Modern Technology Effects Essay Example for Free

Modern Technology Effects Essay With advances in technology, student study habits have dramatically changed. Its affected the way classes are taught, students learn theories and the way information is presented. Gone are the days of slaving over books in the library and scribbling down notes on paper. Technology is changing the way kids learn in schools and at home. Students are now able to bring their work with them wherever they go because of laptop computers and handheld tablets, like the iPad. Having these electronic tools seems essential to all of us, including kids, nowadays and we wonder how we ever survived without them. Not too long ago, students were lucky to have one computer in their classrooms and the teacher wrote the lessons on a chalkboard. Now it is much more common to see each student with their own laptop or iPad and the teachers writing on smart-whiteboards that connect to these computers. With the way the world is becoming dependent on the use of technology in day-to-day life, it is good for the younger generation to learn a basic understanding of these tools, even though the software systems will most likely change by the time they enter the work force. Students are also able to do more complex tasks earlier on because of the capabilities of technology. However, this does present the problem of becoming dependent on these devices to solve these challenges, especially those above their learning level. Don’t you remember having to learn how to do math in your head before you were given a calculator to solve an equation? If students don’t learn how to problem-solve on their own, it may present challenges for them down the road because they expect to have the answer right at their fingertips. Recently psychologists at Columbia University released an article on the effect search engines and the Internet are having on our ability to memorize. which concluded that we are less likely to remember discrete information than we are where we found it, and that we only commit something to memory if we think we won’t be able to access it later, when we need it. While students are becoming more digitally advanced than the prior generation, it is good to learn the basics as well. Having a child read a book, write out a math problem, or do research in a library may not appeal to them as much as â€Å"playing† on an iPad, but it can only add to their education. Scope and Limitations Modern technology has always been considered as a gauge for an awareness of how developed a society is. With the influx of technological gadgets, modern technology is definitely beneficial to mankind. But, as with other scientific and technological discoveries, these gadgets have also taken its toll on those who are the main users of thee discoveries – the students. Twenty or so years ago, students would have to spend hours, and even days in the library, if they are to complete a research work. Answering assignments means that one will have to read chapter after chapter in their textbooks. Nowadays, vital information may be obtained by merely a click of the mouse. Everything is readily available at their fingertips, so to speak. Oftentimes, students say, â€Å"Thank God for the internet†. While this may be true, there are also harmful effects on students which may fall under the physical, psychological, emotional, mental and social aspect. Basically, students make use of the internet in answering assignments and doing research work. However, students would often be making use of social networking sites while simultaneously doing their assigned tasks. This means that the student is not a hundred percent focused on accomplishing what is required. It also takes them a longer time in completing the assigned task. As a result, the student therefore, is more physically exhausted, often spending the wee hours in the morning due to the fact that he or she is actually multi-tasking. It has been observed that almost every week, more updated gadgets are being introduced in the market. For the adolescent, who is in the third plane of development, there is this need to belong to a certain group. More often than not, social cliques mean dressing alike, thinking alike, and even having similar gadgets are some of the basis in order to be part of a specific group. Hence, the adolescent is psychologically, emotionally and even mentally affected if and when an updated version of these gadgets is out in the market. There is this need to have these gadgets in the hope of being â€Å"in† with the group. It is one way of satisfying the need to belong to a social group which means that it also affects the social aspect of the student. Having seen both sides of the coin, are modern gadgets beneficial or harmful to students? I would say both – there are beneficial and harmful effects not only to students but to anyone for that matter. The key is still in our hands. Remember that anything in excess could have negative results. Modern technology – including modern gadgets – has been invented for mankind’s convenience. Let us show gratitude to the men of the past who have painstakingly invented and devised ways to make life easier. Let us make use of modern technology effectively, wisely and responsibly.

