Emotional response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Enthusiastic reaction - Assignment Example Priceline empowers the client to browse 165,000 lodgings notwithstanding having the option to do all the booking exchanges on the web. Also, the site empowers the client to achieve a few different exercises, for example, check the status of any appointments just as get cautions if there should be an occurrence of won offers. In addition, the clients can likewise give input on various administrations. The site bids to the clients who might be happy to make a minute ago flight appointments or even think about costs in various inns around the world. Priceline’s site plot is engaging since all the administrations are sorted out in sections, which makes it simple for clients to get to and examine. On opening every section, it turns out to be significantly simpler for the client to break down the administrations offered by Priceline in various districts of the world. The site contains route apparatuses that empower the client to get to additionally subtleties on every particular help. Moreover, areas, for example, excursion bundles show pictures that add to the quality of the

Record Label and Napster S Strategy Free Essays

Napster, created in 1999 by Shawn Fanning, is a program that permits music to be exchanged over the web. Individuals had the option to share great computerized duplicates of music accounts over the web utilizing Napster. Napster didn't store the chronicles, notwithstanding. We will compose a custom article test on Record Label and Napster S Strategy or on the other hand any comparative theme just for you Request Now It permitted its individuals who were signed onto the administration to browse a list of melodies. Napster was one of the most famous locales on the web. The site had around 15 million clients in a year’s time. Numerous undergrads downloaded such huge numbers of tunes that numerous schools needed to obstruct the website from their framework. A year after its dispatch, Napster was sued by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The RIAA speaks to significant chronicle organizations. The RIAA asserted that copyright laws were disregarded by Napster for permitting clients to trade music chronicles for nothing. The RIAA tried to stop the downloading of copyrighted tunes, just as harms for lost income. Melody trading had cost the music business more than $300 million in lost deals. A couple of months after the fact, Napster was sued by a substantial metal band, Metallica, and rap star Dr. Dre. They were suing Napster for copyright encroachment. In 2000, an adjudicator conceded the solicitation of the RIAA and requested Napster to quit making copyrighted accounts accessible for download. This would have closed Napster down. Napster was conceded a very late relief until the claims could be investigated in court. In spite of its numerous cases, Napster was seen as blameworthy of direct encroachment of the RIAA’s melodic accounts. The organization was requested to quit permitting its a great many clients to download and share copyrighted material without appropriately repaying the proprietors of the material (Ferrell Hartline, 2008). Napster later offered $1 billion to the chronicle business to settle the claim. Napster likewise concurred that $150 million would be paid every year for the initial five years to Sony, Warner, BMG, EMI, and Universal, and $50 million yearly was allocated for free marks. The chronicle business rejected the offer. The business needed Napster to close down for good. Napster attempted ordinarily to bargain with the account business, however without much of any result. Napster petitioned for Chapter 11 revamping in 2002. The organization likewise attempted to arrive at an arrangement with Bertelsmann AG, their key accomplice. A couple of months after the fact, a Delaware judge obstructed the offer of the organization to Bertelsmann. Napster then laid off about its whole staff and continued to change over its Chapter 11 into a Chapter 7 liquidation. Numerous music marks were fiddling with online music circulation. Napster had obviously outsmarted them and had done so effectively, which was the fundamental issue for the organization. It was evident to the record marks that online dissemination was digging in for the long haul. Napster’s name and resources were bought by an organization called Roxio. Roxio was an organization known for its CD-copying programming. Roxio had goals to relaunch Napster as an expense based help. Napster was renamed Napster 2. in 2003. Apple was one contender for Napster, holding 70 to 80 percent of the online music showcase. Composition holds 10 to 15 percent of the market, and Napster holds 5 to 10 percent of the market. The rest of the bit is separated among a few unique organizations (Ferrell Hartline, 2008). Napster’s system centers around being a membership based inco me model. PC clients could download as much music as they needed for an expense of $14. 95 every month. Napster made associations with BellSouth, Ericsson, and XM Satellite Radio as a way to interface with undiscovered markets. Napster banded together with Tower Records Japan and propelled Napster Japan in 2006. The organization likewise started an association with Japan’s biggest cell phone organization. Around 90 percent of music downloads in Japan happen through remote telephones (Ferrell Hartline, 2008). Napster has demonstrated enthusiasm for being obtained by another firm. Napster recruited UBS Investment Bank to help with the deal. A SWOT examination structures the evaluation of the fit between what a firm can and can't do (qualities and shortcoming), and the natural conditions working for and against the firm (openings and dangers). The SWOT investigation for Napster would comprise of the accompanying (Ferrell Hartline, 2008): Strengths †¢Large music library †¢Convenient and simple to utilize †¢Strong brand name and notoriety Weaknesses †¢Lack of similarity †¢Pricing †¢Limited territories of separation Opportunities †¢New advances †¢Decline in unlawful document sharing †¢Rapidly developing business sector Threats †¢Powerful rivalry †¢New innovations †¢Potential for disintermediation Looking back at the shortcomings recorded in the SWOT examination, one point that ought to be worked out is the valuing of Napster administrations. Napster is set up on a membership based model. On the off chance that the cost per membership was less expensive, more clients would buy in to the site. Napster offers indistinguishable fundamental administrations from a portion of the other large names in the online music circulation industry. Another zone to refine would be the absence of similarity. Napster isn't good with all MP3 players, particularly the iPod. Those with an inconsistent player won't have any desire to buy the administration. New innovation is rising each day. Napster should take a shot at making roads that will permit music to be downloaded to remote gadgets, for example, the PDA, PDAs and other handheld gadgets. Napster should invest amounts of energy to continue existing clients cheerful while likewise attempting to extend the client advertise. Continuing existing clients glad ought to consistently be a company’s top need. Having a strong center of clients to expand on is essential to the strength and achievement of the organization (Business KnowledgeSource. com, 2010). By keeping the current organizations cheerful, Napster could offer a free one month membership for those individuals who have been faithful to organization for a specific measure of time. Flyers or supplements could likewise be set in the bundling of MP3 players. This notice would tempt clients to associate with Napster for the entirety of their music downloads. With this arrangement, new clients could download up to five melodies for nothing before pursuing a membership. Napster could offer limits to new clients for a specific timeframe. For example, another client could get the initial three months at a limited rate before following through on the standard cost. There are numerous ways for Napster to extend their client base. Discovering which plans work and which plans don't work is the key. Step by step instructions to refer to Record Label and Napster S Strategy, Essay models

