Inclusive Education and SEN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Inclusive Education and SEN - Essay Example Over the years, different nations have built systems that take care of associates with disabilities. The SEN and inclusion programs have developed a call for the liberty to education for disabled persons in response. The two bear complex linkages through various aspects such as policy interpretation, individual experiences and civic voices. The people in support of the inclusion systems for children with exceptional needs have brought out the idea that inclusive edification becomes essential for all children involved in the learning process. They additionally argue that differences can be a preserve that can be utilized in society development. The implication of all this is that inclusive edification offers to address the learning requirements for all individuals bearing an explicit concentration on the persons susceptible to marginalization and segregation. Inclusion of the people bearing additional needs in the education systems functions as the best or most effective step towards the prevention of discriminatory mindsets, creation of friendly communal backgrounds, developing or transforming the discriminatory society into an all inclusive society and finally achieving the edification goal for every person (Aniftos & McLuskie 2004, 2). The inclusion system implies that democracy has achieved societal action throughout the curriculum offered to all children despite their physical health. Democracy in education has to gain positive attitudes from all people, and the general populace has to be geared up to identify, and value the exceptional uniqueness of every person. Introduction of inclusive learning is meant to bring total transformation in the educational system and build a model through has greater orientation regarding inclusive ideas. To this effect, advanced intellect institutions have to come up with and incorporate new familiarity concerning inclusive learning supervision. The inclusion system raises concerns for teachers on its practicalities and the anomalies that it presents. The concerns have in response has led to development of mind-sets towards children with additional needs since most of them attain low on standard assessments (Robertson 2008, 9). Bearing in thoughts that regular education got strategically designed for typical children, the inclusion of children bearing additional needs means that certain features of special education have to be incorporated into regular education, in an attempt to cater for the assorted learners. The practices may offer barriers to effective learning for other learners even though such practices may seem effective for miniature groups of persons having disabilities (Aniftos & McLuskie 2004, 2). The fact that the traditional models have worked for unique people in the past may be biased taking into thought the recent periods. The medical and social paradigms are the two divergent models of disability that are considered most crucial. The models aim at conveying a better comprehension of disability taking into thought diverse, fundamental aspects. The medical model brings the implication that disability is a personal problem. According to this model, somebody bearing impairment either eyesight, earshot or mobility impairment gets considered as their disabilities. The model can also be referred to as the personal tragedy paradigm considering that it regards the complexities that impaired persons

Finding number PI Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Finding number PI - Research Paper Example In modern times, however, with the advent of computers, the emphasis has shifted to the speed at which the value of Pi can be determined together with increasing the number of decimal places. This paper traces the history of Pi and the efforts made by mathematicians and astronomers to get closer and closer to the â€Å"precise† value of Ï€, and then discusses two methods for determining the value of Pi – one ancient method and one modern method. The very first attempts to determine the value of Ï€ date back to around 2000 B.C., when the Babylonians and Egyptians approached the problem in their own ways. While the Babylonians obtained the value of 3+1/8, the Egyptians obtained the value as (4/3) ^4 for Ï€. About the same time, Indians used the value of square root of 10 for Pi. All these values were based, essentially, on measurement of circumferences and diameters of circles of different sizes (Beckmann, 12-15 and 98-106). The first major step towards determining the value of Pi is attributed to the great Greek mathematician and physicist, Archimedes around 250 B.C. The ancient Greeks, with their penchant for precision, were interested in precise mathematical proportions in their architecture, music and other art forms, and hence were curious about better precision in determining the value of Pi. Thus Archimedes developed a method using inscribed and circumscribed polygons for calculating better and better approximati ons to the value of Ï€ and came to the conclusion: Subsequently, around 150 A.D., the Egyptian mathematician Ptolemy (of Alexandria) gave the value of 377/120, and around 500 A.D., the Chinese Tsu-Ch’ung-Chi gave Pi the value of 355/113. Many others like Ptolemy and Tsu-Ch’ung-Chi continued to use Archimedes’s method to calculate the vale of Pi to better approximations. Ludolph von Ceulen used this method with a 2^62-sided polygon to calculate Pi to 35 decimal

Country Case Report for China Essay Example for Free