The Creation of Barbie as an American Icon Essay -- Exploratory Essays

The Creation of Barbie as an American Icon Barbie, at the age of 41, is one of the longest living toys in America. Analyzing her early history can give a person a look into the societal trends and culture of the late 1950's and early 1960's. There is evidence of fashion innovations in Barbie's wardrobe. Also, one can see the perception of females by society, such as what they should look like, how they should act and dress, as well as what their future goals could be. The following essay follows Barbie's history from 1959 to 1963, covering her development, her appeal to children, and her existence as a cultural artifact of the time period. History: Barbie's Debut in 1959 In February of 1959, Barbie was first introduced at the American International Toy Fair in New York (Barbie Dolls). Her creators, Ruth and Elliot Handler (co-founders of Mattel) modeled Barbie after the German doll known as Lilli. Lilli began as a cartoon character in a daily newspaper called the Bild-Zeitung (BillyBoy 19). This character, known for her large breasts and sexy clothing, was created for adult entertainment "a symbol of sex and pornography for the men of Germany" (Johnson "History"). Handler discovered Lilli while shopping in Switzerland and brought the doll home for her daughter to play with. Ruth was inspired to create an adult doll for little girls. Handler had Jack Ryan, executive of Mattel, purchase the rights for Lilli and negotiate with a company from Tokyo to create a doll like Lilli. The reason for going overseas was in order to create an inexpensive new doll. American male designers told Handler that it would be impossible to make such a doll (with stylish clothing and accessories) for an affordable price. The new doll had a s... ...Barbie's Effects on American Suburban Culture. (6 March 2000) http://www.otal.umd.edu/~vg/mssp96/ms07/cult.htm Johnson, Kristi. Evaluation. (7 March 2000) http://www.otal.umd.edu/~vg/mssp96/ms07/eval.htm Johnson, Kristi. History. (6 March 2000) http://www.otal.umd.edu/~vg/mssp96/ms07/hist.htm Kehoe, John. "Barbie." Biography 2.12 Dec. 1998. (28 Feb. 2000) http://www.ebsco.com Lord, M.G. Forever Barbie. William Morrow and Co.: New York, 1994. Origin of Barbie. (6 March 2000) http://www.nondairy.com/People/Raven/Barbie.html Riddick, Kristin. Introduction. (6 March 2000) http://www.people.virginia.edu/~tsawyer/barbie/barb1.html Weiss, Michael. Toys Were Us. (7 March 2000) http://www.discovery.com/stories/history/toys/BARBIE/shoulda.html 40 Years with Barbie. (29 Feb. 2000) http://www.barbie.com/40th_Anniv/40Years/1959.asp