How To Save Money on Back to School Supplies

How To Save Money on Back to School Supplies How To Save Money on Back to School Supplies How To Save Money on Back to School SuppliesTake stock, wait till youve got your shopping list, and become a master deal seeker to stretch your school supplies budget as far as it can go!It’s that time of year that so many kids dread: back to school! And while it can be nice to get your kids out of the house and back to the classroom, your wallet might be feeling a similar sense of dread. There are so many school supplies you’ll need to buy!Depending on your budget, you might even have to take out a personal loan to afford everything. Or worse: You might have to take out a series of high-interest no credit check loans like payday loans or cash advances. Youll do anything for your kids after all, and you don’t want them your kids falling behind just because they don’t have the right kinds of pencils.Waitâ€"do they still need a certain kind of pencil? Do they even need pencils at all anymore? Can you just get all of your back to school shopping done on the app store?No, you can not. But fear not! For we spoke to the experts to find out how you can stock up on school supplies without depleting your bank account. Look at what you’ve already got.Slow down! Don’t hit the store just yet. First, you should take stock of what you already have.“See what you can reuse,” advised Robyn, creator of the personal finance blog  A Dime Saved. “Not everything needs to be new every year. Go through last years supplies and see what can be used, passed down, and what needs to be replaced.”Katie Ross, Education and Development Manager at American Consumer Credit Counseling  offered similar advice: “Shop your closet. Before you start your back-to-school shopping, make a list of inventory and supplies you already own and might be able to reuse for the new school year.Although your childs school may issue a shopping list, you dont need to buy every single item on it. In fact, you can even contact your school or homeroom teacher to ask what items are critical in the first month so you have a financial cushion.”And speaking of that shopping list…Wait for the list, then plan.Although it might be tempting to get your back to school shopping out of the way as early as possible, you don’t want to accidentally buy something your children don’t actually need.“Plan before you shop,” advised Robyn. “Make sure you have your school supply lists along with an idea of what items you already have so you dont end up overbuying. If you have multiple kids that need the same items, you may be able to split value packs as well, so make sure to have an idea of what each child needs BEFORE you shop.”But you should also remember that list isn’t written in stone. Unless it is written in stone, in which case you should probably follow it precisely since that must have taken a lot of effort to carve. But more than likely, you’ll be able to take some of Associate Director of Relationship Development at Centerpoint Advisors  Ashley Agnew’s advice t o heart:“Ok, teachers might not like this one, but only buy the absolute necessities to get through the first two weeks. Your student should have an idea of what they will really need after a couple of weeks with their new teachers, and will most likely be given a few more items to shop for once they receive the overview of their curriculum causing another trip to the store anyhow.”Become a master deal seeker.Once you know exactly what you’ll have to buy, it’s time to become a student yourself A student of deals, that is!“First and foremost, do not underestimate your local dollar discount store,” Agnew told us. “Especially for younger children who tend to lose, break, and ‘share’ their supplies, big bucks can be saved by purchasing generic brand markers, pencils, pens, crayons, etc. The dollar store can also be a good resource if your classroom is requesting items such as cleaning supplies and hand sanitizers which can be pricey elsewhere.”She also suggested you get to know your credit cards and state tax system well: “Check your cash back deals on debit and credit cards. Many offer discounts of up to 10 percent at common superstores. Also waiting for your state’s tax-free weekend (if available) may be hectic but worth the savings.”And you can do some of the shopping without ever leaving your house!“Shop online and shop early,” recommended Robyn. “Many stores have back-to-school deals on certain items already. Quickly glance through some deal sites and store ads to see which items are on sale and stock up on the basics- pens, notebooks etc. Look online for coupons and take advantage of cashback apps. These little savings can add up in a big way!”Be discerning about where you spend a little more money.Kids don’t always understand how money works, so you may need to explain to them that they can’t always get that when it comes to back to school shopping.“Your kids may want to impress their classmates with the latest gear, but that doesnt mean you should get into consumer debt as a result,” advised Ross. “One thing here or there may be okay, but being practical is key. Avoid fancy supplies that you dont need and buy store brand if possible.”But there is one item you may want to consider putting a little more money into.“Buy a great backpack,” suggested Agnew. “Buying a good backpack that will last a few years will save you some bucks in the long run, especially if it comes with a warranty like L.L.Bean. Better backpacks tend to have more support, stronger straps and zippers and can double for sports and travel. Instead, let your littles choose a new lunch box every year. These are more than half the price, and after months of spilled juice, forgotten fruits, and molten fruit snacks, you might be happy to retire last year’s version.”Do you hear that? It’s the sound of the school bus pulling up! Thankfully the kids have everything they need, and your wallet wasn’t hit too hard!If yo u do find yourself needing to take out a bad credit loan to pay for school costs, skip the short-term payday and title loans in favor of a long-term installment loan with lower rates and more affordable payments. And to make sure you wont need any  loans next year, you can  learn more about saving money with these related posts from OppLoans:4 Simple Ways to Save Money on Your Grocery Billâ€"While Still Eating Healthy!The DO’s and DO NOT’s of Saving For College8 Ways To Save Money Today, Tomorrow and Every Day AfterWhat are your best tips for saving money on school supplies? We want to hear from you! You can find us  on  Facebook  and  Twitter.ContributorsAshley Agnew creates value in investment management by helping clients have a better relationship with their wealth. At  Centerpoint Advisors, she facilitates financial coaching programs providing emotional and educational preparation for the next generations. These include financial coaching and literacy seminars, college savi ngs and retirement product research, and family round-table facilitation and moderation. She holds her B.S. in Marketing with a minor in communications writing from the University of Massachusetts as well as an MBA in global finance from Bryant University. In addition to her work at Centerpoint, she is also the Marketing Chair on the Board of Directors for XPX New England, an organization focused on business growth and transfer.Robyn is a mother and someone who feels passionately about helping people with their finances. She has taken her personal experience, advice she was given, things she has learned on her own and in her MBA studies and tries to share what she feels is important financially on her blog,  A Dime Saved  (@adimesaved).Katie Ross, joined the  American Consumer Credit Counseling, or ACCC, management team in 2002 and is currently responsible for organizing and implementing high-performance development initiatives designed to increase consumer financial awareness. Ms. Ross’s main focus is to conceptualize the creative strategic programming for ACCC’s client base and national base to ensure a maximum level of educational programs that support and cultivate ACCC’s organization.

