Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Translation theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Translation theories - Essay Example zes, and utilizes translation principles to arrive at three main translation categories that are translation theories founded on source-oriented perspectives, linguistic translation theories, and recent translations. While source-oriented translation approaches developed from the 2nd century B.C to the 20th century A.D., the linguistic translation theories began during the second decade of the 20th century and lasted for 50 years. However, the last three decades of the 20th century led to the birth of the descriptive branch of translation that was subdivided into process-oriented, function-oriented, and product-oriented translations. The recent translation includes the target-oriented approach to translation that includes Toury’s norms in translation (Venuti, 2000, p. 198). Different translation theories are used in different translation purposes. This paper evaluates the differences between Gideon Toury’s Norms in translation theory and Lawrence Venuti’s translator’s invisibility theory. The comparison begins by placing the norms in translation theory in wider context, offers a description of the translator’s invisibility theory, compares the two theories, and finally, performs an assessment and evaluation of the implication of the two theories for practical translation. At the start of the present translation period was the descriptive translation branch in Israel since 1970s. During this period, Israeli researchers affiliated with descriptive research used the polysystem theory by Even-Zohar in 1990, and the aspect of norms established by Gideon Toury in 1995 (Benjamins, 2008, p. 64). Since Israeli is a multilingual and multicultural state, translation of other languages into Hebrew was committed to a target-oriented approach. The polysystem theory of literature and culture involves all cultural, literary, linguistic, and social aspect, but did not account for single-text translations. Instead, polysystem viewed single-texts as a system operating

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Go Ask Alice :: alice

  Long Hard Road of Adolescence   Reading through the novel, Go Ask Alice, finding out all of the unbelievable, yet true, experiences and feelings of Alice is quite shocking. No matter how shocking they may seem, you can very easily relate those experiences and feelings to those of a typical day-in and day-out teenager.   Those characteristics being loneliness, a generation gap, and defiance.   At the beginning of the novel, Alice finds herself to be very lonely. As like other teenagers, she goes through many emotional states that may lead to â€Å"dieting†, starving oneself, or binge eating. There are also finding such things as getting into school or club activities, possibly getting a job. Those few things would be the most reasonable approaches to resolving the problem and will keep teens from thinking lonely and depressing thoughts. Although what is unfortunate is that Alice, along with a lot of other teenagers, turn to drugs and alcohol as an escape. Once they start doing the drugs, the drugs replace those bad feelings.   The generation gap is another good characteristic seen in the novel. When Alice and her family moved, she started to change her appearance in ways her parents didn’t like and they were also worried because of this change in Alice. She starts to dress like a hippie, wearing moccasins and clothes with fringe. She also starts to iron her hair flat instead of wearing it with a flip. With her parents nagging at her about her change in appearance made her want to breakdown. All the feelings bottle up inside of Alice, which leads to more drug use. The situation that Alice went through is a typical situation between any other teenager and their parents.   Many times throughout the novel, Alice pretty much does what she wants, when she wants no matter what. Such as when Chris and Alice go to San Francisco. They are in total control of themselves, Alice never likes when her parents try and tell her something. A lot like teenagers today go against their parents will. Alice was always welcomed home whenever she wanted to go back.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

John Locke helped create Modern Democracy Essay

John Locke was an English philosopher and was considered as the first British Empiricists. His contributions proved great importance to the development of epistemology and political philosophy during those times, and is regarded as the most influential thinker to contribute to the liberal theory of government. As a whole, John Locke’s importance is reflected by the American Declaration of Independence, since men by nature is free and equal, discarding the thought about having a monarch, as everyone is entitled to become a monarch. It was through John Locke’s theories that people’s eyes were opened to the reality, the fact that all of us are born free. John Locke viewed and claimed that men are naturally free and equal, versus the notion that God appointed a monarch to rule over other people. Some of the things that Locke fought for were the people’s basic rights, including the right to life, liberty, and property – these concerns became the basic foundations of laws in any particular society today (Tuckness). Looking closely at the implication of what John Locke has fought for, it is more of establishing a concrete grounding which can be used as basis of other rules and laws that you prepare. In the context of establishing a government, John Locke used the claim that men are naturally free and equal in order to justify the understanding regarding the legitimacy of a political government which is the outcome of a social contract that regards the people as the major stakeholders, and that the government will be established to ensure the stability, comfort and enjoyment of these people’s lives, liberty and property. In short, the government, though privileged to preside over the people, still rests on popular consent, and people are entitled to rebel if they see that the government is subversive of what they stand for – the protection of life, liberty and property (Tuckness). Governments, just like what we have today, exist by the consent of the people under the jurisdiction of that government. Their main purpose according to Locke is to protect these people’s rights, as well as promote public good. In relation to this, those governments who are unable to function accordingly can be resisted by the people and e replace with new governments (Blupete. com). Though nowadays it would surely undergo a very long process to replace a current government, people still have the power to pursue these measures if the need be. Locke advocated majority rule, something which is similar to the current democracy that we have today. Modern democracy as we see today can be greatly associated with what John Locke has helped establish and defended many years ago. The purpose is people empowerment, the realization of the people’s rights and fighting to preserve these rights against violators. This has led to the creation of the democratic government that we have today, and through this type of government, we live a free and equal lives, without oppression from other people, as well as injustice in the things we do. We see the democratic government not only as a ruling body in the society but also a guard that would keep watch of out precious inalienable rights as citizens of this country and as human beings. We have instated a higher ruling body to do a set of purpose, and if it doesn’t, it is our responsibility to tear it down and replace it with the ones which are more appropriate and more deserving of the position. It is not the government that runs the people, but instead, it’s the people that run the government. Works Cited: Blupete. com. â€Å"John Locke (1632-1704):The Philosopher of Freedom†. 2006. April 4 2008. . Tuckness, Alex. â€Å"Locke’s Political Philosophy†. 2005. April 4 2008. .

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Developmental Disabilities

Developmental disabilities may become apparent before the age of 22 and thus may cause physical or mental limitations. Developmental abilities involve mental retardation, epilepsy, autism, cerebral palsy and other neurological impairments. In the result people may have either limited mobility or limited ability to take care of their physical needs. Nowadays people suffering from developmental abilities, especially in older age, face social challenges, though have the opportunity to enjoy a full and active life.All they need is understanding, encouragement and readiness of family members to help them to become part of their community. Therefore the project will work out new initiatives and ideas how to expand and strengthen the support system of family. Furthermore, the project will provide better understanding of management and support of family members and will contain relevant materials to share with families. Moreover, the project aims at assisting in future planning, trusts, will s and guardianship.The study thus will provide unique knowledge about elder people suffering from developmental disabilities. The objectives of the study are to improve family- directed support and to provide technical assistance in defining personal needs, plans as well as implementation of programs and evaluation of the results. Furthermore, the specific goals of the research is to strengthen programs aimed at providing families with abilities and proper knowledge how to take care of elder members suffering from developmental disabilities.The present project will be assessed through the methods of description, case study and desktop research. A literature search revealed over 150 articles and books on the managing and supporting people with developmental disabilities. Over two-thirds of these were prescriptive and written by practitioners, consultants and journalists. There is also a steady flow of research and ideas on how to improve the quality of family support. References Hollins S, Sireling L. (1990). Working Through Loss with People Who Have Learning Disabilities. Windsor: NFER-Nelson. Kloeppel D, Hollins S. (1989). Mental Retardation and Death in the Family. Death Studies, 13, 31-38. Stroebe, M., Storebe, W., Hansson, R. (1993). Handbook of Bereavement. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Men and Women Drivers Essays

Men and Women Drivers Essays Men and Women Drivers Essay Men and Women Drivers Essay The driver is the most commonly reported factor responsible to death and injury on the roads (Sabey and Taylor, 1980; Department for Transport, 2008). Most people would drive at speeds and within the legal limit allowing them to cope with the challenge of the driving task. Although drivers speed and their capability can be diminished through tiredness, drink and drugs, which may impact on their ability to negotiate road safety and sometimes result in collisions. Attitude can be a subject to change which general contain cognitive, affective and behavioural elements and driver boredom which may relate to all three. Men between the ages of 16 and 25 are much more likely to be involved in accidents, or be cited for traffic violations. There was a risk analysis study funded by The American Auto Club, at Carnegie Mellon University in 2007, in part said, men have a 77% higher risk of dying in an accident compared to women. The study, using information from both the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the National Household Travel Survey estimated fatalities per 100 million trips to be 14. 61 for men and 6. 53 for women. The total number of fatalities between 1999 and 2005 were 175,094 for men and 82,371 women. Very few young men are careful drivers. They do not have the skills to manage the road effectively. They have bad tempers and make very bad decisions. The insurance companies agree that young males make bad decisions and display their aggression in an open and direct way. Young people will always pay more for car insurance just because they have no record of safe driving. It is hypothesised that the driving performance of women is less aggressive than that of male’s drivers. Design The independent variable would be age/gender while the dependant variable would be aggressive behaviour. This would be experimental. Aggressive behaviour would be tested by * How the participants drive their dodging cars, * The amount of times the participant’s purposely hit their opponents * To assesses the extent to which one engages in aggressive behaviour when driving. The aggressive behaviour and expression were to be observed The first subscale assesses verbal aggression expression were swearing, or yelling at another driver, physical expression of aggression and aggressive use of the vehicle to express anger to speed up to frustrate another driver. Participant A total of 100 participants 50 females and 50 males aged between 13-16years would be selected from the local high schools ,this would be calculated due to teenagers having no boundaries’ or fear, teenagers are the hardest to control. Although there are rules for the dodging cars young males would endeavour to find a loop hole to break the rules whereas young females are more inclined to obey the rule given. People would be recruited through the local schools. Procedure Advertisements would be placed within the high school newsletter with permission notes, once the permission notes have been returned, the selection criteria would commence to ensure the participants have no prior injuries, and are of age. Two sets of groups would be selected of 25 female and 25 males, to conduct the experiment the teenagers would be given a dodging car each and given a time limit of 1 hour per group during this time the experimenter will observe the display of aggression by each driver To be evaluated accordingly by age and gender on the aggression displayed by a scale.

