Making an out line of essay.(Cinema studies) Essay

Making an out line of .(Cinema studies) - Essay Example Thus the inner emotions and desires of a lesbian spectator can be made visible to the audience through the movies. The main concept underlying the idea of cinephilia is fetishism. The author discusses a number of video artists, photographers and filmmakers who utilizes glamour photography, film clips and stories and myths from the stars. The essay highlights the idea of fetishism, lesbian culture, cross-dressing and composite portrait, all of which contributes towards making the lesbianism in cinema more vivid. The exploration of the idea of lesbian spectatorship unfolds several sensitive facts that usually do not come out to the forefront but the artists mind can read into all kinds of perversion, which is not confined, only to the gays. The idea here is to emphasize upon the fact that the heroine Bette Davis would prefer something special and not the usual heterosexual intimacy, which is apparently rejected. Ultimately it is desire that the Hollywood relies upon. The celebrities came out in the 1990s self-identifying themselves with the lesbian audience and previously it was thought of losing their credibility in the process. However time has proved that many lesbian audiences do buy tickets. The female homosexuality has contributed to the appeal of the star system mainly to women. However, the lesbians in the society were not really conspicuous but the lesbian fandom has been extensively documented. Works on spectatorships emphasizes on the need for privileged relationship between the women audience and the female stars. The works also focus on the crushes on female stars and how they represent their relationship with the stars, which goes beyond imagination. The lesbian audience identifies their desires through the stars in the movies. This section discusses about the works that explore lesbian adolescents’ views on their favorite stars. The teenager lesbians are interviewed and the idea is mainly to deal with the adolescent awakening rather

Inter-American system of human rights protection Essay Example for Free

Inter-American system of human rights protection Essay Human Rights are certain inherent, inalienable, immutable, inviolate freedoms and rights of man which no one can take away. These include the right to life, liberty, equality and dignity. The United States of America recognizing these rights established the Inter American system of Human Rights by adopting the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man and the American Convention on Human Rights. Pursuant to the adoption of these instruments the Inter American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter American Court of Human Rights were established to promote and protect Human Rights of individuals. PART A 1. It is pertinent to note that the Inter American Commission on Human Rights primarily seeks to promote consciousness about Human Rights amongst the people of the country. Its functions mainly include receiving complaints, analyzing and investigating them. It has powers of observation and collection of data regarding Human Rights violations in the member States. It can also visit on site and conduct seminars and meetings to promote awareness regarding Human Rights. When a complaint is referred to the Commission, it can after conducting its investigation and analysis publish a report and send it to the State. This report is recommendatory in nature and not mandatory. Hence the Commission can only recommend that the State take due notice of the human rights violations and take appropriate reparatory measures. In the alternative, the Commission can seek opinion from the Inter American Court of Human Rights. So also, in the present case, the Commission has no powers to enforce the law laid down by the State of Colorado but can only request the State to take precautionary measures so as to ensure that human rights are not infringed upon. 2. With respect to the second question, it is seen that as per Article 2 of the Statute of the Inter American Court of Human Rights, the Court has adjudicatory jurisdiction vis a vis a human rights violation brought before it by the Commission or any Member State of the Organization of American States. The said Article refers to Articles 61-63 of the American convention on Human Rights which clearly state that the Court can order the State to allow the human being to enjoy his human right and also order for either monetary or non monetary compensation for the injury so caused. Such an order passed by the American Court would be binding on the State. The provision further clarifies that in case an act or omission on the part of the State would cause irreparable loss to the person, the Commission can take such provisional measures to ensure that the irreparable loss is not caused. It would thus transpire that in the present case, the Inter American Court of Human Rights can enforce the law requiring the Colorado State police to arrest an individual disobeying the restraining order. 3. In the present case various provisions of the various human rights enactments are violated. The Commission can primarily seek to apply Articles 1, 5, 6, 9, 18 24 of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man. Article 1 of the American Declaration states that all persons have equal right to life, liberty, and personal security. Article 5 6 deal with a person’s right to protection of self as well as family. Article 9 talks about a person’s right to inviolability of home while 18 24 talks of fair trial and the right to approach the court for remedy. A brief reading of the petition tells us how each of these rights have been violated by omission to act on the part of the State. These clauses are applicable even if the United States have not ratified this Declaration. Further Article 11 of the American Convention on Human Rights which deals with a persons right to protect his honor and home and also gives him the right to seek judicial remedy in case of infringement is another provision that the Commission can consider and apply to this particular case. According to the Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons, a duty is laid on the State to punish those persons or their accomplices who commit the crime of forced disappearance of others. This clause has been violated by the husband of the petitioner who allegedly kidnapped their daughters and the police department can be held liable as they stood mute spectators to the whole thing. Article 7 of the Convention of Belem do Para (the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women) condemns all forms of violence against women and seeks to punish such persons who have committed such crimes by enacting proper laws and proper investigation. The Convention also requires that the State should enact and adopt such laws which will help refrain a person from committing such acts of harassment and also ensure that persons who are victims of such violence are given timely and proper hearing. This is a right guaranteed to all women and more so to women who are victims of domestic violence. The police in this particular case having full knowledge of the fact that the petitioner was a victim of domestic violence chose to ignore her pleas and thereby ignore this provision. 4. Prior to considering the kind of jurisdiction that the Inter American Court of Human Rights would have in this present case, it is necessary to list the basic kinds of jurisdiction available to the Court in general. Jurisdiction of the Inter American Court is broadly classified into– Provisional, Advisory and Adjudicatory or contentious Jurisdiction. In provisional jurisdiction, the Court has the power to act in situations that are grave and urgent and require immediate intervention without which grave harm shall be caused to the victim (Buergenthal, 1982, p.241). In Advisory Jurisdiction the Court can give its opinion on the various provisions of the Convention as well as other treaties and also opinionate on the compatibility of the domestic law with any treaty (Buergenthal, 1982, p. 242). In order to avail the adjudicatory or contentious jurisdiction is concerned, it is necessary that the member States subject themselves to the jurisdiction of the Inter American Court (Pasqualucci, 2003, p. 88). It is also necessary for the Convention or treaty in question to grant the jurisdiction to the Court. An illustration to explain this point would be that the Inter American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women very clearly states that the Commission has only advisory jurisdiction and no contentious jurisdiction in respect of complaints filed under its provisions (Pasqualucci, 2003, p. 91). The jurisdiction clause also states that the Inter American Court cannot naturally assume the role of an appellate authority. It cannot make right any wrong decision of the national courts. However, if there is a gross violation of the human rights enshrined in any treaty and if this gross violation were to cause irreparable harm to the individual, then the Inter American Court may interfere and record that the proper procedures as laid down in the treaties were not followed. In the present case, the United States by virtue of having ratified the American Convention, has given people the individual right to approach the Commission for violation of human rights. However, this jurisdiction in advisory in nature and not adjudicatory as it has not yet subjected itself to the jurisdiction of the Inter American Court. Thus any person through the Commission can seek the advisory jurisdiction of the Inter American Court even if the Member State has not subjected itself to the jurisdiction of the Court (Buergenthal, 1982, p. 244) 5. Procedurally, the Commission on receiving a petition shall initially register it and see if it has complied with all the rules of procedure and if the petition does not comply then the Commission will send it back to the petitioner so as to ensure compliance. Once the petition conforms to the rules then the Commission shall then send relevant parts of the petition to the State for its response, for which the State is given two months time. However, in serious and urgent cases, the State is asked to respond immediately. This is done to ensure the veracity of the petition and to ensure that the petition still subsists. The commission may also require the State to present its observations on the admissibility and merits of the case at hand. Once the observations of the parties are submitted or the time period given to each party has lapsed, the Commission will verify the merits of the case based on the facts before it and decide whether to admit it or reject it. In the present case too the Commission should first satisfy itself as to the compliance of all the rules of procedure and then seek observations from the State and other parties concerned. 6. The Commission will then confirm as to whether the petitioner has exhausted all the available domestic remedies. However, in cases where the domestic legislation does not provide for due process of law or where the petitioner is refrained from pursuing domestic remedies then the above provision does not hold true. The Commission has to ensure that the petition before it has been filed within six months of receipt of the decision of the domestic remedy. In this case the petitioner has exhausted all the possible domestic remedies and has not been successful in the same. The Supreme Court of the United States has also rejected the petition of the petitioner and has passed its final judgment in the matter. The Commission should then decide on the admissibility of the petition by setting up a working group. In the present case, it is seen that the Commission has held the petition admissible. When the Commission finds a petition admissible it creates an admissibility report that is made public and the case is then registered and the parties are notified of the same. After the case has been registered, the Commission invites additional observations in writing from all parties concerned. A time limit for submitting these observations is set by the Commission. In some cases, the Commission can also convene a hearing to enable the parties to present their points of view. In this case too, the Commission has opened the case and the parties are informed about the same. Additional observations have been requested from the parties and the Commission has in fact convened a hearing. In this case, the United States government has responded by stating that it has taken proper and adequate measures to combat domestic violence and that the remedies in the domestic judicial system are adequate to tackle the problem. In the hearing the Petitioner will be able to present her case before the Commission in person. After hearing the case of both sides and also after going through the written observations submitted by both parties, the Commission will deliberate on the merits of the case and formulate a report. 7. The first document that the Commission publishes in response to a case is the admissibility report wherein it admits the case and registers it. This report has already been published by the Commission and has been sent to the parties concerned. The Commission has then convened a hearing on the issue and will deliberate on the case after the hearing. The next important document that the Commission publishes is the Preliminary report on the merits of the case. This report contains the preliminary observations and the recommendations of the Commission. 8. If the Commission feels that there is no violation, then the report is published and sent immediately to all parties concerned. In case the Commission feels that some provisions have indeed been violated then a preliminary report is made and sent to the State along with the recommendations proposed by the Commission. 9. In case the State complies with the recommendations given in the preliminary report, the Commission will notify the petitioner as to the same. However, in cases where the State does not comply with the same, the Commission can approach the Inter American Court for adjudication. However, in the present case as the United States has not subjected itself to the jurisdiction of the Court, the said remedy is not available to the Commission in case of non compliance. In the present case, the Commission should deliberate on the observations sent by the parties, investigate on site to determine the veracity of the facts, interview the various concerned individuals and then send its preliminary report to the State along with its recommendations. If the State fails to comply with the same within three months of it being sent, the Commission then has to issue a final report that contains its opinion, final conclusions and final recommendations. The Commission should then send it across to all parties concerned and make a note of it in its Annual report. The Commission should take active steps in terms of follow up to evaluate the actual compliance of the recommendations by the parties. 10. In this present case, if the Commission publishes its preliminary report wherein it holds that there has been violation of human rights and recommends certain precautionary measures to the State then it would mean that the petition has succeeded partially. By partially, it is meant that the violation has been recognized by the Commission. However, for the petition to succeed completely, the State has to comply with the recommendations given by the Commission. If the State refuses to accept the recommendations of the Commission, then the petition would have failed as the petitioner has not achieved any major reliefs but has only obtained a theoretical order that envisages the ideal situation vis a vis human rights.

