Help Desks :: essays research papers

Help desks must help themselves: With no relief in sight, help desks need to be given the right resources.(Industry Trend or Event)Author/s: Stannie HoltThe internal help desk has a precarious position in today's enterprise. Like Rodney Dangerfield, the help desk staff often gets no respect from its internal customers nor from executives who see them only as a cost center. But other times, like Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, they're your only hope.Insiders say that even though information technology is essential to productivity these days, minding the help desk is a thankless job whose burden will only increase over the next few years as IT's size and complexity multiplies. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel: Better-designed applications, more effective integration, and more Web interfaces could cut down on the IT clutter and therefore the help desk workload -- but not for years to come."The trend for service centers [or help desks] today is we get more and more stuff to support and more and more [IT] complexity," said Renee Seay, senior manager for IT Customer Service at semiconductor maker AMD, in Sunnyvale, Calif.Analysts say most large organizations use 30 to 50 different applications and types of hardware. Some companies have separate help desks for different products, but most prefer the convenience of a centralized service desk.According to Kurt Johnson, vice president of service management at the Meta Group, in Stamford, Conn., in the past decade the number of calls to internal help desks has risen from one or one-and-a-half per employee per month to two calls, and is likely to hit three or more within a few years.There are several reasons for this growth, and they are not all bad, according to Johnson. First, there is "the continued proliferation of technology on the desktop," he said.For example, enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendors such as SAP are trying to expand the scope of their manufacturing and financial- ori ented applications so a broader range of people can use them.Moreover, many ERP vendors are offering self-service features, such as letting all employees directly look up their available vacation days, which means everyone must have access to these applications, not just the human resources department, Johnson said.On the other hand, such self-service applications can also be a good way to cut down on calls by letting employees look up their own answers on a FAQ list or database, according to Cecil Lawson, director of executive services at Remedy, in Mountain View, Calif.

Music publication through what was relevant in society

Dear Miss Bethany Sharp, I have done extensive research into the following magazines in order to conclude their success as a music publication through what was relevant in society. NME 1950's What was Society like? It was the end of wartime rationing from World War 2 and there was now a consumer society. Teenagers had now been given spending power but no means of entertainment but magazines. Rock ‘n roll hit the scene with a new audience, the emerging youth culture had now taken the music scene and Rock was now dismissed by older generations. This type of music was popular mostly with teenagers who were trying to break out of the mainstream idea of the middle class. Also, The US had now created their own Hot 100 Music Charts – NME responded to the change in Society so because teenagers wanted to break out of the idea of middle class that Editors decided to publish adds in the magazines content ‘wanted: hip young gun slingers'. NME did this so that they could get new, fresh writers who represented part of the audience; therefore they were part of the music scene and would have a more informal mode of address, therefore relate as well as appeal to them, creating success for the magazine. – NME responded to the change in Society that the US had now created a music chart, so NME they decided to introduce the first British Pop charts. It appealed to the audience and created success as it was the best selling singles chart in the UK and in a sense influenced the audience in what to listen to and what was part of the music scene. 1960's What was Society like? London spent much of its time swinging and dancing as much of the music scene. The nation became more obsessed with political and cultural events. The British invasion of rock and roll, beat and pop performers now appeared by performers such as The Beatles. – NME responded to the change in Society to embraced the new British groups emerging at the time; The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were arguably the two most renowned groups to emerge during this 60's and they were frequently featured on the front cover. – NME responded to the change in Society because it was between January and June 1964, NME's sales peaked to 306,881 that as the Beatles and the rolling stones were taking on the music scene, NME was left to track the new rock music. 