Analyze Attitudes Toward and Evaluate the Motivations Behind

Analyze attitudes toward and evaluate the motivations behind the European acquisition of African colonies in the period 1880 to 1914 During the late 1800’s, Europe was looking for a way to improve themselves as a whole. With growing population and a steady decline in available work, something new had to be done. Countries looked towards Africa to serve as new colonies for the Europeans in order to better their own countries. During the European acquisition of African colonies in the period 1880 to 1914 Europe’s attitude towards Africa was that Africa was the inferior race in comparison to the Europeans.With the help of a strong feeling of nationalism, Europeans were motivated to acquire new lands in order to improve their motherland’s power and economy with new available work. In the years from 1880 to 1914, Europe’s attitude towards the acquisition of Africa’s land is that the Europeans were more advanced race and felt as if it was their right as E uropeans to take the lands for themselves. This statement is supported by document 11, in which Martial Henri Merlin, the governor of French Equatorial of Africa’s speech in 1910.In this speech, Henri claims that it is the, â€Å"right of a civilized, fully developed race to occupy territories which have been left fallow by backward peoples who are plunged into barbarianism†¦ What we exercised is a right. † This speech shows the attitude of the Europeans by saying that it is the European’s right to take that land from the uncivilized people of Africa. Henri clearly views Africa as the inferior race by calling the backwards and barbarians. He also justifies his actions by calling it a right of the Europeans to do this.Another example of Europe’s attitude toward Africans is exampled by document 6 George Washington Williams in his letter to Leopold II in 1890. In this letter, it says, â€Å"When he gave the black brother a cordial grasp of the hand, th e black brother was surprised to find his white brother so strong that he nearly knocked him off his feet. † In this letter, George is demonstrating how he can use the new advancements in technology, to fool the uneducated and uninformed African people that he is stronger and more dominant.These methods were used to acquire land by making treaties with native chiefs shows Europe’s attitude and how they will do whatever they want in order to acquire more lands. The motivation behind conquering colonies in Africa starts with the opportunity to thrive economically. In document 9 from the Resolution of the German Social Democratic Party Congress 1900, it states that acquiring new lands, â€Å"†¦corresponds†¦to the greedy desire of the bourgeoisie for new opportunities to invest†¦ [in] new markets.This shows one of the motivations for colonization; to invest and open new markets in the new lands in hope to make a profit. The desire for new markets in Europe w as getting bigger and bigger now that the population was rising and jobs were becoming scarce. Colonizing new areas in Africa would lead to more imports and exports leading to more jobs which seemed appealing to most people. Supporting the idea of creating a better economy is document 4, which is a speech in 1888 by Joseph Chamberlain.In his speech he says, â€Å"We have suffered much in this country from depression of trade. We know how many of our fellow-subjects are at this moment unemployed. † This quote shows that Britain’s trade is declining with other nations and many of the people are unemployed. This is motivation for the British to colonize in Africa because with new colonies in Africa, trade would increase between Britain and the rest of Europe from the recourses Africa can provide. Colonizing in Africa would bring more money and more jobs to Europeans so it motivated people to do so.Apart from economic growth, Europeans also supported the colonization of Af rica because is made the motherland powerful. In Europe, there was no room to have countries expand their borders, meaning colonizing in Africa was the only way to do so. In Document 1, Prince Leopold II had a conversation in 1861 in which he said, â€Å"Colonies are useful, that they play a great part in that which makes up the power and prosperity of states†¦ let us strive to get one in our turn†¦to lead to progress in every sense†¦ [and] prove to the world that Belgians are an imperial people. Colonies were not only used to gain wealth but they were also a sign of power. The more land that a country can acquire, the more of a threat they can be to other countries. Gaining power is a very big motivation for Europeans to colonize Africa. In this conversation, Prince Leopold strongly suggests that Belgians should see the colonizing as a step toward domination and more power and should support the cause. Another person to encourage the colonization of Africa is Benjam in Disraeli, the British prime minister. In his speech to the House of Commons regarding the Suez Canal (doc. 0) he says, â€Å" I have always and do now recommend [colonizing] as a political transaction, and one which I believe is calculated to strengthen the empire. † Although Benjamin believes that it is not a good financial investment to purchase the land and hope for a profit, he finds that the new land will strengthen the empire by expanding its boarders to new lands in Africa. Power serves as a motivational factor because all countries want to be more powerful than its rivals and power comes from the expansion of a country’s boarders.Nationalism also contributes towards the power of a country and nationalism is displayed in document 12. Louis Bernard, a French colonial official, wrote in a memoir that he â€Å"found the image of a victorious and conquering France†¦ I was in a country of empire, an empire in which I participated instead of submitting, as it was in our annexed, Alsace and Lorraine. † Louis believes that his country is better than it is currently doing because of his strong sense of nationalism. Louis sees France as an empire which fought and didn’t surrender.He believes that France could hold more power than what it currently wields now. His motivation to see France as an empire is why France is motivated to secure parts of Africa for themselves. Through the early 20th century, countries in Europe were looking to becoming more powerful than their rivals. With this need to be better, countries looked to Africa to expand their country’s boarders in order to gain power and enhance their country’s economy. Europeans justified their actions because they saw the Africans as barbaric and backwards people and thought that it was the European’s right to take African lands.

Son of God

Page 1 Marrisa Lumia Jesus Across the Millennium March 29, 2012 Jesus: The Son of God A meaning behind a name can be very significant. It can be a way to interpret someone, describe him or her, and see who he or she really is. Jesus is a man who has numerous names and various meanings to them. He is the known as a teacher, a famous prophet, a miracle worker, and a wonderful example. One significant name that Jesus is known for is the Son of God. At the heart of the Nicene Creed it states â€Å" the only- begotten Son of God†. The Son of God is to be of the same nature as God and the Son of God is â€Å"of God†.Out of all the names for Jesus, Son of God has had one of the most lifelong impacts in Christian history and has become part of the profession of faith by many Christians. But according to the theological view, Jesus is known as a respected prophet, but not as the Son of God. The Son of God is extremely significant in the historical context, Christianity, and to t he theological view. What exactly does the Son of God mean? Literally speaking, it does not mean that God procreated him, it is much more spiritual than that. Jesus was â€Å"chosen to be† the â€Å"Son of God† by the Resurrection from the dead.This was not in human flesh, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. This means because of the Resurrection from the dead, Jesus Page 2 was not just another physical offspring of David. Jesus was the divine Son of God who went sent down from God to save us. There is disagreement about Jesus’ nature and his relationship with God the Father. Many believe in the trinity and use expressions God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in attempts to express this saying as all three persons. On the other hand, many believe that there is only one highest being who expressed Himself in three different ways.They believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are purely forms of God. While others trust that God is the o nly divine being and that Christ is only a created being. It is taught in the Bible that the Messiah was Jesus, whose â€Å"mortal† parents were Joseph and Mary of Nazareth. Jesus was a man who lived a sinless life and then gave His life on the cross in order to redeem mankind from their sins. According to John 1:11-12, â€Å"He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. The historical view of Jesus had many names and meanings, but in the Scriptures Christians referred to Jesus as the Son of God. In both the Old and New Testament Jesus was referred to as the Son of God. In the Old Testament Son of God is recurrent. According to NewAdvent. org , the word â€Å"son† was used by many of the Semites to represent close connection or intimate relationship. A hero or warrior was known as the â€Å"son of strength†, a wicked man â€Å"son of wickedness†, and a possessor â€Å"son of possession†. In the Old Testament the label â€Å"Son Page 3 of God† was applied to persons having any special relationship with God.The title â€Å" Sons of God† were referred to as Angels, leaders of the people, kings, princes, and judges because they withheld authority from God. In the Old Testament, Jesus was not only known as the Son of God but he was also called Emmanuel (which means God with us), Wonderful, God the Mighty, Prince of Peace, Counselor, the Father of the world to come. In the New Testament, the Son of God is referred to Jesus Christ in both the Gospels and Epistles. By expressing His Divinity this shed light on many of the meanings attached to passages of the Gospels.In the New Testament, an angel announced: â€Å"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High†¦ the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God† (Luke 1:32, 35). Also it states that Nathaniel, at his first meeting, called Him the Son of God (John 1:49). Ironically the Devils and Jews also referred to Him as the Son of God. In each one of these cases, the meaning of Son of God was equivalent to the Messiah. A puzzling question from the theological standpoint that raised conflict was, â€Å"How could Jesus be The Son of God, and God at the same time? The question has been on the minds of many Theologists for centuries. Christian theology depends on the Father-Son language to correctly describe the connection between Jesus and God. For thousands of years, Christians have believed that there is one God, and three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each of them being one with God. According to Christian theology, there is a problem with the doctrine of trinity. The doctrine states that there is precisely one God; which means that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Spirit is God; and that Father, Son, and Spirit are separate.T his could mean that ‘is God’ Page 4 either means ‘is identical God’ or ‘is divine’. Either way there is a problem to this puzzle. One way it opposes the doctrine is if the Father is equal to God and the Son is equal to God, then it would conclude that the Father is identical to the Son. Another way this opposes the doctrine is if the Father is divine and the Son is divine and the Father is separate from the Son, then there are at least two divine persons, which means there would be two Gods. According to theology, either way the doctrine would be missing pieces to its puzzle.Jesus was a man of wonder with many names and meanings to them. He was known for being a teacher, a famous prophet, a miracle worker, and a wonderful example. One significant name that Jesus was known for is the Son of God. Throughout Christian history the title Son of God has had a lifelong impact on Christian and became part of their profession of faith. The development o f the theological view was very different. Jesus maybe known as a respected prophet, but he was not as the Son of God. The title of Jesus as the Son of God is very significant.He is a man of glorious wonder and faith. Although through the theologists eyes Jesus maybe the Son of God but is not God himself. But in the historical view and the Bible, the Son of God is extremely significant and respected. Page 5 Bibliography Dunn, James Douglas Grant. , and Scott Mcknight. â€Å"Chapter 4. † The Historical Jesus in Recent Research. Winona Lake, Ind: Eisenbrauns, 2005. 271+. Print Borg, Marcus J. , and N. T. Wright. The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions. [San Francisco, CA]: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998. Print.Aherne, Cornelius. â€Å"Son of God. † The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 13 Apr. 2012 http://www. newadvent. org/cathen/14142b. htm Dunn, James Douglas Grant. , and Scott Mcknight. â€Å"Chapter 4. † The Historical Jesus in Rec ent Research. Winona Lake, Ind: Eisenbrauns, 2005. 271+. Print â€Å"Son of God. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. . Murray, Michael, and Michael Rea. â€Å"Philosophy and Christian Theology. † (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Web. 13 Apr. 2012.

Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Finance - Essay Example The basic constituents of balance sheet are identified as the net worth of assets, equity of the owners or the stockholders and the liabilities held by the organization for a particular fiscal year. In this similar context, the assets which are taken into concern in the balance sheet of an organization include cash, stock or inventory, bills receivable, tangible properties (e.g. plant, machinery and buildings) and goodwill. In this context, the goodwill is viewed to be a kind of intangible asset and appears in the assets side of the balance sheet. Arguments concerning the calculation of goodwill and its inclusion in the asset side of a balance sheet have consequently given rise to certain questions which also requires to be considered by managers dealing with company finances (Zions Bank, n.d.). The key components of income statement of an organization include revenue, operating expenses (both direct as well as indirect), depreciation, operating profit, net income, earnings per share , gross and its corresponding net profit. In this regard, only the indirect expenses appear in the income statement as the expenditures are indirectly related with the making of goods which again gives rise to certain questions concerning the reasons to avoid including direct expenses. The income statement usually delivers an exact picture of the incomes as well as the expenses incurred by the business and also determines their profitability along with business performance (Wall Street Prep, n.d.). Challenges in Interpreting Financial Statements Managers entitled to perform the financial recording of an organization are often examined to face daunting problems or challenges while interpreting the financial statements in order to make efficient financial decisions. The reasons fundamentally include extremely competitive business conditions, composite business transactions, requirement to comply with composite accounting rules and regulations, inefficient reporting from subordinates a nd huge compliance expenditures. In this regard, one of the most apparent challenges which are frequently faced by the managers in interpreting financial statements is the obligation to follow specified auditor norms which if misrepresented can even necessitate financial restatements. Consequently, the reporting failures as a form of financial restatements pose considerable impact upon the organizations by affecting their financial position to a large extent (DeZoort, n.d.). The other challenge which might be faced by the managers while preparing financial records indicates towards the accurate determination of revenue or capital expenditures. This challenge can lead towards affecting the income statement of the organizations by a large degree. However, this challenge can be addressed by taking into concern the actual items of the revenues along with the expenditures in the income statement for the motive of evaluating profitability as well as flexibility (Wall Street Prep, n.d.). O verview of the Financial Statements of a Healthcare Organization The constituents of financial statements vary according to the business operations from one sector to another. The financial statement of UnitedHealth also reveals unique and immensely valuable information relating to the US healthcare sector. One of the imperative information which has been viewed in the 2011 financial statement of this organization is regarding the total revenue. As can be revealed from the information presented

Wal-mart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Wal-mart - Essay Example Such political opposition emanates mostly from community members who raises economic concerns related to the largest retail store company expansion. The inherent politics reflects constant concerns that mainly results from Walmart’s negligence and insensitivity to corporate concerns besides market dominance. Though the opposition may arguably result from local political pressures, partial contribution of unjust interference and violation of business rights exists. Every company would wish to expand and make profit. Any interference against such expansion is unfair and violates their rights. Though Walmart’s expansion remains a genuine business objective, opponents of such success presents valid concerns. Continual expansion of Walmart have assuredly caused various consumption issues amongst consumers. Expansion of Walmart have reduced consumers’ scope of choice for preferred services and goods while additionally increasing prices of retailed items. Involvement of Walmart in corporate responsibilities including provision of relief food to Hurricane Katrina victims and association with government in providing healthy foods reflects opponents’ valid concerns (Shaw & Barry, 2015). Consequently, Walmart’s expansion faces legitimate political opposition from locals besides unfair partial market system interference. It is imperative for Walmart to enhance their corporate responsibility concerns to help manage such political oppositions to their genuine

Assessment at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Assessment at work - Essay Example Strengths associated with Abercrombie & Fitch assessment procedures are highlighted as well as recommendations for improvements in the company’s selection process. The use of a single Communications Competence testing instrument is a standardised testing template, regulated by a highly centralised human resources heirarchy. There is no room for flexibility or adaptation of current assessment instruments or policies and the company is routinely audited for compliance to assessment methods. This creates an environment in which the company is using assessment tests that are not congruent to finding the appropriate employee for Abercrombie & Fitch. Abercrombie & Fitch has experienced high levels of negative publicity in recent years for alleged unethical hiring practices related to youth, beauty and exclusivity. However, these corporate beliefs are part of the business’ organisational culture and are the criteria utilised to determine job role candidacy. In a business environment where personality is a key factor in whether a candidate fits the culture, the company requires a reexamination of existing selection efforts. Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is a mid-level clothing retailer which has positioned itself as an upscale fashion house catering to unique perceptions of youth, beauty and exclusivity. The company carries a wide variety of somewhat-provocative fashions, unique, politically incorrect apparel as well as traditional outerwear (Case Study, 2007). The company’s main competitors are other mid-level retailers both domestically and within the company’s international sales divisions such as Burberry or The Gap. The company currently utilises one form of psychometric testing in the firm’s selection processes. A&F maintains one of the most unique HR models in today’s retail as the business’ focus on exclusivity is at the heart of the

Einstein and Ghosts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Einstein and Ghosts - Essay Example sts on all ghost-themed websites.Tri County Paranormal argues that since energy changes from one form to another, what happens to the electricity in our bodies after death? After death, all the person’s energy goes to the environment. It is released in form of heat and transferred into the animals that feed on us. When we eat plants and animals, their energy is converted into our own use, for reproduction, movement etc.Energy therefore exists in form of heat and chemical energy, not in glowing ghostly electromagnetic energy. Ghosthunters claim detecting electric fields by ghosts, humans and other organisms do generate low-level electric currents, but this stops after death. The energy left after death, takes years to re-enter environment. The rest dissipates shortly after death and can’t be detected later using devices like electromagnetic field detectors. Thus ghost hunters’ claim that Einstein’s theories provide sound basis for ghost is inadequate. Ghosts may exist but neither Einstein nor his laws suggest they are

A Rose for Emily- William Faulkner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A Rose for Emily- William Faulkner - Essay Example The town people felt sorry for her and left her alone other than their speculations about her which could not be confirmed until they entered her house after her death. After her funeral, they went to inspect the upstairs of her house and found the male maid there, but he was dead in bed and he had piece of her hair on a pillow found beside him. They were both shocked and amazed that she was an eccentric as they had believed adding validity to the gossip. The fast paced story telling emphasizes the gossipy and uncertain nature if her life’s story. When Emily was alive, it was almost a past time of the town as a topic of gossip and speculation, but after her death she became almost a famous legend of the town and the story would continue to be told now as truth rather than gossip. The story ends with the town unsure of what to do or believe ending almost as mysteriously as it began. This perspective epitomizes the sense of small town gossip giving a feel for the town she lived in with the ironic twist that these busybodies were right about her the entire time and yet she was able to commit the perfect murder right under their watch. Works Cited Booth, Alison, J. Paul, and Kelly J. The Norton Introduction to Literature. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007. Print.