Manipulation of Syntax in Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingw

Ernest Hemingway has a superbly unique style of writing in Hills Like White Elephants. His short, to the point syntax and sentence style plays a great role in helping readers understand the theme of this short story. The critique M.A.K. Halliday observed, â€Å"The story is frequently generated by the repetition of words, clauses, and groups of related words or ethical sets† (Link, Alex). The first set of dialogue that can be pulled from this story is story is short and to the point. The American states, â€Å"We can have the whole world.† Jig replies with â€Å"No, we can’t† (Hemingway, Ernest). The sentence length is very short, yet there is a hidden meaning behind the small talk. Jig is referring to not having the baby. She can have everything, but her will to decide things. She can’t have a baby due to unloving pressure from the American. It is in sync with the tone of the story perfectly. The tone is forward, direct, and shallow. Tha t is exactly what happens in this dialogue. There is no emotion, just pure sarcasm on a huge topic. Abortion to this couple is nothing more then a qui...

Content and Process Theories of Motivation Essay

Motivation is simply the methods by which an organisation can encourage it employees to increase their performance, both in quantity of output and in quality. Performance could also be in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and economy in the organisation’s operations. simply put, motivation is about the ways a business can encourage staff to give their best. The term motivation has been defined by different scholars using different formats and views, according to Dr Stephen P. Robbins, this is the process that account for an individuals intensity, direction and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal (S. P. Robbins, Organizational Behaviour 9ed, p.155). Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary says that motivation is the act or process of motivating, the condition of being motivated, a motivating for a stimulus or influence, incentive, drive. Jones, George & Hill (2000) Motivation as physical forces that determine the direction of a person’s behaviour, a person’s level of effort and a person’s level of persistence in the face of obstacles. S.Hall believes motivation to be a process where members of a group pull together to effect an organisation through loyalty and commitment. some of these authors have gone as far as developing theories and models to help explain the motivation process. These include The Abraham Maslow hierarchy of Needs, Frederick Herzberg’s motivation and hygiene factors etc. Content and process theories of motivation The sum total of motivation theories can be broadly classified into two main categories; the content theories and the process theories. Content Theories deal with â€Å"what† motivates people and it is concerned with individual needs and goals. Authors like Maslow, Alderfer, Herzberg and McClelland studied motivation from a â€Å"content† perspective. Content theorists believe that everyone has the same set of needs and expectations from a job. these needs are in physical, social and psychological forms. Process Theories deal with the â€Å"process† of motivation and is concerned with â€Å"how† motivation occurs. Authors such as Vroom, Porter & Lawler, Adams and Locke studied motivation from a â€Å"process† perspective. Process theories are more individualistic. ie they assume each individual has his/her unique set of needs and hence unique motivational factors. Content Theories deal with â€Å"what† motivates people and it is concerned with individual needs and goals. Maslow, Alderfer, Herzberg and McClelland studied motivation from a â€Å"content† perspective. Process Theories deal with the â€Å"process† of motivation and is concerned with â€Å"how† motivation occurs. Vroom, Porter & Lawler, Adams and Locke studied motivation from a â€Å"process† perspective.

