Communication technology and its impact on social interaction Research Paper

Communication technology and its impact on social interaction - Research Paper Example The Skype video chat was created in the year 2003 in a media class at the John Hopkins University.1 It allows people to chat via its text chat feature and make audio/video calls, all of which is a free service. This explains the fact that popularity of Skype has grown tremendously since its creation. Coupled with this vital feature are its added features including the ability to send contacts, screen-sharing and multiplayer games. Skype has no age restriction for its users. Anyone can use this technology unlike other networking sites that have a strict restriction on those using their sites and applications. In the context of business dealings, face to face interactions have the potential of making the best out of the respective situation.2 A better deal is possible when all the concerned parties meet face to face. This is because these interactions aid in relationship building between prospective clients, partners, investors and employees. Skype is not limited by geographical locali ties; the threshold requirement is the access to internet. Thus, Skype aids in the building of a tight-knit business community. Since the introduction of Skype, firms and individuals, who use this application, have incurred reduced communication costs. As a result, rate and number of interactions using Skype have increased. Increased employee and overall company productivity have been noted with the use of Skype. This is facilitated by Skype’s ability to share a screen, exchange and transfer files. Other additional vital features are: call forwarding, video conferencing and customer service tools. When all these features are used efficiently, increased productivity is guaranteed. Skype is an American company and, thus, has its strongest following there. However, a greater percentage of its profits are from foreign users.3 This shows that Skype is connecting a majority of its users with the outside world; Skype has reduced the hassles associated with long distance communicatio n. This cross border ability to link up people has made life easier for families, companies and governments.4 The business world has benefitted the most from this distinctive feature. Previously, firms and governments used to incur considerable financial costs while facilitating international meetings.5 As such, vital business and government contracts and dealings have been agreed upon and subsequently signed via this technology. When an individual travels to a new place, specifically a foreign country, they suffer psychological setback. When in new confines, the mind cannot be expected to immediately adapt and still maintain its edge and effectiveness. When this is compounded with the impacts of jet lag on the effectiveness of the mind, it appears undesirable to travel a long distance to make business decisions. However, the use of Skype lets an individual stay at their familiar location which has the effect of aiding the mind in the making of well thought-out decisions. Thus, it i s extremely beneficial to have international meetings via Skype. In order to understand the impact Skype has had on the global telecommunication platform, a distinction should be fashioned between the different types of calls. If Skype had opted to charge for its services, akin to phone connections, then its impact on the communication industry would probably be regarded as less significant. However, since the service is free, its impact is nothing short of dramatic. With the goal of

Market Competitiveness Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Market Competitiveness Strategy - Essay Example Axtell Taylor approach is through offering a high minimum wage which is 30% of their gross profit giving them an advantage of 5% difference. Murdock Hyundai on the other hand employs offering the highest bonus profit. This is because their mission is to provide an outstanding service through well trained mechanics (www.murdockautogroup.com). They give as high as 1750 for a 20 unit sale which is far from 500 Axtell gives. Further, they offer another compensation bonus if new cars are sold which their competitors do not have. On top of this, their subsidy for health insurance has the best. Although Wilson motor, Axtell and Hyundai are all in the car business, their marketing compensation strategy plays a very important role for them to stay in this kind of business. It is believed that the trust, efficiency and effectiveness of employees are the success behind a business. This is achieve by compensating them