Barriers to Effective Communication - 690 Words

bbBarriers to Effective Communication â€Å"Barriers are influencing factors which impede or breakdown the continuous communications loop. They block, distort, or alter the information. By identifying the barriers and applying countermeasures, team members can effectively communicate.† (Wallace and Roberson, 2009) Chapter four speaks of four obstacles that can prevent effective communication. Emotional barriers, physical barriers, semantic barriers, and ineffective listening all prevent effective communication on both the giving end and the receiving end. Emotional barriers are not limited to the sender; it can also be present in the receiver. For an officer who has low self-esteem, they will often look for acceptance by adding a question†¦show more content†¦There are three steps in the listening process. The first thing an officer must not do is to interpret the speakers’ message in their own manor. They should not try to come to a conclusion on the â€Å"sp eakers’ motives, viewpoint, and accuracy† (Wallace and Roberson, 2009). No conclusion should be made until listening to the speakers’ full story. They should also not assume what the speaker will say. The second ting is the language barrier. The officer needs to make sure that they and the speaker are using/ communicating with the same language efficiently. Overcoming Communication Barriers All of the communication barriers have to deal with verbal communication. I don’t believe that enough time is spent on communication barriers and how to overcome them. There is plenty of information available on the internet about overcoming communication barriers. Jerry L Hampton created the â€Å"Barriers to Communication (community) Exercise† workshop. â€Å"This group dynamics exercise allows people to find their communications barriers. It can be used in any kind of group and can be adapted for use in a number of ways.† (Barriers to Communication (community) Exercise) The exercise helps to find a primary personal barrier and how they would like to improve it. Although the workshop does not apply to all four of theShow MoreRelatedBarriers to Effective Communication1654 Words   |  7 PagesBarriers to Effective Communications Everyone has experienced, at one time or another the frustration of feeling misunderstood and being unable to make ourselves understood by another person. Anything which, blocks the meaning of a communication, is a barrier to communication. Effective communication is like a house built one block at a time. First to build a house trust must be built; trust is not a group process it is created in one to one connections with each individual. Second, be bold andRead MoreBarriers to Effective Communication1620 Words   |  7 PagesBarriers to Effective Communication CJA304 In this paper, I will describe the process of communication as well as its components, describe the difference between listening and hearing, describe the formal and informal channels of communication, and suggest strategies that may be implemented to overcome communication barriers. Communication can be described as â€Å"a process involving several steps, among two or more persons, for the primary purpose of exchanging information† (WallaceRead MoreBarrier to Effective Communication1289 Words   |  6 PagesIn this paper I will be discussing the process of communication and its components discuss the difference between listening and hearing in communication, talk about the formal and informal channels of communication, talk about the different barriers to effective communication, and lastly discuss the strategies that may be implemented to overcome communication barriers. Communication is very crucial in the criminal justice system; it is the key element for success. From a rookie all the way up toRead MoreBarriers to Effective Communication1727 Words   |  7 PagesBarriers to Effective Communication Kevin Borem CJA/304 November 2, 2011 Fred Staedel Barriers to Effective Communication Communication is a way of life for sociable organisms on earth. There are many forms of communication and several are used without saying a word or making a sound. With the types of communication in the world, communicating effectively may seem an unlikely idea. Effective communication between two individuals or more is dependable on the way the message from the senderRead MoreBarriers to Effective Communication2391 Words   |  10 PagesBarriers to Great Communication There are seven types of Barriers to Communication. Many people think that communicating is easy. It is after all something we do all our lives. There is some truth in this view. Communicating is straightforward. What makes it complex, difficult, and frustrating are the barriers we put in the way. Physical barriers Physical barriers in the workplace include: marked out territories, empires and fiefdoms into which strangers are not allowed closed office doors, barrierRead MoreBarriers to Effective Communication1479 Words   |  6 Pages1 Barriers Barriers to Effective Communication Paper Robin Mravik Due Date: Monday October 10, 2011 CJA/304 Instructor: Janette Nichols 2 When it comes to communicating with people in our daily lives, there are many people that think there is just talking and listening to the other people in the communicating process. However, there is actually five step in the communication process; which are as follows: 1.) sending the message out to someone, 2.) sending the message through a mediumRead MoreEffective Communication And The Barriers Of Communication Essay1203 Words   |  5 Pagesstudy of effective communication and the barriers of communication is very important in the workplace in order for the company to be successful. Every person in the business will have to communicate in one form or another. The better the communication in the workplace the better the relationships with each other. In this article I will help you to understand the processes needed in order to have effective communication in the workplace. I will discuss the importance of effective communication, theRead MoreBarriers to Effective Communication2071 Words   |  9 PagesTable of Contents What barriers to effective communication do you detect in this case? 2 Perception barrier 2 Personal barrier 3 Information overload / Work overload 3 Gender barrier 4 Language barrier - Ambiguity 4 Is anyone wrong in this situation? By what other means could Randell have requested the information from Tom Ballard? What do you think of Tom Ballard’s reaction? Why? 6 Tom Ballard 6 Leigh Randall 7 While communicating information vertically up or down the organizationRead MoreBarriers to Effective Communication Essay1713 Words   |  7 Pagesbecause they are the managers those who do run the company and therefore they need to be excellent in dealing with people. However, when the issue of communication is discussed, it is understood that there are more than two people in communication. Moreover, as there would be a number of people working in organisations, there is a lot of communication among companies’ staff everyday. From this context, it can easily be inferred that the organisations’ employees should also be able to communicate effectivelyRead MoreBarriers to Effective Communication Essay1046 Words   |  5 Pagesb Barriers to Effective Communication University of Phoenix CJA/304 Barriers to Effective Communication Effective communication is a complex phenomenon that involves the verbal and nonverbal components in their cooperation. The main target of communicational process is transmission of information when the sending party wants the recipient to decode the message in the same way as it is coded. Nevertheless, the communicational process consists of the various components that may become the