Relations between law and states Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Relations between law and states - Essay Example The United States legislature is structured into the federal and state governments. The federal law applies to all the states while the state law applies to a specific state with the US. The  focus  of this study is to discuss the relations between law and states. Apparently, there exists various relations between law and states. For instance, both law and the states are outlined in the constitution. Moreover, the legal procedures followed in making the law are similar to those followed when constituting a state. Therefore, it can be seen  that the law and states are similar structures based on legal constructions (BonafeÌ€, 2009). It is imperative to identify that the US operates under a bicameral legislature that is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. In this regard, the US operates on two levels of government; the federal government and the state governments. The federal government is headed by the president  who  serves the entire US. The state governments are headed by the Governor, who oversee the general operations of a single state. Laws affecting all states are made by a combined force of both Senate and the House of Representatives. In addition, the decision to incorporate a new state in the US governan ce system is made by both houses. For this reason, it can be identified  that both the law and states are united by the roles played by the legislative government organ of the US. The law regulates the daily operations in various states. In essence, the daily operations of states are numerous and diverse. Therefore, there must be a neutral regulating organ to enhance justice and fairness for all. For instance, the law regulates the elections for governors and senators in the states. The eligibility to vie for any political position in a state depends on fulfillment of law provisions regarding elections. In essence, the law is there to protect the rights and freedom of the various groups of people the states and the

Pizza Store Simulation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pizza Store Simulation Paper - Essay Example It will immediately relieve procedural congestion as well as improve operational performance to augment daily profits. We propose certain changes in operations to assist us in increasing our profit margin. In the old layout, there were 14 tables that could seat 4 people each. In the new process, there will be 10. Furthermore, the old process had no two-seat tables, but the new process has 8 two seat tables. As with the old process, the new process will have 4 people on wait staff, but for the new process we will increase kitchen staff from 2 in the old process to 3 in the new. These changes are aimed at increasing our profit margin. Graphical analysis of our data will help us determine whether our theory about process efficiency was not correct. It seems part of our theory was correct and part was not. As predicted, the new process immediately out-performed the old process. The data shows the new processes netted about $378 more per day than the old process on average. However, the staff learning curve does not seem to affect the data at all. Visual analysis of trends in the data does not seem to reveal a significant curve function. It appears only linear. A graphical representation of the data is presented below. We considered an alternative process configuration for the operation of Mario’s Pizzeria. Our primary metric was our daily profit margin. Our aim was to reconfigure the factors in our process to maximize our profit potential. We designed a new operational configuration to test against the old system. The data shows the new processes netted about $378 more per day on average than the old process. Visual analysis of trends in the data does not seem to reveal a significant curve function. It would be an impractical use of man hours to apply advanced statistical techniques because the new configuration achieves our marginal

Google's Prospects in Terms of the Criteria 'Suitability, Essay

Google's Prospects in Terms of the Criteria 'Suitability, Acceptability and Feasibility' (FSA) - Essay Example would be embarked on to understand its strategic position based on the feasibility, acceptability and suitability of its present strategy. Evaluation would be helpful to determine if â€Å"Google Inc.: Running Amuck?† as stated by many, is true or to what extent the company is exposing itself to risks by expanding and diversifying? This report attempts to clearly understand Google Inc.’s strategic position with its innovative product and service launches in the recent past. Products and services Google has products and services for both online internet users and the mobile users. The company has products and services based on three types of technologies: web search technology, advertising technology and large-scale systems technology (shown in Appendix A). It has a large portfolio of products and services with a core product: web search, as its major revenue generating service. It has various different classifications of its products based on the kind of service it prov ides. â€Å"Google.com, web and content search, communication and collaboration, downloadable applications, mobile, labs, Google AdWords, Google AdSense and Google Enterprise, all of which are nevertheless marketed as categories of products relevant to: search, explore and innovate, communicate, show and share, go mobile and make your computer work better† (Case study- Google Inc., 2011). The company also is committed to always giving users an experience that they would vouch for, and its motto is the guiding force. The company has a strategy for investment where it invests in three different levels, popularly known as 70-20-10 investment strategy. It invests in three kinds of product markets: core search and advertising products, products related to core products and experimental products (Case study- Google Inc., 2011). It also has a product serving according to the specific region or country laws as witnessed in EU and China where the company has adapted to the legal requi rements of serving restricted or customized services through locally located servers delivering filtered web pages (Martin, 2006). A list of patents for Google is shown in Appendix B. Appendix C and Appendix D list the free and for profit products offered by Google. Opportunities Google provides search engine web content services through simple user interfaces and uses low cost web servers. It provides content in about 88 languages and is an established brand which has gained users trust. Leveraging on this end user trust, the company has the potential to build on its sponsored advertisement links by tracking user searches and providing relevant and updated content with user permissions (Google Inc.: SWOT analysis, 2008). As the sponsored links are relegated to a corner of the page at the moment, it can nevertheless be moved to a full-fledged revenue generating service offering like AdSense and AdWords. The company’s product offering, Google Video is another link that provide s

Time Is Wealth Essay Example for Free

Time Is Wealth Essay Life is all about managing time and dare for venture. This universe is nothing just a main manesfactation of routine and a splendid example of time management. It is said, â€Å"Coming and going is a part of man dunce life but if time lapse it will never ever come again†. â€Å"Time and tide wait for nothing†. Islam also makes it compulsory for it as five prayers at fix time. It is a factor to be looked upon in order to complete shoulder to shoulder with world. As the famous saying is, â€Å"today and not tomorrow† and â€Å"don’t put it till tomorrow that you can do today†. Procrastination and indolence are vices that must be killed at their birth. Life an undoing current the time of life is flowing out. All the time is valuable but there are certain precious moments to be looked upon. A lost moment is lost for good. Hence, the need of making the best use of every minute that is flowing out in eternity. As William Shakespeare said, â€Å"time is health as well there is a proper period of life when health has to be cared for so as to prevent its lost in future. This time is youth. From the beginning to the end of education every effort is made to impress upon us the supreme value of time. it is said,’time and tide wait for nothing†. It is true to some extent as if it is lapsed, one can’t find it anymore. Life on earth is depend out, both for existence and development on proper utilization of certain processions and quantities whether it is inherited from ancestors or given by nature. One of these is time by which is meant the total spam of our life. In day to day existence we are left about 8 to 10 hours of time after accommodating certain demands of our nature such as eating and sleeping. Thus calculated a span of life covering on an average a length of 60 years is reduced to not more than 20 years, if the years of childhood are not taken into account because we are not aware of doing my thing. These 20 years should be used properly. It is said, â€Å"Time is wealth, it is true for great extend for the money we earn is after all the return we receive for use of our time that we make our income therefore, varies according as our time is used or misused†. â€Å"Those who manage time succeed in every walk of life†.