BTEC Business Essay

Shell is a multinational oil and gas company with around 87.000 employees in more than 70 countries. It is one of the world’s most valuable companies. Shell was started by Marcus Samuel back in 1833, he was a shopkeeper in London. In 1907 they merged with The Royal Dutch Petroleum Company. 1.1.1&1.1.2 Having a lot of offices/petrol stations all around the world makes them a global business and it’s a private business because it’s not owned by the government. Their goal is to make more money than they spend, so Shell is a profit business. Shell is in all three sectors because they dig oil (Primary Sector, they produce the oil (Secondary Sector, and lastly they sell it as well at their petrol stations. Their products are mostly oil and gas but they also have services for example, you can fill your tires with air, you can use their hoover or make use of their carwash. 1.1.3 Shell is a PLC so the liability for debts is on the company. To be considered a PLC you’re business is probably formed and owned by shareholders. Other shareholders can buy their stock quite easily. They have a lot of shareholders. As a shareholder of Shell you aren’t responsible for the debts, may the company go bankrupt. Unicef Unicef which stands for United Nations International Children’s Emergency is a massive organisation that tries to help children all over the world, not only to have an education but to protect child’s right in overall. 1.2.1&1.2.2 Unicef has offices all over the world, it’s a global organisation. Almost every country has an office from Unicef. The Government helps for two third of the organisation’s funds and the other part is from the millions of people that supports Unicef which makes it for the bigger part a public organisation. It’s a non-profit organisation, because they don’t want to make a lot of money for themselves but to raise money to help the children  who for example can’t go to school because they don’t have the money for it or even because they don’t have schools at that place. Unicef is subjected in the tertiary sector because they serve services to help the children. 1.2.3 It’s a Charity Partnership, as a charity you have to register and must produce annual accounts that are available to be viewed. P2 Stakeholders of Shell 2.1&2.2 A stakeholder is anyone that has an interest or is affected by a corporation. 1.Customers: The customers are the one who buy or uses the products and services of Shell. – They want shell to have the best oil, gas and services so that what they pay for those things are worth their money. -Shell wants the customer to keep coming back to them, because without the customers Shell wouldn’t earn any money. 2.Employees: The employees are the one who works for Shell. – They want to have the security of being employed, getting paid and also the opportunity for promotions. – Shell wants the Employees to do their best because they are kind of representing Shell. For example, if they are rude to customers then the customers may not come back to Shell because of that. 3.The shareholders: The shareholders are the one who owns a part of Shell. – The shareholders want to see their share of profit to increase. – Shell wants them to increase the money. 4.Trade Unions: Trade Unions represent the interest of groups of employees. – With the trade unions employees want to accomplish their interest like get higher wages. – Shell wants to find out the interest of groups of the employees so they can improve it and keep their employees happy. 5.Local And National Communities: Local and National Communities are the ones who represent Shell. – Shell has pipelines in Nigeria which can be very dangerous and cause local pollution, therefore community leaders represent important interest groups. – Shell wants them to represent Shell positively. 6.Suppliers: Suppliers are people who provides Shell’s products. (For example the things they sell at they’re petrol stations, not the oil/gas as they produce that themselves.) – They want to feel valued by Shell and they want steady orders and to be paid at their worth. – Shell wants the suppliers to deliver the right orders and that the products are in best condition. 2.3&2.4 Stakeholders of Unicef 1.Staff members: Staff members ensures that everything is going smoothly, both in offices and on field. – They want to see the results while being in field, for example, to see the kids go to the school they have built. – Unicef wants the staff members to do their best and see the best results. 2.Goodwill Ambassadors and Advocates: Goodwill Ambassadors and Advocates are celebrities that funds Unicef. – They want to use their fame positively and help as many kids as they can with their money. – Unicef gets more known because of those celebrities. With their help people acknowledge their campaign. Plus, they are good volunteers with enough money. 3.Young Leaders: Young Leaders are young adults or teens that are helping out with the campaign as well. – Young leaders wants to help out children or teens that are maybe just a few years older than them, sometimes because they feel bad for those children. They have it better so they want to help out. – Having young leaders in the team is a positive outcome because this motivates others from the same age to do something to help children out, too. 4.Teachers: Volunteers that want to teach children in for example Africa. -Teachers wants to volunteer so they feel good about themselves helping the children to get better education or just an education at all. They want to be send off in a secure place, though. And not in, for example, a war zone. – Unicef needs Teachers because otherwise building schools are no help at all if there’s no one to teach those children something. 