Robert Frost’s Poem, The Road Not Taken Essay - 535 Words

Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken, is a descriptive poem about a person’s conflict with the right path to take throughout life. The choice that this person makes can affect him forever. There are lots of choices like this throughout a person’s life that are made that piece together the future. What they do with these choices and the decisions they make are up to them. Although the narrator of this poem is faced with a dilemma, he still makes the best decision possible and takes the best road, which happens to be one that no one else has chosen to take. The title, â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, symbolizes the decision that he must make to take a path throughout life that no one else has or would choose to take. The majority will always†¦show more content†¦He knows that he has made a good decision, whatever it may be. In making his decision, the narrator has no example set before him. Like lots of times in our own lives, there is no one there to tell or show him what the consequences are. â€Å"And both that morning equally lay / In leaves no trodden black (11-12). He only has his gut instinct to go with and in doing so he chooses a path completely different from that of what others around him have chosen. He comments â€Å"Oh, I kept the first for another day!† (14), knowing that he shouldn’t regret his decision of not following the pack because he’ll have his chance another time to chance his fate. However, knowing how things will turn out if he ever makes the choice to take the other road, he doubts he would ever turn back anyway (15). Finally, the narrator looks back on the time when he was forced to make a life changing decision. After seeing and living the consequences of the choice he made that day to take this road less traveled by, he is satisfied. That decision, he says â€Å"has made all the difference† (20). There are so many instances in ones life that this poem reminds us of. There will always be the choice to follow the pack and do what everyone else is doing versus the choice to be one’s own self and be different. The poem is a prime example of how things turn out. People will always look back and appreciate theShow MoreRelated Robert Frosts Poem The Road Not Taken Essay1056 Words   |  5 PagesRobert Frosts Poem The Road Not Taken The poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken† by Robert Frost addresses the idea of decision-making and choosing what direction life will take you. The poem is about the speaker arriving at a fork in the road, where both paths are carpeted with leaves. The persona, who is believed to be Frost himself, chooses to take the road less traveled by. He tells himself that he will take the other road another day, although he knows it is unlikely that he will have the opportunityRead MoreRobert Frost s Writing Style1589 Words   |  7 Pages Robert Frost once said, â€Å"The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom... in a clarification of life - not necessarily a great clarification, such as sects and cults are founded on, but in a momentary stay against confusion† (Robert Frost Quotes). This same kind of thinking opened the door for metaphorical poetry that helped to show the poets transparency. His love for the social outcast and the struggles of his life are exhibited greatly in his poems. Robert Frost helpedRead MoreEssay on The Intricate Meanings of Robert Frost s Poetry784 Words   |  4 PagesRobert Frost is considered by many to be one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. Frost’s work has been regarded by many as unique. Frost’s poems mainly take place in nature, and it is through nature that he uses sense appealing-vocabulary to immerse the reader into the poem. In the poem, â€Å"Hardwood Groves†, Frost uses a Hardwood Tree that is losing its le aves as a symbol of life’s vicissitudes. â€Å"Frost recognizes that before things in life are raised up, they must fall down† (BloomRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Road Not Taken 849 Words   |  4 Pagesitself in Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Road Not Taken† poem, and is present in the poetic piece of Blanche Farley’s â€Å"The Lover Not Taken.† A large percentage of the stanzas in each poem harmonize each other, and they both use similar words. For example, in the first stanza of each poem and be one traveler, long I stood (Frost), and and mulling it over, long she stood. (Blanche). Both lines are two peas in a pod, and they are a five stanza poem that identically rhyme. Although both poems share manyRead MoreEssay on Robert Frost1443 Words   |  6 Pages Robert Lee Frost was born in San Francisco on March 26, 1874 and died in Boston on January 29, 1963. Frost was considered to be one of America’s leading 20th century poets and a four-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize. He was an essentially pastoral poet who was often associated with rural New England. Frost wrote poems of a philosophical region. His poems were traditional but he often said as a dig at his archrival Carl Sandburg, that â€Å"he would soon play tennis without a net as write free verseRead MorePoems of Robert Frost Essay1556 Words   |  7 PagesRobert Frost was an American poet, and playwright who became one of the leading pioneers in poetry in the late 1800’s into the 1900’s. Frost grew up in rural New England in the early twentieth century and experienced many hardships in his life including losing his father at the young age of eleven and losing two children at very young ages. He used his experiences of growing up in a rural area in most of h is poems. Another major them in his poems are decision-making poems usually based off of hisRead MoreThe Road Not Taken and Neither Out Far Nor in Deep by Robert Frost1436 Words   |  6 PagesThe Road Not Taken and Neither Out Far Nor in Deep by Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost is an American poet who is known for his verse concerning nature and New England life. He was born in San Francisco in 1874. When his father died in 1885, his mother moved the family to Lawrence, Massachusetts. Frost attended college sporadically after graduating high school and made a living by working as a bobbin boy in a wool mill, a shoemaker, a country schoolteacher, editor of a rural newspaper, andRead More The Other Road in Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken Essay1653 Words   |  7 Pages The Other Road in Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his celebrated poem The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost describes the decision one makes when reaching a fork in the road. Some interpret Frost as suggesting regret on the part of the traveler as to not choosing the path he forgoes, for in doing so he has lost something significant. Others believe he is grateful for the selection, as it has made him the man he is. The diverging roads are symbolic of the choices society is facedRead MoreUse Of The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost980 Words   |  4 PagesThe Use of â€Å"The Road Not Taken† Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Road Not Taken† has been examined time after time by teachers, professors, students, and even those willing to go even farther for entertainment but many people evaluate the poem in their own ways. There are the scholarly who delve deep into the mysteries of Frost’s poem and their critique containing a broader range of vocabulary. There are also the people who understand the meaning beneath Frost’s poem and seek to educate those who do notRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost1297 Words   |  6 Pagesfamous poems are popular because of their versatility – the ones whose messages are valid beyond their era. Of course, our personal experiences shape the way we perceive things, which is why one artwork can have multiple different interpretations. Though there may not be any singular correct meaning, having contextual knowledge of a poem certainly helps us understand the thoughts and feelings that inspired the poet at the time. The poem I’ll be unveiling is â€Å"The Road Not Taken† by Robert Frost,