Country Case Report for China Essay The third largest land area in the world belongs to the People’s Republic of China. Presently, its population is the largest on the record and its capital, Beijing is the economic and cultural center. China’s economic growth greatly improves due to the trend of poverty reduction during the period of 1980-1990. From 542 million to 375 million, shrinking by 167 million, China’s poverty population exceedingly reduced. Angang stated that China’s achievements in poverty reduction made huge contributions to the cause of poverty reduction of the world (2). According to World Bank, the poverty population of the world dropped off by 98. 3 million. Among the five Asian countries with the most condensed poverty population are India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia, and according to the industrial poverty line, China’s current proportion of poverty population is the lowest. Statistics show that China has experienced a period of human history in which poverty population decreased by a largest margin in the past 2 decades, and reversed the trend that poverty population has been increasing in the past five decades in the world history, causing the poverty population of the world to decrease for the first time. That is to say, without China’s efforts of poverty reduction, the poverty population of the world would have increased from 848 million in 1980 to 917 million in 1990. (Angang, 2-3). Ambassador Baodong stated that the Development-oriented Poverty reduction program for Rural China for the period of 2001-2010 generated grand effects in the global poverty reduction. The number of rural population in China declined to 21. 48 million and 2. 3% of national poverty incidence was accounted for the 55% of global poverty reduction in 2007 (Baodong, 1). Technological development plays a vital role in the country’s economic growth. From 1980 to 1990, China’s expenditure amounted to US $17billion for imported technology. The trend of research and development made an immense leap. As a result there has been a modest amount of growth in the country’s development however the inefficiencies posted to be the chief dilemma. At the end of 1990, statistics illustrated that 50 of Shanghai’s large and medium enterprises only reached 10 percent of international level of quality standards and 30 percent arrived at the prototype stage using the new programs. From the year 2001 – 2005, this country became a major IT nation in the world, standing third place in manufacturing setting and first rank in telecommunications. The business cycle of the Chinese economy had undergone substantial magnitude from the time when the government established in the mid1950’s centralized economic management and planning. The period from 1979-1990 was depicted with relative stability and high escalation. In 1955-1978 economic growth rates, the movement went from 5. 7 percent to 9. 3 percent in 1979 to 1993 period. Investment cycles, harvest fluctuations, political disturbances, inflation and periodic retrenchments are the major factors that affect business cycles. Downturn was evident during 1980-1981, then an upswing from 1982 – 1989 and the business cycle in 1989 was another downturn and an upturn in 1990. Imai’s stated that his conclusion on Chinese business cycle stated that cycle interacts with exogenous shocks and generates business cycles with dissimilar amplitude and duration. An investment cycle is generated by patterned reaction of central planners who adjust the level of fixed investment in response to capacity pressure, an indicator of macroeconomic tension. An instititutional prerequisite of this cycle is the weak financial accountability of state enterprises (178). Economists added that the efficiency wedge, which represents institutional change and technology advance, was the main source of economic fluctuations in 1978 2006. The amplitude of it fluctuation declined after 1992, which resulted in moderation of business cycle fluctuations. Distortions manifest themselves as taxes on investment, which represents frictions in the capital market, became another economic fluctuation source after 1992, which is different from results of business cycle accounting on US and Japan data. Results also show that government consumption and net exports played minor roles in generating business cycles (Gao). China’s world trade generated a strong impact on its growth. Imports and exports led China to be among the world’s most significant export destinations for other Asian countries. Since the year 1979, the country’s global trade gradually improved. Presently, Japan’s exports of 11 percent came from China, before it was only 2 percent during the end of 1990. The Chinese government implemented tariff reductions in order to continue its longstanding trend in world trade. During 2004, China’s tariff rates dropped from 0. 6 to 10. 4 percent. Part of the country’s trade reforms to (WTO) World Trade Organization is to lessen tariff rates and eliminate import quotas and licenses, opening sectors for foreign country involvement such as telecommunications, financial and insurance services. Complete access to foreign participants is greatly assured through automatic licensing procedures. Eradication of limitations on trading and domestic distribution for majority of goods is also part of the plan. According to WTO, China will retain import state trading for wheat, rice, corn, sugar, tobacco, cotton and chemical fertilizers, as with export trading, corn, tea, rice, coal, silk, crude and processed oils, cotton, tungsten and ammonium products are included. In addition to this, China had been permanently bestowed with the most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment by other participants of WTO. As response to this honor, some countries have abolished restrictions on China’s imports. The contributing factor for the possible boost in China’s trade is when quota restrictions are lifted. China’s membership to World Trade Organization made enormous effect on some of the trends in relation to the role of China in international trade. Examples comprise of its magnetism to foreign investors and developing role in global export base. This is evident in IMF statistics that showed its market share in Japan, United States and Europe, from the period 1980 to 1990, an overall total of 10. 