Monday, October 21, 2019

5 Ways to Express Fear in Spanish

5 Ways to Express Fear in Spanish The two most common ways of saying to fear or to be afraid in Spanish are the verb temer and the phrase tener miedo. Note, however, that this verb and verb phrase arent used in exactly the same way as their English equivalents. Phrases for Expressing Fear Temer is typically followed by: The preposition a and a noun. (No temo a las pelà ­culas de terror. I am not afraid of horror movies.) Sometimes the verb is preceded by a redundant indirect object pronoun. (No le tememos a nadie. Were not afraid of anybody.)The preposition por. (Teme por la seguridad de los detenidos en Cuba. He fears for the safety of the prisoners in Cuba.)The subordinate conjunction que. (Temen que el caos se extienda a los territorios ocupados. They are afraid that the chaos will extend to the occupied territories.) Note that, as in the example, the clause following temer que is usually in the subjunctive mood. (Temerse has a much milder meaning than to fear and frequently is followed by verb in the indicative mood. (Me temo que va a nevar. I am concerned it is going to snow.)An infinitive. (Temen salir de la rutina. They are afraid to quit their routine.) Tener miedo is typically followed by: The preposition a. (Sà ³lo tengo miedo a una cosa. I am afraid of just one thing.)The preposition de. (Todos buscamos à ©xito y tenemos miedo del fracaso. We are all looking for success and we are all afraid of failure.)The preposition por. (Fresita tiene miedo por lo que opinar su madre. Fresita fears for what her mother will say.)The conjunction que or phrase de que, usually followed by a clause in the subjunctive mood. (Tiene miedo que su hermana muera. He is afraid that his sister is dying. Tengo miedo de que aparezca otra chica en tu vida. Im afraid another girl will appear in your life.) Phrases that can be used in a way similar to tener miedo are tener aprensià ³n, tener temor and, less commonly, tener susto. In Spanish it is also common to express the idea of being a recipient of fear. (Me da susto las araà ±as. I am deathly afraid of spiders.  ¿Te metià ³ miedo la clase? Did the class scare you?)

Sunday, October 20, 2019

5 Cover Letter Mistakes That Will Cost You the Interview

5 Cover Letter Mistakes That Will Cost You the Interview To write a good cover letter is to walk a very fine line between confident salesmanship and not sounding like an arrogant shill. To avoid the common pitfalls, and make sure your great letter isn’t annoying the recruiters for your ideal jobs, eradicate any of the following gaffs from your letter before sending it out again. 1. An Abundance of†Bests† and â€Å"Perfects†Even if you believe it, try not to state that you’re the â€Å"best person for the job,† or even â€Å"a perfect fit.† You don’t need to sell yourself with superlatives. You need to sell yourself with your skills and experience. Come off confident, not cocky. Humble, but not too passive. Figure out what sorts of qualifications you have that make you quote-unquote perfect for the job, then highlight those. Show don’t tell!2. GenericsThe Objective is the thing of the past. Instead of saying what you want (which is the same as what every other candidate wants, by the way), say why you’re uniquely qualified to be an asset to their company and solve all their problems by filling all their needs for this position.3. Unnecessary ExplanationsYou may think it’s a good idea to explain why you left your last job. It isn’t. There’s probably not a way for you to accomplish what you want with this explanation without badmouthing your former employer (bad) or making yourself look bad (worse). Save it for the interview- and only if it comes up. Focus on the positive instead- your forward movement towards increasing your success.4. BuzzwordsYou may be a â€Å"team player.† You may even be â€Å"reliable† and â€Å"a hard worker,† or want to â€Å"maximize your potential.† But these words have become toxic from overuse. Find a new and fresh way to state your case. The recruiter will be both grateful and pleasantly surprised.5. JokesJust assume these aren’t gong to land on paper. They’ll probably have the opposite effect- as in: they won’t be funny. You might even offend someone or come off as unprofessional. Save your witticisms for the interview. Keep the cover letter clean, professional, and surgically precise.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Usa department of lapor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Usa department of lapor - Essay Example The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the organizations that have a well-established culture that makes it unique. The culture in DOL is such that there are clear guides on the relationship between the employees and management within the organization. There are clear channels of communication where employees become part of the major decisions of the organization. This enhances the smooth flow of activities in the organization, which is one of the paybacks of a strong organizational culture. DOL has also extended its concern to the external environment. People identify the organization with its contributions towards the eradication of social vices in the society through the process of job creation (United Sates Department of Labor, 2012). Individuals from outside the organization use culture to value the actions of an organization. Therefore, the culture in DOL enhances the values of cooperation, motivation and care for the society. Artifacts of an organization’s culture are the visible characteristics that one can observe in the organization. One of the most visible artifacts in DOL is the success of the organization in meeting its objectives. DOL’s culture has helped it to achieve its objective of improving the social welfare of the workforce in the United States. The culture enhances motivation of employees, which increases their productivity and the overall performance of the organization. Therefore, the culture of the United States Department of Labor has contributed towards its

Friday, October 18, 2019

Management Dissertation Proposal Proforma Research

Management Dissertation Proforma - Research Proposal Example Yes Degree Programme: MBA in Finance & Accounting Specialization Track: General _______ Finance ---X--- Marketing_______ [Please check as appropriate] Other___________________ (please specify) DATE: January 10, 2012Aims of dissertation Background of the research Financial markets across the world have been reporting increasing integration within the as well as across different boundaries. There are several factors that have drastically grown the financial markets in the last decades particularly in the developing countries and some of these factors are globalization, deregulation and advancement in technology (Abraham, Seyyed, and Al-Elg, 2001). Financial markets around the world are not uniform and this is the reason why an investor is able to make more profits then he should have by capitalizing on the opportunity created because of differences in prices (Masih, and Masih, 2002). Gain of one investor would result in the loss of another. However, if these markets are integrated and made uniform then an investor would not be able to make such gains (Stulz, 1981). With the passage of time, financial markets around the world have being integrated among themselves. The term market integration is referred to as a market where there are no obstacles for investors like legal restrictions, taxes, transaction costs etc (Solink, 1974). There are several advantages or benefits for integration among stock market and this is the reason why investors, financial analysts as well as policy markets have been paying considerable attention towards this subject. Some of the most important advantages of market integration are that investors investing in different parts of the world would expect the same amount of return from the investment as arbitrage opportunities would not exist. Also as the expected return would be the same therefore if an investor would like to earn higher return then it would have to take more risk and thus reward to risk ratio would be balanced. Also becaus e of market integration, the overall economy becomes more stabilized. It also encourages more people to make investment as there would be fewer chances of loss of investment as the overall productivity of the country would improve. If the Kuwait market is integrated with the global financial market, then the overall productivity and efficiency of the country would improve and more investment opportunities would emerge in the country. Also this would encourage more local business as well as foreign investors to invest in this market thus the GDP of the country would improve. These are the most important benefits that Kuwait market or any other market would experience if the financial market is integrated with the global market. Integration of financial market has become an important topic in today’s world as investors are able to invest in different markets in order to make the most of the opportunities prevailing in different regions (Kearney, and Lucey, 2004). Different scho lars and researchers have been focusing on this topic and considerable amount of research has already been done in order to analyze the impact of

Navigating through the Life Cycle of Maturity Essay

Navigating through the Life Cycle of Maturity - Essay Example Apparently, the adoption of a direct way of selling their franchises to their customers as opposed to their competitors for instance Compaq who relied on retailers to sell their franchises. Evidently, this served to improve their business since it boosted the customer seller relationship. In addition to that, good management also played a major role in the growth of Dell. On that note, while their competitors such as IBM struggled with management politics, Dell was strategizing on how to improve their business. Secondly, an analysis of Dells declining industry yielded the following. Although, technology buy outs have worked for the Dell competitors, but with the decline in the personal computer market as a result new innovations have contributed to the demise of Dell. Finally, examples of dells strategy over the competition are as follows. The leadership strategy which entails the company striving to become the dominant player in the declining business venture is one method. Secondly, the niche strategy which emphasizes on the pocket demand that are declining gradually as compared to the industry as a whole. Moreover, this entails the flow of funds. Finally, there is the divestment strategy, which consists of the process a company sells the business to other