Process Leadership And Its Impact Leadership Essay

Process Leadership And Its Impact Leadership Essay Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to achieve an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership  knowledge  and  skills are called  Process Leadership. However, we know that we have traits that can influence our actions which are called  Trait Leadership, in that it was once common to believe that leaders were born rather than made. Good leaders are  made  not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience. To inspire your workers into higher levels of teamwork, there are certain things you must  be, know,  and,  do.  These do not come naturally, but are acquired through continual work and study. Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills they are not resting on their success. Factors of Leadership Leader: You must have an honest understanding of who you are, what you know, and what you can do. It is the followers, not the leader or someone else who determines if the leader is successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in their leader, then they will be uninspired. To be successful you have to convince your followers, not yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being followed. Followers: Different people require different styles of leadership. For example, a new recruit requires more supervision than an experienced employee. A person who lacks motivation requires a different approach than one with a high degree of motivation. You must know your people. The fundamental starting point is having a good understanding of human nature, such as needs, emotions, and motivation. You must come to know your employees be, know, and do attributes. Communication: You lead through two-way communication. Much of it is nonverbal. For instance, when you set the example that communicates to your people that you would not ask them to perform anything that you would not be willing to do. What and how you communicate either builds or harms the relationship between you and your employees. Situation: All situations are different. What you do in one situation will not always work in another. You must use your judgment to decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for each situation. For example, you may need to confront an employee for inappropriate behavior, but if the confrontation is too late or too early, too harsh or too weak, then the results may prove ineffective. (Also note that the situation normally has a greater effect on a leaders action than his or her traits. This is because while traits may have an impressive stability over a period of time, they have little consistency across situations (Mischel, 1968). This is why a number of leadership scholars think the Process Theory of Leadership is a more accurate than the Trait Theory of Leadership). Various forces will affect these four factors. Examples of forces are your relationship with your seniors, the skill of your followers, the informal leaders within your organization, and how your organization is organized. (Although your position as a manager, supervisor, lead, etc. gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the organization (called Assigned Leadership), this power does not make you a leader, it simply makes you the boss (Rowe, 2007). Leadership differs in that it makes the followers want to achieve high goals (called Emergent Leadership), rather than simply bossing people around (Rowe, 2007). Thus you get Assigned Leadership by your position and you display Emergent Leadership by influencing people to do grat things.) Be, Know and Do The basis of good leadership is honourable character and selfless service to your organization. In your employees eyes, your leadership is everything you do that effects the organizations objectives and their well-being. Leaders should know (such as job, tasks, and human nature), what they are or be (such as beliefs and character) and do (such as implementing, motivating, and providing direction). This is what makes a person want to follow a leader. People want to be guided by those they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, they must be ethical. A sense of direction is achieved by conveying a strong vision of the future. The Two Most Important Keys to Effective Leadership According to a study by the Hay Group, a global management consultancy, there are 75 key components of employee satisfaction (Lamb, McKee, 2004). They found that: Trust and confidence in top leadership was the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in an organization. Effective communication by leadership in three critical areas was the key to winning organizational trust and confidence: Helping employees understand the companys overall business strategy. Helping employees understand how they contribute to achieving key business objectives. Sharing information with employees on both how the company is doing and how an employees own division is doing relative to strategic business objectives. So in a nutshell you must be trustworthy and you have to be able to communicate a vision of where the organization needs to go. Goals The goals and performance standards they establish. Successful organizations have leaders who set high standards and goals across the entire spectrum, such as strategies, market leadership, plans, meetings and presentations, productivity, quality, and reliability. Values The values they establish for the organization. Values reflect the concern the organization has for its employees, customers, investors, vendors, and surrounding community. These values define the manner in how business will be conducted. Concepts The business and people concepts they establish. Concepts define what products or services the organization will offer and the methods and processes for conducting business. These goals, values, and concepts make up the organizations personality or how the organization is observed by both outsiders and insiders. This personality defines the roles, relationships, rewards, and rites that take place. Creating an Inspiring Vision of the Future In business, a vision is a realistic, convincing and attractive best case description of where you want to be in the future. Vision provides direction, sets priorities, and provides a marker, so that you can tell that youve achieved what you wanted to achieve.   To create a vision, leaders focus on an organizations  strengths  by using tools such as  Porters Five Forces,  PEST Analysis,  USP Analysis,  Core Competence Analysis  and  SWOT Analysis  to analyze their current situation. They think about how their industry is likely to evolve, and how their competitors are likely to behave. They look at how they can  innovate successfully, and shape their businesses and their strategies to succeed in future marketplaces. And they test their visions with appropriate market research, and by assessing key risks using techniques such as  Scenario Analysis. Therefore, leadership is proactive problem solving, looking ahead, and not being satisfied with things as they are. Once they have developed their visions, leaders must make them compelling and convincing. A  compelling vision  is one that people can see, feel, understand, and  embrace. Effective leaders provide a rich picture of what the future will look like when their visions have been realized. They tell stories, and explain their visions in ways that everyone can relate to.   Here, leadership combines the analytical side of the vision with the passion of shared values, creating something really meaningful to the people being led.   Motivating and Inspiring People A compelling vision provides the foundation for leadership. But its the leaders ability to motivate and inspire people that will help them deliver that vision.   For example, when you start a new project, you will probably have lots of enthusiasm for it, so its usually easy to support the projects leader at the beginning. However, it can be difficult to find ways to keep the vision alive and inspirational, after the initial enthusiasm fades, especially if the team or organization needs to make significant changes in the way that they do things. Leaders recognize this, and they work hard on an ongoing basis to connect their vision with peoples individual needs, goals, and aspirations.   One of the key ways they do this is through  Expectancy Theory. Effective leaders link together two different expectations: The expectation that hard work leads to good results. The expectation that good results lead to attractive rewards or incentives. This motivates people to work hard to achieve success, because they expect to enjoy rewards both intrinsic and extrinsic as a result.   Other approaches include restating the vision in terms of the benefits it will bring to the teams customers, and taking frequent opportunities to communicate the vision in an attractive and engaging way. Whats particularly helpful here is where leaders have  expert power. People admire and believe in these leaders because they are expert in what they do. They have credibility, and theyve earned the right to ask people to listen to them, and follow them. This makes it much easier for these leaders to motivate and inspire the people they lead. Leaders can also motivate and influence people through their natural charisma and appeal, and through other  sources of power, such as the power to pay bonuses or assign tasks to people. However, good leaders dont rely on these types of power to motivate and inspire others. Managing Delivery of the Vision This is the area of leadership that relates to  management. According to the  Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model, there is a time to tell, a time to sell, a time to participate, and a time to delegate. Knowing which approach you need to use, and when you need it, is key to effective leadership. Leaders must ensure that the work required to deliver the vision is properly managed either by themselves, or by a dedicated manager or team of managers to whom the leader delegates this responsibility and they need to ensure that their vision is delivered successfully.   To do this, team members need performance goals that are linked to the teams overall vision. Performance Management and KPI  (Key Performance Indicators) explains one way of doing this, and our  Project Management  section explains another. And, for day-to-day management of delivering the vision, the  Management By Wandering Around  (MBWA) approach will help to ensure that what should happen, really happens. Leaders also need to make sure they  manage change  effectively. This will ensure that any changes required to deliver the vision are implemented smoothly and thoroughly, with support and full backing from the majority of people affected. Coaching and Building a Team to Achieve the Vision Individual and team development are important activities carried out by transformational leaders. To develop a team, leaders must first understand team dynamics. A leader will then ensure that team members have the necessary skills and abilities to do their job and achieve the vision. They do this by giving and receiving feedback  regularly, and by  training and coaching people to improve individual and team performance. Leadership also includes looking for  leadership potential  in others. By developing leadership skills within your team, you create an environment where you can continue success in the long term. And thats a true measure of great leadership. Seven Personal Qualities Found In A Good Leader A good leader has an exemplary character. It is of utmost importance that a leader is trustworthy to lead others. A leader needs to be trusted and be known to live their life with honestly and integrity. A good leader walks the talk and in doing so earns the right to have responsibility for others. True authority is born from respect for the good character and trustworthiness of the person who leads. A good leader is enthusiastic about their work or cause and also about their role as leader. People will respond more openly to a person of passion and dedication. Leaders need to be able to be a source of inspiration, and be a motivator towards the required action or cause. Although the responsibilities and roles of a leader may be different, the leader needs to be seen to be part of the team working towards the goal. This kind of leader will not be afraid to roll up their sleeves and get dirty. A good leader is confident. In order to lead and set direction a leader needs to appear confident as a person and in the leadership role. Such a person inspires confidence in others and draws out the trust and best efforts of the team to complete the task well. A leader who conveys confidence towards the proposed objective inspires the best effort from team members. A leader also needs to function in an orderly and purposeful manner in situations of uncertainty. People look to the leader during times of uncertainty and unfamiliarity and find reassurance and security when the leader portrays confidence and a positive demeanour. Good leaders are tolerant of ambiguity and remain calm, composed and steadfast to the main purpose. Storms, emotions, and crises come and go and a good leader takes these as part of the journey and keeps a cool head. A good leader, as well as keeping the main goal in focus, is able to think analytically. Not only does a good leader view a situation as a whole, but is able to break it down into sub parts for closer inspection. While keeping the goal in view, a good leader can break it down into manageable steps and make progress towards it. A good leader is committed to excellence. Second best does not lead to success. The good leader not only maintains high standards, but also is proactive in raising the bar in order to achieve excellence in all areas. These seven personal characteristics are foundational to good leadership. Some characteristics may be more naturally present in the personality of a leader. However, each of these characteristics can also be developed and strengthened. A good leader whether they naturally possess these qualities or not, will be diligent to consistently develop and strengthen them in their leadership role. Roles ad Relationships Roles are the positions that are defined by a set of expectations about behaviour of any job sitting. Each role has a set of tasks and responsibilities that may or may not be spelled out. Roles have a powerful effect on behaviour for several reasons, to include money being paid for the performance of the role, there is prestige attached to a role, and a sense of accomplishment or challenge. Relationships are determined by a roles tasks. While some tasks are performed alone, most are carried out in relationship with others. The tasks will determine who the role-holder is required to interact with, how often, and towards what end. Also, normally the greater the interaction, the greater the liking is. This in turn leads to more frequent interaction. In human behaviour, its hard to like someone whom we have no contact with, and we tend to seek out those we like. People tend to do what they are rewarded for, and friendship is a powerful reward. Many tasks and behaviours that are associated with a role are brought about by these relationships. That is, new task and behaviours