2000's What was Society like? Society has now become multi-platform and fast paced because of all the new mediums and the use of synergy – technology has now become a necessity to everyday life – NME responded to the change in Society as technology was becoming more used in everyday life, i.e. the internet, NME felt that it might lose sales as factors such as piracy and easy accessible information can come about, so NME absorbs part sister/rival publication melody maker in 2000. – NME responded to the change in Society because technology was becoming more widespread that NME decided to feature on radio and television coverage in order to become more multi-platform and thus making it more successful – It appealed to the audience because NME had coverage on NME awards and weekly NME chart show on MTV2. NME had taken further steps than being just a magazine. – NME responded to the change in Society so the NME magazine as the music scene was becoming younger, NME introduced Club NME nights across Britain and to the US. Smash Hits Late 1970's/1980's What was Society like? Society was now full of mass unemployment and there were now a social unrest- people where now angry at the government and there were now anti-rebellion teens. Punk was introduced and the idea of being rebellious, bands like the sex pistols started to make the music scene. – NME responded to the change in Society so the Smash Hits magazine As the new music scene was young socialites and looking good was important, Smash Hits was a new glossy magazine for younger audiences . It used niches which appealed to younger audiences because it focused around â€Å"trivia† (What is your favourite colour? etc.) they used this informal mode of address to create success – It appeals to the audience to create success because it talks about lives and gossip, something the audience was looking for. – NME responded to the change in Society so the Smash Hits magazine as the magazine was talking to a new audience it created a new mode of address; it was now informal and colloquial – chatty because it had to represent the audience in order to create success. 1980's What was Society like? Cable and MTV were introduced; it had an enormous impact on the music and young people. The CD revolutionized the music industry. Music such as Pop, Rock, new wave, Punk, country, Rap and Hip-hop became popular. – NME responded to the change in Society so the Smash Hits magazine It was because the music scene had became widespread and there were much more genres that Smash hits went on to hire many respected journalists 2000's What was Society like? Society has now become multi-platform and fast paced because of all the new mediums and the use of synergy – technology has now become a necessity to everyday life – NME responded to the change in Society so the Smash Hits magazine a whole new range of platforms including Television, the internet, mobile and so on were introduced, the magazine became multi-platform as the audience became more industrialised to create success – It appealed to the audience because Today's teens wanted faster, deeper information about music at a faster rate of accessing information, they were now able to do so. – NME responded to the change in Society so the Smash Hits magazines started to notice that the group allegiances to pop and rock had changed, magazine realised it had to change so became more multi-platform – Magazines became more synergised, using television, radio, websites etc. This was because technology was growing and so was the young audience. – NME responded to the change in Society so the Smash Hits magazine Because the audience and the music scene were changing, the magazine had to change. Smash hits decided to keep the genre the same although it became multi-platform. – It didn't appeal to the audience and the audience moved on, however it managed to continue using different mediums such as television, digital radio and website services Sniffin' Glue Late 1970's/1980's What was Society like? Society was now full of mass unemployment and there were now a social unrest- people where now angry at the government and there were now anti-rebellion teens. Punk was introduced and the idea of being rebellious, bands like the sex pistols started to make the music scene. – NME responded to the change in Society so the Sniffin' Glue magazine Young socialites wanted to be part of the music scene, so they wanted to belong to a group, The Sniffin' Glue publication is one that is a fanzine – It appealed to the audience because this means it is exclusively made by fans for fans for a specific genre – Punk Zine, this meant the audience could relate to Gigs and so on. It also appealed to the audience because it meant that it could remain very Punk and shocking through the mode of address such as the aggressive and vulgar language but managed to remain very political toward the audience through the points it made. – NME responded to the change in Society so the Sniffin' Glue magazine It was because the audience wanted to be heard that the publisher Perry encourages reader to make their own fanzines so sniffin' glue had less circulation – It appealed to the audience because it Introduced the British punk culture and DIY Punk ethic so fans created their own fanzines. By doing this they kept the audiences demands and met theirs, overall creating success – It appealed to the audience as the mode of address was very opinionated, they were able to say what they wanted a it was a non-profit fanzine – They appealed to the audience as they represented them through the cover as it very punk and shocking almost making a political statement

Business Economics Assignment