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Regional integration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Regional integration - Essay Example The unique example that will be under discussion as far as this paper is concerned would be the south east asian region that is one of the fastest growing economies of the world along side the mighty economies of the united states and the european union (UNESCAP, 2005, pp.145). The South east Asian region comes directly under the ASEAN which stands for the Association of the South East Asian Nations. The formation of the alliances has made it possible to forge strong aliances with one another and has encouraged enhanced volumes of foreign direct investments. The region is today a preferred economic and technological investment hub and preference is mad on the basis of highly skilled human resuorces of the region, which has been possible through sustainable development initiatives of these organizations. The ASEAN has ensured that the financial and judicial backbone of the countries is strengthened, which has ensured an enhanced security to people as well as the industry. Rapid economic development of the region has led to a phenomenal rise in the standard of living of the people and creation of economic hubs such as singapore and hong kong (UNESCAP, 2005 pp.145). But, any such development has a dark side as well. The rising incomes have contributed to the widening of the gap between sections of the society. There has also not been a uniform development between countries and all this has resulted in a greater difference between the economies of any two countries. This is evident in the growth rates of China and hong kong when compared with that of singapore or malaysia wherein the former's growth is presently the highest in the world. But, the implementation of the ideas of regional integration have not been implemented to the optimum levels, with economies such as indonesia and burma (present day myanmar) left behind in the race towards economic development. The mistakes lies both within the framework of these regional organizations as well as due to a lack of initiative on the part of the respective governments of these countries (UNESCAP, 2005 pp.145-146).The seven major companies within the ASEAN have an estimated holding reserves of arou nd $100 billion, which is now many times than that of the acia-pacific region put together. The South east asian region has an annual growth of aroung 5.1% since the last 5 years. But, the most striking factor since the last 5 years has been the emergence of new countries such as China & India into the economic fora, so much so that today they are a force to reckon with. As has been previously mentioned, China has en estimated annual growth rate of aroung 8.5 %, which is the highest in the world today. Following in its footsteps is the economy of India, which has the second highest growth rate of 5.1%. Both play a major role in maintianing the economic stability of the region and are active participants in the annual ASEAN summits (UNESCAP, 2005 pp.145-146).For developed countries in the region such as singapore, malaysia and the island city of hong kong as also korea and taiwan, the real challenge as of now, is to sustain their economic growth and maintain their prosperity in the e ventuality of stiff competition from India & China, which are the most preferred destinations for FDI (UNEASCAP, 2005). The situation with the underdeveloped economies of the region is that they continue to remain underdogs and are in no

Trans Fat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Trans Fat - Essay Example It is helpful in creating, firmness, texture, and longer shelf life for many products. Many companies and restaurants in western countries have started using palm oil and coconut oil instead of hydrogenated oils. But in reality, they are only slightly healthier than trans fat. Coconut and palm oils are rich in saturated fat which increases the chances of heart diseases and raises the level of cholesterol in the blood. Former president of the American Heart Association, Robert Eckel, says â€Å"getting rid of trans fat is important because strong evidence indicates that they contribute to higher levels of harmful cholesterol and heart diseases. But the idea that this is the most harmful type of fat is a matter of debate.† (Nanci Hellmich, USA Today). Regarding the readership of this article, it may be written for all those who have some knowledge about the unhealthy diet with a special focus on those who suffer from cardiovascular diseases. People who suffer from obesity, heart diseases and those who exercise some control over diet are, obviously, interested in it. As regards the third question, what kind of appeals would be most appropriate, it can safely be said that by explaining the issue through logic would be most suitable because the targeted groups are adults who are not likely to move by emotions. After taking a stance on trans fats and diet, it is always better to prove the points through well argued views. It might create an impression in the minds of the reader that the author is honest, sincere, confident and. above all, well informed. The reader might also believe that the author understands his concerns and has answered all of them. The next question to be answered is what would be the most appropriate style to wr ite a persuasive article. Generally, there are several styles such as formal, academic, legal and middle styles to write an article. Middle style which uses images and illustrations well-known to the readers are the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Regional integration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Regional integration - Essay Example The unique example that will be under discussion as far as this paper is concerned would be the south east asian region that is one of the fastest growing economies of the world along side the mighty economies of the united states and the european union (UNESCAP, 2005, pp.145). The South east Asian region comes directly under the ASEAN which stands for the Association of the South East Asian Nations. The formation of the alliances has made it possible to forge strong aliances with one another and has encouraged enhanced volumes of foreign direct investments. The region is today a preferred economic and technological investment hub and preference is mad on the basis of highly skilled human resuorces of the region, which has been possible through sustainable development initiatives of these organizations. The ASEAN has ensured that the financial and judicial backbone of the countries is strengthened, which has ensured an enhanced security to people as well as the industry. Rapid economic development of the region has led to a phenomenal rise in the standard of living of the people and creation of economic hubs such as singapore and hong kong (UNESCAP, 2005 pp.145). But, any such development has a dark side as well. The rising incomes have contributed to the widening of the gap between sections of the society. There has also not been a uniform development between countries and all this has resulted in a greater difference between the economies of any two countries. This is evident in the growth rates of China and hong kong when compared with that of singapore or malaysia wherein the former's growth is presently the highest in the world. But, the implementation of the ideas of regional integration have not been implemented to the optimum levels, with economies such as indonesia and burma (present day myanmar) left behind in the race towards economic development. The mistakes lies both within the framework of these regional organizations as well as due to a lack of initiative on the part of the respective governments of these countries (UNESCAP, 2005 pp.145-146).The seven major companies within the ASEAN have an estimated holding reserves of arou nd $100 billion, which is now many times than that of the acia-pacific region put together. The South east asian region has an annual growth of aroung 5.1% since the last 5 years. But, the most striking factor since the last 5 years has been the emergence of new countries such as China & India into the economic fora, so much so that today they are a force to reckon with. As has been previously mentioned, China has en estimated annual growth rate of aroung 8.5 %, which is the highest in the world today. Following in its footsteps is the economy of India, which has the second highest growth rate of 5.1%. Both play a major role in maintianing the economic stability of the region and are active participants in the annual ASEAN summits (UNESCAP, 2005 pp.145-146).For developed countries in the region such as singapore, malaysia and the island city of hong kong as also korea and taiwan, the real challenge as of now, is to sustain their economic growth and maintain their prosperity in the e ventuality of stiff competition from India & China, which are the most preferred destinations for FDI (UNEASCAP, 2005). The situation with the underdeveloped economies of the region is that they continue to remain underdogs and are in no

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

EMs education program for a community based on EMS related issues Essay

EMs education program for a community based on EMS related issues within the community - Essay Example Such areas are majorly faced by the EMS problem of disease outbreak. These areas are constantly faced with malaria outbreak thus high mortality rate of both children and adults. Accessing health facilities is a problem to such people because of the following reasons. Poverty level, poor transport, poor communication. Unless health facilities and governments come up with long lasting strategies to avert the situation, then the nationals in such areas continue to suffer more and more. The community education program that can be employed to avert the above situation of malaria epidemic is first to develop, collect and disseminate the necessary information on the importance of good health to individuals and the importance of living in clean environment. In this case, professionals trained in the field of medicine should be given the first priority to undertake the exercise. The training programs should also be made affordable and accessible so as to achieve the entire goal. There are some established communities agencies which I can well involve myself in and provide the program. These agencies are either private or public but with a common goal of providing quick response to any medical care in a certain community. These agencies include NHTSA. This agency has been leading for the past forty years in the provision of a system approach to emergency medical services in various communities. Volunteers and other trained medical personnel have teamed up in the past to provide much assistance to these communities. NEMSIS (National Emergency Medical Services Information System) is another cooperative agency in the same ( Brenna, pg. 60). Research shows that there few developed programs designed to provide emergency medical services. This is due to some challenges faced such as lack of adequate trained personnel to conduct such services, slow response to cases of emergency in rural