are expected of the present role-holder because a strong relationship was developed in the past, either by that role-holder or a prior role holder. Conclusion What makes a person want to follow a leader? People want to be guided by those they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, they must be ethical. A sense of direction is achieved by conveying a strong vision of the future. When a person is deciding if she respects you as a leader, she does not think about your attributes, rather, she observes what you do so that she can know who you really are. She uses this observation to tell if you are an honourable and trusted leader or a self-serving person who misuses authority to look good and get promoted. Self-serving leaders are not as effective because their employees only obey them, not follow them. They succeed in many areas because they present a good image to their seniors at the expense of their workers. Good Business Leaders I refer to Ray Kroc, the founder of the McDonalds Corporation: a leader driven by vision, but one willing to nurture talent and ideas not his own, a rare combination for an entrepreneur. Look beneath the Golden Arches and you will find a leader of near-irrepressible enthusiasm who discovered late in life what his true mission would be. At age fifty-two, Ray Kroc invested himself, and over the next few years nearly everything he owned, to fulfill his dream. For the first eight years, Ray Kroc didnt take one dime from McDonalds. He lived entirely on the modest salary he took from his milk-shake mixer business. The neglect of Kroc may perhaps be due to the fact that McDonalds is an ubiquitous presence (some would say too much so) on the American landscape. But that presence, some 25,000 restaurants strong around the world, never would have occurred without the drive, enthusiasm, will, and sheer optimism of a man who dreamed of a chain of restaurants coast to coast that would all serve the same food prepared the same way in the same restaurants in the same fast and friendly way. Once McDonalds become established, the world forgot Krocs humble origins and instead focused on his life as a multimillionaire e.g owner of the San Diego Padres and contributor to Nixons second re-election effort. Forgotten too was his leadership style, which to this day, is very applicable to anyone who dreams of starting a business, or managing it. Here are some of the principles Ray Kroc lived and led by. * Vision Once he had witnessed the McDonald brothers hamburger drive-in in San Bernardino, Kroc knew he had found what he was looking for: the opportunity to establish a nationwide chain of standardized, fast-food eateries. Today it seems obvious, but given the time, 1954, it seemed closer to fantasy. Friends of Kroc warned him that he was crazy to consider building a business on 15-cent hamburgers. It must be said that Kroc initially envisioned McDonalds as a opportunity to sell more Multi-mixers, but the more he investigated and the more he invested, he realized that McDonalds had the potential to rewrite the fast-food rule book and in the process establish the quick service restaurant business. * Conviction Theres almost nothing you cant accomplish if you set your mind to it he told a group of MBA students in 1976. And he lived those words. Kroc held fast to his dream of McDonalds restaurants. And furthermore to the idea that the restaurant concept would only succeed if everyone in the system operators, suppliers, corporate held to the same strict standards in food offerings, food preparation, food delivery, and service principles. * Flexibility As rigidly as Kroc held to strict standards in food preparation and service, he was open and eager for new ideas, chiefly from operators. New products like Big Mac and Egg McMuffin emerged from operators; Krocs attempts at new products the Hula Burger and a strawberry dessert, to name two were abject failures. Yet Kroc was smart enough to run with a good idea no matter who originated it. Thats leadership. * Cooperation Kroc built the McDonalds System on the simple, but fundamental philosophy, that everyone would profit or no one would. For this reason, he established a system that put operator profits first. Only by ensuring operator profitability would the system succeed. (In contrast to other franchisers of the time, Kroc charged no markup for supplies and equipment. He sold everything at cost.) He applied the same philosophy to his suppliers. This faith in letting others prosper first cost McDonalds dearly in the early years, but it paid off handsomely in the end. * Enthusiasm Ray Kroc loved the hamburger business. He could wax lyrically about the water content of french fries, or the curves of a hamburger bun. More so, he enjoyed talking up his restaurant business; it was his passion and his avocation. This kind of enthusiasm seems innate to many salespeople, and they need it in spades. Ardor for what they do steels them against the rejection that salespeople face on a daily basis. Kroc possessed so much enthusiasm; he was contagious. Since his enthusiasm was so infectious, he was able to attract so many of the right people to him. * Toleration of Dissent Many entrepreneurs live by the rule, my way or the highway. Not Kroc. His boldest move in this area was his hiring of Harry Sonneborn as his finance manager in 1956. As different as night and day, Kroc and Sonneborn formed a remarkable team. Where Sonneborn was taciturn and detail-driven, Kroc was outgoing and visionary. But without Sonneborn, McDonalds would never have survived. It was Sonneborns idea to establish the Franchise Realty Corporation, a real estate venture that enabled McDonalds Corporation to profit from the growth of the chain. Sonneborn and Kroc clashed constantly, but Kroc tolerated the dissent because he knew Sonneborn was good for the System. (Sadly, the two eventually parted, but it was well after Sonneborn was a multi-millionaire and had prospered from his ideas.) * Mentoring Salesman that he was, Ray Kroc had an eagle eye for talent. He plucked Fred Turner, the organizational mind behind the McDonalds operating system, from the ranks of potential operators. Kroc nurtured Turner as he did others; and in the process, built his business by selecting the right people at the right time. (It must be said that Kroc was sometimes arbitrary. In a fit of pique he might demand that man who didnt shine his shoes, or wore his hat incorrectly, be fired. Typically, the order would never be carried by Rays executive team who knew better. And in time, Kroc would forget the incident.) * Giving As generous as he was with advice, Kroc was generous with a dollar. After becoming a centi-millionaire several times over, he established a foundation to support his charitable efforts. Even before he was wealthy, McDonalds staged promotional events linked to local Chicago charities. To be certain, the original aim was publicity; but over time, Kroc and his team initiated a culture of giving that is alive and well today throughout the McDonalds System.(The Ronald McDonald House, which provides housing for relatives of children undergoing lengthy hospital stays, is one such example.) Of course, the point of giving is not to get something back, but rather to give something back; For leaders, giving helps create a culture where everyone in the organization becomes more outwardly focused in ways large and small that help benefit others. Kroc understood this principle and the organizations he built are a testament to it. * Optimism If ever there were the archetype of salesman whos always looking for a rainbow in a hailstorm, its Ray Kroc. I have always believed that each man makes his own happiness and is responsible for his own problems, so wrote Kroc in his autobiography, Grinding It Out. It was a philosophy that served him well. Faced with adversity throughout his life, he overcame much of it and succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Curiously, Krocs original passion was music; he was a piano player in nightclubs. But since it was not the kind of lifestyle that appealed to his wife nor to Krocs own entrepreneurial aspirations Kroc gave it up for a career in sales. Still, he possessed the irrepressible optimism that come from someone who can break into a song to please a crowd. All of these traits contributed to Krocs leadership style, but perhaps the greatest was his ability to sell an idea. The reason he was so persuasive was not because he was a good storyteller (he was); a good socializer (he was); had a way with words (he did). No, the chief reason for his leadership was Kroc was able to sketch out his vision and have the listen participate in it with him. Whether Ray was talking about french fries, or the McDonalds System, he believed in absolute truth of what he was saying. His sense of conviction larded with plenty of optimism, dwarfed doubt and helped the listener participate in the dream with him. Most important, this vision also was predicated on the idea that the listener would benefit by sharing in the dream with Kroc that would enrich and ennoble all who shared it. Couple Krocs conviction with his overwhelming optimism and you have a leader of whom salesmen can be proud and from whom managers everywhere can learn. Julia Gillard looks set to become Australias first female prime minister after Kevin Rudds support within the party all but evaporates. JULIA Gillard has never suffered from a shortfall of self-confidence but, equally, she has never displayed the kind of naked ambition that defined Kevin Rudd before he got the job, either. The confidence was on display four years ago when she discussed leadership as a hypothetical and observed: I think people are over the kind of really highly managed, suited, white bread style politicians. I think people are looking for more than that and different to that and, you know, I think I am different to that. But the confidence evident on the ABCs Australian Story was always underpinned by self-discipline, patience and an absence of hubris. Advertisement: Story continues below Rudds impatience asserted itself in an intellectual arrogance that meant the reservoir of goodwill was low when the chips were down. Gillards more grounded demeanour is just one of the reasons the disaffected are willing to embrace her. The qualities that stamped her as a future leader are the ones that will be put to the test if, as now seems likely, she becomes the countrys first female prime minister. There is no more perfect parliamentary performer on Labors side than Gillard, and no one who is better placed to take on Tony Abbott. She can master a brief, communicate a message, demonstrate wit and go for the kill. There is also the tenacity that asserted itself when, before her career even began, she failed in three separate pre selection bids and again yesterday when she staked her claim. The qualities that some suspected would constrain her ambition being female, unmarried and from the left of the ALP will be of no consequence today. But the gamble Labor has taken in tearing down the leader who delivered them power before he has served a full term is difficult to comprehend. As a member of the Rudd kitchen cabinet, Gillard shares responsibility for virtually all the negatives of recent months the broken promises, the retreat on the emissions trading scheme, and the brawl with the miners over the proposed resource rent tax. She has also presided over the schools building program that has faced heavy criticism, especially in New South Wales. But the truth of it is that Rudds inability to recognise his failures and project a confidence that he is capable of changing persuaded the plotters to put the weight on Gillard. This is not the way Gillard, or those who believe in her leadership qualities, wanted her to become prime minister. This is clear from what she told this writer in 2006 If, in the dim and distant future well down the road the Labor leadership were vacant, I would think about it then. But its never been in my nature particularly having seen what happened with Simon [Crean] to believe its about destabilising leaders. But in politics, you dont get to choose, and she will find out soon enough whether she is what she believes the electorate is looking to embrace. Part B Workplace Frustrations Poor Communication This doesnt sound like a very nice position to be in and it does need addressing sooner rather than later; if so many of you are unhappy, the business will end up losing good members of staff through neglect. If you one member of senior management and have felt like you achieved nothing, dont let this make you lose confidence/faith in the rest of the senior management team. There will be someone who is willing to listen and help where possible. You should request to have a team meeting/operator discussion with a member of staff either on the same level as the person you spoke with before or higher. Even better would be two members of staff from this level, one from your direct line managers (perhaps a team leader) and then possibly your HR officer. This time, however, manager should stand up as an individual from the contact centre trying to be the voice for everyone else. This can often land you in trouble because even though youre trying to help people who darent speak up, the result can be that it looks like you and you alone who has an issue. So, you need to get a couple of people together that feel the same and ask if a team meeting can be held. For this meeting you will need to have the points you want to discuss ready along with some ideas of how you feel the problem can be eased or even rectified. Make sure your colleagues dont try and turn this meeting into a slanging match, keep it as a civil discussion between all attendees as the management are more likely to listen and pay attention this way. The good thing about going forward as team should be that the senior management will sit up and listen. If just one person makes a noise, they might assume that the problem isnt that big or even isnt really a problem at all. The more people moved to become involved, the more likely your managers will actually want to resolve your issues. It will also be more difficult for them to give you your marching orders as they would have to treat your colleagues in the same way. And what company wants to lose three, four or more conscientious, committed staff members? Office Politics and Lack of Teamwork Where office politics exist there is almost always a lack of teamwork, this two politics overlaps. Since someone has decided to get ahead by limiting cooperation or information sharing.   In fact, I think these are really the same issue.   Theres only one reason that teams or individuals within a company should fail to work together effectively, and thats when there are incentives to encourage them to do otherwise.   If a business is established to make the best use of its resources, and then builds walls and political machinations that make it less efficient, those failures have to be obvious to the people in control.   So office politics and a lack of teamwork are not just accepted but often implicitly condoned by a management team that cant create clear incentives to work together and seems more intent on creating competitive teams that excel by eliminating team work. These frustrations point to t

