Adult Behavior during Sports Events: An Overview

Playing sports is crucial and essential to a child's development. A child develops a sense of social awareness and self-confidence whenever he engages in a sport. Of course, this would not be possible if a child's parents will not encourage them in engage in a particular sport.Parents play a significant role in a child's involvement in whatever sport he chooses. A child's sense of sportsmanship is augmented by his parents as well. Parents are always considered to be perfect examples to their children. However, the positive effects of parents on their children are hampered by some instances, which parents themselves exude a plethora of negative behavior during sports events.With this in mind, we are compelled to place the behavior of parents in keen scrutiny. It is alarming that the proliferation of juvenile delinquency can be associated on parents' behavior as well. This is due to the fact that children are developing their cognitive skills at this stage of their lives.There is a gre at possibility that whenever a child develops and imitates the behavior of his parents; there is a possibility that the child's behavior could be worse than his parents by the time he enters adulthood. Another factor that calls for attention is that the improper behavior of some parents is seen not only by the child, but some spectators as well. A child might assume that such behavior is tolerable in public (Ocampo. 2008).Parents are not only the ones to be accounted for misbehavior in sports events. A child's coach, referee, and other people who are involved in a game can affect a child's behavior during these sports events. Whenever a child engages in a particular sport, his sense of competitiveness is heightened as well.However, children sometimes confuse competitiveness with aggressiveness. This is due to the fact that the inappropriate behavior of parents during sports events has an impact on a child's competitiveness. This, of course, gives child a negative sense of competitiv eness. Parents are always at the forefront of each game their child engages in. They are always present during games in order to give their children moral support and boost their self-confidence.Yet sometimes some parents exhibit crass and extreme behavior, which make it seem that they are the ones playing the sport. For instance, spectators claimed that a parent tripped a player from the opposing team during a game, because that player was about to tackle and spear his son. Whenever this happens, parents are deduced into sports fanatics as well.This is a simple example of what sports events can do to behaviors of parents. Parents act in such way due to the speculation that they want their children to excel in that sport where they have failed to do so. Parents may ignore the fact that even though they support their children in such manner, the behavior they exhibit have a consequent effect on the cognitive and social development of their children (Ocampo. 2008).Parental Violence in Sports: Promoting Juvenile Delinquency?The near fatal Junta-Costin youth hockey scrimmage in July of 2000 is considered the linchpin of sports violence in youth sports events (Heinzmann.2002). It ignited the issue of sports rage, which saw a myriad of newspapers all over the world documenting the story; and proliferating numerous editorials that placed parental involvement in a child's sports career under keen scrutiny.At first, it seemed that it was a mere isolated case. Eventually, experts have started debates regarding sports rage in sports events. It has been declared that there is an impending yet subliminal crisis in youth sports. Subliminal because most people don't perceive such as a crucial matter in children's behavior.Subliminal because people might not see its correlation to the increasing rate of juvenile delinquency.In a youth hockey game in Illinois, a father pummeled another player's dad during a heated argument at their son's youth hockey game. What's worse is, tha t father's son pleaded guilty for a misdemeanor charge for beating up an opposing player, which resulted in a paralyzing injury. Obviously, the repercussion of crass and violent behavior of parents are reaping its sour fruits.Children are deliberately affected by the obscene behavior of their parents. Yet parents seem not to be alarmed by such matter. Youth sports officials claimed that the mere yelling of parents at referees and coaches are enough to increase a child's improper sense of aggressiveness. Obviously, parents are sacrificing the virtue of sportsmanship for a twisted sense of competitiveness that they instill in their children (Ocampo.2008).Even though there are no feasible statistics on parental violence and assault, adamant coaches and overaggressive parents are the ones promoting and instilling a twisted sense of aggressiveness and competitiveness among their children (Ocampo.2008). Fred Engh, president of the National Alliance for Youth Sports exclaimed that:There ha s been a tremendous upsurge in violence in the last five years, I've been hearing of more and more violent incidents. We’re beginning to see the trickle-down effect from adults’ misbehavior †¦ where children that are involved are becoming part of the bad behavior. Far too often, we tell kids it’s ok to cheat in order to win, to taunt the players on the other team, to criticize officials. (Engh. 2000).The Illinois misdemeanor battery case has generated a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment. State prosecutors have dropped two counts of felony aggravated battery (James.2000). The boy has yet to be convicted in juvenile facility until he is 21 (James.2000).The juvenile acknowledged that he used the hockey stick to drag opposition player Neal Goss, causing Goss to hit the boards seconds after the buzzer sounded during a junior varsity game. The unidentified youth declared this in his plea agreement. After slamming into the fiber glass boards, Goss was delib erately paralyzed below his waist and injured his arms as well (James.2000).A bevy of head-butting and elbow-throwing melees have been rampant across the country. The Illinois incident is simply an example of the increasing rate of sports rage. Youth sports officials have claimed that coaches and parents are responsible for the ramifications in youth sports. Unfortunately, children are deliberately affected in this massive sports violence proliferation.Bob Still, public relations manager for the National Association of Sports Officials emphasized that: â€Å"Not only has the language gone more in the gutter, but we’ve also seen a rise in the number of incidences reported where physical violence has occurred.† (Still.2000).In 1975, one of the first cases of sports rage, it was reported by Sports Illustrated in the article â€Å"Taking the Fun Out of the Game† that a fight ignited between a mob of adult spectators and a group of coaches that coached championship t eam of sixth graders during a game in Kissimmee, Florida.The sports rage incident resulted with one coach being rushed to the hospital. Someone was yelling that one coach was dead already; causing the mob to depart the scene just before police authorities arrived. The coach was actually unconscious for a couple of hours before being taken to a nearby hospital. In Miami, a player's father pummeled his son's coach for arguing over his son's playing time.These incidents were obscure due to the fact that such incidents weren't able to be published or televised. The public was not aware of news like â€Å"Youth Sports Coaches pummeled by Furious Mob†. A series of rage events not associated with youth sports events were simply dismissed as a weak form of sociological trend (Heinzmann.2002).In order to place the growing cases of youth sports rage in further scrutiny, the Rutgers Youth Sports Research Council launched a computer search engine, which enables people to learn about yout h sports violence incidents through the database of more than 5,000 related articles concerning sports rage in youth sports events (Heinzmann.2002)†¦However, several articles suggest faux pas facts, which limited the public's knowledge concerning youth sports violence. The most crucial fact is that keen investigation has not succeeded in generating substantial data that sports rage in youth sports has increased in alarming rates. In order to comprehend and augment the understanding of the public of youth sports violence without any scientific data at hand, people can be made aware through the myriad of various sociology researches.This would augment our knowledge on how the media could have a discreet influence on general opinion regarding youth sports rage. Youth homicide has experienced a decline from 1993 to 1999. The Justice Policy Institute reported that there was a 68% decline in youth homicide in the United States, which was the lowest rate since 1966 (Heinzmann.2002).Ca mpus-related violent death decreased as well by 72%. However, network homicide coverage increased into a surprising 473% even though there was 33% decline in murders from 1990 to 1998. Evening news was reporting more than 25% of crimes were homicide cases (Heinzmann.2002).Justice Policy Institute pundits have declared that 62% believe that youth-related crimes are increasing upon conducting a survey. Americans saw it grew into epic proportions during random school shootings in 2000 (Heinzmann.2002)Eliminating Sports Violence: Beyond Feasible Statistics?Each sports event whether on the youth or professional level is experiencing a bevy of harassments on a daily basis. That is why security is assured in such events. Police and medical assistance are present in these events due to the fact that there is a possibility of heightened violence. Parents and adults are always at the forefront during these sports rage incidents (NASO, 2008).Annually, NASO has been receiving hundreds of report s, in which sports rage occurs among fans, officials, coaches, and players (NASO, 2008). Before NASO proposed a clamor for a bill proposal on youth sports violence, they defined sports rage as any physical attack upon a person during a sports events such as hitting, wounding, and other forms of harmful contact in an offensive manner, verbal abuse, and obscene harassments, which threatens an individual's safety during a sports event.After a pact has made to settle on the standard definition of â€Å"sports rage†, Investigators have began to observe and analyze the probable evidence that in order to link parents to such youth violence, investigators have to substantiate the faux pas norm that 15% of parents during these youth sporting events go below the belt and resort to deliberate violence.However, it was only 5% in the previous five years, yet conclusive feasible scientific evidence has yet to surface (Heinzmann.2002). However, according to NASO, published studies regarding sports rage incidents have yet to be seen; and that instances made by the media are anecdotal in nature and does not have feasible evidence. With this in mind, substantial facts contradict what is reported to the public (Heinzmann.2002).In a recent study by the NASO, it was stated that the prevalence and proliferation of crass behavior and assaults on youth sports officials occurs not only at youth sports games, but in the professional level as well (Heinzmann.2002).The study was aimed at urging state legislatures to provide apt laws that will penalize individuals who exhibit any form of obscene behavior during sports events (Heinzmann.2002). It primary purpose though was to educate and promote public awareness regarding manic behavior during these sports events (Heinzmann.2002).This generated the notion that scientific findings have yet to augment that sports rage is the primary deterrent during youth sports games. Even youth violence experts have acknowledged the fact that there is heightened rate of violence during youth sports events. Ironically, adults and parents are always the ones who instigate such obscene behavior.However, impartial statistics have yet to surface in order to prove that youth sports violence has increased; and that there is a great possibility that this trend has become more violent as cases begin to increase. Dan Macallair, Vice President of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, have urged a movement that will make alternative ways aside from imprisonment.Contrary to the media hype that has heightened the awareness of sports rage, Macallair's agency has shown that statistics of school violence in the United States are lower than anticipated. Furthermore, juvenile delinquency rates have experienced a huge letdown in previous years.Macallair even suggested that the increasing youth violence should be associated with modern day technology such as video games, which promote violence as well. Macallair exclaimed that:We really don ’t know because we don’t have the evidence. My guess is that it’s probably less than we think. †¦ My gut is that it’s being reported more frequently and more widely just because of modern-day media practices and media technology.Too often, the evidence does not support the perception. You see that all the time — that kids today are worse than they were 10 or 20 years ago. And then you go back and see that people were saying that about kids then. People have very short memories. However, we really don't know because we don't have the evidence. My guess is that it's probably less than we think. . .My gut is that it's being reported more frequently and more widely just because of modern-day media practices and media technology. (Macallair. 2001).Some experts have acknowledged the notion that the media has made a deliberate impact on the increasing rate of youth sports rage. Frank Smoll, author of Sports and Your Child, notes that the family is th e primary culprit in irrational aggressive behavior of child during sports games; yet coaches, professional athletes, and the media is also to blame for youth sports violence. Smoll exclaims that:I’m surprised there isn’t more violence in youth sports given the current underlying phenomena that feeds this violence system, particularly in hockey.During the hockey season, the sportscasts †¦ are going to show the fight of the night. That’s sick, flat out, he adds. Is it any wonder kids are going to see that and say, Hey, I’m going to be a better fighter, I’ve got instruction? (Smoll. 2000)National Alliance for Youth Sports president Fred Engh says that a child imitates what he perceives to be â€Å"good†. Good examples imply to their favorite professional athletes like wrestlers or MMA fighters. He complements Smoll's statement by implying that: â€Å"They’re seeing that kind of behavior on television.Look at the World Wrestling Fe deration. Look at the Jerry Springer Show. This is the mentality of a growing number of dysfunctional people that is creeping into youth sports.† (Engh.2000).Obviously, the sports entertainment industry must take initiative in taking the obligation for contributing to societal norms, which affect children and adults like. Talk shows have proliferated public display of violence as well. Ironically, such programs have a strong following by creating manic debates, which eventually turns into melee when things get out of hand.Studio audience is involved as well by castigating guests. Things get out of hand when altercations emerge during the show. Shows which are televised when children can watch such deliberate show of public violence; Take for instance the Jerry Springer Show, which gives people the opportunity to castigate people who did them wrong. It gives people the notion that what cannot be settled in a verbal manner can be settled with deliberate violence.But it is proper to do such in public? This suggests that the media is a purveyor of violence and irrational sense of competitiveness as well. Children can adhere to such when they go out to public affairs such as youth sports events. And by the time they are adults, they would do the same and even exhibit more obscene behavior during youth sports events (Ocampo.2008).ConclusionOrganized youth sports have been receiving media hype over the years. The issue of youth sports rage has been a crucial matter for the media to give it unprecedented attention. Incidents involving parents, coaches, and game officials have contributed to such by instigating fights and crass behavior during youth sports events.Although it is purely anecdotal that such matter is getting out of hand and is on the brink of enormous escalation, sports rage incidents are proliferating, and has been one of the primary purveyors of juvenile delinquency and youth violence. Such matter is beyond statistics, and the obvious is larger th an the scientific studies conducted regarding youth sports rage incidents.With this in mind, youth sports organizers should be at the forefront of every altercation during a youth sports event. They must implement proper measures of security in order to imply peace and order during games. On the other hand, parents should exhibit proper etiquette during youth sports events.Parents should be the ones who must moderate the various societal factors, which contribute to their child's sense of competitiveness. They must be reminded that during these games, they are not fans but parents who should guide their children. Parents should always bear in mind the youth sports games have a deliberate cognitive and social effect on their children's mentalities.They should be perfect examples during these events, and must instill positive and favorable values that a sport will complement their children's well-being (Ocampo.2008).

