would create a hazard to humans. And by refusing to recall its products, it violated the right to truthfulness when the truth was extremely important. Even after the whole incident was resolved, public trust in Ford wavered. According to Henn (2009), a position of trust with the public that took many years and millions of dollars to build was severely damaged. According to the utilitarianism theory, an ethical decision is one that produces the most amounts of advantages to the majority of people (Trevina & Nelson, 2011). However, according to the moral rights approach, an ethical decision is one that does not breach on the rights of another. The utilitarian approach is best for countries with high collectivism while moral rights approach is best for countries with high individualism. According to Hofstede (2007), most Asian countries scored below average on Individualism. Singapore is no different, so the utilitarian approach is more applicable in companies here. According to Johnson (2007), there is the five ‘I’ format with regards to making decisions. A problem must first be ‘identified’, before it can be ‘investigated’. Next, one has to be ‘innovative’ in coming out with many solutions. After this, a solution has to be ‘isolated’ and then ‘implemented’. Making an ethical decision is easier when one applies an ethical theory. A decision made using the utilitarian theory is ethical if it provides the greatest net utility, and produces the greatest benefit for the largest amount of people. Rules developed under utilitarianism can become a moral code to be used throughout the company. Thou it has its limitations, as it is difficult to measure utility, or figure out the consequences of a decision, and that it might not benefit everyone, but it is still better as compared to egoism or moral rights approach. Utilitarian is the most useful theory in guiding company decisions, and when used together with moral rights and egoism, it shows what it means to be ethical.

Critical Issues in Learning Essay

Processes of learning and the transfer of learning are critical to realize how human beings develop their competencies. Learning is critical as nobody is born with a capability to perform aptly as an adult in society. More importantly, it is necessary to understand the types of learning experiences and critical issues involve within that lead to transfer. Transfer is a capability to extend the knowledge that has been acquired in one context to other context. Educators say that students transfer their learning from one problem to other during a course, from one class in school to other class, between educational institutions and their homes, and from educational institutions to workplaces. Such assumptions regarding transfer of learning involves the belief that it is good to widely educate people despite just â€Å"train† them to conduct specific jobs. (Campbell, et. al. , 2007) Measures of transfer of learning have significance in assessing the level of people’s learning capabilities and experiences. Different types of learning experiences often appear to be same when they are examined by just focusing on remembering (remembering is defined as a quality to repeat the knowledge that has been acquired earlier), but the same experiences look different when transfer tests are conducted. Here are some of the major issues of learning and transfer that have significance in education: †¢ Initial learning is very essential for transfer. A very good amount of knowledge is known about the types of learning experiences that help transfer. †¢ Information that is excessively contextualized will reduce transfer; if the knowledge is presented in the form of â€Å"abstractâ€Å", it can enhance transfer. †¢ All new learning has transfer that is based on earlier learning; this thing is very important while designing instructions to help students in learning. ? 1. REFERENCES 1. Campbell, J. P. , Oblinger, D. G. , Chang, W. C. , Craig, E. M. , Diaz, V. , Fowler, S. B. , Kinley, E. , Little, J. K. , Molholt, P. , Siddall, S. E. , & Trinkle, D. A. , 2007. Top-Ten Teaching and Learning Issues, 2007. Educause Quarterly. Viewed on 16 July 2010, Retrieved from: http://www. educause. edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/TopTenTeachingandLearningIssue/161828

English Composition 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

English Composition 1 - Essay Example For example, my interest in arts is cultivated through reading magazines and books related to this topic. Thus, in order to show and communicate what I learn, I also often write about arts instead of topics which I do not read and have no idea about. However, I should also emphasize that the things I write about is also much shaped by my skill to think critically. Critical thinking goes beyond reading an article for the sake of gathering information about the topic. Instead of just looking at the text itself, critical thinking requires me to keep some distance from the text in order to identify its purpose, its context, the type of reasoning that it employs, the evidences of its claims, and lastly an evaluation of its entirety. I should say that I do not always agree with all the things that I read and I believe that my writing mirrors those which I believe in while opposing or even completely eliminating facts and concepts which I finf lacking in

Religion and Violence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Religion and Violence - Research Paper Example Only intensive and concrete planning, prevention and interventions can help to reduce violence caused by religious extremism and misinterpretation of holy doctrines in adverse ways. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate religion and violence by examining the historicity of religious violence, the ways religions promote or oppose violence, and effective initiatives to support inter-religious harmony. There are four historical moments that reveal the origins of religious violence. The first is associated with the diffusion of world religions during the 4th to 7th centuries of the Christian era. Christianity became the dominant religion of Europe through displacement of the religions native to the continent, and through the officialization of the new religion in the Roman empire. While Christianity spread to Ethiopia in Africa and to South Asia, Hinduism spread to Indonesia, Buddhism to China, Korea and Japan from India. By the beginning of the 8th CE, Islam covered Spain and the Arab world, and went to Sind in the Indian subcontinent. â€Å"Much violence was involved in the transcontinental spread of the world religions†2. Although most of the pre-colonial spread of religion was associated with political conquest and physical violence, this was not always the rule. For example, violence did not characterize the spread of Hinduism. Christianity scarcely used violence in spre ading to South Asia. King Ashoka converted to Buddhism, unable to bear the carnage of the Kalinga war, and propagated the religion through peaceful means. The second historical moment was colonialism characterized by racial superiority and cultural conquest through the â€Å"civilizing mission†. This was in addition to political and economic domination, and was charged with religious violence. â€Å"The European missionaries did not even recognize the religions of the New World as religion†3, not even as human beings. Not only were the First Nations not allowed their cultural identity, they were physically liquidated. The people of Africa were considered as primitive, without history and without religion. Hence it was thought to be necessary to convert them to Christianity in large numbers. However, in the case of Islam, they put up a stiff resistance, resulting in violent conflicts between the two imported religions. Today, the leading religion of 50 percent of the Af rican states is Christianity, the other main religion being Islam, thereby relegating native religions to the background. In the Orient composed of the three great civilizations of China, India and Egypt, dominant religions prevailed, related to Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam respectively. Therefore, the scope of Christianizination of these regions through colonialism was limited. The third historical moment is that the European model of the nation-state has been endorsed by religious nationalists in most parts of the world, establishing political hegemony by the religious majority, and the cultural assimilation of the religious minorities into the â€Å"nation†. The diasporic Jewish community in Europe which was economically prosperous, were the object of European wrath through the holocaust4. The cold-war era which saw a rapid spread of the concept of the nation-state experienced great violence based on religion, by Christians. Homogenization that erases the cultural identity of peoples and nations is a violent process. The cold-war period which occurred for four decades, divided the world into three: the capitalist democracies of the world, the socialist one-party system of the second world, and the

Feminine Mystique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Feminine Mystique - Essay Example These changes were an enormous development over their earlier chatteldom, and were a facilitator to additional advances to complete human figure and dignity. WW2 and its outcomes enhanced a comprehensive setback, brought about by the author as a counter change not in favor of women (Friedan 56). The gone astray women were the self-governing ones fascinated in science and politics and occupied in careers away from the relatives’ sphere. In the position of bright, inspired, public-spirited women came the innovative representation of the â€Å"feminine† woman — the stupid homemaker comfortable inside the â€Å"cozy† surroundings of a beautiful home. Since the Mystique gained energy, domesticity turned into a religion, a model by which every woman ought to exist at the present or denies her feminist. Something that began as a trail back to the aged corral became a charge during the success of the 1950s. To activate women in the wake of their own crush, particulars about the lead the way advocators for women’s rights were indistinct. Although a good number of the feminist crusaders had husbands, kids and homes, they were depicted as resentful sex hungry unmarried women not sufficiently proficient in satisfying their femaleness as wives and mothers (Friedan 70). In the midst of the inexcusable personality of these determined women was their satisfaction of involvement in the move violently for social transformation. A successful propaganda piece of equipment was positioned into action to pay tribute to housewifery and smother women’s needs for something further than a husband, residence and kids. Starting with the sex-influenced educators in the education centers and higher schooling institution, this movement has gone into each opportunity of mass programming (Friedan 90). The major expression in this method of thought management as efficient as a blackjack

