Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Essays

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Essays Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Essay Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Essay The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was the tomb of king Mausolus. Halicarnassus (Modern Bodrum, Turkey) was the capital of a small Mediterranean kingdom. In 377 B. C. , Hecatomnus of Mylasa, the ruler of this land, died and left control of the kingdom to his son, Mausolus. Mausolus’ reign lasted for 24 years. He loved and adored the Greek culture and founded several cities of Greek design along the coast. In 353 B. C. , Mausolus died, leaving his queen Artemisia broken hearted. She decided to build the most splendid tomb in the known world as a tribute to him. The tomb became so famous that Mausolus’s name is now associated with all stately tombs throughout the world as Mausoleum. It became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world because of its rich statuary and carvings in relief. Artemisia sent messengers to Greece to find the most talented sculptors; she decided that no expense was to be spared in building the tomb. The tomb was errected on a hill overlooking the city. The entire structure sat in the center of an enclosed courtyard on a stone platform. A staircase, flanked with stone lions, led to the top of this platform. There were many statues of gods and godesses along the outer wall of the courtyard. The tomb was guarded by stone warriors mounted on horseback at each corner stone. [pic] The tomb itself was at the center of the platform. The marble structure rose as a square, tapering block to about one-third of the Mausoleum’s 1140 feet height. This section was covered wit relief sculptures showing action scenes from Greek mythology. Thirty-six slim columns rose on top of this section for another third of the height. Between each column were more statues. A solid block behind the columns carried the weight of the tomb’s massive roof. [pic] Map showing the layout of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus Artemisia died two years after Mausolus’s death. Both of them were buried in the yet unfinished tomb. The craftsmen took up the responsibility of completing the structure. The Mausoleum overlooked the city for several centuaries before it was damaged and destroyed by attacks from pirates, invaders and series of earthquakes. Very similar to this ancient wonder is the Taj mahal in India. TAJ MAHAL Like the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Taj was built in the memory of Shah Jahaan’s beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It was and still continues to be a symbol of eternal love. The Taj also is a marble structure standing on the banks of River Yamuna. It rises ona high sandstone base topped by four tappering minarets. The jewel-inlaid cenotaph of the queen lies within the dome. The design on the stucture is said to be so exquisite that the Taj has been described as â€Å" having been designed by giants and finished by jewellers† pic] STATUE OF ZEUS [pic] The statue of Zeus is located in Peloponnesus. The statue stands 40 feet high and is made of ivory and gold. Zeus is depicted sitting with olive wreath on his head, a sceptre (with an eagle sitting on it) in his left hand, and his messenger Nike in his right hand. The temple is built on a raised rectangular platform. Thirteen large columns support the r oof along the sides and six support it on each end. A gently peaked roof the topped the building, which was filled with sculpture. However, now the statue stands destroyed by numerous earthquakes and conquests. SHIVA STATUE AT MURUDESHWARA [pic] The Shiva statue at Murudeshawara is very similar to the statue of Zeus. However, in this case, the statue is outside the temple. The statue of Shiva measures 123 feet in height. The statue is constructed in such a way that it gets sun light and thus appears sparkling. The temple has the tallest gopura in the world too. It is 249 feet high and is called the Raja Gopura. There are other small statues surrounding the main Shiva statue. There is one depicting Ravan giving the atma-lingam to a Brahman. There are many statues of elephants (life size ), and the holy bull, Nandi. TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS [pic] The temple of Artemis was built in the honour of Artemis. It is 425 feet long and 225 feet wide. The foundation of the temple was rectangular in form, similar to most temples at the time. Unlike other sanctuaries, however, the building was made of marble, with a decorated facade overlooking a spacious courtyard. 127 columns, each of which is 60 feet high, support the roof. This temple was built and destroyed several times. The temple was built in such a way that one could see the other side through the temple; it was like a hollow structure. Thus, when the sun rose and set it felt as though it was happening inside the temple. PARTHENON [pic] The Parthenon was built for the Greek goddess, Athena. Structurally, it is very similar to the temple of Artemis at Ephesus. The Parthenon is a temple of the Doric order with eight columns at the facade, and seventeen columns at the flanks, conforming to the established ratio of 9:4. This ratio governed the vertical and horizontal proportions of the temple as well as many other relationships of the building like the spacing between the columns and their height. The Parthenon, in comparison with the temple of Artemis however, is only 100 feet wide, 230 feet long, and has 58 pillars. Ubud Hanging Gardens, Bali If Babylons ancient Hanging Gardens existed today, they could definitely look something like this. Perched around an Eden-like gorge are 38 serene villas, a soothing double-tiered pool, and a Hindu