When we speak about the factors of production, in that respect are some overlapping categories. Economic experts have used the four general factors of production (Land, labor, capital and entrepreneur) from the very early stage. These factors contribute a large portion of the industrial revolution in the sass, because the factors of production, especially entrepreneurs were largely split into groups. Labors, for instance, seldom owned capital or land, nor did they begin their own business. Land lords almost never did manual labor, nor did they become owning factories.In the olden days (18th century) entrepreneur, labor, capital and land, were not just four categories Of factors f production, they were four different socio-economic groups. Traditional Business Vs.. E-Business When we compare traditional business and e-business, both are similar in scope to the competitive marketplace. Although a brick-and-mortar shop and an online marketplace are both â€Å"real,† they appeal t o different characteristics, display their goods through different methods and offer consumers different levels of pricing, service and comfort station (Christina Hamlet).The following are some of the significant differences of traditional business and E-business. Needs Assessment The nature a small business and the type and quantity of customer interaction it requires to be successful dictate whether you call for a physical address or a practical one. For instance, you're providing writing, copy-editing, consulting, and accounting or billing services. While, your primary interface with your guests is by telephone, email and fax, negating the need for workspace beyond a home office.On the other hand, a small business in which you sell cosmetics, jewelry, graphics, furniture or home equipment will require display space, changing rooms and proper storage. Page 4 As a single business proprietor, you are just equally likely to desire about its libeling, whether it's far away or close. T o sort tryout work life from your personal life has been normally a larger challenge when personal life and work life live under the same roof.The anytime availability environment of e- business makes it to start knowing yourself as accessible to your customers round-the-clock, something that would not go on if you kept traditional hours at a shop. Legalities and Expenses Traditional Business and e-businesses both require you to possess a business permit. Registering your business name with the registrar, acquiring a tax ID number, examining local zoning and licensing regulations, acquiring insurance pertinent to your needs and creating banking relationships are critical steps in setting up shop in either Traditional Business or e-businesses.While telecommunications expenses, office supplies and a marketing or advertising budget are necessary expenses in both traditional and commerce. But, in the traditional commercial enterprise model has more overhead expenses such as lease, staff salaries and other benefits, maintenance costs and expenses incurred for security arrangements, however, e-business operate from a home Office, which utilizes mostly existing facilities. Customer ConvenienceSince e-business is available 24 hours (24/7), customers are freer from the challenges, like, difficulties in reaching the shops due to bad weather or difficulties in parking, than a physical shop located across town, which is normally open five days a week for a specific time period. E-commerce not only save customers' time and energy, it also, avoids customers from paying sales taxes, offer more outlets to compare stores. However, most of the customers need to inspect the sellers personally, take advice as well as support and be able to bear the goods home immediately instead of paying hipping costs and waiting.However, a traditional business satisfies those needs by producing an environment, where customers can deal face to face. Page 5 In economics, the market structure is t he number of firms producing similar products which are identical. The following are some of the significant market structures of today's business environment. Monopolistic Competition In these markets, there is a large number of firms, each firm is having a small proportion of the market share and slightly differentiated products. It is a marketplace, where a miniscule number of firms that together bear the ajar share of the market.Monopoly This is a market condition, where there is a single supplier Of a product or service. Perfect competition The Perfect Competition Structure is a theoretical structure that features no barriers to entry, an unlimited number of producers and consumers, and a perfectly elastic demand curve. The continuous evolution of technology is changing the way we do business, the dynamics of the workplace and what we perceive is possible. During the last 10 to 15 years, the technology is extremely changing the approach and the production processes.Significantl y, the continued evolution of electrification and Information Technology is increasing the ongoing translation of the business environment to hold advantage of available tools and opportunities (Rosily Frenzy). In some countries, there can however be arguments between the traditional practices and the modern business methods that can be realized through technology. This might be that decision makers still have not fully appreciated for the irrecoverable changes that technology had brought to the business methods. Indeed, to get these changes, the key role is played by internet.The Internet is quickly becoming the base of choice for e-commerce. Because it offers a universal and user friendly set of technology, which can be used by all organizations, no matter which information technology platform they use. Moreover, this technology offers a much cheaper and easier replacement for management activities than traditional methods. Business organizations can utilize Internet technology to decrease their operational and administrative expenses. Fundamentally, internet technology lowers the cost of data processing, sending and storing of data