Free Will in Scientific Psychology Essay

Actions are freer than others, and the difference is palpably important in terms of inner process, subjective perception, and social consequences. Psychology can study the difference between freer and less free actions without making dubious metaphysical commitments. Human evolution seems to have created a relatively new, more complex form of action control that corresponds to popular notions of free will. It is marked by self-control and rational choice, both of which are highly adaptive, especially for functioning within culture. The processes that create these forms of free will may be biologically costly and therefore are only used occasionally, so that people are likely to remain only incompletely self-disciplined, virtuous, and rational. BACKGROUND What shall I do? Why did you do that? Are people captains of their fate, or are they mere products of their times and victims of circumstances? Should they be held responsible for their actions? These and similar questions pertain to the psychological problem of free will, also known as freedom of action. At the core of the question of free will is a debate about the psychological causes of action. That is, is the person an autonomous entity who genuinely chooses how to act from among multiple possible options? Or is the person essentially just one link in a causal chain, so that the person’s actions are merely the inevitable product of lawful causes stemming from prior events, and no one ever could have acted differently than how he or she actually did? My thesis is that free will can be understood in terms of the different processes that control human action and that, indeed, these differences correspond to what laypersons generally mean when they distinguish free from unfree action. To discuss free will in the terms of scienti? c psychology is therefore to invoke notions of self-regulation, controlled processes, behavioral plasticity, and conscious decisionmaking. Address correspondence to Roy F. Baumeister, Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306; e-mail: baumeister@psy. fsu. edu. The extreme positions on free will have been staked out through centuries of philosophical debate. On the negative side, the deterministic position can be traced from Democritus through Spinoza, Comte, and Freud. It leaves no room for free human choice. Everything that happens is the unavoidable product of prior causes. The universe resembles a giant machine, grinding along exactly as it must. There is no difference between the categories of possible and actual in this view: Everything that happened was inevitable, and nothing else was ever possible. The subjective impression that when you make a choice you really can choose any of several options is an illusion, because forces outside your consciousness are in motion to determine what you will choose, even if you do not know until the last minute what that choice will be. On the other side, Jean-Paul Sartre (1943/1974) argued passionately in favor of human freedom. He contended that people are always, inevitably free—‘‘condemned to freedom,’’ in his famous phrase. Life is a series of choice points, and at each choice point, you could have chosen differently than you did. (Thus, the category of the possible is far, far more vast than the category of the actual, in this view. ) When people say they could not help acting as they did, they are engaging in self-deception (bad faith, in Sartre’s term), because they could actually have acted otherwise—could have held their tongue, walked another step, resisted the temptation, and so forth. Other outcomes really were possible. In between those extremes, many thinkers have proposed limited or partial freedom. Kant (1797/1967) proposed that people have a capacity for free action but only use it sometimes. For him, freedom meant acting in a morally virtuous manner based on enlightened reasoning. His argument thus aptly sets up the emphasis on self-control and rational choice as two widely adaptive forms of free will. If free will is only occasional, whereas behavior is constantly occurring, then it is necessary to posit two systems for guiding behavior: a default one that mostly runs the show and an occasional one that sometimes intervenes to make changes. Free will should be understood not as the starter or motor of action but rather as a passenger who occasionally grabs the steering wheel or even as just a navigator who says to turn left up ahead. 14 Copyright r 2008 Association for Psychological Science Volume 3—Number 1 Roy F. Baumeister OBJECTIONS TO THE VERY IDEA Many psychologists disdain the idea of free will, for several reasons. First, some think that in order to be a scientist it is necessary to believe in determinism, because a scientist studies causality and cannot tolerate or accept exceptions. Second, and related to the ? rst, free choice (especially the full, extreme case of total freedom) cannot seem to be explained in scienti? c terms. Causality is how the human mind generally (and the scienti? c mind particularly) understands events, and there is no way to explain a free action causally. In other words, even if free will exists, there is no use in scientists talking about it, because there would be no replicable patterns of behavior. (On this I disagree most emphatically—see below. Third, and perhaps more formidably, plenty of research has by now shown that people are sometimes mistaken when they believe their actions to be free, insofar as factors outside their awareness do exert a causal in? uence on them (e. g. , Bargh, 1994; Wegner, 2002; Wilson, 2002). The fact that automatic, nonconscious processes are the direct causes of action (e. g. , Libet, 1985, 1999) seems now well established and has dealt a severe blow to some theories of conscious free will. But new theories of action have separated the deciding from the initiating (Gollwitzer, 1999), and free conscious choosing may have its main role in the deciding (deliberative) stage. To illustrate, free will would have more to do with deciding (now) to walk to the store when the rain stops (later) than with directing each footstep during the actual trip. Modern research methods and technology have emphasized slicing behavior into milliseconds, but these advances may paradoxically conceal the important role of conscious choice, which is mainly seen at the macro level (Donald, 2002). Meanwhile, there are several objections to the determinists too. To require scientists to believe in determinism seems unwarranted. After all, the deterministic hypothesis—that every event is fully and inevitably caused by prior events and nothing else than what happened was ever possible—is itself unproven and even unprovable, so it requires a big leap of faith. Determinism is also contrary to everyday experience (in which people do make choices, and they believe subjectively that more than one outcome is possible). Moreover, to say that scienti?c data and especially psychological data point to determinism is itself severely overstated. Most psychological experiments demonstrate probabilistic rather than deterministic causation: A given cause changes the odds of a particular response but almost never operates with the complete inevitability that deterministic causality would entail. These objections do not disprove determinism, but they certainly raise questions. It seems unreasonable to require that every scientist must believe something that is unproven, unproveable, contrary to daily experience, and incongruent with our data. A further objection to determinism is the observation that freedom and choice are woven deeply into the fabric of human relations and activities. If freedom and choice are completely illusions—if the outcome of every choice was inevitable all along—why must people agonize so over decisions? Why do they argue and strive so much for the right to decide (that is, for power and liberty)? Why has so much political, economic, and social struggle been aimed at increasing freedom if freedom is just an illusion? The presence versus absence of choice, control, autonomy, and freedom has been shown to be a signi?cant causal factor in many aspects of human life, including dissonance and consistency (Linder, Cooper, & Jones, 1967), reactance (Brehm, 1966), stress and coping (Glass, Singer, & Friedman, 1969), and motivated performance (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Moreover, with few circumscribed exceptions, people almost always prefer freedom and are better off with it—and seemingly not just because the lack of freedom prevents them from securing tangible rewards. It is not as if people would be ? ne with slavery or prison if only the food were better. Countless people have risked and sacri?ced their lives in ? ghting to achieve and defend freedom, and it is very dif? cult to ? nd historical instances of uprisings or wars based on a demand for less freedom. Laypersons may not understand the concept of free will in the same way as philosophers and scientists, but they use ‘‘freedom’’ to denote some psychological phenomena that are powerful and important. PSYCHOLOGY’S TASK In my opinion, it would be a mistake for psychologists to argue about whether free will exists and to debate the conceptual details. Philosophers and others have already spent centuries re? ning the concepts through such argument, and repeating their work would not be a good use of time and effort. In comparison with philosophers, psychologists are amateurs at conceptual re? nement and debate but are specialists at conducting experimental tests of causal hypotheses. Our expertise is thus not well suited for ascertaining the existence or nonexistence of free will, which is probably impossible to prove. Researchers such as Wegner (2002) and Bargh and Morsella (2008, this issue) may show that people are sometimes unaware of the causes of particular behaviors, but such ?ndings are incapable of establishing that all behaviors are the result of ? rm causal processes of which people are unaware. Conversely, it seems equally impossible to prove that a given person could have acted differently than he or she did under exactly the same circumstances. Psychology’s contribution lies elsewhere. Psychologists should focus on what we do best: collecting evidence about measurable variance in behaviors and inner processes and identifying consistent patterns in them. With free will, it seems most productive for psychologists to start with the well-documented observation that some acts are freer than others. As already noted, dissonance, reactance, coping with stress, and other behaviors have been shown in the laboratory to depend on variations in freedom and choice. Hence, it is only necessary to assume that there are genuine phenomena behind those subjective and objective Volume 3—Number 1 15 Free Will in Scienti? c Psychology differences in freedom. In a nutshell, we should explain what happens differently between free and unfree actions. Thus, the optimal agenda for psychology would be to ? nd out what people mean when they use concepts of freedom, choice, and responsibility in their daily lives and then to illuminate the inner processes that produce those phenomena. WHAT MAKES ACTION FREE? A starting point for psychology is to identify what aspects of an action make people regard it as free versus unfree. To be sure, some factors can contribute to a mistaken sense of freedom in one’s own action. Wegner (2002) showed that when the thought of an event immediately precedes its actual occurrence, people believe they have caused it, even if in reality they have not. For example, when participants who were moving a cursor around a computer screen along with someone else (akin to having four hands on the pointer on a Ouija board) heard the name of some image mentioned and then the cursor stopped there 2 s later, they believed that they had intentionally caused the cursor to stop, even though the stopping was actually programmed by the apparatus (Wegner & Wheatley, 1999). There are several ways to interpret these ? ndings. One is to suggest that all conscious will and volition are illusions: From the observation that people are sometimes mistaken about conscious will, one could extrapolate that they are always mistaken. Another is to suggest that people do not have a direct, introspective way of knowing when they initiate action, and so they rely on salient cues to give them the feel and subjective impression of having acted or chosen, and this system of cues can be fooled. Shifts in the social distribution of causality and agency are important to people, and these correspond to social phenomena that people have encountered for millennia. Power, for example, confers on one person the right to make decisions that may affect others (e. g. , Keltner, Gruenfeld, & Anderson, 2003), and the long history of power struggles can be viewed as being about who gets to choose. Studies by Brehm (1966) and his colleagues have also shown that people are very sensitive to having their freedom of choice restricted by others. When an option is taken away from them, they respond by desiring that option more, by trying actively to reassert that freedom and take that option, and even by aggressing against whomever restricted their freedom. Such patterns seem hard to reconcile with the view that all free will and choice (in every sense) are illusions: Why would people care so much about something that is entirely inconsequential? Another approach to understanding what people mean by free will is to have participants rate how free a stimulus person’s actions are. Stillman, Sparks, Baumeister, and Tice (2006) had participants rate scenarios that varied systematically along several dimensions. Participants rated people’s actions as freest when their choices were made after conscious deliberation, when their actions went against external pressure rather than going along with it, and when people acted against their shortterm self-interest. Thus conscious, rational choice and selfcontrol seem to be integral parts of what people perceive as free. When people wrote autobiographical accounts of their own acts that felt free or unfree, pursuing long-term personal goals was central to the feeling of freedom. The difference suggests that people see free will in others as useful for restraining their socially undesirable impulses, but in themselves they see free will in the sustained pursuit of (enlightened) self-interest. As Dennett (1984, 2003) has argued, free will is hardly worth having unless it helps you get something you want. THE EVOLUTION OF FREEDOM Several recent authors have argued that human freedom of action is a product of evolutionary processes (e. g. , Dennett, 2003). I proposed that the de? ning thrust of human psychological evolution was selection in favor of cultural capability (Baumeister, 2005). That process might well have included a new, different way of controlling behavior, whose purpose was enabling the beast to function in a complex, information-based society. The hallmarks of this new form of behavioral control include personal responsibility, conscious deliberation, invoking abstract rules and principles to guide actions, autonomous initiative, and a capacity to resist urges that have earlier evolutionary roots but that may be incompatible with civilized life (e. g. , eating any food you ? nd when hungry, including what is on the plates of other restaurant patrons). Whether this pattern will satisfy the various theological and philosophical de? nitions of free will is hard to say, but it could well correspond to what ordinary people mean when they speak of free action. The previous section noted that free will has to be useful for bene? ting the person. Evolution has favored animals with psychological processes insofar as those processes help them pursue their goals. A more intelligent animal, for example, may be better able to ? nd food and reproduce than a less intelligent one. In human cultural life, however, there is sometimes a tradeoff between short-term and long-term goals, and much of the success of the human species is based on our ability to sacri? ce short-term goals for the long-term ones, as in delay of grati? cation (Mischel & Ayduk, 2004). For example, taking someone else’s food may bring short-term bene? ts, but if it leads the other group members to imprison or expel the person, it could be self-defeating in the long run. Hence free will may be most useful in fostering the pursuit of enlightened self-interest. Were evolution working instead to enable the human animal to pursue what it wants right now to maximum effect, it might have promoted physical strength, speed, and ferocity rather than brainpower and social skills. But to succeed and live harmoniously in a cultural group, the animal is best served by being able to inhibit its impulses and desires. Perhaps ironically, free will is necessary to enable people to follow rules. 16 Volume 3—Number 1 Roy F. Baumeister Let me focus brie? y on two of the most important phenomena that are associated with the concept of free will: self-control and rational intelligent choice. The cultural-animal argument has the following assumptions. First, self-control and smart choice are much more highly developed in humans than in other animals and thus are among the most distinctively human traits. Second, these traits are highly conducive for living in a cultural society. Third, these traits are probably interrelated in the sense of sharing some inner processes and mechanisms, which suggests that one evolved ? rst and the other piggy-backed on the ? rst one’s system. My speculative evolutionary scenario is that self-control evolved ? rst, because it is useful already in merely social (as opposed to cultural) groups. For example, it would be natural for hungry animals to eat food that they see and want, but in many social groups the alpha male would beat up any other who tries to take his food or usurp his other prerogatives. Therefore, in order to live in social groups, animals must develop the capacity to restrain their impulses and bring their behavior into line with externally imposed constraints. Moving from social to cultural groups substantially increases the importance of following rules, including moral principles, laws, commands, religious prescriptions, norms, and customs. Rational intelligent choice, then, evolved later than selfcontrol and was even more distinctively associated with culture. Culture is based on information, and the large amount of information in a culture creates great opportunities for reasoning powers to sort through it and draw action-relevant conclusions. Human decision making is far more complex and varied than that in other species. As Searle (2001) pointed out, rationality is widely regarded as a central human trait, but not all have noticed that rationality entails at least some limited concept of free will—at least to the extent that one can alter one’s behavior on the basis of that reasoning. Put another way, self-control gives the capacity to alter your behavior to conform to the group’s rules, and rationality enables you to work out your own rules and then behave accordingly. This line of thought ? ts the view of free will as a sometime thing. People are incompletely rational and self-controlled. They have the capacity for acting for acting rationally and exerting self-control, but they only use it sometimes. This suggests the capacity is limited. WHY FREE WILL IS LIMITED Our research on ego depletion provides one way to understand why free will is at best an occasional phenomenon. In testing several competing theories about self-regulation, we consistently found that people performed relatively poorly at almost any self-control task if they had recently performed a different self-control task (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice, 1998; Muraven & Baumeister, 2000). The implication is that some resource is used up by the ? rst act of self-control, leaving less available for the second. Choice may also deplete the same resource. Vohs et al.(2006) found that making a series of choices led to poorer self-control on subsequent, unrelated tasks, as compared with just thinking about items or answering questions about them without making choices among them. The fact that effortful choice uses the same resource as self-control links the two main forms of free will and supports the idea that they share a common underlying mechanism. Thus, the traditional concept of ‘‘willpower’’ does appear to be a useful metaphor, insofar as both self-control and rational choice rely on some kind of power. To move beyond metaphor, Gailliot et al.(2007) began studying blood-glucose dynamics. Glucose is a chemical in the bloodstream that is the fuel for brain (and other) activities. Although all brain processes use glucose, some use much more than others, and self-control is a likely candidate to be one of these more expensive processes. Gailliot et al. (2007) found that acts of self-control caused reductions in the levels of glucose in the bloodstream, and that low levels of blood glucose after initial acts of self-control were strongly correlated with poor self-control on subsequent tasks. Moreover, experimental administrations of glucose counteracted some of the ego-depletion effects. That is, drinking a glass of lemonade with sugar enabled people to perform well at self-control even if they had recently gone through a depleting exercise of self-control. Lemonade made with a sugar substitute (thus not furnishing glucose) had no effect. These ? ndings suggest that human evolution developed a second, new, and expensive way of controlling action. It involved using relatively large quantities of the body’s caloric energy to fuel complex psychological processes. If the cultural-animal argument is correct, then these processes should have improved biological success by enabling people to behave in more advantageous ways. Ample evidence con? rms that this second executive mode of action control has adaptive bene? ts and that when its resources are depleted or inadequate, behavior is less successful. Nondepleted persons outperform ego-depleted ones at making effective and unbiased decisions (Amir, Dhar, Pocheptsaya, & Baumeister, 2007), at logical reasoning and intelligent thought (Schmeichel, Vohs, & Baumeister, 2003), and at active coping with unexpected setbacks (Vohs & Baumeister, 2006). Self-control has multiple bene? ts, and people who are high on the trait end up more successful in work and school, are more popular and better liked, have healthier and more stable relationships, commit fewer crimes, and have less psychopathology (Duckworth & Seligman, 2005; Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990; Mischel, Shoda, & Peake, 1988; Tangney, Baumeister, & Boone, 2004). And as for following rules generally, there is some cross-cultural evidence that countries with higher rule of law report signi? cantly higher subjective well-being (Veenhoven, 2004). Volume 3—Number 1 17 Free Will in Scienti? c Psychology BELIEVING IN FREEDOM This brief article has argued that psychology’s task is to ? nd out what people perceive as free will and what genuine psychological phenomena underlie those perceptions. Such investigations will not establish whether free will exists according to some philosophical or theological de? nitions, and it remains possible that many laypersons’ beliefs about free will are partly or wholly mistaken. If free will is entirely an illusion, however, then it becomes especially perplexing that people devote so much time and effort to sustaining those illusions. Belief in free will is highly relevant to many social, legal, and moral judgments. For example, if all actions are fully caused and therefore inevitable, why does the legal system spend so much time trying to establish whether a perpetrator was acting freely? ‘‘Heat of passion’’ crimes are just as fully caused as any other crimes, in that view, so it makes little sense for judges to award lighter sentences. Yet they do. One possible explanation for the widespread social belief in free will is that it helps produce socially desirable and harmonious actions. To return to the cultural-animal framework, I am assuming that people evolved so as to be able to live and work in culture (Baumeister, 2005). Anything that makes people better able to do that, including improvements in cooperation and prosocial actions or reductions in antisocial actions, would therefore be bene? cial. To speculate, cultures that believed in free will might have outreproduced and supplanted cultures that did not. Belief in free will does support socially desirable actions, according to Vohs and Schooler (2008). They found that participants who had been induced to disbelieve in free will were subsequently more likely than a control group to cheat on a test. Further studies by Baumeister, Masicampo, and DeWall (2006) using the Vohs–Schooler methods found that inducing participants to disbelieve in free will made them more aggressive and less helpful toward others. If we combine the cheating, aggression, and helping ? ndings, it seems reasonable to suggest that belief in free will is conducive to better, more harmonious social behavior. CONCLUSION A scienti?c approach to free will should perhaps start with the view that freedom of action evolved as a new, more sophisticated form of controlling behavior. Its two components, self-control and rational intelligent choice, conferred important advantages by enabling the human animal to function within a cultural society. Recent evidence about ego depletion and glucose dynamics suggests that this new, freer form of action control is biologically expensive, which may help explain why free will is only used occasionally. Nonetheless, even its occasional use may contribute greatly to increasing the ? Exibility and adaptive diversity of human behavior. Acknowledgments—Work on this article was facilitated by a grant from the Templeton Foundation, and it builds on research supported by Grant MH57039 from the National Institute of Mental Health. REFERENCES Amir, O. , Dhar, R. , Pocheptsaya, A. , & Baumeister, R. F. (2007). The fatigued decision maker: Ego depletion changes decision process and outcome. Manuscript submitted for publication. Bargh, J. A. (1994). The four horsemen of automaticity: Awareness, ef? ciency, intention, and control in social cognition. In R. S. Wyer Jr. , & T. K. Srull (Eds. ), Handbook of social cognition (2nd ed. , pp. 1–40). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Bargh, J. A. , & Morsella, E. (2008). The primacy of the unconscious. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3, 73–79. Baumeister, R. F. (2005). The cultural animal: Human nature, meaning, and social life. New York: Oxford University Press. Baumeister, R. F. , Bratslavsky, E. , Muraven, M. , & Tice, D. M. (1998). Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1252–1265. Baumeister, R. F. , Masicampo, E. J. , & DeWall, C. N. (2006). Prosocial bene? ts of feeling free: Inducing disbelief in free will increases aggression and reduces helpfulness. Manuscript submitted for publication. Brehm, J. (1966). A theory of psychological reactance. New York: Academic Press. Dennett, D. C. (1984). Elbow room: The varieties of free will worth wanting. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Dennett, D. C. (2003). Freedom evolves. New York: Viking/Penguin. Donald, M. (2002). A mind so rare: The evolution of human consciousness. New York: Norton. Duckworth, A. L. , & Seligman, M. E. P. (2005). Self-discipline outdoes IQ in predicting academic performance of adolescents. Psychological Science, 16, 939–944. Gailliot, M. T. , Baumeister, R. F. , DeWall, C. N. , Maner, J. K. , Plant, E. A. , Tice, D. M. , et al. (2007). Self-control relies on glucose as a limited energy source: Willpower is more than a metaphor. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 325–336. Glass, D. C. , Singer, J. E. , & Friedman, L. N. (1969). Psychic cost of adaptation to an environmental stressor. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 12, 200–210. Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54, 493–503. Gottfredson, M. R., & Hirschi, T. (1990). A general theory of crime. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. The distinction between free choice and unfree action has enormous and widespread signi? cance individually, socially, historically, and politically. That distinction also seems so thoroughly woven into the fabric of human social life that it seems quixotic to try to imagine a society that had abandoned the concept so as to operate ‘‘beyond freedom and dignity,’’ in Skinner’s (1971) titular phrase. Psychology can explore and elucidate that difference between free and unfree action without having to resolve metaphysical questions. Conscious, controlled, and self-regulating processes seem likely to be important aspects of what people understand as free will. 18 Volume 3—Number 1 Roy F. Baumeister Kant, I. (1967). Kritik der praktischen Vernunft [Critique of practical reason]. Hamburg, Germany: Felix Meiner Verlag. (Original work published 1797) Keltner, D. , Gruenfeld, D. H. , & Anderson, C. (2003). Power, approach, and inhibition. Psychological Review, 110, 265–284. Libet, B. (1985). Unconscious cerebral initiative and the role of conscious will in voluntary action. Behavior and Brain Sciences, 8, 529–566. Libet, B. (1999). Do we have free will? Journal of Consciousness Studies, 6, 47–57. Linder, D. E. , Cooper, J. , & Jones, E. E. (1967). Decision freedom as a determinant of the role of incentive magnitude in attitude change. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 6, 245–254. Mischel, W. , & Ayduk, O. (2004). Willpower in a cognitive-affective processing system: The dynamics of delay of grati? cation. In R. Baumeister & K. Vohs (Eds. ), Handbook of self-regulation: Research, theory, and applications (pp. 99–129). New York: Guilford. Mischel, W. , Shoda, Y. , & Peake, P. K. (1988). The nature of adolescent competencies predicted by preschool delay of grati? cation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 687–696. Muraven, M. R. , & Baumeister, R. F. (2000). Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources: Does self-control resemble a muscle? Psychological Bulletin, 126, 247–259. Ryan, R. M. , & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68–78. Sartre, J. -P. (1974). Being and nothingness. Secaucus, NJ: Citadel. (Original work published 1943) Schmeichel, B. J. , Vohs, K. D. , & Baumeister, R. F. (2003). Intellectual performance and ego depletion: Role of the self in logical reasoning and other information processing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 33–46. Searle, J. R. (2001). Rationality in action. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Skinner, B. F. (1971). Beyond freedom and dignity. New York: Knopf. Stillman, T. D. , Sparks, E. , Baumeister, R. F. , & Tice, D. M. (2006). What makes freedom? Situational factors that in? uence ratings of free will. Manuscript in preparation. Tangney, J. P. , Baumeister, R. F. , & Boone, A. L. (2004). High selfcontrol predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success. Journal of Personality, 72, 271–322. Veenhoven, R. (2004). World database of happiness: Continuous register of scienti? c research on subjective appreciation of life. Retrieved September 26, 2004, from http://www. eur. nl/fsw/research/happiness Vohs, K. D. , & Baumeister, R. F. (2006). Does depletion promote passivity? Self-regulatory resources and active coping. Manuscript in preparation. Vohs, K. D. , Baumeister, R. F. , Nelson, N. M. , Rawn, C. D. , Twenge, J. M. , Schmeichel, B. J. , & Tice, D. M. (2006). Making choices impairs subsequent self-control: A limited resource account of decision making, self-regulation, and active initiative. Manuscript submitted for publication. Vohs, K. D. , & Schooler, J. W. (2008). The value of believing in free will: Encouraging a belief in determinism increases cheating. Psychological Science, 19, 49–54. Wegner, D. M. (2002). The illusion of conscious will. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Wegner, D. M. , & Wheatley, T. (1999). Apparent mental causation: Sources of the experience of will. American Psychologist, 54, 480–491. Wilson, T. D. (2002). Strangers to ourselves: Discovering the adaptive unconscious. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Volume 3—Number 1 19.