3 percent, and end of 2003, a whopping 37 percent (Source: IMF, Direction of Trade Statistics). â€Å"Just as water always flows to the lowest point, China is bound to be the first option for foreign capital investment (â€Å"Chinas Cheap† A1). China’s labor force is considered cheap and also of good quality. It is estimated that 100 million of employees in rural areas are likely to be waiting to be changed to urban workers. The Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) is a significant gauge to quantify the labor supply of PR China. In the period of 1980-1990, the LFPR in China is higher among other countries. The most likely basis is moderately low income level. There is high participation in the labor force among women because one wage earner is inadequate to support a family. In the last 5 years (2002-2007), women’s participation in the labor force exceedingly increased according to APEC statistics. Presently, the government was executing the guidelines which were implemented during 1997, which was the division of labor market between urban and rural areas. The labor market is exclusively for high school graduates or those with lower educational background. This probable outcome of this situation is the layoffs in urban places and labor surplus in rural areas. In the coming years, it has been forecasted that China might face a nationwide labor shortage. The country is fast approaching the â€Å"Lewisian turning point†. It is a theory by Arthur Lewis stating the turning point from surplus labor to labor scarcity. In the year 1980, State Council issued a decree prohibiting the use of foreign exchange for making payments in China. Foreign exchange rates or Waihui, equal in value to the Renminbi at effective rate, were put into circulation for use by nonresidents only. It could be use for transportation fares, hotel bills and purchases at Friendship stores. Then in 1981, the foreign trade rate was since fixed at 2. 80 from 1. 750. In 1985, the internal settlement rate was abolished and all trade was governed by the Effective Rate. A foreign exchange retention quota also exists for a portion of export proceeds. Authorization was granted for Chinese residents to hold foreign exchange and open foreign exchange accounts and to deposit and withdraw funds in foreign exchange. In the year 1986, The trade-weighted basket of currencies was abandoned and the Effective Rate was placed on a controlled float based on developments in the balance of payments and in costs and exchange rates of Chinas major competitors. Shanghai International Trust and Investment Corporation was authorized to handle exchange business. In 1988, early this year, all domestic entities which are allowed to retain foreign exchange earnings were granted permission to trade in the adjustment centers, and by October 1988, 80 adjustment centers were established. Initially, a relatively small volume of transactions took place in these markets, but the volume has increased substantially since access to the centers was expanded. The Foreign Exchange Swap Rate was 6. 60 from 3. 72. In 1989, regulations were issued governing the use of foreign exchange obtained in foreign exchange adjustment centers. Imports of inputs for the agricultural sector, textile, and for technologically advance and light industries were given priority. Purchases of foreign exchange for a wide range of consumer products were prohibited. Such corporations are permitted to sell in China for foreign exchange provided that the sales involve purchases under the Governments annual import plan, sales in Special Economic Zones and other promotional areas, and sales of import substitutes. The Foreign Exchange Swap Rate was 5. 40 from 3. 72. By the end of 1990, The Foreign Exchange Swap Rate was 5. 70 from 5. 22. (Ka Fu) Presently, Premier Jiabao stated in the Annual Meetings of the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank Group in Shanghai that the government continues to push the Renminbi exchange rate reform in order to confer larger range to the role of the market. The reform permits citizens to purchase more foreign currencies and commercial banks. Financial market development has been highlighted with China’s monetary reforms. The Peoples Bank of China (PBC) has made great strides in modernizing its monetary policy frameworks but their effectiveness will diminish as the sophistication of the economy increases. Empirical evidence supports maintaining a reference to money in Chinas monetary strategy and enhancing the role of interest rates in its conduct (Maino, 44). The most suitable monetary strategy for China would be an eclectic monetary policy framework, whereby the growth in money supply and bank credit extension are used as intermediate guidelines for the determination of short-term interest rates. In addition, in deciding on the most appropriate monetary policy stance, developments in a number of other variables need to be taken into consideration, because the monetary aggregates are loosing some of their usefulness as indicators of future inflation due to structural changes in the economy (Maino, 40). The IMF also points out that Chinese monetary policy could improve noticeably if the central bank were granted more discretionary power to set interest rates. In the last two years, increases in the trade surplus and significant inflows of foreign capital have led to a large accumulation of international reserves, which has further complicated monetary policy handling. In this respect, the IMF has welcomed the changes introduced into the Chinese exchange rate system as a significant step towards making this system more flexible. Although it is difficult to define an equilibrium exchange rate, and not just revaluation, must be adopted if china is to increase the independence of its monetary policy and shield its economy against external shocks (Ruete, 8). Works Cited Angang, Hu. China’s economic growth and poverty reduction (1978-2002). 2 June 2003. IMF. 20 April 2008 http://www. imf. org/external/np/apd/seminars/2003/newdelhi/angang. pdf. Baodong, Li. Remarks by Ambassador LI Baodong At Ministerial Roundtable Breakfast of Economic and Social Council On Food, Nutrition and Agriculture: Working Together to End Hunger. 12 July 2007. China-UN. 22 April 2008 http://www. china-un. ch/eng/xwdt/t339666. htm Chinas Cheap, High-quality Labor Lures Foreign Investment. Editorial. Xinhua News Agency 21 December 2002, A1. Gao, Xu. Business Cycle Accoounting for the Chinese Economy. N. p. : n. p, n. d. http://www. wdi. umich. edu/files/Publications/WorkingPapers/wp795. pdf Imai, Hiroyuki, Explaining Chinas Business Cycles. 6 June 1996. IDE. 22 April 2008 http://www. ide. go. jp/English/Publish/De/pdf/96_02_03. pdf. Ka Fu, Wong. International Economics. 1 January 2007. 23 April 2008. http://intl. econ. cuhk. edu. hk/exchange_rate_regime/index. php? cid=8. Manio, Rodolfo. China: Strengthening Monetary Policy Implementation. 1 January 2007. Social Science Research Network. 23 April 2008 http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=959761. Ruete, Javier. The Development of Chinas Export Performance. 7 March 2006. Central Reserve Bank of Peru. 23 April 2008 http://www. bcrp. gob. pe/bcr/dmdocuments/Ingles/Comunicaciones/Press_200602. pdf.