5.Suppliers: Those are the ones who supplies the school books etc. – They want to feel valued by Unicef and wants clear orders from them. – Unicef wants the suppliers to deliver the orders to be in good quality and to be delivered on time. 6.People who gives their contribution to the collectors:  They give money to the collectors to help out. – For example, they want to think they helped out building that school in Africa. – Unicef need those people to help out to get more money so they can help out more. P3 Organisational Chart of Shell 5.1 Shell is organized by function, geographical areas, product groups and type of customers. Shell’s functions are divided in three groupings: Upstream, Downstream and Projects & Technology. Upstream manages the manufacturing and search crude oil and natural gas. Downstream also manages the manufacturing and are responsible for the marketing department. Projects & Technology does the research and projects for new products. Shell is, as mentioned before, a global company, having offices all over the world. The Upstream only is already divided in Upstream Americas (for Americas), Upstream International (for Europe, Asia/Middle East/Russia, Oceania and Africa. This is because it can function better and they can focus within that country/continent. They can focus on the culture and interest within that country/continent. They are also organized by products as you can see above. They are divided by gas, fuels and lubricants and chemical products. This way each group can specialize in their own product and make it better. Shell has a lot of customers, like the one who drives daily to and from their work or a big airplane company or the F1 team. They use different products or amount of products, so Shell organized it this way that the airplane company gets a different price than a normal man who drives daily to and from their work. 5.2 My Royal Dutch Shell would look at the amount of profit they made the year before. How much oil and gas they posses and there is on earth. We’ll look at how much we sell our products and how much our variable costs are and if we can make our variable costs less and our prices higher. Would we lose customers if we do that or not? We will do an internal researches for how much oil there still is on earth. With this information we can go further with our strategic plan. If the oil is decreasing for example, we will look  for alternative solution. Shell will look for what’s going on in each country. For example, everyone is really busy with being environmentally conscious, so we’ll think of a way other than greenpeace to show that we are not too bad for the environment. We will look at how the economy is growing or deflating. If it’s growing we can make the price higher, and if it’s deflating we don’t necessarily need to put the prices lower as Shell’s product is something that everyone constantly need. (Oil) Looking at what the concurrent position, at how they are doing is also something to consider. Organisational Chart of Unicef 5.3 Unicef is divided by directors. They have the executive Director who is in charge of the whole organisation. And other directors that are in charge of for example the Human Resources or the supplies. So Unicef is organized by function. Unicef has different regional directors. For example, there’s the Dutch Unicef Director, or the UK Unicef Director. . Working a lot on field (different countries) it’s easier to have regional offices. This makes Unicef function better as Unicef represent itself in 190 countries, each country with different values. So each country director/manager can focus on how to reach the people Unicef is also organized by geographical areas. Unicef focuses on different type of ‘products’ which are actually the different services. Although all is about children, the subjects are different. They have child survival and development, Basic education and gender equality, Children and HIV/AIDS and Child protection. They divided those subjects so they can specialise more and give the help that the child needs better. They also sell small things, kind of reminds me of souvenirs, the profit they make from these goes to the campaign funds. 5.4 Unicef will look at how they’ve succeeded at their projects so far, how many donations they get each year, how many members/volunteer they’ve got and what their next step needs to be depends on what is going on with the people around the countries they help or even which country they’ll need to help next. Once they have all those information, they’ll look at how they can  get more projects. To get more projects done, they’ll do more research so that they can give people more and more information and can attract more people to help them out. Unicef should show on the media what they’ve achieve so far and that the money people donate are really helping out. This way we’ll get more donation, so more profit to finish projects. P4 Fulfilling The Purpose of Shell 6.1 Shell’s purpose is to make as much profit as they can. Being organized by function they can put people who are specialised by those functions and make their product even better. The geographical structure helps to get to know what they need to do to get the attention of each country. Because each country has different laws, values and culture they can do their research way better if each group specialised in one specific country. Shell can make their advertisement focused on each country. Focusing on the different customers they can make special offers for different customers. Making these offers they can make sure that the customer will come back to them and can cause word to word advertisement. Splitting up different products types helps customers to know where to find what when they come to buy products from shell. Having different products means they need to make sure everything is from the same quality, the best quality. So by dividing their products and putting people who specialised on those product they know they have the best quality. Which will make customer come back to them. To be structured good, Shell uses the chain of command. It helps shell to make sure that they get the tasks that you need to do and that it doesn’t go to a different department. Fulfilling The Purpose of Unicef 6.2 Unicef’s purpose is to help as much children in need as they can. Being geographical organized helps them to fulfil their purpose because this way they can focus on what each country needs. For example, one country needs more school instead of help with HIV/AIDS. Focusing on different product type helps as well. This way, people knows exactly for what they are donating. Same as Shell, Unicef uses the chain of command so that people get the right tasks. Using Goodwill Ambassador helps them achieve their purposes, too. For example, having Selena Gomez as an ambassador is great help for them in the media. She’s really big in the entertainment industries and is a role model for a lot of teens and young adults all over the world. She indirectly advertises Unicef when she tweets or talks about how she’s an ambassador. Having different directors for each function helps as well as they can specialise on what they are doing in that sector. They can give the people ‘underneath’ them better instructions.