Reading Visual Arguments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading Visual Arguments - Assignment Example mentative essays contain a lot of thoughts, evidence, and opinions that cannot simply be summed up in the confines of a picture or other visual design. Even though the author is convinced that were are quickly relying more on images than we do the printed word, he seems to be unaware of the meaning that can be taken away if images replace words in an argument. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but in the case of an argumentative essay, these are the words that do not matter, and will not help the arguer properly make their point. Argumentative essays set out to make and prove a point or opinion through the use of evidence other supporting arguments, as well as a counterargument so that the reader may understand what the argument consists of. If visual materials were to replace even a small portion of writing, the reader will end up missing out on a vital point, crucial evidence, or the closing thoughts and statements. As aforementioned, images have the possibility of increasing the purpose or the points of written text, though when it comes to argumentative essays, the text should be what outshines the images. Only so much can be explained by an image, and when it comes to an argumentative essay, very few things can actually be conveyed, such as the concluding idea, a graphic of one of the points, or a chart showing how many people agree or disagree with a certain position. When an image is put in place of text, the reader only sees what is within the picture. They will be unaware of the little details and the finer points behind those images unless the writer explains them - using text. The words in an argumentative essay are what really and thoroughly explain every aspect of the argument, helping the reader to understand and avoid confusion as they try to grasp what the argument is

Special need offender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Special need offender - Essay Example In most countries, convicted sex offenders are required to register with the sex offenders’ registry in their areas of jurisdiction. These registry databases are open to the public for viewing (Borzecki, 2008). If an individual is involved in a high-level sexual offence, he or she is deemed to stay in the registry forever but if the crime is low level, he or she may be registered for a short duration of time. There are various programs that have been established to aid in treating the sexual offenders and all programs are geared towards one goal: making the offenders refrain from committing future sexual offences. Before an individual is admitted to a treatment program it is always essential for the individual to admit guilt and agree to be treated. The reason behind this is that all sexual offenders are manipulative in nature and when put together they will effectively confront their manipulative problem since all of them have had similar experiences. Another reason for group therapy is that the offenders will be free to share with each other without fear of being victimized. These therapy groups provide the sexual offenders with the right environment to be aware of the harm they cause to their victims; they acquire new skills of coping with life as well as learn healthy ways of meeting their sexual and emotional needs both from their peers and therapists (Borzecki, 2008). Group therapy has its own pitfalls in that some sexual offenders don’t fully explain their inner most feelings. Some may hide their true emotions and tell lies to their counterparts. As a result, ascertaining if a sexual offender is telling the truth to others could be difficult. Secondly, there’s always no evidence of success of this therapy to cure sexual abuse and prevent recidivism. It is just an approach that is insisted by the system. Community notification is also a program that has been put in place in order to curb sexual offences. In this program convicted sexu al offenders are required to register to the sexual offenders’ registry and these databases are left to the public for view. The state also has a role to play by informing the public about sex offenders who live in close proximity. This program is efficient in the sense that sex offenders who are known to the public are arrested more quickly for new crimes than offenders who are not known to the public. Community notification on the other hand, has resulted in many sexual offenders losing their jobs or home, getting threats or being harassed or losing their property. Research has shown that 19% of sex offenders have realized some negative consequences in other family members. (Furby, 2009). Community notification does not fully play its role of enhancing public safety by exerting stressors such as loss of employment, shame, isolation and depression on a sexual offender. These may force the sexual offenders to commit sexual crimes again in protest of their fate. Some states al so publicize the location of sex offenders without fully conducting risk assessment and this may bring anxiety among citizens making them live in constant fear. Residence restriction is also a program implored by many states to reduce sexual offenders’ activities. These states have enacted laws which prevent sexual offenders from residing in close proximity to a day care centre, a school or a school bus stop. The most common restrictive distance is 1,000 to

Gold Standard and The Foriegn Exchange Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gold Standard and The Foriegn Exchange - Essay Example Kemmerer (1944) defines gold standard as â€Å"a monetary system where the unit of value, in terms of which prices, wages, and debts are customarily expressed and paid, consists of the value of a fixed quantity of gold in a large international market which is substantially free.† (p. 134) From mid 1870s more and more countries started to value their national currencies against gold. In the 1920s fixing a gold value for the currency ensured stable exchange rates which boosted external value of it and consequently ensured the stability of internal prices. The gold standard period is characterized by national governments policy aimed at preserving the value of the currency (Milward 1996, p.87) Very simple in its origins gold standard was declared to support national currencies serving as an equilibrating mechanism reducing foreign exchange risk and eliminating the risk of destroying governmental policies. Each country has a domestic supply of money backed by its domestic reserves of gold. If a Treasury printed banknotes not backed by the gold standard, the result would be individual requirements to exchange the excess banknotes for gold. (DeLong 1997) Countries which joined fixed exchange rate standard were enjoying long-run price level stability and predictability, stable and low long-run interest rates, stable exchange rates which contributed to massive capital inputs to the worlds developing countries. (Bordo and Schwartz 1996, p.11) As historically-specific institution the gold standard had been supported by all industrial-economy governments to maintain convertibility of their currency. Under the gold standard not only trade expanded but also international capital markets developed. It allowed considerable investments into enterprises in other industrializing, mineral-rich countries which benefited greatly the economies of these countries. The gold standard ensured the entrepreneurs engaged in international trade from foreign exchange

Principles of Research and Practice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Principles of Research and Practice - Assignment Example Many researchers categorize empirical research methods into three categories: experimental, correlational, and descriptive (Creswell: 1994). These all correspond to ways of taking guesses and theories about humanity into argument with knowledge. Researchers must conduct testing for a wider range of basis, testing starts from pre-testing a research design to challenging the process of a measuring instrument. There is a popular application of methods in examining the fundamentals of hypotheses and this is very appropriate in giving the most reliable evidence of causation (Deacon ET. Al.:1999). A researcher must work on two essential things; first, he must have a control to at least one independent variable. He must observe and measure an independent variable. Second, he must do a random assignment, the researcher must decide whether or to what extent an investigational contributor is depicted to the independent variable. The numerous independent variable in an investigational designs i s significantly helpful, the outcomes in the field of media may vary for different kinds of people, such as creating consent to the knowledgeable study of these differences (Jensen: 2002). For example, including both experiences to mediated opposition and gender in one design allows a researcher to observe the independent variable with hostility and their interaction. ... In order to use mass communication, social and cultural backgrounds of the viewers must be observed to give a full description of the "real" world. For an instance, connection to broadcasted violence usually happens at home (Malhorta and Birks: 2000). If a researcher be in control of it, he has no guarantee that the results studied will be relevant in more distinctive contexts. Thus, experimental research may specify what can happen, rather than what really happen in "realistic" situations. Experimental research also leans to be limited to the short-term effect of the mass media. One typically cannot influence and have power over media-related activities for months or years. The researcher has no influence in a study using a co-variation among variables, such as televised violence and assault in children (Jensen: 2002). As an alternative, a researcher generally determines the variables as they take place obviously. Such studies usually fall well short of gathering the standards for c ausal conclusion. A correlation study, regarding measures of discovery to televised violence and aggression; it was a synchronic or cross-sectional study. Each variable was assessed at only one time point. It is occasionally probable to control time order by using a diachronic study, concerning more than one time point. One could correlate a determined independent variable with later adjusts in a dependent variable. Regardless of this inadequacy, correlational studies usually reflect naturally in occurring processes. In this sense, they are high in external validity. In fact, many questions are examined using both experimental and correlational techniques (Malhorta and Birks: 2000). To the extent, each type gives similar evidence such as a person's exposure to mediated