temple; youll need to take a funicular from reception to your suite, and most everywhere else (though a few hundred stairs will take you to the bottom of the valley if you are up to adventure. Each villa has its own private heated infinity pool, looking out over the verdant gardens of the valley and bordered by an outdoor terrace. There is step greenery and vegetation just like the supposedly floored gardens of Babylon. It is today one of the hottest tourist destinations in Bali. [pic] [pic]Bottom of Form The Lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt. (Ancient wonder) [pic] One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was built in 200 BC on the small island of Pharos and was connected to the mainland by a massive causeway. Thought to have stood 492 feet high, it is considerably taller than any modern-day lighthouses. Though it has been lost in the pages of history and there is no concrete proof about whether it really existed or not, many claim you could see the light beacon from 35 miles away and that the structure had unique Roman features including a statue of Poseidon, a mirror that would reflect the sunlight, four statues of Triton on each corner and a church located at the top. Unfortunately, after years of destruction from earthquakes, the building collapsed in the 4th century, most probably due to an earthquake. The lighthouse served the purpose of warning the ships and showing them the way. At that time, it was an architectural marvel, indigenous and with a well-defined new idea. Lighthouse of Alexandria, Shenzhen, China. The Window of the World is a theme park located in the western part of the city of Shenzhen in the Peoples Republic of China. It has about 130 reproductions of some of the mo st famous tourist attractions in the world including an exact replica of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Built by an eccentric businessman, it does or does not do justice to the original monument that has long been destroyed, is debatable. The monument though has been built to scale in comparison of the original Lighthouse of Alexandria. Due to the prevalence of other replicas of ancient wonders and modern wonders of the world, Window of the World is a major tourist hotspot of Shenzhen. [pic] The inspiration for the statue of liberty†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. the Colossus of Rhodes. How often do New Yorkers and other Americans gaze at the Statue of liberty with pride and amazement! Standing on a small island in the harbour, the statue is of a robed and crowned woman, holding a book in one hand and lifting a torch to the sky. The statue measures almost one-hundred and twenty feet from foot to crown. This awe-inspiring statue was a gift from France to America as a symbol of friendship. It is often referred to as â€Å"The modern colossus. † However what most people don’t know is that there stood an ancient statue in Rhodes named â€Å"The Colossus of Rhodes†; The original colossus. Like the Statue of Liberty, this colossus was also built as a celebration of freedom. This amazing statue, standing the same height from toe to head as the modern colossus, was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The statue was built sometime between 292-280 BC to celebrate the surprising victory of Rhodesians against many attackers. It was the statue of HELIUS The Sun God to The Rhodesians. The engineering of the colossus was done by a local sculptor named Harrays. First a wooden frame was made and then bronze plates of over 200 tons were put up surrounding it. This took about 12 years and innumerable labour to complete the construction. However in about 226 BC there was an earthquake in Rhodes that the statue couldn’t survive. On the other hand The Statue of Liberty was built around 2000 years later and still stands with pride looking over the sea. [pic] | | | | The inspiration for the pyramids of louvre- Paris.. The pyramids of Giza. The Great Pyramids were built between 2650-2500BC. It is said that they were a tomb of Pharaoh Khufu. They are located in Giza, Egypt. The largest pyramid is 756 feet long on each side and 450 feet high and is composed of 2,300,000 blocks of stone, each averaging 2 1/2 tons in weight. The sides are oriented to the four cardinal points of the compass and the length of each side at the base is 755 feet (230. 4 m). They rise at an angle of 51 52 to a height, originally, of 481 feet (147 m) but nowadays 451 feet (138 m). Despite the makers limited surveying tools, no side is more than 8 inches different in length than another, and the whole structure is perfectly oriented to the points of the compass. Even in the 19th century, it was the tallest building in the world and, at the age of 4,500 years, it is the only one of the famous Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that still stands. Even today it remains the most massive building on Earth. About 4000 years later, in 1989 The pyramid of Louvre museum was built by the renowned American architect I. M. Pei. This time a pyramid made up of crystal clear glass to allow the sunlight to come in on the underground floor. It is made up of rhombus shaped glass sheets fitted in a triangular shaped framework. The modern addition originally received mixed reviews, as it contrasts sharply with the classical design of the surrounding buildings of the museum of Louvre, but today it is generally accepted as a clever solution which has given the museum a spacious central entrance without the need to touch the historic patrimony. Surprisingly it too serves as an entrance to the museum like the pyramids of Giza serve as entrances to the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu. Hence because of the similarities one comes to believe that it was built by the inspiration by the pyramids of Giza.