while producing that information more widely useable.Page 6 By using Internet and other networks for e-commerce, organizations in some industries can make transactions directly with clients and suppliers. The Internet can assist companies for the production and making profits in new ways by adding special value to existing products and services. In many e- commerce platforms, like Ebay, Alabama or Amazon creates information brokers, virtual storefronts, transaction brokers, online marketplaces, online service providers, content providers, virtual communities, and online portals.Following are some of the enhancements brought by information and digital technology. Productivity The usage of computers has changed the work environment and the speed Of ark in the past days. It pushed down the cost of data processing, and the simplicity with which large volumes of data can be manipulated by and transferred between several units within the business organization. And also, thus increasing the processing power along with the extensive range of standard and customized hardware and software.This resulted in changing employer and client expectation of work quality and output, at the employee and organizational levels. Banking services are good examples of this point. A wide range of services are giving through internet or intranet which involves a number of different footwear and hardware. Some of the services supplied by financial institutions with the help of technology is ATM and internet banking services. Today, most of the banks realize that they should change the way they do business to take maximum profit.For instance, America's most go-getting banks were SSH fitting from acquisitions to providing Internet-based financial services (John McCoy) Collaboration In a situation, where persons might not be in office to physically interact with clients, technology is providing a number of connectivity choices that facilitate continued discussion and collaboration among work forces. Options can low both the real-time and non-real time communication, and also they can integrate into a platform of specialists to access and use of different tools and features.For example, people can buy and sell on Ebay at any time, in addition to that, buyers and sellers can communicate real time or non-real time. Some of the other famous online stores are Amazon, Alabama, best buy etc. Page 7 Resounding With the help Of technology, business organizations find new ways Of increasing their resources. Cloud computing is a good example, which offers a large scope of resources, such as computer applications, online storage and processing power. By the help of the cloud technology, companies can decentralized or delegate different aspects of their businesses to either affiliate or third parties.For example, Google provides online storage, which allows organizations as well as individuals to store and share their documents whenever they want. Interaction and participation Customer interaction and participation is readily apparent through the impact Of social media in business. In addition to providing a platform for the distribution of information, marketing and promotion, social media creates an environment to generate feedback from consumers and the public. Many organizations are starting to take advantage of the chances to secure feedback on their products and services (Jack Supple and Michael Schmaltz).A good model for such platform is Faceable, which offers a number of chances for the purpose of marketing and promotion as well as sharing information and cool electing feedbacks. Cost management While performing in a competitive marketplace, Organizations are continuously trying to manage the operational costs and to control spending. To accomplish this goal, technology has provided a platform with cost effective alternatives, such as skilled labor and computing resource outsourcing. This result, increasing productivity, efficiency and individual performance.The financial results of the top 25 e-commerce platforms including the AOL, eBay, Yahoo and so on, all together generated about $5 billion in revenue and spend around $1 billion last year (Ion McCoy). For example, Banks and Airlines. Processing an airline ticket on the Internet costs $1 , compared with $8 through a travel agent (the Economist). Page 8 Efficiency and optimization At last, this stage is a very significant outcome of most of the points brought up earlier, since there is a higher expectation of the organizations becoming more efficient.In traditional business models, one of the greatest challenges that organizations have confronted is that although they might be very open about what their core objectives might be, considerable attention on financing, workforce, management, and etc. Had been given to supportin g activities and processes to the core business. However, technology based companies have more choices through which to move their efforts towards the most important natural processes that they must manage, thereby increasing productivity and output.Effects on factors of production In today's business world, the factors of production are used in different says. Let's take the four factors of production to measure the impact of information technology. Land In recent days, the number of businesses moving to e-business are increasing and the amount of physical stores is decreasing. This reduces the demand for land and increasing availability Of land at a cheaper rate. Labor When organizations are focusing more on internet based activities, the involvement human activities are turning more depressed.