Business Analysis on Sony Corporation

Business Analysis on Sony Corporation for the years between 2001 and 2011 Overview Looking back on the past decade of Sony Corporation, opportunities walked along with challenges. The â€Å"combination of giants† between Sony and Ericsson caught attention of the whole world. The invention of mini vertical mobile phone promptly captured the youth market. When Sony Ericsson was at its best, its sales figures were ranking Top Three in European and American markets. However, since 2008, Sony Ericsson almost has opted out of the top list in mobile phone industry.The revolution of iPhone and Android ruined Sony Ericsson’s confidence thoroughly. In addition, the political conflicts and historical factors, such as Diaoyu Island incident, to some extent, have affected the sales in recent years further. Our business analysis emphasizes on the development of Sony Corporation during the period from 2001 to 2011, especially the overseas market expansion in mobile phone industry. We will introduce the development process of Sony and the challenges they faced or will face from three perspectives: business, political and socio-cultural factors.Besides, we, as well as Sony Corporation, concentrate most is how to turn these challenges to the opportunities. Firstly, let us illustrate the organizational structure of Sony Ericsson, especially Sony Ericsson China. The market share of Ericsson has ever ranking no. 3 in global mobile phone market in late 90s of 20 century. Their promoting strategy in Chinese regions made an excellent success because of selecting LIU Dehua and JIN Chengwu as spokesmen. However, Ericsson suffered a huge loss resulting from a mistake in generating strategy in 2000.Meanwhile, Sony mobile phone could scarcely capture the market share, for they were too late to get access to the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) market. It was in this context that Sony and Ericsson reached a consensus that each of their mobile phone departments sub scribed 50 percent shares to establish a joint venture corporation, that is, Sony Ericsson. They two operated the company together that Ericsson was responsible for technology and quality control while Sony was in charge of the outlook design and sales.The organizational structure is as following. Since 2008, the tablet revolution led by Apple and Android has inflicted a severe impact on Sony Ericsson. In 2011, Sony broke up with Ericsson and purchased the remaining 50 percent shares owned by Ericsson before. Sony kept the mobile phone production department, but their market share cannot be compared to the past. Secondly, the development of Sony mobile phones went through a tough procedure. Let’s briefly review the milestones and look forward to the future.Sony Ericsson sustained high losses in the first two years, until T618 was launched in 2003. T618 was an influential mobile phone type which directly turned SE into profits. And then, to make full use of Sony’s techn ology in Walkman, SE launched W800 in 2005, bringing the concept of music phone to the public. After that, K790 was the first professional camera phone with flashlight, which beyond any other brands at that time. The net income in Sony reached a peak in 2008 with 369,435 yen in millions, while it decreased abruptly in 2009 resulting from the rapid rise of Apple and Android.The cooperation with Android cannot revived SE as the development of X10i and Xperia arc Lt15i could not make ends meet. The continuing losses upset Ericsson and accelerated the termination of the contract between Sony and Ericsson. Therefore, we recommend that Sony should change their marketing strategies to â€Å"low cost, low price† strategy in order to capture the markets in developing countries. In addition, the conclusion of financial annual reports in the past decade is one of the core factors to evaluate the development of Sony. SONY ‘s Net Income(Loss) 2001-2011YearNet Income (Loss) 200116,75 4 200215,310 2003115,519 200488,511 2005163,838 2006123,616 2007126,328 2008369,435 2009-98,938 2010-40,802 2011-259,585 According to the financial figures, it is not hard to track the operation status in Sony for the ten years. 2003, 2008 and 2009 are remarkable turning points and we will demonstrate the business, political and socio-cultural causes in detain as follows. Analysis on Business Aspect In 2000, the subsidiary of famous telecoms giant, the world's third-largest mobile phone company Ericsson, suffered a continuous loss.Ericsson used it as a trigger to start the joint venture company with Japan electronics giant Sony with equal-shared stake in global mobile phone business. Sony Ericsson was established in 2001 as a prestigious international brand for youth. Its global headquarter was located in London which was incompatible with the common thought that Sony Ericsson belongs to Japan . Its international employees were up to 7500 including the research and development talen ts from Europe ,Japan ,China and America.It was a hidden danger for two parties’ division that a considerable number of the technology was mainly transplanted from Sony Company. The new co-operation company combined the Sony’s capability of planning and designing video product, marketing electronic product and promoting brand with the Ericsson’s specialization in mobile telecommunication technology, operators relationship maintaining and network facilities construction. At the beginning two years, Sony Ericsson took debts of 16. 2 billion Swedish grams from Ericsson causing 5 percentage market shares shrunk which made large shareholders have to reinvest 300 million.By virtue of the support of parent companies, Sony Ericsson was booming later and embodying its own style in processing image and wireless telecommunication. In the September of 2003, it first gained profit with introducing an influential upright mobile phone using a few-but-delicate strategy to compe te with corresponds’ mass products. In the next year, the developing trend for Sony Ericsson was irresistible that it opened Valentine’s party cooperated with many outstanding brands to launch its new phones .Its classic and innovate products started to be appealing to various consumption levels in different areas. Starting from the second season of 2005, Sony Ericsson used existed brand Walkman in Sony to create the first bi-brand phone which took over electronic entertainment career of Sony. It made a good performance for increasing both market share and profit . Furthermore, it transplanted Sony Walking and Cyber-shot brand successfully getting a reputation. However, photographing and music functions were commonly imitated by other brands causing Sony Ericsson lose its edge in advanced technology.Some demerits of its products also appeared such as inconvenience of phone download, insufficiency of capability and incommodity of background use. Main reasons for the dec lined performance were that products did not keep up with the rhythm of market and not pay attention to the Smart mobile phone market. Its delicate high-price strategy was in a dilemma for consumers were unwilling to pay a large bill of non-smart cell phone . Meanwhile its internal management was in chaos and the contest for leadership among the executives led to the change of personnel in 2007.Coincidently, an economic crisis happened and changed the consumer’s demand of phone. Sony Ericsson found itself left behind on account of insufficient supply of low-end phone, lack of brand-new products for high-end and shortage of amazing spot in the field of smart phone. Its ever strongest music and photography phones for the mid-market were surpassed by competitors. And it also did not recognize the great demand in Chinese market that it was doomed a tough year for Sony Ericsson . In 2008, Sony intended to purchase the equity of Ericsson which was set aside.Considering the unsatisf ied performance in new products launch and market share for last three years, Sony Ericsson former executive in Silicon Valley Nordberg became the CEO . He abandoned futureless Symbian system and low-end market focusing on the Google’s Android system to reform the company strategy. The decision turned out to be wise that Sony Ericsson launched several excellent Android phone and turned losses into gains gradually. The hesitation between multiple platform system let Sony Ericsson miss a lot of golden chances to boom.It seemed to be an irresistible trend for Sony Ericsson’s ending which will provide space for Sony to shine itself. At the end of October in 2011, Sony officially announced that it offered 1. 05 billion euros to take over the other 50 percent stake Ericsson held. Now Sony Ericsson is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony and will no longer exist but with a Sony logo. Sony mobile takes advantage of Android platform to develop rapidly and its market share grows gr adually with Xperia series launching. In addition, Sony closed its functional phone production and was dedicated to operate Android smart phone.It can also integrate its huge resources under its name Analysis on Political Aspect Political factor is playing a crucial role in the process of oversea market expansion, for it decides what entrance mode that a company will choose. This section will critically discuss about the political aspect in the way of Sony Company’s internationalization and conduct an analysis on both Sony in China and Europe as a particular example. Political Environment and Company Strengths From 1945 after the World War? international political situation turned to be stable and peace in general, which create a valuable moment for Japan and other countries to develop economy in postwar time. USD-centered International Monetary System provided a comparatively stable condition for international trade. And in 1946, Sony was started from scratch. Inside the cou ntry, on the one hand, with western democratic political system and legal institute built in Japan successfully, Japanese government gradually relaxed the restriction on import and export trading since 1960 in order to push economy grows.On the other hand, economy development brought with living-level to rise. The demand for household appliance rose as well. These are basic national conditions to Sony for its oversea business activities. For Sony itself, firstly it has a clear and specific goal and plan on inland and oversea marketing. Secondly, it insists on high quality product with high price strategy, which establishes the reputation for the brand. Thirdly, enterprise culture attracts customers to build up a brand loyalty to Sony. Political Challenges of Sony’s InternationalizeAs the company did an excellent sales performance in Japan, it decided to stretch its branches into oversea area. In January, 1959, Sony became the new brand name instead of the original company nam e to meet the international trend. Opportunities and threats are both exist on the way of oversea expansion. Here is an analysis on Sony Company’s expansion worldwide and the main challenge of its entrance mode select in different countries and areas, under the effects by the political factors. In November, 1986, Sony set up its first European headquarters Sony Euro in Germany.Before that, it settled the branches respectively in US(1968), Germany(1970) and France(1973) to enlarge the sales revenue and promote its concept of localization around the world. A remarkable example that Sony Company joint venture with Ericsson Company to create a new brand of Sony Ericsson, which both of them holding 50% of the share. And in February, 2012 Sony took over it as sub company via acquisition. For Asian companies, European monetary system provide them a ideal trading base, for they can easily enlarge the sales target in Euro zone.Meanwhile, the main challenges they faced with in European market are serious as well. Exchange rate risk in monetary policy and stability of financial system is uncertainty. Crisis of finance would make a great loss once spread rapidly. Bank industry can be depressing while economy recession, then debts and mortgage challenging the foreign companies. During the last economy crisis, Sony Company reduced the staffrimmer at a number of 10,600 around. Sony first established its branch office in Beijing, China in the year of 1996.Since the company already had a far-spread reputation, brand effect was its strength to open the market of China. And Sony had accumulated fairly enough capital by the end of 20th century after decades of development and expansion. At that time, Chinese government executed positive policy on introducing foreign capital, such as tax preference and concessional debts, which greatly supported Sony to set the branch office in the format of foreign-owned enterprise with confidence. However, there is always an unpredictable and essential factor that may influence its sales in mainland.Challenges came and went following the complex relationship between China and Japanese. Recently, it is reported that sales volume of Sony products in China has an obvious drop-down after the Diaoyu Island Event. Advertising activity was limited in some local TV station, and the public called for boycott of Japanese products. All these made the sales volume of Sony decreasing. In view of this condition, Sony Company continue focusing on product quality and carry out necessary promotion campaign.According to top manager, they insist of positive attitude towards further development in China. Analysis on Socio-Cultural Aspect Socio-culture is one of the crucial factors which will largely affect development of a company. In this part, we will discuss the social-culture problems in Sony. Sony Enterprise Culture As is known to all, Sony Corporation ( ) , commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate co rporation headquartered in Konan Minato, which established in 1946, Tokyo, Japan.As a Japanese enterprise, it has a wealth of enterprise culture. The first one is that Sony’s founder not only knew the importance of science and technology, but also determined the declaration when the company was founded, â€Å"the company’s aim is to rapidly progress the war a variety of techniques are applied to the national life to†, â€Å"in a timely manner to all universities and research results into products and commodities†. In addition, they also vigorously introduce foreign advanced technology.The second one is that, in order to give full play to the enthusiasm and pioneering spirit, Sony launched a unique personnel system, which allows and encourages people â€Å"volunteered† to apply for various research and development projects according to their interests, hobbies and expertise. Sony believes that those who are not complacent, do not stick to convention s, jump around in the various research groups are most likely to develop a new tech or product. The third one is that, innovation is an important part of Sony’s corporate culture, as well as the key to success.The company founder once said:† Sony’s success is due to the innovation in science, technology, management, marketing and other aspects. † Now Sony develops about 1,000 new products, an average of every working day 4 species. The last one is that, Sony keeps the faith† love and respect each other†. All the employees ranging from director to humble workers are equal. During working time, they all wear the same jackets, just like a harmonious family. Sony’s Executives do not have their own office. They work with others together.So everyone can get on well with each other in a very short time. I think this kind of enterprise culture largely determines the success of Sony. The employee will feel relax in such culture environment instead of feeling nervous. So they can work more efficiently and have more room to innovate. But there are also some discordant parts. As Sony is a Japanese company, they usually start their work early while the Europeans do not like to work before 10. 00 a. m. This will cause â€Å"culture shock† when the Sony approaching to the world market.Adapt to European market In order to foray into the European market, Sony created a joint venture named Sony Ericsson. They use global localization strategy to adapt to the whole world, especially to European market. They established their factory in America, Europe, southeast Asia and so on to realized the localization production. The localization production realized localization management. Sony employed the local talents with high management skills. I think the global localization strategy has its two sides. There are several advantages.The one is, due to this strategy, they will hire the local people. Generally, the local people know more detail. So they can help the enterprise adapt itself to local culture and environment. Secondly, this strategy can ease and avoid political risk, desalinate host country residents for the joint venture of foreign capital impression. On the contrary, this strategy will cause technical secret problems. It is hard to guarantee that not let out any secret though the sharing of technical knowledge. Secondly, there will have some coordination problems between subsidiary and parent company.It seems to be impossible to reconcile the subsidiary’s target with parent company’s target. Finally, this strategy needs more capital and resource. So it will suffer a higher risk. Conclusion Through the analysis we have done, we present the worries about Sony’s future development. Although its shared working place and enthusiastic company culture are impressing that shows the respect of equality and the concern of individuals, the lacking sense of fashionable technology will not sm ooth the development way of Sony.Its high quality control spirit will appeal to the frequent and honest customers, but the imitators and the allure of competitive prices will finally take away Sony’s customer base. In addition, the stressful political relationship between China and Japan will influence the choice of electronic consumption in China so that Sony had better seek a boarder market to maintain its sales and work harder on nurturing its product identify.