Monday, October 14, 2019

Star Tv Case Study Essay Example for Free

Star Tv Case Study Essay STAR TV was using asiasat-1 satellite to beam their channel to Asian country. The grand strategy that has been using during this time was growth. The fact is most of the 2. 7 billion people living in the 38 countries extending from Egypt through India to Japan and from the Russian Far east to Indonesia do not have television sets and satellite dishes. Yet STAR TV has debuted 24-hour all sports television program, beaming the U. S Open Tennis tournament via satellite to these potential audiences in Asia. The five channels being offered were Sports, News, Music TV, Entertainment and special channel to learn mandarin. The subcategories of the grand strategy during this time that had been using by STAR TV were intensive/concentration. As we know, the intensive strategy is divided into three things which are Market penetration, Market Development and Product Development. As for market penetration, previously STAR TV was initially targeted to a select 5 percent of the population in major markets in Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia and India. These are the countries that they chose to being penetrated and to increase the market share. This segment of the potential audience is made up of English-speaking, well-educated, well-travelled and wealthy Asian. All channels were in English without subtitle/translation that made most of the targeted countries’ residences were not interested to subscribe it. Plus the Television was very difficult to get due to the price was considered expensive. Japan was not in targeted country due to Japan already had its own well-developed satellite TV network. On the other hand, Japanese were not interested in English because they didn’t speak/understand English at that moment. With the $300 million initial capital, some observers predicted that STAR TV would lose massive amount of money in getting the audiences. As for the market development of the subcategories, STAR TV introduced the satellite dishes which were new to audience. Customers were scared to buy because that was new to them. They didn’t really understand of its functions. STAR TV had come out with many campaigns and advertisements to audiences to make they know the functions well. However, when STAR TV sports channel offered world cup cricket championship in 1992, sales of satellite dishes were skyrocketed, particularly in areas that had once been British colonies. Everybody was interested in watching those channels in Asia. The subscribers were increased from time to time and they enjoyed not only sports but they also were getting music television (MTV), News channel, Entertainment (movies, drama, etc) and Mandarin learning channel. Initially STAR TV was making its money solely from advertising. They found that the profit unable to bear all the cost in order to maintain the good service level and product enhancement. They were start thinking and they found an idea on how to increase the income. They implemented pay channel concept as for the product development. They courageous to implement this concept were because their audiences were reaching a total number of 3. 75 million households in eight countries just after a year it began operating. The porter five forces involved during this previous time were suppliers, customers, and substitute product. The suppliers were not so many which had given less choice to Star TV to choose from. The price fight was almost zero. Most of them were providing the service in equal price quotation. Star TV had to follow whatever price that had been setup by suppliers. The suppliers were including production house, raw material, labor or manpower, components and other supply. Most of the customers were not a native English speaker. As for the target market, no more than educated people subscribed this Star TV at first when it was launched. However, Star TV found that sports can be watched without understand the English when the customers subscribing rating were increasing during world cup Cricket being beamed by Star TV. Star TV provided 24-hour sports channel and it had been a strong point for customer to chose compared to other channels. The threat of substitute product was typically impacting the industry through price competition. The competitors were such as NBC, ABN (Jow Dones), CNN,Nine Network Australia and local station. The local station could provide the live sports game for free while Star TV needs to pay to watch. Definitely customers chose local station because it is free. For a reason, the rating had been decreased due to this threat. Nevertheless, Star TV had it own advantage where the channel is beamed clearly without dotted screen like an aerial TV. Compared to other satellite TV, Star TV needed to lower the price to get more customers. In other words, Star TV could not run from price competition. GENERIC GRAND STRATEGY AND ITS SUBCATEGORIES CURRENTLY PURSUING AND THE PORTER 5 FORCES INVOLVED In 1993, News Corp, headed by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, purchased 64 percent of STAR TV and later bought the remaining shares for total cost of $825 million. The acquisition was undertaken because of supply-side as well as demand side impetus for standardization. The generic grand strategy used once Rupert Murdoch bought START is also growth. Murdoch was looking to have very big shares in the Asian market. He is the owner of News Corp seeing that with the purchase of STAR TV, he can beam his channels all over the Asia with the very efficient cost. For the subcategories we can say that STAR TV was using intensive/concentration as well. It is the same with subcategories earlier but now the method is different. It still involved Market Penetration, Market Development and Product Development. However, other than intensive/concentration, during this time STAR also using integration for its subcategories. STAR was using rearward method. It was considered as rearward because STAR has been in the same company with one of its suppliers which is News Corp once bought by Rupert Murdoch. News Corp hoped to use STAR TV to arbitrage its existing program sources including the 20th century Fox movies and television program library. FOX broadcasting hits were such as â€Å"The Simpsons†, BSkyB sports and news programming in the Asian market and vice versa. If successful, this strategy would cut the cost of programming for STAR TV to bear minimum associated with copying tapes and broadcasting them. As for Market Development and Market penetration, Murdoch reversed the mainly English strategy aimed at a select audience in favor of supplying regionally oriented languages, including Chinese and Hindi in less than a year. Rupert Murdoch came out with good initiative such as English movie with India subtitle for India region. For some movies he did the direct translation which was accepted by most of the customers. This initiative was made the star TV became more popular and the sales was increasingly rapidly. Rupert Murdoch saw that the resistance of English in Asian region as an advantage to created this initiative successfully. Murdoch first began to customize the satellite network’s music programs. The company found that in Taiwan, the audience prefers saccharine, Chinese love ballads, while Indian viewers are more drawn to dynamic music videos. Murdoch did the segmentation and research to get best result before he did any decision making for particular region. Therefore the northern beam of star’s satellite, which broadcast to Taiwan, Hong Kong and an estimated 30 million viewer in mainland China, carries mainly Chinese pop music. The southern beam aimed at India and Southeast Asia, focuses on Hindi and English Music. The customization has carried over to other types of programming as well. For example, Star has split the signal on its sports channel to provide more Crickets to Indians and more soccer, gymnastic and tracks to the Chinese. Movies channel are being geared up to broadcast in seven languages which are Mandarin, Hindi, English, Bahasa Indonesia, Tagalog, Cantonese and Japanese. Murdoch says his plan is to dominate four key program categories in sports, music, movie and general entertainment. By mid 1990s Star TV was reaching an estimated 54 million households. Even with this coverage the satellite network was experiencing major losses. Murdoch has determined that Star TV cannot bring sufficient revenues from advertising alone to make a significant profit. Instead it will be necessary to have viewers pay to watch some programs on the network. News Corp is attempting to develop systems that will allow company to collect viewer payments at a reasonable cost. This is what they called pay per view (PPV). This was one of the brilliant idea of Murdoch since it could increase the company profit. Viewers were willing to pay at a reasonable price for their favorite channel. Star TV now has access to the sophisticated AsiaSat-2 satellite as for the product developement, which is positioned to cover two third of the world population. This shows that Star TV has the biggest asset to be a strong pint to penetrate world market. Star TV is considered to be a large organization as it employs approximately 700 workers in Hong Kong Headquarter alone and further 2000 workers in other Asian regions. Size is quite directly related to structure. Robbins (1990) summarizes that complexity and formalization are positively related to size. Even that STAR operates in various locations and as organization, it is expected to grow, both the opportunity and need for work division and coordination (Pugh and Hickson, 1976). STAR is in elaboration-of-structure stage. The organization has reach large size and its two (2) revenue streams of subscriber fees and advertising had to be more balanced in order for STAR’s business to attain maturity. Nearly half of the world’s population resides within STAR’s footprint in Asia. In order to connect with these billions of potential viewers to maintain the momentum of expansion, STAR has made several strategic investments in pay-TV platforms throughout the region. These pay-TV platforms have become invaluable assets to STAR, strengthening our ability to deliver our content to consumers. In addition, organization has established a close working relationship with thousands of other platforms operators in Asia and beyond. STAR has also been expanding its reach beyond television broadcasting, by setting up some departments to offer its content via wireless and online-based services. Whether in front of the TV, surfing the web, or on the go with a mobile phone, viewers connect with STAR. Considering the recent innovations on STAR and its service programming, technology plays a definite role in the whole operations and competitiveness. Since bureaucratic organizations like STAR have strict rules, standards, hierarchy and legitimate authority, where the markets are characterized by prices, competition and exchange relationship, affecting traditions, shared values and beliefs, and trust, technology functions as determinant of pace and timing of tasks, providing information to managers on performance, and dictates standards. Looking on Woodward’s ideas, technology and structure of STAR fall on the Group II, which is the large batch and mass production. Considering the various regions in which they operate, large batch and mass production is the most practical way to manage technology. The structural characteristics of Woodward are the following: number of management levels (4), supervisor span of control (48), direct/indirect labor ration (4:1), manager/total personnel ratio (medium), worker’s skill level (low), formalized procedures (high), centralization (high), amount of verbal communication (low), amount of written communication (high), and overall structure (mechanistic). However, it is also recognized that STAR may invest on the process of maneuvering into Group III or continuous process production due to the emerging trends of service television industry and its clients. In application, the most important thing to think about in production and technology is the basic value of making good TV shows and marketing them to the targeted consumers – viewers across Asia, advertisers, and cable distributors. This is the most important consideration as far as technology and structure is considered. STAR can talk on new kinds of services, new technologies, and cable versus DSL versus satellite, but everything is futile not unless integrated in producing quality programming for viewers and advertisers alike. STAR acknowledges the need to take steps to move the whole industry forward and start shaping it to be the kind of industry where they will continue to be a player if not the leader in the next five or ten years. STAR is a bureaucratic organization involving Weber’s main characteristics of bureaucracy such as Rules and procedures, Specialization and division of labor, Hierarchy of authority, technically qualified personnel, Separate position and incumbent and written communications and records. Rational-legal authority is practiced in STAR where authority legitimated by virtue of supremacy of law and formal rules is used in conducting the organization. Basing on French and Raven power types, STAR uses legitimate power where formal standards, rules and laws are exercised. With the leadership and managerial expertise of Richard Li, the execution of STAR strategies is bounded on formal and legitimate source of power. Li’s power supported by clear corporate governance initiatives possesses outstanding ability to cope with uncertainty, position in information network, and control over physical and financial resources. Furthermore, modern control theories are â€Å"the mechanisms through which an organization can be managed so that it moves toward its objectives† (Ouchi 1979, p. 833). STAR reflected News Corp. s culture of taking risks and swift decision-making with minimal formal structure. It is bureaucratic because it emphasizes on achieving consistency and stability by following procedures and practices, high level of conformity and collaboration among employees, and focused efficiency and consistency are the key objectives. Arguably, this type of control may also affect employee motivation, working relationships with the management and p roductivity as there are other aspects of the organization that are overlooked when a legitimate source of power and control is operating all alone. Consideration of other power and control types or