How To Build Influence In Any Industry With Chris Dessi

How To Build Influence In Any Industry With Chris Dessi Influence: It pertains to every industry, and it’s a hot topic in marketing right now. If you want to be one of the major players in your niche, you need to have influence. As you build- and market- your business, you’re probably reaching out to the influencers in your field. But why not become an influencer yourself? Today’s guest, Chris Dessi, is the founder of Silverback Social, a digital marketing agency specializing in social media. The company manages the social media ecosystem and provides consulting for many different brands. He offers our listeners a lot of great insight on being an entrepreneur, being relevant, and becoming an influencer. Powered by PodcastMotor Actionable Content Marketing powered by By 00:00/00:00 1x 100 > Download file Subscribe on iTunes Leave Review Share Some of the topics you’ll hear discussed in today’s episode include: Chris’s background before he launched Silverback Social, and how he’s gotten to the point of having developed a successful personal brand. Advice for people who want to begin publishing content and getting people to relate to them. Why it’s important to combine work and personal life within your content. How marketers can stay relevant if they work in drab industries. Where Chris sees himself going in the future. Links: Silverback Social ChrisDessi.com Chris on Inc.com Chris book:  Remarkable You: Build a Personal Brand and Take Charge of Your Career If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud,  Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Chris: â€Å"Being an entrepreneur, it creeps into every inch of your organism.† â€Å"People that are generating really great content within social media and doing really great things within digital, they don’t wait for permission, they just go and create.† â€Å"Talk about things outside of the office. What are you into? What are the things that youre interested in? That’s gonna help you get a sale.†

Ethics and Social Responsibility Relevant to Facebook Essay

Ethics and Social Responsibility Relevant to Facebook - Essay Example The social networking sites operate at interpersonal levels. The communication involves the ethical and social considerations between friend to friend, parents to their children, employer to the employee, employee to the employee, doctor to patient, teacher to student, and buyer to sellers; in fact, it encompasses every human relationship which exists in the world. The ethics and the social responsibility related to the Facebook and how they are dealing with it shall be discussed in this paper. To take a deeper insight into the ethics and social responsibility of social networking sites, a brief history related to the social networking will be highlighted, regarding the information on how they have expanded. Definitions and history of social networking sites Social networking seems to be an ambiguous term used for such sites. Human beings are inherently social creatures. From the very start, they have developed different ways and modes to communicate with each other. They cannot live in complete isolation from each other. For this purpose, human beings have always facilitated and built structured social networks. These institutions and facilities included community clubs, public places, churches and communication technologies such as postal and courier system, telephone and telegraph system. However, with the passage of time and tremendous increase in technological advancement, they have started resorting to faster and quicker ways of communications in the form of information technology. Most of these are based on the software standards of Web 2.0 (Vallor 2012). Before the emergence of Web 2.0 standards, various forms of networking such as chat rooms, Bulletin Board System (BBS) and MUD’s (multi user’s dungeons) were being used for social interactions (Barnes 2001; Turkle 1995). These early social networking places worked typically as places of commercial, personal or academic exploitation. These were rather used for broad social purposes. The pur pose behind the emergence of Web 2.0 was to produce user-friendly, collaborative and communicative internet content. Though the initial aims of the developers were same as that of the previous social networking and internet but it evolved with the rapid changes in the technology. Social topography of the internet has been redefined by Web 2.0 social interfaces which built increased social networks between their users online as well as offline. This trend shifted the original function of internet from pseudonymous identities to formation of Sui Generis social networking (Ess 2011). Sites which adopted new trends The very first websites which adopted the explicit standards for social networking were Orkut, FaceBook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Friendster, Beboand Habbo. The recent change in these trends is the rise in the media sharing sites such as You Tube, icro-blogging sites such as Twitter, Location based networking sites such as Google Latitude and interest sharing sites such as Pinteres t (Vallor 2012). Rise of ethical concerns related to social networking sites One of the sub parts of the computer and information ethics is the ethical implications of Social Networking Sites (Bynum 2011). With an increase in the social networking phenomenon and owing much to the effects and usage of the computer as a medium of social communication, the

Case Study - College Rigistration Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

- College Rigistration Project - Case Study Example A clear objective should be set for each person before any action plan can begin. The objectives should be measurable, finite, meaningful and realistic. Then, the relevant tasks required to accomplish the set objectives should be identified. At the same time, deadlines should be set for each of these tasks because tasks without deadlines do not become completed tasks. The inputs necessary for the projects schedule should also be taken into consideration for the project to be a success. Several input types will be required to facilitate the project. These would include personal and project calendars to help understand the working days and shifts. A description of the project scope will also help determine the key start dates, major assumptions behind the plan and the key limiting factors to the project. Project risks should be clearly identified and understood to ensure that there is enough extra time to deal with identified risks. A list of activities and resource requirements should be determined. The management needs to understand the resource capabilities and experiences available. This would also entail evaluation of how company holidays and staff vacations will affect the project schedule and detailing means of overcoming such effects. Approaches to conflict resolution would entail use of ‘compromising’ technique. This is better described as a ‘give and take’ method where parties in conflict negotiate to reach a mutually satisfactory solution. Either party will cede ground to reach a decision thus leaving each person satisfied. ‘Avoiding’ is another technique which can be used. It is better described as a ‘withdrawal style’. It entails postponing an issue for later periods or just withdrawing from the situation altogether. This is however a provisional solution because the problem or disagreement will continue to reoccur. Another style to use would be the ‘Smoothing’ technique which is also known as