Narrative Observation of a Child Essay

Mother enters the room with takeaway from KFC and places it on the dining table. Subhaan (3:5) is the first child to approach the table and sit down on the seat. While aunt takes out food from the carrier bags, she asks Subhaan, â€Å"Is that your plate?† Subhaan replies â€Å"Yeah† and right before the aunt is about to put the food on his plate he immediately says†No, is that mine?. Aunt replies, â€Å"Yes† and places his meal on the plate. Subhaan sat on his knees and started bouncing on them as he picked two french fries to eat. While the aunt is emptying the bags, Subhaan stands on his knees and peeks into the carrier bags then sits back down to eat his food. Aunt ignores him as she continues talking to Subhaan’s mother. Subhaan attempts to pull out a paper cup from the stack and then hold it in both his hands. Ayesha (5:0) asks Subhaan, â€Å"Do you want water?† to which Subhaan holds up his empty paper cup and replies, â€Å"No, this is mine†. He starts playing with his cup as he tries to hold it to his mouth and then placed it on his eye, pretending it was a telescope, Subhaan started scanning the room from side to side. Subhaan puts his empty cup down and grabs another bite. He then makes a cranky high pitched noise that grabbed his aunt’s attention who noticed he was pointing at his empty cup. The aunt poured the drink half full in the cup. He takes a sip and watches Ayesha eat her meal happily. Subhaan continues his meal bouncing while sitting on his knees and then swaying from side to side as he eats. Subhaan notices a sealed straw on the table, picks it and points it at his mother loudly saying, † Mama.. mama, please open†. During the period the mother and aunt are continuously involved in a table conversation. His mother takes the straw and starts unwrapping when Ayesha asks, â€Å"Mama, what does he need that for?†. Mother ignores Ayesha as she continues the conversation with the aunt. Subhaan starts chewing his food slowly and sits back in a lazy manner. He then sits up and starts reading the children’s meal box in front of him. He sits up on his knees again to be able to drink directly from the straw fixed in his cup to his mouth using just the index finger and thumb of his dominant hand (right-hand). He sits back down, shakes his head a few times then starts looking under the table. He sits back up and starts slapping the wall on his left. He pauses to look at everyone else at the table still busy with their conversation, then returns back to his meal box and peaks inside it. He pushes away the meal box and looks at his mother to see if she noticed. However the mother is still occupied socially with his aunt. Subhaan makes a random loud noise, â€Å"Tadaaaaaa!† which made his aunt notice him and puts his meal box infront of him again saying, â€Å"Subhaan, you haven’t finished†. Subhaan does not reply instead he sinks back in his chair. After a few seconds he sits back up and drinks directly from the straw without using his hands or fingers to touch the cup. Subhaan rotates on the chair turning his back towards the table and facing towards the tv lounge. Soon he starts to rock the chair slightly from side to side. He turns back around and get off his seat to approach his mother and say,† Mama, mama† Mother replied,† Yes, son?† Subhaan answered shyly, â€Å"Toilet† and ran off towards the door and takes a glance back to see if his mother is following him or not. Meanwhile everyone has finished their dinner and settle down in the tv lounge. Subhaan enters the room followed by his mother. He quickly runs up to the sofa to join Ayesha who is running up and down the two joined sofas while singing, â€Å"I like you- I like you- I love you-I like you†. Subhaan follows Ayesha jumping behind her while repeating what Ayesha is singing. Ayesha comes down from the sofa and starts dancing and singing on the floor. Subhaan stands on the sofa leaning slightly on the wall behind to watch what ayesha was doing next and then runs off to his mother sitting on the chair. Mother looks up at ayesha and says, † Ayesha take him up and change, I’m coming†. Subhaan walks towards the door and waits there for Ayesha but notices ayesha avoid her mothers orders, instead shows off a paper sailboat to her aunt. Aunt smiles and replies, â€Å"Thats nice! come on lets go upstairs now.† Subhaan watches as ayesha ends her play by bowing down t o the audience and says, † Thank you for listening to my song†. Subhaan grabs their attention by walking up to his aunt and saying, † I want something from upstairs, come†. He then open the door and runs off towards the stairs as his Aunt and Ayesha followed him. Subhaan stopped at the entrance of the room to look upto the light switch but Ayesha pushes him gently to push the button on herself. At the same moment he says, â€Å"Put the lights on† and when the light switches on he expresses by saying, â€Å"Ahhhh, yes†. He then walks towards the end of his bed while Ayesha invites their aunt in bowing down once again to say, † Happy†¦..umm happy gentlemen and, and ladies. Subhaan stands in the corner and looks at her carefully. At this time the observation came to its end at 8:25 pm. Evaluation: During the 25 minute observation Subhaan (3:6) showed almost continuous play activity demonstrating his physical development and fine motor skills like a typical child of his age. For the most part Subhaan was happy playing by himself showing both physical and imaginative skills in solitary play. According to Parten ‘Solitary Play’ (Hughes, 1991) is when a child plays by himself. Often in this form of play children develop play and activities generating from their imagination as children in the pre-operational stage have vast imagination that helps them revise, repeat or practise their knowledge and skills into a playful activity (Sheridan, 1997). As I observe Subhaan invest time and energy in play I can see him learn and develop concepts about movement, noises and skills. Most of the time Subhaan was involved in ‘Locomotor Play’, including exercise play (e.g bouncing, running, etc) (Hughes, 1991). His ability to be engaged in continous exercise play supports the muscular and motor development of children his age as they are able to move freely with pleasure and confidence in a range of ways ( L.Dryden et al, 2007).For example, Subhaan sits with his feet up on the seat and elevates himself by sitting on his knees and bouncing up and down and moving from side to side during his meal. â€Å"The rocking, bouncing, hanging upside-down, skipping and hopping with which young children often express their excitement and enthusiasm- stimulates the brain and has a role to play in its development† ( Elliot(1991) in L.Dryden, 2007). For children 2 to 4 years of age, Field (1994) reports physical activity play accounting for 10% of all day-care behaviour. Children his age also run skilfully and negotiate space successfully adjusting their speed or direction to avoid obstacles (L.Dryden et al, 2007). This was identified when in later part of the observation Subhaan followed his sister running up and down the sofa. He was seen carefully balancing himself and slowing down while negotiating space to pass by when he would face an intersection from his sister coming from the opposite direction in a narrow space to cross. At an another occasion I observed Subhaan’s the moving and handling skills similar to children his age when he jumps of the chair and land appropriately balanced on his two feet. Subhaan attempts to sit on the chair with his back towards the dining table folding his legs against the back of the chair. At this time he attempts to rock the chair and succeeds to balance the chair while sitting backwards. Once he has attempted and achieved the action two to three times,he no longer felt the need or urge to perform it again. Bateson’s (1976) view of such play is â€Å"scaffolding†: Play functions in skill assembly, and then is disassembled when the skill is mastered. This could also be relevant to the observation. In the initial part of the meal Subhaan used his right hand fingers to stabilise the straw so that he could put it in his mouth; however towards the end of the meal he manages to place the straw in his mouth and drink without using his hand and fingers to touch the cup or straw. Therefore the initial play helped Subhaan gain more control of his activity and action once its assembled. I also observed exercise play affect Subhaan’s cognitive performance as it lead to heightened arousal and hyper-activity as he experiments with different ways of moving. Without a break Subhaan was rocking, bouncing, looking under the table, peeking into the boxes. According to the â€Å"In-verted-U hypothesis (Easterbrook, 1959) moderate levels of arousal lead to better performance than highly increased arousals that may lead to narrowing of attention to the core tasks. In Subhaan’s case this can be eating and finishing his meal. However I observed that by breaking up cognitive tasks while exercise play, Subhaan found the specifically playfully nature of the break to be considered more important than the meal, table conversation or any other activity that was taking place around him. The effects on his cognitive behaviour mediated by breaks and enhanced attention seemed to depend on enhanced feelings of mastery, well-being, after exercise play. This was noticed when every time Subhaan would master a movement he would return to his meal and find satisfaction and interest in eating once again. On the other hand Subhaan also showed interest in play with sounds as he slaps the walls beside him a few times to register the noise/sound it made (L.Dryden, 2007). There was some evidence of ‘Symbolic Play’ (Piaget in Macleod-Brudenell & Kay, 2008) when Subhaan uses the paper cup as a microphone when he puts it over his mouth and then later as a pretend telescope when he places it on on of his eyes and scans the room around him from left to right. Apart from these observation I also noticed another very common attribute in Subhaan of children his age. He likes to get attention and often he made a loud sound or noise to attract an adult’s attention when he feels neglected. For example when he shouts, â€Å"Tadaaaa† or at other occasion he would resort to calling his mother a few times until she listens or approach an adult physically to grab their attention by touch; such as Subhaan approaching his aunt to convince her to go upstairs by saying, â€Å"I want something from upstairs†.However in a different time and setting , for example at the dining table during the meal, Subhaan showed the ability to distract himself when neglected or upset by engaing in new play activity (Lindon, 1996) I would conclude by saying that Subhaan is showing typical normative motor skills and level of play even if some behaviour towards the adults can be interruptive, it might be a way to seek attention or an attempt to engage in interactive form of play.

Structure and Bonding of 5 different materials (Chemistry) Assignment

Structure and Bonding of 5 different materials (Chemistry) - Assignment Example Silicon dioxide forms a giant covalent structure/lattice, extending in all the 3 dimensions. Each silicon atom is covalently bonded to 4 oxygen atoms. A large number of covalent bonds are present. This renders it high strength and hardness. A huge amount of thermal energy is needed to overcome these forces and cause melting of silicon dioxide, which hence explains the high melting point. Similarly, energy of dissolution when dissolved isn’t high enough to make it soluble in either of the polar or non polar solvents. Since the atoms are rigidly fixed in their positions with no free electrons, silicon dioxide is not a conductor of electricity as such but behaves as a semi conductor. Carbon dioxide is a gaseous compound found in the atmosphere at concentrations of 0.3%. Carbon dioxide has a molecular structure where each carbon atom is covalently bonded to two oxygen atoms as shown in the figure. As the Mr of carbon dioxide is a mere 44, weak intermolecular forces (instantaneous dipole-induce dipole forces) exist between the molecules of the carbon dioxide (BBC Higher Bitesize, 2009). These are easier to overcome and therefore, carbon dioxide has a very low boiling point, such that it is present in the gaseous state at room temperature. Having no free electrons, it is a non-conductor of electricity. It can dissolve in water and other solvents owing to solute solvent interactions. Copper is metallic in nature, which is widely used in electrical wires owing it its high conductivity. It is hard yet malleable and ductile, has a high melting and boiling point and is insoluble in any kind of solvent. Metallic bond is formed the metal atom looses an electron to become a positively charged ion (Jim, 2010). The electrons (delocalised) form a sea of electrons which hold the positive metal ions together in a giant structure. These strong forces of attraction developed between the delocalised electrons and the metallic ions give copper it’s high melting and boil ing point. Moreover, it is the very same electrons that are free to move inside the metallic structure giving copper its good electrical properties (Green planet, 2011). Same electrons also act as thermal carriers making copper a good thermal conductor as well. The layers of atoms have the ability to move/slide over each other when a force is applied. This gives copper good malleability and ductility characteristics. However, this movement of layers is hindered by the grain boundaries which impart good hardness to copper as well. In water, each hydrogen atom is bonded to two oxygen atoms. Owing to the large difference in the electro negativity of the two, a partial positive charge appears on hydrogen while a partial negative charge is appears on oxygen. Furthermore, there exists a lone pair of electrons on the oxygen atom. When two water molecules come closer, a hydrogen bond is developed between the lone pair of electrons and the partially positively charged hydrogen atom (MDL, 200 8). This is a strong bond which raises the boiling point of hydrogen to 100oC. The absence of free electrons makes pure water a non-conductor of electricity and a bad thermal conductor. Being polar in nature, water is insoluble in organic solvents. Caesium Chloride forms a giant ionic lattice structure. Each caesium atom is bonded to eight chloride atoms through ionic bonds. Ionic bond exists because of large difference of electro negativities of the two atoms (Jim, 2010). The large number of strong ionic bonds

London's Fashion Today, From Primark to the club kids Essay

London's Fashion Today, From Primark to the club kids - Essay Example The essay "London's Fashion Today, From Primark to the club kids" discovers the London's fashion nowadays. On the one hand it is promoting healthy living, the other addicted to harmful habits. An important development today, small producers have been targeted at specific groups, and therefore base their production depending on needs of the groups.Fashion is the result of multifaceted interaction affect the mood of the masses of people. And the creation of models is often only show, because it is not demanded by society. And if to consider the notion of fashion, it is nothing like that by a majority. Thus the greatest success in the fashion of traditional "is the one who offers a range, not beyond the commonly accepted. Fashion innovators, or those who are promoting the new items in the estate are people who on their example show how to look like any new in the real world and the real person. Fashion is a major factor in the evolution of not only the costume, but a modern society in g eneral. To study the phenomenon of fashion as a special human culture began at the end of the XVIII century, interpreting it as an aesthetic phenomenon, due primarily to the changing aesthetic ideals and taste in art and costume. But to understand the true essence of the phenomenon of  «fashion », to reveal the underlying mechanisms of emergence and operation of society provided an opportunity for a sociological approach to the study of fashion. Researchers of fashion at the end of XIX-XX centuries considered fashion primarily.