perhaps the integration of some of their inherent attributes is recommended. Culturally speaking, STAR projects the organizational culture of News Corp. by serving as powerful source of control and achieves Behavioral Consistency through a system of Shared Values and Meaning both in internal and external perspectives including the needs of the environment and strategic focus. A dominant level of culture is exemplified by a significant number of members of the organization. Core values are similarly expressed y the dominant culture, which is providing quality service programming to viewers while maintaining market leadership and organizational productivity. It could also be assumed that subcultures occur in local or regional offices due to national, cultural, and individual diversity. Adaptability culture is seen on STAR. STAR has penetrated deeply into key markets with mass appeal general entertainment channels, produced locally in lo cal languages, by local talent. These channels help organization achieve a genuine resonance with audiences, and uniquely position STAR as the leading media company in Asia. For example, Murdoch could hardly have been happier with the successes of â€Å"Correlate† in India and Xing Kong in China, STAR’s two most important markets. Asian companies that were setting up satellite broadcast channels aroused fewer political and cultural concerns in their target markets and often had closer connections with local governments. Foreign broadcasters valued them as partners for this reason as well as because of the access that they often afforded to local programming. Further, STAR is also uses mission culture type as noted on its organization’s purpose and on the attainment of goals, managers share organization’s goals and future direction, rewards on high performance, and environmental relativity. As Asias largest television network watched by approximately 100 million viewers every day, STARs reach is unmatched. The breadth and scale of operations across Asia position STAR uniquely as a powerful communication vehicle that can be leveraged for the good of the communities it reaches. Inherently bureaucratic, there is a need for STAR’s management to consider creativity and individual initiative as well as behaviorally-based mechanisms in creating standardized corporate laws and policies. The satellite provides STAR TV with 30 or more new channels of digital television. Moreover the digitalization process allows STAR TV to simultaneously offer the same program in several different languages, thus supporting the network’s regional focus. With the increased technology, STAR has successfully entered the Japan Market and offering a 24-hours Japanese language channel. The company plans to offer six more channels in the near future. STAR TV faces growing competition from others attempting to launch various satellite networks in the area such as NBC, ABN (Dow Jones), CNN and Nine Network Australia. As STAR TV attempts to target its program more regionally it will be competing with regional broadcasters. Murdoch views the situations as an investment. So far STAR TV has the highest market penetration of any satellite network. To be successful it will need to gain additional share in various market. These are certain porter 5 forces that involved: Risk of New Competitors One of the primary advantages of the company is their strong relationship with their customers. As of January 1993, the company reached its 4. 5 million people out of 11. 3 million households in Asia (Ghemawat 2005). The company is using the specialized input by using different important and new technologies that will help them to improve their services. In Hong Kong, the government requires any companies that are interested in doing their broadcasting or news program in Asia, must be controlled locally (Ghemawat 2005). This is due to the fact that they are going to handle the different information about the current events of the country (Ghemawat 2005). In terms of the socio-cultural aspect, in China, Chinese people prefer to watch local films and TV programs because they are not that good in understanding as well as speaking English language. Rivalry among Established Firms The company had been able to catch the attention of their customers as well as gain their loyalty by implementing their strategies of thinking local and acting global. It enables the company to create different programs that are suitable for the taste of their local viewers. Bargaining Powers of Suppliers In general, the products of the company have few substitutes. In addition to that, those products are considered as significant to the buyers such as the process of purchasing exclusive TV programs and movies. Above all, the suppliers of the company have the ability to vertically incorporate forward for them to compete with the buyers of the company. On the other hand, the buyers don’t have ability to integrate backward for them to supply their own demand. Bargaining Power of Buyers The buyers, end-users or distributor and the buyers of the company can switch suppliers at low cost. The buyers can easily and vertically integrate for them to compete with the suppliers. Threat of Substitute Products In the industry of entertainment and media, the competitive threat of the substitute product increases as it comes closer to fulfill a similar function or feature towards the original product. The availability of a substitute product can create a price limits on the original product. But it doesn’t directly hit the company due to the fact that it has its own production of their TV programs that help them to control the features and functions of their media products, in order to meet the demands of the customers. FACTORS SHOULD MURDOCH CONSIDER IN MAKING AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSEMENT AND TYPES OF STRATEGY FOR USE AT BEGINNING OF TWENTY FIRST CENTURY Identifying the environmental factors inherent to the operations of STAR regardless of geographic locations or specified regions is done through PESTLE analysis: Political Asia was not an easy neighborhood where anyone can do business. On the case of STAR, new government regulations restricting foreign ownership of news channels were passed in India, and more work was needed in order to make STAR’s China venture profitable. In all its markets, STAR maintained close relationships with government officials and understood local operating requirements, both explicit and unwritten. Media, particularly TV broadcasting, were salient politically because of their potential influence on public opinion and their importance to local artists. They therefore remained subject, around the world, to extensive state control – a reality that STAR managed carefully. Economic The risk of the occurrence global economic downturn brought about by dynamic competition among companies that lead to closing down and the loss of jobs may have a direct impact on STAR strategy of dominating the world’s television entertainment market. Also, there are huge differences in terms of the GDP per capita earnings among the countries. This situation should make STAR consider about its positioning strategies in certain countries (Barlett and Ghoshal, 1989). Social The varying demands of audiences in relation to culture is a primary determinant of organizational performance provided that environment is being considered. Not only must the cultural differences be recognized, but there is also skill in knowing how to organize the programming; for example, when to insert the commercial breaks. Television ventures can be killed by managers who do not know programming, especially if they believe ‘good programming’ is what they like personally. As case provided, India, with its British colonial legacy, was somewhat easier in programming perspective in contrast to Taiwan where STAR experienced resistance to English content. As it was still in an embryonic stage, India’s television market was largely unregulated, at least compared with other Asian markets. India had only two television channels in 1991, both operated by government broadcaster Doordashan. STAR later formed a joint venture with native Indian media conglomerate Zee Telefilms. Under the agreement STAR was precluded from developing Hindi programming, and instead was limited to broadcasting exclusively English-language content. For example, a quiz show would be successful because India is a nation of very intelligent quizzers. In general, the rising middle to upper-middle class households in certain countries requires a strategy formulation that will not mismatch to the potential for consumer market. Technological The innovations in terms of STAR’s technology are contributory seeing that technological advancements are among the primary features of competitive advantage of STAR. Investing on new state-of-the-art programming facilities and equipment is essential in the business strategy to be aligned to any revolutionary technological changes affecting the television entertainment industry. Legal STAR’s awareness of any changes in terms of government policies and legislations within the operating countries is vital. Constant large-scale legal evaluation facilitates opportunity for expansion and minimizes legal difficulties. Environmental By Duncan theory, an unstable environment combined with low levels of complexity leads to moderate to high uncertainty. In this environment, there are only few elements, but each element changes in an unpredictable manner. As there is a heightened need to process information and respond to it, management is decentralized. Teamwork is emphasized in order to facilitate communication. There is extensive use of boundary spanners and intensive coordination devices to enable the organization to respond to environment pressures. However, production processes are more stable and tend towards being mechanistic. The PESTLE analysis conducted above identifies the environmental factors affecting STAR’s operations in all the regions in which they do business. The identified factors certainly create influences and at the same time relevant to its functions. STAR’s niche market is technologically motivated, thus, the role of technological factors in the environment (e. g. innovations) is important while considering the varying needs of their diversified clientele. Indeed, not all environments are the same as they vary in various degrees of uncertainty. On the case of STAR, it is a complex one. The following indicates the degree of environmental uncertainty. Decentralized with an emphasis on teamwork Constant environment monitoring by boundary spanners High levels of coordination and integration in order to promote imitation and innovation Production facilities often mechanistic Burns and Stalker (1961) distinguished organic and mechanistic organizations. They believed that the most effective structure is one that adjusts to the requirements of the environment, which means using a mechanistic design in a stable, certain environment and an organic form in a turbulent environment. Large firms may even have some parts which are organic and others which are mechanistic. For instance, Operations Engineering department may apply largely mechanistic practice in terms of job functions. The mechanical system design as evident on the structure of STAR is stable and efficiently performs as seen on its double-digit performance and growth in revenue and operating income for four (4) consecutive years. Furthermore, STAR’s departmental differentiation adopted by regional managers and staff explicitly addresses the needs of the diverse environment. There is a lesser degree of call for change not on its structural level but on the ability of the management to effectively manage and response on the growing needs of clients and international competition in the niche market. To do such, STAR should establish international linkages and control environmental domain as prime strategies for controlling external environments. STAR also needs to consider on SWOT analysis in future planning. The SWOT of STAR TV that can be concluded as per below: Strength Worldwide presence Strong in the prime time slot Association with big names Good contents Effective packaging Weaknesses Not much strong in non prime time slot, need concentrate on this Excessively dependant on K series soaps. This may harm in long term. Opportunities Lack of strong challengers Strong network channels for promotion. Threats Popular series on maturity phase and about to expire New emerging channels like NDTV imagine New technology HDTV, 3D TV The grand strategy that STAR TV needs to use in planning the best for the beginning of the 21st century is growth. STAR must concentrate on R D which is fall under product development (concentration). The offering channels should be updated based on the current technology. STAR should come out with interactive channel in the future. The Interactive Channel delivered shopping and games as well as regularly updated news, weather, and sports. Viewers were able to make airline reservations, sample music CDs, and even hear an update for their favorite soap opera. Through the Interactive Channels Teachers Assistance Program, viewers had access to information such as school lunches, homework assignments, and student projects. This channel has many benefits and makes life easier. As for now, people definitely will choose SPEED product where customer can do things in short period of time. On the other hand, STAR should come out with more channels in non prime time. So the subscribers are stick to the STAR channels without change to another channel which is impacting the rating. Plus, the box office movies should be from worldwide not focuses only from Europe countries. Other than concentration on channel enhancement, Since STAR owned the big satellite; STAR should come out with the great GPS system device like PAPAGO, GARMIN and etc. STAR also needs to come out with application for android and iphone so that people can watch STAR TV anytime and anywhere. People are now having phone with them 24-hour a day with internet. These are my two cents thought that might increase the profitability of the company. The conclusion, STAR and technology must move simultaneously as a strategy to growth. Last but not least, I was thinking recently that life revolves around making plans, whether we are conscious of it or not Good plans shape good decisions. That is why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Emotional Intelligence Ei And Burnout Among Nurses Psychology Essay