A Study of the Relation of Gender and Self-Esteem in Conformity

A Study of the Relation of Gender and Self-Esteem in Conformity Abstract Conformity studies have been extensive following Asch’s (1956) classic line judgement task. Numerous factors have been purported to affect conformity behaviours. The present study investigates gender differences in conforming behaviours, and how self-esteem is associated with conformity, by replicating Asch’s original experiment. The study further explores if self-esteem is associated with conformity differently between gender groups. Twenty-two psychology undergraduates (eight males and fourteen females) were recruited. An independent t-test and bivariate correlation analyses were used to analyse the data. The results revealed 1) no gender difference in conforming behaviours, 2) a significant negative correlation between self-esteem and conforming behaviours, 3) differential association of self-esteem and conformity between males and females. In all, the results suggest that conformity is influenced by an individual’s sense of self-worth instead of a person†™s gender identity; gender may be a moderating variable in self-esteem and conformity research that future studies can explore. Gender and Self-Esteem Differences in Conformity: Revisiting Asch’s Conformity Test People are often faced with situations where they are pressurized to conform to certain norms or behaviours. Conformity is the change in behaviours in response to real or imagined pressure from members of the social environment (Gilovich, Keltner, Chen, Nisbett, 2013). In a classic study by Asch (1956), it was demonstrated that people can give obviously wrong answers even when they knew it was incorrect because of the sense of pressure from others. Specifically, participants in the study were shown three different comparison lines and were asked which line was similar to a target line presented adjacent. The participants were seated among a group of 7 to 9 and had to answer after the others indicated their response. There was only one participant in each group and the rest were confederates who gave unanimous incorrect answers on specified trials, known as critical trials. Approximately 75% of the participants conformed on at least one trial – of these participants, 5% confor med on all critical trials. Qualitative analysis after the experiment revealed that the participants knew the answers were incorrect, but felt the need to conform as they did not want to feel rejected, suggesting that people have a psychological need to fit in with a group. The yielding to group pressure because of a need to fit in is termed normative social influence, as opposed to informational social influence wherein people are uncertain of a situation and look to others for guidance (Asch, 1956; Gilovich et al, 2013). Clearly, Asch’s study explores the aspect of normative social influence. Numerous studies had since found divergent findings (Bond Smith, 1996; Mori Arai, 2010), questioning the external validity of the study. Perhaps the most important limitation to Asch’s study was the use of only male participants, indicating the need for further studies exploring gender differences. Literature on gender differences remains inconsistent – while women was generally found to conform more than men in the past (Bond Smith, 1996), recent studies suggest no gender differences (Rosander Eriksson, 2012), or mixed results in conformity between gender groups (Enjanjan, Zeigler-Hill, Vonk, 2015). Reviewing Gender Differences Women were generally found to conform more than men possibly due to gender roles and the conforming towards such roles during the period (1960s – 1990s) when the experiments took place (Rosander Eriksson, 2012). The social identity of women was arguably more submissive and conforming than present. Good and Sanchez (2010) posited that people conform to gender roles of the society due to intrinsic enjoyment of pulling together an individual’s actual and ideal selves, or due to extrinsic pressure from society. According to the self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, as cited in Gilovich et al., 2013), people are constantly motivated to compare between their actual selves – representing who people truly believe themselves to be – and two other selves, the ideal and ought selves. The former refers to the more positive connotation of people’s ambitions and what others maintain about them; the latter refers to the sense of obligation people feel pressurized to follow. Bond and Smith (1996) meta-analysis seems to substantiate this theory. In retrospect, the review was also done in the 1990s and conformity behaviours might have changed since then. Agreeably, Rosander and Eriksson (2012) found that women did not conform more than men. The study utilized the Asch’s paradigm, but on the internet where participants were not interacting face-to-face with each other. An additional measure of task difficulty (Easy/Difficult) was introduced. The overall conformity result was like Asch’s original study. Additionally, men were found to conform more than women on difficult task (specifically on difficult and logical questions, for details see Rosander Eriksson, 2012). This is corroborated by Enjanjan and colleagues (2015) where men with varying levels of self-esteem were found to conform more on difficult trials. Furthermore, women might not have been more conforming but that men tend to report less conformity depending on the context (Rosander Eriksson, 2012). Recent explanation of why men conform less alludes to the idea