Oppose and Opposed To

Oppose and Opposed To Oppose and Opposed To Oppose and Opposed To By Maeve Maddox A reader questions the use of the preposition against to follow the verb oppose in this example from an entertainment site: [Madonna] wanted to be the only female voice of the band, and opposed against the introduction of another female vocalist. The reader asks, â€Å"Isn’t opposed enough?† Yes. In this sentence, the meaning of opposed is objected to or was against. The transitive verb is sufficient: She opposed the introduction of another female vocalist. NOTE: The verb oppose has several meanings. This post is about the use of oppose to mean, â€Å"to object to,† â€Å"to be against.† Used transitively, oppose is followed directly by a noun or a pronoun (its direct object). Here are examples of correct usage: There are also personal, political, religious, and spiritual reasons to oppose capital punishment.   Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the  World Trade Organization   Why I oppose Common Core standards The men and women who  opposed womans suffrage  did so for many reasons.   Oppose also functions intransitively (no object). When it is followed by a prepositional phrase, the preposition to use is to, not against. Here are examples of intransitive use: Coach Gus Malzahn not opposed to switching divisions Why so many immigrants in Germany are opposed to the refugee influx Here are some examples of unidiomatic uses of oppose, with suggested corrections: INCORRECT: Woman Becomes an Atheist After She  Opposed Against  Prayer at Her Sons School   CORRECT: Woman Becomes an Atheist After She  Opposed Prayer at Her Sons School   INCORRECT: â€Å"I think this administration is adamantly  opposed against  fossil fuels, period,† said Young, Alaskas sole House member. CORRECT: â€Å"I think this administration is adamantly  opposed to fossil fuels, period,† said Young, Alaskas sole House member. INCORRECT: Are these people also  opposed against  the genocide the Caliphate is doing against Christians and Yazidis?   CORRECT: Are these people also  opposed to the genocide the Caliphate is doing against Christians and Yazidis?   INCORRECT: Yet there are plenty of [people] who are opposed against the scientific facts you throw around about vaccines. CORRECT: Yet there are plenty of [people] who are opposed to the scientific facts you throw around about vaccines. NOTE: A better revision for this example would be to choose a different verb altogether: Yet there are plenty of [people] who do not accept (or believe) the scientific facts you throw around about vaccines. INCORRECT: The Supreme Court of India  opposed against  any sort of hooliganism in the name of bandh in 1998, but political parties still organize them.   CORRECT: The Supreme Court of India  opposed any sort of hooliganism in the name of bandh in 1998, but political parties still organize them.   The concept of against is built into the verb oppose. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Does [sic] Mean?5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present TenseWords That Begin with Q