The Confidence In Of International Brands Dissertation

The Confidence In Of International Brands - Dissertation Example Figure 2: Age distribution in Saudi Arabia (male and female combined). Data sourced from Central Intelligence Agency The Saudi Fashion Market Western brands are very common in Saudi Arabia. Growth in franchising has been estimated at 27% in the Middle East in general, and in Saudi Arabia more than 70% of all franchised operations are American owned. Fashion from UK, Europe and the USA are all experiencing strong growth in the Saudi market, especially in the area of female fashion. While UK fashion initially had a strong hold over the market, there is now increasing trends towards US brands such as Gap, Gucci and Louis Vitton . The fashion market in Saudi is very seasonally based, with sales following religious holidays as well as the seasons. With the relatively young population, there is large potential for the fashion market. The habits of the nation are changing to become more in line with Western culture, a trend that is especially strong in the younger generation. Women are leav ing their traditional roles and many going into work. These trends are driving the boom in the fashion industry . Despite the fact that women wear the Abaya over their clothes, a traditional black dress that covers them, they often wear western clothing underneath . In addition there is a trend of fashion designers producing colored Abayas that are popular, especially for the younger generation. Teenage girls and young adult females have developed ways of wearing their Abayas that reveal their western clothing underneath, such as leaving the front wide open, or tying the edge around their waists, so their tight western jeans can be seen . There are also many different styles and cuts of Abayas and... While malls in Saudi Arabia resemble the western style of malls in many ways, but there is also strong evidence of the strict religious and cultural guidelines that are in place. Images on the front of music CDs are often censored, such as the sleeveless dress that Celine Dion wears on the front of one of her albums was replaced with a black shawl. Other differences are also noticeable, male and female Saudis are only able to work together in hospitals, so all sales people on the mall’s mixed floors are male foreign workers. At McDonald's the women must eat in a separate walled off section, while men eat in the open. The country has large segregation between men and women, so much so that paranoia about men hiding in dressing rooms has resulted in the absence of any dressing rooms in malls. The Kingdom Centre in Riyadh is attempting to turn this into a business advantage rather than a logistical hassle. They offer a female only floor, where all staff and security are female an d females are free to walk around in western style clothing, checking in their Abayas if they wish). Both products and sales are advertised in a wide number of ways, similar to in the western market. Internet advertisements are common, especially with the increasing use of the internet. Blogging has become a popular means of expressing the opinion, especially as media is tightly controlled. Because of this, flash and static advertising are common through blogging sites, although these are mainly for fashion stores in general.

Resouces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Resouces - Essay Example This article provides a study case of Korean high-school students and how their level of stress can affect their food diet. The study case includes a comparison between two groups of student, the first group has low academic stress level and the second group has high academic stress level. The study found that students with high stress level tend to eat food that contains high amounts of sugar such as chocolate, flavored milk, breads and candies. The article will provide a clear example of how a person’s mental health or mood affects their food diet and how stress is related to nutrition. The article indicates that the Omega-3 fatty acids are highly used Acids in treating people with depression and mental disorder. In fact, the article shows a negative relationship between seafood and stress. In other words, in places where people consume seafood a lot, the level of stress is less than places where people consume less seafood. Indeed, the article includes different studies and hypothesis that discusses the role and the effect of Omega-3 fatty acids on mental health and how is it used as treatment to some diseases. This article helps to explain how minerals can improve people’s

Agrument against lowering the drinking age to 18 in the United States Essay

Agrument against lowering the drinking age to 18 in the United States - Essay Example A behavioral argument in favor of lowering the drinking age cited the Prohibition experience and Engs (1998), for instance, has this to say: As a nation we have tried prohibition legislation twice in the past for controlling irresponsible drinking problems†¦ These laws were finally repealed because they were unenforceable and because the backlash towards them caused other social problems. Today we are repeating history and making the same mistakes. Intentions behind the above arguments vary and some maybe legitimate as well but the issues raised by those in favor of restricting the age limit for alcohol access to 21 has so far succeeded in presenting a stronger case. The reason for this is simple: the empirical evidences and the statistics point to the fact that lowering the drinking age would have adverse effects on individuals and the society in general. In the United States, the current legal use for alcohol consumption is 21. The statutes covering this prohibition can be considered as those intended to influence individuals in regards to health-related behavior. A short review of its history will reveal that the minimum drinking age was implemented immediately after the Prohibition when all of the US states adopted a stringent policy against youth alcohol consumption. When the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the Constitution was introduced, lowering the voting age to 18, a number of states have also lowered the drinking age. But by 1984, the federal government implemented a drive to standardize the minimum drinking age to 21 through a congressional initiative. This has been supported by numerous governmental agencies, organizations and individuals such as the National Transportation Safety Board, the National Council on Alcoholism, the Presidential Commission on Drunk Driving and the American Medical Association. Specifically, according to Wallander and Siegel