Edmund Spencer compared to Shakespeare Essay

Sonnet 1 by Edmund Spenser and Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare differ greatly in form, tone, content, meaning, and persona. Shakespeare begins with a rather unflattering attribute; â€Å"My mistress’ are nothing like the sun† while Spenser, praises his love by wishing he were a book she was reading. Sonnet 1 by Spenser follows a rhyme scheme of his own devising (ababbcbccdcdee) that combines interwoven thoughts. In this sonnet he praises his wife’s beauty and attempts to flatter her through conveying the thought that if he could just have her touch or even a glance he would rather be a book than what he is now. The tone is that sappy type that almost make s one sick. His talent is consumed in a effort to win over someone that he is already married to. His words sound as if they have a sick desperation in them because something is wrong within the relationship. On the other hand Sonnet 130 by Shakespeare has a point to it. It contains the message that one cannot judge by looks alone but on what the person is like on the inside. Shakespeare does not praise the woman’s beauty or her fair voice or her soft touch but at the end he says that his love is rare and he would not get rid of it for any reason. Spenser’s sonnets have intertwined messages that follow his rhyme scheme (ababbcbccdcdee) while Shakespeare uses three quatrains and a couplet which is usually the â€Å"zinger† turning the whole sonnet around and changing the meaning. Spenser does not do this however, his thought patter seems to follow one and only one line of thought’ to praise the woman that he loves and naught else. Shakespeare’s tone seems to be rather sarcastic until the couplet at the end of his sonnet when he explains that he would rather have her than the most beautiful woman in the world. It is along the same lines as â€Å"Don’t judge a book by its color†. On the other hand Spenser believes that his wife is the most beautiful being in the universe and he relates that he would do anything just to have her look at him or his book of sonnets which he wrote for her. Shakespeare breaks his own form while Spenser adheres to a strict form and rhyme scheme.

Road Signs in English

Road Signs in English Free Online Research Papers Have you taken your Department of Motor Vehicle written knowledge test? If you have than I am sure you were asked what language you wanted to take it in. I know that the United States does not have an official language and that street signs in some of our cities are in Spanish, but does that mean the licensing test should be given in thirty four different languages? I believe that the United States Department of Motor Vehicle should limit the language in which the drivers test can be taken down to English and Spanish. I do not believe that a person who can not read English, or Spanish in those towns that do offer Spanish road signs, should be allowed to take the drivers test due to it being a safety risk. I also believe that those driver’s in towns whose signs are in Spanish, that they should only be able to drive in those specific areas. My first argument as to why the United States of America should only offer the Department of Motor Vehicle’s driver’s knowledge test in English is that I believe it presents a clear safety issue if done otherwise. Imagine a person driving down the road when there is an emergency road sign blinking in front of them. For those of us that live in areas where only English road signs are posted and we can read and understand English, this would be no problem. But what if that driver does not understand English? That one driver could cause a terrible accident, and possibly end up injuring themselves and numerous other people on the road. I think that this is a major reason why the driver’s test should only be given in English. My second argument is that I believe that the United States needs to start taking steps to adopt English as the nation’s official language. Over twenty-nine of the fifty United States have already adopted English as their language. I am in agreement with what ProEnglish Executive Director J.C. McAlpin said when he acknowledged that the group strongly believes that drivers licenses should be offered only in English because it is a key to assimilating Hispanics into the U.S. culture. (Tribune Business News, Mick Hinton, May 6th 2008) I believe that bringing the nation together and almost forcing them to be able to communicate will actually bring people closer together and help end some racism in the United States. Even a small thing like learning to read and speak English would help people from all cultures and backgrounds to be able to communicate and learn more about each other. How many times have arguments occurred because one of the drivers blamed a non English speaking dr iver for the accident? My third argument is actually one that I have found after doing more research on the topic. While researching I came across an article from the publication â€Å"News for You†: Federal law requires commercial drivers to speak English well enough to talk to police officers. The changes would affect nationwide licensing rules for commercial drivers. Most states let truckers and bus drivers to take at least part of their license tests in languages other than English. But, the rule changes would require drivers to speak only English during their road tests and vehicle checks. Here, the effects of this federal law to the Spanish-speaking population is presented. (Anonymous,2008,Vol. 56 Iss. 34, pg.4) The article states that it is important that truck drivers, just like any other drivers, need to be able to communicate with police officers. I believe that this is a wonderful reason why we could be able to make sure this can be accomplished by only issuing the driver’s test in English. Can you think of a better way for our nation’s police officers to be able to thoroughly investigate any type of problem having to due with traffic infractions? In conclusion, I think that it is simple to see why the United States of America’s Department of Motor Vehicle should put into effect a law stating that the only language the driver’s knowledge test can be given in is English. Not only do you have safety reasons but it will also help to assimilate our foreign visitors into American life. I can understand that some people may feel it is a violation of some sorts, but I think if you truly look at the facts anyone can see how it would be better for our country to only offer the test in English. Maybe one day the federal government and our states governments will come together and make this happen. References NEW RULES REQUIRE TRUCKERS TO SPEAK: Better English.  (2008,  August). News for You,  56(34),  4.   Retrieved December 8, 2008, from Research Library  database. (Document ID:  1554032611). Mick Hinton (6   May). Language bill would miss goal: It couldnt stop driver tests from being offered in Spanish.  McClatchy Tribune Business News,.   Retrieved December 8, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Dateline  database. (Document ID:  1473806651). Research Papers on Road Signs in EnglishStandardized Testing19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraQuebec and CanadaAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoHip-Hop is ArtAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NicePETSTEL analysis of India