Poetry Comparison Compare Blakes London and Wordsworths Composed upon Westminster Bridge Essay Example for Free

Poetry Comparison Compare Blakes London and Wordsworths Composed upon Westminster Bridge Essay The two poems London and Composed upon Westminster Bride, offer differing views on the city of London. Blake presents London as lifeless, dismal and monotonous, whereas Wordsworths London is very different. He feels it as beautiful, magnificent and exciting. Blakes poem consists of four different stanzas all of equal length. This gives a sense of order and regularity. This demonstrates that the people of London live a controlled life, which has no variety. Blake uses repetition, which gives a sense of anguish, And mark in every face I meet, Marks of weakness, Marks of woe. This stresses the tedious pace of life. Blake also shows that the people of London are trapped in themselves, In every voice, in every man, the mind forged manacles I hear. This demonstrates that the people of London cannot express themselves as they are trapped in their own minds. Blakes London shows the poets anger towards some members of the community. Blake blackens the city by painting images of child labour, how the chimney sweepers cry; every blackening church appals. This shows that the church is a hypocrite as they are using chimneysweepers themselves. Blake also dislikes the rich aristocrats by describing how the hapless sigh, runs in blood down the palace walls. This emphasises that the poor work very hard and fight pointless battles while the rich reap the rewards and benefits. In stanza four Blake paints a disgusting picture of prostitution, the youthful harlots curse, blasts the newborn infants ear, this tells the reader that prostitution leads to disease and plagues, many unwanted. Married men spilt up with their wives. Prostitutes have children, so the cycle continues for years. Blake combines ideas of marriage and hearse, this to show that the life cycle for people in London is death and suffering. Also Blake horrifies the reader by using different sounds to describe the feelings of people who live in London. He describes moans and cries to show the reader the depression of the people in London. The city of London is full of sorrow for every man and every infant every cry of every man, in every infants cry of fear. Also it is very negative and everyone feels depressed harlots curse soldiers sigh. Blake intensifies this gloomy atmosphere further, by using iambic meter in his poem. The use of iambic meter and an (ABAB) rhyming scheme for example streetflowmeetwoe, illerates to the reader how monotonous everyday life in London is, I wandered though each chartered street. The fact that Blake is wandering through London suggests that the city is boring and has no aims or direction. The reader can work out that Blake is blaming his apathy on the city itself and perhaps it is Londons fault that the population has marks of woe. Blakes poem is clearly written about life in the slums of London, while Wordsworth, in his sonnet Composed Upon Westminster Bridge focuses on a more general way on the majesty and splendour of London. Wordsworth was a nature lover who normally didnt like the cities but in the early morning he sees something wonderful and glorious about London. Wordsworth realises that this moment is only temporary never did the sun more beautifully steep in his first splendour, valley, rock or hill. It was pollution less city bright and splendid. Nothing evil dark or dismal like Blakes London. This city now doth like a garment wear, it demonstrates that it is an out of this world experience. He personifies the city, bringing it to life, in order to show how this is a transient moment. Wordsworth also respects the city for its beautiful buildings, unlike Blake who sees it as a city of degraded humanity noting the harlots curse. Wordsworth sees many beautiful towers, domes, theatres and temples open into the fields and to the skys. This shows the stillness and emptiness. This is a laying affect to show that man made objects can be as good as nature, unlike Blake who sees misery. Wordsworth uses a very calm and tranquil tone to describe London. This poem is written in the firm pentrarchian sonnet, with iambic pentameter utilises an (ABBA, ABBA, CDCD) rhyme scheme unlike Blakes continuous (ABAB) rhyme scheme. This creates an unhurried pace with a peaceful mood lacking the intensity of Blakes poem. It also provides a slow pace to take in the beauty of London in the early morning. Wordsworths surprise at the beauty of London is seen when he directly addresses Dear God! Using an exclamation mark, Wordsworth address God twice to stress his personal reaction to Londons beauty-he wants the reader to see the awe of London, the exclamation mark stresses the shocked pleasure by his reaction. The mighty heart demonstrates that the people are the heart of the city-sees London as alive and living part of city working together. Wordsworth values people, as they are the centre point of London. Wordsworth tries to tell the reader that the Thames is working in harmony with the rest of the city. However, although the imagery of London Blake creates through its depressed state and every cry of every man. In my opinion I prefer Wordsworths poem Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, because he uses personification and makes the city feel beautiful. He states how dull of soul anyone would be if they didnt admire the beauty of London in the early morning. The way Wordsworth describes the cities buildings has a positive effect on the poem and this is why I prefer Composed Upon Westminster Bridge.