Charlotte's web Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Charlotte's web - Essay Example It is true that in life the presence of both of these characters is important because both contribute a greater good of all to the world. The story describes Charlotte as a simple gray spider who tries to save Wilbur from being the food of the humans by planning a scheme in his favor. The story is an interesting example of friendship between two creatures different in size, shape, and nature. It explains that in life we need a company in order to survive, no matter if the friendship is for selfless or selfish reasons. Charlotte’s Web is a story elaborating how one can achieve anything if only they have the willpower and a string determination. It helps children understand the importance of will and teaches them a lesson and makes this book a perfect one to be read by all the children. Despite charlotte’s size she proves to be very helping for Wilbur, the pig, by saving its life with the power of her web. The spider’s web to an individual’s eyes seems weak and fragile but the story reveals that even if something seems weak and dainty doesn’t mean it is one. "A spiders web is stronger than it looks. Although it is made of thin, delicate strands, the web is not easily broken. However, a web gets torn every day by the insects that kick around in it, and a spider must rebuild it when it gets full of holes" (White et al 55). Secondly, to charlotte her web is like a paper, a medium through which she communicates. She uses her web to convey the messages to the people as she believes â€Å"People believe almost anything they see in print" (White et al 89). So, no matter how small a creature is if it knows its potential than nothing can stop it from using its power to make a mark. If Charlotte wouldn’t have been there then Wilbur could h ave died, who was triple her size. There is not much relation between fences and freedom for Wilbur, it seems that he has grown fond of being pampered by his owners. He is doubtful if he would like freedom, as at one occasion he

Relatioship with smart phones; Mass communication Essay

Relatioship with smart phones; Mass communication - Essay Example Furthermore, it can do most of the things a computer can do such as browsing the internet; one can access social networking sites like Facebook and Tweeter, download music and even watch TV (Kroski 2008, p.18). They are also used to determine to what social class a person belongs – the better and the more recent one’s iPhone is, the higher this person’s social class is, in people’s judgment. Despite their advantages, iPhones have negatively contributed to physical social interaction and created dependency and unhealthy addiction in users, which appears to portend the decline of some of humanities’ basic skills such as hand printing. Thanks to iPhones, people can communicate with others without being physically present, and this has led to them relegating the importance of face-to-face conversation in interpersonal communication. This often happens when someone has bad news to deliver and may opt to avoid sharing it face-to-face, so that he/she does not have to deal with another person’s reactions. Therefore, people with communication phobias and those who are nervous during conversations will find solace in the use of iPhones, may never overcome them, and may be easily falling into internet addiction (Shepherd & Edelmann 2001, p. 520). Hence, communication is stunted in that unless one is using video conferencing, which is not common, one is not able to receive immediate nonverbal feedback, and this makes communication incomplete. Unfortunately, this also makes lying easier since the recipient of the information is not privy to the cues that will allow him/her to detect deceit. Taking into consideration the use of emails and texts in communication, our writing skills will keep deteriorating, especially with technology such as iPads being introduced to young children in school. The majority of youths, especially in developed countries, rarely use a pen since they can send a text or email, which one can type on their iPhones. In addition, there is

Bit Coin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bit Coin - Essay Example Bit Coins can also be sent and received by the users after paying an optional transaction fees by using their mobile device, web application or wallet software of their computers. This payment system is used by businesses as well as customers for carrying out transactions. It is one of the most secure payment systems and therefore it has succeeded to grab the attention of many merchants (The Bitcoin Foundation ). Through Bit Coin it is easy to send and receive payment instantly from any part of the world, without any limitations. Bit Coins give the users the full access to their money. Another advantage of bit coin is that the payment is processed with small or no transaction fees. A transaction fee is optional if the users want their payment confirmation to be processed faster by the network. The merchant processor present in the system guides the merchant in payment transaction. Bit coin transaction is irreversible, secure and does not require the personal and sensitive information of the customers. This protects the users from losses occurred as the result of fraud and also there is no such need for PCI compliance. Bit Coin helps the merchants to expand in a market where credit cards are not available and where the rate of fraud is unacceptably high. Bit Coin system gives the users the full control of a transaction and therefore the merchant may not impose unnoticed or unwanted charges on the customer, the way it happens in other payment systems. Bit coin payments do not require the personal information of the users, which provides the customers protections against identity theft. The Bit Coins users may also protect their money with backup and encryption. Many people are still not aware about the concept of Bit Coin. With every passing day more and more businesses are adopting the Bit Coin payment system but still there is a need for the list to grow more, so that they may benefit from the network affect. The value of Bit Coin circulation and the

Maritime Law in Relation to Time Charter Hire Essay

Maritime Law in Relation to Time Charter Hire - Essay Example This is followed by definition of maritime law and providing a brief explanation to help understand the concept at hand. After looking at maritime law, the context then analyzes the two statements, identifying the best statement that suites maritime law as far as Time Charter Hire is concerned. The statements are: â€Å"I have come to the conclusion that hire must be treated in the same way as freight, and that to do so is not an extension of the established exception. It is only in comparatively modern times that the word ‘hire’ has been used. It was formerly known as ‘time freight’ or ‘time-chartered freight’. Indeed, in marine insurance terminology, ‘freight’ still includes ‘hire’.†Ã‚  (The Satya Kamal [1975] 2 Lloyd's Rep 188, per Donaldson J.) â€Å"‘Freight' is payable for carrying a quantity of cargo from one place to another. 'Hire' is payable for the right to use a vessel for a specified period of time, irrespective of whether the charterer chooses to use it for carrying cargo or lays it up, out of use. Every time charter contains clauses which are quite inappropriate to a voyage charter, such as the off-hire clause and the withdrawal clause. So different are the two concepts that I do not think the law as to 'freight' can be applied indiscriminately to 'hire.' (Lord Denning MR in The Nanfri [1978] QB 927.) Relationship between Maritime Law and Time Charter Hire Maritime law is a body of laws, treaties and conventions that presides over international confidential business or other matters engrossing ships, shipping or offenses taking place on open water2. Laws between countries controlling things like national versus international waters are regarded as public international law and are well identified as the Law of the Seas. Through these waters is where the business of time charter hire occurs where an individual can hire a vessel and use to transport cargos from one specif ic port to another. Maritime law, which is also termed as admiralty law, is one of the most developed and oldest types of law. It covers all the laws that rules over contract, tort, ships, marine business, shipping, and employee recompense assertions that take place on the navigable waters of the world. The law is helpful in determining the amount of freight to be issued to the vessel owner when used by a voyage charterer. Subjects of maritime law can encompass towage, salvage, maritime liens, marinas, maritime contracts, and maritime damages. This means that both voyage charter and time charter are covered by these law thus, enhancing contracts made between charterers and owners. Despite the fact that the subjects under the umbrella of maritime laws are many, there are numerous of them that are pretty interesting. For instance, there are rules that preside over what takes place when an individual finds property that had lost. Under international rules, if possession is lost on the water and found by another individual, the finder can assert a salvage present for recovered possession. As a result, if a ship is destructed and loses cargo during an awful ocean storm, the retriever can ask the shipping company to disburse them money for any of the cargo they recover. Note that this takes place after the vessel owner and the charterer have settled the issue of freight or hire. Therefore, if the vessel gets involved in lose of possession, the owner is not involved at all. The case now remains between the charterer and the retriever. In most cases, the salvage