Emotional Intelligence Ei And Burnout Among Nurses Psychology Essay This study examined the relationship between emotional intelligence and burnout among nurses working in private hospitals in Malaysia. Theoretical literatures related to this relationship are presented in the first part of this chapter. The existing literatures on the topics were examined and key pieces were brought together to establish a foundation for this study. While for the second part of this chapter, it discusses about the theoretical framework of this study and finally, the research hypotheses are developed based on the theoretical foundations and empirical evidences from the existing literatures. 2.2 Burnout The term burnout has its roots in the medical and nursing disciplines. It was first defined by a psychiatrist, named Herbert Freudenberger in 1974. The theory of burnout was developed through his clinical experience by exploring the turmoil that people experience every day. According to Maslach and Jackson (1981a), burnout occurs in the helping professions, such as nursing due to the chronic stress associated with doing work that involves people. Basically burnout occurs as feelings of emotional exhaustion, negative feelings, and attitudes within the job and the increase of negative self-concept. The earliest use of the burnout term in nursing literature was found in the articles published by Seymour Shubin in 1978. Shubin described burnout as hazardous to nursing and all other helping professions. The study of burnout, although not exclusive to nursing, continues to be an important occupational issue for the nursing profession. 2.2.1 Definition of Burnout There are many definitions of burnout, however most definitions share a view of burnout as a state of fatigue and emotional exhaustion, as a result of emotional depletion and loss of motivation. The term burnout that was first coined by Freudenberger in 1974 refers to wearing out from the pressures of work. It was used to describe the experience of employees in professions that needs high degree of people contract. Freudenberger in 1975 further defined burnout as wearing out, failing, becoming exhausted, and it occurs when excessive demands on energy, strength or resources are made. Cherniss (1980) was among the first to describe burnout within human service field who defined burnout as a process that leads to an individuals attitudes and behaviors change in negative ways in response to work stress. On the other hand, Maslach (1982) who had extensively researched about burnout has provided the most commonly accepted definition of burnout as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment that can occur among individuals who do peoples work of some kind. Maslach identified three related themes: (1) painful emotional experiences often resulted in clinical practitioners feeling emotionally exhausted and drained; (2) as a result, they developed negative and cynical attitudes towards their clients; and (3) personal competence suffered resulting in feelings of failure about their ability to work in the healthcare profession. These three themes were summarized as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal ac complishment and later operationalized to measure burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) (Maslach, Jackson Leiter, 1996). Garrosa, Moreno-Jimenez, Liang and Gonzalez (2008) indicated that burnout is a specific form of chronic and occupational stress in the professional social services. According to Westman and Eden (1996), studies have shown a strong relationship between work stress and burnout in many occupations. Especially, burnout has been repeatedly linked to job stress in the human service field due to the frequent and intense interactions with clients (Cordes Doughery, 1993; Lee Ashforth, 1996). Additionally, studies have also shown that nurses who experience occupational stress experience greater burnout (Stechmiller Yarandi, 1993). Thus, burnout is related to stress whereby burnout is a reaction to stress. Prolonged and unrelieved work stress often leads to burnout which results in negative attitudes towards work. Freudenberger (1975) postulated that burnout involves physical and behavioral symptoms. Behavioral consequences of burnout include decreased interaction with care recipients, ineff ective absenteeism, and high levels of job turnover (Maslach, 1982; Maslach Leiter, 1997). 2.2.2 Models of Burnout The burnout literature provides several models of burnout. This section describes three models constructed in the early eighties which proceed from the simplest to the most complex model. 2.2.2.1 Cherniss transaction model of burnout Cherniss (1980) was a significant figure of the first wave of burnout researchers and offered a burnout model that articulated transactional imbalance between the personal resources of the giver and the demands of the recipient or situation. Cherniss described burnout as a transactional stress process that involves three stages. The first stage is stress whereby demands placed exceed individual resources for coping. The second stage is strain, the initial emotional response to stress which usually includes feelings of anxiety, tension, fatigue, and exhaustion. Finally, defensive coping occurs which leads to changes in attitudes and behaviors such as the tendency of burnout individuals to treat clients in depersonalized way. Two years later, Cherniss modified his model and elaborated on the model that the causes of stress can either be internal or external demands. Additionally, the limited resources contributing to stress can also be external (e.g. availability of time, work space, a nd equipment) or internal (e.g. skills, knowledge, energy, and personality). In summary, Cherniss theorized that burnout is a coping response in a transactional process that begins with excessive and prolonged exposure to job stress. The uncontrollable stress causes strain in the individual which influences the coping process. If the stress is prolonged or becomes more intense, it will deplete the coping resources of an individual and force the individual to withdraw psychologically. 2.2.2.2 Edelwich and Brodsky: Five stages of burnout Edelwich and Brodsky (1980) suggested five stages of burnout: (1) enthusiasm; (2) stagnation; (3) frustration; (4) apathy; and (5) intervention. At the first stage, employees have great enthusiasm for their new jobs. They do not know much about their job and have unrealistic expectations about outcomes of their effort. Therefore, when the outcome is not as expected, they become disillusioned. During the period of stagnation at stage two, realities of the job become evident. The job is no longer satisfying as it first appeared. Employees are now more concerned with meeting personal needs, working hours, and career development. The third stage is called the period of frustration. Employees begin to question their job effectiveness and the value of their job. The limits imposed by bureaucracy frustrate the individuals and they become dissatisfied with the job situation. At this stage, employees begin to develop emotional, physical, and behavioral problems. Proceed to stage four; employees frustration turns to apathy because individuals feel trapped. On one hand, they feel frustrated by the job situation but on the other hand, they need the salary. The emotional and physical responses of individuals become worse whereby they would avoid clients whenever possible. The final stage is intervention. Nevertheless, it cannot be determined whether this stage would occur in an organization or the individual who is experiencing burnout would recognize their psychological state as undesirable. In summary, Edelwich and Brodsky viewed burnout as an evolutionary process that begins with idealistic enthusiasm and commitment. Subsequently, the loss of idealism, vigor, and purpose are triggered largely by work conditions (Edelwich Brodsky, 1980). 2.2.2.3 Maslach: Burnout caused by social interaction Maslach, a social psychologist, who became a stellar figure in the emerging research of burnout, has provided the conceptual definition that begun the second wave of research. Maslach (1982) described burnout as a three-dimensional syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Another specific contribution Maslach made was the theoretical emphasis on the relational causes of burnout which linked to the social roots of emotional expenditure (Leiter Maslach, 1988; Maslach Leiter, 1997). Maslach (1982) saw that emotional overload and subsequent emotional exhaustion are the heart of the burnout syndrome. Thus, the first response to a stressful interaction with other people is emotional exhaustion. As people become emotionally depleted, they cope by cutting back on their involvement with others. This detached response which called depersonalization is the second aspect of burnout and leads to various negative attitudes and behaviors. At this stage, individuals who experience burnout feel more emotional distress and guilt about how they have treated those that they are trying to help. Finally, the feeling of reduced personal accomplishment which is the third aspect of burnout appears. At this point, the individuals feel inadequate about their ability to treat or help others. They tend to believe that they have failed professionally and chosen the wrong profession. A major contribution by Maslach was the development of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Maslach and Jackson (1981a, 1981b) developed the MBI, which was one of the first reliable instruments for valid measurement of burnout. MBI is still the most widely-used measure of burnout in current research. MBI assesses psychological burnout and has three different versions, which include one general survey, one for human service professionals, and one for educators. The most commonly used measure of burnout is the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey or MBI-HSS (Maslach, Jackson Leiter, 1996) which was developed to measure occupational burnout among people working in the field of human services. 2.2.3 Burnout and Nursing Employees in general experience burnout on the job, especially those in jobs with high contact with people. Nevertheless, nurses are considered at high risk of work-related stress and particularly susceptible to burnout among the different healthcare providers (Keane, Ducette Alder, 1985; Kilpatrick, 1989; Schaefer Moos, 1993; Schaufeli Janczur, 1994; Duquette, Kerouac Sandhu Beaudet, 1994; Farrington, 1995; Decker, 1997; Marsh, Beard Adams, 1999; Koivula, Paunonen Laippala, 2000; Taormina Law, 2000; Shimizu, Mizoue, Kubota, Mishima Nagata, 2003; Jenkins Elliott, 2004; Piko, 2006). This is also proven by the fact that burnout in nursing has received world-wide attention (Demerouti, Bakker, Nechreiner Schaufeli, 2000). Several studies have identified nurse burnout rates are as high as 40-50% (Hapell, Martin Pinikahana, 2003; Vahey, Aiken, Sloane, Clarke Vargas, 2004). Nurses are particularly susceptible to the development of burnout, mainly because of the nature and the em otional demands of their profession. Nurses experience considerable stress in their job because they have long working hours, a wide range of tasks, interpersonal conflict with patients and their families, doctors, and other co-workers, exposure to death and dying, and noise pollution (Schmitz, Neuman Opperman, 2000; Maslach, Schaufeli Leiter, 2001; Shimizu et al., 2003). Studies have also confirmed that stressful circumstances for hospital nurses are escalating (Foxall, Zimmerman, Standley Bene, 1990; Healey McKay, 2000; Koivula et al., 2000). Basically, nurses are subjected to many demands in the workplace which include physical demands as well as the psychological/emotional demands. The physical demands are related to the physical energy required to perform the daily duties of nursing such as transferring patients in and out of bed and lifting patients onto a bed. On the other hand, psychological/emotional demands are related to the emotional energy required to care for patients with chronic illness (Van Servelle n Leake, 1993). Therefore, nurses who feel overloaded perceive a lack of meaningful connection with the patients. 2.3 Emotional Intelligence (EI) Emotional intelligence (EI) is complementary to cognitive abilities (IQ) (Devrim, Nadi, Mahmut, Mustafa Mustafa Kemal, 2005). Goleman (1995) stated that EI is significant to success. Goleman further explained the difference between people with high IQs who experience difficulties in their personal and professional lives and people with moderate IQs who are very successful in all their endeavours. Emotions are separated from that of the rational mind by having independent views and a mind of their own (Freshwater Stickley, 2004). Therefore, one has two minds, a rational mind that thinks and an emotional mind that feels. In conclusion, both the rational mind and emotional mind, store memories and influence our responses, actions, and choices. Furthermore, EI such as academic intelligence can be learned and developed with age (Mayer, Caruso Salovey, 2000). Research has shown that people with high EI understand their own and others feelings, know how to manage themselves, deal successfully with others, and respond effectively to work demands (Dulewicz Higgs, 2003; Goleman, 2005). Cooper (1997) stated that people with high levels of EI experience more career success, build stronger personal relationships, lead more effectively, and enjoy better health than those with low EI. Hence, developing EI competencies in existing employees or finding individuals who posses these skills will enhance the organizations bottom line (Goleman, 1998a, 1998b) and ensure long-term success for the company. 2.3.1 Background and Definition of Emotional Intelligence (EI) The idea of EI has its roots in the social intelligences. EI was first proposed by Thorndike in 1921, who noted that it was of value in human interactions and relationships. Gardners (1983) multiple intelligence theory later also contributed to the theory of EI through the identification of intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences. Interpersonal intelligence comprised of the ability to understand others and to co-operate with them, whereas intrapersonal intelligence comprised of the ability to be self-aware, to recognize ones own feelings, and to use this to operate successfully in life. However, the term EI was not brought into mainstream psychology until 1990s (Mayer, DiPaolo Salovey, 1990; Salovey Mayer, 1990). Hence, EI is a new construct since the first peer-reviewed article that was published in 1990 (Salovey Mayer, 1990). The concept is also described as a new theory which is still in the initial stage of development and testing (Ashkanasy, Hartel Daus, 2002; Cherniss , Extein, Goleman Weissberg, 2006). As a result, definition of EI varies. Salovey and Mayer (1990) first coined the term of EI and defined EI as the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide ones thinking and actions. Mayer et al. (2000) further defined EI as an ability to recognize the meanings of emotions and their relationships, and reason and problem-solve on the basis of them. EI is involved in the capacity to perceive emotions, assimilate emotions related feelings, understand the information of those emotions, and manage them. However, the concept of EI was popularized by Goleman (1995) through his book Emotional Intelligence, which became the best-selling book for business and education leaders. Goleman (1998a) identified EI as the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships. In addition, Bar-On (2005) defined EI as a cross-section of interrelated emotio nal and social competencies, skills, and facilitators that determine how effectively we understand and express ourselves, understand others and relate with them, and cope with daily demands. In conclusion, recognizing feelings and controlling emotions are described as the core competencies of EI. Individuals who are emotionally intelligent can understand one another and each others views to overcome conflict and avoid damaging the relationship. Therefore, EI is about sensing what others are feelings and handling relationships effectively (Dulewicz Higgs, 2000). Previous research also addressed the relationship between EI and work outcome variables such as stress perceptions in the workplace (Bar-On, Brown, Kirkcaldy Thome, 2000; Nikolaou Tsaousis, 2002), job satisfaction (Wong Law, 2002), job commitment (Nikolaou Tsaousis, 2002), leader effectiveness (Higgs Aitken, 2003), and performance (Lam Kirby, 2002; Van Rooy Viswesvaran, 2004; Lopes, Grewal, Kadis, Gall Salovey, 2006). 