ACT English Prep The Best Methods and Strategies

ACT English Prep The Best Methods and Strategies SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Preparing for the ACT English section can feel overwhelming. This section covers a lot of material that is often not taught in school, and the format is probably different from that of any other test you’ve taken. Even more confusing, there are a ton of differentsources forACT English prep. How do you decide which ones to use? How do you make the most efficient use of your study time? What should you do to prepare for ACT English to reach your target score? In this article, I will break down the best way to prepare for ACT English. I've arranged my tips by how important I feel they are to ACT English success, but you need to follow them all if you want to be fully prepared on test day. By following these tips, you can have a more disciplined, focused approach to your ACT prep, and you can be more confident in the methods you’re using to prepare. #1: Comprehensively Learn the Grammar Rules on the ACT Understanding the grammar rules the ACT tests isessential to doing well on the ACT English section. The ACT tests the same grammar rules repeatedly; if you can master these rules, you'll be well on your way to reaching your ACT English target score. On the PrepScholar blog, we have written articles on the grammar rules and errors that appear on the ACT. Each article provides real examples, explanations, and strategies for answering related questions: Subject-Verb Agreement Verb Tense and Forms Comma Rules Punctuation Pronoun Agreement Pronoun Case Wordiness and Redundancy Idioms Run-On Sentences/Sentence Fragments Parallelism Faulty Modifiers Adjective and Adverb Errors Relative Pronouns Word Choice/Diction Focus your studying on the rules that are most commonly tested, but ultimately you should be familiar with all the rules, especially if you're targeting a 36. Check out this article on the distribution of appearance of the grammar rules on the ACT. #2: Review the Types of Rhetorical Skills Questions and Strategies for Answering Them Many of the rhetorical skills questions differ greatly from the grammar questions, as theytest your reading comprehension andyour ability toanalyze the passage rather than your knowledge of conventions. To tackle these questions,you need to be able to identify what you're being asked and know how to find the correct answer. On the PrepScholar blog, there are articles on each type of rhetorical skills question, examples, and strategies for correctly answering each type of question. Here are links to these articles: Macro Logic Transitional Logic Relevance Add/Delete Author Main Goal Author Technique Formality Understanding the content and questions that appear on ACT English is imperative to doing well. However, if you want to prepare yourself fully, you need to repeatedly test your understanding by doing practice problems. #3: Do Tons of Practice Problems and Understand Every Mistake Doing tons of practice problems will make you more confident with the material and increase your comfort level with the unique format of the ACT English section. Make sure you keep doing practice problems consistently. Use official practice tests, when possible, because the problems on those tests are most representative of what you're likely to see on the ACT. I highly recommend you follow the advice in this post on the best sources for ACT English practice.Additionally, PrepScholar has over 1500 practice problems customized to each skill. It's important to note, however, that just doing practice problems isn't enough. Why You Need to Understand Your Mistakes Even though doing a ton of practice problems will be beneficial to your ACT English preparation, if you keep repeating the same mistakes, your score won't improve. You have to understand why you're getting questions wrong so you can address your weaknesses and continue raising your score. Students often neglect to take the necessary time to understand their mistakes and figure out how to correct them in the future. Understanding your mistakes can be more difficult than just doing practice problems, but it's an extremely important step in the preparation process. How to Understand Your Mistakes Fully understanding your mistakes takes time and effort. Here is the process I recommend you use to comprehend why you made each mistake and know how to improve your deficiencies. This process is somewhat rigorous, but it's the best way to prepare for ACT English. On every practice test andproblem set you do, circleevery question onwhichyou're even 20% unsure what the answer is. When you grade your test or quiz, carefully review eachquestion you circledor answered incorrectly. This way you'll be reviewing bothyour missed questions and the questions that you got right by guessing. On your computer or in a notebook, write down the gist of the question, why you missed it, and what you'll do to avoid that mistake in the future. Create different sections for each grammar rule and type of rhetorical skills question. Try to determine why you got questions wrong on your own. However, if you're having trouble figuring out why you made mistakes, the ACT website has a test with explanations and The Real ACT Prep Guide has 5 tests with explanations. Take notes on what you specifically missed and how to improve in the future. Be as thorough and specific as possible. For example, don't just write that you missed a comma question. Did you add a comma unnecessarily? Did you forget that you should put a comma before and after an appositive phrase? What resources will you use to learn this rule and ensure that you don't make the same mistake again? Also, don't just take notes on your content issues. Write down any information about your careless errors and what steps you'll take to prevent repeating them. Did you forget to read the whole sentence? Do you need to look at the answer choices more closely? You want to really dig into why you're missing questions and focus on specific ways to improve. #4: Identify Your Weaknesses and Drill Them As long asyou do a thorough job of categorizing your missed questions, you should be able to easily determineyour weaknesses. Spendadditional time practicing the areas in whichyou're struggling. Maybe there's a specific grammar rule like pronoun agreement or parallelism that's causing you difficulties. Maybe you struggle with a specific type of rhetorical skills question like author main goal or macro logic questions. Do extra content review and practice problems related to those types of questions. We thinkPrepScholar is a great resource for this type of practice because it's designed to customize your ACT prep to focus on your weaknesses.If you'd prefer to try something else, the best ACT prep books and websitesalso have real and realistic practice problems for each type of ACT English question. Additionally, you should continue reviewing all the questions you missed and marked. Focus your studying on the areas where you're having problems. If you spend the majority of your time practicing stuff you already know, you're not using your time effectively. #5: Determine If You Have a Time Management Issue and, If So, Address It How to Determine if You Have Time Management Issues Find an official ACT and take the ACT English section. Use a timer and treat it like a real test. If time runs out and you're not finished, keep going,but for every new answer or answer you change after the allottedtime, mark it with a note as "Extra Time." Grade your test, but we want two scores: 1) The Realistic score you got under normal testing conditions and 2) The Extra Time score. If the difference is more than 4 raw points, then you need to address your time management issues. How to Fix Time Management Issues Generally, time management improves as you become more familiar and confident with the content. If time management is a lingering issue, you may have to change how you approach ACT English passages. Also, you may need to monitor your time spent per question. Easier grammar questions should take around 15-20 seconds. Big picture rhetorical skills questions can take up to a minute. I recommend never spending more than a minute on any individual question. Keep in mind that you have an average of 36 seconds per question in ACT English. While some of you may struggle completing the ACT English section, others may find that they're rushing. This is an equally serious problem. If you're finishing the section with more than 5 minutes left and you're getting more than a couple of questions wrong, you need to slow down. Reread the previous sentence. Slow down! Read the questions more carefully, take a closer look at the answer choices, and spend time reviewing your answers. Don't Rush. #6: Build Your Test Endurance The ACT can be mentally draining and it's easy to lose focus during the test. Fortunately, the ACT English section is always first, so you should have plenty of energy. On the other hand,you won't have time to ease into the test. Before test day, take at least 3 official tests simulating test-taking conditions. Mimic the test day experience as closely as possible. Use a timer. Bubble in your answers. Only take the ACT-allowed breaks. Turn off your cell phone. Yes, you read that correctly. Turn off your your cell phone! I know that will probably be scary and cause you anxiety, but you have to turn off your cell phone during the ACT, so you might as well practice going a few hours without posting an Instagram pic. If you follow all these tips, I guarantee you'll be ready for the ACT English section when test day arrives. You'll know the content, be comfortable with the format, and be confident that you can successfully complete the section. What's Next? As you continue your ACT English prep, I encourage you to study this post on the 5 critical concepts you must understand to ace ACT English. If you're striving for a perfect score, learn how to get a 36 on ACT English from a perfect scorer. You'll also find helpful advice in this article on my top tips for ACT English success. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Why Job Hopping is Great for Your Career

Why Job Hopping is Great for Your Career The old days of being stigmatized for switching jobs too frequently are behind us. There’s even research to suggest that workers who stay at the same job for longer than two years end up being paid less, while workers who continue to seek new opportunities are quicker to learn, better at making first impressions, and more successful. Certainly they’re more adaptable, keeping their skills sharper and their strategizing more efficient. Keep these following tips in mind if you think the job hopping lifestyle is for you.Keep it internalYou can even hop between jobs at the same company, if that kind of loyalty is important to you. The main thing is keeping yourself sharp and engaged in the work you’re doing- and never letting yourself get bored.Don’t hide your true selfIf you’re a job hopper, consider selling this a strength, rather than hiding it as a weakness. Build your constant striving for bigger and better challenges into your hiring narrative. As long as you haven’t left a trail of burnt bridges in your wake, chances are you can make this trait an asset in an interview.While the stigma continues to fade, make sure to actively sell this aspect of your application in the hiring process. Being up front about it will help to assuage whatever doubts a more recalcitrant hiring manager might have about your resume.Know it’s never too lateFinally, there’s nothing out there that says older workers can’t be job hoppers as well! They day you decide you’re done learning is the day you’d better think about retirement. Keep on chasing those pots of gold- learning new skills and seeking new challenges.

Customer Satisfaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Customer Satisfaction - Essay Example Therefore, being a general manager of the company, a significant role is to handle the complaint of the customer. After analyzing the required case, the manager recognized that the customer did not provide detail information for manufacturing the part of the product and an employee of customer service was at fault as well. In this context, the complaint can be handled by the below discussed procedures. At first, the customer is required to be handled effectively by responding to the queries of the customers and subsequently the general manager needs to recognize an individual within the company who will be accountable to provide correct information. The entire complaints from other customers along with the specific customer as well as the complaint trends of organization have to be examined properly with due concentration. Finally, after evaluation of the entire trends of complaints in the company, it has to be determined regarding what process is to be followed in order to prevent s uch occurrences from happening in future. In case of the customer complaint regarding the missing part, it can be identified that as the work was performed as a ‘rush job’, there was a lack of communication among the required departments of the organization.

The relationship between justice or rights Essay

The relationship between justice or rights - Essay Example It can be noted that there is a correlation between the concepts of rights and law. As such, this paper seeks to critically analyse the relationship between rights and law. It starts by defining these two concepts in order to get a full understanding of their meanings. The main part of the paper discusses the theoretical framework underpinning these two concepts. Human rights are literally the rights that one has simply because he or she is human. Donnely (1998, p. 3) posits to the effect that â€Å"human rights, because they rest on nothing more than being human being, are universal, equal and inalienable. This means that everyone is entitled to human rights and is empowered by them regardless of creed or belief. Theoretically, Joel Feinberg: â€Å"To have a right is to have a claim to something and against someone, the recognition of which is called for by legal rules or, in the case of moral rights, by the principles of an enlightened conscience,† (1980 p. 159-160). Human beings should be treated as equal and their rights should not be violated by others. As going to be discussed in detail below, there are various institutions that are mainly concerned with protecting the rights of people in different countries. ... Thus, in different countries, respective governments lay down binding regulations that form the law of the land as enshrined in the constitution (Muller et al, 2007). As such different cases are reported to different courts and these have the power to settle issues that may exist among different people in the society. The law also stipulates that all the accused persons have the right to fair trial and they are innocent until they are proven guilty by the court. In most cases, the law is specifically meant to regulate the behaviour of different people in their societies. From the above explanations, it can be seen that there is a close relationship between the concepts of rights and law. In as far as the concept of rights is concerned, John Locke’s Second Treatise Government 1776 posits to the effect that individuals have natural rights to their lives, liberties and estates (Donnelly, 1998). In the absence of government, these rights are of little value. Therefore, the governm ent has a responsibility to ensure that the rights of the people are protected. The existence of the government and people’s rights are complimentary as they are designed to serve the interests of the people. The government is an institution that has the power to enact laws that guide the behaviour of the people in their respective countries in order to ensure that there is peace and harmony among the people. In essence, the existence of the government is mainly concerned with protection of people’s rights so that they are not violated. It can be noted that there is a close link between the concepts of law and rights. According to Locke’s philosophy of inalienable rights among the people, the government is based on social contract between the rulers and the ruled (Tackach,

The Research Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Research Project - Assignment Example Predicated on front hypothetical discourse in regards to picture, an observational examination was directed to test the relationship proposed here. Numerous thing designators from front studies were utilized. Outcomes designate that there is a relationship between data sources and end picture. Following how clients procure data is fundamental for showcasing administration choices. This is particularly correct for lodging, peregrinate and tourism items. Research has exhibited that vacationer data is a profitable notion in comprehension goal picture and the terminus winnow methodology of travellers. Data sources have been incorporated in numerous look into acts as weighty calculates for the dissection of traveller mien. For example, to begin with, the greater part of the travellers comportment demonstrates joined the pursuit of outside data as a fundamental segment. Second, a few studies have analyzed the impact of data sources on voyagers' inclinations and aims. Different studies have fixated on the relationship between data sources, objective winnow and peregrinate choices. ... On the other hand, travelers figure pictures of elective objectives, so picture withal develops as a discriminating element in the objective select process (Goodman, 2004 p 34) . This is steady with the idea that data sources and the characteristics of the diverse ends structure the substratum for distinctive picture and experience prospects. In incorporation, the data wellsprings of traveller exercises have transmuted enormously in the course of recent years, due firstly to the effect of nascent innovations; besides, to the change in vacationer purchaser deportment, thirdly to the expand in the amount of traveler ends of the line, and determinately to the developing rivalry around distinctive goals. As a result, data sources may as well meet one principle objective so as to be recognized as solid actualizes for objective advancement. Advancement is apperceived by numerous as a discriminating component in tourism advertising. Around the cluster of limited time strategies accessible, the peregrinate leaflet is a standout amongst the most central and broadly used For quite some time, peregrinate pamphlets have been used by national, state and common place administrations, gathering and guests' bureaux and cement ends of the line as reasonable and diverse correspondence executes. Thus, the fundamental point of this study is to distinguish those objective characteristics which help assemble a positive objective picture, and to investigate the part of data sources in the structuring of the positive terminus picture. All the more unequivocally, this study focuses on the investigation of pamphlets as an advancement betokens for visitor objectives and as impelled picture engenderers. Adventitiously, it attempts to make a relationship between the bona fide end of the