Pro Capital Punishment Essay Example for Free

Pro Capital Punishment Essay According to my research there are some people who believe the death penalty is right just because it is safer to end one condemned life than to risk the lives of other innocent people. The death penalty is most commonly legal only for the most extreme cases, such as premeditated murder. Even in the event of murder, out of the 15,000 committed each year, we are only now reaching the 1,000 execution mark after thirty years! This plainly shows that those who may be pro capital punishment still use it sparingly. Also backing up the belief for using capital punishment are numerous stories of murderers who, after being released from prison, simply killed again. One such account reads, â€Å"In 1985, 13-year-old Karen Patterson was shot to death in her bed in North Charleston, S.C. Her killer was a neighbor who had already served 10 years of a life sentence for murdering his half-brother Charles in 1970. The murderer, Joe Atkins, cut the Pattersons phone lines, then entered bearing a machete, a sawed-off shotgun, and a pistol. Karens parents were chased out of their home by Atkins. Karens mom ran to the Atkins home nearby, where Joe then murdered his adopted father, Benjamin Atkins, 75, who had worked to persuade parole authorities to release Joe from the life sentence.† Other accounts show that a life sentence simply is not always enough to stop a person from repeating their crimes. â€Å"In 1965, Robert Massie murdered mother of two Mildred Weiss in San Gabriel, Calif., during a follow-home robbery. Hours before execution, a stay was issued so Massie could testify against his accomplice. Massies sentence was commuted to life when the Supreme Court halted executions in 1972. Receiving an undeserved second chance, Massie was paroled, but eight months later robbed and murdered businessman Boris Naumoff in San Francisco.† From a religious standpoint a religion that does endorse capital punishment under certain circumstances is Islam. According to the Qu’ran in Al’ Ma’idah 5:33 â€Å"The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make corruption (Fasad) in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be banished from the land; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement† This shows that they believe in the death penalty for those who simply cause corruption or bring disgrace upon Islam, especially if the perpetrator is a former Muslim. The other justification for the death penalty, according to Islam, is murder. If anyone kills a person unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land it would be as if he killed all people. And if anyone saves a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all people (Quran 5:32). This obviously states that murderers should undergo the same penalty as the crime they commited. My personal beliefs about capital punishment are fairly in the middle of the road. On the one hand I do not believe it is sinful for criminals to be put to death, as the Bible clearly endorsed the idea in the Old Testament In Genesis 9:6 it says â€Å" Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.† The New Testament of course contains more of the â€Å"grace† approach and therefore I tend to lean more that way. Although even in the New Testament the Bible states in Romans 13: 4 â€Å" For he ( the police, judges, etc.) is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.† Clearly this endorses capital punishment for evildoers. On the other hand, people in America are judged as guilty by a group of people who do their best but can hardly be 100% sure on their verdict. Human error may cause and no doubt has caused some innocent people to be condemned to death while some of the guilty roam free among us. That makes me uneasy, and is very disturbing. But is that a legitimate reason to do away with the death penalty? That is a hard question to answer, but I believe the answer is no. I believe there are certain cases where capital punishment is absolutely necessary, but I have to say that I would not want to be the one who makes that decision. How do you judge which life is more valuable than another? The other question has to do with whether or not capital punishment is truly a deterrent to others from committing crimes. There are strong arguments on both sides of that question but it is hard to judge when because of the appeals process and other delays and red tape, only a small percentage of those sentenced ever get put to death. I refer back to the fact that only about 1000 people have been executed during the last 30 years when there have been nearly half a million murders in America! So the argument that capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime carries no weight to me. Therefore, it is still my personal belief that capital punishment should be used, with discretion, after a fair trial, and in certain cases, but I also believe that once the decision has been made, it should be executed with much greater speed. Death row shouldn’t be a mile long. I believe that once the judge has given the sentence, there should be a much faster process to the day of execution. I hate the thought of an innocent person being executed, but even worse are the hundreds of thousands of victims who are left without feeling that justice was done for their loved ones and the millions who are at risk because of the leniency of our justice system. My partner and I got along quite well. We had an easy time discussing our material and he was not difficult to deal with. He spent the time given researching, and kept in touch with me to review our presentations. When we met the next day, he was there at the time agreed upon and +wasn’t full of complaints, which I appr eciate. Brandon is a good partner and I would work with him again.

The Importance Of Personal Networks Social Work Essay

The Importance Of Personal Networks Social Work Essay Personal networks are an important factor in peoples daily lives. People who are embeded in a network of personal relationships experience a higher level of well-being than those who are socially isolated.The following is a critical reflection analysis about themes that I found to be most meaningful during the course of the term. The themes include the importance of a social network for the older adult, as well as how this type of network can impact their quality of life. An exploration of these themes will be provided using literature along with my own personal experience. This reflection will highlight the insight that I have gained from this analysis as it relates to my future nursing practice. In addition this reflection will address nursing implications for providing superior client relations. Exploration of Themes Social relationships of older adults along with their access to social support networks can influence the general health and well being of this population ( ). The existences of social support networks are important for the older adults identity, self-respect, social integration, feeling of security, companionship, as well as practical and emotional support. For example, my grandparents live alone, however, at the same time they have a network of friends, relatives and inter-faith community members on which they can depend on. On the other hand, my neighbour who is 76 years and widowed, is isolated from meaningful and supportive social relationships. My insight into the plight of the elderly, combined with my compassion towards this vulnerable population, compels me to visit her home and spend prolonged time in conversation. We talk at length about her day, her baking, and her fond memories. My neighbour often expresses a deep sense of appreciation for my frequent visits and I feel s atisfacation that she allows me to participate in her enthusiasm and happiness. A social network can stimulate the mind of the older adult as well as increase their level of energy and motivation. If the older adult lacks the support of a social network, it can often lead to isolation and depression ( ). There are a variety of social factors that contribute to an older adult being socially isolated. This includes being female, having a low income, being widowed or divorced, are experiencing family conflicts, and lastly who are experiencing ageism (BC article). According to these criteria, my neighbour is definitely at risk of being socially isolated. Evidence suggests that there are health promoting effects of social relationships. Socially isolated older adults have a two-fold increase in mortality from all causes (Jeannette, 2009). A lack of social support among the older adult population has been associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes in older age, ranging from depression and self-harm, to deteriorating physical health. (Jeanneate) (Dennis et al ., 2005). Research supports that various types of social support from different sources are associated with positive health outcomes. Social relationships are also thought to be a key factor in psychological health including an individuals happiness and subjective well being (tomaka). In a study that looked at the ranking of importance of different aspects of life for adults over the age of 65, they consistently ranked their relationships with their family and friends as the second most important factor after their health (Kobayashi, Cloutier-Fisher Roth, 2008). Among the older adult population, the social integration and overall participation in society are considered vital indicators of productive and health ageing ( ). According to the World Health Organization (2003), social support for the older adult population has a strong protective effect on overall health and can influence their quality of life (QOL). The QOL for the older adult that have chronic illnesses and who live at home are highly influenced by the presence of and the accessibility to social networks. Therefore, finding ways to help older adults engage in social networks that are productive and enjoyable is an important aspect of ageing. Future Nursing Practice and Nursing Implications Throughout my analysis, I have gained a great deal of insight with regard to the importance of a having a social network and its impact on the QOL of older adults. It has increased my awareness and compassion to the importance of friends, family and community support in creating a social network for the older adult in order to maintain or increase their overall QOL. It is important to reduce the amount of isolation that older adults face even those that have families. In practice, it is paramount for nurses to be aware of the older adults social support networks, along with advocating for the creation of further networks in order to tailor to the complex needs of older adults. Upon reflection, I would use Newmans theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness as my approach when I consider the importance of ensuring that social support networks are in place for my clients prior to discharge from a hospital. Newman (2004) describes human beings as open energy systems in constant interac tion with the environment. Therefore, the way for nurses to understand the health of an older adult is by understanding the individuals pattern of relating to the environment. Thus being said, the social network of an adult is crucial to reduce dependency among the older adult population by improving time spent with this group and having more interaction with the elderly (Souraya LeClerc, 2008) In conclusion, despite the salience of recent studies devoted to ageism that examines social support and well-being, this body of nursing research has paid limited attention to the increasing prevalence of social isolation among older adults in Canada or its relationship with health status. More research is needed in these areas as older adult Canadians are living longer, alone, and with a reduced number of social contacts (McPherson, 2004). Social isolation is not an easy topic for policy. It is a problem that cannot be identified with more familiar social topics as education, economic independence, societal participation and social cohesion. Nurses need to advocate on the importance of gaining emotional, practical and relational support for this population. This reflection has brought up the issue of mental health among the older adult population. From a personal standpoint, it saddens me to see the lack of interaction that exist among the older adult population suffering from a mental illness. I believe that further attention needs to be focused in this area by creating more social support programs and increasing access to these services for this cohort. As a result of this experience I have become more professionally attentive to my interactions with the older adult client on the units that I am working on. Being empathetic has made me realize that it must be challenging for the older adult to be looked after as they were once independent individuals who could take care of themselves. I can see how nurses can become frustrated with this population combined with a heavy workload, but I do feel that this population carries with them a lot of wealth and wisdom. Introduction Identification of theme(s) in your reflective writing. Exploration and analysis of themes that are most meaningful to you Significant learning or insights gained from your analysis that will guide your practice Nursing implications Choose any 2 topics; use references; combination reflection + scholarly Jeannette, G., et al. (2009). Loneliness, social support networks, mood and wellbeing in community-dwelling elderly. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry,24 (7): 694- 700. Tomaka, J., Thompson, S., Palacios, S. (2006). The relation of social isolation, loneliness, and social support to disease outcomes among the elderly. Journal of Ageing and Health, 18(3), 359-384.   Kobayashi, K., Cloutier-Fisher, D., Roth, M. (2008). Making meaningful connections: a profile of social isolation and health among older adults in small town and small city, British Columbia. Journal of aging and health, 21(2), 374. When measuring the level of access that older adults have to social support networks or the risk of social isolation, it can provide a valuable means to gathering information on their living arrangements (stats can).