that non-conformity portrays uniqueness, thus making an individual stand out and increase prospective opportunities such as leadership roles (Griskevicius, Goldstein, Mortensen, Cialdini, Kenrick, 2006; Rosander Eriksson, 2012). Taken together, the findings suggest no concrete direction of gender difference, and hints a relationship between conformity and self-esteem. Reviewing Self-Esteem in Conformity Following the self-discrepancy theory, conformity towards ascribed norms may increase self-esteem due to inherent positive feelings. Conversely, conforming due to feelings of pressure may induce lower levels of self-esteem (Good Sanchez, 2010; Gilovich et al., 2013). Alternatively, this paper aims to identify if self-esteem levels affect people’s conforming behaviours. One of the main reasons people conform is the desire to fit in or to be correct (i.e. normative and informational social influences, Gilovich et al., 2013). Since these desires are associated with self-esteem (Enjanjan et al., 2016), it is intuitive to think that people with low self-esteem conforms more. Truly, studies converge on the notion that individuals with low self-esteem tend to conform more than individuals with high self-esteem (Enjanjan et al., 2016), possibly to protect their weak sense of self and mitigate the damaging impacts of failure (Ardnt, Schimel, Greenberg, Pyszczynski, 2002). Research on the relationship of gender in self-esteem and conformity remained scarce, with identifiable studies placing self-esteem as the outcome/dependent variable in their study instead of conformity (Good Sanchez, 2010). Due to inconsistencies in the literature, this paper expects a non-directional gender difference in rate of conformity. Next, it is expected that self-esteem is negatively correlated with conformity. Finally, this paper further explores if self-esteem levels between gender groups is differently associated with conformity. Methods Design There were two designs of the study – a between-subject quasi-experimental design for test of group difference and a correlational design for test of association. The independent variable for the former test was gender; the dependent variable was social conformity operationalised as the rate of conformity (out of 12 critical trials) of Asch’s (1956) conformity test. Self-esteem, measured using Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1965a), was correlated with the dependent variable. Participants responded to both RSES and the conformity experiment. Participants A total of 22 Participants (8 Males, 14 Females), age ranging from 18 – 25 years (M = 20.7, SD = 2.35 years) were recruited from James Cook University as part of their course requirement PY3102. Majority of the participants (N = 19) were First year students, and the remaining (N = 3) were Second year students. All participants were included in the study as all relevant details were filled up in both the demographics form (Gender, Age, and Year of study in college), and all participants completed the experiment. Materials Asch’s (1956) line judgement task. Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 was used to create the stimuli and presented through in-class overhead projector in James Cook University Singapore, room C2-06. The stimuli (Appendix A) consist of 18 trials of line judgement test, 12 of which were critical trials whereby the researcher recorded responses of the participants. The confederates were told to give wrong responses unanimously on the critical trials. The target lines were copied exactly (copy-paste function) from the correct comparison line while the remaining lines were created such that the correct answer was always obvious. All lines were between 2 – 10 inches (5.08cm – 25.40cm) following the original study. Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES; 1965a). The RSES is a 10-item scale that measures feelings of self-worth by assessing both positive and negative feelings about the self (Rosenberg, 1965b). The items are scored on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Items 2, 5, 6, 8, 9 are reverse scored. Item scores are summed and higher scores indicate higher self-esteem (Appendix B). The scale was found to have good internal consistency, a = .91, and demonstrated good internal and external validity (Sinclair et al., 2010). Procedure Participants were given an information sheet and were told that their participation is completely voluntary; they could leave at any point in the experiment. Only one participant was present for each experiment. Upon agreeing to informed consent and filling up of the demographics sheet, participants completed the RSES. Participants were told that they were in a group study of visual judgement together with three other confederates, and were assigned to the last seat in the row. The researcher presented the line judgement task on screen (5 metres away) and participants had to answer: â€Å"Which comparison line A, B, or C is the same as the target line?