School Media Centers as Instructional Resources Research Paper

School Media Centers as Instructional Resources - Research Paper Example In order to realize this noble and challenging task, three major hurdles have always been on the way to successfully attain this mission. One, the ability and capacity of capturing information at its ‘rawest’ and at the appropriate time, so that it is not tempered with, for this the more the raw the data the better and more accurate it is, a proven fact. Because the reverse is very true, that when information is left unattended then it is prone to destruction if not getting lost. Secondly designing and developing systems that are able to store the data in the best form. The best form meaning been able to maintain the integrity and accuracy of the data. This includes provision of enough space of storage and the necessary media that is able to contain the huge and expanding volumes (Yetter, 1994). The last and not the least challenge is coming up with a methodology that is convenient and effective in accessing the information with ease. The above highlighted challenges can be collectively be addressed by the idea of an effective library media center. In the recent times, notably the role of library media has exponentially increased and tangible results are now clearly been witnessed. As we speak, one of the recurring matters of concerns especially in institutions is how to fully utilize the precious resource found in the library media to greatly impact student achievement (Crowley, 1995). This paper critically analyses the evolving role of library to improve student achievement for a brighter tomorrow. ... As a matter of fact they can collegiality show improvements, attitude and behavior of the students. Library media specialists are better placed to consider fresh ideas and are able to support one another for the benefit of the student (Gehlken, 1994). Research studies have showed that the integrated library programs positively impact on leadership, collaboration and student achievement when the library staff has the same experience as the classroom teacher, with the same qualification, information and learning resources, and problem solving and strategies in the ongoing job instructional plan. In deed library media specialists can exhibit leadership skills that can improve school forward in tackling some of the complex issues of this age of information (Crowley, 1995). They possess strong vision and values for their schools and area of specialization. They are positive models for the students and even other teachers as they understand the curriculum and the school very well. They own contact and influence with administrators and teachers and can extensively promote communication within and without school for the well being of the student. The preparation and recruitment of qualified and competent library workforce is a critical procedure in the success of the library media. This is because no matter how heavy investment is channel to other resources if human capital is not competent then this means that they will be a major loophole in the process and the required achievement among the students would not be achieved. The library staff shall be responsible for the daily operations of the facility as well as enactment of the various changes that need to be implemented so that the

Koyo Jean Internationalization Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Koyo Jean Internationalization Strategy - Essay Example The acronym PESTEL bears its origin from the combination of the first letters of these factors. Discussed under, are the various roles played by each one of these factors in the marketing of premium jeans in both South Korea and Brazil. To begin with the PESTEL Analysis of South Korea, the country enjoys political stability, though in the year 1997, there was a financial crisis in the same country, something which affected the country’s economic status. However, some strategies were laid down and in 1998, one year thereafter, the country’s economic status stabilized again. A few years later, the country’s technology also grew making it one the world’s largest technological markets. Socially, the country is characterized by an aging population due to both low fertility and population growth. Despite the low population, the country has a highly competent labour force that facilitates the production and commercialization of advanced technologies which in turn lead to the flourishing of the marketing of the Koyo Jeans designed by William Cheung. The complex and lengthy legal procedures discourage investors. When it comes to the environment of the country, there is unreasonable breach of emission standards. PESTEL Analysis of Brazil shows some similarities though, at the same time brings a few out some differences. Economically, the prices of premium jeans are high due to taxes. Socially, Brazil has a high population than South Korea, hence presenting a strong work force. The country is also technologically advanced hence able to compete favourably with other errant countries including South Korea (Keller & Price, 2011). Porter’s Diamond, named after Michael Porter is an analysis tool for assessing the ability of a country to compete internationally with respect to: factor endowments, firm strategy, structure and rivalry, related and supporting industries, Demand conditions. As discussed earlier, the populations of the two countrie s are contrasting in that South Korea’s Population is small while Brazil’s is large. The large population of Brazil plays a role in labour provision hence making it compete favourably. On the other hand, South Korea despite having a small population, the population is informed in matters relating to technology. This helps the countries to compete favourably. There is need for both countries to come up with long-term objectives so as to help them cope up with completion not just from each other but even from other like-minded countries; those dealing in the designing and marketing of premium jeans worldwide. One of the major strategies is the evident economic and political stability in both countries. The existence of other clothe industries in these countries also plays a significant role. The benefits accruing from the investment in both basic and advanced factors by related firms can spill over. This is characterized by the existence of other industries designing oth er kinds of clothes, which can be worn together with these premium jeans. The worldwide high demand for premium jeans, starting from the citizens of the designing countries (South Korea and Brazil) stimulates the production since this ensures availability of the market. Mode of entry Market mode of entry is a detailed plan designed by a company that shows how it endeavors to enter into a new market (Root, 1994). It is normally a complex decision to make because of its associated risks creating fear for most companies. Koyo jean's entry to South Korea and Brazil should opt to employ exporting, licensing, franchising or joint ventures. Joint ventures normally start