Why Authoritarian Governments In Asia Control The Media Politics Essay

Why Authoritarian Governments In Asia Control The Media Politics Essay Authoritarian regimes or governments have always been considered by western scholars or politicians as standing on the opposite side of democracy. In those states within which media are controlled, the freedom of speech, human rights and democracy remain big concerns of those democrats. Asia, the largest continent in the world, boasts its diversified politic forms, be it democratic regimes, like Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korean and quasi-democratic ones like Thailand, as well as authoritarian ones like Mainland China, North Korean and Burma. The role of media in Asia varies with the political style, from free to control. This essay, then, mainly focuses on exploring the reason why authoritarian regime expects to take control of media from the political, cultural, technological and economic perspectives. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚  Media in authoritarian rule in Asia Authoritarian government refers to the government that concentrates power in the hands of a leader or a small group of elites unelected by the people; and is opposed to individualism and democracy. Although authoritarian governments always claim that their existence is to protect the country and to provide discipline and order to its way of life and that the traditional culture should be aggressively maintained against encroaching external or contemporary culture (Robert McKenzie, 2006 73-74), the reality is in the opposite side that those basic components of a civil society like human rights, free information, free speech, social justice, etc. are almost eliminated or constrained in the so called order and traditional culture. As what Myung-Jin Park,James Curran(1999) point out, authoritarian regimes can be divided into three major forms: single-party regime, military regime and religious regime. In Asia, countries can be entitled as authoritarian are Brunei (the executive authority lies with the unelected sultan), China (state under communist single party rule), Laos (a communist single party state), Burma (military rule), North Korea (one-party rule), Oman (ruled by a hereditary sultan, and no political parties are legal and no opposition movement), Qatar (ruled by hereditary emirates), Saudi Arabia Syria United Arab Emirates (ruled by hereditary emirates), Vietnam (communist single-party state). Media in these authoritarian regimes can be either privately or publicly owned but must resort to the control of the state. Such control means that the media are never allowed to expose the information that opposes the will of ruling class or interest groups strictly related to the government. Media can criticize the government, but not the supreme level which takes the hold of the highest power. They have certain degree of freedom, but it is only restricted to the reports and programs unrelated to political areas, such as entertainment, sports, travel, etc. In authoritarian rule, Robert McKenzie (2006) points out two procedures that are commonly implemented: censorship and punishment. In terms of the censorship of the media content, it involves two steps: state censorship and self-censorship. State censorship is applied when speech and communication are contrary to state objectives, then the content is banned for dissemination. Self-censorship is the act of intently censoring ones own publications, blogs, films, news scripts, TV programs or other means of expression without direct pressure from the authority, in order not to disseminate the content against the government objectives. So after finishing ones work, he or she may remove inappropriate material for fear of sanction by the government. With the above two kinds of censorship, media only speak the voice of the government or ruling class instead of the people. With the regard to the punishment, the consequence is always conditioned by the seriousness of the illegal content. In the authoritarian rule, the state has the right to penalize individuals and media organizations for seditious libel (Robert McKenzie, 2006). Since the authoritarian societies are under the rule of men instead of law, the punishment can be various types according to the leaders will, such as confiscating private facilities, incarceration of media professionals, expiration, long-term prison, or even death. The content of media in different countries may vary, but one common feature of the authoritarian states in Asia is that media are controlled or owned by the state. Therefore, the information the audience received in the media reflect not the interest of the people but the ruling class, no matter how capable or how hard-working the leaders are, because it is the system of a state that decides the role of the media. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¡Reasons for the authoritarian seeking to control the media According to Denis Mcquail(2005), there are four types of control over media: control of content for political reasons; control of content for cultural and/or moral reasons; control of infrastructures for technical reasons; and control infrastructures for economic reasons. These reasons can serve as a guideline for the author to explore further. 1. Control for political reasons The influence of media in political societies is immense and should never be underestimated. As what Katrin Voltmer and Gary Rawnsley (2010)point out, the function of media in democratic society is to (a) provide a forum where all voices can be heard and engage in a dialogue with each other, and (b) to act as a watchdog of the government. However, the effect of these above two functions are what the authoritarian ruling elites want to decrease, because they are not only the functions, but inherent nature of media, and if without control, the innate force will bring the media to the peoples side. Then the pluralistic opinions and voices will appear that are unlikely all to conform to the political will proposed by the ruling elites. But if we stand at the point of the authoritarian government, the control seems to be necessary, because the media have too much potential power that could be used to unseat the state or destabilize the country (Robert McKenzie, 2006 73-74). What the authoritarian governments most badly need is stability, for in chaos the power of the people will release and it is uneasy to be taken control again. Take China as an example. The government makes every effort to forbid the expressions related to Tiananmen event in 1989, for fear of arousing another wave of opponents that might shake the foundation of the superstructure. Although the information is blocked in mainland China, related videos, books, magazines and reports from abroad still remain hard evidence, which can be a great threat against the authority of communist party. Only if those media become inaccessible