† after responses from all confederates. The confederates were instructed to give unanimous correct responses on trials 1, 2, 6, 10, 15, and 16 (randomly generated order, except for 1 and 2, following Asch’s original study), while incorrect responses for all other trials (critical trials). Only responses from the critical trials were recorded. Finally, participants were debriefed and given the true nature of the experiment. Statistical Analysis IBM SPSS 22 was used to analyse the data. An independent t test was used to test for gender differences and bivariate correlation analysis was used to test for the relationship between self-esteem and the dependent variable. Results The present study explored gender differences in social conformity, and its relationship to self-esteem. Table 1 presents the descriptive statistics of each group. Contrary to the hypothesis, an independent t test revealed no significant differences between male and female, t(20)= -0.067, p = .947, 95% CI [-0.256, 0.240]. A significant moderate negative correlation was found between self-esteem and social conformity, r(20) = -.58, p = .004, indicating that people with higher self-esteem tend to conform less. Finally, this study further explored if self-esteem levels between males and females would be associated differently with rate of conformity. A bivariate correlation analysis between gender groups indicated differential association with conformity – there was a significant strong negative correlation in the female group, r(12) = -.73, p = .003; there was no significant correlation in the male group, r(6) = -.31, p = .45. Discussion In all, the results revealed no gender differences in rate of conformity, a significantly moderate negative correlation of self-esteem and conformity, and different associations of self-esteem and conformity in males and females – women with higher self-esteem seems to conform less, while there was no significant correlation in men with varying levels of self-esteem. Contrary to previous findings, it appears that males and females do not differ in their rate of conformity. One possible explanation can be that gender roles in the current globalized society are not as prominent and people are more liberal in their social identity, thus blurring the distinction between gender. The result was consistent with the hypothesis of negative correlation of self-esteem and conformity, thus supporting previous findings and the notion that conforming behaviours seem to be a form of defensiveness toward threats to the self (i.e. fear of criticism or judgement by others, feeling excluded etc). Additionally, this paper showed that different levels of self-esteem in males and females are associated with conformity, consistent with Enjanjan et al.’s (2016) findings. It is likely that females with low self-esteem value the desire to be liked by others more than men with low self-esteem, while women with high self-esteem is more confident to make autonomous decisions. Conversely, men probably do not consider conforming behaviours as being impactful to their self-esteem as they may feel that uniqueness is a preferable trait rather than being liked by others. However, it is puzzling that no gender difference emerged overall, but differential associations emerged at var ying levels of self-esteem in males and females. The findings imply that conformity in people may be related more to an individual’s sense of self-worth rather than to gender, and complex interactions may exist between gender groups and self-esteem levels. The findings may be of interest to people working in groups, especially leaders – to identify the tendency for people to conform and therefore impeding productive generation of ideas. Limitations and Future Directions This study is limited due to the small sample size (N = 22), and very low count of male participants (n = 8). Also, all participants were psychology students and they might have guessed the nature of the study. This was controlled by asking for the year of study – with older-year students having the tendency to guess the true nature. Furthermore, due to the quasi-experimental nature, random assignment was not possible thereby confounding the results. Future studies may recruit more participants and include a question at the end of the experiment (â€Å"What is the study about?†) to exclude participants who know the true nature of the study. This was not done in the present study due to restrictive sample size. Perhaps with adjustments to the study and with more advanced statistical procedures, complex interactions between gender, self-esteem, and conformity can be discovered.

Why swimming is the best form of exercise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why swimming is the best form of exercise - Essay Example It increases the body’s metabolism which ultimately results in the burning of fats. Exercise has always been very important part of the human body. It not only keeps one in better shape but also reduces the risks of heart diseases, strokes, various cancers and high blood pressure. In the modern era the need to exercise has increased significantly. People today feel the need to stay and look fit more than ever before. Over the past few years various exercising machines and fitness units have been introduced some of which comprises of state-of-the-art technology e.g. calculating pulse rate, calories burnt and speed range etc. But swimming has always been a conventional way to stay fit and healthy, with the main reasons being that it is a simple and non technology oriented form of exercise delivering some very effective results. Swimming is an aquatic sport. It is the art of self- movement in water with the help of upper and lower limbs. Swimming is the best form of exercise as i t is easy on the body, it works all muscles, can be used by people who are limited in the exercise they can undertake, is varied Unlike many exercises which prove to be very monotonous and harsh, swimming refreshes both the mind and body. It eases the body without giving jarring effects. Water has some very effective and soothing effects. Athletes use water to rehabilitate after an injury.