Aspects And Subcultures Of Digital Culture Media Essay

Aspects And Subcultures Of Digital Culture Media Essay Today digital trends are increasingly connected with the world of culture and arts, involving different aspects of culture, media and information technologies, and influencing new forms of communication. This course paper will review 3 fundamental aspects and particular subcultures of the digital culture. The term digital culture includes 3 main aspects digital culture in videogames, in music and in the Internet. It also includes the vast array of subcultures that have grown up in the last years around these aspects. These new trends have deeply modified all of our day to day activities. In the Digital culture: pragmatic and philosophical challenges Marcelo Dascal speaks about the changes that are transforming the nature of international communication and are modifying the way in which we carry out research, engage in study, keep our accounts, plan our travel, and so on. This article depicts the changes in todays digital culture and that is why it is the article this course paper st arts with. The relevance of the issue is explained by the pace of technological evolution which is much more rapid than the cultural one. No one controls the direction that technological development is taking, it is directing us (Dascal, 2006) This phenomenon of the digital culture influences all the spheres of our life. Today people cannot imagine their lives without digital culture. In the work Youth culture, music, and cell phone branding in China (2005), Jing Wang admits that nowadays music, Internet and video games are all connected with each other. The article examines the place of music in an emerging youth culture. As for the games culture, this course paper will refer to Live in your world, play in ours (by Sheila Murphy and What is video game culture? Cultural studies and game studies by Adrienne Shaw. Besides, the course paper also relies on the work by J.A. McArthur A geek meaning of style (2008) that considers the culture today should be understood as an open and dynamic process that is based on interactive communication. It changes every minute. This means that digital culture is a living system that always changes. That is why it is interesting to discuss the so-called geek subcultures. The present research is a brief review of the articles and an attempt to define how the digital culture and subcultures are reflected in academic studies. This paper summarizes various aspects of digital culture in two steps. It defines three key aspects of the digital culture and demonstrates three main subcultures of digital culture. Aspects of digital culture In the study of digital culture one thing can be pointed out is the sociological aspect. Digital culture is considered to be a socio-cultural phenomenon. There are three main aspects in digital culture. These are video games, music, and the Internet. Video games It is possible to say that computer and man communicate. To the question How will man and computer work together? there is an answer: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦through speech. (Dascal, 2006) Today there is a tendency for the newspaper articles to point out that video gamers are not necessarily who we think they are. As one article asserts, the stereotype of the gamer as a glaze, incoherent teenage boy is wrong (Shaw, A. 2010) What is video game culture? Cultural studies and game studies, p407). In the culture the gamer identity is defined by technical proficiency, geek cultural capital and maleness. While the games that they play make up a wide range of genres there is little diversity among the gamers themselves. According to the data, released by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), 62% of PC gamers are male and 60% of those gamers are under 36 years old (Murphy, 2004). Dovey and Kennedy (2006) define video games culture by the way of the major discourses used by members of th e video game development industry. Games culture isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a critical site, where discourses around technology, technological innovation, and technological competence converge with dominant conceptions of gender and race (cited in Shaw, 2010, p405) 1.2. Music Music is definitely an aspect of digital culture J. Wang claims according to a BRANDchild study nearly 50% of wired urban teenagers frequently download music from the Internet.(2005, p 187) Basing on this statistic data, no doubt it is important for the youth. We can even say that it has become a new way of communication communication through music. Today people all over the world buy music from iTunes and it is a major part of digital culture that is growing form year to year. The changes happen in music sphere extremely fast and the reason for that is the computerization of the modern world. Almost everybody has a computer and an Internet access, and therefore has unlimited (free or paid) access to music. Such an access is very convenient although uncontrolled. Besides, music has become mobile with the wide spread of portable phones and other gadgets. Mobile music is said to be the panacea that cuts across cultural borders, able to attract global cool youth. (Wang, 2005, p 188) Actually, the world youth prefer music, which is well-known in many countries, therefore music becomes international, no matter what language it uses. Gadgets are developing very rapidly, new mobile means and new opportunities for listening to music arrive. Music has become a field in which tastes and preferences have become more eclectic than ever before (McArthur, 2008) Transnational marketers consider music as the fastest way into the mind and soul of todays youths (Wang, 2005) It rarely needs to be argued that music is the global language of the Now Generation. Internet Of course, it goes without saying that Internet has changed the world we used to know. Today it is one of the main parts in digital culture. Such a global phenomenon as Internet culture has appeared thanks to development of the net and has become a social event in human history. The Internet today is not only huge quantity of computers, but also the improbable quantity of the people, for which network is an essentially new way of dialogue almost not having of analogues in the material world. (Silver, 2004, p 57) The Internet gave everybody a chance of self-realization in this vast space: digital youth subcultures can not be centered round musical preference. (McArthur, 2008) The Internet may be a new resource for the affiliation and expression of sub-cultural identity. It may serve as a place for sub-cultural development. Moreover, it is a place where some subcultures (such as hackers) are born. The use of the Internet as a resource for subcultures suggests that subcultures today are able to affiliate across location and time constraints. It is no doubt effective across time and space.(McArthur, 2008) Subcultures Gamers Video games have produced a variety of subcultures. Some authors look at games as a social practice. For example, T. Taylor (2006) describes an outline gaming culture as a social practice and a shared identity created in the game space. (cited in Shaw, 2010). In the gamers culture, subcultures are marked by their look, specific linguistic jargon, and a sense of solidarity. Gamers often wear clothing that reference specific games, comics, television shows, or movies that are not widely known outside of a small following (Shaw, 2010) One of the biggest subculture of video gamers in the world is the World of Warcraft Community. As Hackeleman (2011) claims: As game developers have strived to create engaging environments and immersive stories for players to experience, independent machine producers have taken an unofficial and sometimes controversial role by expanding the game universe from a different perspective: tinkering with the game engine itself. The demand for this type of user generated content has risen as the addictive qualities of games like World of Warcraft have stimulated the creation of vast social networks and thriving online communities that provide gamers with the ability to stay connected while outside the virtual space. (2011, p 2) To understand the size of the community one can look at its Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/warcraft) where 1,430,549 people (assessed on April 26 2011) claimed their affiliation with the game by following the games group page. According to the official website, more than 11 mln people play World of Warcraft around the world (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com) That is a size of a big city and if we bear in mind that they meet offline, buy different objects form each other and have their own language, they are a real culture, which is only one example of the video game culture. Many other communities of video gamers (such as Second Life, Sims Online, Grand Thief Auto Online) have their own subcultures which include almost 300 mln people playing online (based on estimate provided in Yahoo Answers). In different countries people have different attitudes to this. According to my observations, in Russia most of these players are thought to be computer geeks because they are different non-gamers and communicate with other gamers much easier. But when looking at the worlds most advanced video game culture South Korea à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it is stressed that Koreans are very different from Americans because they treat pro-gamers as heroes, unlike U.S. sports culture that values real athletes. (Shaw, 2010) Music fans The next digital subculture which is considered is connected with the aspect of music. Studies of youth subcultures during the past 30 years have typically coincided with studies of popular music preferences. (Bennet, 1999, cited in McArthur, 2008. p. 58) There are many different music genres, which vary respectively to the style of music. For example, there are widely known rappers and rockers, but in modern world we commonly associate them more with their look and outfit, than the music genre. Those features, which show belonging to certain music style, allow to identify the typical representatives of different music subcultures. That means that there is not only music it is backed up with the different types of culture. One of the most influential musical subcultures existing nowadays is punk. From the Wangs point of view there are 2 types of punk-lovers: originals and wannabes. First group focuses generally on the punk music itself, while the other is more concerned about the fa shion code, and punk music is simply part of their lifestyle. This process went further so much that it has become common to treat punk as a sociological rather than a musical phenomenon from start. Punk is often considered as implementation of youths rebellious moods, but often their interest in punk culture symbolizes the search of band that will help them [students] say I am unique without making them look weird or socially unacceptable. According to Jing Wang, there is a so-called punk syndrome, which refers to the mentality, culture, lifestyle of punk-lovers. The typical representatives of this subculture are angry young high school kids, and the music is their way to show disobedience or the way to cope with the pressure they receive at school. In his article Jing Wang talks about several high school kids, who managed to pull through their entrance exams with the help of punk music. The anger of music, played with drums, bass guitars and songs performed in the aggressive or even shouting ways affects enormously peoples emotions. Online communities An online culture has developed as online social relationships have deepened and matured (Silver, 2004) The net is an accessible and user-friendly area in which subcultures can form, meet, and interact both in online and offline mode. Different groups of users appeared: anime geeks, hackers, flooders and etc. The Internet provides an opportunity for would-be members of cultural groups to seek out people who have similar thoughts to them. As Parker (1989) claimed computers have become a part of the genesis of a new crime from that has added computer programmers, computer operators, and electronic engineers to the traditional categories of criminals. (cited Turgeman-Goldschmidt, 2005). Hacking is a widespread international phenomenon, and hackers actions occasionally reach the media headlines. They are one of the most interesting subcultures that appeared on the Internet. According to Turgeman-Goldschmidt (2005, p 8) the hacker community is clearly male dominated and hackers are typically young adults. Moreover most hackers have no previous criminal record, are White and nonviolent, and come from middle- to upper-class backgrounds. The subculture can be divided in several communities of different type hackers. First ones hack the computer system to achieve fame jokers. Not likely to cause serious harm to the system, and express themselves making various humorous captions, viruses with different visual and sound effects (music, shaking or turning the screen, drawing all sorts of images, etc.) Next community type is professional crackers they carry out hacking a computer system to steal or substitute information stored there. They are characterized by systematic and organized action. The last ones are called vandals they carry out hacking a computer system to its destruction: delete data, create viruses or Trojan horses. But no matter what their type of hacker community is according to Taylor (1999, cited in Turgeman-Goldschmidt, 2005) there are six motivators for hackers : feelings of addiction, urge of curiosity, boredom with educational system, enjoyment of feelings of power, peer recognition and political acts. During his research Turgeman-Goldschmidt (2005) gives an explanation to each motivator in the hacker subculture. First of all, he says is the feeling for addiction to anarchy and anarchy is extremely entertaining. Secondly, their curiosity for hackers lies in the desire to learn and know as much as possible. Overall, it is stated that original hackers mostly do it not for revenue, but for the idea of free knowledge. They fight against Microsoft and help Linux in any way they find. They are trying to change the world the way the can, fighting with globalization, starting wars against the multinationals, and just by helping to find bugs in the anti-virus software. The considerable group of hackers regularly organizes hacker conventions. It operates a conference in Las Vegas which is annually visited by several thousand participants from all over the world from the U.S. to Australia. Each year the World Congress takes place in Germany is the of hackers, under the auspices Computer Chaos Club. CCC is a three-day conference on technology, society and the future of mankind. (Coleman, 2008) During these meetings hackers even manage to create their own outlook, own language, and made their own bible. For the hackers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ hacking is a new form of entertainment based on the play-like quality that characterizes the use of digital technology and is a new form of social activity. Hacking can be considered a new form of entertainment that could not have existed before the development of an adequate technology. (Turgeman-Goldschmidt, 2005) Today hackers became a wide dangerous subculture. Conclusion Digital culture is a largely modern phenomenon. It should be understood primarily as part of general culture, one of the most important aspects of cultural activity in general. There are many other subcultures in the digital culture, but my research is focused primarily on three most popular ones. These three subcultures demonstrate aspects, which are more or less typical for other subcultures, associated with digital culture. As for my experience, during the research I have found out a lot of new about aspects and subcultures in general to particular differences inside different type of subcultures. In general, it was unexpected to learn that every subculture consists of those who are original and those who are posers. Every subculture does have a group of people that are a part of it only because they adore how people of this subculture look like not even understanding the main idea of it. This can be proved by a subculture I have analyzed in my course paper punks. I did not know that there are so many posers that just like the outlook, not knowing the history, nor understanding the main idea of the subculture. Besides, I have never heard of the attitude towards pro gamers in South Korea. They are thought to be almost national heroes there. The interesting fact is that every year they have a championship, in which anyone can participate. It is as popular as watching the hockey matches in Russia. Special TV channels translate news for gamers and computer geeks, youths and aged watch the championship matches together. In result the winner gets a major gift from the sponsor (which reaches $500,000) and incredible respect. The amount of money for winning the tournament motivates people to play professionally from early childhood. As a result, different kind of gamers all together are a tremendous size subculture in South Korea. In Russia digital subcultures are just getting born because our Internet and technology evolution is several steps back from the United States of America or South Korea. But I am sure that in several years we are going to have our own specific subcultures that would be interesting to analyze. Drawing to the conclusion, it is necessary to remember that this issue is extremely complicated and it worth more research. It is always interesting to analyze people, there communications, and new subcultures that reflect current situation in the country. That is the reason why I plan to keep on my research work in a slightly different way after I finish this course paper to analyze the digital subcultures in Russia and their influence on businesses for the next course paper.