Evaluating an International Human Resource Strategy (Sarun) Essay

Evaluating an International Human Resource Strategy (Sarun) - Essay Example The report mentions PESTLE analysis, necessary to understand how and why they shape their HRM strategy in India. The report also looks into evaluating the main HRM models that are relevant to the recognized economic drivers for Starbucks. It studies how the interim strategy is benefiting the employees and helping them achieve their career goals. The HRM report also covers an analysis of different approaches of HRM globally and that are actually used at Starbucks and how they can be modified in India. The links identified between the business strategy and the interim strategy are crucial to the differences between international and local policies. The report of Starbucks and corporate also covers the successful impact of HRM policy on overall organizational performance. A section is specifically assigned towards recognizing the employee involvement and participation in how this creates a healthier work environment. The report also looks into the reward system as how Starbucks Corporat ion encourages their workforce to achieve better results. And finally based on the discussion from the literature and the practical examples of HRM in the Starbucks Corporation suggestions are given that will help improve the HRM strategy for their joint venture in India. Starbucks Corporation was established in 1971 Seattle, Washington. It grew to 55 stores in 1989 and today it has over 19,767 stores all over the world (Starbucks Company Profile, 2013). It started its overseas operations in 1996, starting from Tokyo (Bussing-Burks, 2009). The main products sold at the outlets include; ready-made coffee, whole coffee beans, beverages, pastries and other coffee related retail items. Starbucks Corporation belongs to the disposable income industry of food and beverages. Since 1990s the industry has seen tremendous growth, this also brings a lot of competition for Starbucks.

Communication journal Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Communication journal - Article Example After understanding the values and expectation of the audience, it is a little bit easier to settle on a topic to address. Despite of these tips, I was still confused and nervous since the reception of the audients was still unpredictable. This situation can only be salvaged by visionary leadership skills that turn the weakness or challenges them into strength. Moreover, I was visualizing how I could contain them and what if they make feel and look useless before them. These are some of the conflicts that might emerge during the presentation. The sure way to resolve this situation is to sway the audience to coincide with my points of view particularly through reverse psychology technique. Working in a group often needs a guideline; otherwise, a group will do a lot of nothing. The first thing a group of new members should do is to know each other. This provides an avenue for effective and free communication among members. Secondly, the group should select their leader who will help th em manage the group. The group’s leader will run or direct the fairs of the group. He or she will guide the members through formulation of group’s goals and objectives. Through this process, members will be encouraged to express their opinions and ask the question. After the formulation of these rules, all the group members shall be advised to adhere to the set rules. The Effective Area Social presentations are not quite stressful, unlike business and other official presentations. The social presentation often aims addressing or making a presentation to one’s close acquaintances and friends. Therefore, for my last social presentation I was more relaxed and comfortable with the audience and the topic of discuss. Notably, at some points in the presentation, I freely interacted with the audient has I developed my speech. However, prior to the presentation I was quite uneasy and tensed. Notably, I was afraid of the audience; nonetheless, along the way everything whe n imposing and I build confidence and even enjoyed the presentation. The audience expectation seemed high on my presentation, and I was afraid that the stake was too high to achieve. However, their response to the some funny comments and questions built my confidence and I was convinced me that I achieved or met the expectation of my audience  and they enjoyed my presentation. From the video tape review, it is certain that the beginning of the presentation seemed difficult despite that fact that I was addressing my social friends. In fact, from the video it is apparent that I was unable to look straight into my audience and my eyes were only glued onto my prepared speech. Additionally, there were no body movement and the environment looked tensed. However, middle way everything changed and I got used to the being center stage of my audience the environment became friendly, and I could use gesture and body language to stress some of my points. The videotape presentation review chan ged my perception about presentation completely. From the replays, I learnt that presentations might just be treated as talking to individuals but on geared tunes. Presentation is just another way of sharing once fears and concerns about issues that affect people in the presenter knows them best. Furthermore, the video presentation has only left me practicing on how I will make my other presentations better and as interactive as I

How financial crisis affected businesses in the UK economy Literature review

How financial crisis affected businesses in the UK economy - Literature review Example Thus, British faced the worst financial crisis in a number of decades; with several business operations affected, there are still aftereffects that can be seen such as the large sum of national debt. Britain also faced falling housing prices which contributed to the capital city’s despair. The Prime Minister at that time, Gordon Brown, had given a bank bailout plan which was accredited and which created a template followed by US and countries across Europe later. However, the recession was seen as persistent by the economists. The British currency had also fallen in value outside the Eurozone. Britain managed to play a major role in order to coordinate and find an international response to the financial crisis. There were G-20 meetings in April 2009 that were hosted by London, and PM Brown drafted a well-aimed and ambitious plan to fix the international financial regulations. After these meetings, the British finance ministry had to announce more bad news that the country was not breaking even on banking interventions and would probably end up losing more than $87 billion (Rayner, 2008). The financial crisis thus wiped off the country’s major banks, investors, companies, and markets. It was one of the days during the crisis when the pound suffered the worst one-day fall since 1992 on Black Wednesday. This indicated the severe global recession that was going to hit Britain and last for a very long time. The stock market had also been starting to face the shockwaves of the American corporate meltdown. Economic experts had analyzed that Halifax Bank of Scotland, Britain’s biggest mortgage lender, had lost about 13% of its value and had high risks of being immensely affected by the global financial crisis (Rayner, 2008). The royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays also had a 9% decrease in their share prices. Thus the feat grew that other major investment banks would be affected severely following the

Communication journal Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Communication journal - Article Example After understanding the values and expectation of the audience, it is a little bit easier to settle on a topic to address. Despite of these tips, I was still confused and nervous since the reception of the audients was still unpredictable. This situation can only be salvaged by visionary leadership skills that turn the weakness or challenges them into strength. Moreover, I was visualizing how I could contain them and what if they make feel and look useless before them. These are some of the conflicts that might emerge during the presentation. The sure way to resolve this situation is to sway the audience to coincide with my points of view particularly through reverse psychology technique. Working in a group often needs a guideline; otherwise, a group will do a lot of nothing. The first thing a group of new members should do is to know each other. This provides an avenue for effective and free communication among members. Secondly, the group should select their leader who will help th em manage the group. The group’s leader will run or direct the fairs of the group. He or she will guide the members through formulation of group’s goals and objectives. Through this process, members will be encouraged to express their opinions and ask the question. After the formulation of these rules, all the group members shall be advised to adhere to the set rules. The Effective Area Social presentations are not quite stressful, unlike business and other official presentations. The social presentation often aims addressing or making a presentation to one’s close acquaintances and friends. Therefore, for my last social presentation I was more relaxed and comfortable with the audience and the topic of discuss. Notably, at some points in the presentation, I freely interacted with the audient has I developed my speech. However, prior to the presentation I was quite uneasy and tensed. Notably, I was afraid of the audience; nonetheless, along the way everything whe n imposing and I build confidence and even enjoyed the presentation. The audience expectation seemed high on my presentation, and I was afraid that the stake was too high to achieve. However, their response to the some funny comments and questions built my confidence and I was convinced me that I achieved or met the expectation of my audience  and they enjoyed my presentation. From the video tape review, it is certain that the beginning of the presentation seemed difficult despite that fact that I was addressing my social friends. In fact, from the video it is apparent that I was unable to look straight into my audience and my eyes were only glued onto my prepared speech. Additionally, there were no body movement and the environment looked tensed. However, middle way everything changed and I got used to the being center stage of my audience the environment became friendly, and I could use gesture and body language to stress some of my points. The videotape presentation review chan ged my perception about presentation completely. From the replays, I learnt that presentations might just be treated as talking to individuals but on geared tunes. Presentation is just another way of sharing once fears and concerns about issues that affect people in the presenter knows them best. Furthermore, the video presentation has only left me practicing on how I will make my other presentations better and as interactive as I

Manufacturing Systems Theory Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Manufacturing Systems Theory - Lab Report Example Normally, this department employs vendor management system in order to maximize its value to the firm by dealing and controlling with suppliers. Just-in-time management system is also utilized in-order to manage inventory and minimize costs. The transformation process is the process of converting input materials into finish products and services needed by the customers. It has several subsystems that work hand-in-hand, with overlapping functions and continuous roles. These subsystems are planning, sourcing, manufacturing and logistics. The transformation process involves different systems in manufacturing. The component systems include sourcing, planning, manufacturing and logistics. The planning and development of products is an essential element for transformation. The inputs for planning include customer requirements and technical information. The information is converted through production planning and schedules using a material resource planning system. The outputs of the department are efficient use of resources, finished product and safer work environment. The manufacturing process is the core process of transformation. The inputs of manufacturing include the raw materials, people, equipments and energy. These inputs are utilized in producing goods, operating the plant and processing materials. The outputs of manufacturing are the finished goods, final assembly or end product that meets the objectives of department and the requirements of the customers. Just-in-time system, lean manufacturing system and flexible manufacturing systems are employed in modern manufacturing firms in order to be effective, efficient and responsive to the demands of the markets. Logistics is a system of warehousing and distribution of finish products intended for the customers. The inputs of logistics are the finish products that are packed and ready for the customers. The transformation process includes the management of the distribution system and allocation of shipment activities. The output is the finished products delivered to the customers, on-time and as required. Total quality management is system of measurements, analysis and improvements. Quality management system is important for the continual improvement of business processes employed in the organization. The system converts information gathered during every processes of manufacturing into analysis and recommendations that are necessary for improvements. Quality management systems may include six sigma practices, business process re-engineering, kaizen and ISO quality systems. Management involves planning, leading, organizing and controlling the whole organization and all the business processes of the firm. The inputs of management include the reports and analysis that are produced in the total quality management system. It is the responsibility of management to utilize the reports and analysis in order to allocate resources, create business strategies and forecast market demands in order for the organization to generate competitive advantage as well as sustain the existence of the business. Corporate and business strategies are the outputs of management. Marketing is another output of management that is focused on the acquisition of new customers and maintenance of existing ones. The inputs of marketing are the