Reflections Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflections - Assignment Example Personally, I agree with Lewis’s saying that the ultimate price that we pay for losing those we love is pain and grief (Tesiik, 2001). I saw my mother, G.M struggling with the pain of losing my stepfather. Thus, she was paying a price for the commitment and love that she accorded my stepfather. Connection to saying. The saying relates well to the scenario of my mother, G.M. As pointed by Lewis, one can go through a series of pain if she loses the object of her love. G.M was indeed in deep love with my stepfather. She went through series of pain and episodes of depression attributable to cognitive response. As a result, she is suffering from Alzheimer and Parkinson’s diseases. Description of manifestations of grief. Grief manifests itself in four different ways including feelings, physical sensations, cognitions, and behaviors. Feelings are often diverse and take different turns (De Magalhà £es, 2009). Sadness is a feeling that many individuals experience after losing the persons that they love or have a close attachment. My mother, G.M experienced this when she lost my stepfather. Individuals often demonstrate sadness by crying. Crying is a gesture that arouses a protective or sympathetic reaction from other individuals. Complicated grief may result if individuals fail to express sadness with or without the accompaniment of tears. I felt sad when I watched G.M writhing in pain. Anxiety is a common feeling that relates to the loss and it often originates from the fear that the bereaved may not be in a position to take care of themselves. There are different ranges of anxiety and can extend from mild to extreme forms of panic attacks. Grief also manifests itself through cognition (Amella, 2004). In most cases, a cognitive response often occurs after an individual develops varied feelings. As I have outlined above, my mother G.M experienced different feelings of sadness, and anxiety after the loss of my stepfather. It is through this happening that I

Influence of Technology in Visual Art Essay Example for Free

Influence of Technology in Visual Art Essay How does technology influence visual art? And how does photography influence the development of painting? This essay considers the impact of technology on the visual art and how this technology accelerated the development of the art and how people respond, adapt and incorporate modern technology into their own work. The impact of technology in visual arts has been in photography. Willian Melin stated that, â€Å"the dominant forces during the past century has been modern technology and has affected virtually every aspect of modern life social, political, economic and cultural† (Melin p. 3). Photography has influenced many painters and has admitted its impact on their work. Their art was greatly affected by this new medium. The effect of this technology was not only to alter the world of painting and the role of the painter but also to use it as a new method or tool to develop their work. Some Artists uses photographs as the basis of their painting or as a reference or guidelines. One of the photograph’s first benefits to the painter was its possible use as a sketch. The photograph could capture exactly a face, a pose, a scene and even actions of different motion. The earliest work by photographers Eadward Muybridge and Etienne-Jules Marey influenced among many painters such as Edgar Degas, Giacomo Balla and Marcel Duchamp. â€Å"When in the late 1870’s, Muybridge’s snapshots of the animal locomotion, specially the studies of horse’s different gaits, came to be known in France and the United States† (de Duve p. 114). Eadweard Muybridge was known for his early use of multiple cameras to study motion. Muybridges photographic motion study shows by separating motion into a series of stills. Each subject shows us series of motion as parts in the subject. These cameras capture the image, introducing a single moment from all possible movements of the subject in motion. Taken as a whole, he presents us with an idea of the motion; when projected rapidly on a screen in proper sequence creating rapid consecutive intervals of number of images following one after the other, the motion becomes clear. â€Å"With this demonstration at a meeting of the San Francisco Art Association on May 4, 1880, moving pictures were born† (Newhall p. 336). Muybridges motion studies are considered to be a vital step in the development of photography to motion pictures as we know them today.

The Decision Making Process Essay Example for Free

The Decision Making Process Essay Abstract As a senior, the decision on whether or not you want to go to college comes out being the hardest decision some students make. I have made the decision that I want to go to college. Going to college will get me where I want to be. Not only that, but it will further my education. The decision that I need to make is whether or not I want to play volleyball in college or not. Colleges have given me several opportunities to do this. However, it just comes down to me making the decision. Not only just a decision, but the right decision. This decision will have an affect on several different things throughout the rest of your pathway. This is why it is important to make the right decision. Introduction When you make your decision this way, you think it out before you make your final decision. Two ways to make a decision include rational and emotional. When you make a rational decision, you think it through and when you make an emotional decision, you just up and decide without thinking it through. Seven steps will lead to a smart and successful decision. First, you must define your problem. Next you will gather information, which becomes an important step. Third, you will identify your choices. Fourth, identify advantages and disadvantages of each choice. This will also be a big part of your decision-making. Fifth, you will finally make a decision. The sixth step, making a plan to get there. Last but not lease, you will evaluate your decision. Define Your Problem I have made the choice that I want to attend college after I graduate from high school. The problem that I have comes down to whether or not I want to play volleyball in college or not. I have loved playing volleyball ever since I started when I was little. I would love to continue to keep playing after high school. The only thing that stumps me is the fact that once you join a college sport, it then becomes a job. This choice remains to stand the hardest decision for me. I want make the best decision I can because if I don’t, I know I will regret it. I will use the seven steps to make the best decision. Gather Information Next, I must gather information about me problem. We all know that college is the complete opposite from cheap. Many students have to pass up the opportunity on going to college because of the cost. Scholarships come in handy for this. If I would go to college and want to play volleyball, it will still cost me a lot of money. However, if I can get a vast scholarship to go play volleyball for a college, I’m more likely to jump on that opportunity. According to the Chadron State website, the estimated cost to attend CSC to fit my needs, it will cost me $5,032.20 per semester. This is including room and board and also a meal plan. Now on the other hand, if I were to get an offer to go play volleyball somewhere, some of that money would be waived. This is defiantly an advantage in the long run when I am paying college off later on in life. Paying off college will take awhile if you don’t apply for scholarships. However, if I apply for scholarships and receive them as well as get a volleyball scholarship, it would be to my advantage. List Options When you look at my options, I could have several different ones. It just depends on which choice I am leaning closer to. If I do want to play volleyball in college, I would have options to which schools I want to go to. It will narrow down to which schools accept me. Not only that, but also which schools will offer me a scholarship. I think it would be awesome to receive a full ride to one of my top choice; however, I need to have a backup plan. My other options consist of if I don’t get a scholarship to the schools I want to go to, if I will even play volleyball in college. Advantages and Disadvantages There remain several advantages and disadvantages to each of my choices. One of the advantages that I consider the biggest stays getting a scholarship. Like I said earlier, college stands far from cheap. Yes, you can apply and receive scholarships, but that will not cover everything. If I would receive a major scholarship to go play volleyball and also receive other academic scholarships, paying for college would become easier. Another advantage is playing a sport would push me to keep my grades up. This would also force me to maintain a certain GPA to stay a member of the team. Therefore, I would have excellent grades. On the other hand, playing a sport in college can also come with some disadvantages. One of them includes that the sport becomes your second job. You leave for college sooner so you can train for your sport. You also have late practices, leaving little time to study. The disadvantages won’t faze you if you are dedicated to that sport. Make a Decision and Explain Why Having much time to think this through, I have made a decision. However, there are some twists and turns to my decision. It will depend on what all happens in the future. I feel that I am dedicated enough to the sport to play it in college. After attending try-outs for one college, I have found out it’s at a whole different level. I will have to not only prepare myself physically, but also mentally. I have come to a choice that if I receive a big scholarship, I will play volleyball in college. I know that it may be difficult my first year. Havening to manage not only my studies but also volleyball. I have thought about this long and hard and realized that I am capable of doing this. I am doing my best to get recognized by my top colleges for volleyball but if it’s not my top choice that does, I will evaluate that college and make my choice. My choice is well thought through and I am able to make a wise final decision. Make A Plan of Action Making a plan of action becomes the most important step. Several people have goals that they want to reach in life but they never have a plan of action to get there. When people don’t have a set plan, most of the time they never reach their goal. My plan of action can become a little flexible. My first step, I have already completed. That step remained applying and getting accepted into colleges. I have gotten accepted into UNK, CSC, Colby Community College in Kansas, and University of Wyoming in Laramie. My next step, to determine which school will give me the best offers based around my nursing major. Then, I will narrow it down to two schools. My last step stays that if one of those colleges offers me a scholarship to play volleyball, I will go play for them. Having a set plan will help you get to your goal. So make sure you make a plan of action to reach your goal or it’s possible you won’t get there. Evaluate The Decision I think attending college on a volleyball scholarship will remain the best decision. I feel that way because it will become much easier to pay for college. Also, I would love to continue playing volleyball. This would stay the best choice for those reasons. If I am able to do so, it will hopefully give me a whole new experience. It is much different than high school level. This remains why it would benefit to play volleyball in college. Conclusion In conclusion, the decision making process has several steps to it. First, you must define your problem. Next, you need to gather information about your problem. Then, you will need to list your options. Fourth, you have to find the advantages and disadvantages about each of your choices. Fifth, you must finally make a decision. Sixth, you must make a plan of action. This step can become the most important part because you need to make a plan on how to get there. Last, you need to evaluate the decision after it has happened. Decide whether your decision was a good or bad choice. References Retrieved from http://www.csc.edu/