Ethnography Free Essays

AN ETHNOGRAPHY â€Å"When used as a method, ethnography typically refers to fieldwork (alternatively, participant-observation) conducted by a single investigator who ‘lives with and lives like’ those who are studied, usually for a year or more. † –John Van Maanen, 1996. â€Å"Ethnography literally means ‘a portrait of a people. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethnography or any similar topic only for you Order Now ‘ An ethnography is a written description of a particular culture – the customs, beliefs, and behavior – based on information collected through fieldwork. † –Marvin Harris and Orna Johnson, 2000. â€Å"Ethnography is the art and science of describing a group or culture. The description may be of a small tribal group in an exotic land or a classroom in middle-class suburbia. † –David M. Fetterman, 1998. Ethnography is a social science research method. It relies heavily on up-close, personal experience and possible participation, not just observation, by researchers trained in the art of ethnography. These ethnographers often work in multidisciplinary teams. The ethnographic focal point may include intensive language and culture learning, intensive study of a single field or domain, and a blend of historical, observational, and interview methods. Typical ethnographic research employs three kinds of data collection: interviews, observation, and documents. This in turn produces three kinds of data: quotations, descriptions, and excerpts of documents, resulting in one product: narrative description. This narrative often includes charts, diagrams and additional artifacts that help to tell â€Å"the story† (Hammersley, 1990). Ethnographic methods can give shape to new constructs or paradigms, and new variables, for further empirical testing in the field or through traditional, quantitative social science methods. Ethnography has it roots planted in the fields of anthropology and sociology. Present-day practitioners conduct ethnographies in organizations and communities of all kinds. Ethnographers study schooling, public health, rural and urban development, consumers and consumer goods, any human arena. While particularly suited to exploratory research, ethnography draws on a wide range of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, moving from â€Å"learning† to â€Å"testing† (Agar, 1996) while research problems, perspectives, and theories emerge and shift. Ethnographic methods are a means of tapping local points of view, households and community â€Å"funds of nowledge† (Moll Greenberg, 1990), a means of identifying significant categories of human experience up close and personal. Ethnography enhances and widens top down views and enriches the inquiry process, taps both bottom-up insights and perspectives of powerful policy-makers â€Å"at the top,† and generates new analytic insights by engaging in interactive, team exploration of o ften subtle arenas of human difference and similarity. Through such findings ethnographers may inform others of their findings with an attempt to derive, for example, policy decisions or instructional innovations from such an analysis. VARIATIONS IN OBSERVATIONAL METHODS Observational research is not a single thing. The decision to employ field methods in gathering informational data is only the first step in a decision process that involves a large number of options and possibilities. Making the choice to employ field methods involves a commitment to get close to the subject being observed in its natural setting, to be factual and descriptive in reporting what is observed, and to find out the points of view of participants in the domain observed. Once these fundamental commitments have been made, it is necessary to make additional decisions about which particular observational approaches are appropriate for the research situation at hand. VARIATIONS IN OBSERVER INVOLVEMENT: PARTICIPANT OR ONLOOKER? The first and most fundamental distinction among observational strategies concerns the extent to which the observer is also a participant in the program activities being studied. This is not really a simple choice between participation and nonparticipation. The extent of participation is a continuum which varies from complete immersion in the program as full participant to complete separation from the activities observed, taking on a role as spectator; there is a great deal of variation along the continuum between these two extremes. Participant observation is an omnibus field strategy in that it â€Å"simultaneously combines document analysis, interviewing of respondents and informants, direct participation and observation, and introspection. In participant observation the researcher shares as intimately as possible in the life and activities of the people in the observed setting. The purpose of such participation is to develop an insider’s view of what is happening. This means that the researcher not only sees what is happening but â€Å"feels† what it is like to be part of the group. Experiencing an environment as an insider is what necessitates the participant part of participant observation. At the same time, however, there is clearly an observer side to this process. The challenge is to combine participation and observation so as to become capable of understanding the experience as an insider while describing the experience for outsiders. The extent to which it is possible for a researcher to become a full participant in an experience will depend partly on the nature of the setting being observed. For example, in human service and education programs that serve children, it is not possible for the researcher to become a student and therefore experience the setting as a child; it may be possible, however, for the research observer to participate as a volunteer, parent, or staff person in such a setting and thereby develop the perspective of an insider in one of these adult roles. It should be said, though, that many ethnographers do not believe that understanding requires that they become full members of the group(s) being studied. Indeed, many believe that this must not occur if a valid and useful account is to be produced. These researchers believe the ethnographer must try to be both outsider and insider, staying on the margins of the group both socially and intellectually. This is because what is required is both an outside and an inside view. For this reason it is sometimes emphasized that, besides seeking to â€Å"understand†, the ethnographer must also try to see familiar settings as â€Å"anthropologically strange†, as they would be seen by someone from another society, adopting what we might call the Martian perspective. METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES Following are three methodological principles that are used to provide the rationale for the