Business plan- definition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Business plan- definition - Essay Example A business plan is aimed at justifying business idea and its future potentials. It is the conclusive document that details the strengths, risks, future developments and other relevant technicalities involved in undertaking the business venture. Business plan is primarily and usually developed for undertaking a new business venture. However it may also be developed when an existing business makes some new initiative changes for which a sizeable investment and analysis is required. Externally, business plan helps in communicating to the potential stake holders about the financing of the new business idea. Simultaneously, a business plan serves the internal purpose by making the picture clear to the people in organization about the business. Having a conclusive business plan serves as a guideline of future moves and is an important controlling mechanism against which actual performance can be compared. The business plan encompasses several elements of significant importance to new busin ess idea. These include idea generation, strategic objectives, market analysis and research, understanding the competition, cash flow, profit and loss forecasts, balance sheet projections, competitive strategy and scenario analysis. These elements are critically analyzed in the following discussion. Elements of Business Plan 1. Idea Generation Idea generation is the process in which problem under consideration is understood and ideas to solve that problem are generated and communicated. It is the basic element of business plan on which the success of business relies heavily. An idea that understands the problem only at surface and does not address the core depths of issue will result only in short-term success and ultimate failure. A successful idea is the one, for a new business, that is feasible and profitable. Idea generation is the rigorous task (Legrand 2011, p.125). It requires a great analysis and commitment to arrive at successful business ideas. Most of the business failure s trace to unworkable business ideas. Business idea turns out to be a failure because of very common problems that include; surface understanding of problem, improper understanding of environment where idea is to be introduced and miscalculations in assessing future potential of idea generated. These are the most common areas that are not properly addressed while proposing any idea. In organization, a leader can take steps to help in generation of useful and successful ideas. He/she can do so by directing idea generators in a way so as they may not overlook the common areas of mistake that result in ultimate failure of business plan. Group idea generation is the common organizational practice. It offers the benefit of the pooled knowledge f group and ensures a proper critical analysis of idea before it is implemented. 2. Strategic Objectives: The term ‘Strategic Objectives’ refers to the concrete financial and non-financial goals that an idea is supposed to achieve. Set ting of strategic objectives serves various important purposes in a successful business venture. It defines the targets in concrete terms and also the role of different functional units of organization for achievement of strategic objectives. Strategic objectives outline the amount of financial and non-financial resources that are required to make an idea a success. This is a critical step in business plan. A business idea can be a failure if its translated strategic objectives are vague, unclear and ill-calculated. A major coordination problem, among functional units, will arise in case the objectives are not well understood. A

Rock-n-roll and the use of drugs in the period between 1955 and 1966 Essay

Rock-n-roll and the use of drugs in the period between 1955 and 1966 - Essay Example As the counterculture began to emerge, however, an associated interest with mind altering drugs began to be a part of the experience. While the era of drug use and free thinking is often thought of as the 1960s, the counterculture began much earlier, stemming from the gravitation of certain individuals to jazz and folk music which was often expressed by those who were calling themselves beatniks and bohemians. The period of time between 1955 and 1966 were pivotal, however, as the course of social change also saw changes in the way in which intellectualism was pursued, leading to the heavier use of drugs during that time period. In 1966, Grace Slick wrote one of the more iconic songs that projected the connection between literacy, rock and roll, and the drug culture. Referencing Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland she wrote â€Å"One pill makes you larger/One pill makes you small/ And the ones that mother gives you/Don’t do anything at all/Go ask Alice/When she’s ten feet tall† (Farber, 2007, p. 62). At the same time, there has been a struggle between embracing the effects of drug use and the consequences of indulging in drugs with too much intensity. Rock and roll lifestyles are both filled with the hedonism of sex and drugs and written to reflect the spiral downward that is taken through the ’looking glass’ when drug abuse takes over one’s life. One of the more famous quotes about drug use and the early years of rock and roll came from David Crosby who said â€Å"if you can remember the 60s, you weren’t there†, intimating the close connection between the use of drugs, forgetfulness during use and the revolutions of the 1960s which included a high level of drug use (Farber, 2007, p. 63). ... 63). Drug abuse and alcoholism as it was connected to musicians did not begin in the 1960s. Where there are high levels of artistic emotions combined with the pressures of success, drug use and alcohol abuse were often involved. However, cultural groups that specifically aligned themselves with the use of drugs was a relatively new phenomenon in the 1950s. The type of groups that were defined by a sort of intellectualism that was following some of the great writers of the time, as well as following paths towards hedonism and self indulgences were ’beatniks’ and ’bohemians’ of the 1950s. The music of jazz and folk music, two genres that helped to form the structures of rock and roll, were a type of music that drew people towards it that often indulged in drug use. According to Weinstein (1999), â€Å"the initial sparks were struck in the 1940s that set the counterculture ablaze with drugs in the 1960s† (p. 169). When Ardous Huxley wrote Doors of Perc eption in 1954, the counterculture was motivated to seek the perfect high, that state in which transcendence had occurred in which the promise of drug use was finally fulfilled. Seeking to fulfill some sort of intellectual imperative, the book written by Huxley gave a framework of understanding about the nature of mind altering drug use and the advantages of what one can learn from having taken mind altering drugs. Huxley (2009) describes what Spanish conquerors saw when they encountered Native Americans. He states â€Å"they eat a root which they call peyote, and which they venerate as though tit was a deity†(p. 9). The book became centering piece of pop culture from which the pursuit of the ultimate spiritual experience was sought after which included high