Communication Case Essay Example for Free

Communication Case Essay Communication allows ideas to be conveyed clearly and succinctly. Communication is crucial for developing positive relationships with children, young people and their families, colleagues and other professionals We communicate to express our emotions like courage or fear, joy or sorrow, satisfaction or disappointment with appropriate gestures and words. Communication is vital for seeking and providing information. AiiDescribe TWO ways how effective communication can affect relationships in an adult social care setting between individuals using the service, their carer’s, colleagues and other practitioners. 1. Effective communication is the basis of all relationship regardless of whether the relationship is professional or personal. It is important as it helps to give concise and clear information and eliminate the possibility of risks to patients. 2. Also with effective communication there would be a positive atmosphere within the work place and colleagues would be more willing to help each other out. Staff would know where everything is and also offer extra support with your workload. AiiiIdentify THREE ways of finding out the communication and language needs of an individual. For each method, describe how effective it is at establishing the needs of the individual. Method How effective this method is? Looking through previous records Previous records can identify the individual’s illness or disability and what kind of support they will need to establish communication and language needs. Observation Observation is effective as it is establishing the communication and language by watching/talking to the patient themselves. Communication with family/other professionals Family, friends and other professional who have worked/lived with the patient will have a lot on information/knowledge on the patient. They would have developed ways of dealing with the patient’s communication and language over a long time. AivDescribe THREE factors to consider when promoting effective communication. Disabilities: Disabilities such as hearing loss, impaired vision, mobility problems or speech impairment can affect the effective communication. Proper communication method should be known before communicating the people with disability or different health issues. Cultural Differences: Communication differences can result from differences in culture. In some cultures, children are not allowed to speak in front of adult and some kind of body gesture, eye contact, facial expression and touch are inappropriate. Environment: Environment is one of the most important factors to consider. Ensure the lights, air, temperature, noise and that it is safe and comfortable for the patient before establishing effective communication. AvDescribe THREE verbal and THREE non-verbal communication methods and styles that a social care worker may use in an adult setting. Verbal Non Verbal Spoken When people speak face-to-face or via the phone its considered verbal communication Body language/Body movements Body movements include gestures, posture, head and hand movements or whole body movements Written writing is considered a form of verbal communication because words are involved. Eye contact – It is important to give eye contact as it helps the person know that you are listening Non-spoken A person doesnt have to speak words for a communication to be considered verbal. A groan can qualify. In fact, any noises or utterances a person makes are included in this classification. Posture Posture can reflect peoples emotions, attitudes and intentions. Avi Explain why it is important to respond to an individual’s reactions during communication. It is important to respond to an individual’s reactions during communication because it shows you are actively taking part in a conversation. It also shows that you are listening. With no listening there really isnt a conversation happening. If you are listening passively, then you are giving little or no feedback. If you are like this, then you are unlikely to make coherent responses. Avii Explain how an individual’s background can influence their communication methods. An individual’s background can influence their communication methods by the way in which they are brought up and the society and culture that they live in has a great effect on the way in which they communicate. In some cultures children are not allowed to speak in the presence of certain adults. Some people may have been brought up in a background of challenging environments. Some women do not speak in front of other men out of family. These factors will highly influence the way they communicate and to establish communication with these groups of people. Also there may be a language barrier which would influence communication methods. Aviii Identify three examples of barriers to communication and explain how you could overcome each barrier. Barrier How it can over come Language differences You can overcome this by identifying the preferred communication method and using the appropriate method to communicate. Culture differences You can overcome this by providing an interpreter or translator service. Using makaton, body language and pictures etc. Physical Barrier You could overcome this by checking the individual’s record, speaking to a family member or friends or through the country’s cultural representative. Aix Describe two strategies that you could use to clarify misunderstandings. 1. Be polite and ask kindly in a calm professional manner. 2. Writing instructions clearly and concisely. Ask the them to repeat what I have said to ensure clear understanding. AxA social care worker wants to enable more effective communication with individuals using the service. Explain how they could access extra support or services that may be helpful. Translation services This service can help with changing the written text from one language to another. Interpreting services This service can help with converting spoken language to another language. Speech and language services This service can support people who have had a stroke and have problems with their speech. Advocacy services This service can support people who are unable to speak up for themselves. This service tries to understand the needs, wishes and preferences of people, and will argue on their behalf.