Reviews in Evidence-based Practice

Reviews in Evidence-based Practice In an era of evidence-based nursing, care providers need to base their clinical decisions on the preferences of patients, their clinical expertise, as well as the current best available research evidence relevant for practice (Beaven and McHugh, 2003; Mulhall, 1998; Sackett and Rosenberg, 1995). EBP, as a decision-making process which integrates the best available research, clinical expertise and patients characteristics (Sackett et al., 1997), is believed to be a valuable practice which lead to progress in peoples *psychosocial experiences of illness and healthcare as well as in nursing professional development (Hamer, 2005). Muir-Gray (1996) highlights that it bridges the gap between the discovery of knowledge and the time the knowledge is applied in practice, and Thompson (1998) believes it is a guarantee for doing the right things right. On this basis, systematic reviews has been found as the cornerstone of EBP, stem from Cochranes work on evidence based medicine in the late 1970s. It has been considered the gold standard for measuring the effectiveness of an intervention (NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, 2001). As a secondary research method, it collates the best evidence about the clinical problem so that conclusions can be drawn about effective practices considering the potential benefits and harm (Hamer, 2005). In fact, with SR being a process for systematically identifying, scrutinising, tabulating and perhaps integrating all relevant studies, thus allowing for a more objective appraisal thatn single studies (Sackett et al., 1997), it has become an indispensable aiding tool in improving practice and quality of care particularly for busy health professionals who do not have enough time for keeping up to date with all the newest research (Greenhalgh, 1997). Obviously, SRs are important in nursing in order to discover areas where reviews and research are needed and minimise unnecessary duplication of nursing research (Sackett et al., 1997). Thus, there is a requirement to build up a process to provide the results of research findings in a concise way (Mulrow and Cook, 1997). SRs play a vital role in providing fast access to condensed up to date knowledge and offering a new opportunity for EBP in nursing (Muri-Gray, 1996). Meanwhile, SRs in EBP has a key value as it offer the best approach to determining the highest quality evidence in order to answer clinical questions or solve any conflicting findings (Roberts and Yeager, 2004). And, by adhering closely to scientific procedures, which delimit these biases, according to Schlosser (2006), then SR remains the best vehicle for practitioners to gain access to wide-ranging evidence to aid their practice. For healthcare professionals, the most important concern in the various debates surrounding EBP is what should establish the evidence for clinical practice (Egger et al., 2001). Thus, in the early 1990s, the term review of effectiveness emerged and the hierarchy of evidence based on the quality of evidence rating was headed by randomised controlled trials (RCTs)(Cooke et al., 1992). RCT is a considered a quantitative study design, which aims to reduce the bias of confusing issues, manipulate a definite intervention and inspect a possible cause-effect relationship between variables by contrasting different interventions between study groups (Cook et al., 1992). Besides RCTs, there have been additional cohort studies, case series (either post-test or pre-test), well-designed pseudorandomised controlled trials and case-control studies (Cook et al., 1992). SRs of high-quality RCTs with consistent results are considered to be top of the hierarchy of evidence, the most trustworthy evidence for studying the effects of interventions, contrasting with single RCTs which may derive a false conclusion (Kunz et al., 1998). Thornley and Adams (1998) confirmed that a single study is sometimes inadequate to detect the certainty of an intervention, differentiate between the effects of one, or to recognise the causal relationship between variables of treatments because of the small sample size of patients, which may inhibit the formation of true conclusions. This could be a medical hazard if healthcare decision makers base policies on erroneous data from single trials (Jadad and Enkin, 2007). Based on the foregoing, SR can integrate more than one study and facilitate the drawing of more real, objective, transparent conclusion to support the evidence in making clinical decisions (Sackett and Wennberg, 1998). From this standpoint, the tendency was to concentrate on SRs of RCTs and exclude other quantitative, qualitative or economic evaluation study designs (Dixon-Woods et al., 2004). On the otherhand, it has been debated that RCTs are not suitable for all circumstances (Dixon-Woods et al., 2004). For instance, if we want to explore the lived experiences of listening to music as a postoperative pain management intervention, the appropriate method to study that is through a qualitative design (phenomenology) (Greenland, 1987). Clearly, the worth of other reviews cannot be neglected because, they have a great influence in discovering the essential features of findings, which can direct future research design and clarify current levels of knowledge (Sackett and Wennberg, 1998). A closer look at the above will reveal that there are two main approaches of quantitative systematic reviews. The first is the SR of a single study design, which includes primary studies having the same study design (eg. RCTs). The second type is the systematic review, which summarises and combines the results from more than one study using statistical techniques and can sum up the outcomes of similar, but independent studies, to produce a single estimate of treatment effects (eg. Cohort studies) (Jadad and Enkin, 2007). This technique is called meta-analysis, which can provide a quantitative synthesis of the research. One of the purposes of meta-analysis is to reduce the uncertainty or controversy, and to reduce the bias and increase precision of the conclusions of a review (Sackett and Wennberg, 1998). However, the use of meta-analysis method is not necessary in every single systematic review. For instance, if the characteristics of the included studies are dissimilar or questionable, it may be inappropriate or even misleading to statistically pool results to give a meaningless summary; in this case, a narrative summary should be presented (Jadad and Enkin, 2007). A systematic review is considered to be a process to locate all studies for a specific purposeful question (drawn from research and other resources), critically appraise the methods of the studies, summarise the outcomes, present key findings, identify reasons for varied outcomes across the studies, and identify limitations of existing knowledge (Khan et al., 2003). In other words, it is a tool to collect and assess all relevant research evidence giving informative, experimental answers to scientific research questions (Evans, 2001). Systematic reviews are different from traditional literature/ narrative/ critical reviews (Khan et al., 2003). Despite often being very helpful as background reading, they have a number of disadvantages. They differ from the systematic reviews in that they are subjective, and not guided by a peer-reviewed protocol, and as such cannot be replicated; moreover, those studies that support the authors point of view are more likely to be selected (*Ravnskov, 1992). In addition, traditional narrative reviews may make different reviewers reach dissimilar conclusions from the same research bases (Teagarden, 1989). Thus, they appear lacking in rigorous scientific design to minimise the risk of biases or ensure reliability (Khan et al., 2003). The systematic review overcomes the problems which traditional narrative reviews have, through making the review process obvious. In this way, it is possible for the reader to replicate the process of the review and establish the generality and transparency of scientific findings (Egger et al., 2001). Moreover, it also provides objectivity for information by summarising the results of otherwise unmanageable quantities of research (*Ravnnskov, 1992). The rationale for undertaking a systematic review in the field of healthcare has been well established, according to Torgerson (1998) and is firmly embedded in the scientific paradigm. As the importance of EBP continues to be promoted, the profile and acceptability of systematic reviews prosper, and a constantly expanding volume of data needs to be considered by practitioners and researchers. However, it is impossible to read, critically evaluate and synthesise the state of knowledge, let alone update this regularly (Egger et al., 2001). Thus, the systematic review has become an essential tool for keeping up to date with the new evidence accumulating in a