to people can the central government avoid losing support from the public. Therefore, the authoritarian media can also be a watchdog, but to watch people instead of the government. Beside, given that the president or premier or the elite ruling group has the high morality, responsibility, wisdom and really concern the people, it is unlikely for them to make sure that every official they appoint or appointed by their appointers other than through the election from the people obey the principles of the constitution. Holding great power and backed by the superior, bureaucractism, red-tapism and corruption will generate, which means that only by controlling the media can they cover their bad deeds, without knowing from the above and the public. But if even the supreme rulers or elites group have ulterior or scandal of their own, degree of control will be much stricter and the free of media is far from possible. In addition, since the media belong to the government, they can be used as a powerful agency to propagate, reinforce and sublimate the value and merits of the ruling concept, thus win more trust and understanding over disagreement. The news from the state-owned media is always the wise decisions and favorable policies which give the people hope and better future, but seldom is there any voice that directly criticizes the state leaders or central government. 2. Control for cultural reasons Almost all authoritarian countries in Asia have their unique as well as dominating traditional or political culture. These cultures not only determine the patterns of thought of the people, but also provide a well constructed harbor for the elite ruling groups to prevent their regime from the impact of the outside world. Media, therefore, can serve as a useful tool to further strengthen the preexisted culture on the one hand, and to broadcast and spread the domestic culture to the world on the other. In this sense, to control the media is to some extent to control the mind of the mass people. The following analysis will focus on the analysis from several powerful cultures. The most distinguished culture in Asia may be Islamism, a belief that Islam is a political ideology, as well as a faith. For this culture, to control the media is to maintain the purity of the peoples thought and enhance the loyalty to the god. It is a modernist claim that political sovereignty belongs to God, that the Sharia should be used as state law, that Muslims form a political rather than a religious bloc around the world and that it is a religious duty for all Muslims to create a political entity that is governed as such.(http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/faqs.html) Based on the above definition, religious belief becomes legitimate tool and peoples behaviors are judged by the Quran. They believe in one God and resist other religions. Then the Islamic content is dominant in media. The western thought, belief, values as well as culture are severely censored and are considered conflict to Islam. For them, the religion and politic are tied extremely close to each other. So if the religion or culture is affected by outside or different impact, the political rule will also be impaired. Another powerful culture is communist culture. In this culture, to control the media is to prevent the attack and cultural impact from the outside world.In present China, North Korea, Laos, Vietnam, the culture is shaped by communist party rather than Confucianism, even though some parts of the behaviors and thoughts still follow the principles proposed by Confucius. Communist culture is relatively young but very influential. At the very beginning of the communist party, those vanguards did set up educational and honorable examples that inspire the fellow country men and women to fight against outside invasion. They did win peoples trust that the communist party will bring them freedom, democracy and equality. But communism is based on the philosophy proposed by Karl Marx that it is possible to create an egalitarian or classless society by means of working as a collective whole. Besides, there is a huge difference of the definition of democracy. While western world regard democracy a s characterized by free speech, two or multiparty and mass election, the communism believe that the democracy is to liberate people and let people become the sovereign master. Ever since the Marxism was applied by the developing countries, the capitalism has become their enemy. The western thought and value as well as ways of running economy are all considered as against the communist belief. Therefore, everything from the western world is banned or defined as evil. In extreme case like North Korea, the image of the party is always the representative of justice, while those western capitalist societies are shown as the lack enlightenment of communist thought. In this environment, the people are deprived of the idea to fight against free speech, liberty and democracy, because as what media show, there are in this process. 3. Control for technological reasons With the development of high technology, especially the booming of the internet, the battle between media control and anti-control has been largely upgraded. Modern communications technologies mean that authoritarian governments find it ever more difficult to hermetically seal their borders and prevent their people from receiving often uncomfortable news, information and opinion from overseas sources (Katrin Voltmer and Gary Rawnsley, 2010). On the other hand, the ruling elites clearly know that to control the core technology is to hold the initiative advantage, so the high technology is not only widely applied by people, but also by the government as a fairly useful tool to exercise censorship, underground investigation as well as supervisory. In other word, the authoritarian government plays the role of defense, while the dissidents and civil right fighters act as the role of offense, and the rest becomes the audience, looking on the development of the game. This means that even though people can create some software to get access to the blocked information, government then can renew the fire-wall and all kinds of software to block the sensitive expressions, detect the opinion initiators, or even control them. After all, the power of individuals is relatively small. They do not have enough economic income to keep them fighting longer. They are intelligent and are able to find the flaw of the censorship system, but seldom is there anyone daring to cross the bottom line of the ruling class. However, the government has sufficient financial support. It can establish well-equipped companies and hire a group of highly professional hackers or internet veterans to help the information control and monitoring. New technology or the new media does provide the citizens with a platform to voice out their opinions and unfair experience with the government and the exposed officials will do meet their deserved consequence. Nevertheless, no government wants its system to be corrupted and then lose its efficiency. In this sense, new technology also helps the government to find a new method to govern the stuff and officials. 