Mini Cooper: Expansion and Launch in India

Mini Cooper: Expansion and Launch in India THE PRODUCT: MINI COOPER IN INDIA INTRODUCTION: The Mini Cooper is a small car that was produced by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered an icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout that allowed 80% of the area of the cars floor pan to be used for passengers and luggage influenced a generation of car-makers. In 1999 the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20th Century, behind the Ford Model T[i]. This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis. It was manufactured at the Long bridge and Cowley plants in England. The Mini Mark I had three major UK updates: the Mark II, the Clubman and the Mark III.The Mini Cooper is a sports car that was successful as rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally four times from 1964 through to 1967. Initially Minis were marketed under the Austin and Morris names, as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini Minor, until Mini became a marquee in its own right in 1969. The Mini Cooper was again marketed under the Austin name in the 1980s. AWARDS AND POPULARITY: The Mini has won many awards over the years, perhaps the most notable includes: Car of the Century, Number One Classic Car of All Time and European Car of the Century. The Mini managed second place behind the Model T Ford for Global Car of the Century in that same poll. In the end 5.3 million Minis were sold, making it by far the most popular British car ever made. Thousands of these are still on the road, with the remaining pre-1980s versions being firmly established as collectors items. At its peak, the Mini was a strong seller in most of the countries where it was sold, with the United Kingdom inevitably receiving the highest volumes. It was a huge seller in the mini-car market. It was 16 years before the Mini received a serious threat to its sales success. INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRODUCTS: MINI HATCH: The new Mini First will be Minis most attractively-priced model on sale in India. Starting at just Rs.8, 76,000 OTR, and the Mini First offers customers the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a unique small premium car at an unbeatable price. Available only in Hatch form, the Mini First features the 1.4-litre petrol engine currently found in the Mini One, but with a power output of 75 hp. The frugal engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard and great go-kart handling is ensured by the trademark sophisticated chassis of all Minis. A multi-link rear axle and independent front and rear suspension systems combine with Dynamic Stability Control to put a smile on the drivers face every time they get behind the wheel. SEGMENTING, TARGETING AND POSITIONING SEGMENTATION: refers to a marketing technique that targets a group of customers with specific characteristics. In the process of launching mini cooper in India the upper class people in the country are considered under segmentation. TARGETING: refers to the selection of a particular market towards which all marketing effort is directed. The targeted market for the mini cooper will be the young girls and the ladies sector in the country. POSITIONING: refers to the efforts of influencing a consumers perception of a brand or product relative to the perception of the competing brands or products. Its basic objective is to occupy a clear, advantageous and unique position in the minds of the consumers. With the help of newspapers, internet and hoardings the positioning will take place in the minds of consumers about the product. THE CONSUMERS: An individual who buys products or services for personal use and not for manufacture or resale. A consumer is someone who can make the decision whether or not to purchase an item at the store, and someone who can be influenced by marketing and advertisements. An official definition of consumer behaviour is The study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society. Mini Cooper in India will be mostly preferred by the upper class people of the society. This is because of the cost of the product. As the cost is higher people would prefer to buy a bigger and luxury car instead of a small and sporty car. Those people who are more interested and knowledgeable in brands and values would be influenced to buy a Mini cooper in India. Mini cooper is recognized as a girly car all over the world. Mini cooper is a car of status and pride. The type of consumers who prefer a Mini cooper will be a consumer of status and pride. It a sporty car as well as a statement symbol of status. Consumers do not make their decision in a vacuum. Consumer purchases are influenced by four factors. They are as follows Cultural factors Social factors Personal factors Psychological factors. CULTURAL FACTORS: Culture is the part of the external influences that impact the consumer. That is, culture represents influences that are imposed on the consumer by other individuals. The definition of culture is That complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man person as a member of society Culture plays an important role in the buying behaviour of the consumers. As India s rich in culture and tradition, this factor acts as a major role in launching of Mini Cooper in India. As the product Mini Cooper is focused on the young girls and ladies of the society, their decisions are based on the family situations. Some women are not able to decide on their own products and services in India. They have to be depended on their family and society. SOCIAL FACTORS: A consumer may interact with several consumers before buying a product. They may be different type of groups like membership group and reference groups. Family decisions are also very important in choosing a product. Roles and status also play an important role in influencing the buying behaviour of a consumer. As Mini Cooper is the symbol of status and pride the consumers can show their ostentatious behaviour. Those are people who are concerned about image. PERSONAL FACTORS: Personal factors are based on economic situation like his income, occupation, personality and self confidence and age and family life cycle stages. In purchasing a Mini Cooper in India a consumer has to take into consideration his level of income as the price of the product is high. He also has to consider his age and economic situation in the society. The major part in the personal factor is a person should have a high level of personality and self confidence to buy a product. Psychological factors like motivating consumers are mainly done by advertisements, road shows and other motivating factors. Attitudes and beliefs are very important in the process of launching a product. The Consumers have to be given more knowledge about the products. The Mini Cooper will affect the psychological factors of the customers when they see the advertisements. DECISION MAKING PROCESS: The act of making up your mind about something, or a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration is called as decision making. It is the process of selecting a logical choice from among the available options. When trying to make a good decision, a person must weight the positives and negatives of each option, and consider all the alternatives. For effective decision making, a person must be able to forecast the outcome of each option as well, and based on all these items, determine which option is the best for that particular situation. The below diagram shows the process of decision making, and also will explain about how the decision making process affects the customers of Mini Cooper. In this model, the consumer passes through five stages: problem recognition, information search, evaluation and selection of alternatives, decision implementation, and post-purchase evaluation. Problem recognition or need recognition: In the problem recognition stage, the consumers buying process begins when the buyer recognizes the problem or need. When a consumer of an upper class society is in need of a car he recognizes the problems and the need of it. This is the first stage of decision making process. When the consumers find the difference between the actual state and the desired state, a problem is recognized. In other words a need is recognized to solve the problem. Information search: When the consumers discover the problem they are likely to search for information. In this case the consumers who recognized the need for a car would search for more information about the different type of cars and they would be more attentive to car advertisements, cars purchased by their friends or relatives, and peer conversation about cars. Or they may be more actively seeking information by visiting car showrooms, talking to friends and reading car magazines etc. Through gathering information, the consumer learns more about some brands that compete in the market and their features and characteristics. After the search of information the consumers go to the next stage of decision making process. Evaluation and search of alternatives: Under this stage a consumers try to solve the problem and ultimately satisfying their needs. In other words, the consumers will look for problem-solving benefits from the product. The consumer, then, looks for products with a certain set of attributes that deliver the benefits. Thus, the consumer sees each product as a bundle of attributes with different levels of ability of delivering the problem solving benefits to satisfy their need. The distinctions among the need, benefits, and attributes are very important. In this case a person who wants to purchase a car will evaluate and search of alternatives to satisfy his needs. Decision implementation: To actually implement the purchase decision, however, a consumer needs to select both specific items that are brands and specific outlets that is where to buy to resolve the problems. In many situations, consumers engage in a simultaneous selection process of stores and brands. In the case of purchasing car a consumer will search a brand and in that brand they will search for different varieties in the showroom. It is also possible, that the consumer decides where to buy and then chooses one or two brands the showroom carries. Once the brand and outlet have been decided, the consumer moves on to the transaction. Post purchase evaluation: The final stage in decision making process is post purchase evaluation. It is common for consumers to experience concerns after making a purchase decision. This arises from a concept that is known as cognitive dissonance. The consumer having bought a product may feel that an alternative would have been preferable. In these circumstances a consumer will not re-purchase immediately but is likely to switch brands next time. Post-purchase evaluation processes are directly influenced by the type of preceding decision-making process. Directly relevant here is the level of purchase involvement of the consumer. Purchase involvement is often referred to as the level of concern for or interest in the purchase situation and how extensively the consumer searches information in making a purchase decision. These are the different stages of decision making process. With these levels a consumer decides when, where, why and how they buy the product. Mini Cooper is to be launched in India in two major cities of Mumbai and Delhi. Showrooms will be opened in these cities and customers can buy Mini from the showrooms. Perceived risk: Perceived risk refers to a functional or a psychological risk a consumer feels he/she is taking when purchasing a product. Negative or unexpected consequences a consumer fears may occur as a result of making the wrong purchase decision. A high-priced, complex, durable good like an automobile has a higher perceived risk than a low-priced, consumable commodity like hand soap. The greater the perceived risk, the more likely it is that the consumer will seek information about the product and the recommendations and experiences of peers before Buying. Educated, self-confident, affluent consumers are less likely than others to perceive risk. In a situation with high perceived risk, the consumer is more likely to purchase the same brand repeatedly or to purchase a leading brand or one with performance guarantees and warranties. New products or brands will be avoided. 4.0 LAUNCHING THE PRODUCT The primary goal of marketing communications is to build awareness of the business, its products, and its position through customer-facing materials such as brochures, press releases, internet, media, billboards, and road shows. Planning an integrated and consistent cross-team approach to these activities, one that reinforces a companys message with target audiences and motivates customers to buy is very important in launching a product. Mini Cooper is being launched in Mumbai and Delhi by positioning through customer facing materials like brochures, press release, web sites, media and road shows etc. Advertising is a form of communication used to influence individuals to purchase products or services or support political candidates or ideas. Frequently it communicates a message that includes the name of the product or service and how that product or service could potentially benefit the consumer. Advertising often attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume a particular brand of product or service. Modern advertising developed with the rise of mass production in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The major part in launching of a product is opening of showrooms. Showrooms of Mini Cooper will be more attractive and impressive for the customers. A showroom is an area where merchandise such as car can be displayed. It can also be defined as a room in a business set aside for the display of th e companys products. The three models of Mini Coopers in different colors will be displayed in the showroom. Customers can visit the showroom and book their minis hassle free without any problems. Customers are also offered with test drives if required. This will help the customers to understand practically about Mini and will also be helpful for them to buy the car with a clear mind as a result they will be happy to purchase the car without having any perceived risks in mind. Showrooms will be opened at the commercial area of the cities so that it will be easy for the customers. BROCHURES: A small booklet or pamphlet containing promotional material or product information is known as a brochure. Its a type of folding leaflet, literary advertisement. A brochure advertises about the location, products and services. They are actually in attractive slogans and eye-catching designs. Direct mails and trade shows are common ways to distribute brochures to introduce a product or service. The two most common types of brochures styles are single sheet or folded booklet leaflet form. Compared with a flyer or a handbill, a brochure usually uses higher-quality paper, more color, and is folded. In launching the Mini in the market, brochures are being used as one of the customer facing materials or advertisements. With the help of brochures, the people will come to know about the product and will take an initiative to visit the showroom and to check with the websites. The brochures will be made of high quality and will be printed in attractive colors and impressive slogans will be given. Free test drives will be added in the brochures to attract the customers. The address of the showroom and a map will be printed in the brochures for the customers. These brochures will be supplied to the public in the commercial areas and city centre. PRESS RELEASE: A public relations announcement issued to the news media and other targeted publications for the purpose of letting the public know about the launching of product and services is known as press release. A press release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. Typically, they are mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to assignment editors at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, and television networks. Commercial press-release distribution services are also used to distribute them. A press release will be taking place one the showrooms are opened. Only the basic informations will be relieved to the public. In the press Release, the description of the product and services will be described to the public. The location of the showroom will also be relieved. INTERNET advertising is rapidly growing and is said to be the fastest growing sector within the advertising industry. The Internet has brought media to a global audience. Internet advertising ties together creative and technical aspects of the Internet, including: design, development and sales. Internet advertising is relatively inexpensive when compared to the ratio of cost against the reach of the target audience. Companies can reach a wide audience with the help of internet advertising. The nature of the medium allows consumers to research and purchase products and services at their own convenience. Therefore, businesses have the advantage of appealing to consumers in a medium that can bring results quickly. A website is introduced in the name of Mini Cooper. All the informations regarding the product is included in the website. The different models and the colors will be shown attractively to grab the attention of the customers. The customers will be given an option to book their car online through the website. The customers can also book for the test drives online. MEDIA: Ever since mass media became mass media, companies have naturally used this means of communications to let a large number of people know about their products. Two types of media advertisements are as follows: published media and visual or aural media. Newspaper, magazines and internet comes under published media and television and radio comes under visual or aural media. Advertisements in famous newspapers and magazines will be given for the Mini Cooper. Attractive slogans like MINI HITS INDIAN ROADS will be given on magazines and newspapers with colourful pictures of Mini Cooper. Advertisements in televisions will become livelier with the presence of celebrities with the Mini Cooper. Radio advertisements will also be given. Media will cover the major part of advertisement compared to the other types. BILLBOARDS: are large outdoor advertising structures. A billboard presents large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers. It is highly visible in the top designated market areas. Billboard advertisements are designed to catch a persons attention and create a memorable impression very quickly, leaving the reader thinking about the advertisement after they have driven past it. They have to be readable in a very short time because they are usually read while being passed at high speeds. Thus there are usually only a few words, in large print, and a humorous or arresting image in brilliant color. Attractive billboards with impressive colors and slogans will be placed at many places in the city. These will help the consumers to be aware of the car. The billboards will be very simple and clear for the public. The cars will be printed on the billboards. Billboards are very useful for the public to know about the launching of the product. ROAD SHOWS: are kinds of advertisement of the product. Basically a road show is nothing but a show of cars on the road in the public. These road shows will be attractive to customers as they see them on the road. Some number of Minis will be driven on the road in the city so that people become familiarized with the product launch. And they will also be parked alongside the road as a road show. Different colors of Mini Cooper will also be on the road show. Discounts and offers will be given to the customers on the early stage for the development of product in the market. It is very important because customers are more attracted towards discount and offers. Surprise gifts will be given to the first fifty customers who book Mini Cooper. The customers will be provided with the facility of Mini Cooper service stations in Mumbai and Delhi. First two services will be free of cost for the car. Cars will be picked and dropped at the customers place for service and it will also be free of charge. Accessories like seat covers, alloy wheels, music player etc will be available at the showroom. Customers can buy them at lesser prices. CONCLUSION: Thus the launching of Mini Cooper will be done effectively and efficiently. Customer satisfaction is more important for a sound business. We will promise to give our best to our customers to satisfy them. Mini Cooper will maintain its level of brand and will become a great success in India. With its great success Mini Cooper will be launched in more cities with more models in India. REFERENCE How the MINI Cooper Works, by Jonathan Strickland, http://auto.howstuffworks.com/mini-cooper.htm, retrieved 2009-12-12