field of study. While reducing the ever-increasing torrent of published and unpublished research into manageable portions, Clarkson et al. (2003) explains that the systematic review also reduces both systematic errors (biases) and random errors (those occurring by chance). It provides a more objective, comprehensive view of the literature, which is of high quality and relevant to specific clinical practice. Yet clearly, this rationale does not exclusively apply to healthcare research. Systematic reviews can also provide raw material for establishing clinical guidelines and help plan new research by identifying existing gaps (Pearson et al., 2005). Clarkson et al. (2003) add that it can be used to formulate policy and develop guidelines on healthcare organisation and delivery. They are of particular benefit in areas of clinical uncertainty or where there is a wide variation in practice. Thus, healthcare providers, researchers and policy-makers can use systematic reviews to efficiently integrate existing information, providing data for rational decision-making. Systematic reviews not only inform clinical decision-making, but also inform the research agenda. The comprehensive searching, appraising and synthesising of research literature does not guarantee a definitive answer to a scientific research question (Clarkson and Ismail, 2003). By identifying questions for which, at present, there is insufficient good quality evidence upon which to base clinical decisions, systematic reviews highlight areas requiring further research. Conversely, the authors also point out that the results of systematic review may provide strong evidence regarding the benefits or harms of a particular intervention, and may actually preclude a new study from being conducted. Based on the foregoing Cochranes work on evidence-based medicine (NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, 2001), conducting a systematic review is a gold-standard procedure for assessing the effectiveness of music as a postoperative pain management intervention. A systematic review is a piece of work / research that identifies relevant articles and synthesises the results obtained from the studies , critiquing them for their quality using a framework, possibly using a meta-analysis to help summarise the findings (Khan et al., 2003; Egger et al., 2001). They are vital tools for the healthcare practitioner/ worker/ clinician because research accumulates quickly and systematic reviews summarise large amounts of research, helping to make the information more accessible and easier to understand and use (Egger et al., Parahoo, 1997). Systematic reviews provide a reliable summary of the available evidence and this helps make clinical decisions (Lancaster et al., 1997). Reviews are a way of informing readers of patterns, strengths and limitations of the methodology used and this helps to make recommendations for future research (Parahoo, 1997). All available evidence on a specific topic is collected, analysed and synthesised (Parahoo, 1997) and by combining the information and assessing them together it is hoped that a clear conclusion can be formed (Davies and Crombie, 2003; Lancaster et al., 1997). Meta-analysis is often employed to collate primary research data from various critiqued articles and this can give an overall summary statistic or pooled estimate effect (Chalmers and Altman, 1995). Combining data from several primary studies increases the power of the result and hence allows readers to be more aware of the efficacy of the intervention (Chalmers and Altman, 1995; Lancaster et al., 1997). Systematic reviews permit a more objective view/ appraisal of the research than narrative reviews and this helps to sort out disputes between different articles (Egger et al., 2001). Narrative reviews are said to have lower quality than systematic reviews and several reasons are given for this by Egger et al., 2001. Classical reviews are subjective so are susceptible to bias and error. Systematic reviews have strict protocols whereas classical reviews do not necessarily have formal rules/ structure which may lead to error. Once studies have been identified, the author may only include studies that support their view rather than systematically looking at the evidence and the characteristicis of the study to help form a conclusion. This explains why reviewers using the classical (traditional) methods may obtain different answers and miss small but potentially significant differences. This in turn may lead to conclusions from a reviewer being associated more with the qualification and specialty of the author/ researcher/ reviewer than the presented data particularly in controversial areas. Systematic reviews are therefore more objective because all potentially relevant studies are gathered using a specific protocol, the results cna be tabulated and analysed, possibly using meta-analysis leading to a more objective appraisal which can help resolve uncertainties when study conclusions differ. Systematic reviews can highlight any conflicts or inconsistencies in the research and this can be studied (Chalmers and Altman, 1995), hence, systematic reviews have been described as being at the top of the hierarchy of evidence (Davies and Crombie, 2003). Implications from the ever expanding volumes of healthcare literature (Beaven and McHugh, 2003) means that, it is impossible for a clinician to access, let alone understand, the primary evidence that informs practice (Glasziou, Irwig and Colditz, 2001; Handoll et al., 2008). As a result of this, useful research studies and valuable findings are concealed and abandoned as a whole (Beaven and McHugh, 2003). Systematic reviews of primary studies are therefore an essential aspect of evidence-based healthcare for practitioners who want to keep up to date with evidence in making informed clinical decisions (Lipp, 2005; Glasziou et al., 2001; Handoll et al., 2008; Schlosser/ FOCUS, 2010). Commencing with a well-defined research question, such reviews utilise explicit methods to systematically identify, select, critically appraise, extract, analyse and synthesise data from relevant studies on a particular topic (Handoll et al., 2008; Petticrew and Roberts, 2006; Wright et al., 2007; Sackett et al., 2000). This process helps to minimise bias (Cook, Mulrow and Haynes, 1997), eliminate poorly conducted studies, confers power to the results that may not be given to individual studies (Lipp, 2005) and thus provide practitioners with reliable, valid and condensed evidence (Glasziou et al., 2001) in a considerably shorter period of time (Mulrow, Langhorne, and Grimshaw, 1997). Systematic reviews may involve the use of statistical methods (meta-analysis) (Handoll et al., 2008) in estimating the precision of treatment effects (Egger, Smith and ORourke, 2001). Unlike traditional narrative reviews, systematic reviews allow for a more objective appraisal of the evidence and may thus contribute to resolving uncertainty when original research, and reviews disagree (Egger et al., 2001). By using an efficient scientific technique, systematic reviews also can counteract the need for further research studies and stimulate the timelier implementation of findings into practice (Lipp, 2005). They can also inform the research agenda by identifying gaps in the evidence and generating research questions that will shape future research (Eagly and Wood, 1994; Handoll et al., 2008; Lipp, 2005). In spite of the numerous benefits of systematic reviews, they are not without challenges. Apart from being laborious (Petticrew Roberts, 2006), they require expertise in the subject matter as well as the review process (Manchikanti, 2008). Despite it being a rigorous, transparent methodology of search, appraisal, data extraction, retrieval, data synthesis and interpretation of the evidence from primary studies, there are limitations of early forms of SR methodology (associated with the hierarchy of evidence approach and advocated by the Cochrane movement) that are increasingly well recognised (Cooke et al., 1992). One of these limitations is that SR is a time-consuming process and it needs appropriate understanding of the research designs and methods together with knowledge of techniques for analysis, including statistical test (Gerrish and Lacey, 2006). Although the intention is to be systematic in the identification of studies and extraction of data, the systematic review process inherently has biases: of included studies, from poor search as well as publication related (Evans, 2001). In the same vein, language bias which exclude studies in languages other than English in the appraisal, in some way weaken the review as well (Evans, 2001). It is important to identify the most appropriate research design to fit the question. A systematic review was chosen since the research aim is to summarise lots of data collected in primary studies, which requires a systematic approach.