Aspects of Human Gene Therapy :: Science Biology Genetic Essays

Aspects of Human Gene Therapy Introduction The prospect of human gene therapy was first realized in 1971 when the first recombinant DNA experiments were planned. Gene therapy can be simply viewed as inserting bits of foreign DNA into a patient’s tissue in hopes of evoking a biologic response that will effectively eliminate the targeted disease. Major advances in recombinant DNA technology have occurred over the last 20 years so that now gene therapy is becoming a reality. Gene therapeutic techniques have recently been attempted to treat patients with the genetic diseases severe combined immune deficiency (SCID), cystic fibrosis, and Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (Donegan, 1995). The optimist foresees a time when a patient will simply receive a snippet of DNA and go home cured. There are many ethical and scientific hurdles that must first be crossed for such a dream to become reality. The technology has advanced so rapidly that many ethical questions weren’t originally addressed and accordingly are now bec oming the center of attention regarding human genetic research. Furthermore, scientists must find a way to outwit the body’s immune system which is primed to fight any foreign material such as inserted genes. There are also difficulties in getting the targeted cells to open up their molecular locks to allow the foreign genes inside. Gene therapy, like other medical advances before it, will have numerous failures before reaching its full potential. It will be important for the public, press, and medical industry to be patient in waiting for the dream of gene therapy to become a reality. Technological Aspects of Gene Therapy The underlying principle of gene therapy is the transfer of genetic material to specific cells of a patient in an effort to initiate a biological response to fight or eliminate a disease. There are two possible types of target cells, somatic cells that are non-reproducing, or reproducing germ-line cells. If germ-line cells are permanently altered, all future generations would be effected. Most of the current human genetic research involves somatic cells since the ethical ramifications of germ-line cell modification is still being debated. Some scientists have expressed concerns that even altered somatic cell genes could find their way to reproducing, germ-line cells (Donegan, 1995). Accordingly, regulations are strict in regards to somatic cell gene modification techniques so that this gene migration will not occur. Transfer of genes to target cells is usually accomplished by some sort of vector such as retroviruses, adenoviruses, or liposomes (Mulligan, 1993; Crystal, 1995).

What Happened to Ward and June Cleaver Essay -- essays research papers

What Happened to Ward and June Cleaver? Single parent homes, broken families, and divorce are rampant in today’s society. Marriage is no longer the revered union that it once was. Divorce is clearly on the rise since the days of yesteryear that depicted happy families in the favorable image of Ward and June Cleaver. Unlike the June Cleaver’s of days gone by, the women of today now busily juggle careers, family and household responsibilities, and play the role of â€Å"soccer mom† among many other things. Now that June is swept away with her many responsibilities, together with her earning capacity, reduces her need to rely on Ward ultimately making it easier, and more likely, that their children, Wally and Beaver will become the unfortunate products of a broken home and divorce. Rather than dealing with so many divorces and trying to battle the issue of broken homes from the back end where the damage is irreparable, why not attempt preventative measures instead? According to the Council on Families In America, â€Å"for the average American, the probability that a marriage taking place today will end in divorce or permanent separation is calculated to be a staggering 60% and more than half of divorcing couples have children under the age of 18. The odds that a child today will witness the divorce of their parents, is twice as great as a generation ago, with as many as half of all children likely to experience a parental divorce before they leave home.† Many states, now concerned with the rise in numbers of broken homes and divorce rates, have decided to take measures to reduce this epidemic by implementing mandatory waiting periods when obtaining a marriage license, and mandating programs and educational seminars similar to post-divorce programs now enforced by almost every court systems across the nation. The controversy, however, lies in the argument from critics that restricting couples from marriage or imposing fines or penalties is unjust. Jennifer Daw, a therapist with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy quoted an article from USA Today wherein opponents argued that, â€Å"divorce regulations or restrictions would create messier divorces, not prevent them and tougher restrictions on divorce could endanger women in abusive marriages.† People were once required to negotiate in divorce. The â€Å"No Fault Divorce† has changed that and takes the ground... ..., healthier, everlasting relationships fostered by good-old fashioned communication? Works Cited Council on Families in America. "Divorce Harms Society." Marriage and Divorce. Eds. Tamara L. Roleff and Mary E. Williams. Current Controversies Series. Greenhaven Press, 1997. Excerpted from â€Å"Marriage in America: A Report to the Nation by the Council on Families in America,† March 1995. Rpt. by permission of the Institute for Family Values. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thompson Gale. 15 June 2005 . Daw, Jennifer. â€Å"Saving Marriages: How to do it?† American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. 16 June 2005. 16 June 2005 . McManus, Mike. â€Å"Modesto’s Valentine: Divorce Rate Plunges 47.6%† Marriage Savers. 2001. 8 July 2005 . Plunkett, Robert L. â€Å"Divorce Laws Should Be Reformed.† Marriage and Divorce. Eds. Tamara L. Roleff and Mary E. Williams. Current Controversies Series. Greenhaven Press, 1997. From Robert L. Plunkett, "Vow for Now," National Review, May 29, 1995; (c) 1995 by National Review, New York, NY. Rpt. by permission. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thompson Gale. 15 June 2005 .