Tre Graffiti Paradigm: The Art of the Piece Essay -- Visual Art Artis

Tre Graffity Paradigm: The Art of the Piece It’s 11:00 p.m. on a Tuesday when three young men, barely high school age, slip through a chain-link fence and into a New York City trainyard. Each carries a duffel bag, from which can be heard the rattling and clanking of spray cans. Six hours later, they re-emerge, their hands stained with paint and their bags almost empty. What have they done? Inside the yard now stands a freshly painted mural, sixty feet wide and twelve feet high. The work is the result of weeks of designing and planning, and with luck it might last as long on the train as it already has on paper. What the boys have done, what has taken place inside that trainyard, is a work of art. [Let us begin with a basic assumption. One may object to graffiti on social or moral grounds, but only in the most conservatist terms can it not be considered â€Å"art.† Any idea of art which does not go out of its way to disinclude vandalism will, in fact, contain graffiti. We will, then, put aside social and moral considerations for the duration, and consider graffiti as art.] What does the work consist of? Who authored it, and how? What is it based on, and how does it relate? What is it, and what will become of it? The answers to these questions, collectively, form an important response to a bigger question: What is art? What does it mean to describe a piece as â€Å"a work of art†? AUTHORSHIP The young men have, in the course of this night, authored a â€Å"piece,† a work of graffiti. In the traditional sense, authorship is defined as the creation of the work. In such a sense, one of these young men is the author of the piece. One of the artists claims the piece as his own, and gives credit to the other two for â€Å"assis... ...ach style is in the distance between the previous styles and the style of the existing piece. Here, then, is the nature of art which graffiti exposes. Art is an activity, not an object; it is something which happens when foundations are developed upon and, most importantly, when new reference points are created. Each new reference point is a work of art; each new reference point is art. Works Used/Further References The quotes at the beginning are from New York City graffiti artists Bando and Seco, and came from Subway Art, by Henry Chalfant and Martha Cooper. This book and another, Spraycan Art (by Chalfant and James Prigoff), have been invaluable resources. Another invaluable resource is the ArtCrimes web site, at http://graffiti.org/. The definitions above are taken from that site’s glossary, and I found my way to all the pictures from that site as well.