4. Control for economic reasons When studying the media issues, economic respect should be considered, for mass media is not only a social institution, but also an industry. With the regard to the present essay, the reasons of media control from the economic perspective are mainly focused on the issue of ownership. Altschull(1984) in his second law of journalism says: the contents of media always reflect the interests of those who finance them. That is to say, the economic structure of the state decides the structure of the media industry, thus determines the role of media. Specifically, in authoritarian regime, the state owns the media, and the main sources of income are advertising, consumer revenue as well as the state financial support. What should be noticed is that the most powerful enterprises in authoritarian states are commonly the state-owned or royal relates-owned industries, which contribute a lion share of the advertising investments. Those state-owned companies not only have continuously financial support from the central government, but also take control of the choices of the consumers, in other word, the market. The vulnerable private media companies, though exist, can seldom have the opportunities to set foot in the most influential market like broadcasting industry and are fac ed with severe competition from various aspects. Then the domination of powerful state-owned companies in communication industries remains as an impassable barrier for private sectors. Consequently, since the government controls the market, that media are controlled becomes a nature process. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢ Conclusion The study of the relationship between government and the media involves a various range of research and analysis. The present essay at first introduces the situation of media in authoritarian regimes in Asia. When media are unable to perform as an agent of democratic transition and consolidation, they become the important means of enforcing the authoritarian or totalitarian rule. Serving as the lapdog and gatekeeper of the government and accompanied by the relevant law and policy, the position of media is fixed and can hardly be changed. Consequently, the people have to be careful with the serious censorship and take the risk of being punished if they seek to rebel the government will. The purpose for government to control the media can be analyzed in four aspects. The first one is the political aspect that government takes the media as a useful tool to maintain the stability of ideology, reinforce the governance and to hide truth and dirt deeds of the rulers themselves. In terms of the cultural reasons, the author tries to find result from studying to distinctive cases of Islam culture and communist culture. A common feature of the both cultures is that the government seeks to manipulate media through keeping the purity of the culture, thus erecting a shield to resist the western democratic thought and culture. With the regard to the technological sphere, the government does realize the potential threat from the booming internet communication, so they intently act as a powerful defender to defend the attack from the domestic and abroad on the one hand, and makes most use of the high technology to strengthen itself on the other. The last reason is from the economic sphere that since the authoritarian government has the huge influence on the market, it influences the media industry as well. Owned and financed by state-run enterprises, the media industry is unchallengeablely controlled by the government. All in all, the media independence is a long process, and the freedom of media and information follows the political reform, cultural transformation and globalization, technological advancement as well as economic development. Although media are controlled, they are still able to play a significant role in pushing forward the social progress of these authoritarian countries in Asia,

Imagery and Metaphor in Wilfred Owens Dulce et Decorum Est :: Dulce et Decorum Est Essays

Imagery and Metaphor in Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The poem is one of the most powerful ways to convey an idea or opinion.   Through vivid imagery and compelling metaphors, the poem gives the reader the exact feeling the author wanted.   The poem "Dulce et Decorum Est," an anti-war poem by Wilfred Owen, makes great use of these devices.   This poem is very effective because of its excellent manipulation of the mechanical and emotional parts of poetry.   Owen's use of exact diction and vivid figurative language emphasizes his point, showing that war is terrible and devastating. Furthermore, the utilization of extremely graphic imagery adds even more to his argument.   Through the effective use of all three of these tools, this poem conveys a strong meaning and persuasive argument.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The poem's use of excellent diction helps to more clearly define what the author is saying.   Words like "guttering", "choking", and "drowning" not only show how the man is suffering, but that he is in terrible pain that no human being should endure.   Other words like writhing and froth-corrupted say precisely how the man is being tormented.   Moreover, the phrase "blood shod" shows how the troops have been on their feet for days, never resting.   Also, the fact that the gassed man was "flung" into the wagon reveals the urgency and occupation with fighting. The only thing they can do is toss him into a wagon.   The fact one word   can add to the meaning so much shows how the diction of this poem adds greatly to its effectiveness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Likewise, the use of figurative language in this poem also helps to emphasize the points that are being made.   As Perrine says, people use metaphors because they say "...what   we want to say more vividly and forcefully..."   Owen capitalizes greatly on this by using strong metaphors and similes.   Right off in the first line, he describes the troops as being "like old beggars under sacks."   This not only says that they are tired, but that they are so tired they have been brought down to the level of beggars who have not slept in a bed for weeks on end.   Owen also compares the victim's face to the devil, seeming corrupted and baneful.   A metaphor even more effective is one that compares "...vile, incurable sores..." with the memories of the troops.   It not only tells the reader how the troops will never forget the experience, but also how they are frightening tales, ones that will the troops will never be able to tell without remember ing the extremely painful experience.