Homelessness Essay -- essays research papers

Homelessness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Homelessness as an issue in today's society is largely ignored. To many, the problem of homelessness is invisible or barely noticed. When these people do see the homeless it is found in the form of beggars who need to â€Å"pull themselves up by their bootstraps† or mentally ill people who â€Å"just can't help themselves†. In either case the central point remains; the homeless must be people who are incapable or unwilling to help themselves. After all, wouldn't they stop being homeless if they just tried? These sorts of rationalizations cover a more disturbing truth; that for many in today's society, the spectre of homelessness is more pressing of a problem than helping those who are already on the streets. The millions living below the poverty line live in constant fear that at any time an event may occur that will drive them below the cultural and economic radar. Therefore, one major effect of homelessness is the creation of a threshold that force s people to remain in poverty for fear of losing what meager possessions they have.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The economic structure of the US, while changing from a product-based to a service-based job pool, remains with a similar split of the rich and the poor that has existed throughout the world since the beginning of recorded history. The illusion of the middle class in the 1950s created an expectation in modern America that great material achievement is not just possible but almost a bir... Homelessness Essay -- essays research papers Homelessness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Homelessness as an issue in today's society is largely ignored. To many, the problem of homelessness is invisible or barely noticed. When these people do see the homeless it is found in the form of beggars who need to â€Å"pull themselves up by their bootstraps† or mentally ill people who â€Å"just can't help themselves†. In either case the central point remains; the homeless must be people who are incapable or unwilling to help themselves. After all, wouldn't they stop being homeless if they just tried? These sorts of rationalizations cover a more disturbing truth; that for many in today's society, the spectre of homelessness is more pressing of a problem than helping those who are already on the streets. The millions living below the poverty line live in constant fear that at any time an event may occur that will drive them below the cultural and economic radar. Therefore, one major effect of homelessness is the creation of a threshold that force s people to remain in poverty for fear of losing what meager possessions they have.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The economic structure of the US, while changing from a product-based to a service-based job pool, remains with a similar split of the rich and the poor that has existed throughout the world since the beginning of recorded history. The illusion of the middle class in the 1950s created an expectation in modern America that great material achievement is not just possible but almost a bir...

Batesmanor Furniture (a) Essay

Charlton Bates-President of BatesManor Furniture and great-grandson of founder. Charlton is the key decision maker and must analyze the recommendation to increase his normal advertising spending percentage in the next year. Being the President of a small furniture manufacturer, Mr. Bates knows that his bottom line is very important as BatesManor begins to feel the pressure of dwindling margins due to rising manufacturing costs. Dr. Thomas Berry- Consultant to BatesManor that is trying to help Mr. Bates work through the issue of increasing advertising budget. Due to the nature of his work, Dr. Berry’s job as a consultant and reputation are on the line. Mike Hervey- Mike Hervey is a partner at the ad agency Hervey and Bernham. He is asking Mr. Bates to increase his consumer-advertising budget by about 40% ($562k to $787k). He has been analyzing target markets, their habits, and greatest purchase influencers. As with Dr. Berry, if this advertising campaign is adopted and fails, Mr. Hervey can lose a customer in BatesManor. John Bott- As the VP of sales, John is concerned with making sure there are dedicated BatesManor sales people working with the 1,000 high quality department stores that are carrying their furniture. Mr. Bott is very familiar with the competitive edge provided by a knowledgeable and driven sales force; and is keen to keep his team properly staffed and trained. Department Stores Selling BatesManor Furniture- High quality department stores may have agreements with BatesManor that will require them to match advertising expenses. While this may indeed increase sales, it will cost the stores extra that they may not have expected to spend. 10 Full-Time Salespeople- This team is tasked with introducing their line to the department stores carrying BatesManor furniture. Being commissioned salesmen and women, they may also benefit from an increase in sales. They could also suffer if they ad campaign falls short of expectations. 2 Regional Sales Managers- Similar concerns as above, but are in need of another salesperson. The advertising decision may impact their ability to hire new personnel. Furniture Manufactures (As an industry)- If BatesManor decides to increase consumer advertising, it could lead to a trend being set on the advertising front. This could cause others to have to follow suit in order to be able to keep up with the competition. This could prove to be costly in an industry dealing with rising costs. Baby Boomer Customers- The target market of BatesManor, this is the generation that is driving changes in the way furniture is marketed.