Sony Company Limited

Sony Company Limited Business Environment Analysis 1.0 Introduction Sony Company Limited is a manufacturer and distributor of digital cameras and other electronic devices in the region. The company has been established in 2005 by its owner The primary competitive advantages of Sony is its OEM capability, broad experienced in its research and development department, reliability, large product line and good reputation. The brand name of the company is known as ECA and it is currently exported in major countries like North America, Mid-East/Africa, Asia, Central/South America, and Western Europe. Sony Company Limited is an ODM and OEM manufacturer to produce different ranges of electronic devices like digital cameras, MP4 and mp3 player, mobile phone, GPS car navigator and digital camcorder. The main objective of this company is to provide quality products and services to the global market. 2.0 Strategic Analysis The description of the industry above suggests its strength in the Malaysia setting. However, a more detailed analysis is necessary in order to determine the real strengths and possible problems that surround the industry. For this purpose, various tools will be used to analyze the electronic industry of Malaysia. 2.1 PESTLE PESTLE analysis is in effect an audit of an organizations environmental influences with the purpose of using this information to guide strategic decision-making. The assumption is that if the organization is able to audit its current environment and assess potential changes, it will be better placed than its competitors to respond to changes.To help make decisions and to plan for future events, organizations need to understand the wider ‘meso-economic and ‘macro-economic environments in which they operate. (The meso-economic environment is the one in which we operate and have limited influence or impact, the macro-environment includes all factors that influence an organization but are out of its direct control). An organization on its own cannot affect these factors, nor can these factors directly affect the profitability of an organization. But by understanding these environments, it is possible to take the advantage to maximize the opportunities and minimize the threats to the organization. Conducting a strategic analysis entails scanning these economic environments to detect and understand the broad, long term trends. A PESTLE analysis is a useful tool for understanding the ‘big picture of the environment in which an organization is operating. Specifically a PESTLE analysis is a useful tool for understanding risks associated with market (the need for a product or service) growth or decline, and as such the position, potential and direction for an individual business or organization. A PESTLE analysis is often used as a generic orientation tool, finding out where an organization or product is in the context of what is happening outside that will at some point affect what is happening inside an organization. The six elements form a framework for reviewing a situation, and can also be used to review a strategy or position, direction of a company, a marketing proposition, or idea. 2.1.1 Political The political aspect of the country has less impact to its business sector, or more specifically, to the electronics industry. The Basic Law of the country actually protects it from major transitions in law in spite of its transfer to Thailand. Through this basic law, the way of life as well as the capitalist system of the country will remain the same for fifty years since the transfer. Thus, political factors have minimal effects on the electronics industry. The production, export and import of materials for digital cameras will not be affected for the next ten years due to this political agreement. Hence, the production facilities for digital products situated in Thailand will not be forced to relocate back to Malaysia due to regulative measures. Hence, Malaysia enterprises in the industry can continue to benefit from low cost production in Thailand. 2.1.2 Economic The economy of Malaysia is highlighted by the status of its international trade. The country is one of the leading trading nations worldwide; hence, it is one of the important aspects of the countrys economy. Malaysia market has been favorable to trade and has been efficient in balancing its exports and imports. The significance of trade in the country suggests the richness of its other related fields such as the electronics industry. This has been evidenced by the high contribution of digitalized products to individual company sales and overall economic development. The important role of the electronics industry in Malaysia suggests that there are several similar businesses that exist in the country. Due to high levels of competition, the companies operating in this industry are placed under much stress of offering the very best. This also implies the significance of strategic management among these companies not only to contribute to the economy, but most importantly to maintain strong business foundation as well as combat competition. Assuming that the prosperity of the economy in Malaysia improves for the next ten years, the electronics/AV equipment industry will then continue to improve and acquire various developments. But then of course, economic status is among the most unpredictable aspects of a country; hence, the industry must be prepared for future challenges that may arise. These future challenges include economic crisis, price fluctuations and problems on international trade. 2.1.3 Social The societal and cultural background of the country is mainly influenced by the Eastern and Western influences. This perhaps, is partly due to the status of the country as a major center for business and trade. Although the country is greatly influenced by a number of different cultures, the country still has its old features intact. While keeping old traditions and cultural practices, the country is also open to changes brought about by international influences. This in turn makes the nations culture rich and varied. The prosperity of Malaysias economy is significantly reflected in its citizens lifestyle. Compared to other Asian countries, the people in Malaysia are among those who live with the highest standards. This implies that the people of Malaysia have access to some of the finer things in life, including technology. 2.1.4 Technological Malaysia is a melting pot of both Western and Eastern backgrounds. The Western and Eastern influences that make up the countrys socio-cultural background play a significant role to its current technological status. Considering that Malaysia has direct access to technological developments from different countries worldwide, these can be adapted in the country quite easily. Moreover, the high standards of living among the countrys citizens imply the ability of the people to support technology as well as their ability to apply or implement them. The exposure to technology of both local and international market makes digital products, like camera, a marketable product. 2.1.5 Legal Locally, the political aspect mentioned previously does not seem to affect the electronic industry in Malaysia. In international trade, the laws on open trade and free port allow the industry to exports its digital products to foreign markets. Though the Malaysian industry can distribute its digital products freely abroad, the openness of trade as well as the globalization aspect further worsens the competition among similar companies under the same industry. If competition will affect businesses in the industry, it is likely for other nations to implement legislations that will control the entry of imported products. This will greatly affect the status of the Malaysia industry if this will occur. 2.1.6 Environmental One of the major issues under the environmental aspect that directly affects the industry is probably its location of production building and facilities in Thailand. The cost of labor and land in Thailand, particularly in the province of Bangkok, is significantly cheaper than in Malaysia. Thus, it is more practical to conduct the core activities of the electronics industry in Thailand. However, products produced by the AV industry require skills among its work force. Thus, cheaper labor cost may no longer be possible as companies would have to pay larger salaries for skilled and highly educated employees. Moreover, a number of manufacturing companies are also relocating to Thailand, thus land costs tend to be higher as compared before. 3.0 Competitors Analysis The production of digitalized products falls under the electronics company, specifically under the audio-visual equipment category. In Malaysia, the competition in electronics industry is considered as one of the most vigorous and tough. The manufacturing companies of digital cameras and other electronic devices in Malaysia are made up of SMEs or small and medium sized enterprises. The production facilities however of most companies are located in mainland Thailand. Thus, offices in Malaysia concentrate more on product development, quality assurance and marketing. One of the competitors of Sony Company Limited in Malaysia market is the Canon industry and other industries that offer digital cameras and electronic products all over the world such as JVC, Panasonic and others. According to the NSTP (2007), digitalization trends paved the way for the industrys significant development which makes it digital camera and electronic industry more competent. In addition, the company has many rivals since there are many other competitors which provide a wide range of digital and electronic devices to meet the increasing demands of these products. Players have increased considerably. This business trend led to the increased profit derived from high sales of digital products, suggesting the strong chances of success in the industry. Moreover, profits from exported digitalized products are high in Hong Kong as well. This then implies that international market strongly supports the industry. 4.0 Porters 5 Forces Model Michael Porter (Harvard, Competitive Strategy 1980) developed the so called 5 Five Forces Analysis model to better identify factors that shape the character of competition, to assess the structural attractiveness and business value of any industry and to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses in a company. In addition to and in combination with the SWOT analysis, the Five Forces model by Michael Porter provides another analysis tool to identify opportunities and risks when entering untapped territory in any industry or market. Porters Five Forces model, other than a SWOT analysis, provides clear action and thus does not rely solely on subjective judgment. If the actions that derived from the Five Forces model are synchronized with business requirements and goals it can become a substantial business driver in the competitive environment. Porters Five Forces Model is used for analysis of an industry or pure competition within a market. It is likely the best model to be used in decisions of entry or change within a market, and should always be considered during the business planning stage in a company life cycle. The Porters Five Forces model proposes that an industry is influenced by five forces. An executive can use the model to understand the industry competitive landscape, to determine how and where the firm should operate. The model is also used to analyze the attractiveness of an industry structure. Porters Five Forces Model is also known as Porters Competitive Forces model, probably one of the most often used business strategy tools. It has proven its usefulness on numerous occasions. Porters model is particularly strong in thinking in a competitive mindset from external forces to inside the company. 4.1 Methodology The strength of each of the five forces affecting competition in the chosen industry is to be assessed. The companys position compared to the underlying causes of each force is also assessed. A plan of action is devised that may includes of positioning the organization to provide the best defense against competitive forces, influencing the balance of the forces through strategic moves and other pro-active measures and anticipating shifts in the forces and positioning the organization and its goals and actions accordingly. Exhibit 4.1 Michael Porters Five Forces Model Sources from: Supplier Risk Management and the Automotive Supply Chain From the Exhibit 4.1, Porter explains that there are five forces that determine industry attractiveness and long-run industry profitability. These five competitive forces includes the threat of entry of new competitors (new entrants), the threat of substitutes, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers and the degree of rivalry between existing competitors. While the Porters Five Forces model in regards to decision making, is to collect, analyze and present data for the decision maker, Porter identifies three generic strategies to address industry rivalry. Strategies can be formed on three levels such as corporate, business unit and functional or department level. The Strategies are cost leadership, differentiation and competitive advantage. The best decision will position the firm to leverage strengths and defend against adverse effects of the five forces. 4.1.1 Competitive Threat of New Entry The percentage contribution of the industry to the Malaysian economy suggests the huge number of businesses manufacturing digital products. This then suggests that barriers of entry for new business entrants are low. New business could easily operate locally; moreover, the Malaysian industry offers multiple product lines under different brand names. Hence, competition is rather strict. Moreover, most of the business in the electronics industry is considered SMEs, implying that the levels of small businesses or new entrants are high. With the high availability of digital production facilities, new entrants could easily start manufacturing and marketing digital products. 4.1.2 Competition from Substitute Products With the rise of technology, alternative options for gadget and similar products are very much available. Digital cameras and other products are no exception. At present, cellular phones are manufactured with camera features, allowing consumers to use the phone not only for calling or sending text messages, but also in capturing and storing images. Other video camcorders have camera features as well; thus, some consumers would prefer to but an item where all features are already integrated. Web cameras are also alternative products for digital cameras. In addition, some of these alternative products are less expensive and more practical as compared to buying a digital camera alone. 4.1.3 Bargaining Power of Customers Buyers are the people or organizations who create demand in an industry. Buyers are also the people who compete with the supplying industry by bargaining down prices and forces higher quality. Customers have access to multiple alternatives for AV equipment and products, thus, the customers have greater control over which item to purchase. The high competitiveness within the industry allowed consumers to have access to a number of options, from brands to types and prices of products. Thus, consumers have a high bargaining power over the electronics industry. In this case, the smaller enterprises are greatly affected. Although consumers have different purchasing behaviors, in most cases brand names greatly influences the preferences of buyers. If there will be other options, consumers is likely to buy known brands even if they will have to pay extra. Additionally, online shopping through this company website has also increased the bargaining power of buyers and buyers are more price sensitive and demand for high quality. 4.1.4 Bargaining Power of Suppliers Suppliers are the businesses that supply materials other products into the industry. The cost of items bought from suppliers (e.g. raw materials, components) can have a significant impact on a companys profitability. If suppliers have high bargaining power over a company, then in theory the companys industry is less attractive. For this electronic industry, suppliers actually exert power in the industry by threatening to rise in prices or to reduce its quality and furthermore powerful suppliers can squeeze industry profitability if the company is unable to recover the cost increases. In the case of the Malaysian electronics industry, the bargaining power of the suppliers is high. Most of the materials used for producing AV equipment are imported from suppliers, thus they have greater control over the prices of supplies as well as the delivery. 4.1.5 Rivalry The rivalry within the electronics industry comes in two categories. Locally, the main competition is between the small and large enterprises. Major companies in the electronics industry have stronger brand names and have greater capabilities of reaching the international market. This is a significant factor as brand names in digital products represent the overall quality of the item which consumers are after. Major companies also have more resources to promote the product through more expensive forms of media advertisement. Thus, smaller companies are directly affected. In the international level, the rivalry exists between the Hong Kong companies and the major AV equipment companies of other countries. 5.0 Evaluation Based from the environmental and competitive analysis done for the electronics industry, the findings will then be evaluated. In this section, the possible developments of the industry for the next ten years will be considered. Factors that could affect this progress, both positively and negatively, will be cited. 5.1 Optimistic Based on the analysis done, the Sony Company Limited is likely to succeed and progress in ten years time due to two important factors. One of these factors is the market of the industry. At the local level, the consumers are very much aware and exposed to highly technological gadgets such as the digital camera. In other foreign markets of the Malaysian industry, such trend is also evident. In ten years time, technology will continue to grow and introduce high-tech gadgets and products that people will patronize. Thus, the future development of digitalized products made by Sony Company Limited will be supported by the market due to their openness to technology. Moreover, this market patronage will naturally result to continuous profit generation and market growth. Another factor that will contribute to the success of the Sony Company Limited ten years from now is the continuous rise and development of globalization and open trade. Through these aspects, Malaysia will have greater market access abroad, leading to better market and business outcomes. Furthermore, free port will allow the Sony Company Limited access to more modern technologies that can be useful for manufacturing and marketing digitalized products. This in turn will make the Sony Company Limited more competitive against foreign brands. 5.2 Pessimistic While there are great opportunities that the Sony Company Limited can use for future progress, certain obstacles could hinder it from development. For instance, the use of technology is highly accessible to all potential business operators in the industry, increasing the problems on competition, less distinct products and brands. In addition, technological gadgets like digital cameras lose value at a fast rate; thus, it is likely that such innovations would lose their worth to the market, or worse, this product could be phased out totally form the industry and be replaced with better substitutes. Problems in the economy are also a challenge. Crisis in the economic aspect is omnipresent and difficult to predict; hence, it is always a problem for all industries and business sectors. Due to these problems, prices for labor, land, production and other business activities could increase, making it difficult for the industry to succeed. 5.3 Prediction Based on business outcomes in the past, the pessimistic scenario is the one that is likely to occur in the future. Old electronic products like mobile phones, cameras and computers for instance, had been easily replaced by digital ones due to fast-phased development in technology. At present, several companies in the electronics industry are still conducting researches in order to introduce new technologies that the market demands. In addition, economic crisis is a natural occurrence, though an unpredictable one. Thus, even without predicting when this will happen in the future, businesses attempt to overcome the effects of economic challenges by preparing themselves in advance. Although it is likely for the optimistic scenario to occur as well, businesses in this industry must focus themselves on overcoming the worst scenarios. By preparing in advance, the businesses can prevent further problems in the future as well as maintain the progress of the industry. 6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS In my opinion, this electronic industry is still able to make some improvements in order to achieve better profit margins or great success in future. Those improvements includes the following, 1) Diversification This electronic industry (Sony Company Limited) can actually possible to concentrate more on electronic knows how in the non-consumer business and todays, this industry is very competitive as the competitors are able to copy the product in a very short time. Therefore, in order to create larger profit margins, Sony should focus more on the business sector and industries and also more advanced equipment as well as the parts. Besides, it would create the strongest advantage if the Research and Development (RD) department in this company able to cut down the price in technology adaptation to fit the demands of nowadays market. 2) Cost Cutting Sony Company Limited should take cost cutting into consideration as it is the only way to improve the profit margins. Research and Development (RD) plays an important role in this as its part in success of this company and it cannot be cut even though it gobbles up to ten percent of the sales. The products in this company should be refined instead of reinvented in order to have less in set up cost and also helps in achieving the greater automation. 3) Combination of Production, Design and Marketing There are many ways of separating the designing and developing of a product from the production and marketing even though there is job rotation which the design stage backed up by experience rather than research and analysis in nowadays market. Often, this kind of concept does not help much in improving the business as it does not meet the consumer needs. Todays, RD should focus more on the consumer needs and innovate based on the needs of the market and not creating new markets all the while. Besides, the designing team should make the product to fit the current production pattern and marketing aims as the designing team is the one who responsible to the profit and loss of certain product. Therefore, empowering these groups can create conflict but it does bring the efficient groups together in achieving the synergy. 7.0 Conclusion In spite of the apparent success of the Sony Company Limited in Malaysia, certain factors in its environment can cause its possible failure in the years to come. Economic challenges, competition and varying consumer trends are just some of the external factors that the industry must overcome in order to ensure future progress. Although these matters may appear inevitable, certain actions could help the industry to succeed, locally and internationally. Continuous product enhancement and development for instance, can help in countering fast-paced technology. Conducting consumer studies on the other hand can facilitate the challenge on changing consumer behaviors. These actions in turn can help in combating business competition and globalization issues. 8.0 References Internet References 1. http://technu.nst.com.my/Current_News/techNu/Monday/CoverStory/20081102144739/Article/print_article 2. http://logisticsviewpoints.com/2009/07/31/supplier-risk-management-and-the-automotive-supply-chain/ Books Aguilar, Francis (2006), Scanning the Business Environment, New York: Macmillan. 2. Armstrong. M. (2006). A handbook of Human Resource Management Practice (10th ed.). London: Kogan Page. ISBN 0-7494-4631-5. PIERCE, C. (2001), The Effective Director: The Essential Guide to Director and Board Development, London: Kogan Page. Cheverton, Peter. (2004), Key Marketing Skills Strategies, Tools Techniques for Marketing Success, Kogan Page, Limited. Formisano, Roger. (2003), Managers Guide to Strategy. McGraw-Hill Trade SIM337 Contemporary Developments in Business and Management, Version 5.0, University of Sunderland, United Kingdom Jones, G.R. George, J.M. (2003), Contemporary Management, McGraw Hill (Third edition) Worthington, I. and Britton, C. (2003), The Business Environment, FT Prentice Hall (4th Edition) Journal Articles GRUNDY, T. (2006) Rethinking and reinventing Michael Porters five forces model. Strategic Change. Vol 15, No 5, August. Pg 213-229. Prepared by : Ting Wan Ping (Jenny)