How The Ending Of The Novel Manages To End Or Resolve The Novels Key :: essays research papers

â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird† by Harper Lee is a classic novel that deals with two â€Å"mockingbirds† in Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. â€Å"They don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,† says Atticus. Despite the stigma involved with such an action, Maycomb physically and socially kill two Mockingbirds. This theme and many more are resolved in the book’s ending. One of the first key themes dealt with in the ending of novel is that of the first mockingbird, Boo Radley. Throughout the novel Scout, Jem and Dill are preoccupied with one of Maycomb’s â€Å"monsters†, Boo Radley. Finally, Scout has the chance to meet him, after â€Å"He gave†¦. [Scout and Jem] [Their] lives. Scout, through standing on the Radley porch and â€Å"Standing in [Boo’s] shoes and walking around in them†, finally understands Boo Radley. Furthermore, when Scout says, â€Å"he was real nice†, Atticus replies back â€Å"most people are, Scout, when you finally see them†, thus resolving the readers and Scout’s doubts about Boo Radley. With the description of his hair as "feathery," Boo is immediately identified with the "mockingbird" idea, especially with his slight appearance and fluttery hand movements. He has finally become a real person, completing the progression from monster to human; meanwhile, Mr. Ewell's evilness has turned him into a human monster, whose bristling facial stubble felt by Scout suggests an animal-like appearance. Another key theme that is dealt with in depth, is that of the second mockingbird, Tom Robinson, the Negro who is killed trying to escape from jail after he is wrongfully accused and convicted for rape while helping a young woman. At the end of the book, the two mockingbirds collide, as Boo kills Bob Ewell, the young girl’s â€Å"white trash† father, in a scuffle between Bob and the Finch children. As Heck Tate says â€Å" There’s a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it’s dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . During the course of this book, Harper Lee tries to show us people’s reactions when they have to choose between their prejudices and what is right. Tom Robinson is the recipient of unfair racial prejudice, as he finds out how a man’s false beliefs can override his better judgement. Boo Radley is also the victim of social prejudice. Just because he stays inside, people automatically hide their better judgement in the belief that Boo is actually a monster.

Negative Consumer Behavior Essay

To fully understand what negative consumer behavior is and what makes a bad customer, we first have to understand what â€Å"consumer behavior† is. In their book, â€Å"Consumer Behavior: Concepts and Strategies,† Berkman and Gilson (1981) say that the American Cultural System, which is made of values and artifacts, strongly influences consumer activity in the United States. â€Å"In the twentieth century, American Culture reflected a distinct consumption ethic based upon affluence and gratification of desires through material acquisition† (Berkman and Gilson, 1981). Consumer Behavior is defined as â€Å"the activities of people engaged in actual or potential use of market items-whether products, services, retail environments, or ideas† (Berkman and Gilson, 1981). Thus, there are unlimited types of behaviors that the consumers can exhibit making it difficult to distinguish between good and bad consumer behavior. Sometimes, a consumer behavior that maybe considered negative in one market place can be considered positive in another. Shoplifting for example. â€Å"Some 800,000 times a day, this tableau of temptation, fear and exhilaration plays out in the humdrum aisles of department stores and supermarkets† (Adler, 2002). Shoplifting without a doubt is a type of negative consumer behavior since this behavior costs department stores and supermarket thousands of dollars every day. Yet in the February 25, 2002 â€Å"Newsweek† article written by Jerry Adler, Brandy Samson, the manager of a jewelry and accessories store in the Sherman Oaks California Fashion Square, sees shoplifting in a positive way by using it to understand what it is that the consumers want. She continued to say â€Å"We know what’s hot among teens by seeing what they steal† (Adler, 2002). Though shoplifting has negative effects for one type of market it is a positive consumer behavior in another like the security and protection market. The rise in shoplifting incidents will lead storeowners to increase their spending on security devices like cameras and sensor tags for clothing. Kelly Barron, the author of the article â€Å"Your money or your life? Crime rates are down. Are Americans overspending for security?† says that  even though crime rates have been decreasing over the past years, revenues in the security business are on the rise. â€Å"Americans keep buying more and more protection. Revenues for the security industry have risen 46% over the past five years, to an estimated $57 billion† (Barron, 1997). The vast increase of credit card use has given birth to yet another type of this complex consumer behavior that can be categorized as the compulsive buyers. In their study, James A. Roberts and Eli Jones, say that â€Å"the consumer culture is defined as a culture in which the majority of consumers avidly desire, pursue, consume, and display goods and services that are valued for non-utilitarian reasons, such as status (power), envy provocation, and pleasure seeking† (2001). Such behavior has both positive and negative outcomes. In one hand, the rise of consumer spending increases revenues for certain goods and services. In the other hand, the same behavior increases debt. â€Å"For the first three month of 1999, consumer spending increased at an annualized rate of 6.7 percent. Purchases of durable goods, non-durable goods, and services all registered healthy gains. During the same period, savings reached an all-time low