Advertising in Our Life Essay

The topic of advertising has aroused public concern. Some people say that advertising is helpful and informative, whilst others claim about that it can provide false information and will make goods more expensive. It is quite natural that people from different backgrounds have their own opinions on the issue. Therefore, both of these arguments will be analyzed before a reasoned conclusion is reached. From the one side, the opinion earlier may sound plausible due to the enormous benefits created by advertising. First of all, it can be said with certainty that there are many ways to advertise and ads come in different forms. This is obviously favorable because you can see advertising on newspapers, tv, and on the billboards everyday. Second of all, a further plus point could be that advertising is informative. This is definitely valuable since it introduce us to new products or remind of us the ones that we already know about. Last of all, it is hardly too much to say that advertising creates mass markets and makes goods cheaper. This is surely a positive feature because if there were no advertising, consumers would only know about goods in their local shops. Therefore advertising help to sell to a bigger market, the more goods are sold, the cheaper they become. From the other side, those who disagree point out that the negative influences of advertising are undeniable. The first drawback of this matter is there is people who do not enjoy seeing advertising everywhere, such as in newspaper and on buses. Most people would agree that this is problematic because they say advertisements are generally ugly to look at and spoil the environment. Another negative point is that advertising is not always truthful. And the trouble with this is that the advertiser tends to exaggerate the benefits of the merchandise he wants to sell. Thus, the consumer become victims of such advertising. Last but not least, it is supposed a further unfavorable quality might be that advertising adds to the cost of goods. This is an obvious weakness because the merchandiser has to pay the agency to run advertising campaign in order to introduce and sell their product to consumer. Taking everthing into account, for the reasons which I mentioned above, I believe that the advantages still outweigh disadvantages. So I do totally support the idea of advertising is helpful and informative.

Analysis Of Heuristic Methods Essays

Analysis Of Heuristic Methods Essays Analysis Of Heuristic Methods Essay Analysis Of Heuristic Methods Essay The Influence of Cognitive Heuristics and Associated Bias On Rational Decision Making The following essay attempts to analyze the influence of heuristics, specific strategies or shortcuts to speed thought using readily available information and perceptions to speed decision making, and the influence of bias emanating from the use of these heuristic methods that move us from accurate rational decision making, to non-optimal decision making. The concept of heuristics was introduced by Simon (1957) in his discussion of limited rationality, in which he argued that because of cognitive limitations, humans have little option but to construct simplified models of the world. Simon saw heuristics as adaptive strategies used by humans to cope with their limited information processing capacity (Shanties). I will attempt to evaluate specific instances of bias as a result of heuristics, their effect on the decision making process, and make recommendations for avoiding such bias in cognitive decision making. One must understand the process of how decisions or Judgments are made, and the influence of available time and information, as well as the relative importance of he decision within a particular process instance. Cognitive activity tends to process available information within a time frame, and then attempts to use reason to form an understanding or Judgment of a situation or problem. When time and information are limited, or the importance of a decision is considered to have minimal risk, the use of heuristics helps to arrive at quick and typically reasonable decisions, to keep us from getting mired in these frequent day to day events. Unfortunately, the human mind tends to rely on these heuristic methods which lend themselves to bias, which n turn negatively influences important decision making, and can lead to faulty or non-optimal Judgments. Research has identified and defined twelve biases linked to certain cognitive heuristics, and explains the basis for them so they are recognizable to us. Knowing to recognize and be able to describe the various biases, as well as our personal susceptibility to enlist them, can help us to effectively use a prescriptive model for decision making to avoid bias, and use diligence to accurately evaluate our decision making processes. The key to improved Judgment lies in learning to extinguish between appropriate and inappropriate uses of heuristics, when your judgment is likely to rely on heuristics, and how to avoid them (Baseman, Moore). The twelve common bias heuristics (see Table 1) alluded to above are those that we frequently over-rely on in our day to day decision making processes. In addition, it is possible and likely probable that one or more of these biases can be at play in any decision making process at the same time. The current financial crisis in Europe has its roots in decision making associated with the purchase of mortgage backed securities and credit default swaps. At the height of this activity, brokerage houses in were still purchasing these investment vehicles stateside, as warning signs were starting to indicate that many banks were under-capitalized and a slowing of the economy would put a number of them at risk. In an effort to keep profits going, securities traders targeted foreign nations and their city governments to market these securities as guaranteed (triple AAA rated) investments, the argument being that the United States real-estate market and the lending institutions that financed mortgages were historically a very safe, low risk environment for stable returns. A DOD number of these countries and their local city governments bought bundled mortgage securities, again as other investors were turning them down due to risk. One can assume a number of heuristics played a role in the purchase of these investments, where likely regression to mean, the confirmation trap, and