specific features of the ethnographic method. They are also the basis for much of the criticism of quantitative research for failing to capture the true nature of human social behavior; because it relies on the study of artificial settings and/or on what people say rather than what they do; because it seeks to reduce meanings to what is observable; and because it reifies social phenomena by treating them as more clearly defined and static than they are, and as mechanical products of social and psychological factors (M. Hammersley, 1990). The three principles can be summarized under the headings of naturalism, understanding and discovery: 1. Naturalism. This is the view that the aim of social research is to capture the character of naturally occurring human behavior, and that this can only be achieved by first-hand contact with it, not by inferences from what people do in artificial settings like experiments or from what they say in interviews about what they do elsewhere. This is the reason that ethnographers carry out their research in â€Å"natural† settings, settings that exist independently of the research process, rather than in those set up specifically for the purposes of research. Another important implication of naturalism is that in studying natural settings the researcher should seek to minimize her or his effects on the behavior of the people being studied. The aim of this is to increase the chances that what is discovered in the setting will be generalizable to other similar settings that have not been researched. Finally, the notion of naturalism implies that social events and processes must be explained in terms of their relationship to the context in which they occur. 2. Understanding. Central here is the argument that human actions differ from the behavior of physical objects, and even from that of other animals: they do not consist simply of fixed responses or even of learned responses to stimuli, but involve interpretation of stimuli and the construction of responses. Sometimes this argument reflects a complete rejection of the concept of causality as inapplicable to the social world, and an insistence on the freely constructed character of human actions and institutions. Others argue that causal relations are to be found in the social world, but that they differ from the â€Å"mechanical† causality typical of physical phenomena. From this point of view, if we are to be able to explain human actions effectively we must gain an understanding of the cultural perspectives on which they are based. That this is necessary is obvious when we are studying a society that is alien to us, since we shall find much of what we see and hear puzzling. However, ethnographers argue that it is just as important when we are studying more familiar settings. Indeed, when a setting is familiar the danger of misunderstanding is especially great. It is argued that we cannot assume that we already know others’ perspectives, even in our own society, because particular groups and individuals develop distinctive worldviews. This is especially true in large complex societies. Ethnic, occupational, and small informal groups (even individual families or school classes) develop distinctive ways of orienting to the world that may need to be understood if their behavior is to be explained. Ethnographers argue, then, that it is necessary to learn the culture of the group one is studying before one can produce valid explanations for the behavior of its members. This is the reason for the centrality of participant observation and unstructured interviewing to ethnographic method. 3. Discovery. Another feature of ethnographic thinking is a conception of the research process as inductive or discovery-based; rather than as being limited to the testing of explicit hypotheses. It is argued that if one approaches a phenomenon with a set of hypotheses one may fail to discover the true nature of that phenomenon, being blinded by the assumptions built into the hypotheses. Rather, they have a general interest in some types of social phenomena and/or in some theoretical issue or practical problem. The focus of the research is narrowed and sharpened, and perhaps even changed substantially, as it proceeds. Similarly, and in parallel, theoretical ideas that frame descriptions and explanations of what is observed are developed over the course of the research. Such ideas are regarded as a valuable outcome of, not a precondition for, research. ETHNOGRAPHY AS METHOD In terms of method, generally speaking, the term â€Å"ethnography† refers to social research that has most of the following features (M. Hammersley, 1990). (a) People’s behavior is studied in everyday contexts, rather than under experimental conditions created by the researcher. (b) Data are gathered from a range of sources, but observation and/or relatively informal conversations are usually the main ones. c) The approach to data collection is â€Å"unstructured in the sense that it does not involve following through a detailed plan set up at the beginning; nor are the categories used for interpreting what people say and do pre-given or fixed. This does not mean that the research is unsystematic; simply that initially the data are collected in as raw a form, and on as wide a front, as feasible. (d) The focus is usually a single setting or group, of relatively sma ll scale. In life history research the focus may even be a single individual. (e) The analysis of the data involves interpretation of the eanings and functions of human actions and mainly takes the form of verbal descriptions and explanations, with quantification and statistical analysis playing a subordinate role at most. As a set of methods, ethnography is not far removed from the sort of approach that we all use in everyday life to make sense of our surroundings. It is less specialized and less technically sophisticated than approaches like the experiment or the social survey; though all social research methods have their historical origins in the ways in which human beings gain information about their world in everyday life. SUMMARY GUIDELINES FOR FIELDWORK It is difficult, if not impossible, to provide a precise set of rules and procedures for conducting fieldwork. What you do depends on the situation, the purpose of the study, the nature of the setting, and the skills, interests, needs, and point of view of the observer. Following are some generic guidelines for conducting fieldwork: 1. Be descriptive in taking field notes. 2. Gather a variety of information from different perspectives. 3. Cross-validate and triangulate by gathering different kinds of data. Example: observations, interviews, program documentation, recordings, and photographs. 4. Use quotations; represent program participants in their own terms. Capture participants’ views of their own experiences in their own words. 5. Select key informants wisely and use them carefully. Draw on the wisdom of their informed perspectives, but keep in mind that their perspectives are limited. 