2.3.2 Theories of Emotional Intelligence (EI) Many theories have been proposed since the emergence of the concept of EI in 1990s. Nevertheless, three theories have gained acceptance among scholars and practitioners (Dulewicz, Higgs Slaski, 2003). These three major theoretical constructs each focused on understanding the roles of skills, traits, and abilities in EI (Emmerling Goleman, 2003). EI has been defined as an ability (Salovey Mayer, 1990), a set of traits and abilities (Bar-On, 2005) or a combination of skills and personal competencies (Goleman, 1995). The ability model is based on an individuals ability to use emotions as part of the reasoning process (Mayer et al., 2000). Mayer et al. asserted that EI depends on the ability to process emotional information and to use core abilities related to emotions. Bar-On (2005) conceptualized EI as a set of personality traits and abilities that predict emotional and social adaption within environments. Bar-On also affirmed that EI is teachable and learnable. According to Goleman (1995), EI is a set of learned skills and competencies and this conceptualization is most widely accepted outside academia. Golemans ideas have contributed to the development of leadership models that outline skills and competencies related to emotionally competent leadership (Emmerling Goleman, 2003). Apart from that, the literature has evolved into two main categories of EI models: (1) ability model; and (2) mixed models (Feyerherm Rice, 2002). The Salovey and Mayer theory is considered as an ability model of EI, while the Bar-On and Goleman theories are considered as mixed models of EI (Mayer et al., 2000). Basically, the ability model encapsulates EI as a skill and the mixed models go beyond ability by including additional personality characteristics that lead to certain behaviors. 2.3.2.1 Ability Model The ability model of EI is the Salovey and Mayer (1990) model which officially launched the field of EI. Salovey and Mayer viewed EI as an ability that exists, interacts, and complements an individuals cognitive capabilities. Ability theory promotes the relationship between cognition and emotions based on mental abilities (Mayer, Salovey Caruso, 2004). Salovey and Mayer conceptualized EI as a set of interrelated skills composed of four branches of abilities, which include: (1) perception and expression of emotions; (2) using emotions to facilitate thought; (3) understanding and analyzing emotions; and (4) managing emotions (Mayer et al., 2004). The four branches can be described as follows: (1) the perceiving emotions branch relates to the ability to detect emotions in oneself and in others; (2) the using emotions branch relates to the ability to use emotions in cognitive activities such as problem solving; (3) the understanding emotions branch relates to the ability to comprehend t he complexity of emotional languages and emotional relationships; and (4) the managing emotions branch relates to the ability for one to regulate emotions in oneself and in others. The ability model of EI is different from other theories because the model is the only one which utilizes an instrument designed to measure ability (Dulewicz et al., 2003). This model operationalizes EI using ability-based measures: the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MECEIT) (Mayer, Salovey Caruso, 2002) and its predecessor, the Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS) (Salovey Mayer, 1990). The ability tests measure how well people perform tasks and solve emotional problems, as opposed to other EI scales which rely on the individuals subjective assessment of his or her perceived emotional skills. However, ability tests are expensive and require more resources to administer and score. MSCEIT instrument is difficult to score and lacks workplace applicability (Brackett, Rivers, Shiffman, Lerner Salovey, 2006). Consequently, self-report assessment outnumbers ability tests are more widely used in the mixed models. 2.3.2.2 Mixed Models EI mixed theories highlight the emotional and social functioning of individuals (Goleman, 2005; Bar-On, 2006). Therefore, Bar-On categorized his model of EI as a key of emotional-social intelligence (ESI). Bar-On (2005) asserted five key competencies are associated with ESI, whereby the five domains of these mixed models are: (1) intrapersonal capacity (the ability to be aware and understand ones own emotions and to express ones feelings and ideas); (2) interpersonal skills (the ability to be aware, understand, and appreciate others feelings as well as to build and maintain effective and satisfying relationships with others); (3) adaptability (the ability to adapt to various situations by effectively managing personal, social, and environmental changes by employing various skills such as problem solving, reality testing, and flexibility); (4) stress management strategies (the ability to manage emotions and to use those emotions to stay motivated and persistent); and (5) motivational and general mood factors (the ability to be optimistic, to enjoy oneself and others, and to maintain positive feelings) (Bar-On et al., 2000). The Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i), a self-report measure is considered as the most widely used measure of ESI (Bar-On, 2005). The EQ-i analyzes the concept of emotional and social functioning by measuring a persons ability to deal with daily demands and pressures. People who are taking EQ-i answer questions based on five competencies: (1) intrapersonal skills such as emotional self-awareness, self-regard, self-actualization, or independence; (2) interpersonal skills such as interpersonal relationships, empathy, and social responsibility; (3) adaptability, including problem solving, flexibility, and reality testing; (4) stress management, including tolerance and impulse control; and (5) general mood of optimism and happiness. Goleman developed his mixed models theory of EI by building on the work of Salovey and Mayer, in addition to other researchers in the field (Emmerling Goleman, 2003). Basically, Golemans model of EI can be grouped into personal competencies and social competencies that affect personal success in the workplace. Goleman (2005) stated that a personal competence is the ability to keep self-awareness and manage ones behaviors while a social competence is the ability to understand the behaviors of others and manage relationships effectively. These competencies are described in detail as: (1) self-awareness (knowing ones internal states, preferences, resources, and intuitions); (2) self-management (managing ones internal states, impulses, and resources); (3) motivation (emotional tendencies that facilitate reaching goals); empathy (awareness of others feelings, needs, and concerns); and (4) social skills (adeptness at inducing desirable responses in others) (Goleman, 1998a). Based on the emotional competencies identified by Goleman (1998a), the Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI) was designed to assess EI. ECI is a 360-degree scale which gathers self, subordinate, peer, and supervisory ratings on social and emotional competencies of individuals in organizations. Subsequently, Boyatzis (2007) designed Emotional Social Competency Instrument (ESCI), a multi-rater assessment in real organizational contexts which comprised of four emotional and social competencies, which include: (1) self-awareness; (2) self-management; (3) social awareness; and (4) relationship management. In general, EI mixed models stress performance based on behavioral competencies and personality traits suitable for a wide range of work contexts, job roles, and job levels (Petrides, Furnham Martin, 2004; Goleman, 2005; Boyatzis, 2007). The mixed models are also comprised of other measurement instruments. For examples, measures such as the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) (Schutte, Malouff, Hall, Haggerty, Cooper, Golden Dornheim, 1998), and Wong and Laws (2002) leadership-focused measure of EI. Many studies in the literature utilize self-report measures of EI based on mixed models perspective that incorporates both disposition and ability (Chan, 2006). According to MacCann, Matthews, Zeidner and Roberts (2003), mixed models scales vastly outnumber ability tests at the stage of EI development, meaning that EI is more commonly assessed as a disposition, rather than as an ability. Additionally, self-report or peer-report measures require less amount of time to complete and are most cost-effective than the ability based measure. 2.3.3 Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Nursing There is a large body of knowledge related to EI exists outside nursing whereas EI theory and research within nursing is scarce and a more recent phenomenon (Akerjordet Severinsson, 2007; Smith, Profetto-McGrath Cummings, 2009). Smith et al. (2009) conducted a literature review related to EI and nursing during 1995 to 2007. Smith et al. found only 21 theoretical and 9 empirical articles related to the subject and concluded that although the body of theoretical literature in nursing is growing, scientific research about EI and nursing is just beginning. Apart from that, researches that link EI and nursing are mostly correlation designs using small sample sizes. Akerjordet and Severinsson (2007) asserted that EI has significant implications for nurses quality of work in healthcare. Therefore some qualitative studies have been carried out to explore the concepts and ideas of EI in nursing (Akerjordet Severinsson, 2004; Freshwater Stickley, 2004; Kooker, Shoultz Codier, 2007; Hurley Rankin, 2008). Akerjordet and Severinsson (2004) used qualitative interviews to gain insight into mental health nurses emotional experiences in practice and sought to understand the connection between nurses articulations of emotions in practice and EI concepts. Four main themes emerged from the study, which include: (1) relationship with the patient; (2) the substance of supervision; (3) motivation; and (4) responsibility which are related to different aspects of EI. For instance, relationship with the patient which was a central research finding is linked to EI through the ability to interpret and communicate emotional information. Akerjordet and Severinsson concluded that EI implies important personal and interpersonal skills in nurses therapeutic use of self, critical reflection, and stimulates the search for a deeper understanding of professional nursing identity. In another study, Kooker et al. (2007) used the conceptual framework of EI to analyze nurses stories about their professional practices. The stories reflected evidence of EI competencies that could provide fresh insights into ways to keep nurses engaged in practice and to improve nurses retention and patient/client outcomes. The domains and competencies of EI identified across the stories include social awareness, the most common one, followed by social management, self-awareness, and lastly self-management which was represented less frequently than the other domains. In summary, EI concept is increasingly recognized and is making an appearance in nursing journals (Cadman Brewer, 2001; Evans Allen, 2002; Freshman Rubino, 2002). The literature revealed EI is important and relevant to nursing from both an empirical and a theoretical perspective. EI influences emotions within quality of care and stress management, thus influence employees retention, quality of patient care, and patient outcomes. Therefore, further research that investigates potential uses for EI theories, skills, and competencies related to nursing practice and patient care is warranted within the healthcare environment (Akerjordet Severinsson, 2007; Smith et al., 2009). 2.4 Relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Burnout Emotional Intelligence (EI) expressed in the ability to recognize, understand, control, and utilize emotions may have impact on the perceived job stress and the consequences of experienced stress. Many empirical studies have shown that the relationship exists between EI and burnout syndrome (Reilly, 1994; Duran Extremera, 2004; Gerits, Derksen, Verbruggen Katzko, 2005; Chan, 2006; Duran, Extremera, Rey, Fernandez-Berrocal Montalban, 2006; Benson, Truskett Findlay, 2007; Rimmer, Bedwell, Bay, Drachman, Torey, Foster Caruso, 2009; Brackett, Palomera, Mojsa-Kaja, Reyes Salovey, 2010). These studies also proved that there is a negative correlation between EI and burnout syndrome. For instance, Reilly (1994) in a study of hospital nurses identified that nurses who scored higher on EI experienced fewer symptoms of burnout. Apart from that, other empirical studies have shown that the components of EI are correlated with the components of burnout (Mendes, 2002; Farmer, 2004; Palser, 2004; Potter, 2006; Froese, 2009). Farmer (2004) conducted a study to examine the relationship between EI and burnout using a sample of 169 newly graduated nursing students in practice. The results showed significant correlations which included a negative relationship between using emotions to facilitate thinking and depersonalization (DP) (r = -.240, p Palser (2004) investigated EI and burnout among ministerial workers. The researcher utilized bivariate analysis and produced two significant correlations. Firstly, an inverse relationship between emotional exhaustion (EE) and using emotions to facilitate thinking was presented among the 101 pastors sampled (r = -.25, p < .05). Secondly, a positive relationship was identified between personal accomplishment (PA) and understanding emotions (r = .21, p < .05). In another study, Froese (2009) examined whether the four abilities of EI predicted the components of burnout among 57 professional caregivers after accounting for the contribution of caregiver's demographic characteristics, which were licensure level, age, and ethnici