over- confidence were influencing those responsible for making these investment decisions. An analysis of building rates and new mortgages should have illustrated an over-heated building boom, which would likely need to correct to a mean average, and that in doing so, some percentage within these bundled mortgage securities would be in default, affecting future returns. As many cities were looking for low risk investments to grow their retirement accounts to fund future obligations, at a cursory glance, the overall history of the American housing market indicated stability and little risk. Had these governments and city managers done due diligence and sought non-confirmatory evidence, they would have seen the housing bubbles generated during low mortgage interest rate eras, and dissolving when rates started to go back up or the economy slowed. Over-confidence likely played a role, as most f these officials were elected to their positions, and felt power and prestige allowed them to feel infallible in their Judgments when pressed about their decisions to purchase these new investment securities, with little or no history. The resulting failure of these investments and the ensuing fiscal crisis for these governments and their cities, begs the question of how they arrived here and where did their decision making fail so dismally? In this situation, these governments first needed to recognize the importance of the decision in front of them, and that a rational decision making process was in order to guarantee optimal results. The first item to undertake would be to define their problem; funding growing future pension obligations with investments outside their traditional low return options. The second item would be to identify the criteria associated with decision; what type of return would be reasonable, at what risk, what were other options to fund the obligations. The third item would be to weigh the criteria; what investments would optimally serve the purpose set forth. The fourth item would be to generate or search for alternatives; was there a way to sell or privative national assets for funding, or to reduce the obligation by reducing benefits, increasing the retirement age, etc. , where this effort would continue until the cost of the search outweighed the value of the additional information. The fifth item would be to weigh and rate each alternative based on the criterion, to later evaluate the solutions derived from them. Finally, the sixth step would compute the optimal decision, based on the ratings in the prior step. In the course of working as a production process and project engineer, I find my decision making or Judgment has been flawed at times by ease of recall and o make a Judgment on a machines projected downtime and the impact to operations off the top of my head. I tend to produce events and recollections that are more easily recalled from memory based on vividness or how recently they last occurred. When estimating repair or project costs, I find myself anchored to the original cost of a machine, and typically do not make adjustments to this Judgment until realizing after the fact that the costs will be much higher. In both these cases, poor decisions can result based on these communications, where if I misidentify an actual problem u to ease of recall, maintenance or production resources dedicated to restoring the equipment can now be working on the wrong thing, and additional time and production are lost. Should I set an expectation of cost based on an anchoring bias, the decision to move forward on a project could lead to the loss of upper managements confidence if the projects actual cost is significantly more than the original estimate. In the first case identifying the ease of recall bias, conferring with the maintenance or production supervisor to corroborate my recollection or provide additional information would be a simple way to avoid this bias. In the case of anchoring, simply qualifying a response in the moment as my best guess, or asking for time to research is much more effective than setting unachievable expectations that lead to a loss of confidence later. At the heart of both of these uses of cognitive heuristics is whether or not they are appropriate for the situation, and if not, establish a plan using the six steps for achieving optimal decision making. Table 1 Bias Type Description Ease of Recall Individuals Judge events that are more easily recalled from memory, eased on vividness or regency, to be more numerous than events of equal frequency whose instances are less easily recalled. Retrievable Individuals are biased in their assessments of the frequency of events based on how their memory structures affect the search process. Insensitivity to base rates When assessing the likelihood of events, individuals tend to ignore vase rates if any other descriptive information is provided even if it is irrelevant. Insensitivity to sample size When assessing the reliability of sample information, individuals frequently fail to appreciate the role of the sample size. Misconceptions of chance Individuals expect that at sequence of data generated by a random process will look random, even when the sequence is too short for those expectations to be statistically valid. Regression to the mean Individuals tend to ignore the fact that extreme events tend to regress to the mean on subsequent trials. The conjunction fallacy Individuals falsely Judge the conjunctions (the two events occurring) are more probable than a more global set of occurrences of which the conjunction is a subset. The confirmation trap Individuals tend to seek confirmatory information for what Individuals make estimates for values based upon an initial value (derived from past events, random assignment, or whatever information is available) and typically make insufficient adjustments from that anchor when establishing a final value. Conjunctive- and disjunctive-events bias Individuals exhibit a bias toward overestimating the probability of conjunctive events and underestimating the probability of disjunctive events. Overconfidence Individuals tend to be overconfident of the infallibility of their Judgments when answering moderately or extremely difficult questions. Hindsight and the curse of knowledge After finding out hither or not an event occurred, individuals tend to overestimate the degree to which they would have predicted the correct outcome.