6. Be aware of and sensitive to the different stages of fieldwork. (a) Build trust and rapport at the entry stage. Remember that the researcher-observer is also being observed and evaluated. b) Stay alert and disciplined during the more routine middle-phase of fieldwork. (c) Focus on pulling together a useful synthesis as fieldwork draws to a close. (d) Be disciplined and conscientious in taking detailed field notes at all stages of fieldwork. (e) Be as involved as possible in experiencing the observed setting as fully as possible while maintaining an analytical perspective grounded in the pur pose of the fieldwork: to conduct research. (f) Clearly separate description from interpretation and judgment. (g) Provide formative feedback as part of the verification process of fieldwork. Time that feedback carefully. Observe its impact. (h) Include in your field notes and observations reports of your own experiences, thoughts, and feelings. These are also field data. Fieldwork is a highly personal experience. The meshing of fieldwork procedures with individual capabilities and situational variation is what makes fieldwork a highly personal experience. The validity and meaningfulness of the results obtained depend directly on the observer’s skill, discipline, and perspective. This is both the strength and weakness of observational methods. SUMMARY GUIDELINES FOR INTERVIEWING There is no one right way of interviewing, no single correct format that is appropriate for all situations, and no single way of wording questions that will always work. The particular evaluation situation, the needs of the interviewee, and the personal style of the interviewer all come together to create a unique situation for each interview. Therein lie the challenges of depth interviewing: situational responsiveness and sensitivity to get the best data possible. There is no recipe for effective interviewing, but there are some useful guidelines that can be considered. These guidelines are summarized below (Patton, 1987). 1. Throughout all phases of interviewing, from planning through data collection to analysis, keep centered on the purpose of the research endeavor. Let that purpose guide the interviewing process. 2. The fundamental principle of qualitative interviewing is to provide a framework within which respondents can express their own understandings in their own terms. 3. Understand the strengths and weaknesses of different types of interviews: the informal conversational interview; the interview guide approach; and the standardized open-ended interview. . Select the type of interview (or combination of types) that is most appropriate to the purposes of the research effort. 5. Understand the different kinds of information one can collect through interviews: behavioral data; opinions; feelings; knowledge; sensory data; and background information. 6. Think about and plan how these different kinds of questions can be most appropriately sequenc ed for each interview topic, including past, present, and future questions. 7. Ask truly open-ended questions. 8. Ask clear questions, using understandable and appropriate language. . Ask one question at a time. 10. Use probes and follow-up questions to solicit depth and detail. 11. Communicate clearly what information is desired, why that information is important, and let the interviewee know how the interview is progressing. 12. Listen attentively and respond appropriately to let the person know he or she is being heard. 13. Avoid leading questions. 14. Understand the difference between a depth interview and an interrogation. Qualitative evaluators conduct depth interviews; police investigators and tax auditors conduct interrogations. 5. Establish personal rapport and a sense of mutual interest. 16. Maintain neutrality toward the specific content of responses. You are there to collect information not to make judgments about that person. 17. Observe while interviewing. Be aware of and sensitive to how the person is affected by and responds to different questions. 18. Maintain control of the interview. 19. Tape record whenever possible to capture full and exact quotations for analysis and reporting. 20. Take notes to capture and highlight major points as the interview progresses. 1. As soon as possible after the interview check the recording for malfunctions; review notes for clarity; elaborate where necessary; and record observations. 22. Take whatever steps are appropriate and necessary to gather valid and reliable information. 23. Treat the person being interviewed with respect. Keep in mind that it is a privilege and responsibility to peer into another person’s experience. 24. Practice interviewing. Develop your skills. 25. Enjoy interviewing. Take the time along the way to stop and â€Å"hear† the roses. SITE DOCUMENTS In addition to participant observation and interviews, ethnographers may also make use of various documents in answering guiding questions. When available, these documents can add additional insight or information to projects. Because ethnographic attention has been and continues to be focused on both literate and non-literate peoples, not all research projects will have site documents available. It is also possible that even research among a literate group will not have relevant site documents to consider; this could vary depending on the focus of the research. Thinking carefully about your participants and how they function and asking questions of your informants helps to decide what kinds of documents might be available. Possible documents include: budgets, advertisements, work descriptions, annual reports, memos, school records, correspondence, informational brochures, teaching materials, newsletters, websites, recruitment or orientation packets, contracts, records of court proceedings, posters, minutes of meetings, menus, and many other kinds of written items. For example, an ethnographer studying how limited-English proficient elementary school students learn to acquire English in a classroom setting might want to collect such things as the state or school mandated Bilingual/ESL curriculum for students in the school(s) where he or she does research, and examples of student work. Local school budget allocations to language minority education, specific teachers’ lesson plans, and copies of age-appropriate ESL textbooks could also be relevant. It might also be useful to try finding subgroups of professional educators organizations which focus on teaching elementary school language arts and join their listservs, attend their meetings, or get copies of their newsletters. Review cumulative student records and school district policies for language minority education. All of these things could greatly enrich the participant observation and the interviews that an ethnographer does. Privacy or copyright issues may apply to the documents gathered, so it is important to inquire about this when you find or are given documents. If you are given permission to include what you learn from these documents in your final paper, the documents should be cited appropriately and included in the bibliography of the final paper. If you are not given permission, do not use them in any way. ETHICS IN ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH Since ethnographic research takes place among real human beings, there are a number of special ethical concerns to be aware of before beginning. In a nutshell, researchers must make their research goals clear to the members of the community where they undertake their research and gain the informed consent of their consultants to the research beforehand. It is also important to learn whether the group would prefer to be named in the written report of the research or given a pseudonym and to offer the results of the research if informants would like to read it. Most of all, researchers must be sure that the research does not harm or exploit those among whom the research is done. ANALYZING, INTERPRETING AND REPORTING FINDINGS Remember that the researcher is the detective looking for trends and patterns that occur across the various groups or within individuals (Krueger, 1994). The process of analysis and interpretation involve