Saturday, October 12, 2019

We Are Media :: essays research papers

â€Å"We are media†, media is us, and we are one.† In this simple statement I site my definition of media ecology. If we would all take a look at our lives we are just a jumble of representations. From the moment we are born to the day that we die we are media. We are born a certain sex boy or girl. That represents something. Boys wear blue girls wear pink. This is a signifier to everyone of what we are. We don’t know we are boys or girls until someone tells different things. You have set and defined expectations for your life and ways that you will act. From that day forward we learn our media from our lives, our families, friends, literally everything we come in contact with. Everything we do and everything we see leaves some trace of an impression on us and represents something to each of us. That’s why I feel that media is us. Media is everything. We are just representations. Is there a reality? Do we exist to just consume reality? Are we realities of a representation? These are questions that I asked myself while writing this paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While thinking through I came up with a thought of despair, almost panic. It makes you very frustrated to think seriously about this. It makes you question everything that you were socialized to believe as a member of society. It makes you question countless things in our lives. It made me think about life in general. Who are we to define reality? What is reality? How do we tackle these questions? Truthfully, I don’t know if there is a way but I think we all need to examine our lives in general and the everyday lives that we live and question them. Everything we do or say has a representation so therefore is media. It is all around us. It is everywhere. Most places we don’t even know that it is going on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In my inspection of my life and the media that surrounds me I have found media to be all encompassing. It is everywhere. I wake up to a clock radio that I turn off to only seconds later turn on the TV which is on until I leave my apartment. But even with the TV or radio off my apartment is still crawling with media sources. Almost everything I own has labels on it from clothes to food. We Are Media :: essays research papers â€Å"We are media†, media is us, and we are one.† In this simple statement I site my definition of media ecology. If we would all take a look at our lives we are just a jumble of representations. From the moment we are born to the day that we die we are media. We are born a certain sex boy or girl. That represents something. Boys wear blue girls wear pink. This is a signifier to everyone of what we are. We don’t know we are boys or girls until someone tells different things. You have set and defined expectations for your life and ways that you will act. From that day forward we learn our media from our lives, our families, friends, literally everything we come in contact with. Everything we do and everything we see leaves some trace of an impression on us and represents something to each of us. That’s why I feel that media is us. Media is everything. We are just representations. Is there a reality? Do we exist to just consume reality? Are we realities of a representation? These are questions that I asked myself while writing this paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While thinking through I came up with a thought of despair, almost panic. It makes you very frustrated to think seriously about this. It makes you question everything that you were socialized to believe as a member of society. It makes you question countless things in our lives. It made me think about life in general. Who are we to define reality? What is reality? How do we tackle these questions? Truthfully, I don’t know if there is a way but I think we all need to examine our lives in general and the everyday lives that we live and question them. Everything we do or say has a representation so therefore is media. It is all around us. It is everywhere. Most places we don’t even know that it is going on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In my inspection of my life and the media that surrounds me I have found media to be all encompassing. It is everywhere. I wake up to a clock radio that I turn off to only seconds later turn on the TV which is on until I leave my apartment. But even with the TV or radio off my apartment is still crawling with media sources. Almost everything I own has labels on it from clothes to food.