The Hero :: Example Personal Narratives

The Hero Another Sunday morning came, and as I contemplated whether I should do my laundry, or go to the super market, or maybe even down to the mall to buy that fishing rod that was on sale, the phone suddenly rang. "Hey Russ, do you want to go down to the mall? They have a sale at Big Video, all their heroes of action videos are on sale today" said my friend Gilbert. I guess he read my mind, which came as a blessing, since decisions of the mediocre kind tend to be fruitless at this hour of the morning. "I'll come by to pick you up in 20 minutes" I replied as I dragged my comb across my hair and was soon in my car on my way to the first task at hand. Parking was a breeze this weekend as many Americans have chosen to recess their spending since the September 11 attack by terrorist. Only I, whom at one time had confronted their type on the operation table, was not about to give them the pleasure. Now bless me for my behavior for I was rewarded for the first time by the gift of front row parking. As I headed for the sporting good shop, Gilbert dashed to the video sale to assure his chances of getting there before his prizes were all sold out. After I completed my procurement of that dashing blue fishing pole, I stopped at the Deli to pick up a hero sandwich in honor of a comrade in arms. As I ordered that big boy, I slipped the owner a ten-spot and asked if he could make this one special for someone deserving. He smiled and went to the oven to get a hot fresh loaf of bread. You could see the hot vapor rising, as he sliced though the crispy crust. He panned though the assortment of exotic mustards and picked out his all time favorites, spreading it across the aromatic loaf. He went straight for the refrigerator where he pulled fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and the large chunks of deli meats that were freshly sliced for the occasion. He added a few extra slices just to be sure the sandwich looked as good as its name.

The Types of Skiing Essay -- Classification Descriptive Ski Sports Ess

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every four years in the Winter Olympics, we see professional athletes compete in many areas ranging from downhill skiing to high-speed bobsledding. We see the professionals demonstrate their spectacular abilities, and we try to emulate them in our own activities. In the Olympics, cross-country and downhill skiing are two very popular sports, and even non-professionals can get into them. In this essay I will classify the various types of skiing into three categories and inform you about each.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first type of skiing that I will discuss is cross-country skiing. As its name implies, cross-country skiing consists of horizontal travel across flat land and relatively few hills. Cross-country skis are not optimized for speed, but instead for easier long distance travel. This type of skiing is also the least expensive of the three types and has recently been gaining many new enthusiasts. A decent quality cross-country ski package would cost around $150. As for choosing equipment, the skier should pick out poles that are as tall as his shoulders. (For most people this would mean a 140 cm to 150 cm pole.) Skis come in three common sizes, 190 cm, 210, cm and 240 cm, and the proper length depends on the height of the person. To determine the size needed, the person should hold his hands above his head and choose the ski that most closely approximates the distance from the base of his palm to the floor. The following table gives some guidelines as to which ...

Kaplan University

The increased use of online universities in this country have given millions of Americans the opportunity to get their degree later in life while possibly trying to juggle a career and family at the same time. These are five such universities.The first is Kaplan University.   Its website is www.kaplan.edu and the university offers master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees as well as certificates that can provide the student with skills to compete in the fields of health care, design, criminal justice and education to name a few.   The university was founded in 1937 and the current tuition costs are ranging from $305- $475 per credit hour. This is depending upon the type of degree that the individual has chosen. The university is helpful to its alumni in the fact that accepts resumes and posts jobs on their website for employers.Its mission statement is: Kaplan University is an institution of higher learning dedicated to providing innovative undergraduate, graduate, and continuing professional education. Our programs foster student learning with opportunities to launch, enhance, or change careers in a diverse global society. The University is committed to general education, a student-centered service and support approach, and applied scholarship in a practical environment.†To contact Kaplan University by email, [email  protected] is the email address. â€Å"Since 1937, we’ve built a long and distinguished tradition as both an academic pioneer and career-maker. We’re part of Kaplan Higher Education, a premier education provider, with more than 75 campus-based schools nationwide. Unique to our education family are some of the highest ranked programs in the world. Kaplan is the world leader in test preparation and has helped more than 3 million students prepare to take the tests necessary to achieve their education and career goals. The Kaplan Professional companies provide certification training developed for adult learner s who are juggling the demands of home, family, and busy careers.† (getinfo.kaplan.edu)University of Phoenix   www.phoenix.edu) is the largest online university in the country with more than 20,000 faculty and more than 220,000 undergraduates. The university was founded in 1976 and its central location is in Phoenix, Arizona. The University of Phoenix, has grown considerably and it was recognized as the first university in the country to offer course work online. The email of the university is [email  protected] and its tuition is $475 per credit hour.Its mission statement is: The Statement of Mission and Purposes focuses clearly on student learning and identifies that focus as the vehicle through which broader institutional goals will be pursued. It also emphasizes innovation, convenience, continuous improvement, and service quality as essential to mission fulfillment.The University of Phoenix has extensive resources in the area of job postings.   There are literally th ousands of jobs postings in the website which is frequented by University of Phoenix undergraduates and alum on a daily basis. â€Å"Beginning in the early 1970s University of Phoenix reinvented the way in which working adults could achieve a higher education and made academic innovation, quality and accountability its hallmark. It pioneered an educational and service model specifically geared toward the way adults learn best and made its programs widely available to working students using common-sense scheduling and fresh new approaches to academic delivery.† ( www.phoenix.edu)DeVry University is one of the most widely known and respected universities in the country.   And now they can add their online university to that list. DeVry University: (www.devryonlinedegrees.com)   is a for profit institution for full or part time individuals seeking training in some of the more technical jobs in the country and which are already in the work force.Devry was founded in 1931 and its tuition costs per semester is $4975. Devry offers an online search engine in the way of job postings and offers a wide and diverse range of jobs to chose from; many of which place a great deal of merit on an alum from Devry University. Its email for students is: [email  protected] and its main programs are computer engineering, electronic engineering network and communicationIts mission statement is: The mission of DeVry University is to foster learning through high-quality, career-oriented undergraduate and graduate programs in technology, business, and management.   The university delivers its programs at campuses, centers and online to meet the needs of a diverse and geographically dispersed student population.Strayer University: www.strayer.edu. Is located in Washington D.C. and it a private institution.   Strayer has more than 31,000 students within its 45 campuses and serves its students online as well as in the classroom and it is unique in that fashion.The tuition is $1730 per course and its job postings and postings of resumes on behalf of its undergraduates is very helpful to the students and the website has received positive feedback for these services. The university was founded in 1892 but was made a university as recently as 1998. Its email for applicants is [email  protected]Its mission statement is: To establish opportunities for Strayer University alumni to stay connected to the University and remain on the cutting edge of business and technology. Over 112 years, the school has expanded to 45 campuses and in 11 states. â€Å"Strayer University offers an alumni directory as well as daily postings of job fairs as well as a newsletter for its alumni and undergraduates. Our undergraduate and graduate programs are available at  46 campuses in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington, D.C., as well as online. Many students take advantage o f both on-campus and online courses.† ( www.strayer.edu.com)Thompson Rivers University is another online school that has earned the respect of its students.   Its campus is located in British Columbia, Canada and was established as recently as 2005 as an online university.   The school was established in 1978 and it is a public institution.   Its website is www.tru.ca/ and its email for interested applicants is [email  protected]/   The university offers free job postings and well as resumes to be posted on their website.   The services that the university offers in this are not as extensive as other, more established universities but it promises to increase its listings in the coming months.Its mission statement is: To support planning at a variety of levels across the university by providing accurate, timely, impartial and reliable information and analysis for decision-making, policy development, and internal and external constituent needs. The tuition fees are v ery reasonable at $111 per semester hour which is much lower than the above mentioned universities and one of the more affordable tuitions that I have ever come across.   And with that total being in Canadian dollars, the tuition is even less than that at just over $100 per semester hour. Here are a few fast facts about the college: Almost 50 undergraduate degree options at the TRU Kamloops Campusâ€Å"Nearly 20 professional career Diploma programs, all with ‘ladders' to a degree at the Kamloops campus Six- to ten-month Job-entry certificates, Trade-entry and Apprenticeship training at the Kamloops campus Distance education courses, and complete distance programs in selected fields. Flexible distance and degree, diploma and certificate access through the BC Centre Open Learning, currently based at our Burnaby campus.† ( www.tru.ca)Here is a summary on just a few of the online universities that are available.   And with more becoming accredited, it is becoming easier for professional adults to go back and get their degree and open up the door of opportunity when they thought that it has been closed forever.