Social Construct of a Pool Hall Essays -- Billiards Bars Games Essays

Social Construct of a Pool Hall Billiards, or more commonly referred to as pool has been played for many decades. In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century it was played by those of upper class standing in their homes. Over the twentieth century pool shifted roles, becoming part of middle and lower class society. With the class change, pool also moved out of the home and into bars and halls. Pool has been forever transformed; today there are three main groups of pool players to be found in pool halls; professional players: blue collar players, and teenage players. Non-pool players hold a very stereotypical view of what makes up a pool hall and its patrons. It tends to be a bar, full of drunkenness and fighting. Gambling, smoking, and trashy women standing next to their men. As one mother of five children stated in her interview, "it's motorcycle people." Here she was referring to the type of people who go to pool halls. And while she has never been herself, nor does she plan to go, she describes her motorcycle people as wearing, "leather jackets with fringe over dirty white t-shirts." These stereotypes could be possible for the lack of families and older couples who would go to pool halls. As with many stereotypes, this one is also inaccurate, of the three groups, the description of a "motorcycle person" does not fit in. To define the groups of pool players, I studied a pool hall in Waterford, Michigan. This pool hall is located on the Waterford border with Pontiac, right off the main highway, in a collapsing business district. This area has seen its better days; it is now falling down the economic ladder. Now it resembles many inner cities of America. The hall is tucked back in off the highway, next ... ...oup that should be left unrecognized, the women. Players from the lower groups do not strive to become members of the professional players, as professional players do not wish to move down in the ranks. The order is set; there are very few transfers between the groups. The three groups: the professional players, the blue-collar players, and the teenagers, have forever transformed the atmosphere of the pool hall. While many stereotypes exist concerning what a pool hall is, many are not true. It is not full of "motorcycle people," nor is it a drunken scene as depicted in movies. It is a place of social construct, such as everything in society. Works Cited Jennifer. Gender Relations and Alchol: An examination of The Cocktail Waitress: Women's work in a Man's World. 5 November 2001. http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/6265/papers/gender/cocktailwaitress.html.

africa Essay -- essays research papers

African Cultures   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Africa has more than 800 languages native to its continent. African cultures are so diverse that they are different from any other culture of the world. African cultures contain many different languages. African languages range from common French to languages unheard of to most people such as Swahili. African arts are much different than American arts. Their art involves much more creative pottery, masks, and paintings. Africa has a very interesting culture. Reasons being the people are very creative and like to express their individuality. The most diverse cultures in the world belong to Africa. There are more than 800 languages spoken in the continent of Africa. Most Africans speak two or three languages, their primary language, or â€Å"mother-tongue†, and a second or third language to communicate with people from other close by areas (Fetzer A-102). African languages are broken up into four individual categories: Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, Afro-Asiatic, and Khosian. The most commonly heard two categories are Niger-Congo and Nilo-Saharan. Both of these groups can modify the meanings of words by the tone of the speakers’ voice. Niger-Congo languages are spoken of the people in West Africa, below the Sahara desert, Southern and Central Africa. Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken mainly in Central Africa. Afro-Asiatic languages are mainly spoken in Northern and Northeastern Africa. This group includes Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, and Arabic. Khoisan languages are spoken mostly in Southern Africa by Bushmen, members of traditionally roaming hunting people, and Hottentots, members of pastoral people of Namibia and South Africa. Khoisan languages are communicative through clicking sounds (Fetzer A-102). Some South Africans speak Afrikaans, a language that was developed from Dutch. Europeans in African speak Portuguese, French, and English (Fetzer A-102). English is becoming very recognized in the countries of Africa. The 1991 South African Census concluded that 45% of the people in South Africa have a speaking knowledge of English. It also concluded that 10% refer to English as their â€Å"mother-tongue†. The most common languages in South Africa are Xhosa, Tswana, Zulu, and Swahili (African Languages). Zulu is one of nine Bantu languages spoken in East Southern Africa. Approximately 8.8 million people speak t... ... language of Africans (African Individuality).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ceremonies are held when someone changes their social status and social relationship with those in the community. There are about six ceremonies in ones life. The first is their birth, the second is their maturity, third is their marriage, fourth is their child bearing, fifth is their elderliness, sixth is their death. Ceremonies are simply socially approved methods of participating in pleasurable events (African Individuality).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Africans view body modifications as beauty. Body modifications, such as piercing, have been practiced in Africa for centuries. People there believe that one is not fully human and cannot be distinguished from animals if not pierced. Piercing is brought with royalty and portrays courage of a person (African Cultures Piercing). African cultures are different from any other culture in the world. The languages of Africa are unique in their own way. The arts of Africa are beautiful and different from any other arts in the world. African people are creative and like to express their individuality. Africa is a very original continent with lots of culture. africa Essay -- essays research papers African Cultures   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Africa has more than 800 languages native to its continent. African cultures are so diverse that they are different from any other culture of the world. African cultures contain many different languages. African languages range from common French to languages unheard of to most people such as Swahili. African arts are much different than American arts. Their art involves much more creative pottery, masks, and paintings. Africa has a very interesting culture. Reasons being the people are very creative and like to express their individuality. The most diverse cultures in the world belong to Africa. There are more than 800 languages spoken in the continent of Africa. Most Africans speak two or three languages, their primary language, or â€Å"mother-tongue†, and a second or third language to communicate with people from other close by areas (Fetzer A-102). African languages are broken up into four individual categories: Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, Afro-Asiatic, and Khosian. The most commonly heard two categories are Niger-Congo and Nilo-Saharan. Both of these groups can modify the meanings of words by the tone of the speakers’ voice. Niger-Congo languages are spoken of the people in West Africa, below the Sahara desert, Southern and Central Africa. Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken mainly in Central Africa. Afro-Asiatic languages are mainly spoken in Northern and Northeastern Africa. This group includes Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, and Arabic. Khoisan languages are spoken mostly in Southern Africa by Bushmen, members of traditionally roaming hunting people, and Hottentots, members of pastoral people of Namibia and South Africa. Khoisan languages are communicative through clicking sounds (Fetzer A-102). Some South Africans speak Afrikaans, a language that was developed from Dutch. Europeans in African speak Portuguese, French, and English (Fetzer A-102). English is becoming very recognized in the countries of Africa. The 1991 South African Census concluded that 45% of the people in South Africa have a speaking knowledge of English. It also concluded that 10% refer to English as their â€Å"mother-tongue†. The most common languages in South Africa are Xhosa, Tswana, Zulu, and Swahili (African Languages). Zulu is one of nine Bantu languages spoken in East Southern Africa. Approximately 8.8 million people speak t... ... language of Africans (African Individuality).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ceremonies are held when someone changes their social status and social relationship with those in the community. There are about six ceremonies in ones life. The first is their birth, the second is their maturity, third is their marriage, fourth is their child bearing, fifth is their elderliness, sixth is their death. Ceremonies are simply socially approved methods of participating in pleasurable events (African Individuality).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Africans view body modifications as beauty. Body modifications, such as piercing, have been practiced in Africa for centuries. People there believe that one is not fully human and cannot be distinguished from animals if not pierced. Piercing is brought with royalty and portrays courage of a person (African Cultures Piercing). African cultures are different from any other culture in the world. The languages of Africa are unique in their own way. The arts of Africa are beautiful and different from any other arts in the world. African people are creative and like to express their individuality. Africa is a very original continent with lots of culture.