Impromptu Speeches for ESL Learners

Impromptu Speeches for ESL Learners Impromptu speeches refer to those time when you get up in front of people and speak about a topic without preparation, or with very little preparation. Impromptu speech is a fancy phrase used to indicate speaking for an extended length of time about a topic. Practicing impromptu speeches can help you or your class prepare for at these common tasks: Weddings or other celebrationsIn class when a professor asks for your opinion about somethingJob interview questionsSmall talk at partiesExchanging opinions at business or other meetingsSpeaking in publicMaking new friends and exchanging ideas Practicing Impromptu Speeches In order to become comfortable giving impromptu speeches, practice giving impromptu speeches in front of the mirror, in class, with other students, and so on. Here are some techniques to help get used to speaking without preparation. Think in Terms of a Well Written Paragraph Although writing is not the same as speaking, there are some common characteristics relating impromptu speaking and well written paragraphs. A well written paragraph contains: An IntroductionA Main Idea or PointSupporting Evidence / ExamplesConclusion Speaking successfully about a topic should follow the same basic outline. Introduce your topic with an interesting antidote, quote, statistic or other information to catch the listeners attention. Next, state your opinion and give some examples. Finally, make a conclusion by stating why this information youve provided is relevant. Heres an example of someone stating her opinion at a party to a group of friends about a film. The language may be more idiomatic than in writing, but the structure is quite similar. Example Opinion or Impromptu Speech The new James Bond film is so exciting! Daniel Craig looks amazing and hes such a good actor. Ive heard that he does all of his own stunts. In fact, he was injured making the last film. Hes also so tough, but at the same time so suave. Have you seen the trailer in which he jumps onto a moving train and then adjusts his cufflinks! Classic Bond! Not all James Bond films are great, but its amazing how well theyve stood the test of time. Heres a breakdown of how this short opinion parallels basic paragraph structure: An Introduction s - Ive heard that he does all of his own stunts. In fact, he was injured making the last film. Hes also so tough, but at the same time so suave. Have you seen the trailer in which he jumps onto a moving train and then adjusts his cufflinks! Classic Bond!Conclusion - Not all James Bond films are great, but its amazing how well theyve stood the test of time. Clearly, this opinion would be much too informal for a written essay or business report. However, by providing structure we can speak with confidence, as well as get our points across. Give yourself 30 seconds to prepareTime yourself - try to first speak for one minute, then two minutesGet correctionsTry, try again Rules for Practice Here are some rules that I find helpful for practicing impromptu speeches on your own or in your class. If possible, get someone to help out with correction in class for both the overall structure and common grammar problems. If you dont have anyone, record yourself. Youll be surprised how quickly you improve keeping these simple tips in mind. Give yourself 30 seconds to prepareTime yourself - try to first speak for one minute, then two minutesGet correctionsTry, try again Finally, here are a number of topic suggestions to help get your started practicing impromptu speeches. Impromptu Speech Topic Suggestions Why are habits or routines helpful? / How can habits or routines lead to boredom?How does the weather affect your mood?Why did your favorite team win or lose the last game, match or competition?Why are you looking for a new job?What happened to make your break up / end your last relationship?Tell me something about a hobby or a subject in school?Why dont parents understand their children?What makes a good parent?What suggestions would you make to your boss to improve the company?If you could take a year off from work or school, what would you do?Why are governments in such trouble around the world?Why did you enjoy or not enjoy your last date?Who is your mentor, and why?What should the teachers do more / less often?Why did you do well / poorly on the last homework assignment or test?

Content analysis Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Content analysis - Dissertation Example The systematic element means the proper procedures should be followed in selecting a data sample that provides an equal opportunity for each item of the wider content to be included in the analysis. Simultaneously, each item under consideration should be treated the same. Meanwhile, the objective description means that future researchers should be able to utilize the outcomes of the research easily in their study. Finally, the quantitative requirement means the researcher should take great care in his/her reporting to facilitate further usage of his/her analysis, interpretation and findings (Wimmer & Dominick, 1983). Content analysis is associated with the core content that, as explained by Patterson (1984), refers to what is written or said, but not to what is stated between the lines. Thus, the conceptual structure for the content analysis should incorporate the following elements: 1. Data as provided to the researcher 2. Data context 3. The knowledge of the researcher constructs h is/her perception , 4. The objective of the content analysis 5. Interpretation of the data as the prime intellectual task 6. Validity considered as the significant evaluation factor (Krippendorff, 1980). Keeping this under consideration, the structure of this investigation will serve analytical, methodological and perspective purposes. In order to acquire the perspective to support conceptualisation, it important to present the framework of the practical content analysis for the two selected leading Saudi newspapers, Alriyadh and Alyoum, during the events that occurred in Bahrain between February 14 and March 16, 2011. The framework of this study is analytical in that it aids the critical evaluation of the findings of the content analysis as acquired through the researcher’s interpretation. Furthermore, the framework of this study is also methodological, as it controls the development and the systematic improvement of the content analysis method employed in this study and dis cussed later. Consideration of the definitions, the requirements of the content analysis and the framework presented above provided an effective method of evaluating the content of Alriyadh and Alyoum, and provided reliability and validity to this study. The evidence, in accordance with the framework, for the application of the interpretation of the content analysis is provided with the help of data sampling, categories of the research and their measurement. This is discussed later in this chapter. For interpreting the inferences and tasks of the Krippendorff model accurately, it is important to consider the context of the data available. Therefore, the objective here is what the researcher wants to investigate (Krippendorff, 1980). For instance, in this study, an uncertain objective might be the political handling of the issue in Bahrain by the Saudi Arabian government, or more specifically, the relationship between the Saudi Arabian government and the Bahrain and Saudi pressâ€⠀particularly Alriyadh and Alyoum—at the time of the Bahrain protests. 1.2. Data Sampling The data sample for the content analysis of the printed press in Saudi Arabia has been extracted from the two leading daily newspapers, Alriyadh and Alyoum. These have been selected because of their large circulation and geographical dissemination. Alriyadh is distributed in the capital city of Riyadh, which is also the political hub of the