Customer Perception Essay

digestRecent advance ments in technology find facilitated avocation around the globe. The online medium of commerce has provided and will continue to provide cracking opportunities for consumers and businesses. However, there ar a proceeds of issues that need to be intercommunicate out front the usefulnesss of online grass class open fire be full cognize. One substantial aspect is consumer cognition of online shop. The purpose of this paper is to examine the online shop percept of consumers who shop from handed-down rememberings. A check out was pointed in obtain malls in the southeastern country of the United States. The results prove a prescribed perception of offline consumers toward online shop. In addition, the results coincide with national inclinations for online shop which record many tralatitiousisticistic shoppers gather teaching on results and function online, but hitherto substantiate the bargain for onsite in a tralatitious setting by v isit a store.Keywords Perception of shop, Offline obtain consumers, Online change magnitude numbers of customers. Many traditional businesses ar reacting by going online to remain matched (Schoenbachler and Gordon 2002). Advancements in technology enable line up stores, for instance, to improve their online military services by utilize in-personized virtual models allowing consumers to visualize the crossroad on the model to determine fall off sizing and fit (Kim and Kim 2004 for a trend forecast of the online app arl indus resolve, see Newbery 2004). In general, online businesses much(prenominal) as Dell be able to mass customize beca practise of on-line(prenominal) technology and offer customers basically a build-to- collection service. Retail establish e-commerce sites also try to serve customers by providing a private shopper.As the shopper searches for an item of interest online, corresponding or complementing products are suggested. This personal private cust omized assistance cap world power convey to a greater extent surviveledgeable staff in a traditional store and index require an incr slackening in the costs of products to redress for the increased staffing costs. The meshing has influenced the life of eitherone in the juvenile course of instruction manual and has impacted sort of consumers (Garrett and Parrott 2005).In general, three types of consumers in touch on to their shop habits can be separate (Lepkowska-White 2004) Online shoppers, i.e. those who purchase regularly online Online browsers, who mainly physical exercise the net as a character of selective information but prefer to conduct their minutes in traditional stores exhausting core offline shoppers, comprised of the continuously diminishing radical of individuals, who do non use the resources of the lucre either for information gathering or for shopping purposes These contrasting groups show distinct characteristics and will need to be address ed differently to optimize or inculcate online shopping behavior. This analyse focuses on the traditional consumers who prefer shopping onsite. It is eventful to know their perception toward online shopping and their classifications of online browsers or leaden core offline shoppers. In addition, the occurrenceors pr howeverting them from shopping online are important to understand.INTRODUCTION The rise in cyberspace admission wrong and online commerce possibilities in youthful eld has do online shopping a major hazard for businesses and has changed the authority that consumers go round acquiring substantiallys and services (Garrett and Parrott 2005 Schoenbachler and Gordon 2002). For consumers, online shopping provides to a greater extent flexibility and opportunity (Stafford, Turan, and Raisinghani 2004). For example, consumers can shop with increased cognition of products through online explore and place slight reliance on salespersons. If they wish to mother a purchase, consumers are not qualified by cartridge clip, distance, or position (Kim and Kim 2004 Schoenbachler and Gordon 2002). Furthermore, online stores do not incur costs such as store staffing, maintenance, and inventory and might be able to specialize in items and extreme sizes that would not be applicative for traditional stores to carry. Amazon and eBay are examples of winning online retailers that use low-priced items and large stocks to pull out and keep on customers. Online commerce is expanding and is attractingOnline obtain Perceptions of Offline ShoppersThe findings of this field of battle should help motivating and encouraging more people to shop online. Reasons for not shopping online might implicate a want of interest and experience about reckoners or the lucre or going online for research purposes only. The foregoing discussion therefore suggests the pursuit research questions (RQs) RQ1 Are offline shoppers electronic computer and mesh literate? RQ2 Do offline shoppers go online? RQ3 Do offline shoppers doorway the earnings for purposes other than purchasing? RQ4 Are there certain distinguishing characteristics betwixt online and traditional shoppers (defined as online browsers and offline shoppers) in find to online shopping? In order to exercise the above RQs the following two major hypotheses are tested. H01 Offline shoppers are computer and meshwork illiterate H02 Offline shoppers do not go online RELATED LITERATUREThe number of net income users and online shoppers are increase significantly every well-disposed class. U.S. consumers are occuring megs of dollars online each family (Preston-Hubbard, 2004). The internet retail sale is increasing rapidly to the extent that this increase is realized and measured by quarter and not year. (Tamini, Sebastianelli, and Rajan 2005). Currently, many Americans apply internet access and the number of home plates to arrest access to internet will increase significantly in the years to come (Lepkowska-White 2004). An increasing fate of those who are currently connected, shop online, i.e. use the internet to everlasting(a) at least(prenominal) one purchase per month (Lepkowska-White 2004). akin numbers are obtainable for the europiuman market, where, a significant number of internet users are shopping online (Monsuwe, Dellaert, and Ruyter 2004). For example, in Germany, retail sales of textiles, electronic products and durables via the internet has increased significantly in recent years (Reinhardt 2004). A significantly high number of individuals, some propagation referred to as online browsers in the writings (e.g. Lepkowska-White 2004), avail themselves of the resources provided by the internet to check products or compare prices (Jaillet 2003). A psychoanalyse by Pew meshing and American Life Project suggests that close online browsers need about one to heap X, no 2, 2009 23 three years to become online shoppers (LepkowskaWhite 2004). D epending on how many of those individuals can be published into online shoppers, predictions for online sales change widely from $81 billion in 2005 (Bellman, Lohse, and Johnson 1999 Monsuwe, Dellaert, and Ruyter 2004) to as much as $269 billion in 2006 (Lepkowska-White 2004). Consequently, there is a bulky market to be explored.However, businesses must be aware of perceptions and concerns regarding online shopping of traditional shoppers, and the online browsers. In order to capitalize on this say-so in the best practical way, mixed models and frame whole works for analysis have been presented in the recent literature on the topic (Chiang, Dholakia 2003 Zhou, Chiang, Zhang 2004). Monsuwe, Dellaert, and Ruyter (2004) have suggested a framework for consumers intentions to shop online which draws on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), habitual in the field of training Systems. harmonize to this framework, utilitarian dimensions such as utility and ease of use of the site and voluptuary dimensions such as have intercoursement unitedly with the consumers traits shape the consumers locating towards online shopping. Situational factors trust in online shopping, product characteristics and old online shopping incur affect the ut just about finality to conclude the act online or not.Lepkowska-White (2004) divides variables for the analysis of online shopping behavior into contribute and demand factors, with supply factors meaning weather vane design and technical aspects and demand factors referring to consumer factors, such as social interaction, and product/service determinants, such as selection of products available online. Despite different naming conventions, the literature on the topic agrees that the 24/7 availability of products and information about products have changed the retail industry and consumer shopping. Most stores find oneself they cannot afford not to be online, even if for information purposes only (Schoenbachler and Gord on 2002).Generally, time and location constraints, convenience, availability of products, motivator programs and easy equality of product information induce shoppers to shop online (Huang, Schrank, Dubinsky 2004 Kim and Kim 2004 Levin, Levin, and Heath 2003). Shoppers are emotional stateing for get at spare, accurate accomplishments, proper appearance of qualified information and efficient download times for sites in their online understand (Tamini, Sebastianelli, and Rajan 2005). Regarding price, the literature cites two lower prices as incentives for shopping online (GfK 2004 Girard, Silverblatt, and Korgaonkar 2002 Kim and Kim 2004) as head as a lesser academic degree of price sensitivity of online shoppers Issues in Information Systems due to the added convenience. In addition, online browsers display a higher degree of price sensitivity compared to online shoppers but lesser degree of time sensitivity (Lepkowska-White 2004).The demographic information on online shop pers is inconsistent in the literature. For example, Kim & Kim (2004), discipline 43% of their respondents