Carrefours Exit from Japan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Carrefours Exit from Japan - Case Study Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that one of Carrefour's criteria for entering a new market is that small-scale rationalization and reorganization were not in effect and that large-scale chain supermarkets were absent from the market. However, at the time of entry, Japan already had large-scale special discount stores for clothing, electrical appliances or furniture. With strong competitors in the market, it would have been difficult for Carrefour to establish a strong entry presence. When Carrefour entered the Japanese market, the real estate prices were high. Carrefour's global store strategy of obtaining a large amount of floor space at a low price to provide wider space, free parking and one-stop shopping options for its customers did not meet its objective. Another Carrefour marketing criteria were to offer fresh products at very low prices and with high-value additions and an array of choices. After entering the market, the company followed its basic strategy of purcha sing directly from the producers to keep buying costs low. However, the concept of "Everyday Low Prices" was not feasible in Japan as the customers were accustomed to frequent shopping and buying goods in smaller quantities to because of space restraints at home. Also, the Japanese were also very quality and fashion conscious and low pricing products did not convey that message.

Evolution of supply chain management Assignment

Evolution of supply chain management - Assignment Example b) Integration era – the integration era marked the use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. This era stressed on value added and cost reduction supply chain management through integration. c) Globalization era – the globalization era was characterized by the emergence of global system of vendors and suppliers and the expansion of supply chain over national and international boundaries. In this era, organizations aimed to attain competitive advantage by creating value added services and products. At the same time, it aimed to reduce costs through global sourcing. d) Specialization era (Phase I – Outsourced manufacturing and distribution) – this era saw the creation and development of the specialization model which composed of numerous individual supply chains specifically for products, suppliers and customers who worked together to manufacture, design, market, distribute, sell and service a particular product. e) Specialization era (Phase I – Supply chain management as a service) – the commencement of warehouse management, transport brokers and freight carriers has matured into the aspects of collaboration, supply planning, performance management and execution. All this was possible due to the breakthroughs achieved in technology. f) Supply Chain Management 2.0 – this terminology was coined to explain the changes within the supply chain industry and the evolution of methods, tools and processes used to manage resources now. It is very important for an organization to develop supply chain strategy as it creates value for the organization. The first step is to develop a supply chain strategy. For this the first step is to understand the business strategy. If the business strategy is to reduce costs, then the supply chain strategy must be developed to support the same. It is important to find out supply chain competencies and leverage them for the benefit of th e organization. The next step is to access the extended supply chain. This is attained by conducting a realistic, detailed monitoring of capabilities existing within the firm and the extended supply chain. Once the assessment is complete it is very necessary to prioritize and review the recommendations, define the risks, validate the opportunities and the requirements for implementing the supply chain strategy. 2. Explore strategies used by organizations to develop and maintain effective supplier relationships: ? determine suitable strategies with regard to the development of relationships with suppliers, using appropriate web-based technologies ? evaluate the effectiveness of strategies used by an organization ? devise effective systems for relationship maintenance The breakthroughs achieved in web-based technology have made us realize the importance of information exchange that can play a vital part in the competitive strategies adopted by different organizations. It is possible t o maintain good business to business and business to consumer supplier relationships by means of web based techniques. Extensive telecommunication networks are used to develop and maintain effective supplier relationships. Electronic trading is one such method which has effectively helped to maintain vendor relationships (Croom 2000). Another web based technique used to maintain effective supplier relationship is that of electronic warehouse management. It is now possible to inform a client well in