disciplined examination, creative insight, and careful attention to the purposes of the research study. Analysis and interpretation are conceptually separate processes. The analysis process begins with assembling the raw materials and getting an overview or total picture of the entire process. The researcher’s role in analysis covers a continuum with assembly of raw data on one extreme and interpretative comments on the other. Analysis is the process of bringing order to the data, organizing what is there into patterns, categories, and basic descriptive units. The analysis process involves consideration of words, tone, context, non-verbals, internal consistency, frequency, extensiveness, intensity, specificity of responses and big ideas. Data reduction strategies are essential in the analysis (Krueger, 1994). Interpretation involves attaching meaning and significance to the analysis, explaining descriptive patterns, and looking for relationships and linkages among descriptive dimensions. Once these processes have been completed the researcher must report his or her interpretations and conclusions QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTION Reports based on qualitative methods will include a great deal of pure description of the program and/or the experiences of people in the research environment. The purpose of this description is to let the reader know what happened in the environment under observation, what it was like from the participants’ point of view to be in the setting, and what particular events or activities in the setting were like. In reading through field notes and interviews the researcher begins to look for those parts of the data that will be polished for presentation as pure description in the research report. What is included by way of description will depend on what questions the researcher is attempting to answer. Often an entire activity will be reported in detail and depth because it represents a typical experience. These descriptions are written in narrative form to provide a holistic picture of what has happened in the reported activity or event. REPORTING FINDINGS The actual content and format of a qualitative report will depend on the information needs of primary stakeholders and the purpose of the research. Even a comprehensive report will have to omit a great deal of the data collected by the researcher. Focus is essential. Analysts who try to include everything risk losing their readers in the sheer volume of the presentation. This process has been referred to as â€Å"the agony of omitting†. The agony of omitting on the part of the researcher is matched only by the readers’ agony in having to read those things that were not omitted, but should have been. BALANCE BETWEEN DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS In considering what to omit, a decision has to be made about how much description to include. Detailed description and in-depth quotations are the essential qualities of qualitative accounts. Sufficient description and direct quotations should be included to allow readers to understand fully the research setting and the thoughts of the people represented in the narrative. Description should stop short, however, of becoming trivial and mundane. The reader does not have to know absolutely everything that was done or said. Again the problem of focus arises. Description is balanced by analysis and interpretation. Endless description becomes its own muddle. The purpose of analysis is to organize the description in a way that makes it manageable. Description is balanced by analysis and leads into interpretation. An interesting and readable final account provides sufficient description to allow the reader to understand the analysis and sufficient analysis to allow the reader to understand the interpretations and explanations presented. Try It Yourself Why do people see things differently? The importance of ethnographic research Apple Example Thomas Kuhn suggests that what people see depends on what â€Å"previous visual and conceptual experience has taught† them. This suggests that what we look at and what we see are two different things. Anthropologists Anne Campbell of Washington State University and Patricia C. Rice of West Virginia University give an excellent example of how what we look at and what we see can be different things, depending on who perceives a situation or thing. Try this: * gather two to three people and mentally place an apple on a table in front of the group. * Without any prior discussion, each group member should take a moment to individually write down what it is he or she sees. * After a few minutes, compare notes. What do you find? Did everyone see the same thing? What color was the apple? Are there specific colors given to the apple? What about the type of apple on the table, did anyone acknowledge if there was a difference between a golden delicious and a Macintosh? What about the size of the apple? Did anyone include size as a characteristic of the apple? What this example shows is that no two people see the same thing. We may understand what an apple is, but in terms of describing it and â€Å"seeing† it much of our sight comes from pervious â€Å"visual-conceptual† experiences. Someone knowledgeable in produce may know that there are many types of apples, just as someone interested in quantities of food may take note of the size of the apple. How to cite Ethnography, Essay examples

Workplace Safety free essay sample

This is celebrated as the first time this number is coming below 1 million. Also reported is the incidence rate which decreased by 6 percent to 106 cases per 10,000 full-time workers in the private sector-a decline from 113 in 2008. There is really a momentum on workplace safety! Interestingly, the need to reduce incident at the work place is as important as reducing cost and growing the bottom-line of the business. The free online resource, WIKIPEDIA (2011), writes that workplace safety is the responsibility of management who will have the duty to establish a focus by ensuring commitment, accountability, education, and awareness among others. In an article by Health and Safety Executives UK (2010), it was noted that employees also have great role to play in ensuring that the work place is safe. People that do the job can recognize potential risks based on experience, put or suggest practical controls and make a commitment to safety in their workplace. We will write a custom essay sample on Workplace Safety or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Some roles that we will need to play to make the work place safer include but not limited to the following 1. Discussions with our team to identify risk and measures to manage the risks. 2. Inform appropriate personnel about potential risks to safety during regular meetings or on an informal basis. 3. Support our team by developing their personal work skill and allowing some level of control and initiative so as to prevent stress which might increase the risk of incidents. 4. Actively review and ensure maintenance of Personal Safety Action Plan as agreed by the teams Some Roles I will play include 1. Objectively report abnormal and unsafe workplace behaviours and activities so as to find ways to prevent the occurrence of incidents. 2. The use of PPE as required by any task 3. I will ensure that permits are issued or available for high risk jobs. Where permits are not available for work requiring it, I will discuss with the units supervisor to understand the perceived gap and discuss ways to manage it. Reference 1. BUREAU FOR LABOUR STATISTICS. (2010).