held graduate degrees man 12.41% of respondents in Tamini, Sebastianelli, and Rajans (2005) record held graduate degrees. It seems, however, that around online shoppers have a higher train of education and higher incomes, with the average out household income of online shoppers expect to be $65,000 by 2006 (Kim and Kim 2004). duration currently the majority of online shoppers is aged 44 or under (Kim & Kim 2004), shoppers aged 50 years and everywhere are evaluate to become a more significant portion of the online shopping population, increasing to 30% by 2006 (Anonymous 2002). Regarding gender, research suggests that while men were early adopters of online shopping behavior, women have caught up and online shopping is starting to display the homogeneous gender proportion as offline shopping does (Kim and Kim 2004 Lepkowska-White 2004 Stafford, Turan and Raisinghani 20 04 Tamini, Sebastianelli and Rajan 2005 Van Slyke, Comunale, and Belanger 2002).Previous positive experience with online shopping, trust in the company shopped from, and fitted customer service enhance positive attitudes towards online shopping as well as conviction of ones ability in ones computer skills and access to computers and the internet (Levin, Levin, and Heath 2003). Generally, the superlative obstacles to getting individuals to shop online are hedonic dimensions of the shopping experience, security concerns and a wishing of authorization in their computer skills (Swinyard and smith 2003).The majority of those, who value the social components of the traditional shopping experience, such as interaction with sales people, window shopping, meeting up with peers and friends or the benefit of obtaining the product immediately, spend less time engaging in online shopping (Lepkowska-White 2004). Similarly, despite increased attempts at better security, credit card and person al information security are tacit a main concern for most shoppers approximately 500 emails per day traverse online fraud to the Securities and Exchange Commission and average losses from online fraud have move from $318 per person in 2000 to $638 in 2001 (Sager and thou 2002 Lepkowska-White 2004). Finally, individuals who do not complete transactions online indicated a lower level of confidence in their computer skills (LepkowskaWhite 2004). Volume X, No. 2, 2009 24In order to retain current and attract new online customers, online stores should date sufficient product information, such as displaying price and the product details as well as a well operational, current, user friendly and easy to download web sites (Chiang and Dholakis 2003). Security and accurate and super cost information positively skew the customer perception of the online shopping experience as well as secure customer service and hassle free return policies (Tamimi, Sebastianelli, and Rajan 2005). Providi ng free rapture might prove a powerful incentive to increase the number of persons who complete an online purchase a 2002 study nominate that shipping costs were the deterrent for 53% of individuals in the US who decided against an online purchase in the last steps of the process (Kim and Kim 2004).methodological analysis A survey was randomly administered at shopping malls in the southeastern region of the United States. A survey shaft was developed to determine the perception of consumers who enjoy shopping from traditional stores about online shopping. The survey was not conducted online to better target the offline shoppers. 264 surveys were utilize for the purpose of data analysis. Fourteen surveys had to be discarded since they were incomplete or instructions had not been followed. The survey consisted of components such as demographics, computer and internet literacy, perception which include attitude and behavior. FINDINGS The largest group of respondents was aged 18-30 (35.7%), and the coterminous largest group was individuals aged 61 and over (28.3%). Of the 264 respondents, 32.6% were male.The most common response, given by slightly less than 30% of the respondents, indicated they were shopping online one to five times per year which further confirms the respondents of this study to be earlier offline shoppers. Online shoppers are assumed to shop online more than once a month (Lepkowska-White 2004). The consumers of this study were overwhelmingly computer literate and had access to the internet (84.5%). However, they were shopping in shopping malls (RQ1). Therefore, H01 is rejected and there is evidence that the offline shoppers of this study are in fact computer and internet literate. Many of them indicated they were going online (RQ2) to fool information and do research on products to be better prepared shoppers earlier purchasing items in Issues in Information SystemsOnline Shopping Perceptions of Offline Shoppers traditional stores (72.4 %) (RQ3). Only a small number of these consumers purchased the product online (1 to 5 times a year) after they found the searched product (32.3%) (RQ4). Therefore, H02 is also rejected and the enmity offline shoppers of this study do in fact go online is supported. It is clear that the consumers of this study shop offline. However, a small number of them 32.3% while searching for information on different products online ended up purchasing the product online one to five times per year (29.7%). These individual cited the following reasons for complemental the transaction online and purchasing the product they were researching for online Familiarity with the online stores, No brick-and-mortar alternative (e-Bay, Amazon), Low-ticketed items.In addition, they considered ease of return the online-purchased item, and they conceit the design of website was influential in their decision of finalizing the transaction and purchasing the product online. password OF FINDINGS Online shoppin g has already influenced shopping patterns and is expected to influence even more in the future with improvements in technology. Online shopping has make shoppers more knowledgeable than ever before. Consumers are becoming more efficient by shopping online and more effective because of ease of information accessibility online. Many shoppers go online for research purpose rather than purchase purpose. Prices and features of products can easily be compared to make an informed purchase decision. Information on products can be obtained from anywhere at anytime.The purchase is then made online or from a more tradition store. in particular for more expensive purchases, shoppers tend to start advantage of the availability of information online, permutation traditional methods of going from store to store in order to compare prices and look for the best corrupt. Consumers in this study as expected were mainly offline shoppers who were browsing the internet for information. They were co mputer literate and had access to the internet. This study reveals a positive attitude toward online shopping by those consumers who still like traditional stores. The consumers of this study are mostly in low and high age groups. It is possible that these consumer groups place a stronger emphasis on the social aspects of offline shopping and have more time to spend in traditional stores and malls and value the offline shopping experience for social reasons, such as meeting with friends. These consumers are technology oriented and take advantage of technology and the internet to educate themselves about products of interest and then purchase them from traditional stores.CONCLUSION, LIMITATIONS, AND FUTURE WORKS Online shopping is a relatively new experience and has greatly impacted the lives of consumers in its short time of existence (Garrett & Parrott 2005). It is expected to grow ever in years to come with more advancement in technology. Online shopping has made consumers more e ffective and efficient in their shopping behavior and has driven businesses to a new level, forcing many to make the undeniable adjustments and changes to reach the new market of knowledgeable consumers (Lepkowska-White 2004 Schaupp and Blanger 2005). Tomorrows consumers include todays elementary and lower-ranking school students who grow up victimization browsers and search tools in order to hark back information from global resources.The offline shoppers of this study indicated a positive perception of online shopping. These offline shoppers collected the demand information online to facilitate their offline shopping, and it seems they are not too far away from completing the transaction and making the purchase online. It is important for businesses to find the online analogy of factors that make customers buy in a brick-and-mortar setting (Lepkowska-White 2004). futurity studies should look into the factors preventing the current offline shoppers and online browsers from com pleting the transaction online after they have gained more knowledge about the product of interest. Factors encouraging individuals to complete a transaction online should be investigated. succeeding(a) studies should also focus on what necessitate to be done in order to make the idea of online shopping in general more appealing to offline shoppers to turn more offline shoppers into online shoppers. In addition, perception of online shoppers toward traditional stores and onsite shopping should be considered. A perception comparison of online and offline shoppers on the internet and online shopping in general would facilitate judgment of restraining and motivational factors in online shopping. This survey was conducted in one region and future works should focus on different regions and classifications of consumers based on demographic make up such as age, income, and occupation. Cultural differences and online shopping would also be a good factor to examine (see for instance Bin, Chen, and sunshine 2003 Stafford, Turan and Raisinghani 2004).REFERENCES1. 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