of -0.5 percent† (Roberts and Jones, 2001). Roberts and Jones noted in their study that past research shows that credit cards facilitate spending and that college students were found to spend more at a given store if the store accepted credit cards as a mode of payment. It was also noted that such compulsive buying activities was a significant reason for the large number of credit card debt and personal bankruptcy filings. Roberts and Jones acknowledge that earlier studies have found that students with high debt earn lower grades, and have higher probabilities of dropping out of school. You would think that educational organizations would limit the access of credit card vendors into a college campus. However, what is happening is exactly the opposite. â€Å"Four of five universities allow on-campus solicitations for credit cards and charge credit card vendors between $175 to $400 per day to rent tables during freshman orientation. Schools also receive a percentage of all student charges when they authorize the issuance of an affinity card† (Roberts and Jones, 2001). So is compulsive buying behavior negative or positive? There are however some consumer behaviors that are easy to distinguish from being negative or positive. The abusive customer for example, is a type of consumer that is never satisfied that induces high amounts of stress on the employees. Those who have worked in retail and customer service have probably dealt with such consumers. Working in a clothing store has given me the opportunity to experience the stress created by dealing with the so-called â€Å"abusive customers.† This negative behavior creates a conflict between customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction. â€Å"The consumer satisfaction category has the main position in marketing theory and is based on the premise that the profit is made through the process of satisfaction of consumers’ demands†¦researchers continually confirm a significant correlation between satisfaction and repeated buying, greater brand loyalty, and spreading a positive opinion of the product† (Dubrovski, 2001). Customer is indeed important to the success of a business, but so is employee satisfaction. See the problem when it comes to dealing with abusive customers? The face-to-face interactions with abusive customers cause employees to increase their â€Å"emotional labor† which is also known as emotional dissonance. â€Å"Emotional dissonance occurs when expressed emotions conform with organizational norms but clash with true feelings† (Rafaeli and Sutton, 1987). In her study on emotional dissonance, Rebecca Abraham establishes that emotional dissonance provokes unhappiness at a job, which motivates the intentions to quit. At my former job, a clothing store, I was able to observe high employee turnover rates due to job dissatisfaction. Not a day passed by without a single interaction with an abusive customer. I wouldn’t doubt that the high volume of such interactions lead to the high employee turnover. This particular store did nothing to decrease the high employee turnover, probably costing them hundreds of dollars. When does employee satisfaction become more important than customer satisfaction? Abusive customers, no matter what they spend and no matter how high their lifetime value is, are expressing negative consumer behavior. This particular clothing store that I used as an example should evaluate or re-examine their values because in the  end nobody will want to work for them. Exhibiting negative consumer behavior in one type of market may result in a positive outcome in another market. Some types of consumer behaviors are so complex that it is extremely difficult to distinguish it from being a positive or negative behavior. It depends on what side of the market the specific business is. In this paper I illustrated for the most part a few of these complex consumer behaviors. However, there are some consumer behaviors that a business owner might be better off with. In the retail business there are some customers that take a great deal of time in deciding what it is that they want to purchase. If you are a storeowner, you might want to have your employees spend less time pleasing these types of customers. After all time is money. The welfare and satisfaction of employees should also be a great concern for the employers. I believe that the more satisfied an employee is with their job, the better they will perform at it. Thus, it is important to protect employees from abusive customers. I can recall a time when a customer became extremely angry when we did not have a specific item in the size he was looking for. There was nothing that I could do but to deal with the costumer’s mistreatment. The types of negative consumer behavior are immense that some are hard to even conceptualize. Such behaviors range from lack of spending, usually expressed by the elderly, to theft and overspending. Future research should examine these activities. Bibliography Abraham, Rebecca. The impact of emotional dissonance on organizational commitment and intention to turnover. Journal of Psychology v133, n4 (July, 1999): 441. Adler, Jerry. The â€Å"Thrill† of Theft: it’s not just the movie stars. Why, each year, ordinary people shoplift $13 billion of lipsticks, batteries and bikinis from stores. Newsweek (Feb. 25, 2002): 52. Barron, Kelly. Your money or your life? Crime rates are down. Are Americans overspending for security? Forbes v160 (November 17, 1997): 66. Berkman, Harold W; Gilson, Christopher. Consumer Behavior: concepts and strategies. Kent Publishing Company. Boston 1981. Dubrovki, Drago. The role of customer satisfaction in achieving business excellence. Total Quality Management. (December 2001): 920 Rafaeli, A.; Sutton, R. Expression of emotion as part of the work role. Academy of Management Review. (1987): 12, 23-37. Roberts, James A; Jones, Eli. Money attitudes, credit card use, and compulsive buying among American college students. Journal of Consumer Affairs, Winter 2001, 35(2): 213-240.