Females According to Christina Rossetti and Mary Wollstonecraft Essay

Females According to Christina Rossetti and Mary Wollstonecraft What is it that separates and elevates human beings from the rest of the animal world? It is the ability to logically explain an action, decision, or conviction; it is the capacity to reason. As Rousseau states, â€Å"Only reason teaches us good from evil† (Wollstonecraft 238). According to him, as well as countless other intellectuals of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, through the exercise of reason men become moral and political agents. Of course, this Enlightenment theory does not include women. Rousseau declares his opinion of the female, â€Å"O how lovely is her ignorance!† (253) The woman is the man's fantasy, the man's student, the man's plaything. Controlled, contained, and defined by the man, the woman is inferior to him and thus, not human. Eighteenth century writer and mother of female liberalism, Mary Wollstonecraft refutes this supposedly natural state of man being superior to woman in her treatise, "A Vindication of The Rights of Woman": It is farce to call any being virtuous whose virtues do not result from the exercise of reason... This was Rousseau's opinion respecting men: I extend it to women....till the manners of the time are changed...it may be impossible to convince [women]that the illegitimate power, which they obtain, by degrading themselves, is a curse, and that they must return to nature and equality ...(239) She proclaims the female to be equally capable of reason as the male. In order for the female to recognize and utilize this capability, society's males and females must alter their prejudicial definition of the feminine. Wollstonecraft addresses the fema... ...cquire virtues which they may call their own, for how can a rational being be ennobled by any thing that is not obtained by its own exertions?† (254) Indeed, it is only when the woman may call her skill, her experience, or her truth, all derived from reason, her own that she shall be independent. As Rossetti states, â€Å"Only my secret's mine...† (6). And, only when the societal norms change, shall the keeping of such a secret be by choice and not necessity. Works Cited Wollstonecraft, Mary. Vindication of the Rights of Women. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Vol 2A. Ed. David Damrosch. 2nd ed. London: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, 2003. 227-255. Rossetti, Christina. â€Å"Winter: My Secret.† The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Vol. 2B. Ed. David Damrosch. 2nd ed. London: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, 2003. 1617.

Reshaping Cultures

9 October 2013 word count: 2075 The Reshaping of Cultures Section Three: Plastic Surgery Aspects of one's culture are shaped by personal experiences, household traditions, and by one's national beliefs. How sensitive the topic of cosmetic surgery is, differs by culture. South Koreans now widely accept plastic surgery as a part of their culture. This movement has sparked widespread criticism from people around the world. Many people either can't comprehend the idea, can't get past the cultural barrier, or can't accept the adequate reasoning behind it.However, the reasoning is quite imple and should be accepted universally; Personal satisfaction and happiness are important factors to one's well-being, and if improving one's appearance can critically boost one's self-esteem, then taking advantage of the technologies we have today like plastic surgery should be an acceptable option to remedy low self-worth and low self- esteem. Every culture has some different idea of what is considered beautiful. In the past when people lived in less diverse-looking societies, the standards of beauty typically were defined by features that weren't common amongst their own ommunity.As time flowed, certain places became more ethnically and culturally diverse than others, and in those places ideas clashed and standards changed, resulting in a more open community with ideal beauty being more subjective. However, there are places that still aren't so diverse. In these places, the conception of what is considered ideal beauty is more predominantly accepted and can be linked heavily to historical and cultural roots as well as how influential and persistent the media is in that particular society.Although South Korea has been experiencing esternization since the Korean War, the country is still a generally homogenous nation, meaning that the demographics are still mostly Korean. South Korea is a country where the old meets the new and where traditions go hand in hand with modern ideas and technology; this goes for beauty as well. In ancient South Korea, having certain features could define not only ones ancestral past, but also ones future.In an article explaining the marriage of cosmetic surgery and ancient customs, Lee Su Hyun explains that, â€Å"Physiognomy, or the art of face reading, has een practiced for centuries in Korea – as well as in other Asian countries – as a way of divining a person's future† (Lee par. 8). In addition she proposed that, â€Å"Koreans also believe that personality is reflected in a person's facial features and that they [their facial features] are shaped by fate, genes and lifestyle† (Lee par. 9). This belief still persists today and many Koreans experience social pressures because of it.A South Korean mother explains that her daughter, Lee Min-Kyong, a 12 year old ballet dancer, lacks confidence: â€Å"Everyone, she says, points out her small eyes. It's why she doesn't think she's a pretty girl† (La h par. 3). Her mother added, â€Å"I'm having her do it pretty to get ahead† (qtd. in Lah par. 7). Although her daughter didn't ask for the surgery, Min-Kyong is looking forward to it: â€Å"I'm excited. I think I'll look better than I do now,' she says shyly, breaking into a small smile† (Lah par. 5).Foreigners may consider these social pressures to be offensive and superficial, but to South Koreans they are not; these pressures are Just another everyday-custom. Korean media, especially the Korean pop (K-pop) scene, has also been shaped by these social ressures which state that beauty is important. In K-pop, the most successful and famous idols perfectly fit what Koreans consider beautiful, near perfection. These idols are a part of every aspect of the media because of that. Unlike the western counterpart in which he or she is known for what he or she does best, a single Korean idol can be known to partake in a multitude of positions.It is very common to find a single idol being an actor or actress, a model, a musician, a singer, a dancer, a show host, a reality show celebrity, and a comedian. They are the role models of ociety, and, as a country where there is a pressure to look beautiful, many younger South Koreans enw and aspire to their features: â€Å"They all have small faces, large eyes, and tiny button noses. Chins are pointed, cheeks are wide, and their faces glow artificially, imbuing them with the anime quality' (Stone par. 15). Sure those features flaunted perfection, but there was a catch; those features aren't commonly or traditionally Korean.As revealed by netizens, this beauty was the work of plastic surgery. South Korea is very technologically advanced and â€Å"is the most wired in the orld, with the highest rate of smartphone usage 67 percent and 95 percent of Korean homes having internet access† (Stone par. 23). Rando Kim, a professor of consumer science at Seoul National University, suggests being so Wired' contribut ed to the trend of plastic surgery: â€Å"Celebrities have helped to drive the trend [of plastic surgery], as they scramble to keep ahead of digital technology that mercilessly exposes not only their physical imperfections, but any attempts to remedy them â€Å"(Choe par. ). He clarifies that, â€Å"Wide-screen and high definition TV put pressure on hem [celebrities] to look good in close-ups, and with the Internet, where people like to post ‘before' and ‘after' pictures, they can no longer hide it [having undergone plastic surgery]. So they go public, often talking proudly about it on TV† (Choe par. 8). Although â€Å"before the K-pop boom Korean youth already were being brought up on a diet of surgery â€Å"(Stone par. 21), Dr.Park Sang-hoon, head of ID Hospital, notes that ordinary South Koreans are now more open about the idea because their idols are open about it: â€Å"It used to be all hush-hush when mothers brought their daughters in or a face-lift be fore taking them to match-makers, now young women go plastic surgery shopping around here† (Choe par. 10). This shift towards a nation-wide open-mindedness for plastic surgery relieved many South Koreans. However, what was a relief within the country, sparked ethnocentric criticism from the international audience.Today in South Korea, cosmetic surgery is a social norm: â€Å"South Koreans have more plastic surgery than any other nation according to figures released in January. Those in the Asian country have more treatments per members of the population, with one in every 77 turning to the knife or needle† (Nolan Par. 2). One thing that seemed to bother a lot of critics was not only that statistic but also what Koreans were getting done, which in many articles regarding the matter is western. This idea seems absolutely outrageous, false, and offensive to many people especially of Asian descent.Dr. Joo Kwon, head of JK Plastic Surgery Clinic, and Dr. Kwon Seung-Taik, a p lastic surgeon at Seoul National University Hospital, both agree: â€Å"While critics often argue that Koreans are adopting a more Western ideal of beauty, both Kwon and Joo disagree, saying that the standards are universal† (Kim par. 1). Kwon supports his position, mentioning something he read a while back, † Two love letters,' he says, Written 5,000 years ago, from China and Greece, respectively, both describe their lover as beautiful, with a pointed nose and large eyes† (qtd. n Kim par. 43). He also said, in defense, â€Å"We have Westerners coming in to cut down their nose to a smaller size does that mean they want to look Asian† (qtd. in Kim par. 44)? If one were to look at the before and after pictures in detail of Asians that have undergone cosmetic surgery, one can effortlessly notice that the features don't esemble any specific features only Westerners or Caucasians have nor are they any particularly non-Asian. What emerged from this stalemate didn 't do the situation justice, though.What all this type of criticism came down to was Just the obscuring of what mattered the most, how alleviated the patients were after undergoing their surgery. Although Min-kyung was only 12 years old and didn't make the decision herself to get the surgery, â€Å"for Min-Kyung, the 20-minute surgery has been well worth the cost and post-surgical discomfort. A few weeks later, she and her mother email to ay she's happy with her new look. And when this 12-year old stares at herself dancing in the studio, she no longer Just sees her eyes. She sees a prettier girl† (Lah par. 17).Especially at that age, confidence is very important. With Just that minor surgery, her increase in confidence, even if increased by Just the slightest bit, will help her progress not only through her difficult teenage years but also thereafter. In another article, which criticizes the shift towards the acceptance for plastic surgery in South Korea and explains the supp osed dangers associated with that shift, a omen's experience is shared: â€Å"Chang Hae-Jin, 21 , an art student who was self- conscious about her slightly protruding teeth and chin decided to take that risk with Dr. Park.